By Zephyria 
Before he could even tell him to wait, the door burst open.
“Secretary Nam.”
“I’m terribly sorry, excuse me, but first, please, could you check this?”
He wasn’t displeased. It was rare for Secretary Nam to be this flustered and out of sorts, so not only Seo Baek-han but even Joo Tae-hyun tensed up slightly.
“This is a draft of the press release for major news outlets. It seems you need to check it right away… Well, um, I’ll be waiting outside, so please call me anytime.”
Secretary Nam put a lot of emphasis on the last sentence, as if he was certain there would be instructions for him. And seeing him glance at Joo Tae-hyun several times… this must be related to the DH Group.
Was he deliberately giving a hint? Secretary Nam, who was so obviously glancing at Joo Tae-hyun that it was impossible not to notice, quickly left the director’s office as if his tail was on fire when their eyes met.
“Hyung. Is this about me?”
Joo Tae-hyun also sensed the unusual atmosphere and immediately leaned towards Seo Baek-han.
“I didn’t really say anything to my hyungs or noonas…”
“I don’t know. It’s a draft of a press release, so we should take a look first-.”
The expression on Seo Baek-han’s face subtly hardened as he opened the file.
“Hyung?”
Confidential, Top Secret, Embargo.
Below the phrases emphasized in large, bold letters, even more sensational titles were listed.
[Breaking News] DH Group’s youngest Joo Tae-hyun revealed to have used ‘Dirty Switch and Drugs’
[Exclusive] DH Group’s Joo Tae-hyun, affair caught
“…Ha.”
Those bastards are starting again.
The content of the articles was even more blatant than the titles. It claimed that Joo Tae-hyun had used drugs, including the Dirty Switch, while studying in the United States, that he had been promiscuous with many people, and that there was clear evidence of an affair even after the marriage…
Now that public opinion seemed to be flowing in his favor, they’ve decided to stir up trouble only for Joo Tae-hyun? Are they trying to provoke me? I really shouldn’t let this go this time.
“It’s similar to what Kim Seung-jun released before. It’s a bit more sensational, though-.”
Seo Baek-han’s hand, which had been flipping through the printouts with a light click of his tongue, stopped abruptly. And for good reason.
“……”
Unlike last time, this time there were several photos attached to support the article, which had been like a third-rate novel.
Screenshots of Dirty Switch order history through an app, suspicious drug bags piled up inside the house, Joo Tae-hyun washing away drugs with a hose in the backyard of the mansion late at night, and several men looking around as they entered Joo Tae-hyun’s house.
Unlike the above photos, which were somewhat low in quality, there were quite a few photos with Joo Tae-hyun’s face clearly visible.
Most recently, when he visited Washington, Joo Tae-hyun was holding Cheon Seung-pil’s hand tightly in front of a luxury store, bickering with him, and Cheon Seung-pil was stuffing pregnancy tests he had bought in bulk at a pharmacy a few days ago into his jacket pocket.
All sorts of sensational material that would make people throw stones without hesitation were included. It was even organized in a clear order, as if they had been watching Joo Tae-hyun for quite some time.
“…Joo Tae-hyun.”
Seo Baek-han slammed the file down on the table. Seeing Joo Tae-hyun’s eyes widen slightly with just that much action, it seemed he had been too lenient with him. Was it because he had known him since he was a kid? Looking back, he had been quite soft on Joo Tae-hyun.
“Explain.”
As if waiting for permission, Joo Tae-hyun finally grabbed the file.
“What do I need to know right now, what are you hiding from me… everything, without exception.”
Joo Tae-hyun’s hand, which had been quickly scanning the documents, slowed down. His pupils also trembled slightly. His pupils, which had always been soft like ink spreading, narrowed sharply in an instant.
Seo Baek-han watched the subtle change as if he would devour it.
He was unfamiliar with himself being so angry.
Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant situation. However, the draft of the press release was roughly similar to the situation Seo Baek-han had envisioned, and the core content was the same. It was just that the major news outlets were saying things that were far below his expectations.
But it was Joo Tae-hyun’s unfamiliar appearance, which he had missed and didn’t know about at all, that made Seo Baek-han’s insides boil.
He shouldn’t be swayed by emotions, especially at times like this. Even Joo Tae-hyun was trying not to lose his composure.
So, so… Ah, shit.
“…This is within a manageable range. If we can clarify the circumstances of the last photo.”
“……”
“Drug use? That kind of rumor will subside if you just confidently go get tested.”
Joo Tae-hyun only mouthed the word, Hyung. It took longer than he thought for his mouth to open and close.
“What’s wrong with a chaebol doing some luxury shopping? As long as you haven’t embezzled foundation funds, it doesn’t matter if you shopped or traveled with company money. But, Tae-hyun.”
Seo Baek-han fixed his head and only slightly raised his eyes to look directly at Joo Tae-hyun. Even in this situation, the fact that his gloomy face was facing him filled him with a slight sense of satisfaction.
Shit, that damn unilateral Imprinting.
“Affairs are not allowed.”
Joo Tae-hyun gasped softly, as if the word affair was quite shocking. Was he flustered? It seemed he was worried that he would use this as an excuse to get a divorce.
Following the pounding pulse, Joo Tae-hyun’s Pheromone leaked out erratically. The cool scent of the forest, of trees, wandered and floated inside the space. As if to replace the owner’s emotions. The delicate scent of wildflowers that had been emanating from Joo Tae-hyun lately had disappeared.
“No matter how we agree among ourselves, the world calls the act of sleeping with someone other than your spouse an affair, adultery, cheating. And once that label is attached, money or law can’t fix it.”
Seo Baek-han barely managed to hold back from pushing Joo Tae-hyun even harder.
He intends to use this incident as an excuse to monitor Joo Tae-hyun’s behavior more closely. Even the DH Group won’t dare to object. He must also take this opportunity to clearly deal with Cheon Seung-pil, that good-for-nothing who failed the easy transfer every time and eventually ran all the way to Pyongyang, and the Yoonra Foundation.
But, shit… If he was going to get involved with the Yoonra Foundation’s grandson, of all people, and even get so close that they had a child, he should have cleaned up the mess neatly. If he wasn’t confident, he should have asked for help in advance. He had always trusted and entrusted him with everything because he seemed to be doing his job perfectly, but he was a little, no, very disappointed that Joo Tae-hyun had ruined things like this.
“Joo Tae-hyun, you want to keep this marriage going, right?”
Joo Tae-hyun’s fingertips twitched as he stubbornly stared at his teacup. At least this was a slightly bigger reaction than before.
Seo Baek-han took a sip of the tea, which had melted ice and tasted slightly different. As he savored Joo Tae-hyun’s Pheromone, which was leaking out as if it were broken, it seemed to calm him down a bit.
“Living as my spouse, it was good, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?”
You, you like me, don’t you? Then and now.
“Let’s not make things complicated.”
Now he even has a good excuse to mix bodies with him regularly. You don’t want to ruin everything here either, do you?
As Seo Baek-han took in every detail of Joo Tae-hyun, who was blankly staring at his own teacup, he realized that he cared about him more than he thought. Although it was a completely different kind of feeling than the one Joo Tae-hyun had for him, he had grown quite fond of him after having him by his side for four years with the title of spouse.
“…Hyung.”
Finally, as if he had made up his mind, Joo Tae-hyun slowly opened his mouth. He had completely hidden the slight agitation he had shown earlier, and was wearing the face of an adult that he only showed in public.
Seo Baek-han was usually most pleased when Joo Tae-hyun made this expression. He spared no praise for his unique armor that made it difficult to read his thoughts.
The fact that Joo Tae-hyun had become increasingly cold in front of people was largely a reflection of his taste.
“…Yes, speak.”
But why?
The feeling that had improved slightly thanks to Joo Tae-hyun’s docile attitude and his Pheromone plummeted again. He couldn’t explain it, but a faint sense of unease crawled up his spine. He hated such modifiers that he couldn’t explain, but there was no other expression to attach to it.
Why is he hesitating like that? What you have to say is already decided. I’m sorry, I was wrong, I’ll leave everything to Hyung, I’ll continue to live listening to Hyung. That’s enough for now.
“…Want, to.”
“Hmm?”
“I, I want to stop now.”
“…What?”
“…Let’s get a divorce, us.”