“So, how much is it then? Is it… more than my weekly salary?”
He already knew through mental math that the total cost of the clothes he bought was over 100% more than his salary.
But Hakyung pretended not to know and tried to probe the boss.
At his question, the man let out a low hum as if thinking for a moment, then held up two fingers.
“Exactly twice as much.”
“…Excuse me?”
No matter how much of a thug he might be, wasn’t this going too far?!
It’s not like the price of clothes grows with compound interest!
As Hakyung experienced firsthand the terrifying nature of a Seoul thug, the phrase “slave contract” floated through his mind.
“You’ve gotta be sh*tting me.”
“…What?”
“Sorry?”
“Did you just say… sh*tting me?”
Something was off.
The boss had just repeated exactly what he’d said in his head.
Hakyung’s round face tilted sideways.
Could he read minds?
“Pfft, hah!”
Muheon, who had been twitching his lips in a weird expression, suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Throughout his laughter, he kept muttering, “sh*tting me.”
That’s when Hakyung realized he hadn’t just thought it—he’d actually said it out loud.
His face turned beet red, and a cold sweat formed on his palms.
He was mortified that he’d said something like that out loud and worried he might have offended him.
Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, Hakyung lowered his head even more.
Strange things only ever seemed to happen when he was around the boss.
“…I’m sorry for cursing.”
He apologized in a tiny voice.
It didn’t matter how unfair things were—cussing in front of his boss, who was twelve years older than him, was still wrong.
Muheon’s laughter gradually died down at his sincere apology.
How is he this clueless and kind?
Well, nothing could be done.
He’d just have to stick close and ward off any weird bugs that might try to latch onto him.
Without a shred of concern for Hakyung’s opinion, Muheon made up his mind.
But first, he needed to calm down the clearly sulking Hakyung.
“I was joking. It’s not double—just a few ten thousand won.”
At his low reply, Hakyung instantly looked up from his deep bow.
That joke was so painfully unfunny it could win first place in the World’s Most Boring Joke contest.
He was about to give him some advice—if only for the sake of his dignity.
But the moment their eyes met, the man’s eyes curved into a soft smile.
His dark, dark eyes practically vanished as he smiled deeply.
Then, three seconds later, a “ding, dong” echoed in Hakyung’s ears, and the boss’s face began to glow.
In awe of this mysterious phenomenon—something he’d never experienced before—Hakyung blinked rapidly, but the light pouring from his face never stopped.
So handsome… so cool… what do I do… this must be that thing… that…!
Compared to before, his face flushed even more—past red, to a deep, dark crimson.
“Kang Hakyung.”
Muheon’s face hardened again in response to the alarming behavior of the “jumping dolphin.”
He was beginning to regret giving him the backpack back so quickly.
It felt like he might grab it and run off at any second.
He was mid-thought, making the petty decision to snatch his bag back if needed.
Then suddenly, Hakyung jumped up and shouted:
“You didn’t have to make such a cheap joke! I was planning on working here long-term anyway!”
“…Huh?”
“Please let me keep working here!”
He bowed his head deeply as he pleaded, leaving Muheon more stunned than before.
Looking down at his still crimson-red face, Muheon furrowed his brow.
“Wait… are you joking?”
“No! I mean it! I’m really, really going to work!”
There wasn’t much trust between the two of them.
Still, with Hakyung insisting on working full-time without trying to run away, Muheon had no reason to refuse.
With a satisfied smile, he nodded.
Then Hakyung frowned and rubbed his eyes furiously.
“What, something in your eye? You’ll hurt yourself rubbing like that.”
“No, it’s just… your face is too bright…”
Why does he keep smiling like that?!
Blinded by the man’s smile, Hakyung stomped his feet in frustration.
The sound of a dog’s bell ringing faded, replaced only by the pounding of Hakyung’s heart ringing in his ears.
When he had received the backpack, he was seriously debating whether to quit the job or not… but with just one laugh from the boss, his heart—and his labor—were completely taken away.
Not even ten minutes had passed before his feelings did a complete 180, and even he couldn’t understand it himself.
“Oh dear, when will our little poop pig introduce a pretty girlfriend to grandma?”
“They say he’ll get a girlfriend when he goes to Seoul!”
“Really? Then he’ll bring a Seoul lady with him!”
Sorry, Grandma.
Instead of a Seoul lady, I might bring back a Seoul uncle…
Recalling the conversation with his grandmother before coming to Seoul, Hakyung’s lips twisted bitterly.
Whether it was a lady or an uncle, worrying about whether that person would like him or not was a concern he pushed far away for now.
Right now, just admitting and accepting his feelings was already overwhelming.
In his 24 years of life, he’d never before experienced his heart pounding like a drum and blood rushing through his body just from a single smiling face—whether male or female.
He didn’t know if it was because the boss was just too handsome, or if he had really fallen head over heels for him.
For reasons he never expected, Hakyung’s full-fledged life in Seoul had begun.
***
The first thing Hakyung did after his one-week temporary job officially became permanent was to call home.
“Grandma!”
“Oh, my little poop pig! Have you eaten?”
“Of course I have! How about you, Grandma?”
Hearing his grandmother’s familiar voice after two days was comforting as ever.
While talking about everything that had piled up over those two days, Hakyung swallowed hard.
Since he’d decided to work here, it was only right to be honest with his grandmother.
If Kim Taeyoung found out the current situation back home, neither he nor Hakyung would be safe…
Usually gentle, grandma would hit Hakyung’s butt red with a willow branch whenever she got angry.
She didn’t care if he was a grown adult.
If she found out he’d lied, she might even come all the way to Seoul to smack him herself.
Just imagining that made Hakyung’s butt feel like it was on fire.
Cold sweat soaked his palms as tension rose instantly.
He wiped his hands on his thighs and started carefully.
“Grandma…”
It was almost a tear-jerking story about coming to Seoul.
The longer Hakyung spoke, the heavier grandma’s breathing became.
“You, you damn brat! What did I say? Don’t trust that little punk! If I catch him, I’ll beat his legs into mush!”
“G-Grandma…! Please calm down!”
“Calm down? That guy’s been bullying you since you were little, you think I’ll calm down? Damn it all!”
The harsh curses felt like blood was about to come out of Hakyung’s ears.
Curling his shoulders as if he himself was being cursed, he thought it was a relief to have told his grandmother now.
Lying to such a worried and angry grandmother was definitely a bad choice.
“Grandma, I’m really okay! The staff here are great, the pay’s better, there’s a dorm, it’s not hard at all!”
“Where on earth is such a place? You’re getting scammed again, aren’t you? Come home right now!”
Grandma was furious and demanded he come back immediately.
He understood her feelings perfectly.
If his younger siblings were in the same situation, he’d probably react just like grandma too.
But Hakyung was gripped by a very impure mission: to find the reason why his heart was beating like crazy.
That was more important than grandma’s worries and anger.
So he tried to persuade her.
“I-I! I like the boss!”
“Huh?”
Before even finding the reason, he blurted out the conclusion.
Surprised at his own words, Hakyung gasped, but it was already too late.
Grandma’s voice quieted slightly, having clearly understood that he liked the boss.
“The boss isn’t even married yet? He’s young?”
“Uh, yeah? He’s thirty-six…”
“Oh my, that’s a bit old, huh? Then is it that trend of older women dating younger men?”
“Uh? No, no.”
The boss wasn’t an older woman; he was an older man.
But Hakyung’s lips were sealed tight.
Now that he thought about it, whether the boss was married, if he had a girlfriend, if he planned to get one… there were mountains of things to find out.
It wasn’t just his pounding heart that was the problem.
Reality hit him like a slap on the back of the head, and the corners of his mouth drooped.
Still, grandma seemed nearly done being angry and took a deep interest in her grandson’s love life.