JD 90

To keep from forgetting the lyrics he’d practiced for so long, Hakyung kept running the lines through his head nonstop.

It was his first time singing a song live—and on such an important occasion—so his hand trembled as it held the mic.

Thankfully, practice didn’t betray him. The words flowed naturally off his tongue, one beautiful phrase after another. Every time he sang about walking a path together forever, his heart fluttered with emotion.

Until the very last note, Hakyung sang while looking only at Muheon, pouring every bit of his heart into each word. When the song ended, he closed his eyes to catch his breath—then brought Muheon’s hand, now adorned with a ring, to his lips.

The cold metal against his lips felt warm.

At the start of the song, the guests had whooped and cheered. But by the time he reached the climax, the entire room had gone quiet—captivated by the sincerity in Hakyung’s voice, by the love shimmering in his eyes.

Some of the sea beastmen who had just stopped crying broke down all over again. Even Hakyung’s family was visibly emotional.

“I’ll love you—from now on, forever, always.”

Lifting his head, Hakyung gave a wide grin. He’d wanted to say something much prettier, something more touching—but the moment the song ended, his mind had gone blank. All that came out were the simplest, most cliché words.

“…Me too.”

After hearing Hakyung’s beautiful serenade and that cute, heartfelt confession, Muheon replied with just two blunt words.

In truth, he had chuckled to himself when the intro played. So I get to hear that passionate performance again. He’d wondered how best to react, but once he locked eyes with Hakyung, all thoughts vanished.

The way this little river dolphin sang just for him—the way he stared straight into his soul, his lips trembling with nerves—it was so unbearably lovely, Muheon could’ve cried.

And so, “Me too” was the best he could manage.

But Hakyung simply smiled even brighter at that response. He had already sensed the subtle tremble in Muheon’s stiff expression and voice.

“Then hurry up and kiss me.”

Hakyung closed his eyes and puckered his lips. Muheon finally smiled and leaned in to meet them.

It was a long, lingering kiss that lasted until the guests started yelling for them to stop.

After Hakyung’s surprise performance, the two exchanged vows—still with swollen lips. Their goat-like, quivering voices as they recited their promises made the guests burst out laughing again.

It was a wedding where the kiss lasted longer than the actual ceremony.

Since there was no reception, the newlyweds walked around greeting the guests one by one. They even waved at the now-familiar livestream camera.

“Hyung, that was the best you’ve ever sung. Can I edit it and upload it to YouTube?”

“Huh? My English pronunciation’s probably weird…”

“No way—you sounded better than a native.”

“R-really?”

When Hajo gave him a serious thumbs-up, Hakyung’s lips twitched upward. All the hours he’d spent practicing, nearly tying his tongue in knots to mimic the original singer’s pronunciation, had paid off.

“Your eyes were dripping with honey! I got embarrassed for you. How do you manage to stare at the boss like that without blinking once?!”

“I-I was just nervous!”

“Sure, suuuure. We all believe that.”

Hawon giggled as she teased him. But even with his little sister poking fun, Hakyung didn’t frown—he just smiled from ear to ear.

Grandma, watching the dolphin siblings chatter from nearby, had a soft smile on her face too.

“Where’s your husband?”

“Oh, over there!”

“Well, go on then—you two need to greet people together!”

“Okay, I’ll be right back!”

Waving at his grandmother, Hakyung trotted off toward Muheon. Sitting with him were Huang Lin and Huang Ying—and with Muheon now joining them, the atmosphere looked unusually heavy.

And it was. The group was in the middle of a very serious conversation. Even Huang Lin, who usually wore a playful smile, had a grim expression on his face.

Hakyung carefully took a seat beside Muheon, watching the imugis for clues.

“…So I got deceived, huh? By a human, no less…?”

Huang Lin let out a bitter laugh, clenching his fists. The culprit had already fled, but he swore he’d track him down and make him pay.

When Hakyung tilted his head in confusion, Muheon leaned in and whispered the explanation.

“Kim Taeyoung—he just found out that bastard used your voice.”

“Oh… ohhh…!”

Only then did Hakyung understand why Huang Lin had been so furious. As an imugi whose pride was carved into every inch of him, the very idea that he’d been deceived by a human had clearly sent his blood boiling.

Naturally, Hakyung flinched—he had, after all, been unknowingly involved in that scam. But seeing Hakyung shrinking like a scolded puppy, Huang Lin quickly reeled himself in and softened his expression.

“R-right… Of course I know the river dolphin’s not at fault. You sing really well, by the way… Have you ever considered going into entertainment?”

“Hey, I called dibs. Don’t go getting ideas.”

Huang Lin had subtly hinted at recruiting Hakyung into his agency. The one who responded wasn’t Hakyung—but Huang Ying, who immediately jabbed her brother in the throat with a precision chop.

Not one to back down, Huang Lin smacked his sister on the back.

Unlike the cute squabbling of river dolphin siblings, the brawl between these imugi siblings was vicious. Hakyung gasped and took a step back in alarm.

“Let’s go.”

Muheon, who was used to this kind of chaos, didn’t blink an eye. He knew full well no other imugi would dare lay a hand on what was his. Wrapping an arm around Hakyung’s shoulders, he calmly rose from his seat.

Hakyung, still wondering if they should intervene in the fight, gave a bewildered “uh—” as Muheon led him away toward the lobby.

Unlike the bustling ceremony hall, the lobby was quiet. Muheon held Hakyung’s hand tightly as they strolled at a leisurely pace.

A warm, peaceful atmosphere wrapped around them. It felt like a dream, and from the depths of that dreamlike happiness, a familiar tune slipped from Hakyung’s lips—a line from the serenade he’d practiced hundreds of times these past few days.

Muheon began to hum along, matching Hakyung’s melody. Surprised, Hakyung turned to him with wide eyes.

“Wait—you were singing just now!?”

“Hmm… Can you even call that singing?”

“What else would you call it? Wow! I mean, I knew your voice was nice, but hearing it like that? Seriously—amazing!”

Hakyung bounced in place, gushing with joy. Muheon gave a bashful smile, caught off guard by how enthusiastic his river dolphin was.

It had just been a casual hum to keep pace with Hakyung’s voice, but Hakyung acted like he’d witnessed a full-on vocal performance. It was this unfiltered sincerity that made Muheon fall for him so hard.

“One more time! If you don’t know the lyrics, I can show you. Come on, let’s sing together!”

“No.”

“Aww, you’re being shy again!”

Hakyung poked at Muheon’s side with a loud laugh. Muheon shook his head in resignation as he watched his husband bounce around with joy over a single line of humming.

Even as a married couple, the idea of singing seriously in front of Hakyung felt… embarrassing. Like showing off in front of a master.

“Then I’ll just sing twice as much!”

Once Muheon’s lips shut, there was no prying them open again. With a small sigh of disappointment, Hakyung quickly recharged and launched into another love song. It had been one of the runner-ups for the wedding performance.

Like he was in a musical, Hakyung twirled and danced around Muheon, filling the air with sweet melody.

Unable to hold back his affection, Muheon suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Why are you so cute?”

“Huh…?”

“Why are you so cool?”

“Uhm…”

“Why are you so lovable that it makes me anxious?”

Hearing Muheon’s murmured words, Hakyung blinked. He didn’t quite understand—if anyone was cute, cool, and lovable, it was Muheon.

He opened his mouth to correct the facts, but before he could say anything, Muheon kissed him.

Even though they were tucked into a quiet corner, it was still a public space—and yet, it felt so good.

The bold river dolphin wrapped his arms tightly around Muheon’s waist, eagerly moving his tongue.

Their kiss lasted as long as the one they shared during the ceremony—long enough that both their lips were wet, almost dripping. Hakyung licked the drool trailing from the corner of his mouth and rose on tiptoes to plant playful pecks on Muheon’s lips.

“Let’s kiss like this every day during our honeymoon in the sea!”

“Of course.”

Muheon nodded without hesitation. The two of them were leaving the next day for a weeklong honeymoon-slash-vacation at Muheon’s home.

Word was, preparations were already underway for a grand celebration there in honor of their marriage. Thinking about Muheon’s subordinates whom he’d met during their last trip to the sea, Hakyung’s shoulders bounced with excitement.