“Well, you know more about drugs than I do, brother.” You majored in it.”
Joo Tae-hyun, trying to hide his awkwardness, glanced around the lounge of 〈Guardian Lion〉. He meant it as a subtle hint that it wasn’t a good idea to keep talking about Switches in a place like this. It was one of the nonverbal communication cues he’d picked up from Seo Baek-han while growing closer to him after the proposal.
“Well, theoretically, yes. But that’s not what I’m curious about right now.”
However, Seo Baek-han seemed even more intrigued by the Switch now that Joo Tae-hyun was being evasive. His peach scent, which Joo Tae-hyun usually only noticed when they were very close, wafted over him, and Joo Tae-hyun had to hold his breath for a moment.
“In the case of Alphas, if they take a Switch right before sex, they get wet in the back like Omegas.”
As he said this, Seo Baek-han glanced at Joo Tae-hyun, his eyes seeming to ask if his body was the same.
Thankfully, because he had become a little more accustomed to him, he was able to pretend to listen to Seo Baek-han as if nothing was wrong.
“This is the generally known use of Switches, and I believe Dirty Switches add an aphrodisiac to this.”
Of course, that was only how it looked on the outside; Joo Tae-hyun’s insides were a mess. Crazy, an aphrodisiac? So that’s why his body had reacted so strangely back then. Seeing ridiculous fantasies, suddenly wanting to be fucked senseless…
‘You want me to put it in, don’t you?’
Lifting his ass shamelessly to Seo Baek-han, or rather, to Seo Baek-han’s hallucination…
“If an aphrodisiac is mixed with certain ingredients in a Switch, it’s said to have an effect similar to that of a drug.”
How would he know that? But what was certain was that Joo Tae-hyun had never once in his life felt the desire to be fucked by another Alpha.
Even after realizing he liked Seo Baek-han, he hadn’t. He just wanted to get closer to his older brother, to have deeper conversations like when they first met, to get rid of all the annoying people and be alone with his older brother, to know what it would feel like to hold his older brother’s hand… That was the extent of his simple wishes.
But just one Dirty Switch had awakened a low-quality desire that even he hadn’t known he possessed.
Seo Baek-han was the most stimulating hallucination Joo Tae-hyun had seen when he was helplessly broken down by the drug, and it was also the long-held wish he had kept hidden deep down, which he could only acknowledge when he was in that state.
‘Ah, right. That Dirty Switch you took. What was it like?’
The very person who was the subject of that fantasy was now actually asking about the effects of the Dirty Switch, so it was inevitable that the sensations from that time would come flooding back.
“So, do you take Switches during your rut too? Is it different from usual then?”
“W-Well… I’ve never done that before.”
The Seo Baek-han in his hallucination, who had whispered that he wanted Joo Tae-hyun to fuck him, was superimposed over the man in front of him.
“Dirty is definitely the problem. Since it’s illegal, there’s no way to know what’s in it, and we can’t predict what symptoms will appear.”
He hadn’t even gotten a good look at his face back then, and all he’d heard was a low voice urging him to do the deed, but as he replayed the sordid fantasy, he unconsciously clenched his ass. It was a good thing he was sitting down, so Seo Baek-han didn’t notice his embarrassing behavior.
“That’s why everyone’s jumping in to create international standards for Switches. That way, the drug can only be used for its original purpose, and… No, this isn’t something I should be talking about with you.”
Seo Baek-han straightened up from leaning against the back of the sofa and picked up the test results Joo Tae-hyun had given him.
“Anyway, what you took, Joo Tae-hyun…”
Seo Baek-han’s gaze lingered on the photo of the Dirty Switch Joo Tae-hyun had taken, which was attached to the front page of the test results. From Seo Baek-han’s gaze, which he threw to read Joo Tae-hyun’s reaction, and from his fingers, which he tapped on the table as a habit, the night several months ago when he had recklessly downed the Dirty Switch was involuntarily replayed.
“…Well, it was too…”
But Seo Baek-han flicked the photo as if he was flicking a forehead. As if to scold Joo Tae-hyun’s wicked imagination.
That was all.
Seo Baek-han had returned to the way Joo Tae-hyun knew him. Equally lukewarm to everyone, no longer curious about him, no longer interested.
The test results that had been flicked out of his hand lay scattered like the last moments of someone who had lost his attention.
Unlike a moment ago, Joo Tae-hyun was the one who was anxious because of Seo Baek-han’s lukewarm attitude.
Too, what?
Too bland a drug? That the Dirty Switch didn’t seem to have much of an effect, so why did he bother taking it?
Joo Tae-hyun swallowed the questions that were bubbling up like foam. After all, the answers he could give were limited, but of course, he wouldn’t know. Maybe Seo Baek-han had deliberately cut himself off like that, hoping that he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would jump at him.
“…A little more… immediate reaction comes. Dirty Switches do.”
As always, Joo Tae-hyun was the one who surrendered. The person he liked had come to him first, asking him something because he was curious about him, so how could he ignore him?
“Immediate reaction?”
“Yes. After taking it, I feel… good right away. And…”
Seo Baek-han didn’t urge him to answer. He just stared silently at Joo Tae-hyun as he stammered and dragged out his words.
“Right away, I get wet… and I feel like I have to do something right away.”
It might sound a little unkind from his perspective, but it couldn’t be helped. Joo Tae-hyun had never taken a regular Switch, let alone had sex, so this was his limit. He didn’t know any expressions that could describe the feeling at the time in more detail than this.
“…That’s all.”
“Hmm.”
But unexpectedly, Seo Baek-han’s reaction was bland. All he did was clear his throat as if to say, “Is that so?”
Joo Tae-hyun, flustered by his indifferent expression, wondered what he could tell him. At the same time, he tried to hide the embarrassing fact that he had imagined him…
“That…”
Joo Tae-hyun, choosing his words carefully, bit down hard on his lower lip to endure the belated embarrassment.
He’s heard everything he wanted to hear, so he’s no longer interested in this topic. It’s not like Hyung said he was disappointed in me. So why am I trying so hard to come up with other things to talk about while worrying about what Hyung thinks?
“Do you have any other questions? Is this enough?”
“Hmm. Well, it’s about what I expected.”
“Ah…”
“Stimulation of the central nervous system, difficulty controlling impulses, increased secretion of bodily fluids… It’s a predictable reaction. If you ever use it during your rut, give me a review then.”
Shit, did he really become a pervert just from taking a drug once?
Joo Tae-hyun swallowed the vulgar curse that he never uttered because he was conscious of his family and Seo Baek-han, and glared at the innocent test results.
Seo Baek-han was just listing the phenomena, but his back door, which had never had anything inserted into it, was twitching on its own, and he was embarrassed that he was asking about Switches, but when he lost interest, he became anxious.
Is this what it’s like to like someone? His mood swings all the time, and even he doesn’t know what’s going on inside him. Is it because he has a crush, or is it because he has his heart set on someone too difficult?
So it’s all because of that damn Dirty Switch. It’s unlikely, but he even suspects that the effects of the drug are still lingering.
Seo Baek-han was already a difficult person to begin with, but after having such a strange experience, he became even more conscious of him in a strange way, which made him miserable.
“You said you’ve only slept with a few bodyguards so far?”
“Yes? Ah, yes…”
“Then the other person wouldn’t have asked you to take this drug… You said you’re not seeing anyone right now, right? When was the last time you had sex? Ah. It would have been when you took the Switch.”
Seo Baek-han, as if lost in thought, stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger, then returned the test results to Joo Tae-hyun.
“I understand for now. I hope you avoid Dirty Switches as much as possible in the future… But I’m sure you’ll take care of that yourself. Just share the situation with me in a timely manner. Who you’re meeting, what you’re eating.”
As if he was about to get up, Seo Baek-han gathered his tablet and phone on the table. It seemed like it was over for today. At least it felt less like an interview than last time, so it could be said that he had improved a little.
“Then next time, let’s check the press release to be distributed and decide on the contents of the contract that you and I will use, regardless of what the adults are discussing.”
“Yes.”
As always, Seo Baek-han, who was about to turn his back first, as if he had forgotten something, beckoned Joo Tae-hyun.
“Tae-hyun.”
Seo Baek-han’s long but surprisingly thick-knuckled finger gently touched the corner of Joo Tae-hyun’s lip without hurting him.
“Do you know you have a mole here, on the inside of your lip?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s slightly visible when you bite your lip tightly like you did a moment ago, and it’s subtly sexy.”
So, Seo Baek-han winked, telling him to break the habit of biting his lip even if something went wrong in the future. It was a childlike smile, with his right eye and left eye closing in sequence with a slight time difference.
“See you next time, say hello to the adults. Ah, I’ll send you a list of reliable hospitals, so go get a checkup when it’s convenient.”
…What?
Why is he telling me not to bite my lip like that?
Joo Tae-hyun stared at his receding figure for a long time. Seo Baek-han, who didn’t slow down, didn’t look back, and didn’t hesitate.
Even after Seo Baek-han left, Joo Tae-hyun remained frozen for a long time. He was too embarrassed by the fullness of his lower body, which was swollen thickly to one of his thighs, to get up.
He was so excited that he felt like he was going to die, even though it was Seo Baek-han’s roundabout criticism that his habit of biting his lip and his inability to perfectly control his expressions were not good.
* * *
And twenty-two.
“Hello.”
About a month before the wedding, Seo Baek-han came to greet his parents for the first time.