JD 69

It was great that Hakyung walked into the shopping arcade so confidently, but it didn’t take long for his mood to sour.

Merchants who were loudly calling out to other customers immediately clamped their mouths shut the moment they made eye contact with him!

Hakyung began to feel downhearted, wondering if he looked that poor. Unaware that it was actually because of Muheon’s threatening aura behind him, Hakyung kept trying his best to make eye contact with the sellers.

After visiting a few stores, someone finally made an attempt to engage him.

“Hey there! What are you looking for? Come on in, we’ve got tons of great stuff! Huh? We’ve got so many things that would suit such a cute, fair-skinned friend like you!”

“Ah, hello!”

Hakyung was so moved by even that simple welcome that he politely returned the greeting and trotted after the shopkeeper toward the display. Naturally, Muheon followed right behind him.

The shop really did have a ton of items—gold pieces glittered densely across the counters.

“What do you think? Impressive, right? We’ve got the best prices around! How much did you see elsewhere?”

Surprised by the whispered question about other store prices, Hakyung’s eyes darted. Truthfully, this was his first stop, but with over ten years of experience shopping with his grandma at markets, he couldn’t just say he didn’t know.

Showing hesitation without giving a clear answer, he triggered the shopkeeper to start tapping quickly on a calculator.

“You haven’t seen anything like this, right? Right?”

“Hmm…”

“Okay, okay! I’ll give you this price if you pay in cash—sounds good, yeah?”

Only then did Hakyung give a small nod and start inspecting the item more seriously. Watching him bargain so neatly, Muheon let out a small laugh. He’d been worried when Hakyung looked all dejected from being ignored earlier, but maybe that worry had been unnecessary.

With one large hand, he patted Hakyung’s round cap, silently praising his smart little river dolphin.

“Boss, give me your hand here.”

Hakyung caught Muheon’s hand that had been patting his head and pulled it down. He began comparing it against the glittering rings, trying to find the design that suited Muheon best.

His fingers were long, straight, and beautiful—really, anything would look good on him… But as Hakyung narrowed down his choices, his eyes landed on a ring with a large dragon design.

Oh wow, that one was perfect for the boss!

“This one! Please show me this one!”

“Huh…? The dragon ring?”

“No, the thickest one right next to it!”

Among all the dragon rings, Hakyung picked the thickest and most robust one.

A real man should wear a ring of that thickness! Especially when he’s the imugi of the West Sea!

Hakyung had chosen the ring with the boss’s pride as top priority. But the problem was—he hadn’t considered the boss’s personal taste at all.

Muheon, who always preferred clean, simple, minimal designs, saw the flashy, gemstone-studded dragon ring as nothing short of a monstrosity.

He couldn’t fathom how, out of dozens of rings, Hakyung had managed to pick that one.

But he couldn’t complain—he’d already agreed before they entered the shop: “Boss, you only move when I ask for your hand.”

The jewelry shop owner felt the same way as Muheon. That ring just seemed a little too excessive for such a bright, fresh-faced couple.

Oblivious to their shared reluctance, Hakyung cheerfully slid the ring onto Muheon’s hand—only to freeze when he heard the price.

“Wait… how much?”

“Well, gold prices have gone up lately, and labor costs too. Since this one’s about 18.75 grams, plus the craftsmanship fee…”

The cost of a single ring was nearly equivalent to Hakyung’s monthly salary. His hand trembled. He had to give his grandma living expenses, help pay for his brother’s academy, and he’d just started a few savings accounts…

This was perfect, but…!

Though disappointment filled his heart, Hakyung knew: when a sparrow tries to follow a stork, it’ll split its legs. A smart river dolphin knows when to back down.

In the end, Hakyung purchased two thin gold rings embedded with synthetic sesame-sized diamonds. Even synthetic diamonds weren’t exactly cheap.

In less than thirty seconds, a chunk of his paycheck disappeared—leaving a hollow feeling in his chest. But he decided to be content just knowing he could share a pair of wedding rings with the boss. Even if the one paying him his salary was the boss himself.

“Boss, I’ll get you the dragon ring for our next anniversary, okay? I’m sorry… I just don’t have the means right now.”

“It’s fine. This one’s beautiful too.”

“They look good because your hands are pretty.”

Thankfully, they found rings that fit their sizes, so they didn’t have to wait on a custom order and could wear them out right away.

Hakyung lifted Muheon’s left hand and waved it in front of his eyes, grinning from ear to ear. Wearing matching rings like this made him feel like they were truly a married couple, bound together forever.

Now he understood exactly why people in love wore couple items.

Muheon, too, liked these rings far more than the dragon one. On Hakyung’s small, pale hands, the simple rings looked much better than that ridiculously large dragon ring.

“You know you’re a married man now, right, boss? Don’t you dare take that ring off.”

“Got it. Same goes for you—don’t go smiling at anyone else.”

“I’m not that kind of flirty river dolphin, okay?”

Hakyung huffed indignantly through his nose. Anyone paying attention would know he only ever threw himself at the boss, no one else.

He still didn’t seem to realize that Muheon often teased him exactly because of this fluttery, worked-up reaction.

“Y-you too, boss, don’t go being nice to just anyone.”

“Me?”

“Huh? Be honest, even when we first met! If it had been someone else squatting in front of the building, you’d have picked them up too, wouldn’t you? With that handsome face of yours, flirting all over the place!”

“No way. I picked you up because you were Kang Hakyung. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have even looked at them.”

Muheon didn’t quite know why his cute little husband was suddenly so mad, but he explained sincerely. Not that it was an excuse—it was the truth. If it hadn’t been for that sweet scent, that round, adorable crown of his, Muheon’s gaze wouldn’t have lingered for even a second.

He still found it strange how Hakyung didn’t have that typical fishy smell of river-dwelling beastmen, but instead gave off something sweet.

As Muheon explained, Hakyung’s furrowed eyebrows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned up. The angry river dolphin turned shy, squirming as he grabbed Muheon’s fingers.

“So the boss really did fall for me at first sight.”

His trailing tone showed just how happy he was. Muheon repeated something he’d said many times before.

“I told you. I fell for you back when I saved you as a kid.”

“Aww, boss, seriously!”

Hakyung fanned his blushing cheeks as he grinned brightly.

Just thinking about all the things he’d wasted on that fake life-saver, Kim Taeyoung, still made him angry—but then he’d remember that maybe he and the boss were destined from way back, and his whole body would melt into mush.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait… we’re heading back already? Can’t we at least have a meal together to celebrate becoming a married couple?”

Hakyung was usually a diligent employee, but today was a special day.

They’d come all the way to the center of Seoul—wouldn’t it be nice to sit down with a good cup of coffee and chat about their rosy future, their blooming path ahead? Honestly, the boss had zero sense of romance!

Just as Hakyung’s lips were about to pout again, Muheon turned and began walking in the opposite direction from where they came.

“Knew it. You couldn’t just head back either, right? I’ll look up some cozy cafés nearby!”

All thoughts of pouting vanished as Hakyung’s face lit up. He held Muheon’s hand in one hand and his phone in the other, just about to walk when the man suddenly stopped and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“We’re not going to a café. We’re going straight to a hotel.”

A hotel?!

Hakyung jolted, wide-eyed at the unexpected word. In the middle of the day?! What were they going to… do?! His startled heart beat so fast that even the little breathing hole on his head fluttered in sync.

Muheon gently touched Hakyung’s ear, now stiff with shock.

“You gave me a ring, so I should give you something too. Let’s go on a honeymoon.”

“A h-honeymoon?”

“Yeah. Did you bring the thing Dok Gojin gave you?”

Hakyung immediately nodded, thinking of the lucky pouch safely tucked deep in the backpack he’d brought along.

It was all thanks to his grandma’s advice: always be at least a little prepared for anything. He gulped and, with a sly grin, began poking his husband’s side.

It was his way of saying: Let’s get going already.