Dirty Switch

Because it involved Taehyun—because it wasn’t just anything—Joo Kyunghan added that he’d come himself instead of sending one of the secretaries.
“Mom, Dad, our brothers, even Yoonwoo. Do you think you’re even in the same league? There’s no one here you can go up against.”
It seemed DH Group had decided to shut Baekhan out completely. And yet, rather than feel insulted, he was surprised at how little it fazed him. Kyunghan’s deliberate coldness actually helped snap him back to reality—he almost felt grateful for it.
Seo Baekhan straightened his body, which had unconsciously been leaning forward, and quickly regained his usual composure.
“Yes, I understand what you're saying. And I agree. If we pick apart every little thing, it’ll only damage Taehyun’s image—”
He paused, remembering Taehyun’s voice, calm as ever, saying he didn’t care about public image like Baekhan did.
“I have no desire to see Taehyun cast in the role of some pitiful victim either.”
So when he added that he didn’t mind ignoring his father’s self-serving advice, Kyunghan raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.
“You’re saying we should cut your dad out of it?”
“You know just as well as I do what kind of man he is—always looking out for his own gain. And while I may not be a Minister or Special Assemblyman, I don’t think being Director of Jejungwon is some laughable position.”
“…What?”
“I only mention this because what I’m about to propose might seem presumptuous otherwise.”
Rather than trying to pick /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a fight, Baekhan was clearly trying to negotiate. Kyunghan’s brows rose even higher, as if thinking, This fucking guy, really?
“You know Kim Seungjun was behind this. You know he pulled shady shit in the lead-up. And you know the Crown Prince’s side is trying to quietly sweep it under the rug.”
“Because Seungjun’s father is loyal to the Crown Prince. Sure. So?”
So DH wasn’t staying quiet because they didn’t know what had happened—they were choosing to.
“Seungjun has harbored irrational malice toward me and Taehyun for a long time. We need to end this now so he doesn’t pull another stunt later. Same goes for the Crown Prince’s side.”
“…I get what you’re saying. But like I said—if you make this into a bigger deal, Taehyun’s the one who’s going to suffer. And anyway, people aren’t so gullible anymore—”
“You know that’s not true.”
There was no world where the public would leave Taehyun alone. The people who cursed him, beat him with canes, threw eggs—they weren’t going to admit they were wrong. They’d claw at him again, no matter what, just to justify their actions.

“We need to stamp out the spark while it’s still small enough to crush. And I think now is the time.”
Baekhan opened an app and showed Kyunghan a few unsorted memos.
“Seungjun dug into Taehyun’s private life and did some disgusting things. I’m going to expose it. I’ll also point out how the Crown Prince’s side was involved. I’m going to make it clean and undeniable.”
Kyunghan sighed, like he thought Baekhan was being ridiculous. He didn’t even bother to hide his irritation, like it was a waste of time to listen to such bullshit.
But Baekhan had no intention of backing down. He hadn’t come here to ask permission anyway. He just wanted to give them a heads-up so no one would be caught off guard.
“Since DH can’t act openly, I’ll handle it.”
Kyunghan looked him over, as if trying to read his real intentions, then shrugged like it didn’t matter to him either way.
“Fine. I won’t stop you. We’ve got enough resources to shield ourselves from any fallout.”
“I’m aware.”
“No, you’re not. No matter what you do to ruin Kim Seungjun, it’s not going to undo the divorce.”
“That’s—”
“I know. The divorce proceedings haven’t officially started yet. I’m just saying: taking on a dirty job like this isn’t going to make us—or Taehyun—change our minds.”
In other words, Kyunghan was asking: why take on something this messy when you won’t even benefit from it?
“You think the Crown Prince’s side is going to just stand back? If they dismiss the whole thing, you’re the one who’s going to be in trouble. And so will Prince Yi Hwang. You know that.”
“……”
“I don’t know what your endgame is, but if you say you’re going to blow this wide open, then I’m guessing you don’t just mean leaking it to a few reporters…”
But then, what did Baekhan stand to gain? Besides protecting Taehyun’s honor, what did he get?
The pathetic venom of a petty man wouldn’t even last in the news cycle. A few days of headlines, then gone.
If it went well, maybe reporters would be more cautious the next time they talked about Taehyun. Maybe people would hesitate before trashing him.
But that’s it.
The risk far outweighed any reward. So why the hell was Seo Baekhan still doing this?
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to look like the doting husband who can’t live without his spouse?”
“……”
“Taehyun already said, in front of everyone, that he wants a divorce. What good does any of this do for you? You can’t even explain it to me—how are you going to convince anyone else?”
Before coming to Seoul, Baekhan had gathered his people and laid out a detailed strategy for handling this. He hadn’t wavered then. But now… he couldn’t say a word.
Kyunghan had a point.
There was very little to gain. And it could make him look foolish. He knew that.
“…It’s because of the imprint.”
Even as the words left his mouth, he felt ridiculous. He should’ve been giving Kyunghan a reason to trust him—and instead he was rambling about unpredictable imprinting.
“…What?”
“You wouldn’t understand. But when you’re mutually imprinted… it’s like this. I just… I have to do this for him.”
Taehyun had been right.
This wasn’t just a lapse in judgment. He’d lost control.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he think straight?
Why did his mind keep circling back to the divorce?
Ever since Taehyun’s press conference, he’d been like this.
Taehyun saying he wanted a divorce… the thought that all the love that had once surrounded him might actually be coming to an end—it hit harder than he expected.
“…Well, if you don’t object, I’ll handle it myself.”
“Hey, Seo Baekhan!”
He left the lounge quickly, brushing past Kyunghan, whose usual smug tone had vanished long ago. The outer robe he’d thrown over his shoulder rippled behind him.
This, too, was a first.
Running like he was being chased. Showing his back like someone fleeing from others.
* * *
“How is it? Think you can eat this?”
Two days into his post-surgery stay.
Taehyun still couldn’t understand why Seo Baekhan insisted on caring for him personally.