Chapter 225
“…48.71?”
It was a strangely specific number. It didn’t seem like a figure that just popped out without thought.
As I looked puzzled, Mr. Bing said.
“Don’t pry. It’s not an imaginary number that came out of my head. The perverts working under me who like data and numbers said so. Assuming everything goes exactly as expected, it would be roughly around that much.”
“Even if everything goes as expected, it’s only about 48 percent? Just how intense a project did you take on?”
As I clicked my tongue in amazement, Mr. Bing chuckled.
“Haven’t you thought it might be the exact opposite? It’s about 48 percent precisely because everything goes as expected. Even this is a much higher figure than I thought. It’s a very, very strong possibility that I wouldn’t have dared to imagine before.”
For a brief moment, vitality seemed to return to Mr. Bing’s face as he spoke with such vigor.
But that was only for a moment, and he soon reverted to a bored expression, sitting in front of the bar.
“Let’s put my story aside for a moment… So, aren’t you going to sell me a drink? If we keep chatting like this, I’ll only end up leaving later and later, won’t it?”
“Oops! We can’t have that. Hurry up and choose a drink!”
As I replied slyly and brought him the complimentary snacks, Mr. Bing examined the hologram menu with a slouched posture.
“Hmm… Nothing really catches my eye. Do you have any cocktails worth recommending?”
At those words, my eyes sparkled. Now is the time!
“How about a Dusk Iced Tea?”
“I don’t want that.”
And the sharp rejection immediately followed.
No, why does everyone reject my favorite cocktail whenever I recommend it? When I asked for the reason, his answer was a spectacle.
“Think about it the other way around. Uh, what was your name again? I’ve met so many people lately that I can’t remember.”
“Aaron.”
“Aaron, how is life in Dusk City? Is every day fun and enjoyable? Always new and thrilling?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“Right. Do you know why? Because the city is beggar-like. Since it’s a beggar-like city, it’s beggar-like to live in. Likewise, since it’s a cocktail named after a beggar-like city, you can’t help but think the taste will be beggar-like and it becomes beggar-like, making it beggar-like to drink!”
Does that… make sense?
For a moment, my head felt dizzy.
How many times did the word 'beggar-like' pop out in that short span?
“Whatever, I’m craving something sweet today. In that sense… Hmm, bartender, recommend the cocktail with the most erotic name you know. The more erotic, the better. I want to drink something that can solve the chronic ailment of middle-aged men all at once.”
No, this Yangban?
If he had said that to Sey instead of me, it would have been a lewd order that would have gotten a cocktail pick lodged immediately between his eyebrows.
However, his logic is perfectly understandable.
You know, there’s that saying.
‘The more erotic a cocktail’s name is, the better it tastes.’
Sex on the Beach, orgasm, Quick Fuck, blowjob…
Cocktails with such provocative names are usually sweet and refreshing, so they are often used as a pick-up drink before doing such and such things.
Therefore, looking for an erotic, sweet cocktail wasn’t complete nonsense.
Even so, the chronic ailment of middle-aged men.
Without my realizing it, my gaze drifted downward.
“Um… by any chance…”
At my suspicious gaze, Mr. Bing yelled out.
“Wait, what’s with that extremely unpleasant look? If you’re trying to raise unnecessary suspicions, stop it. Unlike ordinary peers my age, my 'precious' is very healthy. It’s doing its job perfectly well!”
“Hmmmm…”
Honestly, I had no intention of seriously probing Mr. Bing’s sexual function, but at his much more intense reaction than expected, deep suspicion naturally took root.
You know, don’t they say a strong denial is a strong affirmation.
“Um, when was the last time it did that 'job', by any chance…”
“…”
“How is your urine stream when you wake up in the morning and pee?”
“…”
“…Ajje, does it stand?”
Oops, did I go too far with that last one?
At my bold question, Mr. Bing flew into a rage.
“Yeah, fuck! Lately I’ve been… lacking vigor! It doesn’t stand up as well! Before, I used to get an erection just from seeing a sexy female secretary cleaning, but now it’s like I’ve reached enlightenment or something; I don’t get much of a reaction. Do you feel better now that you’ve uncovered the truth? You try getting to this age while taking stimulants, drugs, and hormone injections like me every day! Do you think you’d be fine? You’d be worse than me, definitely not better!”
Ah, ah…
I hadn’t expected this at all. At the unexpected revelations, my gaze naturally became pitiful.
I can understand the angry Mr. Bing’s feelings.
No matter how much science and technique has developed to provide solutions like drugs that force blood flow into the corpus cavernosum or inflatable implants that artificially cause erections, the very fact of having to use such artificial means instead of natural sexual function would inevitably make a man’s pride bow its head.
Oh dear…
“Don’t look at me with those pitiful eyes as if you understand everything, you arrogant brat!!! At least I enjoyed myself to the fullest when I was young, but just looking at you, it’s obvious you can’t even properly use that overflowing stamina of your prime, that penis that pitches a tent at all hours! You’re a virgin, aren’t you?!”
No, why did the conversation shift to attacking me?
This time it was my turn to be troubled. I never imagined a counterattack like this.
“…Um, Mr. Bing. Shall we agree not to mention each other’s sexual functions from now on…?”
“Hmph, at that age and still… what a waste of a face and a dick. Just tear it off!”
Mr. Bing made a fierce expression and yelled at me until the end, but he ultimately accepted the non-aggression pact I proposed.
Even for him, there was no reason to continue a fight where the only thing left for each other would be scars.
Let’s bury this topic here…
Did ruthlessly digging into each other’s weaknesses help at all? I felt a strange inner intimacy with Mr. Bing.
“So, when are you going to give me a recommendation? You’re just so damn slow. Hurry up and give me my cocktail!”
…Maybe I’m the only one thinking that.
I also don’t want my working hours to drag on longer than necessary. At Mr. Bing’s urging, I quickly scanned the menu.
An erotic cocktail, a perverted cocktail… Something too obvious might be a bit much.
There were many candidates. There are more than just one or two cocktails with erotic names. Let’s see.
“Slippery nipple”? A slippery nipple? “Slippery” is a bit much.
“Golden shower”? It might differ from person to person, but to me, it feels a bit dirty rather than erotic.
Or maybe… “Cream pie”? This is a little explicit. It’s so blatantly vulgar that it’s uncomfortable.
Even though the requirement was the most erotic cocktail I know… it still felt like it didn’t quite suit our bar.
Soon, I found a suitable cocktail.
“Cherry Popper, how about that?”
“Cherry Popper”
“Do you want to do the deed? This magical cocktail will do it in one shot. I guarantee it will work unconditionally. Trust me. I’ve even used it on a man. How was the effect? …I’ll just say it was overly effective, and I never offered this drink to a man again after that.”
-The Legend of the Cherry-Picking Artist, Keith “The Casanova” Jaguar.
Modern, sweet and refreshing, high-proof pick-up drink.”
Judging by the name alone, it’s a cocktail that doesn’t feel very erotic.
Translated literally, it’s a “Cherry Picker”. What does picking cherries have that is inherently erotic?
However, if you know the metaphor behind it, the story changes.
Simply put, a cherry is… slang for a virgin, representing a woman’s virginity.
Around here, when Yang-achis make dirty jokes, they express ‘I took that woman’s virginity lol’ as something like ‘I popped that woman’s cherry lol’.
So, if you translate Cherry Popper freely, it becomes Virgin Opener, virgin taker, hymen slaughterer… something like that.
Now that I explain it so specifically, it somehow doesn’t seem all that erotic either…
Mr. Bing seemed to have the same thought, looking unimpressed.
“Cherry Popper? That’s a little weak… The most erotic cocktail is only at this level?”
I was a little shaken, but I believed in my choice.
Above all, Cherry Popper was a cocktail I had tried before when Sey once made it for me, and it was really delicious back then.
That’s why I could answer bravely.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know about anything else, but it’s a cocktail with an amazingly erotic taste.”
Given my confident attitude, Mr. Bing crossed his arms.
“Hmm, is that so? Good. I hope it shows as much taste as you guarantee. Let’s see you make this amazingly erotic Cherry Popper yourself and stir it for me. Let’s see your skills.”
Me, myself?
At those words, my overflowing confidence vanished as if it had evaporated.
No, the amazingly erotic taste was Sey’s, not mine?
“Um, I’m not a regular yet, but an apprentice bartender, and…”
I tried making an excuse for now, but there was no way it would work.