Hakyung narrowed his eyes at his boss’s suspicious expression and behavior.
He had clearly said they weren’t going to the sea or anywhere like that…?
“Where are we going?”
“If you follow me, you’ll find out.”
The answer, which didn’t solve any of his questions, made Hakyung click his tongue and shake his head.
Whether they were going to the sea or some dark alley, either way, it was a problem.
The boss’s cold gaze made Hakyung’s heart race like a little river dolphin, pounding wildly.
“You must be young…”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t seem to understand that the person who pays the money makes the rules.”
The casual words made Hakyung’s brows furrow.
He hadn’t thought much of his boss, but now he was suddenly flaunting the fact that he was the one paying…
As he reevaluated his boss negatively, Hakyung sighed deeply.
As the man said, to ordinary folks, the one who gives the money was essentially the law.
Hakyung sighed inwardly and carefully placed the dolphin sculpture down before following Muheon’s lead.
He hoped that by tonight, he’d be able to reunite with the dolphin sculpture safely…
***
The car carrying the river dolphin sped through the streets of Seoul.
Since it was an ambiguous time after lunch, most of the roads were quiet.
“What are you looking around for?”
“Ah, am I distracting you while you’re driving? Sorry.”
Hakyung apologized quickly while nervously checking the inside of the car with his eyes, unable to touch anything.
Muheon didn’t even turn his head but seemed to know exactly what Hakyung was doing.
After Hakyung apologized swiftly, he couldn’t resist and started inspecting the interior of the car again.
After all, the car he was riding in was a multi-million dollar foreign luxury car that he’d only seen in YouTube reviews!
Hakyung still couldn’t believe it.
His own butt was sitting on a car worth millions of dollars.
The car definitely lived up to its expensive name, with leather seats, a dashboard, a steering wheel, and even the seatbelts looking stylish and luxurious.
“Is there something wrong with the car? Why are you staring at it so much?”
“Ah, no! The car is just… really cool…”
“All cars with wheels are the same, you know.”
Muheon nonchalantly dismissed the expensive car as “just a car” in such a laid-back manner, which made him seem even more refined.
He must have become a materialistic person now that he was in Seoul.
Hakyung scolded himself for already getting caught up in the materialism after being in Seoul for such a short time, then asked a small question.
“Did you buy this car with the money from rent and tribute?”
“Hmm, a bit of rent, and some tribute money too.”
Cough!
Muheon’s answer made Hakyung choke on his breath, and as soon as Muheon noticed, he patted Hakyung’s back.
After getting his breath back thanks to Muheon’s considerate gesture, Hakyung wiggled his fingers.
“I see…”
Hakyung decided it was better to leave his curiosity about the car buried quietly.
As Hakyung kept fidgeting, marveling at the car, he finally zipped his lips, and the car fell into an awkward silence.
Muheon didn’t speak unless necessary, and Hakyung felt like the more he spoke, the more trouble he got into, so he kept quiet.
After what felt like a while, Muheon’s car smoothly slid into a building.
Hakyung blinked his eyes at the new world unfolding before him.
“Get out.”
“Y-Yes.”
The place Muheon had brought him to was a shopping mall with a long row of clothing stores.
Hakyung, who had only ever gone to buy clothes with his grandmother on market days, felt small and intimidated by the flashy stores.
Every time his eyes met a store clerk’s, their bright smiles made him feel pressured.
In this unfamiliar space, the only place he felt he could hide was behind his boss’s wide back.
He pulled his hat lower to cover his face and pressed himself closer to Muheon.
“You’re such a coward…”
Muheon scolded him for acting like a scaredy-cat, but the warmth of Muheon’s back kept him close.
Instead of pulling away, Muheon reached out behind him and gently patted the little river dolphin on its shoulder.
They had only come to buy one outfit, but there was so much to take in and so many things to be nervous about.
It was all a bit overwhelming for Hakyung, but it was also strangely cute and amusing, making Muheon chuckle softly.
Muheon didn’t hesitate and walked with purpose, keeping a pace that Hakyung could easily follow.
Their destination was a popular edit shop among young people, recommended by Gisang-oh, the one who knew everything about the world.
“Hello!”
The cheerful greeting from the employees made Hakyung feel even more out of place in the bright, busy store.
To Muheon, who had lived for centuries, the place didn’t seem impressive at all.
But to Hakyung, who had just stepped into this new world, it was a lot to take in.
Muheon turned around, holding Hakyung’s back gently as if to say, “You can look around.”
Hakyung, who was more like a newborn in this world, might have actually liked this noisy, bustling place, so Muheon decided to stay a little longer than he’d intended.
He raised his hand to stop a staff member who was about to approach them and gave Hakyung a gentle push forward.
It was a small push, but it sent Hakyung stumbling forward, and the little river dolphin looked up at Muheon with wide eyes.
“Is there anything you like? Pick something out.”
“Me?!”
“Yeah, I noticed there’s nothing in your bag that you can actually wear.”
Hakyung’s bag, which Muheon had forcibly taken from him, was filled with junk.
It was chilly, and there wasn’t a single warm piece of clothing—just two thin shirts and a pair of jeans, and that was it.
From the looks of it, that was all Hakyung had.
It was a pretty sparse and disappointing collection.
Because of this, Hakyung’s clothes became the most urgent issue for Muheon.
Originally, he had planned to bring Hakyung after breakfast, but Hakyung had been busy working all morning, and only now were they finally on their way.
Strangely enough, Hakyung, the janitor, had been busier than his boss.
But what could he do?
He, being less busy, had to adjust.
“It’s fine, I can still wear this.”
Hakyung pouted, trying to argue, but Muheon didn’t even acknowledge it.
He just shot a sharp glance, urging him to pick something quickly.
Hakyung, unsure if this was part of his job or if the cost would be deducted from his salary, hesitated and looked around the store.
The colorful geometric-patterned clothes that would likely appeal to elderly people were light years away from Hakyung’s taste.
“Seems like someone who looks like a gangster likes flashy, eye-catching clothes,” Hakyung thought to himself, and he chose the cheapest, most basic blue T-shirt, just in case it was deducted from his pay.
“Are you trying to freeze to death? You need to buy something for the current weather.”
“I don’t get cold easily! And…”
Hakyung wiggled his fingers.
He wanted to whisper it, but his boss’s height made it difficult.
“Ah, you’re directing your boss with one hand, huh?”
“No, it’s just…! You’re so tall…!”
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
“Thank you.”
Hakyung didn’t know what exactly he was thankful for, but he thanked him anyway, then wiggled his fingers again.
Muheon raised an eyebrow, then lowered his head and brought his ear close to Hakyung’s mouth.
As Hakyung whispered, his clear voice, almost like a song, circled around Muheon’s ear, getting inside.
“I don’t like these clothes. They’re too loud for my taste.”
However, the clarity wasn’t in the content.
Muheon couldn’t hold back his laughter at the straight-laced dolphin’s preferences.
No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Even though young people these days were often the same, their tastes weren’t always uniform.
In the end, after paying for the blue T-shirt, Muheon took Hakyung to his usual brand.
The store was filled with basic items in muted colors, items Muheon personally liked.
Only then did Hakyung, like a river dolphin in water, start to move around excitedly.
He hesitated briefly when checking the price tags, but when he held the clothes up to the mirror and liked what he saw, he quickly started filling his basket.
Muheon, who had been watching Hakyung’s every move, felt a sense of pride growing in his chest.
Pride.
How long had it been since he had felt this emotion?
Muheon realized that the boredom that had filled him for hundreds of years had been steadily diminishing over the past few days.
As he thought about taking care of the mysterious dolphin from head to toe, a chill ran down his spine.
“Boss, boss! Can I really buy all of this? I hope it won’t be deducted from my salary!”
Before long, Hakyung, with his basket full, stood in front of Muheon as if asking for permission to have his homework checked.
The heat from his red cheeks, probably from wearing the hat too long, made him look almost irresistibly cute.
Muheon, swallowing hard as he looked at Hakyung’s flushed face, took the basket from his hands and headed for the checkout.
The sound of Hakyung’s footsteps following him closely sounded pleasant to Muheon.
The man who had been determined to figure out Hakyung’s true nature didn’t realize yet that, somewhere along the way, he had begun to feel an overwhelming desire to do anything for this river dolphin.