“What is this, why is the atmosphere so strange here.”

Taeui muttered as his hand stealthily pulled back the beer can that had spilled almost entirely when he threw it to Ilay earlier. Hearing this, Alain smiled and struck up a conversation.

“Do you want to join? If you want, we’ll let you in.”

“Join what?”

“It’s just a light betting game. Just a game to kill time whenever we meet. The rules are simple. Pick a topic, and after a certain period, the person who performs the topic the best wins. The one who performs the worst loses. The loser has to do something the winner demands as a penalty. ––What do you think, simple, right?”

Taeui tilted his head suspiciously. Betting…… Come to think of it, didn’t Ivan mention something similar earlier in the courtyard?

“Is this the thing where the loser has to jump into the sea in winter or smoke on top of Everest or something?”

“Huh? Oh, right, right. Ivan and Ángel did that. Hahaha. So, what do you think? Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Join us, Tay?”

“No, I’ll have to decline.”

Taeui waved his hand in refusal without even thinking further. Just hearing about it sounded suspicious, and if he wasn’t careful, it might even cost him his life.

“But in the end, what’s the point of these betting games?”

No matter how he thought about it, the risks seemed too high. He couldn’t understand why they did it—was it some kind of tradition, or was there a special reward? But the answer to Taeui’s question this time was just as brief.

“Hahaha, Tay. Look closely at the people here. Even if this lot were thrown into hell, they’d crawl their way back up. How often do you think you get a chance to openly, straightforwardly, and unilaterally mess with these guys in such a legitimate way?”

“……”

In the end, how did this group of people even manage to work together in the same company, even if only for two years? It was a miracle they tolerated each other for as long as two years. Taeui rubbed the crease between his eyebrows, then raised his hands in surrender as if to say he wouldn’t get involved in this any further, before leaning back and plopping down on the sofa.

“Alright, before we decide on the topic for this round of betting, does anyone want to back out?”

Ivan spoke up. A brief silence fell, and amidst the silent exchanges of glances, Taeui immediately understood without anyone saying a word that this was the last chance to opt out of this round of betting. Once the topic was revealed, there would be no turning back.  

Except for Ilay, who just smirked without saying anything, and the men who remained silent with eager expressions, Christoph seemed a bit troubled, his lips pressed together as if pondering something. But in the end, no one declared their withdrawal. A few seconds later, Alain clapped his hands lightly.

“Alright, then everyone’s in. Now, let’s hear it—what should we bet on this time? Anyone got any interesting ideas?”

“Hmm……, oh, how about bringing back the Gates of Hell from d’Orsay*?”

“You must’ve just watched that BBC documentary about Rodin recently. – Alexei muttered in his usual indifferent tone. Taeui’s eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at him. Was he really talking about that nearly 8-meter-tall bronze sculpture?”

“Come on, it must be heavy. How about just taking the guy sitting and thinking on it instead?”

Things were getting more and more out of hand. Taeui glanced at Ángel in disbelief. Setting aside whether this was a crime or an impossible task, they were even considering vandalizing a statue. As Taeui, speechless, watched the group, Ivan finally said something that sounded the most reasonable so far: “Yeah, I don’t like that idea either.”

“It’s not fun at all. You know I don’t take on boring manual labor jobs, right? Got anything more exciting?”

‘Reasonable person, my foot!’

“Then how about this? Try to get one of Kyle’s most prized books. But it has to be handed over directly by Kyle himself. You can threaten, negotiate, or persuade—whatever works.”

“That sounds a bit better. But it’s going to be maddeningly troublesome.”

“Forget it. How long do you plan to lock him up? Not approved”

“So…… how about bringing back the head of a Hamas leader?” 

“Isn’t this idea a bit cliché? Besides, I don’t like jobs that feel like missions.”  

“I oppose it too. I hate those Israelis. I choose to side with Hamas.”

“Then how about targeting Shimon Peres*?”

(*Shimon Peres: Former Prime Minister of Israel)

“Why do you have to bother throwing yourself into a pile of explosives? So exhausting!”

The more Taeui listened, the more suspicious this conversation seemed. Ah, of course, with people like this, it’s no wonder they could bomb the mansion of a foreign royal family and become international criminals without a care. The beer in his hand suddenly tasted bland, so he placed the half-finished can on the table.

“I’m heading back to sleep. Goodnight, everyone.”

For some reason, just listening to their discussions made him feel like he was aiding criminals. Taeui didn’t want to hear another word about whatever they were betting on. As he stood to leave, Ilay sitting next to him, looked up.

“Tired?”

“? What? Oh, no, nothing.”

Taeui shook his head, wondering why Ilay suddenly asked that.

“Alright, then don’t sleep. Just wait.”

“Why?”

“I’m in the mood.”

“……Why all of a sudden?”

Taeui instinctively glanced down at Ilay’s sensitive area as he casually spoke, then immediately jolted in shock upon seeing something he definitely shouldn’t have. He quickly averted his gaze, glaring fiercely at Ilay’s face with an expression of utter disbelief. Taeui knew very well that Ilay was the type of person who could impose his desires on others whenever he felt like it. But in the middle of a conversation about horrifying bets, what reason could there possibly be for him to suddenly ‘get interested’ and utter such bizarre words……

The conversation between the men was interrupted once again, and in the silence, Taeui could clearly feel all those eyes directed at him. At that moment, Ilay spoke up slowly.

“If it’s not about a ‘funeral’, then what are you thinking about?”

For a moment, Taeui was at a loss for words.

At that instant, looking at this man, someone for whom crossing the line of life and death was nothing unusual, Taeui suddenly recalled fleeting thoughts that had crossed his mind earlier.

Ilay continued to stare intently at Taeui, as if trying to see through him, then smirked slightly.

“I told you, Taei. I know what you’re thinking.”

“Isn’t it reasonable for me to feel interested?” – He muttered, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the armrest of the sofa, a look of amusement evident on his face.

“You never know when you’ll die, so I have to live fully today, doing whatever I want in the moment. Besides, putting all that aside, I just got back to Berlin after being away for a few days.”

“……, ……, ……, fine, do it, do it!”

Taeui glared at Ilay with a face that looked like he had just bitten into a bitter ssambyeo* leaf, and finally gave in. Even though all eyes were on him in a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop, he no longer cared much about such things. This wasn’t exactly a new secret.

(*씀바귀: Ssambyeo is a type of wild plant in Korea, known for its extremely bitter taste. It is often used metaphorically to express feelings of discomfort, reluctance, or unease.)

“I’ll clean up and wait for you, so finish your talk and come over.”

Despite saying this, Taeui wiped his flushed face and grumbled in frustration. Hearing this made Ilay chuckle softly.

In contrast to Taeui, who clicked his tongue in clear annoyance at the sound of that laugh, some of the men sitting around had their eyes wide open as if they had just witnessed something unbelievable. A few even blinked repeatedly or rubbed their eyes as if to check if they were seeing things correctly. Meanwhile, Alain without even blinking, stared intently before suddenly speaking up.

“Honestly, I really want to know……”

He chuckled and turned to the group as he spoke.

“Hey, aren’t you guys curious? Don’t you want to know what ‘the man behind Rick’s mask’ will do to Jeong Tay while they’re in bed together?”

Once again, Taeui was startled and looked at them in shock. The other men, who had initially exchanged confused glances between Ilay and Taeui, now began nodding one by one with growing excitement.

“Yeah, now that you mention it, I’m a bit curious.”

“Yeah, very curious.”

“What nonsense. I’m not curious at all.”

Christoph’s cold response was the only thing that reached Taeui’s ears like a lifeline. But in this group of men, no one paid attention to his words. Amid the concerning chatter, Alain snapped his fingers and spoke, his face lighting up as if he had just thought of something.

“How about this? For this bet, the person who witnesses those two ‘in action’ most vividly will win.”

“I OBJECT!”

Taeui immediately shouted in protest, but almost simultaneously, whistles and bursts of laughter erupted.

“That’s a good idea. It’s quite interesting. I agree.”

“I agree too. Oh, wait. But wouldn’t that give Rick the biggest advantage?”

“Oh――then let’s exclude Rick this time and just bet among ourselves? Right, the criteria of ‘most vivid’ sounds a bit vague, so let Rick decide who wins or loses. How about that, Rick?”

“Rejected.”

After calmly listening to the lively discussion, Ilay gave a short response. The laughter that had just paused momentarily stopped entirely, and Alain smirked and said:

“Don’t we always decide everything by vote? If everyone agrees except you――.”

“I object as well.”

Christoph’s cold response echoed once more, making Taeui look at him as if he were a savior. The group of men began grumbling as the laughter gradually faded. It seemed that even with a vote, if there were two or more objections, the plan would be dismissed.

A cold sweat ran down Taeui’s back. He couldn’t understand this group at all. If they lacked a conscience, they should at least have some rationality. How could they come up with such a bizarre bet……

It wasn’t a good idea to stay in a place where crows often gathered. Taeui – a.k.a. a true white heron – felt it was best to leave immediately. But just as he was about to retreat, not even lifting his foot yet, Alain quickly grabbed his arm.

(*백로: A white heron, referring to a white egret or heron. It symbolizes someone kind, noble, and pure.)

“I’ve always wondered, Tay ah~, what exactly do you like about him?”

“Like hell he enjoys it! Only stuck with each other because there’s no other choice.” – Christoph snapped irritably. Beside him, Taeui instinctively glanced at Ilay. Ilay raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze toward him.

“Umm…… I don’t really kn……”

“I find it strange. Rick is Rick, that’s one thing, but the idea of someone actually accepting Rick is unbelievable to me. How do you even manage to stay with him?”

“Once he sets his sights on you, there’s no escaping.” – Christoph casually threw in another comment. Amidst his grumbling tone, Taeui once again turned to face Ilay, who was still staring intently at him.

‘What’s good about him? How did I end up with him?’

‘Well, that’s a complicated story. No, actually, maybe I can’t even explain it. It’s not something that can be put into words.’

“Maybe…… it’s just my fate.”

Taeui mumbled while scratching his head. But right after, his hand froze mid-scratch. It seemed like the corners of Ilay’s mouth had curved in a strange way just now……?

“Aha…… fate, is that it.”

‘It wasn’t my imagination, was it? Somehow, Ilay tilted his head with a faint smile and repeated my words. That smile…… why does it feel so ominous!’

‘Oh no, I’ve messed up!’

Feeling tangled up inside, Taeui began racking his brain on how to handle the situation. But before he could do anything, Ángel quickly patted his arm and cheerfully exclaimed:

“Hahaha, why so shy? Fate, huh? This is clearly love, L-O-V-E!”

“This Rick? There’s no ‘madman’ in this world quite like him.” – Christoph’s voice, accompanied by a snort, rang out again, but Taeui only glanced briefly at Ilay, whose expression had now become unreadable, and muttered:

“Umm…… love…… yeah, you could call it that……”

‘Oh naurr, I really slipped up.’

There was no doubt about it; he had slipped up. While it wasn’t a complete blunder, it was still a slip of the tongue.

‘I’m probably dead tonight.’ – Taeui silently swallowed a sigh.

Ignoring his distress, Alexei shook his head in admiration.

“Love! Truly amazing. They say love can create miracles, and this must be one of them, right? But what is it about Rick that made you fall for him?”

“Yeah, what is it? What’s so special about him?”

Mark joined in, bombarding him with a series of questions. Taeui turned his head to avoid their gazes and replied in a small voice:

“Umm……, it’s a secret.”

“There’s nothing to hide! Don’t be shy, just say it, alright?”

“I’m tired, I need to go to sleep. Wishing everyone a night……”

‘……full of joy.’ – But before he could even finish his sentence and leave, Alain quickly stopped him. He grabbed Taeui’s knee, preventing him from walking away, and his strong hand didn’t budge an inch.

“I fully support the beautiful love between you two, Rick, Tay.”

Alain smiled faintly and whispered.

“Tay ah~, ever since Rick has been with you, hasn’t he taken a step back from his extreme ways? Before, he was like a thermonuclear bomb, but now at least he’s more like an atomic bomb with a safety device. So, I sincerely hope your love lasts forever. And, you know, love always needs a bit of emotion, doesn’t it?”

Spouting a string of strange and nonsensical words, Alain glanced around and then continued:

“So, how about this time we show off some of our amazing teamwork? For our long-time friend Rick, why don’t we organize a bet: How to make Tay exclaim, ‘Damn it, this is exactly why I can’t help but love this punk!’ That will be the theme of this bet.”

Never in his wildest dreams did Taeui expect this bizarre string of words to end in such an absurd way. Even more shocking, the other men nodded as if it made perfect sense, leaving him utterly stunned.

“What about Rick? This time it’s way too biased toward Rick.”

“Leave Rick out of it, let’s just participate ourselves. Sometimes sacrificing one person for the joy of the majority is necessary.”

“Alright, then we’ll do something to highlight Rick’s charms to Tay. Whoever gets the strongest reaction from Tay wins.”

The men quickly found common ground and immediately began planning.

“What charms does Rick even have? Maybe his talent for hunting people like stray dogs? I object to this bet. Not a fan at all.”

Once again, Christoph voiced his opposition, like a savior. The group of men immediately lost their enthusiasm, their faces visibly disappointed, muttering that the game seemed fun but now it was off the table.

“Rick, what do you think?”

Mark asked in a bored tone, while Ilay simply observed him silently. His unreadable eyes narrowed slightly before he gave a faint smile.

“Sounds interesting.”

The moment that unexpected declaration was made, the group of men erupted in cheers. Christoph looked at him in disbelief, while Taeui slumped onto the armrest of the sofa.

‘It’s over. I have a bad feeling about this, and now it’s really happening.’

“Alright, I won’t participate. But there’s one condition. All of you must tell me how you plan to achieve your goal in this bet.”

Ilay spoke casually, but the group of men frowned and hesitated, responding awkwardly: “Uh, that’s a bit……”, clearly expressing their reluctance.

“Wouldn’t that be better for all of you? If someone among you uses lies or underhanded tactics, it’ll be troublesome, don’t you think?”

The men began glancing at each other. Their awkward gestures revealed that they were all, to some extent, considering some kind of ‘underhanded tactic’. Eventually, they nodded in agreement.

And the only person left in the room glaring at Ilay with a resentful look was Jeong Taeui.

“YA, YA, YA, wait a minute, what about my opinion……”

“Alright then, this time we’ll settle on this game. Does anyone object?”

“I already said I don’t agree.”

Taeui’s opinion was once again ignored, as if it didn’t matter to anyone. Christoph also frowned in protest, but even his opinion was dismissed by the group of men as if it wasn’t worth considering. One by one, they began to voice their agreement: “I’m fine with it”, “I don’t care, I agree too”,”It’s a bit troublesome, but we’re all in the same boat, so I agree too.” In the end, the unreasonable and forceful conclusion was finalized as if it were inevitable.

“I’m out.”

Christoph stood up, clearly in a bad mood, and turned to leave. As he was wrapping a scarf around his neck, Alain casually spoke from behind:

“If you back out now, you know you’ll automatically be considered the loser, right? At that point, we’ll just need to decide who the winner is. It doesn’t matter to us, but are you sure you won’t regret it? After all, you don’t know what the winner might make you do.”

Christoph’s hands, which were wrapping the scarf, suddenly froze.

“Last time, Mark lost and had to kiss Christoph, right? His face turned bright red, and he had no idea what to do. This time is bound to be even more entertaining. I’m curious about what Rick and Tay’s sex scene would look like, but honestly, I’d also love to see Christoph in a similar situation with another man.”

Ignoring the fact that Christoph was present, the group of men casually discussed as if it were an everyday matter. Christoph’s face gradually turned red, then pale, and his hands clenched tightly around his scarf as if he wanted to tear it apart.

“So? Are you backing out, Christoph?”

Alain asked Christoph once more with his signature sly smile on his face. After glaring at Alain with a terrifying look for a moment, Christoph swung his coat and turned around.

“――The bet starts at noon tomorrow. It ends before Christmas Eve.”

His cold and sharp voice rang out as he left those words behind and walked straight out without looking back. A moment later, the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed, and a cold gust of wind swept into the living room, swirling briefly before escaping, leaving behind a short silence. But right after that, loud laughter erupted simultaneously.

“See? I told you Tina has a cute side too.”

“Hey, don’t say that. If he hasn’t gone far and comes back because he forgot something and hears you, you might lose a few bones.”

“Hehehe, but why did you have to say that, Alain? I really want to see him flustered for once. He’s so good at calculating and cunning in these kinds of things that he’s never lost to anyone.”

Amid the lively chatter of the men, only Taeui remained silent. He was the only one sitting there, stiff as a statue, muttering to himself repeatedly: “Hey, wait, listen to me…… What about my opinion……?” But no one paid him any attention.

At that moment, Ilay lightly patted Taeui on the shoulder as if to comfort him, then stood up.

“So, everything’s been decided, right? I’m heading back to my room. I just got back after a few days, so I’m still tired. The bet starts tomorrow?”

“Hmm—There’s exactly one week until Christmas, so if each person spends a day talking privately with Tay, we’ll finish by Christmas Eve. To make it fair, let’s draw lots to decide the order?”

“Alright, someone bring out paper and a pen!” – Someone shouted. That was also the moment Ilay began to walk away, holding onto Taeui’s elbow, who was still frozen in shock.

“Well then, good night, everyone. Let’s go, Taei.”

Taeui still hadn’t shaken off the overwhelming feeling as he stared at the noisy group of men, then turned to look at Ilay with a dazed expression. In the end, he reluctantly followed Ilay’s lead, but his head drooped lower with each step.

‘This is a disaster.’

Not just tonight, but the entire upcoming week.

It was as clear as day to Taeui that the days ahead, all the way to Christmas Eve, were going to be exhausting and utterly draining.