“Do this too.”
“Wow, you’re really fast! Then how about this one!”
Like sharks circling around prey, the employees surrounded Hakyung with documents in hand.
The papers they handed him all showed signs of manual labor.
It seemed that there were more than ten employees, but none of them could handle the program?
When he thought about it again, it seemed strange.
It was actually nice to have people ask him for help.
Compared to the inexplicable orders from the boss to clean the room after meals, this was completely fine.
He felt like he was actually earning his keep.
Hakyung stayed at the computer monitor until lunch was almost over.
It had been a while since he concentrated this hard, even when preparing for his certification exam.
His eyes were starting to hurt.
Blinking quickly to relieve his dry eyelids, Hakyung finished the last document and brought it to the desk next to him.
“Wow! Thanks! Are you the new guy?”
“Yeah? Yes.”
The man with short red hair, spiked up in a style that reminded Hakyung of a character from a basketball anime he’d once seen on TV, introduced himself as ‘Bugeunrim’ and smiled widely.
As a thank-you for helping with the work, he promised to buy Hakyung a drink and led him to the café in the next building.
“So, what kind of species are you? I’m ‘Redbarri!’ I may look like this, but I’m the most elite among the Redbarries, and that’s how I ended up here,” he said.
“Ah, I see.”
What’s a Redbarri…? Hakyung, who had no idea about sea creatures, awkwardly nodded.
“Huh? What kind of species is that?”
Bugeunrim, who seemed curious, approached a little closer, his red eyes making Hakyung feel a bit uneasy.
Trying to escape the uncomfortable closeness, Hakyung responded in a small voice.
“Uh, I’m a river dolphin.”
“A river dolphin…? So you live in rivers, not the sea?”
Hakyung nodded.
“Wow! You live in rivers?! Not the sea?! Why did Muheon bring a river dolphin to work?!”
Bugeunrim jumped in surprise, as if he had uncovered a great secret.
He didn’t mention that Hakyung might only be working for a week, though—he didn’t want to jump too high in case he startled Hakyung.
Now that he thought about it, the employees here didn’t call their boss “boss” but referred to him as “Muheon-nim,” a respectful title.
“By the way, what species is your boss? I asked earlier but got ignored.”
Hakyung cautiously asked.
Despite being close enough to hear, Bugeunrim turned his head, pretending he hadn’t.
His behavior was suspicious, and Hakyung narrowed his eyes slightly.
Noticing that Bugeunrim wasn’t answering, Hakyung asked again, pretending not to notice. Bugeunrim cleared his throat loudly.
“I can’t speak on anything related to Muheon-nim. You’ll have to ask him directly.”
“He won’t even answer if I ask him directly!” Hakyung thought, annoyed by the response.
But outwardly, he nodded obediently.
In fact, it might be better for his own safety to remain unaware of the boss’s true identity, Hakyung decided.
Feeling relieved by Hakyung’s polite attitude, Bugeunrim quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, how come you’re so good with computers? Did you learn it somewhere?”
“I taught myself. There are good lectures available these days, so it’s enough to learn on my own.”
“Really? Is it like those YouTube things that the younger generation likes?”
Despite being about the same age, Bugeunrim referred to them as “the younger generation” and rolled his eyes, expressing curiosity about YouTube.
It wasn’t exactly cute—more bizarre—and Hakyung unconsciously turned his gaze away, wishing that their drinks would come soon.
After receiving the ice vanilla latte that Bugeunrim bought for him, Hakyung returned to the office, where the staff surrounded him, as if waiting for him.
They were probably hoping to get him to do something else.
Instead of handing over more documents, they offered him snacks: dried kelp, seaweed chips, grilled dried fish, shrimp snacks…
It was an overwhelming display of love for the sea.
Hakyung, a river dolphin with a fear of the sea, shuddered at the abundance of sea-themed snacks.
However, refusing the snacks would have been rude, so he couldn’t express his dislike.
Holding all the snacks, he returned to the dormitory.
There was no desk or locker to place them on, after all.
“Ugh…!”
He would rather be dealing with the pile of paperwork.
Dealing with things he didn’t even like was more painful.
As he glanced at the snacks spread out on the floor, Hakyung slowly reached for one.
Maybe I’ll just try one… I’m hungry.
Hakyung picked up the seaweed chips first.
He had eaten them a few times as side dishes, so they weren’t unfamiliar.
As soon as he bit into them, the delicious crunch and texture filled his mouth.
The perfect balance of saltiness and savory umami spread across his tongue.
His eyes lit up.
He proceeded to try the dried fish, dried kelp, and shrimp snacks, each time shaking with delight as the flavors hit him.
I always thought everything from the sea was salty and tasteless…! But there’s this kind of flavor too!
Hakyung, who had been scattering snacks on the floor, hastily gathered them into his arms, threw his hat aside, and started eating in earnest.
Crunch, munch, slurp.
The sound was so clear and firm, it felt like he was filming an ASMR eating show, filling his dorm room with satisfying sounds.
Maybe the snacks were made with good ingredients, because they were so irresistible that Hakyung was lost in the flavor.
Maybe that’s why, at some point, he didn’t even realize there was a visitor in his room.
“Looks like you’re enjoying it.”
“Yeah, it’s so delicious!”
With both cheeks full of shrimp crackers, Hakyung gave a thumbs-up and suddenly turned around in surprise.
The boss was standing crookedly on the doorframe.
Gulp, Hakyung swallowed what was in his mouth and quickly jumped to his feet.
He immediately pulled the boss into the room.
The boss raised an eyebrow at Hakyung’s eager attitude but didn’t say anything.
“You can’t step on the doorframe! It’s bad luck!”
When Hakyung was little, his grandmother used to scold him every time he stepped on the doorframe.
That memory stuck with him, and before he realized it, he scolded the boss as well.
A chuckle escaped the boss’s lips at hearing such an odd scolding.
“Yeah, thanks for worrying about my luck.”
“It’s nothing.”
Hakyung, with an embarrassed smile, realized his head was bare and quickly grabbed his hat, putting it on.
His pink-tinted, wavy hair disappeared under the hat.
For some reason, the boss clicked his tongue inwardly, feeling a little regretful, and spoke.
“I heard from Geowung that you’ve been helping a lot at work?”
“Me? Really?”
“Yeah, thanks to you, the rent for this week was all taken care of.”
“Ah! Yes, yes! I helped with Excel work!”
Hakyung seemed proud as he shrugged his shoulders, still thinking about it.
Even though he’d been stuck at the computer all morning, it felt good, like he was getting hands-on practice.
It wasn’t bad at all, helping someone for free.
The boss gently patted Hakyung’s head, careful not to use too much force, remembering what had happened yesterday.
Hakyung smiled sweetly at the compliment. His cute dimples appeared and then disappeared.
“A gift for a good child.”
The boss took out a small box from his coat. When Hakyung hesitated to open it, holding it carefully, the boss nudged the box toward him.
“There’s nothing like a bomb inside, so open it.”
“It’s not that, but I’m just a paid employee, so it’s normal for me to do my job…”
“Praising a good employee is also the boss’s job.”
Hakyung looked at the man with admiration, realizing that to be a boss, one needed such smooth talk.
He slowly opened the box.
He had no idea what kind of gift the boss had prepared, and his heart raced with anticipation.
Inside, there was a scene—a scene of a dolphin, just like the one the boss had mentioned the night before.
Hakyung’s eyes widened in surprise.
He quickly took it out of the box.
Inside the transparent glass in the shape of a bell was a dolphin hanging from a thread.
The dolphin was also made of glass, and its color was a beautiful pink.
It seemed as if the boss had made it just for him, the river dolphin, and Hakyung’s mouth dropped open in awe.
Ding-ding.
When Hakyung lightly shook the ornament, a clear, bright sound echoed.
He swayed his wrist, enjoying the peaceful sound of the dolphin swimming happily inside.
He had told himself that he didn’t need such things, as he would only be here for a week…
But somehow, he was enchanted by the clear sound and the pink dolphin happily swimming inside.
“Done playing around?”
The boss lightly tapped Hakyung’s shoulder, pulling him out of his trance.
Hakyung, who had been humming a little tune, looked up at the man with startled eyes.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? Where to?”
“On an errand.”
The boss grinned and pointed toward the door.
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