Dirty Switch

What? I'm supposed to keep the door open? We should even shower separately? Are they serious right now? What do my siblings think I am?

Even thinking back on it, it was ridiculous. Maybe I should’ve been grateful I was so flustered that I didn’t have time to focus on the fact that Seo Baekhan had gone off to wash up, saying he’d be back.
I couldn’t sit still whenever I remembered Seo Baekhan suppressing a laugh, pretending to be considerate toward me. I had just been lingering near the bathroom when, only as the sound of running water gradually faded, I began to actually process the situation.
Hold on. So right now, he’s showering in my private bathroom, wearing the indoor clothes I prepared, and staying here overnight? And thanks to the fuss I kicked up earlier, I have to spend some time alone with him for a while?

...Isn’t that kind of a big deal?
“You like violins?”
“...Ah, yeah.”

Still in a daze from all the nonsense my family had been spouting and this highly stimulating situation, I had to clear my throat a few times before I could answer Seo Baekhan’s question.
“I took lessons when I was little. Just for a short while, though, so I hardly remember anything.”
“For something like that, your equipment looks pretty serious.”

Seo Baekhan, if anything, seemed genuinely interested in the instruments. He examined the two violins and various tools displayed in the cabinet, asking about things like spruce and ebony—terms I couldn’t even recall the use for anymore, which made things awkward.
Having missed the chance to leave the area near the bathroom, I ended up showing Seo Baekhan around my private space after he came out. Excluding the bedroom and dressing room connected to the bathroom, I showed him the other rooms I used like storage spaces.
“Looks like you’ve been keeping things in good shape.”

Because he bent slightly to match eye level with the instruments in the display, his wet hair kept falling forward. With a lazy motion, he swept his bangs back with his hand like it was annoying, and each time droplets scattered everywhere. Watching that made me oddly restless.
Damn it... I never used to think of him that way, but I’ve definitely gotten weird since I took that drug.
“So, what’s this room for?”

“Just a mix of stuff... I use it like a storage room. Ah, if you go that way, it connects straight to the study. Want to see?”
Without much of a reaction, Seo Baekhan moved in the direction I indicated. Still, he left the door connecting to the study wide open until it hit the stopper, and once again, I had to resist the urge to drown myself in a puddle.
And it’s not like he teased me or anything. Seo Baekhan wasn’t even smiling anymore. He was just opening every door in sight like he was getting through a task.

“Like that room earlier, and the study too... your space has a kind of cozy vibe. Are you really okay with the newlywed home like this? Doesn’t seem like your style.”
“Oh, I’m fine as long as I have the things I use often. I don’t really care about interior design. It’s just... I’ve used this space since I was young.”
Maybe it was because every single door from the bathroom to the study was left wide open, but the air inside the room felt like it was gently flowing.
And mixed in with that breeze was a peach scent. Not overpowering like usual, but like it was cautiously stretching awake.

Even though pheromones are affected by pulse rate, it’s not like you can just release them at will depending on your mood. So what is this?
As I pondered the unfamiliar sensation, I suddenly realized—maybe it’s because this space is filled with my own pheromones.
I had never really been conscious of my own scent. Maybe it was due to being sick a lot as a child, but I was born with a naturally faint scent. If I had to describe it, it was like the smell of grass carried on the breeze... so faint it was barely distinguishable, even to me.

And now that I’d brought Seo Baekhan into this space soaked in my scent, the collision of our pheromones felt almost visible.
They say people with the same secondary gender usually don’t feel much attraction from each other’s pheromones. Often, it’s even repulsive. Then why was my heart pounding like this?
Just because we’re both Alphas? This was nothing more than particles mixing, yet it felt like I’d physically touched him, and I was burning up with embarrassment.

I blamed the Dirty Switch pill I had taken long ago all over again and turned my gaze away.
But apparently, I wasn’t the only one conscious of our pheromones.
“My scent gets stronger depending on my mood.”

Seo Baekhan sat down on the windowsill and cracked the window open slightly. If he did that because he was bothered by another Alpha’s scent, it was a bad move. The cold breeze coming in only made both our scents mix even more intensely.
“They say your scent gets stronger when your pulse races, right? I’m that kind of person. Even if I’m smiling, people can tell by my scent whether I’m happy or pissed. I think my scent’s just strong in general...”
As he said “peach,” Seo Baekhan narrowed his eyes. I couldn’t tell whether he meant it in a good or bad way, but one thing was certain: sitting there in loungewear, face still damp, lounging in my study—Seo Baekhan was devastating to my heart health. He wasn’t doing anything but sitting there, yet it felt incredibly provocative.

“So, I used to envy you. Thought it’d be more comfortable. Maybe this obsession I have with managing my expression, or my public image... maybe that’s all because of my scent. I didn’t choose the kind or strength of it, after all.”
“...”
“But coming into your space like this... yeah, it’s definitely different.”

“Different... how?”
“You’re an Alpha too, so I guess you weren’t as free from pheromone issues as I assumed.”
I couldn’t tell whether that was meant in a good or bad way either. Seo Baekhan closed his eyes deeply and then opened them slowly, as if savoring every trace of my life layered in pheromones throughout this study—memories collected from childhood to now.

It’s just one night.
He’s just here to pay his formal respects before the wedding, but somehow I had the feeling that after today, something inside me would shift again. Like how seasons can suddenly change overnight.
One thing’s for sure: from now on, whenever I think of Seo Baekhan, I’ll probably have to hum the national anthem or imagine something sad. I can’t even blame it on the Dirty Switch anymore.

I like Seo Baekhan. And now, I don’t just like him—I want him. Badly. So much it scares me.
“Ah, Taehyun.”
“Y-yeah?”

“Someone I know asked to be introduced to you.”
“Introduced...?”
Startled out of some very indecent thoughts, I quickly straightened up. This was the first time Seo Baekhan had ever offered to introduce someone to me. I figured I’d already met most of the people I needed to. With us starting public activities and working together on Haechi, our circles were pretty much the same.

The wedding would just be a small family dinner, too—no invitations to acquaintances planned. So I never imagined I’d get introduced to someone new through him...
I tried to suppress the flutter rising in my chest. If I had a tail, it would’ve been wagging furiously.
If he’s introducing me to someone, does that mean... he really acknowledges me as his spouse now? Maybe it was because of what Dad said earlier about sharing a bed. That would be embarrassing, but still—I didn’t want to reject this sudden stroke of fortune. I knew I was being immature, but how could I pass up a chance to get closer to the person I loved?

“Well... I don’t have any reason to say no. Who is it?”
“Ah, they’re a Beta, not an Alpha. But they’re open to the Switch. Just not into the Dirty type.”
“I... see?”

Ah. Wait.
“If your sexual preference is... you know, being on the receiving end, like you said before, then maybe you don’t necessarily need an Alpha. They’re a Beta, and they don’t like the Dirty type, so it might even be safer.”
So, what Seo Baekhan was saying right now was—

“Maybe you should try meeting someone like that.”
He was offering to set me up with a sex partner.