JD 99

The video’s views had already shot past the hundred-thousand mark. So this is what it meant to be blessed by the algorithm…! Hakyung felt like he’d just discovered an entirely new continent—his vision sparkled with awe.

“What if… what if I can’t even go out to a cafe for coffee anymore?”

“No way… it won’t go that far, right?”

“I-It might, right?”

Bu Geunrim tried to calm down Hakyung, who was already guzzling victory soup by the potful. But judging by the comments and reaction, this really might be something big. In the end, the two of them spent their whole lunch break staring wordlessly at the view counter ticking upward.

When they returned to the office, the buzz had already spread—everyone seemed to know about Hakyung’s video blowing up. His seniors greeted him with bright smiles, proudly telling him they’d watched the video multiple times. A few even had teary eyes, overcome with emotion as they recalled the wedding day. Their sensitivity rivaled that of a river dolphin.

Being praised for something he genuinely loved and was good at—it made Hakyung truly happy. As he beamed at their congratulations, a large hand gently settled atop his hat. Muheon.

Hakyung placed his hand on top of the one resting on his crown. His seniors quietly made themselves scarce. The newlywed couple radiated such a thick, sweet atmosphere that no one dared get close.

“What’s going on? Why were they clinging to you?”

“Oh—because something really great happened to me!”

“Something great?”

Muheon’s eyebrows rose. A good thing he didn’t know about? That soured his mood instantly.

Hakyung took Muheon’s hand and led him to the CEO’s office. If he was going to brag, he wanted to do it properly, just the two of them. Plus, it’d be fun to watch the numbers climb in real time with Muheon.

Muheon let himself be dragged along, only to find a phone screen shoved in his face.

“Hmm…?”

“Look closely! Doesn’t this video look a little different from my usual ones?”

“Let me see… Ah! Wait—your face is showing. And you look way too pretty. This is definitely not a good thing for me.”

Muheon’s brow slowly furrowed as he stared at Hakyung’s glowing face in the video. He had kept his face hidden until now—so why did he have to go and reveal it on the one day he looked the most beautiful?

An imugi who was convinced the entire world was after his husband pulled Hakyung into a tight embrace, as if to hide him away.

Maybe he should just keep him wrapped up and carry him around everywhere…

Muheon let out a sigh heavy with possessiveness—one that brushed against the crown of Hakyung’s head. Hakyung just giggled at the ticklish breath.

Every time Muheon revealed these unthinking, territorial instincts, Hakyung’s heart raced. He secretly hoped Muheon would get overwhelmed by jealousy and kiss him right then and there.

Unfortunately, all he got was a firmer squeeze around his waist.

“That’s not the point—I’m talking about the views!”

“That is the point. Your face being out there is the biggest problem.”

“Look at this number! I got picked up by the algorithm!”

Hakyung pointed excitedly at the skyrocketing view count. Only then did Muheon finally shift his gaze to the numbers that kept climbing.

He wasn’t someone who watched YouTube, nor did he care for it, so he couldn’t really grasp how big of a deal it was. But since Hakyung was so proud of it, he figured it must be something worth celebrating and gave a small nod.

It was the flattest reaction yet.

Hakyung, who had been soaring in the clouds a moment ago, crashed with a poof.

“You don’t like it?”

“I do.”

“That’s it?”

“Mm.”

Muheon’s brow furrowed again. How was he supposed to react here? Turning around Hakyung’s now-sulking mood wasn’t going to be easy.

As expected, Hakyung puffed out his cheeks and sighed. Well, it wasn’t like Muheon being indifferent to this kind of thing was anything new. No point in wasting energy pouting about it.

He slowly explained the situation in detail. Fortunately, Muheon gave him his full attention, and that alone helped Hakyung feel better.

Even after his long explanation, Muheon’s expression remained stiff. Hakyung waved a hand in front of his face.

“You did understand what I said, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why do you still look like you ate something rotten?”

“It’s not that…”

How could he explain this? Muheon had never really talked about his feelings before, so this was tough.

Still, wanting to be honest and not hurt Hakyung’s feelings, he carefully chose his words.

“I’m happy that people like your singing and that you’re getting more attention… but I hate it too. I want to be the only one who knows about it. I want you to sing just for me. I’m sorry for being a jealous husband.”

Muheon slowly confessed everything he felt. Hakyung’s face changed with every word.

When he heard the apology, Hakyung shook his head hard.

“You’re not being jealous! That’s not it at all! You just love me too much, that’s all!”

“…Thanks for seeing it that way.”

Hakyung turned and wrapped his arms around Muheon. Once again, he’d been shown just how deeply his husband loved him—this time through unexpected jealousy—and the smile on his lips wouldn’t go away.

Feeling a little guilty for his own petty possessiveness, Muheon kissed him gently. Not long ago, he was the one telling Hakyung that he should do something with that beautiful voice. But now, just imagining everyone else loving that same voice made his scalp prickle with irrational anger.

He wasn’t a moody teenager. Was it really normal for a grown man—one with a much older husband—to be this emotionally volatile over his spouse’s talent getting the attention it deserved?

While Muheon was sinking into self-loathing, Hakyung was sinking into the kiss.

Muheon, but sulking? Jackpot. Hakyung gazed up at his pale-faced husband, completely smitten. If only he could preserve this exact look forever. The melancholy beauty Muheon radiated at that moment was almost too much to handle.

While the two of them stared at each other with such wildly different thoughts, they suddenly burst into laughter.

It was just… good.

Sorry to his coworkers, but Hakyung had pushed his afternoon duties to the following morning and had been holed up in the CEO’s office all day.

At present, he was seated snugly on Muheon’s lap, scrolling through comments together. At first, most of them were compliments on his voice, but now, comments about his appearance—or outright baiting and jabs—were starting to appear.

Some doubted the wedding’s authenticity, suggesting it was all staged in a rented hotel. Others commented on his hair color or looks. The trolls had arrived.

But only one comment truly enraged Hakyung:

@ffukk: Who the hell marries a shrimp like that lmao. Looks like a total bum LOL.

Shrimp? Bum?

Sure, he was a lot younger than Muheon, and it’s true he didn’t make that much money…

But a shrimp? A bum? Excuse you—he bought the wedding rings, thank you very much!

Boiling with righteous fury, Hakyung seized the moment while Muheon was busy looking over some documents and furiously typed on his phone. His fingers flew across the screen like the computer-whiz dolphin he was.

@river_dollping @ffukk: I’m not a shrimp. I’m a full-fledged working adult. And I love my husband very, very much—he’s never going hungry, so no need to worry about us.

Truthfully, what he wanted to write was a string of curses he’d learned from his grandma—but he held back. He was a reasonable river dolphin, after all.

Even so, the fire in his scalp didn’t die down. His whole head felt like it was steaming.

“What happened?”

Muheon had only looked away for a moment to focus on an urgent document—but when he turned back, Hakyung’s face was burning with rage.

Startled, he rubbed Hakyung’s back in an attempt to calm him. Hakyung was so angry, Muheon could feel his heartbeat through his back. But the coolness of Muheon’s palm only seemed to fuel the fire.

“That son of a—! He called me a shrimp! And a bum! A total bum! Are you kidding me?!”

Hakyung stomped his feet furiously in midair. Anyone would be upset by a comment like that—it was nothing but low-quality mockery, even from an outsider’s perspective.

“Seriously. What nonsense. Kang Hakyung makes plenty of money.”

“R-Right?!”

But at that moment, Hakyung remembered where that money came from—and flinched. Maybe Muheon did think of him as a bum…

“So actually, I was thinking—it’s probably time to raise your salary.”

Muheon casually glanced at the calendar. They had agreed from the start that he’d get a raise after six months.

At his words, Hakyung jumped to his feet in protest.

“No way! Don’t you dare raise it!”

“…Huh?”

Muheon blinked, caught completely off guard. He’d thought Hakyung would be thrilled. Clearly, he’d misread the situation.