JD 75

Sniffling from how moved he was by the boss’s words, Hakyung hugged Muheon tightly and said,

“Let’s live happily ever after together, boss.”

“Of course.”

“I’m going to stay by your side even after I die, so whether it’s another person or a beastman, you’re absolutely not allowed to remarry.”

“Okay.”

It hadn’t even been a full day since they’d submitted the marriage form, and already he was issuing such a fierce warning—just like the brave river dolphin he was. Muheon nodded, easing his husband’s anxiety.

Of course, he had no thoughts of ever leaving. And even if they did part, there was no way someone else could replace Kang Hakyung. Rather, Muheon was more worried that Hakyung, now about to experience a much bigger world, might end up leaving him behind.

Swallowing that small fear of an old man, Muheon gently stroked Hakyung’s hair. At the touch, the little hole at the top of Hakyung’s head flared, expressing his joy.

The two stayed wrapped around each other until a loud grumble from Hakyung’s stomach forced them apart.

“Are you really hungry? Should we order room service or go to the restaurant?”

“Hmm… Can we go out to eat? I want to look around the hotel too.”

“Of course. I’ll wash you up.”

Muheon lifted Hakyung into his arms. Hakyung, used to being held like this, smiled sweetly. Every time the boss treated him like a child or a fragile piece of glass, his heart would thump wildly.

Being cared for, cherished, and loved by someone—he loved it. And the fact that the one giving that love was the boss made him even happier.

Swinging his legs in Muheon’s arms and humming a tune, Hakyung’s eyes went wide at the sight before him.

They’d used the en suite bathroom last night, so they hadn’t noticed—but the main bathroom was breathtaking. With floor-to-ceiling windows offering a full view of the Seoul cityscape and a tub so large it could fit several grown men, it completely stole Hakyung’s attention.

“Boss, don’t you think that’s big enough to swim in?”

“Well, you could… but do you really want to swim? I thought you were hungry.”

“Ah, that’s true. Okay, let’s wash up and go eat.”

“Alright, come here.”

Muheon took out a bottle with Hakyung’s favorite scent and worked up a lather. When he saw the rich bubbles filling Muheon’s large hands, Hakyung broke into a big grin.

They had overdone it last night, and neither of them felt like eating anything too heavy in the morning, so they picked a Korean traditional set meal. The breakfast course featured abalone porridge, and even the view here was amazing.

“Come to think of it, I heard the night view here is really nice… but I didn’t get to see it.”

“Ahem.”

It had been Muheon who gently coaxed Hakyung into doing it first, saying the night view could wait. Now he had no excuse, even with ten mouths.

Trying to save face, Muheon placed some side dishes onto Hakyung’s spoon, telling him to stop staring outside and just eat already.

It wasn’t meant to be guilt-tripping, but watching Muheon act all sheepish was cute, so Hakyung let out a quiet laugh. Breakfast with the man he loved was the most delicious thing in the world.

“Boss.”

“Mm?”

“Um, would it be alright to ask your friend for one more? The gel.”

Hakyung whispered after polishing off his abalone porridge.

All that talk about how rare and effective it was turned out to be true. At first, the unfamiliar sensation had been difficult to handle, but once he got used to it—whatever “twice as good” meant, it was at least several times better.

He praised the seaweed gel like it was sacred, even bringing up feng shui to say it had to be because Dokdo was a spiritually pure place. Naturally, Muheon agreed.

Who would’ve thought something so normal and useful could come from Dok Gojin? Next time they met, he’d definitely ask for more.

And apparently, Hakyung had loved it just as much. If he just poked Dok Gojin a bit and made the request, he’d probably say yes—though Muheon was already feeling tired just thinking about dealing with that endless chatter.

“I’ll ask him next time we meet.”

“Yes, yes! And I’ll ask Grandma to give me that really tasty salted shrimp sauce. I’ll give him that when we ask him!”

“Was it really that good?”

Hakyung’s face turned pink, like his hair. Muheon grinned, guessing he was remembering the night before.

Tapping his empty bowl with his spoon, Hakyung hesitated, then gave a shy nod.

“It was amazing. Mu-il Mu-i just… inside me…!”

“Ah—uh. Try this.”

Sensing he was about to launch into a full-on speech, Muheon hurriedly stuffed the remaining short ribs into Hakyung’s mouth. Married or not, there was no way he was sharing their bedroom secrets with the world.

Hakyung happily munched on the meat and quickly switched topics.

It was about the message they’d received that morning from Hajo.

“Hajo sent a few academy names he wants to visit. Looks like I’ll be touring them all weekend. I need to check some reviews later too.”

A sigh escaped from Hakyung as he looked over the list. He sounded like a parent raising a student.

Muheon, who didn’t care much for human society, didn’t have much to say. All he could do was tell Hakyung to do his best since it was about his sister—and knowing how competent his dolphin husband was, he believed it would all go well.

“Geowung will go pick him up.”

“Uncle Geowong?”

Hakyung looked confused at Muheon’s nod. Why send Park Geowong, who worked right by the boss’s side, all the way out to the countryside?

Sensing the question, Muheon explained.

“Because he’s the safest driver.”

“Safe driving?”

“Among us, Park Geowong’s the only one who drives under the speed limit. The rest love going fast.”

Even on land, their habit of swimming fast in the sea hadn’t changed, Muheon said, clicking his tongue.

Since no one wanted to risk putting Hakyung’s brother in danger, they’d all unanimously voted for Park Geowong. These beastmen knew each other’s driving styles too well.

“I see… I should get him a thank-you gift.”

“I’ll do it.”

“But it’s for my brother. I can take care of it…”

“He’s my brother now too. And I don’t want you thinking about other guys while picking out a gift.”

Stunned, Hakyung’s jaw dropped at the casually jealous comment. The words echoed in his head over and over again.

His face flushed hot, and he nudged Muheon’s foot with his toes in a playful attempt to deflect. Muheon’s smile stretched endlessly as he watched his embarrassed husband.

After a sweet and ticklish breakfast and a little tour of the hotel, Hakyung began getting ready to leave. Oddly enough, it was Muheon whose expression looked sulky as he watched.

While packing the complimentary snacks, Hakyung glanced at Muheon, who stood behind him like a stone statue.

“Boss, what is it?”

“Can’t we stay just one more day?”

Anyone watching might think Muheon wasn’t the boss. Hakyung sighed at his husband, who clearly just wanted to play hooky. It was a deeper sigh than the one he let out earlier when talking about Hajo’s academy list.

Muheon, now something of a spoiled child, furrowed his brow. Anyone would think Kang Hakyung was the boss—an evil, money-obsessed one at that.

“You know how much one night here costs? We can’t.”

“I said I’d pay.”

“If you pay, it’s still money.”

“Who said it wasn’t? I’m just saying, can’t we stay one more night?”

Am I the only one feeling like this is our honeymoon? Am I the only one who wants to stick together?

Muheon’s voice rose slightly, frustration creeping in. It didn’t feel right to leave after just one night of their honeymoon.

But continuing the conversation felt pointless. Hakyung wasn’t likely to change his mind. And Muheon didn’t want to argue over something like this.

What really cooled him down was the look on Hakyung’s face—his eyes went wide at the sharp tone. Suddenly, Muheon felt scared, worried that he might have frightened him and pushed him away.

He swallowed hard and helped Hakyung pack. Silently blinking, Hakyung grabbed Muheon’s sleeve.

“Boss.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you mad? I was kind of stubborn… did I annoy you?”

“No. I’m sorry for raising my voice.”

Muheon wrapped his hand around the small one gripping his sleeve. It was cold—he must’ve gotten scared.

Blaming himself, Muheon pulled Hakyung into a tight hug.

“I just really like being alone with you. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t annoyed either.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Huh?”

“I really like being alone with you too, but I was worried the others might gossip about us spending all our time together…”

How could he not adore this lovely river dolphin, even worrying about his reputation? Muheon pressed a gentle kiss to Hakyung’s forehead.

“Yeah. Now that I’ve got a husband, I should work harder too.”

“Seriously…”

Muttering that the boss was the best, Hakyung stood on tiptoe and launched a kiss attack on Muheon’s face. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite make it to the lips and ended up smearing saliva around his chin.