“What’s that look on your face?”
Hakyung, who had turned even paler at Muheon’s words, shook his head vigorously.
He hurriedly swallowed the rice in his mouth, coughing as he shook his head again.
Muheon, worried that Hakyung might choke, quickly handed him a glass of water.
Hakyung’s coughing finally stopped after draining the glass.
“I don’t use SNS! I don’t record videos or anything like that!”
“Yeah, yeah. I swear, I don’t.”
Like a thief caught red-handed, Hakyung kept repeating that he didn’t.
His actions were so suspicious, even a three-year-old would find it odd, and Muheon tilted his head, staring at him curiously.
“Hmm, delicious.”
Hakyung, feeling Muheon’s gaze, broke out in a cold sweat.
His eyes, probably because half of his blood was from the sea, were definitely strange.
Unable to keep staring into the deep pupils any longer, Hakyung quickly shifted his gaze.
His eyes landed on the soybean paste stew.
It was all because of that stew.
He glared at the innocent stone pot for a moment and suddenly had a thought.
He quickly raised his head.
“Boss!”
“Hm?”
“Are you planning on recording me singing or anything like that?”
“Hmm…?”
Hakyung’s face grew increasingly anxious as Muheon’s expression grew more relaxed.
He smiled faintly and rested his chin on his hand.
He seemed to be waiting to see what Hakyung would say next.
Fidgeting nervously under the table, Hakyung spoke in a trembling voice.
“I have copyright, you know! You can’t record it, you understand, right?”
“Isn’t it portrait rights?”
“Uh, portrait rights… and also, the soybean paste stew song I made, so it’s copyrighted!”
The strange song was apparently called the “Soybean Paste Stew Song.” Muheon nodded as he recalled the most pointless part of the conversation.
It didn’t seem like the song was that great to have such a claim on copyright and portrait rights… but still, Muheon wasn’t the kind of man to do something unpleasant just because someone didn’t want it.
“I didn’t record it.”
“You can’t record it next time, either.”
“Are you going to sing again?”
“Well… I can’t promise that. I just end up singing when I’m in a good mood, feeling down, or hungry.”
So, she just sings randomly, whenever? Muheon stifled a chuckle and nodded again.
“Got it, I won’t record it. Sing as much as you want.”
“Thank you!”
Hakyung expressed his thanks.
His face, which had gone pale and red in a variety of ways, finally returned to its usual soft pink color.
What’s so embarrassing about a song video, anyway?
It’s not like he couldn’t do it. Muheon, unable to understand the shy dolphin’s behavior, dismissed it lightly.
***
After breakfast, Hakyung found himself with nothing to do.
He followed Muheon downstairs to the office, hoping to find something to help with, but no one asked the young dolphin to do anything.
Even fetching water would’ve been a good task, but everyone was too busy with their own work, and Hakyung was left feeling like a broomstick.
As he sat in the office, pondering his loneliness among the crowd, Hakyung quietly moved to the bathroom.
As expected, the last stall was filled with cleaning supplies like brooms, mops, and bleach.
He grabbed a cleaning rag and decided to clean it himself.
No one asked him to, but he figured he might as well take the initiative.
Holding the rag tightly, Hakyung started cleaning the edges of the office—wiping down window frames, drawers, and plants.
Though they had said a cleaner was needed, the office was cleaner than expected.
Not a speck of dust appeared on the rag.
Could it be that the boss only meant his office needed cleaning?
Hakyung tilted his head, adjusting his hat.
Since he started, he figured he should finish the job!
With the rag in hand, Hakyung moved toward the center of the office.
When he reached the area with the employees’ desks, he heard the familiar sound of a calculator being tapped.
It was a comforting sound, like a country grandmother doing her bookkeeping.
Even in this day and age, people still use calculators?
Curious, Hakyung followed the sound.
And soon, he found the source of the calculator noise—the large staff member who had shown him to the dormitory the day before.
He scratched his head and glanced at the computer screen, then tapped the calculator, then looked at the computer screen again, moving in a dizzying fashion.
Actually, it wasn’t so much chaotic as it was slow—like watching a turtle on land.
Hakyung, quietly creeping up behind him, watched for a while in silence.
And then, he was struck with a moment of disbelief.
Why on earth is he entering the numbers like that?!
Hakyung, who usually didn’t interfere with others, couldn’t stand it this time.
He tapped Geowong’s thick shoulder.
“Excuse me.”
“Uh?”
With a soft tap on his shoulder, Geowong turned his head, his eyes widening when he realized the person tapping him was the janitor.
Yesterday, he had heard from Sangoh, one of Muheon’s right-hand men and his close friend, that the janitor was a very important person.
The “Great Dolphin” that Muheon was keeping a close eye on.
But why is the Great Dolphin doing this?
Geowong blinked, staring at Hakyung, who was now looking at him with a sweet smile, his cheeks bulging out, creating cute dimples.
“Hello. I’m Kang Hakyung, and I’m starting work today. Thank you for showing me to the dormitory yesterday.”
“Oh, right. Nice to meet you, Park Geowong.”
Geowong awkwardly continued talking, not noticing Hakyung’s strange posture as he pointed at the computer screen.
“By the way, what are you doing here?”
The screen was filled with a bunch of numbers, and it seemed like he was writing down totals below.
The problem was, he was using the calculator to get the result one by one.
Why?!
The program is already open, so why are you using the calculator?!
This was the moment Hakyung decided to intervene.
It didn’t make any sense.
There was an Excel program open, and yet he was tapping away on the calculator.
Hakyung had to step in.
“This? I’m recording the rent that was collected…”
“Rent?! So he’s a gangster after all,” Hakyung thought.
The boss had said they wouldn’t deal with things like that, but who else but a gangster would admit to being one?
He shuddered as he recalled the strange look in the boss’s eyes from the morning.
“I’ll have to be careful and avoid getting on his bad side this week. But first, let’s fix this.”
“Do you mind if I help with the calculations?” Hakyung asked cautiously.
“Huh? Calculations? What’s that? You’re saying I’m bad at math?”
“No, no! Not at all!”
Hakyung quickly waved his hands, denying the accusation, and carefully grabbed the mouse and keyboard.
“I have a certification for this program. So, let me try something, okay?”
“Input a formula? What’s that? Well, try it.”
With a skeptical look, Geowong handed over the data he had entered.
Hakyung accepted the file and began moving his fingers like he was playing the piano in mid-air, loosening his hands.
His pale, slender fingers danced across the air.
He didn’t even look at the keypad but typed flawlessly without a single typo.
It almost looked like magic, and Geowong’s big eyes widened as they nearly popped out of his head.
“Okay, check it now.”
In less than three minutes, Hakyung finished entering everything and looked up with a satisfied expression.
When comparing the results with the data Geowong had already worked on, there wasn’t a single mistake, not even one won.
“Unbelievable, I spent three whole days just entering the data and verifying it!”
Geowong held his neck in frustration, unsure how to react. Hakyung blinked, a bit confused.
“Did I make a mistake? Umm… No, it can’t be…”
“No, it’s perfect. Good job.”
Geowong, with his thick and solid hands, patted Hakyung’s small shoulder, offering praise.
Hakyung’s eyes were a bit watery, moved by the praise, as he had been grateful for the compliments, whether it was from the boss after hearing his song or Geowong now.
Praise really does make the dolphins dance, Hakyung thought, as he eagerly hit the keyboard again.
Soon, other staff members gathered around him, witnessing the second part of the work contract incident.