By Zephyria “So… please don’t mind what I said back then. I’m just, cough, offering this proposal because I thought marrying you would be beneficial when considering conditions and such… I hope you’ll only consider that part, hyung.”
What is love, what is affection? A deep emotion, inexplicable by reason or logic, was pooling in Joo Tae-hyun’s eyes.
If he hadn’t brought up marriage, Seo Baek-han would have praised Joo Tae-hyun’s attitude of denying his feelings. Regardless of his true feelings, being able to hide them as if nothing were wrong in front of official matters. That was the ideal behavior Seo Baek-han wanted in a future spouse.
“So please don’t mind what I said back then—”
“Of course, I shouldn’t.”
Cutting him off with a light sigh, Joo Tae-hyun bit his lip. Seo Baek-han crossed his legs somewhat crookedly and placed his clasped hands on his knee.
“Tae-hyun-ah. If you were talking about marriage for such a reason, I would have been disappointed in you. Very much so.”
He was less angry than before, but he wasn’t feeling any better. But he couldn’t keep taking it out on a kid who was seven years younger than him, so it seemed right to wrap things up here.
He was starting to think that seeing him beg to sleep with him just once because he still liked him was less unpleasant than hearing him talk about marriage using the DH Group as an excuse. Seo Baek-han no longer wanted to spend time on this kid.
“I said you’d be the best condition I could choose.”
“…….”
“Is that really so?”
Even though he knew it would seem sarcastic, he couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
“Sorry. I never thought the day would come when I’d be spouting such childish things myself…”
Seo Baek-han decided to coldly ignore Joo Tae-hyun’s clingy unrequited love. Just like he hadn’t considered his coffee preferences earlier.
DH Group’s precious youngest son, Joo Tae-hyun.
The wealthiest 20-year-old in the Korean Empire.
A handsome Alpha who graduated early from international school and is currently studying in the United States, following the typical growth path of a chaebol family member.
In other words, a young master who hasn’t yet seized real power and is therefore useless.
“Your quantitative specs are far from the conditions I want in a spouse. Very far.”
A chaebol family as in-laws? Every time he put forward a policy proposal, he would inevitably be accused of giving preferential treatment to his in-laws.
Secret funds that were definitely siphoned off somewhere, accounting books that were cleverly manipulated, inheritance and gifts, lobbying activities that straddled the line between legal and illegal…
The behind-the-scenes stories that large corporations inevitably embrace were also a ticking time bomb from Seo Baek-han’s perspective.
So, among the glamorous modifiers that adorned Joo Tae-hyun, there wasn’t a single one that Seo Baek-han liked.
“And I’m not attracted to your qualitative specs either. I think you know the information of the people I’ve chosen as potential partners… so you must have a good grasp of my tastes.”
It would be nice if they were descendants of independence activists, but if that’s too difficult, they should never be descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators.
They don’t need to have assets, but they should be well-respected in their respective industries.
Preferably from a family of educators or researchers rather than businessmen, and most importantly.
“I’m not attracted to men, even if they’re Omega.”
It should be a female Alpha.
The only condition that Joo Tae-hyun meets here is that he is a descendant of independence activists.
“Good conditions… yes, that’s right. Romance and marriage are naturally separate matters, and I also prioritize the other person’s specs. But I’m not so desperate that I have to give up even my minimum preferences.”
Seo Baek-han recalled the market capitalization of the DH Group that he had seen in the news a few days ago.
He might not be able to match the oppressive wealth that Joo Tae-hyun held in his hands, but Seo Baek-han, the eldest grandson of a prestigious family that had produced many prime ministers for generations, had never been short of money either.
It’s good to have a lot in hand, but he’s already met the standard sufficiently, so he’s not desperate for more.
He was upset by Joo Tae-hyun’s stubborn proposal, but even if he eliminated his emotions and examined it, this marriage would not bring any benefit to Seo Baek-han or Seo Baek-han’s family.
“There’s still a little time left.”
“…….”
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
Joo Tae-hyun was still wearing a nonchalant expression, quietly lowering his eyes. If he hadn’t been constantly gnawing at his thumbnail with his index finger, no one would have noticed that he was feeling complicated inside.
Tsk. Seo Baek-han clicked his tongue lightly in his mind and considered what work he could entrust to Joo Tae-hyun in 〈Haechi〉 in the future. He was greatly disappointed in Joo Tae-hyun, who was acting much more like a naive young master than he had expected, but that was just his personal feelings. Joo Tae-hyun’s position would be useful until he died, and his calm face, like a mask, was definitely an advantage when dealing with people. So…
“…Have you heard of a drug called Switch ?”
Joo Tae-hyun’s voice awakened Seo Baek-han, who was considering a slightly more productive direction.
He only realized it when he saw the inside of his soft flesh, which had been pressed and turned white, slowly bouncing back out, but Joo Tae-hyun had a mole on the inside of his lower lip. That small mole, which wouldn’t be noticeable unless you observed it this closely, strangely caught Seo Baek-han’s attention.
“How could I not know? The commercialization and legalization of Switch is my research topic.”
“I, I’ve been taking it steadily. Switch .”
He belatedly raised his gaze at Joo Tae-hyun’s whispering voice. Only then did Seo Baek-han realize that he had been staring at the young man’s lips for longer than he thought.
“I… like being fucked by other Alphas.”
Also, that Joo Tae-hyun had just uttered an uncharacteristic vulgar sentence.
“I know it’s legal in the United States, but illegal in Korea. I even know that some types of Switch are classified as narcotics… I know it well.”
Switch refers to all drugs that temporarily change one’s traits, as the word suggests.
When an Alpha and an Alpha or an Omega and an Omega want to be with each other, the one who receives the other takes it. When the effect kicks in, the body becomes languid as it is temporarily influenced by the other’s pheromones, and even the asshole of a male Alpha becomes wet like an Omega’s.
It doesn’t mean that an Alpha can get pregnant by taking the drug, or that an Omega can impregnate an Omega. It’s just a tool to share love with the person you love, regardless of traits.
However, Switch , which appeared a few years ago and swept the world, is classified as illegal in the Korean Empire. This drug, which has begun to be allowed even in more conservative countries, is taboo only here. This is because the Crown Prince’s side, which opposes anything good for trait holders with a burning passion, has been conducting childish but very effective public opinion campaigns from the beginning.
The Crown Prince’s side criticized Second Prince Lee, who showed a favorable reaction to Switch , saying that he was so obsessed with sexual desire that he was even bringing in such filthy things. Industrial groups with various interests at stake lent their support to the Crown Prince, and some media companies that had received a lot from him also joined in.
However, the decisive factor that caused the domestic public’s reaction to Switch to cool down was the research result that some Switch showed reactions similar to narcotics.
‘Switch must be legalized unconditionally. And as soon as possible.’
Second Prince Lee asked Seo Baek-han with an expression as if he was missing the cigarettes he had quit a long time ago.
‘It’s no longer just about letting people of the same traits have sex. The survey on perceptions of trait holders has also hit a four-year low, and there have been many complaints demanding that taxes not be used to support suppressants.’
‘That’s the frame that the Crown Prince’s side always uses, that your taxes are being used in the wrong places.’
‘And it works effectively every time. Ha… the fact that some Switch show reactions similar to narcotics is the biggest problem.’
‘As you said, it’s only a very small part. Other countries are allowing it by setting their own standards, so we can set our own standards as well. And it will take some time to filter out the specific ingredients of Switch , but we can’t just sit idly by until then. It’s not just a matter of human rights, but technology cannot be caught up once the gap widens. We need to give more power to Jejungwon at times like this.’
‘I know, but to do that, we need a budget first… I can somehow raise the urgent money. If it doesn’t work, I’ll even empty my own coffers. But to make sure it’s not a project that can be used and discarded at any time, we need to officially allocate even a small budget. But…’
‘Since His Highness the Crown Prince is acting like that, it will be difficult unless we present a compelling reason.’
‘Yes, that’s the problem.’
But you, Joo Tae-hyun, were taking that Switch .
“I’ll be honest since you value conditions the most, hyung. My family, no, the DH Group is ready to pour everything into this issue.”
The twenty-year-old who was born with a diamond spoon in his mouth expressed his opinion clearly for the first time without stuttering.
“Because you wouldn’t want your beloved youngest son to live under the stigma of doing something similar to drugs, not even a little bit.”