Muheon, seeing the question marks filling Hakyung’s eyes, waved his hand carelessly towards the woman and said, “Hwang Young, she’s Hwang Rin’s older sister. She’s an Imoogi.”
It was a concise and clean introduction.
If it was Hwang Rin, she was an Imoogi who owned a hotel in Incheon and was Muheon’s friend.
This person must also be quite old.
Smaller and more delicate than him…
Hakyung bowed deeply in greeting.
Hwang Young laughed heartily once more at Hakyung’s precise bow.
It was because the child, whose eyes had been full of caution just 10 seconds ago, had quickly returned to a docile expression, which she found adorable.
“But are you only going to introduce me? Who’s this friend? Huh?”
Muheon frowned at Hwang Young’s endless curiosity.
He was going to introduce him anyway, but seeing her expression so full of interest somehow twisted his gut.
As Muheon kept his mouth shut, Hakyung stepped forward first.
“My name is Kang Hakyung! I’m a Kang Dolphin therianthrope, and the CEO and I are married!”
Hakyung emphasized the word “married” the most, beaming.
Announcing that he was Muheon’s husband was always thrilling.
“I am the husband of this magnificent Imoogi, we’ve even registered our marriage and exchanged rings!”
He felt like he wanted to go out on the street every day and shout it into a megaphone.
Hwang Young looked surprised at Hakyung’s bold introduction.
She knew that the therianthrope Muheon married was a Kang Dolphin, but such a cute and young friend…
This thief.
Hwang Young’s eyes narrowed.
Muheon noticed the accusation in them but pretended not to, turning his head and wrapping his arm around Hakyung’s waist.
Hwang Young let out a small snort at his shameless behavior and extended her hand to Hakyung again.
This time, Hakyung quickly reached out and shook her hand respectfully.
“Oh, I see. I’m glad I spoke to you. I was actually asked by Muheon to come here. So, is it true that Kang Hakyung sang the song?”
Her obsession with the song was immense.
Hakyung chuckled awkwardly at Hwang Young’s question.
The comment about the strange lyrics had remained a lump in his chest.
It was Muheon who intervened in the awkward atmosphere.
Muheon pulled his hand away from Hwang Young’s continuous grip and explained to Hakyung, “Those Chinese Imoogi over there love singing and dancing. So, if they find a voice they like even a little, they go crazy. That means your song was that good.”
“Oh, ah, I see.”
Hwang Young also nodded enthusiastically, as if to confirm Muheon’s words.
Only then did Hakyung’s expression relax a little.
It was always a pleasant feeling to be praised for doing something well.
Muheon gently patted Hakyung’s subtly wiggling bottom.
He thought about giving him a microphone so he could sing freely once they got home.
But first, he needed to finish the reason he called Hwang Young.
“Even so, Kang Hakyung won’t be going to China, so stop it. Did you forget I asked you to come?”
Muheon waved his large hand dismissively in front of Hwang Young.
Hwang Young, who had been blankly waiting for Hakyung to speak, shook her head as if breaking free from a trance, saying, “Hot!”
She had been briefly captivated by the beautiful voice, but as Muheon said, she had come with a purpose.
This was a request from Muheon, who hadn’t contacted her even once in hundreds of years.
Because of that, she had enthusiastically rushed over in a day and almost completely forgotten.
“Right, let’s go quickly. You said to go to the CEO’s office, right?”
“Yeah, follow me.”
“The Imoogi must have something to talk about, I shouldn’t interrupt.”
Hakyung, for once setting aside his jealousy and thinking maturely, was about to finish cleaning the stairs when Muheon pulled him by the waist.
“Hakyung, you’re coming too.”
“Me too?”
Muheon nodded briefly and continued walking.
Hakyung, holding a broom in bewilderment, entered the CEO’s office and rolled his eyes around as he sat on the sofa.
He wondered why he was called too, as he wouldn’t understand difficult topics that only Imoogi could comprehend anyway. And that curiosity was resolved very soon.
Thanks to the enormous gem that popped out of the small box Hwang Young brought.
“Muheon only introduced my name earlier, right? Let me reintroduce myself formally. My name is Hwang Young, and I make a living as a gem cutter in China. My preference is for shiny things, and I want to collect all of them, whether intangible or tangible.”
Hwang Young’s red eyes glinted as she spoke the last sentence.
Even Hakyung, who had just met her today, could keenly feel how immense her desire for shiny things was.
“Is that why she was interested in my voice…? Hakyung, who always heard compliments about his singing wherever he went, already knew that his voice was the most brilliant thing he possessed. However, Hwang Young wasn’t a witch who stole voices like in a fairy tale, and he wasn’t a mermaid princess… There seemed to be no particular danger, so why did that gaze give him goosebumps?”
Hakyung swallowed hard as Muheon explained the reason.
“Why do you only say that much? You need to add more. You can infuse your power into gems and absorb what you like.”
“R-really…?”
“Yes, she was after your voice earlier too.”
At Muheon’s assertion, Hwang Young let out a strange, “Heh,” laugh.
It wasn’t a joke at all.
Hakyung, who had personally seen Muheon control the weather, knew that his words weren’t an exaggeration.
A cold sweat trickled down Hakyung’s spine, as his voice had almost completely disappeared.
Hiccup!
Hakyung, startled, hiccuped heavily, his shoulders trembling.
Hwang Young found his reaction quite fresh and cute and laughed heartily, bending over at the waist.
The timid Kang Dolphin, who had witnessed the Imoogi’s eccentricity firsthand, looked at Muheon, his side, with a crestfallen expression.
“Want some water?”
“No, hic!”
Hakyung gripped Muheon’s sleeve tightly, as if asking where he was going without him.
Muheon was also in a difficult situation, seeing his terrified expression.
Of course, he would always be by Hakyung’s side, and such a thing as another Imugi taking what belonged to him wouldn’t happen, but you never know.
That crow-like Imoogi would always be eyeing even a bit of Hakyung’s voice if he let his guard down.
Though that Imugi was greedy and overbearing, her skill was top-notch.
Because of that, he had called her without much thought, wanting to give Hakyung something good, but it was a wrong judgment. Indeed, letting Hakyung sing was not part of the plan.
He should have just told her to stay cooped up in China.
But it was already too late for regrets.
***
It was 10 minutes later that Hakyung’s hiccups, caused by fear, finally stopped.
During those 10 minutes, Muheon brought up various topics to reassure Hakyung.
Hwang Young, who was responsible for what happened but hadn’t said a word, merely grinned, enjoying the scene.
Anyway, her personality was quite eccentric and strange.
“Then, Hwang Young-nim, why were you called here?”
Once Hakyung had calmed down somewhat, he expressed his fundamental curiosity.
Given Muheon’s personality, he wouldn’t summon anyone without a clear purpose.
At Hakyung’s question, Muheon and Hwang Young looked at each other, as if finally about to start the real business.
“To ask for rings for our wedding.”
Muheon replied briefly and seriously examined the gems Hwang Young had taken out of the box. Hakyung also, along with him, began to examine the gems placed in Muheon’s hand.
The gems Hwang Young brought, that is, not a single one of them shone in just one color.
With a basic base color, two or three colors blended depending on the light, making them subtly mysterious.
Hakyung focused on the gems without even blinking. Seeing his reaction, Hwang Young shrugged.
“How are the collections I specially selected? Your husband Muheon seems to really like them, too?”
“They are. What are their effects?”
At Muheon’s question, Hwang Young answered with utmost sincerity.
These were gems she cherished like children and had infused her power into for a long time.
The gems, with abilities that would make them proud anywhere, were priceless.
Of course, she wasn’t a merchant who sold gems just because someone offered a lot of money.
She was a meticulous seller who only dealt with those who passed her aesthetic judgment. Given Hwang Young’s nature, the value of the gems she showed was beyond doubt.
***
“But, CEO-nim. We already have our wedding rings.”
Hakyung pouted, extending his left hand.
He had emptied out months of savings to buy them…
Muheon chuckled softly, seeing the sadness in Hakyung’s face.
“We’re just adding more gems to the rings. These rings are our wedding rings, and we’re definitely not changing them.”
“Really?”
“Of course, so choose the ones you like.”
Hwang Young grinned, listening to the lovey-dovey couple’s conversation.
Who would have known that the taciturn Imoogi of the West Sea, Muheon, would become so gentle?
Indeed, it was a testament to living a long life.
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