By Zephyria 
The me that you love, I’ll take responsibility for it.
Don’t make our families shed tears of blood…
Joo Tae-hyun mulled over Seo Baek-han’s words repeatedly.
He had expected Seo Baek-han to make light of the press conference. As he pointed out, it was full of things to nitpick.
Could you even call that a press conference? It was no different from borrowing the name of the DH Group to whine about how upset and wronged he felt. And it was true that his other family members were working hard to clean up the mess in his stead.
But…
Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that he didn’t take the news of the baby seriously. Given Seo Baek-han’s personality, blindly believing it would have been more suspicious.
But he never expected him to trample even the words of love like this.
Those words of liking him that he had blurted out recklessly in the old days.
Those words of love that he hadn’t dared to say directly to Seo Baek-han, that he had mumbled out to the camera only after resolving to end everything.
Joo Tae-hyun focused his gaze on his heart, which was sprawled out like a soggy scrap of tissue. If it had been torn, he could have at least scraped it away. But it was so messily dissolved that it was impossible to salvage and difficult to dispose of.
How much harder would it have to be in the future?
When would he ever be able to gather all the tiny, thorn-like fragments that were hidden everywhere, pretending to be dissolved in the water?
It would be difficult.
Because it was so obvious that he was acting pathetic, Hyung probably thought he was someone to spit on rather than comfort. That was probably the extent of the treatment he had received.
“…So Hyung has no interest at all, in what lies I told you, or what I was preparing behind your back.”
“No interest? How could that be? I’m just curious about what’s on your mind right now, more than what I’ll be able to find out soon.”
From the moment he decided to propose to Seo Baek-han until now, Joo Tae-hyun had countless diverse nightmares. Being exposed and receiving his contemptuous gaze was relatively mild.
But even among those many nightmares, there was no such worst-case scenario.
To sleep with Seo Baek-han without love, then have his child, imprint on him alone, and end up declaring a divorce in front of the public.
“Again.”
With a sharp “tsk” and a stern voice, a firm thumb suddenly dug into his mouth. He must have unconsciously bitten his lip.
What was it about this habit that Seo Baek-han found so displeasing that he couldn’t stand not pointing it out even at this moment?
“…It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter?”
“Even if I can’t have Pheromone exchange with Hyung and live with a broken body for the rest of my life, it doesn’t matter.”
“…What?”
“I don’t really know why Hyung is so concerned about my physical condition. It’s not a very important thing for Hyung anyway.”
Joo Tae-hyun placed his hand on the back of Seo Baek-han’s hand and carefully pushed it away.
“Since you didn’t want to have sex in the first place, there’s no need to continue, so wouldn’t it be better for you if I just left?”
It was a pathetic gesture that was hardly even a rejection, but Seo Baek-han seemed very surprised, his eyes widening slightly as he stared blankly at his dropped hand.
“I guess so, it seems like a good thing for Hyung. The media went after me like they were going to kill someone for being a Switch, so you can retaliate until you feel better. You might as well take this opportunity to properly reform the Switch system and push for legalization.”
Joo Tae-hyun put his hands behind his back to hide his fidgeting hands and stared blankly into the distance. He was spouting out whatever came to mind, but that didn’t mean he was okay with looking at Seo Baek-han’s face.
But someday it would be okay.
Even when he was holed up in the United States studying, time passed by somehow. This stinging sensation, as if a needle was poking his heart, would gradually become nothing.
It had to be, and he would make sure it did.
“The divorce will be discussed between the lawyers anyway, so there’s no need for us to see each other about this topic. As for the child issue, hmm, I guess it will be decided then… Please convey Hyung’s intentions to the lawyer. I’ll follow them as much as possible.”
After clearing his throat several times because the inside of his throat felt strangely sore, he was finally able to speak again. During that time, Seo Baek-han stared at Joo Tae-hyun without blinking an eye.
“But if you ever want to hear what lies I told you and why I did such a thing, even later… Please contact me anytime then. It doesn’t matter if it’s a long time from now.”
Swallowing Seo Baek-han’s Pheromones, which rippled through his wide sleeves, deep into his lungs, Joo Tae-hyun took a half step back.
“…Joo Tae-hyun.”
“Yes, I’m a pathetic bastard who causes trouble and asks others to clean up after me. But I think that’s all I’m capable of.”
I can’t, I can’t do it anymore.
It was no more than a barely moving mouth, but because the surroundings were quiet, the last addition seemed to have been safely conveyed to Seo Baek-han.
All the efforts he had made since he was young to freeze his expression had paid off. Despite causing an accident, he didn’t cry pathetically or look like a lost soul with his insides completely shattered, and he managed to say what he wanted to say to Seo Baek-han clearly.
Perhaps, it was because he hadn’t fully realized that everything was over.
“I’ll be going now.”
“…….”
“I hope everything Hyung wanted so much comes true.”
There was no response from Seo Baek-han. He must not have expected me to resist this much. Joo Tae-hyun hid a bitter smile and turned around. As if waiting for him to turn around, the car Joo Guk-won was in started vigorously. The security detail that had been surrounding Seo Baek-han at a suitable distance also began to move little by little.
The trivial things he hadn’t been able to say to him washed over him like a wave, but he decided to hold back.
This is all just an excuse and lingering feelings.
I shouldn’t look back. I’m sure my heart will weaken, so let’s just get in the car. I feel sorry for Guk-won hyung, but I’m glad we decided to travel separately. Um, when I get to Seoul-.
“…Hyung?”
He hadn’t even taken a few steps when Seo Baek-han grabbed his wrist.
“Hyung, let go of this-.”
“Tae-hyun, I’m telling you, you can’t divorce me.”
“Hyung!”
“You said it yourself, in front of all those people. That everything is just a rumor, a conspiracy, and that I love Baek-han hyung. And yet, a divorce? We’ll never see each other again?”
A groan escaped his lips as he felt the grip tighten mercilessly.
“Okay, I don’t care if your body collapses because you can’t receive my Pheromones. But what about the DH Group, which will be beaten along with a mere child’s prank, and what crime did I commit? What are you going to rationalize this time, love? That thing that makes you go crazy and cause accidents without looking back every time?”
“Hyung, it hurts!”
“I’ll ask you later why you’re interfering with my plans, but let’s ask you this first.”
“…This is the last time. Let go of this before I bring all the bodyguards over-.”
“You, even though you’re pregnant, you didn’t imprint on me?”
The question was so sudden that he couldn’t think of anything to say. Joo Tae-hyun blinked for a moment, then quickly shook his head no, but in that short gap, Seo Baek-han seemed to have read something and sneered.
“I knew it.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I was wondering why you were suddenly talking about pregnancy. You had imprinting symptoms, Tae-hyun.”
“I said no!”
“It’s okay, I’m not trying to blame you.”
“Hyung, please listen to what I’m saying…!”
“I imprinted, too. With you.”
“…What did you say?”
“I said I imprinted, to you.”
Seo Baek-han chuckled in disbelief even after saying it himself. Joo Tae-hyun was stunned and stared blankly at Seo Baek-han’s lips.
He imprinted…? Hyung to me, too?