Dirty Switch

“Director, you know the location. They’re calling it a press conference, but it’s wide open on all sides.”

The aides anxiously tried to dissuade Seo Baekhan. They knew his temper too well to physically stop him, so they circled him helplessly instead.
And frankly, their concern made sense. The location Taehyun’s side had chosen for the press conference was the plaza near the Pyongyang Ferris wheel—specifically, a parking lot near the boarding entrance. Hardly a secure venue.
Baekhan himself couldn’t understand why Gukwon had approved such a place for the conference. There was a limit to coddling him—how could they leave even something like this up to a child’s whim?

“It’s barely been any time since that last incident. Director, please, just stay calm—”
“Precisely because it just happened, anyone targeting me or Taehyun will hesitate to act openly. And in such an exposed area, it’s hard for any attacker to hide.”
“Director!”

“I’m not asking to be stabbed again, so what’s with all the fuss?”
If something like that happened again—another stabbing—he was willing to endure it, so long as it wasn’t life-threatening. Who could say anything against him after that?
And because the press conference was being broadcast live, the public would see Taehyun’s poised response unfiltered. No more of that crap about him hiding behind Baekhan, or standing still while Baekhan was stabbed. After this, Taehyun wouldn’t dare bring up divorce again for a while.

…Right. I’ve got nothing to lose, do I? Maybe I should’ve been the one to stage something this time.
“Director, wait! Please hold on!”
Ignoring them completely, Baekhan shoved open the hospital room door and stepped out. Secretary Nam and Chief Hwang were already pressed up near the hallway, as if ready to act the second he gave the word.

Despite how infuriating everything else was, Baekhan let the faintest smile tug at the corner of his lips. At least his people knew how to move.
“Secretary Nam, where’s the car?”
“I’ll take you. Let’s move to the parking garage.”

So predictable that he didn’t even need to ask the destination. Maybe they’d overheard the scuffle inside. Either way, Secretary Nam moved quickly, unlike Baekhan’s father’s aides, who always offered unsolicited advice.
“Chief Hwang, keep my father’s people busy. I don’t care if they want to follow under the pretense of ‘security,’ but I don’t have the patience to deal with their constant interference.”
“Yes, Director.”

Baekhan’s sudden shift from passive patient to storming commander caught some of the aides off guard. They glanced back and forth between him and Hwang, clearly unsure.
He left them to their muttering—Director, please…—and gave a sharp nod to Nam.
The elevator ride down to the garage was filled with nonstop phone vibrations. No doubt from his father. He ignored them all, climbed into the back seat, and as expected, a large media screen slid up in front of him.
Arms crossed, Baekhan tuned in to a random news channel while Secretary Nam drove in silence.

『Furthermore, there are testimonies claiming Joo Taehyun’s academic performance has long been lacking.』
The shrill voice grated on his nerves. Of all the channels, it had to be one notoriously unfriendly toward DH Group and Taehyun.
“...Secretary Nam. When did palace guards start handling hospital security?”

“Excuse me? Palace guards? Wait—are you saying those men were siwi? I didn’t recognize them in suits!”
Only when they exited the garage did Baekhan realize he’d been far too preoccupied. Taehyun holding a press conference should’ve triggered a swarm of unwanted surveillance on his end, yet no one had interfered—not from the garage to the hospital lobby, not once.
That’s because the siwi of Yeonhwagung were stationed at the press site. They weren’t wearing their traditional uniforms, but he recognized the familiar faces. It was Crown Prince Yi Hwang’s doing.

“Apologies. I thought they were Assemblyman Seo’s security team.”
“No—His Highness likely used that to send his men quietly.”
Baekhan reached for his phone to send a message of thanks, but then the news screen glitched with static.
『We’ll now connect to the press conference site. Reporter Park Minhee?』

『Yes, this is Park Minhee. I’m reporting live from the Pyongyang Ferris wheel parking lot, where Joo Taehyun is scheduled to give his press conference.』
There he comes—he’s coming! The mic volume was so loud that even the murmuring of reporters came through crystal clear. The intent was obvious: to capture every breath, every noise, with as much malice as possible.

Blinding white flashes burst nonstop as Taehyun stepped into view.
The light kept flooding in and fading out. Baekhan tried to guess what kind of expression Taehyun was wearing, how he’d lead a spectacle he’d never even attempted before—but the flashes made it impossible to see.
…The media was clearly out for blood. But still—this was excessive.

“Uh—Director! The GPS just—”
“This display is frozen too. Give it a second.”
Were the siwi jamming the signal? The broadcast lagged a bit, then resumed.

“What the hell is this…”
Baekhan’s icy tone made Nam glance up from the driver’s seat.
“Do we have our people at the scene?”

“Yes, Director.”
“Good. I want confirmation on what just happened to Taehyun.”
“Understood. Give me a moment.”

The divider between seats lowered. Only then did Baekhan exhale a long, curses-laced breath.
『Please remain calm and maintain order!』
『Camera C, left side—step back! Keep your line!』

On the platform, Taehyun had been hit with eggs—his shoulder and arm splattered. From the way he wiped his face with a handkerchief, he’d been hit more than once.
If this is what DH Group meant by “we’ll handle it,” Baekhan was appalled. What had Gukwon been doing while this was happening? How could they let Taehyun get pelted with eggs on live TV and call it “handling things”?
『Hello. I’m Joo Taehyun. First of all, I sincerely apologize for the concern I’ve caused.』

As he bowed deeply, the slimy yolk from the eggs dripped down his suit. Baekhan’s fists clenched involuntarily.
If this pathetic display was some attempt to elicit pity, then every member of DH Group’s PR team should be fired. What era did they think this was?
Taehyun would be in front of cameras again and again in the future. These images, this footage—they’d become memes, permanent sources of mockery.

And above all, Taehyun being humiliated like this reflected poorly on him—because Baekhan was his spouse. Right now, a thousand headlines were being written about “Seo Baekhan’s egg-covered husband.”
Yes, because he was Joo Taehyun’s spouse.
The way people treated Taehyun… was, in a sense, how they treated him.

That’s how Baekhan justified the rising rage that kept spiraling out of control. The blank expression on Taehyun’s face on that podium—the slight upturn of his long, slanted eyes—stabbed at his chest like tiny needles.
『However, many of the claims reported recently are untrue. I’ve arranged this opportunity to explain.』
Boos followed instantly, but Taehyun remained calm.

Strangely, he stood alone. No Gukwon. No DH Group lawyers. Not even the chairman’s personal attorney. In the midst of flashing lights and shouted jeers, Taehyun stood completely by himself.
This kind of cheap, melodramatic display—Baekhan hated it with every fiber of his being. DH Group’s PR team was never getting another assignment.
『This is an Omega-use pregnancy test kit. As you can see, it’s unopened. The reason I’m showing this now is…』

As murmurs rose, security guards dashed in from the camera’s blind spots to control the commotion. Baekhan, annoyed by his buzzing phone, tossed it aside and focused only on Taehyun.
– Director. Our team has informed the press that you’re en route. Reporters on site will be notified shortly.
The divider’s intercom clicked on with Secretary Nam’s update.

– Also, too many people are crowding the area. Calls keep dropping, but—
『I’m an Omega, and I’m currently pregnant. The child is indeed my spouse’s—Seo Baekhan, Director of Jejungwon.』
“…What?”

Just then, the car jolted to a stop. The traffic light must’ve changed.
– ….
Nam didn’t speak. Just the background white noise of the intercom filled the car.

『Mr. Joo, is that true?!』
『Are you saying you’ve been hiding your secondary gender all along?!』
Even the press site paused in stunned silence before breaking into a chaotic roar. The security guards could barely hold back the surging crowd.

Only Taehyun remained serene in the middle of it all.
『After falling seriously ill as a child, my traits became unstable and eventually shifted. I never spoke about it publicly because even now, specialists haven’t been able to reach a definitive conclusion. I’ll explain that in detail another time. For today, I want to refute these absurd rumors.』
For the first time, Baekhan heard a high-pitched ringing in his ears that wouldn’t stop.

Taehyun… what did you say?
He… got pregnant?
『This Omega-use pregnancy test works via a simple blood test… yes, as you can see, two lines have appeared. I am pregnant. It’s still in the very early stages.』

Silence fell over the venue. Taehyun held up the test to the cameras and continued, completely unfazed—like he’d done this a hundred times before.
『Switch is designed to facilitate intercourse between people of the same secondary gender. But since my traits were shifting toward Omega, I had no need for it. With my condition being rare globally, my doctors are already on edge every day—why would I worsen it by using unauthorized medication?』
『Wait! Mr. Joo, but what about the drug use and infidelity?』

『Then what about when you submitted your trait test results during the last scandal? What do those mean now?!』
『Mr. Joo, can you show the test to this side too?!』
『Please, everyone, remain orderly!』

Flashes popped again just as they had when he first stepped up—but Taehyun didn’t even blink. He withstood it all.
That parking lot, where he’d buried his face in Baekhan’s coat—now he was telling this outrageous lie as easily as breathing.
『My childhood illness and other collapses in public are well documented. Please feel free to confirm them.』

Yes. It was a lie.
Baekhan knew better than anyone: Joo Taehyun was an Alpha. He hadn’t even touched Switch until Baekhan gave it to him.
All the countless tests they had done—before and after the marriage—plus his instincts, everything had screamed it. Even his pheromones—definitely Alpha.

The Taehyun he met at twenty, the Taehyun he lived with, slept with—every cell had screamed: same kind, same class. A fellow Alpha. Someone Baekhan would’ve never considered as a spouse.
『As for the drug and cheating allegations… the fact that I even have to explain this is pathetic. I’ll take a drug test immediately and release the results. As for the “cheating”—how is someone visiting my home or spending time with a friend proof of infidelity?』
Taehyun let out a bitter laugh. Maybe that too had been rehearsed.

『This isn’t the first time, and I tried to ignore it as usual. But as things got worse, I couldn’t bear it anymore. That’s why I arranged this event today. Regardless of whether I feel wronged, I sincerely apologize to everyone fatigued by this endless negativity.』
Baekhan’s clenched fists wouldn’t stop trembling. His short nails split against his palms with a harsh crack.
Whoever was standing on that stage—it wasn’t the Joo Taehyun he knew. The same familiar expression, the same calm tone—but the boy whose heart used to be so easy to read was gone.

『To my spouse, Director Seo Baekhan of Jejungwon, I also extend my sincerest apologies for dragging you into this.』
And with that, Taehyun bowed deeply again. Egg yolk dripped from his sleeves as he did.
『I’m not trying to beg for sympathy. I’m simply exhausted. I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone else.』

So, he said, and bit his lower lip.
That same habit Baekhan had scolded him for countless times.
『I will take a leave from my graduate studies and all organizations I belong to, including Haechi. And also…』

Perhaps sensing the gravity of the moment, the camera zoomed in. The close-up revealed a small beauty mark near the corner of his mouth—one that peeked out every time he bit his lip.
“You’re disobeying me ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) again.”
Why show yourself like that on live camera? Baekhan almost muttered aloud—

『And because I don’t want to burden the person I love most—Baekhan hyung—anymore, I’ve decided… to divorce him.』
The words that flowed from Taehyun’s mouth were completely… unbelievable.