DS Ch8

“So… please don’t worry about what I said before. I, ahem, was just making a proposal because I thought marriage to you would be beneficial when considering things like, you know, conditions… Please only consider that aspect, hyung.”

What was romance, what did it mean to like someone? Yet a deep emotion that couldn’t be explained by reason or logic pooled in Joo Taehyun’s eyes.

If he hadn’t brought up marriage, Seo Baekhan would have praised Joo Taehyun’s attitude of denying his own feelings. Regardless of one’s true feelings, being able to act nonchalant in front of official matters – that was the ideal conduct Seo Baekhan hoped for in a future spouse.

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“So please don’t worry about what I said then-”

“Of course not.”

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Cutting him off with a light sigh, Joo Taehyun pressed his lips tightly together. Seo Baekhan crossed his legs somewhat crookedly and rested his interlocked hands on his knee.

“Taehyun. If that was really your only reason for mentioning marriage, I would have been very disappointed in you. Extremely.”

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Though his anger had subsided from before, his mood hadn’t improved. But he couldn’t keep taking it out on someone seven years younger, so it seemed right to wrap things up here.

He thought it would have been less unpleasant to see Taehyun clinging and begging to sleep with him just once because he still liked him, rather than hearing him prattle on about marriage while invoking DH Group. Seo Baekhan no longer wanted to waste any more time on this kid.

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“You said I would be the best option you could choose.”

“…”

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“I wonder if that’s really true.”

Though he knew it might seem sarcastic, he couldn’t help but let out a scoffing laugh at how absurd it was.

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“Sorry. I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be reciting such childish things…”

Seo Baekhan decided to rather callously ignore Joo Taehyun’s clingy unrequited love. Just as he hadn’t considered his coffee preferences earlier.

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Joo Taehyun, the precious late-born youngest son of DH Group.

The wealthiest 20-something in the Korean Empire.

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A handsome alpha following the typical successful path of a chaebol family member – graduating early from international school and currently studying abroad in America.

In other words, a little young master with no real power yet.

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“Your quantitative specs are far from what I’m looking for in a spouse. Very far.”

In-laws with a chaebol family? It’s obvious he’d be accused of giving preferential treatment to his in-laws every time he proposed a policy.

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Slush funds that were surely embezzled somewhere, accounting books with clever tricks, inheritance and gifts, lobbying activities straddling legality and illegality…

The behind-the-scenes affairs that any large corporation would have were nothing but a ticking time bomb from Seo Baekhan’s perspective.

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So, none of the fancy descriptors adorning Joo Taehyun appealed to Seo Baekhan at all.

“And it’s not like your qualitative specs are appealing either. You seem to know about the information on the marriage candidates I’ve chosen… So you should have a good grasp of my preferences.”

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Preferably a descendant of independence activists, but if that’s too difficult, absolutely not the bloodline of a traitor to the country. Someone highly respected in their field, even if they didn’t have assets. From an educator or researcher family rather than a business family, and most importantly-

“I’m not attracted to men, even if they’re an omega.”

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A female alpha.

The only condition that applied to Joo Taehyun was being a descendant of independence activists.

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“Good conditions… Yes, you’re right. Love and marriage are of course separate matters, and I also prioritize the other person’s specs. But I’m not so desperate that I have to give up even my most basic preferences.”

Seo Baekhan recalled DH Group’s market capitalization that he had seen in the news a few days ago.

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Though he couldn’t match the oppressive wealth Joo Taehyun held, Seo Baekhan, as the eldest son of a prestigious family that had produced government ministers for generations, had never wanted for money either.

The more you have the better, of course, but he had already sufficiently met the baseline, so it wasn’t more urgent.

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Though he was upset by Joo Taehyun’s clumsy proposal, even looking at it objectively without emotion, this marriage would bring no benefit to Seo Baekhan or his family.

“We still have a little more time left.”

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“…”

“Do you have anything else you want to say?”

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Joo Taehyun kept his eyes lowered, his expression still calm. If he hadn’t been constantly nibbling at his thumbnail with his index finger, no one would have noticed how conflicted he was inside.

Tsk. Seo Baekhan clicked his tongue inwardly as he considered what tasks he could assign to Joo Taehyun at Hatch in the future. Though he was greatly disappointed that Joo Taehyun was acting much more childishly than he had expected, that was just his personal feelings. Joo Taehyun’s position would be useful until the day he died, and his calm demeanor, as if wearing a mask, was certainly an advantage when dealing with people. So…

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“…You’ve heard of the drug called Switch, right?”

Joo Taehyun’s voice snapped Seo Baekhan out of his thoughts about more productive directions.

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Only when he saw the soft flesh inside slowly bouncing back after being pressed down did he realize – Joo Taehyun had a mole on the inside of his lower lip. That tiny spot, which wouldn’t be noticeable unless observed this closely, strangely caught Seo Baekhan’s attention.

“How could I not know? The commercialization and legalization of Switch is my research project.”

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“I-I’ve been taking it regularly. Switch.”

Seo Baekhan finally looked up at Joo Taehyun’s murmuring voice. Only then did he realize he had been staring at the kid’s lips for longer than he thought.

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“I… like getting fucked by other alphas.”

And that Joo Taehyun had just uttered a vulgar sentence that didn’t suit him at all.

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“I know it’s legal in America, but illegal in Korea. I’m well aware that some types of Switch are even classified as narcotics…”

Switch, as the word implies, referred to any drug that temporarily changed one’s Trait.

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When an alpha wanted to have sex with another alpha, or an omega with an omega, the receiving partner took it. When it took effect, they became temporarily susceptible to the other’s pheromones and their body became slick, so even a male alpha’s back entrance gets wet like an omega’s.

It’s not like an alpha can get pregnant from taking the drug, nor can an omega impregnate another omega. It’s just a tool for loving the person you love without being constrained by traits.

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However, Switch, which appeared a few years ago and took the world by storm, is classified as illegal within the Korean Empire. This drug, which has started to be allowed even in much more conservative countries, was taboo only here. That’s because the Crown Prince’s side, which opposed anything good for trait-bearers, conducted childish but very effective public opinion manipulation from the beginning.

The Crown Prince’s side strongly criticized the Second Prince, who showed a favorable response to Switch, asking if they were going to bring in such obscene things out of lust. Various industries with vested interests added their support to the Crown Prince, and some media outlets that had received a lot from him also joined in.

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But the decisive factor that made the domestic public’s reaction to Switch turn cold was the research results showing that some Switches exhibited reactions similar to narcotics.

‘Switch must be legalized, no matter what. As quickly as possible.’

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The Second Prince told Seo Baekhan with an expression as if he wanted a cigarette he had quit long ago.

‘It’s not just about letting people of the same trait have sex. The perception survey of trait-bearers has hit a 4-year low, and there are many complaints opposing tax support for suppressants.’

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‘That’s the frame the Crown Prince’s side always uses, isn’t it? That your taxes are being wasted in strange places.’

‘And it’s always effective. Sigh… The biggest problem is that some Switches show reactions similar to narcotics.’

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‘As you said, it’s only a very small portion. Other countries are allowing it with their own standards, so we can set our own standards too. And it will take some time until we can filter out certain components of Switch, but we can’t just sit idle until then. Not only is it a human rights issue, but once a technology gap opens up, it can’t be caught up to. At times like this, we need to empower Jejungwon even more.’

‘I know, that’s why we need a budget first… We can scrape together urgent funds somehow. If worst comes to worst, I can even use my personal funds. But for it to not become a project that can be used and discarded at any time, we need to get even a tiny budget officially allocated. But…’

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‘Since His Highness the Crown Prince is acting like that, it will be difficult unless we present a pretty good justification.’

‘Yes, that’s exactly the problem.’

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And you, Joo Taehyun, have been taking that Switch?

“Since you said you prioritize conditions the most, I’ll be honest. Our family, no, DH Group is prepared to pour everything into this issue.”

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For the first time, the 20-year-old kid born with a diamond spoon in his mouth articulated his opinion clearly without stammering.

“They have no intention whatsoever of letting their beloved youngest son live under the stigma of having done something similar to drugs.”

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