Joo Tae-hyun fidgeted as if he wanted to bury his nose all over his body right then and there.
“No, it’s not like that. It’s about the same level as when I run into other Alphas passing by? I haven’t really felt uncomfortable.”
“Then why the deodorant all of a sudden…”
“When your heat comes, you’re going to have sex with your boyfriend, right?”
“…Ah.”
“I told you, whether it’s a boyfriend or a one-night stand, it’s better to bring them home. It’s much safer that way.”
If Joo Tae-hyun’s taste was anything to go by, the person he slept with would also be an Alpha, and the thought of their thick Pheromones lingering in the house made him very uncomfortable. But still, he felt more at ease keeping even that under his control. If he could accurately figure out who was coming in and out of the house, or Joo Tae-hyun’s backdoor for that matter, it would be easier to manage later on.
“Since you’re coming back to Korea anyway, whether you keep dating your current boyfriend or meet someone new, I’d prefer you fooling around in our honeymoon home. It’ll be troublesome if you get photographed at a hotel or something.”
“……”
“But still, if I smell another Alpha’s Pheromones in the house I live in, it’ll be a bit annoying.”
“……I, I guess so.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, hyung.” Joo Tae-hyun mumbled in a small voice, trying hard to agree, then coughed as if his throat was blocked and tried to change the subject.
“But hyung—”
“Tae-hyun, let’s make this clear while we’re on the topic. I don’t really have any intention of dating.”
“……Yes.”
“To be exact, I don’t really feel like meeting someone, dating them, exchanging feelings, or anything like that. But sometimes I do want to have sex.”
It wasn’t just Joo Tae-hyun who had to report the people he met. After the marriage was officially decided, Seo Baek-han also diligently informed him of the information and movements of anyone he had slept with, even for one night, over the past two years. Since the other party was usually a female Beta or Omega, he was concerned about pregnancy and even meticulously organized the test results.
He figured it would probably be similar in the future. Seo Baek-han had no intention of actively dating someone like Joo Tae-hyun. He didn’t really understand the feeling of cherishing and liking a specific person. But he didn’t dislike sex, and unlike suppressants, there was a unique sensation that was only resolved when he slept with someone, so he had no intention of living a chaste life either.
“So, if you have a favorite deodorant, send me the brand name. I’ll invite someone I like to the house too, so I’ll manage things carefully so that you don’t get bothered even if I sleep with someone.”
“……”
“Of course, I’ll be careful about contraception, so don’t worry about that. I’ve considered getting a vasectomy, but I thought it would be better not to do it rashly for now, since someone I meet after divorcing you might want a child.”
“……Yes. Thank, thank you. Hyung.”
Joo Tae-hyun was still pulling up the corners of his lips as usual, but he had lost all his energy and was limply swaying. It was like he was drowning in unexpected kindness from someone else.
“Oh, by the way, you said you transferred to the Department of Business Administration at Pyongyang University?”
“Ah, yes.”
When they started preparing for the wedding in earnest last year, Joo Tae-hyun cautiously expressed his intention to transfer to Pyongyang University. In fact, it was more of a notification that he had already finished preparing and taken the exam.
He had thought there was a reason why he was majoring in public policy, which was unusual for a chaebol heir, but it seemed that wasn’t the case either.
‘Hyung, I was thinking of transferring to Pyongyang University if you don’t hate it… What do you think?’
‘Transfer? Not graduate school, but undergraduate transfer?’
‘Yes.’
Well, Joo Tae-hyun wasn’t just any rich kid, and he probably had his own reasons for making the decision, so he didn’t want to tell him what to do, but it was unexpected. He didn’t need to improve his credentials to build a better resume, and his current school was much better, so why transfer to a domestic university? Especially with graduation just around the corner?
‘Is there a reason you want to transfer? And to a domestic university?’
‘I was planning to come back and take over the foundation after finishing my studies abroad anyway. So it doesn’t really matter where I graduate from, whether it’s a domestic or foreign university. And… now that we’re married, it doesn’t seem very good to keep living apart…’
‘Ah, I see. I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.’
‘…Um, hyung. Are you really okay with it?’
‘Hmm? Is there any reason why I wouldn’t be okay with it?’
He thought it was inefficient. He could get a bachelor’s degree just by submitting a thesis, so why bother?
If it were him, he would have finished his bachelor’s degree safely and then gone on to graduate school, where he could build connections in the domestic academic or business world. As for the foundation… whether it was the existing DH Scholarship Foundation or a newly established one, he could probably meet all the right people at alumni events just by getting an MBA.
But if his family had approved it, Seo Baek-han didn’t want to interfere.
‘Um, hyung, you usually like to do things according to plan. So I was wondering if you didn’t like it when I suddenly said I was going to transfer to a domestic university…’
‘It’s unexpected, but why would I dislike it?’
Joo Tae-hyun didn’t say anything for a while, as if he was trying to gauge whether Seo Baek-han was genuinely okay with it or being sarcastic.
‘Joo Tae-hyun. I really don’t care.’
‘……Really?’
‘Yeah. It’s your life, your business, and your plan anyway. I was a little surprised, but you shared it with me in advance, so I don’t really have any complaints. It’s not like my plans will be disrupted whether you go to Pyongyang University or Seoul University, right? Isn’t that right?’
‘……’
‘If you suddenly decided to go to America alone after going to Pyongyang University, that would be more troublesome. People in Pyongyang are a bit proud of their region.’
‘……I’m glad to hear that.’
Since then, there hadn’t been any particular mention of it, so Seo Baek-han had forgotten about it, but he had only heard the news of Joo Tae-hyun’s acceptance to Pyongyang University a few days ago. He had thought that he would be settling his life in America completely after the wedding and then preparing to transfer gradually after that.
He hadn’t checked Joo Tae-hyun’s detailed schedule yet, but it seemed like he would have been quite busy preparing for the wedding and taking the transfer exam while attending school in America.
“There will be a lot of people paying attention if you go to school in Korea. Especially if you live in Pyongyang and attend Pyongyang University, and you’re the son-in-law of Congressman Seo Hong-gyu and Director Ahn Ye-seon.”
“……Yes, I’ll be careful.”
“Okay, then I’ll see you when you come back from America. You said you’re returning in two weeks, right?”
“Yes.”
They decided to skip the honeymoon.
The two families agreed that the wedding itself would attract a lot of attention, so they should keep a low profile afterward. Seo Baek-han had to leave for Paris for an important academic seminar right after the wedding, and Joo Tae-hyun had a schedule to leave to finish his studies in America.