JD 89

For the past few days, Hakyung had been quietly sneaking off and acting suspicious—so this must’ve been the reason.

Muheon stood still, listening to that voice that matched the clear sky so well. Of course, at the wedding, he planned to pretend it was his first time hearing it—just as Hakyung wanted. But hearing it early didn’t make it any less moving.

He used to think he wasn’t the type to get excited about events or ceremonies, but when it involved Kang Hakyung, anything and everything made his heart flutter. He couldn’t deny it anymore—this girlish excitement inside him was growing stronger by the day.

Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Muheon finally stood up. As much as he loved hearing Hakyung sing, he worried letting him go too long might wear him out again.

As he entered the dorm, Muheon deliberately made some noise—just loud enough for someone immersed in singing practice to hear. Sure enough, the soft melody was cut off, and with a thump and a crash, Hakyung popped out.

“Boss!”

“Hey. You were supposed to be resting—why are you out here? I told you not to leave your room.”

Putting on a stern expression, Muheon wrapped an arm around Hakyung’s shoulder and led him back into the room.

With a weak protest, Hakyung ended up flopping back onto the bed, his lips sticking out in a pout.

“I’ve been lying down so much that my back hurts. I think it’s actually making me more uncomfortable.”

“Nope. You won’t even get to sit still tomorrow, so you need to save your energy while you can.”

“I’m not that weak, you know?”

“I’m not saying you’re weak. I’m saying it’s going to be tough, so rest while you can.”

As Muheon gently ran his fingers through Hakyung’s pink hair, Hakyung gave up the argument and nodded.

When Muheon spoke to him with that gentle voice full of concern, Hakyung felt tingly all over—like warm air bubbling up from the top of his head. He made no effort to hide his affection.

He suddenly sat up and covered Muheon’s handsome face with loud smooches, like an excited puppy welcoming its owner home.

Muheon accepted the kisses with a smile. Just as Hakyung loved him without end, Muheon felt that same endless love in return.

***

Just as Muheon had predicted the day before, Hakyung was up at 4 a.m. on the day of the wedding and moving from place to place.

With his short hair and no need for heavy makeup, he’d assumed prep would be simple—but it turned out to be anything but.

“Groom, please don’t close your eyes.”

“Right, sorry!”

Was it called “effortless chic”? Or “natural makeup”? Whatever it was, applying shadows and highlights to make him look good under lighting and in photos required serious precision.

What made him feel even worse was that while they fussed over his face, Muheon only got a touch of tone-up cream.

The makeup artist shyly explained that Muheon was already flawless and didn’t need any enhancements—any more would be overkill. Hakyung knew his own face was rounder and plainer by comparison, but still, it stung.

As Hakyung’s cheerful expression slowly turned into a pout, Muheon stepped in to cheer him up. He took Hakyung’s hand, played with his fingers, and showered him with compliments.

Noticing the change, the makeup artist quickly chimed in as well.

“You have such fair, bright skin that it completely washes out under the lights. That’s why I’m just adding a bit of contour, okay?”

“O-oh, I see…”

“Totally! You’re my favorite groom I’ve had recently. You must’ve gotten up super early, and yet you don’t look puffy at all!”

Praise—especially when it wasn’t empty flattery—always made Hakyung’s tail wag, metaphorically speaking. This was no exception.

“That pink hair really suits you too. You look like an idol!”

“I-idol? No way…”

Flushing red, Hakyung blinked and twisted shyly in his seat. Just like that, all the self-consciousness from being compared to Muheon floated away like a balloon.

Muheon chuckled softly at how easily Hakyung’s mood flipped—he really was still a kid at heart.

After the intense rounds of makeup and wardrobe were finally done, Hakyung barely had time to catch his breath before Huang Ying and Huang Lin showed up.

“This way, come on—try it on real quick! We need to check the fit!”

Without warning, Huang Ying grabbed his hand and slipped a ring onto his finger. It fit surprisingly well, with no awkward tightness or gaps. She then turned to Muheon and repeated the process with his hand, giving it a quick check.

Standing beside her, Huang Lin kept mumbling apologies for his meddling.

With everyone talking at once and things happening so fast, Hakyung didn’t even get a chance to see how the gemstones had been added to the rings.

“We’ll give these to you during the ceremony.”

At some point, a hotel staff member had appeared and collected the rings with a warm smile.

The next item on Hakyung’s agenda—after having his ring whisked away so abruptly—was greeting the guests.

Though the wedding was small, with only family and company members attending, a livestream camera had been following their every move since earlier. The professional-level equipment made the whole thing feel more than a little awkward.

“Hakyung!”

“Grandma!”

While Hakyung was still smiling stiffly, unable to look straight into the camera, his grandma and siblings called out to him from afar, waving excitedly.

Hakyung and Muheon rushed over and embraced them tightly. Everyone had dressed to the nines for the eldest’s wedding, making it immediately obvious this was a grand river dolphin family event.

Grandma, seeing Hakyung without his hat, showered him with compliments: “Aigo, my baby, you look so beautiful, so beautiful!” His siblings gave him thumbs-up and piled on the praise.

Standing among his family, Hakyung looked like the happiest person in the world. Naturally, they also showered Muheon with compliments—perhaps even more than they had for Hakyung.

Muheon bowed politely beside Hakyung with an awkward smile—a groom to the core.

“You’re officially getting married now, so live well together, alright?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Aigo, you’re so handsome! Not sure whose husband you are, but damn!”

Grandma, who’d worn the brooch Muheon gave her on her hat, laughed brightly. Her joy was infectious—Hakyung and his siblings all looked to Muheon with smiles.

Muheon wanted to say something more heartfelt, something to show his gratitude and sincerity, but words weren’t his strong suit. It was frustrating in moments like this.

But Grandma understood completely. Her own husband—Hakyung’s grandfather—had been similarly quiet and stoic, yet trustworthy. She had long known that quiet men who acted more than they spoke were the most dependable kind.

“Alright, alright, I know you’re busy—go on now. We’ll head over that way, okay? And Hakyung, be careful not to bump your head, hmm?”

“Okay! Grandma, there’s lots of food in the hall. Sit and enjoy, okay? Make sure she eats well, alright?”

The younger siblings responded loudly to Hakyung’s request and headed toward the hall, their faces gleaming with excitement. Watching his family walk away brought a stinging warmth to Hakyung’s chest.

Sniff. Hakyung let out a small, choked breath. Standing beside him, Muheon wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Leaning into his broad shoulder, Hakyung whispered through a tearful sniffle, “I’m just… so happy.”

Hearing the wetness in his voice, Muheon looked down at him, surprised.

“You’re crying already? We haven’t even started…”

“You really don’t have a single sensitive bone in your body, do you?”

“I’m not criticizing—I’m just… curious…”

“Forget it.”

Pulling away from Muheon’s shoulder, Hakyung took the lead. Muheon, wearing a bewildered expression, followed behind his little river dolphin like a duckling.

Despite the lavish decorations, the wedding hall itself looked almost empty. There were so few guests, it felt strangely hollow.

The event staff murmured among themselves—they’d never seen such a luxurious wedding with such a tiny turnout. This hall typically hosted weddings with at least 500 guests.

But this one had not even fifty.

Rumor had it the couple were close friends of the hotel owner, but still, wasn’t this a bit extreme?

Amid the murmurs and curiosity, the wedding finally began.

There was no need for complicated traditions—they would simply exchange rings and vows. Despite already being married, the ceremony’s formality made both Hakyung and Muheon visibly nervous.

They looked into each other’s eyes as they slipped the rings onto one another’s fingers. Seeing their own reflection in each other’s eyes filled them both with awe. For a moment, they just stood there, silently captivated—and among the guests, soft sniffles could be heard. They came from sea beastmen overcome with emotion at Muheon’s wedding.

Meanwhile, the river dolphin family smiled brightly, shouting “Kiss! Kiss!” and whistling.

Their energy lightened the atmosphere again. Once the vows were done, the ceremony would end—simple and quick, despite all the splendor.

And then, just as it was wrapping up, a soft melody filled the hall.

Everyone looked around in confusion. Where had that come from?

And then—Hakyung, holding a mic from who-knew-where, stood beside Muheon and took his hand. Looking straight into Muheon’s eyes, Hakyung’s lips curved into a wide smile.

A serenade of love—for his other half.