Pig Government Official Side Story

-9-

[Jeonggwan. Come out to the high school alumni gathering once.]

A message appeared at the top of Jeonggwan’s phone while he was lying down using Junjae’s arm as a pillow, watching cat videos. Jeonggwan swiped the message away to clear it from the screen so he could continue watching his cats, planning to reply later. But the person serving as his pillow must have seen it, as Junjae immediately put down the tablet he was working on and stared at the top of Jeonggwan’s head so intensely it felt prickly.

Actually, Jeonggwan had been planning not to go to the alumni gathering because considering Junjae, he’d have to be careful with his words and actions even while drinking, which was bothersome. But teasing Junjae when he reacted so adorably was always fun, so Jeonggwan pretended not to notice his gaze and kept his eyes fixed on the screen.

“…Are you going?”

Junjae eventually asked directly, thinking Jeonggwan’s lack of response despite clearly feeling his gaze might mean he was planning to attend the gathering. Jeonggwan nearly burst out laughing but held it in, feigning innocence as he asked back.

“Going where?”

“…The alumni gathering.”

“I don’t know?”

Even without looking, Jeonggwan could feel the wave of discontent emanating from above his head. While he wanted to ask “why?” over something as trivial as an alumni gathering, he knew Junjae’s intense dislike stemmed from the fact that Jeonggwan’s first love and first relationship had been with one of those alumni. Attending the gathering meant potentially facing that first love, and knowing this, Junjae couldn’t help but be sensitive about it.

Jeonggwan wanted to tease him more by asking “What should I wear?”, but worried Junjae might genuinely get upset, so he was about to end the joke with a simple “I’m not going anyway” when—

“…I’ll buy you ice cream.”

“Pfft—What did you say?”

Junjae had buried his face in the top of Jeonggwan’s head and was speaking in a seductive tone.

“I’ll buy you macarons too.”

“Oh…”

“And chocolate.”

“Ohoho~ That’s tempting.”

“It is tempting, right? So don’t go.” Junjae continued trying to entice Jeonggwan, wrapping his other arm around his shoulders. He was earnestly trying to persuade him, listing all the foods Jeonggwan liked—chicken, pizza, gopchang, tteokbokki, and more. Finding it both amusing and endearing, Jeonggwan reluctantly nodded as if giving in.

“You… Is your, um, husband… okay with you coming to places like this?”

However, a month later, Jeonggwan did end up attending the alumni gathering, and felt increasingly uncomfortable as everyone stared at him like he was a target for abuse on the subway line 1.

“Of course not… ah, I mean, of course he’s okay with it.”

“Oh… that’s surprising. I thought with the whole chaebol image, he wouldn’t allow it…”

Ironically, it was precisely because of that chaebol image that he was here. While it would be nice to live life according to one’s own will and desires, someone had anonymously posted malicious content online about the unfair treatment and pressure Jeonggwan was supposedly receiving from the chaebol family, writing “This is what happens when a commoner who doesn’t know their place marries into a chaebol family.” Despite this being untrue, the Won Group demanded Jeonggwan attend the alumni gathering to maintain a certain public image.

It all started when Jeonggwan, wanting ice cream in the middle of the night, went to a convenience store in his pajamas. Finding a rare triangle kimbap, he happily stood by the window to eat it, and someone photographed him and posted it online.

The internet exploded with speculative comments: “He was thrown out in his pajamas in the middle of the night. How hungry must he have been to settle for a convenience store triangle kimbap? So pitiful. Chaebols are even worse.” Jeonggwan and Junjae hadn’t bothered to respond, considering the comments not worth addressing, but that had been their mistake.

The internet continued to post so-called “evidence” of Jeonggwan’s unfair treatment. One example was a post Jeonggwan had shared on SNS about eating leftover bread, juxtaposed with a photo of Junjae drinking water at a recent opening event. The claim was that “One person has to make do with leftover bread for dinner, while the other drinks water that costs four times as much as the bread.”

Of course, Jeonggwan would never compromise his reputation as a big eater by having just bread for dinner. It was merely a snack, and that evening he had devoured three packets of jjajang ramen topped with fried eggs (out of the four he and Junjae prepared). As for the water Junjae drank, the event organizers had provided expensive water, and Junjae just drank what was available. At home, he drinks regular filtered water like anyone else.

Another incident occurred when Jeonggwan developed acid reflux, and Junjae temporarily monitored his diet, preventing him from eating spicy food at home. Someone posted a photo of Jeonggwan secretly ordering malatang at a restaurant with the caption “Malatang that he can’t eat at home.” They even dug up an old, deleted SNS post, speculating that Jeonggwan deleted it fearing Junjae’s nagging or that the Won Group would see it and disapprove of his lowered status.

While some argued that Won Junjae had no reason to put on such an act to marry Jeonggwan and that they were genuinely in love, others refused to believe it, suggesting it might be a fake marriage because Jeonggwan was a recessive omega.

Additionally, although Jeonggwan typically answered straightforwardly—either confirming or denying allegations—his prolonged silence on this matter made people believe the rumors were true. When he eventually denied them, people claimed the Won family had silenced him, and his denial only fueled further skepticism.

Eventually, with hashtags like “Boycott Won Electronics” trending, the Won Group realized the gravity of the situation and took drastic measures. Knowing the internet’s tendency to disbelieve denials, they decided to counter with photos. Since deliberately showing them on dates would seem suspicious, they needed a natural way to demonstrate the couple’s good relationship. When they learned about Jeonggwan’s high school alumni gathering, they concluded that having a few photos taken of Junjae picking him up afterward would be the simplest solution.

Junjae vehemently opposed this plan, suggesting he could simply pick Jeonggwan up from work. But since locals knew Jeonggwan usually walked home, that would seem more unnatural. They argued that having Junjae pick him up from the alumni gathering would also allow Jeonggwan’s classmates to testify about their good relationship, and that’s how it was decided that Jeonggwan would attend.

“But it’s really surprising… Back then, Jeonggwan only ate tteokbokki at the snack shop in front of school and showed no interest in alphas.”

“I know, right? Jeonggwan was always buying tteokbokki and fried bread from the snack shop.”

“Hey, now that you mention it, I’m craving fried bread and tteokbokki.”

“But Jeonggwan, are you allowed to eat those things…?”

As alcohol loosened everyone up, the initially awkward atmosphere among the alumni improved as they reminisced about old times. One of them, apparently aware of the current issues surrounding Jeonggwan’s marriage, tried to pry information in a disrespectful manner disguised as concern. Jeonggwan had anticipated such reactions and casually replied with a sly smile, “Why wouldn’t I be allowed?”

“You can be honest with us, man.”

However, it seemed this classmate already believed the internet rumors and looked at Jeonggwan with pitying eyes, as if seeking confirmation of what they already believed to be true. Seeing that expression, Jeonggwan realized that no matter how much he denied it or insisted his relationship was good, people like this would only believe what they wanted to believe. He tried not to react, but felt frustrated.

Anyone who looked at Jeonggwan’s SNS could see how good his relationship with Junjae was, but people seemed to derive some pleasure from others’ misfortunes. No matter how much Jeonggwan denied the rumors, they refused to believe him and even went as far as disrupting Junjae’s business. Though Junjae insisted it wasn’t affecting him and told Jeonggwan not to worry, the Won Group had encouraged Jeonggwan to attend the alumni gathering since the issue wasn’t simply focused on the boycott of Won Electronics.

Apparently, paparazzi photos of the Jeonggwan-Junjae couple were now more valuable than those of top Hollywood stars, making Jeonggwan realize how much global attention his ordinary daily life was receiving and how influential he had become. He needed to be careful with every word at this gathering, but that classmate’s offensive expression nearly made him lose his composure. As he was about to snap back with “What do you mean be honest?” a familiar voice interrupted their conversation.

“Jeonggwan, you recommended that restaurant you went to with your husband recently. I went there with my office manager, and it was delicious.”

It was Taekun—the very person who had been the reason Junjae didn’t want Jeonggwan attending this alumni gathering. Wearing a lawyer’s badge on his suit lapel, Taekun had followed in his father’s footsteps to become a lawyer. Jeonggwan knew from Juhwan that Taekun had joined Juhwan’s sister’s law firm as their youngest lawyer. It had been about six years since they last met.