DS Ch7

“I want to marry you, hyung.”

Seo Baekhan crossed his arms and slowly digested the words he had just heard.

Joo Taehyun’s proposal was as light and shallow as a casual suggestion to grab a meal sometime. It was so casual that Seo Baekhan almost responded with a flippant “Sure, let’s do it.”

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“…Marriage.”

“Yes.”

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“You and me… the two of us?”

“…Yes.”

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Seo Baekhan repeated the same words several times, just as Joo Taehyun had done moments ago. He felt as if his brain had temporarily malfunctioned from the shock. It took a while for the meaning of Taehyun’s words to properly sink in. It had been a very long time since he’d felt this way.

“Marriage, marriage…”

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“…”

“So, Taehyun, are you actually proposing to me right now?”

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“Pro, propos… Ah, yes. I suppose that’s what it amounts to…”

Seo Baekhan had hoped for a quick explanation of the main point, but he hadn’t expected the context to be so thoroughly chopped off, leaving only the bare conclusion.

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And what’s more?

“That’s what it amounts to”?

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Though still a child in his eyes, Joo Taehyun had just become an adult, so Seo Baekhan thought he might have his own ambitions. Perhaps he wanted to build a certain image and was seeking Hatch’s help… He had assumed Joo Taehyun would bring up something like that, maybe slipping in a cliché confession of still liking him.

But the proposal from this barely twenty-year-old kid was something Seo Baekhan couldn’t have even imagined.

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“You said you wanted to discuss a family matter, and now you’re asking me to marry you.”

Seo Baekhan knew Joo Taehyun was watching his reaction, but he continued to voice his thoughts aloud. At first, it was to properly grasp the situation, and later, to cool down the emotions that threatened to boil over.

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Perhaps it was also a process of asking Taehyun again:

Joo Taehyun, did you really just propose to Seo Baekhan?

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While no one would welcome an unexpected situation enough to frown, Seo Baekhan couldn’t stand not being in control of the moment more than the surprise itself. He was only satisfied when both the degree of emotional change and the way it was expressed were entirely under his control.

That’s why Joo Taehyun’s bombshell was one of the most powerful Seo Baekhan had ever experienced. Even more so because it was thrown by this mere kid.

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“You should know this isn’t something you say to someone you haven’t seen in years.”

“…”

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“And you should also know our relationship isn’t anywhere near that level.”

Seo Baekhan tried to quell his quietly but fiercely burning anger.

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“But given the years we’ve known each other, I would have thought you could predict how I’d react to a marriage proposal.”

If Joo Taehyun had just said he was briefly in Korea and wanted to grab a meal, and then brought up marriage, Seo Baekhan might have brushed it off as just childish behavior, thinking “He’s still just a kid after all.”

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“So I’d like you to properly explain your reasoning for bringing this up, and why you used family business as an excuse to set up this meeting. I really can’t understand what you’re thinking.”

“…”

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“We still have some time left, so make me understand before I get up to leave.”

But Joo Taehyun had said he wanted advice on a family matter. He had brought his social position into play to express his deeply personal feelings. That was what irritated Seo Baekhan the most.

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“…I heard you were planning to meet with an alpha, hyung.”

As the ice in the coffee cup melted slightly and settled with a soft clink, Joo Taehyun carefully caught Seo Baekhan’s attention.

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“And?”

“When I heard that, I wondered why you were insisting on another alpha. So I thought about it, and… I figured it might be to help you become the next director of Jejungwon.”

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Jejungwon, a special traits research institute that had split off from Gwanghyewon, was located in Pyongyang. Naturally, with the Second Prince, the first and only alpha in the royal family, being in Pyongyang, trait-related research was actively conducted there.

It was thanks to the Second Prince’s aggressive investment in basic research that the special Trait legislation of the Korean Empire had come to influence the entire Asian region.

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Even when the Crown Prince, out of jealousy towards the talented Second Prince, tried to interfere whenever Trait issues came up, the Second Prince’s determination remained firm.

From his early twenties until now, past the age of forty, he and his people had worked tirelessly to improve perceptions of trait-expressed individuals and introduce various protective policies.

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“I suppose since there haven’t been many cases of alphas marrying other alphas, or omegas marrying other omegas-”

“Taehyun. Did I ask for that?”

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“…”

“I didn’t ask for your speculation about me, I asked for the process that led you to your conclusion.”

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Joo Taehyun’s guess was correct.

Seo Baekhan was known to be most aligned with the Second Prince’s views and was openly referred to as his political successor.

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Seo Baekhan himself had been striving towards that goal. Rather than inheriting his father’s constituency as had been done for generations, he wanted to secure his own position through his own efforts.

To that end, among the various cards he could play, there was no strategy more effective than marriage, which was why he had agreed to this matchmaking meeting.

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“You don’t understand what I’m saying?”

“…So, I thought… if that was the reason… I might be the best option for you, hyung.”

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“Because we’re both alphas, Hatch members, and on top of that, rich and from a chaebol family?”

As if not denying it, Joo Taehyun lowered his eyes slightly. With each blink of his long eyelashes, a gloomy shadow fell across his well-sculpted facial bones.

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It must be those eyes that made Joo Taehyun, whose body had not yet fully matured at his young age, appeared more mature than his peers. Eyes that seemed to hold all sorts of tragic stories despite having likely never known deprivation in his life, and slightly downturned, tightly closed lips.

“How old are you again?”

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At Seo Baekhan’s voice, which sounded like he was coaxing a child, Joo Taehyun stubbornly kept his mouth shut. There could only be one reason for bringing up age at this point, and it wasn’t the direction he wanted.

“Why do you keep not answering when I ask you something? Can’t you hear me?”

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“Uh… No, I’m sorry.”

“Do I have to keep being patient and coaxing you every time you get upset and clam up?”

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“…I’m sorry.”

As Joo Taehyun showed a much more polite attitude than before, Seo Baekhan’s narrowed eyes also softened slightly. Though it was such a subtle change that Joo Taehyun sitting across from him probably didn’t notice.

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“How old are you now?”

“Twen… ty.”

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“Right. You’re not stupid, so do I need to explain any further?”

There were plenty of people who said things far more infuriating, so why did Joo Taehyun’s nonsense irritate him so much?

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After pondering for a while, Seo Baekhan belatedly realized that he had been looking forward to this meeting quite a bit.

This awkward kid who had barely confessed his feelings the night before leaving Korea, and then ran away, had called after several years saying he had something to consult about. Knowing Joo Taehyun’s personality, Seo Baekhan could easily imagine how much he must have hesitated before pressing the call button.

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However, Seo Baekhan thought Joo Taehyun knew how to put personal feelings aside when it came to important matters that involved mentioning company names. No, he had thought he knew, and so he had judged Joo Taehyun’s attitude as quite mature and admirable considering he was barely twenty. It had also felt refreshing, as it seemed different from others who had recklessly thrown their feelings at him before.

Seo Baekhan preferred people who clearly separated personal and professional matters. Whether family, friends, or mere acquaintances. That was also why he had been inclined to view Joo Taehyun more leniently. Not because he was a kid who said he liked him, not because he was the youngest son of DH Group, but because of the attitude Joo Taehyun had taken to make this meeting happen. The judgment to set aside personal emotions was itself to Seo Baekhan’s taste.

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But after bringing up his own family background, all he had to say was about marriage?

“Hyung, are you uncomfortable with this conversation because of what I said before? You know, what I told you at the year-end party before I left for America…”

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Even though he was holding back the harsh words rising in him because the other party was just a kid, Joo Taehyun’s shoulders kept drooping.

Of course, even that irritated Seo Baekhan. What kind of reaction had he expected to get so discouraged by this much? If he couldn’t handle it, he shouldn’t have started in the first place.

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“You mean when you said you liked me?”

“…Yes.”

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Joo Taehyun’s finger slid slightly over the water glass, leaving a faint trail. Should he praise him for maintaining a calm expression despite being clearly agitated enough to break a sweat?

“Just in case, I want to clarify that I don’t have any feelings for you now, hyung.”

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Joo Taehyun’s voice, adding this at a moderate pace, was quiet but firm. Even though he looked like a frightened animal with its tail tucked between its legs, this statement flowed as naturally as water.

“Really.”

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How should that be put? It was as if he had practiced that line countless times in preparation for this moment.