Dirty Switch

“So you’re saying the Crown Prince told the company that developed the blood sugar... whatever, to try making a heat-cycle sensor? Like a court-mandated ankle monitor for criminals?”
— That’s what they say.
Fucking lunatic. Joo Taehyun recalled the face of the Crown Prince, whom he’d seen in person a few times.

Just a few months ago, he’d made a diplomatic visit to New York, dragging every Korean expat, exchange student, and artist into one place—earning himself a tidal wave of insults behind his back.
How could someone that old still not have his shit together? If the Daehan Empire’s royal family ever got abolished, it would be that bastard’s fault. Joo Yoonwoo’s go-to rant had never felt more convincing than it did today.
“And no one raised a fuss about it?”

— It was all kept under wraps, so officially there wasn’t much anyone could do. They probably just siphoned off a few budget items and called it a day. Besides, public opinion on Switches in Korea is still really bad...
That evening, when he called his second-oldest brother to match Korean time, the aftermath of the incident turned out to be far bigger than expected. The fact that it had happened over a year ago and he was only just now hearing about it was honestly shocking.
Joo Yoonwoo usually picked up on this kind of gossip way faster. But their youngest sibling, who had been saying just this morning that he’d think about it carefully, had suddenly made a snap decision to study abroad—still sulking, apparently. They hadn’t been in proper contact since. Well, what could he do? It was just more fallout from his own reckless, big mouth.

“But hyung. Why didn’t you tell me?”
— Hm? Oh, that...
“Kim Seungjun? That asshole said my name in front of people. There’s no way our family just sat there and did nothing.”

— Whoa-ho, did you just say ‘that asshole Kim Seungjun’? Is our baby now cursing too?
“Hyung.”
— Well, yeah. The world’s a rough place. You’ve gotta be able to curse out the bad guys. Baby, you’ve gotta know how to protect your—

“Sangwoo hyung.”
— …Okay, okay. We figured hearing about this from far away would just stress you out more.
“Still, come on. It’s been—wait. It’s almost the new year, so it’s practically two years now. Who waits two years to tell the person it actually happened to?”

— Yeah, I’m sorry. But it got resolved well, so don’t worry. We figured Baekhan explained it properly. You two still keep in touch, right?
…There wasn’t much to say to that, so Joo Taehyun just mumbled, “Still, though,” and let it slide.
— Anyway, time flies. Baekhan’s already getting ready to settle down.
“…What?”

— Oh, yeah. Seems like he’s finally going on formal meetings. Heard he’s quietly sent word to a few families.
Formal meetings? Marriage? Seo Baekhan?
The hand holding Taehyun’s phone went pale.

…It was something he’d always prepared himself for. And it wasn’t something he could do anything about either. To be honest, even feeling this shaken was out of line. He didn’t have the right or the qualifications. He’d made Baekhan uncomfortable with that sudden confession—so this time, he should send a sincere congratulation. Maybe that would naturally help their relationship become more stable…
“…At Baekhan hyung’s age, it’s not weird to already have a fiancée.”
— That’s true. But it was surprising that he’s only looking for Alphas.

“…He’s looking for an Alpha?”
— Director Ahn called and asked carefully if we had any Alpha relatives. Guess she didn’t know our side of the family completely broke off ties.
What the hell? He’s not looking for a woman—he’s specifically looking for an Alpha? Seo Baekhan?

“Well, maybe she just assumed it was a rumor. But still, Baekhan hyung wants to marry an Alpha?”
— Yeah. I couldn’t believe it either until I heard it myself. Uh… what were we talking about again? Right, Seo Baekhan. Yeah, he said he wants to marry an Alpha. Director Ahn was disappointed. She said even though she never showed it, Baekhan had been under a lot of stress about marriage. If Yoonwoo had been an Alpha, or if you were a girl, she thinks Baekhan would’ve pushed for the marriage himself. She really regrets it. She said she doesn’t care if it’s a guy, but Baekhan only likes women.
…Ah.

Only then did Joo Taehyun realize he’d once again been holding onto a sliver of hope, and gave a bitter smile. So it was a female Alpha he was looking for. And here he was, again…
— Well, whatever Baekhan’s real motives are, our family’s still the best candidate. Especially our baby! You’re the absolute best groom material. But don’t get married too early, okay? Got it?
“…”

— Baby, are you listening?
“Huh? Oh, yeah. …Wi-Fi’s kinda shaky? I can hear you now, hyung.”
Sorry, but after that, everything Joo Sangwoo said just echoed and scattered in his ears like static.

Honestly, I thought Baekhan would never get married. I mean, didn’t he keep changing girlfriends? But now that he’s specifically looking for an Alpha, maybe he’s using marriage to push some Switch-related legislation through. If it’s Baekhan, I wouldn’t put it past him…
— Anyway, I think there’s a reason why he’s insisting on a female Alpha.
“…Yeah, maybe.”

Going by the clue left by his second brother, who was delighted to finally chat freely with the youngest again—Seo Baekhan had suddenly decided he wanted to marry an Alpha.
And it seemed there was a specific reason he insisted on an “Alpha” as his marriage partner.
Lastly, even Director Ahn Yeseon admitted that there weren’t many candidates better than him.

…Of course, the fact that he was still a man remained the biggest obstacle.
But interpreted another way—if he had enough merits to transcend gender itself… then maybe, in a situation where it all came down to conditions, maybe he could stand a chance too?
***

Most people think New York is the capital of the U.S., but those who live in Washington have their own quiet pride in the city.
The sense that they live at the heart of the massive United States—leading the country, and even the world. The White House, Congressional offices, the Press Center... Even with no balance between work and rest to speak of, people managed to survive here fueled by that pride alone, bordering on arrogance.
And bizarrely, the same was true for the criminals clinging to the city’s shadows. Even they had their own sense of pride and self-respect, something criminals from other regions didn’t possess.

The idea that they were skilled enough to operate in a quiet, relatively safe neighborhood like this. That instead of picking fights with random passersby, they abided by a certain /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ code and kept things polite during transactions… It was a kind of bullshit criminal philosophy that wasn’t even good enough for trash.
Thomas was one such criminal.
He’d been dealing drugs in Washington for about four years—a small-time dealer.

He used to bounce between Jersey City and New York, but after getting pushed out by territorial gangs, he ended up drifting to this odd area. To make ends meet, he started doing delivery gigs, and through a lucky break, got involved in drug distribution.
In the U.S., marijuana is legal. If you can confirm the customer’s ID, it’s even possible to deliver through an app.
That system was slowly giving rise to small dealers like Thomas.

It wasn’t hard. If the customer wrote a coded phrase only certain people would understand, the dealer would throw in the requested drug along with the regular order.
Of course, the extra drugs had to be paid for in cash. But since the minimum order was still processed through the app, some taxes got paid too—technically making Thomas a slightly more law-abiding citizen of the United States.
“Let’s see here…”

Today’s extra request for diligent, tax-paying criminal Thomas was a “Switch.”
Switch was also legal in Washington. Well—actually, it wasn’t even classified as a drug. It was more like a sexual aid—like a condom—for Dominants who wanted to fuck each other more easily.
But when he decoded the phrase the buyer included, it turned out they weren’t asking for the normal kind—they wanted the type usually called “Dirty.”

The quantity ordered was jaw-dropping. But the Dirty that Thomas had in stock today was the borderline kind—just barely teetering on the edge of legality—so it probably wouldn’t satisfy the buyer.
Anyone ordering that much Dirty in one go was obviously a deviant Alpha freak obsessed with backdoor sex. There was no way he’d be happy with something this mild.
Regretfully, Thomas used the app’s chat function to contact the buyer.

Hey. Thanks for your order. But the “handmade dark chocolate” you requested is out of stock right now.
If you want, I can deliver some strawberry-milk chocolate instead.
Judging by the checkmark disappearing, the buyer had read it immediately. But there was no reply.

He checked the username and saw it looked Asian—Korean, to be exact.
Even when they used fake names, Koreans almost always used surnames like Kim, Park, or Lee, so they were easy to spot. The Korean gang members Thomas knew acted like it was a mortal sin to use surnames like Xiao or Nakamura.
He waited a bit longer, but the perverted Alpha Korean freak obsessed with backdoor sex didn’t respond at all.

“Man, what a waste. The product cost, the delivery fee, the tip…”
Just as he sighed and was about to leave a message saying he’d keep his inventory well-stocked next time and please order again, the chat window lit up.
Alright. Just send that then.

Bring everything you’ve got.
Don’t worry about the price—I’ll pay whatever.