RSL Ch 114

Saturday. After getting out of the taxi, Jae-yi headed to the old town with Seo-jin. It was obvious they would be drinking, so they left the car behind. Seo-jin had arrived in Munich this morning by plane, and today and tomorrow were his days off. Jae-yi had just come out after working at home all day.

Meeting someone with Seo-jin always had a dual aspect. It could be comfortable, but depending on the person, it could also be burdensome. There were still people who didn’t know about their marriage, and even if they did, many didn’t know that the other person was Seo-jin.

The problem was that they were people they were moderately close to. It was difficult to suddenly bring up the private matter of marriage. If they asked, they would have answered honestly, but those who didn’t even have the opportunity to ask were quite flustered. However, it was also impossible to sit side by side wearing the same ring and pretend to be nothing, so the initial conversation felt quite burdensome.

However, the person they were about to meet didn’t have to worry about that at all. Rather, he could be considered a hidden contributor to this marriage. Of course, if he were to hear such a story, it was obvious he would become overly proud, so Jae-yi never spoke such words out loud.

“Welcome, friends. Over here.”

As they entered the restaurant, Alain raised his arms high to get their attention. He was sitting at a table with a round sofa and greeted them happily.

“Alain, it’s been a while.”

“Maxi!”

As Alain stood up and greeted Seo-jin first, Jae-yi suddenly interjected.

“Move over. What are you doing taking up the center like that?”

He lightly tapped Alain’s foot, urging him to change seats. However, this side wasn’t easy either. Alain, regardless of Jae-yi, opened his arms toward Seo-jin.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“We’re always the same. How about you?”

“I’ve been well. Except for your husband, who starts a fight as soon as we meet.”

After finishing the hug with Seo-jin, Alain looked at Jae-yi with a displeased expression. The two ended their greeting with just a shoulder bump. In the end, Alain was pushed to the edge, and Jae-yi and Seo-jin sat side by side.

The newly opened craft beer restaurant in Munich’s old town was packed with people. It had been less than a week since it opened, and it was amazing how Alain, who lived in Paris, had found this place.

“The owner is my friend.”

It would have been nice if he had stopped there, but suddenly Alain’s story about his friend dominated the table for about ten minutes. Thanks to that, the two learned that the owner was a retired soccer player in his early 40s, divorced, had no children, and was currently single with no girlfriend. There was nothing particularly interesting, but especially the last piece of information was the most uninteresting.

“Is he gay? I can’t ask directly since we’re vaguely close, but it seems like it.”

“Why does that matter?”

Seo-jin asked as he took the menu from the server.

“Just out of curiosity. When I asked how he got divorced, he laughed. He said he was glad he didn’t have kids, so it’s unlikely he would have any, right? Isn’t it more strange not to be curious about that?”

“Well, I don’t know. Is it?”

Seo-jin shrugged his shoulders with a smile, as if he didn’t quite agree. He seemed to have no interest at all.

“Now that you mention it, don’t you have a gay community or something? My friends have gatherings with their partners and all. They say everyone knows each other through just one connection. Maybe it’s because the neighborhood is small, but they’re really lively among themselves.”

The story of Paris, suddenly reduced to a neighborhood scale, slipped out for a moment. People with similar inclinations form communities, gather in the same places, build solidarity, and grow their influence. It has now become completely welcome for minorities to raise their voices.

Things are a bit different here. It seemed to be a matter of lifestyle. It wasn’t that people openly lived according to their sexual preferences, but dividing people into gay or not was extremely rare.

Moreover, in the case of Jae-yi and Seo-jin, it was hard to generalize. Their awareness flowed in the opposite direction from others. It wasn’t a transition from ‘man’ to Woo Seo-jin. Woo Seo-jin just happened to be ‘a man.’

“We really don’t know anyone. Maybe after some time, we’ll naturally get to know some people, but the truth is, our history of being like this isn’t that long, right?”

“True. Were there really no gays around you?”

“It’s not that there were none, but they just kind of brushed past us?”

“What are we eating? I’m hungry. Let’s order first. I’ve made my choice.”

As Alain’s pointless story seemed to drag on, Jae-yi suddenly interrupted and cut him off. He pointed at the menu, saying a handmade burger looked delicious, tapping the pictures.

Only then did the two of them choose their food. Since it wasn’t a traditional German restaurant, the dishes served were closer to American style. Seo-jin chose chicken in a Korean style, while only Alain clicked his tongue and ordered schnitzel.

A little while later, their handmade beers arrived along with a plate piled high with fries. The glasses weren’t that big. Jae-yi, feeling thirsty since earlier, emptied his glass in one go. Alain looked over in surprise.

“What’s with you? Such a daring move? Are you trying to challenge me after a long time?”

As he said this, he emptied about a third of his own glass.

“Challenge? Don’t. You’ll lose.”

Jae-yi frowned. He thought it was ridiculous to make a fuss over just beer, so he ignored it and grabbed some fries.

“Funny. I’m really feeling good today, you know? Alright, since we’re on the topic, let’s have a race today.”

There was no time to stop him. Alain suddenly jumped up and ordered two more of the same drinks they just had.

“As always, Maxi will be the judge. If you go to the bathroom more than three times, it’s a penalty. Got it?”

Hmm.

Jae-yi first looked at Seo-jin. His expression wasn’t very good. He was tightly pursing his lips as if to say, “Is this really starting again?” He hesitated for a moment. But giving up would also be bothersome. Beer was their main event, and as a German citizen, he couldn’t just back out. Alain was unnecessarily stirring up competitive spirit.

Jae-yi rubbed his chin and watched Alain’s glass. Since it had come to this, he thought he should make sure Alain couldn’t come out of the bathroom at all.

“Alright. But the bathroom is one time only. From the second time on, it’s minus one drink.”

At Jae-yi’s bold statement, Alain chuckled and nodded.

“Okay. Good. Sorry, but I already went once before you guys came, you know?”

He emptied his second glass as if teasing. Seeing that, Jae-yi immediately emptied another of his own glasses. Seo-jin, watching the scene, frowned.

“What are you doing? It’s been a while since we met. Don’t do anything unnecessary. If you cause trouble, I’ll just leave both of you behind.”

“Oh, sure. Do that for me, Maxi. You are going to leave us both behind fairly, got it? If you side with your husband, I’ll be disappointed.”

Alain emptied his glass again. That was his third drink. Then Jae-yi had to respond. He lightly downed his third glass. Alain called the server again to order more beer.

“Ah, seriously, stop it. Alain, where’s your hotel?”

Seo-jin asked with an annoyed expression, as if he could see the future. He seemed to be preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.

“It’s fine, Maxi. You know our limits. There’s no way we’ll get drunk and sleep on the street. And I wouldn’t dream of barging into your honeymoon suite, would I? This is just a bladder battle between Jae-yi and me. It’s also a duel of cock sizes. It has become a matter we cannot back down from.”

That was true. Jae-yi internally agreed but kept his mouth shut. Seo-jin, next to him, muttered as if he couldn’t believe it.

“That size has nothing to do with not going to the bathroom. Are you stupid?”

“Why wouldn’t it matter? There’s a saying that those who can hold it longer have longer cocks. If you don’t go to the bathroom even once during a drinking session, you’re subtly recognized for that. No scientific basis is needed. This is already a matter of pride, Maxi.”

Seo-jin was left speechless by Alain’s illogical response and sighed. Frustrated, he glanced at Jae-yi. But he too had no intention of backing down. Since the word pride had come up, it was unavoidable. Among the two men who had not changed even as they aged, only Seo-jin had become the adult.

“Let it be. If they want to prove something like this, they should be given the chance to do their best.”

Jae-yi emptied the two new glasses he had just received in succession. Then he looked at Alain leisurely. Alain raised his beer glasses in both hands, as if he wouldn’t back down.

“Brace yourself, Jae-yi. You’re going to witness a world record today.”

Then he downed one glass in one go and immediately emptied the other one as well. In an instant, the two of them had downed five glasses of handmade beer each, crossing their arms and eyeing each other. Seo-jin’s brows furrowed deeply. Just as Alain was about to call the server again to order more beer, Seo-jin blocked him with his arm.

“Stop it. This bet is really not good. Don’t do it.”

“What? Where’s the fun in that? We agreed not to take sides. This is a fight that’s in my favor.”

“Don’t do it if I say not to. Forcing yourself to hold it isn’t good for your health. Looking at you two, it seems like you won’t stop at just one or two drinks.”

“Maxi.”

“No.”

“Ugh.”

Alain looked at Seo-jin with a face that seemed to say he was being wronged. He tried to protest silently to resume the bet, but it was useless. Seo-jin, with a displeased expression, did not allow it. Jae-yi was, of course, on Seo-jin’s side. He leaned back against the sofa as if to say he would follow his opinion unconditionally.

Reluctantly, Alain gave up. He didn’t press further. It was an old rule. A bet that Maxi didn’t acknowledge was meaningless from the start.

“Damn it. Then let’s do something else.”

“What else? What’s the point of winning this?”

Seo-jin scolded Alain in a voice full of disdain. Now that he thought about it, there was no purpose to the bet. Of course, Jae-yi had the ultimate reason of just wanting to step on Alain. Still, a little pain would make it more enjoyable.

“Then how about the loser pays for the meal?”

Alain asked Jae-yi, who was leaning against the sofa. Jae-yi replied indifferently.

“Sure, why not.”

“Okay, then let’s make it so that the person who guesses whether Mark is gay or not wins.”

“Who’s that?”

“What did you hear earlier? He’s the owner here, you know?”

Jae-yi nodded, saying, “Ah, I see.” When Alain looked at Seo-jin excitedly, he shook his head. It seemed the judge was going to intervene again.

“No way. That’s someone’s private life.”

“Oh, come on. Maxi, why have you become so boring? There’s no need to be this German. The pretty girls we met in Seoul had a sense of humor; keep your identity a bit.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“You’re making the future of this drinking session completely bleak. It’s getting too boring. Are we just going to meet after so long, casually ask how each other is doing, pat each other on the back, and part ways? I don’t have that kind of hobby with this guy, even if I do with you. If you don’t let us do this, I’ll hold it in for the bathroom again.”

Seo-jin sighed at Alain’s stubbornness. Jae-yi laughed inwardly. The logically sound Woo Seo-jin was facing an opponent he couldn’t win against: Alain. Moreover, he was stubborn. The soft-hearted Mr. Schmitz would probably have to allow one of the two.

Sure enough, he just told them to go ahead and play this game. It seemed he couldn’t compromise on health issues.

“But don’t ask any rude questions. Jae-yi, don’t suddenly come out or anything.”

Seo-jin’s warning made Jae-yi flinch. In truth, he had thought about using himself as bait to elicit a reaction. As expected, the sharp Seo-jin was still a fair judge.

“Okay, okay. Don’t let it show that you’re a couple. I won’t say anything weird either. Okay?”

After finishing his words, Alain jumped up and approached the counter. He greeted a man in jeans who was talking to the manager. Then he pointed to their table and continued the conversation a bit more.

The man named Mark, who seemed to be the main character of the bet, was the one Alain was talking to. Alain said something more to him. The man nodded and sent Alain off first. At the same time, he instructed the server next to him, and soon three beers were placed on the table.

“Hello. You live nearby, right?”

The man who came to greet them spoke German at a native level. Naturally, Jae-yi wondered about his origin, thinking he was French. Surprisingly, the man was Austrian and mentioned he had a French mother.

“So you’re from Korea. I thought you weren’t Japanese or Chinese.”

Naturally, they began to talk about nationalities and places of birth, exchanging small talk. He was polite and pleasant.

He handed over his business card and invited them to come back anytime. His tone was that of a businessman, and he had the physique of an athlete. He wasn’t a handsome man, but he had an unremarkable, ordinary face.

The problem was that he was quite friendly towards Seo-jin. It was something he had experienced countless times over the past ten years when someone showed interest in Seo-jin’s profession, but today it felt excessive. The man suddenly became chatty, as if his childhood dream was to be a pilot. Then, with a gaze full of curiosity, he asked Seo-jin for another handshake.

Fortunately, that was all. He politely disappeared as soon as the appropriate time came. Only the beer he left as a service remained on the table. Jae-yi tilted his head slightly and looked at the man’s back.

Hmm.

It was an utterly ordinary situation. Just a little added kindness and interest. With that alone, there was no room for any misunderstanding. Yet, strangely, his heart felt uneasy. It seemed like the handshake disguised as physical contact lasted quite long…

Jae-yi’s brows naturally furrowed, and his expression hardened. Naturally, any desire to continue the bet vanished.

Interestingly, Alain seemed to feel something too, scratching his chin and changing the subject.

“It’s boring. Hmph… I’ll just say I lost.”

His tone, which highlighted a slightly awkward performance, went unchallenged by anyone. The beer the man had brought was delicious, and even though the meeting ended without any awkward moments, the three of them were quieter than before.

“Well, how can you know just from meeting once? Let’s say it was a tie between the two.”

Seo-jin casually threw out the words and took a swig from the beer glass they received as a service.

What can you do if the referee says so? Jae-yi didn’t add any more words and ended the situation. It was clear that Seo-jin, being perceptive, was aware and seemed to be deliberately ignoring it, so it was right to go along with it. The awkwardly concluded bet didn’t come up again afterward.