The night Hakyung had long awaited and looked forward to with the boss ended in smoke.
To make matters worse, the boss vanished early in the morning, saying he was going to look around the area, leaving Hakyung alone in the room.
Hakyung had wanted to go with him, but chose to stay behind at the hotel after hearing he was heading toward the sea—and also because of the hangover.
Still, the room itself was so large and filled with fun things to enjoy that it wasn’t boring at all.
Even if it wasn’t a place he came specifically for, the fancy success dolphin figure reminded him of something grand, and Hakyung’s shoulders bobbed up and down in delight.
“Click, click, please take a picture of love in my heart!”
Even with the slight dark circles from the hangover, his face, lit up by the natural sunlight pouring through the large windows, looked pretty decent.
Humming a tune, Hakyung took a photo—one he put even more effort into than the ones he usually sent his family—and sent it to the boss’s phone.
After all, starting yesterday, they were officially dating.
How could he not miss him already, even if they were apart just briefly…?
However, the photo—overflowing with longing and affection—received no reply for hours.
“Tch, typical of an old guy.”
Hakyung pouted.
Thirty-six might still be considered youthful from the outside, but to twenty-four-year-old Hakyung, the boss was just… an old guy.
Who knows how long he stared at his silent phone?
Just then, the black screen lit up brightly.
Hakyung, who had been lying down listlessly from disappointment at the lack of compliments, immediately sat up and grabbed the phone.
010-54xx-34xx
Unblock me.
Now.
It was an unknown number, but it was obvious who had sent it.
After getting humiliated like that yesterday, of course he’d be fuming.
Who knew just seven characters could make someone feel so awful…
That was a kind of talent in itself.
Hakyung deleted the message and let out a deep sigh.
Kim Taeyoung absolutely loathes being ignored by Hakyung.
He was probably going to cling until he got a reply…
It wasn’t a sweet-and-salty flavor—it was more like having a bucket of briny salt water dumped over a sweet mood.
It should’ve been time for something sweet and comforting to show up and lift his spirits… but the boss hadn’t even contacted him.
It was honestly heartbreaking.
While Hakyung slowly wilted, waiting for a message from the boss, Muheon was also struggling in his own way.
It had been years since he last came to the Incheon area, and people were swarming him like crazy.
Even Goeung and Sang-oh were having a hard time fending them off.
Among the beastkin who called Korea’s west coast their home, many believed that simply catching a glimpse of Muheon would bring them good luck for the year.
If they even got to touch him, they’d squeal that they wouldn’t wash their hands for years.
“I’m not some kind of totem…”
Muheon looked down at the beastkin buzzing around him with a gaze full of exhaustion.
It was one thing for the older ones, but even the young ones—barely in their forties—were acting out of control.
He couldn’t help but sigh heavily.
Blind devotion.
This was exactly why he’d found everything a hassle and gone to sleep for hundreds of years.
Sure, there were other dragons like Hwanglin of China who enjoyed that kind of attention, but even if Muheon were reborn, he doubted he’d ever be able to enjoy it.
The real problem was that people found even that coldness charming—practically smearing honey over their eyes when they looked at him.
Only after shaking hands and taking photos with every beastkin gathered at the conference could he finally escape.
Though he’d arrived just as the sun was rising, by the time his work was roughly done, the moon and stars were already high in the sky.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“I don’t get what the fuss was about, it wasn’t even that long.”
Sang-oh and Goeung looked embarrassed on behalf of the others.
Muheon, for his part, let their words wash over him as he checked the photo he’d received that morning.
The skin glistening under sunlight, the peek of pink hair sticking out beneath the cap brim, and the plump red lips—likely puffed up from a long kiss.
Devastatingly cute and beautiful.
With a smile creeping up his face, Muheon stared at the screen as if he might fall into it.
Seeing him like that, Goeung and Sang-oh glanced at each other, puzzled.
“What’s going on?”
“Beats me. I thought I saw Hakyung’s face for a second…”
“Huh…?”
Why was he smiling like that while looking at the dolphin?
Sang-oh frowned, unaware of yesterday’s historic event.
Meanwhile, Goeung—who had prepared Hakyung’s honey tea in Muheon’s place that morning—wore a curious expression.
In any case, with all work finished, the three returned to the hotel, dragging their tired bodies behind them.
The lobby still gleamed, catching the eyes of every guest who passed.
But Muheon, who preferred quiet over flashiness, found it all overwhelming and immediately headed toward the elevator to return to his room.
“Muheon-nim, are you going to rest right away?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, please contact us if you need anything.”
Receiving the two’s polite bows, Muheon waved his hand dismissively.
He was sick of hearing that kind of talk—it had been that kind of day.
While taking the elevator to the top floor, Muheon rubbed his roughened face with his hand.
Maybe doing this would bring back some color.
After wiping his face, he smoothed down his hair, which had gotten coarse from the sea breeze.
He didn’t realize he was doing all this subconsciously—just to look better in front of Hakyung.
Ding—before the chime even finished, the door opened.
It was fast enough to make you believe someone had been standing right there, waiting.
“Boss!”
“How’s your hangover?”
Hakyung ran up to Muheon like an excited puppy welcoming its owner home, wagging his hips.
Muheon hugged the small man tightly, then placed a hand on his forehead.
Unlike yesterday, his skin was warm and dry—relieving.
Hakyung’s eyes sparkled for a moment, touched by the man’s gentle tone and concern.
But then, as if snapping back to reality, he shook his head and started chattering with a pout.
“Boss, did you see the photo I sent you?”
“I saw it.”
“Then why didn’t you say I looked pretty, cute, or brighter than sunshine? Why didn’t you compliment me like that?”
The shamelessness of saying such cringeworthy things so openly was amusing.
But that was just how cute he was.
Muheon just shrugged without replying, and Hakyung’s chatter quickened.
“Do you know how long I waited all day for your message? We’ve only been dating two days and you’re already failing as a boyfriend!”
“Failing already…?”
“Ah, no… Not failing. Just, um, a foul! Yeah, a foul.”
Startled by his own words, Hakyung quickly waved his hands.
He was afraid the boss would say something like, “If I’m disqualified for not replying, then you’re disqualified too!”—so he rushed to correct himself.
Muheon chuckled at Hakyung’s flip-flopping attitude.
He realized he had been waiting all day for this kind of bouncy, lighthearted conversation.
The man pressed his lips to Hakyung’s soft lips.
“I missed you.”
“Ugh…!”
“I even worried you might follow someone if they offered you candy.”
“Wh-what am I, a kid? I wouldn’t just follow someone for candy!”
Flustered and blushing from the kiss, Hakyung grumbled.
He tried desperately to hide his embarrassment.
Still, his twisting body and trembling lashes betrayed his nerves like a nervous dolphin twitching in tension.
There was no way Muheon, who was watching Hakyung’s every expression up close, didn’t notice.
But instead of teasing him, he simply kissed him again—pretending not to notice the shyness.
“The photo you sent was too beautiful.”
“You should’ve said that sooner…”
If this went on any longer, he felt like he might explode.
Hakyung fanned his flushed face with his hands, then grabbed Muheon’s hand to pull him along.
Since he wasn’t drunk today… with a quiet, hopeful expression, Hakyung looked up at the man.
“I’m tired, but let’s wash up and go to bed.”
“W-wash up and sleep?!”
At the word “sleep,” Hakyung’s eyes sparkled even more brightly than before.
Muheon understood perfectly well what those wide eyes were implying, but instead of addressing it, he just patted Hakyung’s head and let the moment pass.
Despite what it sounded like, Hakyung had, in fact, only slept beside the boss—both last night and the night before.
Still, his cheeks puffed out like a pouting pufferfish from the moment morning came.
Strangely enough, Muheon didn’t seem angry like a stereotypical chaste bachelor might be.
On the contrary, he looked more like someone utterly charmed by Hakyung’s sulking—like he didn’t know what to do with himself because it was just too cute.
The more anyone looked at them, the more ambiguous and puzzling their atmosphere seemed. Geoung’s head was filled with question marks.
On their way back to Seoul, they made a brief stop at a rest area.
Though Geoung was known for being taciturn, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.
As Hakyung came out of the restroom, Geoung pulled him aside and cautiously began to speak.
“Hakyung, young man—did something happen between you and Mr. Muheon?”
Just last evening, Muheon had seemed eager to rush off and see Hakyung.
What could have happened during the night…?
A flustered image crossed Geoung’s mind, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
At that question, Hakyung’s lips—which had slightly returned to normal—puffed right back out again.
Clearly, he was very dissatisfied with something.
After opening and closing his mouth a few times, Hakyung finally grabbed Geoung’s arm and tugged him down.
As the older man awkwardly bent forward to Hakyung’s level, the younger one leaned in and whispered—at least what he thought was a whisper—into Geoung’s ear.
“Is the boss… impotent?”
It was not discreet at all.