Joo Tae-hyun first met Seo Baek-han in the summer when he was twelve years old.
“Oh my, so you’re Tae-hyun.”
“Hello.”
“Oh my goodness. President Joo dotes on you so much, it’s crazy.”
“Haha. I practically raised this kid.”
“Now you need to raise a real child, not just a younger brother. So, President Joo, still no thoughts of getting married?”
People he often saw on the news greeted his older brothers as they passed by. Each time, he waited quietly by their side, and when his brothers introduced him, he bowed his head politely. That was all Joo Tae-hyun had to do today.
The small concert held at Chundangji Pond in Changgyeonggung Palace concluded pleasantly, and the guests began to gather in small groups to enjoy refreshments freely.
Joo Tae-hyun, who had been quite nervous due to the weight of the word “palace,” gradually relaxed his shoulders.
“Long time no see, President Joo.”
“Oh my, it’s been a while, Minister. Tae-hyun, say hello. This is the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
“Hello. I’m Joo Tae-hyun.”
“Oh my, the boy’s grown so tall. I heard you’ve been quite ill; are you feeling better now?”
“Y-yes, thank you.”
…Of course, being less nervous than before didn’t mean he was as comfortable as he would be at home.
Joo Tae-hyun was annoyed with himself for constantly acting stiffly towards the adults who bothered to speak to him. He didn’t know how many mistakes he’d made this time.
Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Joo Tae-hyun, I’m feeling better now, thank you for your concern.
He had practiced diligently for days to be able to utter greetings naturally, but he couldn’t understand why those simple sentences were so difficult that his mouth froze up. He was disgusted with himself for not being able to open his mouth without stuttering like, “Uh, th-that…”
“Hey, Joo’s youngest.”
“…Second brother.”
“It’s okay. You’re doing well.”
Perhaps noticing Joo Tae-hyun’s somewhat dejected mood, his second brother, Joo Sang-woo, strode over. As he twisted and turned to avoid his playful second brother, who was trying to tickle his sides, he truly relaxed completely.
“Brother, seriously, stop it now. I’m tired.”
“Why? Our youngest has such a pretty smile. We have to show it to everyone in the world.”
“That’s enough, Sang-woo. People are staring.”
“Ugh, old man. By the way, big brother, it seems the Empress is looking for you?”
“Really? Did she say so directly?”
“Yeah. She even mentioned President Joo Guk-won by name, so it might be good to go and greet her separately.”
“Hmm… The Minister of Foreign Affairs also said he wanted to see you.”
Joo Guk-won scratched his ear, looking troubled. He wanted to take his beloved youngest brother with him wherever he went, but there were times when adults needed to have private conversations. He had brought the first and second brothers along to prepare for such moments, but it was unfortunate that they both had to leave at the same time.
“I can be alone, so go do your work. It’s not a dangerous place, and it’s inside the palace, so what.”
“Huh? No way. How can we leave our youngest alone in an unfamiliar place?”
“It’s okay. You brought me here to watch and learn from you, but what if you can’t do your jobs properly because of me?”
Seizing the opportunity, Joo Tae-hyun quickly interjected, and Joo Guk-won and Joo Sang-woo looked at him with faces full of concern, worry, and pride. Their eyebrows were shaped like the number eight (八), and their lips were pursed forward like a duck’s beak, the expressions his family usually made when they couldn’t help but adore their youngest.
“Well, if our youngest says so… Then we’ll go and make a quick appearance and come right back, okay? Stay here quietly, got it?”
“Okay.”
“If anyone says anything to you, Tae-hyun, you don’t have to engage with them if you’re uncomfortable. Just ignore them.”
“…Okay.”
“Oh, right. If you get hungry, grab any of the palace staff passing by and—”
“I’m not hungry. You guys brought me a ton of snacks earlier…”
Afraid that they might grab some innocent person and beg them to get some treats for their baby, Joo Tae-hyun pushed his fully grown brothers on their backs.
“The adults are waiting. Go quickly.”
“Okay, we’ll be back.”
As if they were only going to say a quick hello, his brothers were even acting as if they were going off to war.
“Ugh…”
After finally sending off his overly dramatic brothers, Joo Tae-hyun let out a long sigh through his nose.
Joo Tae-hyun, the late-in-life youngest son of DH Group Chairman Joo Il-wook and Yoo Young-hwa, the director of the Archery Association and owner of a couple of small galleries, was the first type-bearer born in the Joo and Yoo families across all generations.
Compared to the past, awareness of type-bearers had improved a lot, but there were still many who viewed them with prejudice.
The “Basic Type-Bearer Awareness Training” was a legally mandated educational program that had to be conducted quarterly in public places with three or more people, from daycare centers to companies. However, as with all mandatory requirements, no one listened carefully.
That was the same even for the family of the head of one of the leading conglomerates in the Empire of Daehan.
‘T-Tae-hyun! What’s wrong with him?’
Daddy, Mommy, brother, sister, milk. A young child who could barely utter such words suddenly collapsed one day.
At first, he was just whining with a fever, but he quickly became unable to breathe.
It wasn’t a cold, it wasn’t pneumonia, it wasn’t meningitis… They did every blood test and everything else they could, but they couldn’t find a clear diagnosis, and they were just pacing around anxiously. Then, a clue was found in a blood test that was done again without any expectation. A faint reaction was detected in the type test.
‘Tae-hyun is… what?’
‘The youngest young master has manifested as an Alpha.’
‘Alpha? Our youngest is a type-bearer?’
‘But what does manifesting as an Alpha have to do with this raging fever?’
‘Sometimes, manifesting can be accompanied by such high fever. This symptom is called manifestation fever…’
After that, everything went smoothly.
Donghwa Hospital, as well as leading domestic and international medical professionals in the field of type studies, gathered to observe Joo Tae-hyun’s condition. They carefully selected an inhibitor that was safe to administer to a child, and the process was also cautious.
‘Fortunately, he’s past the critical point.’
However, the family was shocked and saddened by the specialist’s addition that he would have suffered brain death if they had been any later, and that it would be best to keep him hospitalized in isolation for the time being to monitor his progress. They were filled with guilt, feeling that they had almost lost their precious child due to their ignorance.
‘I need to issue a directive to the entire company… That type-bearer basic training or whatever, make sure it’s done properly…’
‘I need to inform the association as well. By the way, Doctor Woo, how long do you think Tae-hyun will have to stay in the hospital?’
‘Well, it’s difficult to say for sure at this point.’
‘If he’s hospitalized in isolation… does that mean we can’t visit him?’
‘I’m sorry, but that’s correct.’
It took about three months from then for Joo Tae-hyun to receive permission to be discharged from the hospital.
That was thanks to the fact that the best medical team was stationed by his side and could take appropriate measures at any time, and that they could try any medicine or treatment that was said to be good, regardless of the cost.
[Breaking News] DH Group Announces Welfare Policy for Type-Bearer Employees Starting Next Month
The entire business world is buzzing as DH Group is scheduled to implement a groundbreaking welfare policy for type-bearer employees starting on the 1st of next month.
It will be applied to all DH Group affiliates, and the main points are as follows:
▲ Paid leave can be requested during Rut or Heat cycles (up to 5 days)
▲ Company insurance can be claimed for type-bearer-specific medications (oral medications, injections, etc.)
▲ The same benefits will be provided even if the spouse or children are type-bearers
▲ Establishment of a Type-Bearer Grievance Center within the HR team
▲ Implementation of a quarterly type basic education program (promotion is not possible if the education score is insufficient)
▲ Implementation of a semi-annual emergency treatment education
▲ Emergency kit provided
A public relations official from DH Group told this publication, “We are very sorry to our employees that we are only now preparing this welfare plan.” In addition, they concluded the short interview by saying, “It may be insufficient in many ways as it is still in the early stages, but we will continue to improve it, so we ask for your generous feedback. We only hope that the perception of type-bearers, who can now be encountered frequently, will be further improved.”
There is already great anticipation as to whether DH Group will be the start of a new welfare trend for type-bearers in government offices and other companies.
Comments (71)
This is because the chairman’s youngest child manifested as an Alphaㅇㅇ
➥Oh.. Whatever the reason, it’s great
➥Great my ass, who’s going to do their work when they go on heat and take a break?
➥Anything is better than nothingㅋㅋ Anyway, if you take care of minorities like that, it will eventually come back to all members of society
And in the meantime, DH Group has become the company with the best welfare for type-bearers in the Empire of Daehan.