Dirty Switch

No, I mean—our baby may be in high school now, but he’s still only fifteen! Is it really okay for him to be reading stuff like this? He’s basically still a middle schooler!
When Joo Taehyun first brought the book home, their parents just cleared their throats awkwardly, and his brothers and sister practically rolled their eyes, saying things like “Our innocent little baby reading this?” The reaction wasn’t surprising—after all, the high school edition of the textbook was full of explicit terms and detailed explanations.
But Taehyun already knew most of it. And it was basic, essential knowledge for trait carriers that when a heat or rut cycle came, pheromones could be relieved through sex—and that the dosage of suppressants needed to be adjusted accordingly.

“Kids these days do everything already anyway, right? There’s been talk about changing the laws.”
“W-what!?”
“Baby! What are you saying!? ‘Do everything’—what could you possibly mean!?”

“I didn’t mean me—! I just meant that kids these days start dating earlier, right? So obviously they’re also having sex earlier. But legally, you can’t adjust suppressant dosages until you’re no longer a minor, and that’s what’s causing all the debate. Other countries allow it after a consultation with a specialist, even without parental consent.”
The moment the words “having sex” came out of Taehyun’s mouth, his siblings gasped as if they’d heard something horrifying. Taehyun, of course, completely ignored their dramatics.
“Our baby should still be playing on the jungle gym. Or going to a kids’ café…”

At this point, it was honestly hard to tell whether they were teasing or genuinely concerned.
Anyway, the core point was this: “After a trait carrier goes through a cycle with a partner, they need to adjust their suppressant dosage,” and “For some people, pheromone scents can change.”
Just ten years ago, the norm was to suppress everything completely with medication. Trait carriers couldn’t even smell each other’s scents and had to rely on pure instinct. These days, it’s now known that using suppressants moderately and letting one’s pheromones emit naturally is actually healthier, so the idea of full suppression feels almost absurd in hindsight.

“…Hyung.”
“Hm?”
“…Never mind.”

Taehyun forced himself to hold back the question that kept pressing against the back of his teeth.
Why did your pheromone scent change?
Baekhan could get away with being casually improper because it suited him. But Taehyun was someone who—by default—didn’t do things the textbook said not to do.

…No.
The truth was, he already knew the answer. There could only be one.
It meant Baekhan had gone through rut with someone. It meant he’d relieved his pheromones through sex and adjusted his suppressant dosage accordingly. And that… wasn’t something Taehyun wanted to hear from Baekhan directly.
Was it because he was embarrassed? …Not really. A heat cycle is natural for trait carriers. Having consensual sex isn’t wrong.

But still, Taehyun deliberately looked forward, ignoring the answer that was burning clearly in his mind. The scent he had sometimes, no—often—missed so much now felt like something he desperately wanted to escape.
“Hey, Choi Yeonjun. Doesn’t this kid’s expression look kind of good?”
Completely unaware of what was going through Taehyun’s head, Baekhan playfully poked him on the cheek.

“Huh? What does?”
“I mean, he doesn’t look all clumsy and out of it like you did when you were his age.”
“Oh, you want to die in front of the kid?”

…Taehyun had already thought this multiple times today, but again—he was so, so relieved.
Relieved that he’d become skilled enough to manage his expressions and act calm, even in front of Seo Baekhan.
“Let’s head in.”

As they reached the entrance of the lounge, Baekhan unwrapped his arm from around Taehyun’s shoulders and smoothed out the wrinkles on his taut, fitted suit. As a bonus, he also straightened out Taehyun’s now-slightly-mussed clothes.
Baekhan, fundamentally, had good manners. But it wasn’t the kind of warmth # Nоvеlight # or kindness that came from a naturally gentle personality.
It was more like… the graceful generosity of someone who had enough abundance to spare. And that made it worse. You couldn’t write it off lightly—couldn’t think “Oh, he’s just a nice guy.”

To him, it was nothing. Just something he did offhandedly, thoughtlessly. But to the person on the receiving end, it became something you couldn’t stop thinking about. Why would someone like him go out of his way for me?
Like just now—when he absentmindedly adjusted Taehyun’s collar.
“Oh, Seo Baekhan! You did a great job emceeing today!”

“Well done, Baekhan! I didn’t think you’d actually make this group a reality. Thought it’d just stay talk. Impressive!”
“Man, you just keep getting taller every time I see you. How’ve you been?”
“Won’t get to meet you this time, huh? When are you coming back again?”

As they stepped back inside the lounge, people gathered in small groups began throwing out greetings toward Baekhan. He smiled politely and responded as he continued walking, never once slowing his stride as he moved toward his intended destination. The champagne and juice glasses he’d been holding were left on a random table, replaced now with a tray of cookies decorated with adorable icing.
The same large hand that had gripped Taehyun’s waist earlier now carefully picked up one of the cookies.
“Han Seyeon.”

He hadn’t even been introduced, but Taehyun instantly knew who she was. It was the way Baekhan’s pheromone scent drifted toward her when she turned around.
It was the exact same deep peach scent he remembered from the summer concert at Changgyeong Palace.
“You said you probably couldn’t make it?”

“And is that how you greet your noona? Huh?”
The woman who winked playfully at him was like a peach in a very different way from Baekhan—pale, delicate, and… yes, lovely. That word fit her perfectly.
“You skipped the in-flight meal again, didn’t you?”

“Huh? But that’s—”
Before she could finish, Baekhan gently placed the cookie into Han Seyeon’s mouth.
“God, you… Honestly…”

“Ohhh, had to do your hair and makeup and everything, huh? Busy, right? That’s what happened?”
“Mmhm… mhmm…”
“Oh, hey, don’t tease me. If you want to be treated like a noona, maybe don’t act like a baby first.”

In Joo Taehyun’s mental encyclopedia of significant names, there was no entry for “Han Seyeon.” Which meant: she wasn’t royalty, and she wasn’t from the political or business elite. Could she be someone from the arts scene Taehyun wasn’t yet familiar with? Still, both Seo Baekhan and Choi Yeonjun clearly knew her, and she'd been invited to this event—so she couldn’t be from an ordinary family. If she were that notable, Taehyun figured he would have heard of her. Most importantly...
Taehyun had been trying to piece together who she might be just from context, but the moment his eyes met Han Seyeon’s, he instinctively looked away.
“…But who’s this?”

“Oh, right—introductions. This kid’s Joo Taehyun. Don’t be fooled by his baby face—he’s one of the major donors for this event. Also a founding member of Haechi.”
Apparently, she already knew Choi Yeonjun, so Baekhan only bothered giving her a quick intro to Taehyun.
“Ah… Nice to meet you. I’m Baekhan’s girlfriend.”

She said, “This is my first time at an event like this,” with an awkward smile—and as Joo Taehyun watched her, he started to understand, just barely, why Seo Baekhan had chosen not to mention the name DH Group when introducing him.
Han Seyeon must be an ordinary person. Baekhan was being considerate, trying to keep things low-key so she wouldn’t feel out of place in a setting like this.
…Because she was his girlfriend.

“But there really aren’t any adults here, right?”
“Yeah. You can relax.”
“Then what about His Highness Prince Yi Hwang? Is he really here?”

“Yeah, yeah. Oh right—wanna meet my friends?”
“Mmm… Sure, I’d like that…”
Seo Baekhan flicked his fingers toward her, and she naturally reached out and wrapped her own around his ring and pinky fingers, like it was the most familiar thing in the world.

“Yoonwoo noona should be… ah, there she is. I’ll go grab her real quick. Choi Yeonjun, watch the kid for a sec.”
“Hyung, wait—”
“You saw the video earlier, so you know—founding member or not, there are no exceptions. We’re cleaning up membership strictly by the rules. You’d better be active from now on, Joo Taehyun.”

Pop. With a flick of his tongue like a toy gun, Baekhan shot a sound in Taehyun’s direction. A wink followed as if sealing the tease.
“If I see you later, we’ll talk again.”
“If I see you later.”

Taehyun, now no longer twelve, understood perfectly well just how empty that little add-on could be.
Like he’d stepped into the trap of a wicked sorcerer, Taehyun stood there frozen, unable to move, watching from a distance as Seo Baekhan and his girlfriend disappeared into the crowd.