Dirty Switch

Joo Taehyun stared at the chat window with a displeased expression, then closed the app.

In his current situation, he needed the account as evidence, so he couldn’t delete it, but that didn’t mean he had to engage in more conversation than necessary.
“Still, what am I supposed to do with all this...”
He did exchange greetings with Cheon Seungpil and Cheon Seungah, but they weren’t close. He’d never invited them to his place, and didn’t intend to. That went for every other acquaintance he had any sort of passing familiarity with.

Not having any friends turned out to be helpful in moments like this, which was a small relief… but in two days, the housekeeper would be coming to clean, and there was no way he could just leave illegal substances lying around in plain sight.
Joo Taehyun went to the storage room and pulled out the biggest suitcase he owned. It was oversized beyond regulation—what people called a “trunk plus” size—and incurred overweight fees before even being weighed.
Spreading the suitcase open wide like the belly of a whale, he began sweeping the mountain of Switch bottles from the living room floor into it as if shoveling sand at the beach. The absurdity of it made him chuckle under his breath.

Just a few hours ago, Joo Taehyun had been the most diligent student at school. Even when he’d been living alone abroad as a minor, he had never touched alcohol or cigarettes. Even when thoughts of Seo Baekhan welled up, he had stupidly bottled them all inside.
And now, here he was, buying this many Switches—Dirty Switches, no less.
He’d bought so many that it actually took quite a bit of time to transfer them all into the suitcase.

It was unlikely, but just in case a building manager came poking around, he set the lock code securely.
Only after dragging the now-heavy suitcase back to the storage room did he finally feel slightly at ease. Exhausted both physically and emotionally, Joo Taehyun collapsed onto the couch. He’d rest a little, finish reading the paper he had left open, then shower and book his flight to Korea—
“…Huh?”

Joo Taehyun narrowed his eyes, thinking maybe he was seeing things. But no—it was unmistakably one of the Switch bottles he’d touched over and over earlier. One pink vial was gleaming from under the cabinet, as if mocking the way he’d slumped carelessly over the sofa.
“Ha… fuck...”
The curse almost slipped out, but he bit it back.

Wasn’t it his oldest brother who had once cried just because he’d said “that bastard” aloud for the first time? Ever since, Taehyun had tried to avoid coarse language even when he was alone. Tried, being the operative word.
“When did this roll all the way over here… Ah, got it.”
Fortunately, it was within arm’s reach. He stretched out and retrieved the bottle. It hadn’t even collected dust, but he unnecessarily blew on it here and there. Then, suddenly overcome by a thought, he froze and stared hard at the vial in his hand.

Wait a minute… Is this really Switch?
What if Baekhan investigated and found out it was nothing? What if it turned out he’d been conned like an idiot and bought a fake? That would blow everything up, wouldn’t it?
“So he’s still obsessed with me like Misery, huh? Now he’s even pretending to be a Switch user and got scammed into buying fakes.”
He could practically hear Seo Baekhan sneering, voice flat and sarcastic.

That would mean no reconciliation, no miraculous marriage—just a criminal record. The Daehan Empire’s criminal code clearly followed the nationality principle, and Switch was illegal back home—Dirty types were even classified as narcotics!
Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner? Naively trusting some stranger to deliver a pile of drugs, assuming they had to be real just because he bought them.
Of course, it wasn’t like that thought solved anything. Still gripping the vial, Joo Taehyun kept glaring at it.

“…Should I just try it?”
No one was around to hear, but he kept muttering to himself. Not because he lived alone—it was something else. Today, for some reason, he couldn’t stop talking to himself. Maybe because he was doing things he’d never even dreamed of before.
“Yeah. I’m an Alpha—me trying it is the only way to be sure.”

The store had a good rating on the map app, and plenty of reviews on the delivery app too. Even the website had decent feedback. If it was a scam, it’d probably be no worse than a vitamin.
Still gripping the bottle, Joo Taehyun stood at the threshold between the bedroom and the bathroom. After a brief moment of hesitation, he decided it was better to do this somewhere clean.
You know how there are just days like that?

When it feels like you’re possessed and end up doing all the things you normally wouldn’t?
That’s exactly how Joo Taehyun felt now.
Except, instead of being possessed by a ghost, it was Seo Baekhan who had stolen his heart. If there was a difference.

He still couldn’t really imagine it, but if his body really did transform like an Omega’s… meaning if, you know, the back got wet like it secreted slick… then the bed sheets might get stained. Just thinking about having to do laundry tonight made him groan. He’d already carried a huge suitcase to and from the storage room, and his nerves had been on edge ever since he started thinking about and ordering the Switch. He didn’t want any more exhausting tasks.
Honestly, Joo Taehyun wasn’t expecting any dramatic effect from this one bottle. The dealer had even said it wasn’t particularly strong for a Dirty type.
Just like the dealer explained, when he pressed the center of the cap, he heard something rolling inside. It sounded like a pill dropping into liquid. There was a brief fizz, then silence.

He carefully opened the lid. Despite the flashy packaging, there was no scent. With a name like “strawberry-milk,” he expected something sweet, but no.
What it felt like… was drinking sticky coconut water. Or swallowing slime. Whatever it was, the first sensation of the liquid down his throat was unpleasant.
Grimacing, Joo Taehyun waited until he’d swallowed everything, then brushed his teeth once there was no lingering aftertaste. He washed his face and sat on the edge of the tub for a moment—

“…What the hell.”
He had mentally prepared himself, but there was absolutely no reaction.
Joo Taehyun tugged down the waistband of his underwear and checked both front and back. The whole reason he’d chosen the bathroom instead of the bed was to avoid making a mess… but it was laughable now. His lower body was completely still.

So it really was a scam...
“…Good thing I tried it.”
Then what about the rest of that pile? A refund probably wouldn’t fly… maybe he should ask the dealer to dispose of it for him. If he dumped it irresponsibly and it caused trouble, that’d be worse.

“Ah, fuck, what a hassle.”
Joo Taehyun ran a rough hand through his hair and stood up from the tub, heading toward the shower stall.
He had briefly considered living in a dorm after coming abroad. You know, they say the best way to get over someone is with someone else. His confession to Baekhan had left such a deep scar that he’d thought maybe being around other people would help dull the sting.

But the dorm bathrooms had dry floors and required showering with the curtain drawn over a tub. The tiles were moldy and the smell was awful.
On move-in day, Joo Taehyun had quietly shaken his head at his parents. Looking back now, even he had to laugh at himself. Throwing a tantrum about wanting to start his study-abroad life immediately, only to refuse to stay in a dorm that other students used just fine until graduation… He really was a spoiled little prince.
He reached for the shampoo to wash his hair, and realized—he might’ve grown taller again. Or maybe his arms had gotten longer. Hmm. Hopefully it was his height. If only his arms grew, that’d just be weird.

Joo Taehyun wet his whole body with warm water and began gently lathering up.
So far, so normal.
But the moment he began rubbing shampoo into his scalp, something felt… off. The sound of his fingers sliding through his hair felt too loud.

Once he became aware of that, the sensation of water droplets hitting his skin started to feel almost painfully sharp.
Wait, no—it wasn’t pain.
“…Huh?”

It was too stimulating… that would be the right way to describe it.
The sensation of water sliding down his skin was so vivid that Joo Taehyun fumbled to shut off the faucet. The remaining water and shampoo foam trickled down his spine, making his back spasm and tightening his glutes involuntarily.