Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 13



13 – 13. A Good Day

The atmosphere in the karaoke room suddenly became hostile.

Originally, I hadn’t expected it to escalate to this extent, but with Ahn Hyun-ho and the other guys sneering from behind, and the strange emotions building up in Han Kang, everything changed.

“….”

Han Kang, who grabbed my phone, was caught in a dilemma. At this moment, he couldn’t turn around to confirm it.

If he crossed the line and confirmed more than he should, it would have really led to the end.

Han Kang and I locked eyes.

Suddenly, his smile disappeared and he looked expressionless, as if he was trying to read my mind.

Was I coming across as too bold for no reason, or was I really that confident without a reason to hesitate?

“You bastard.”

When I pressed him like that, Han Kang finally let out a small sigh and playfully tapped my shoulder.

“Ai, it’s just a joke. A joke. Let’s not ruin the atmosphere by making it weird while having fun.”

He chose to take a step back.

Of course, I knew he would. If it went on until the end, the loss for Han Kang would be too great.

Plus, he probably didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of Seo Yerin.

“Okay, Woo Jin. What the f*ck are you to your senior?”

“hahahaha! No, what are you Sherlock? Catching onto things like that? You have an amazing sense.”

Other students in the back reacted as if they were in a live studio audience.

It felt like the situation we had just experienced could pass by lightly like a happening.

I glanced sideways.

Choi Iseo grabbed my sleeve and pulled it hard, gesturing for me to hold back, and Seo Yerin kept her head down so her expression was not visible.

However, I could sense a slight tremble in her shoulders.

Why?

That was annoying.

Seo Yerin didn’t have any emotions towards this.

But Anonymous69 did have his own emotions. A troublemaker who incited fights, spread rumors, and shared explicit photos.

He could be considered just an attention seeker.

But where in the world would you find a person without any story?

Now I wonder why Seo Yerin, a woman loved by everyone, became Anonymous69 and why she had no choice but to be pushed into that situation.

I could somewhat empathize with her.

Thwack.

I swatted away the hand of Han Gang, my senior who had put it on my shoulder, and spoke.

“I understand that you’re flirting with a pretty girl, but don’t harm others.”

“…Woo Jin, are you crossing the line?”

Han Gang’s expression stiffened again. I forced him back into the sparring area, feigning a smile to ease the situation.

“Is she your girlfriend? Are you dating? If not, what’s with the jealousy? To be honest, what would happen if I called her for myself?”

“It seems like our Woo Jin has some special feelings for Yerin. He’s very enthusiastic, isn’t he?”

“Don’t twist my words, you f*cker, unless you want your jaw to be broken.”

“….”

“Special feelings? Bullsh*t. I’ve talked to her a few times. But you look just as pathetic. You’re shaking and wagging your tail, acting like a f*cking dog who wants to eat a junior.”

“Well, you don’t know our relationship…”

“I don’t. But so what?”

Sigh.

I take a deep breath.

I suddenly thought that I wanted to bleed, even if it were the beginning of the year.

Well, I’m a non-smoker, after all.

“As a senior, you call a junior out and act recklessly. After this is over, you want to drink and take her to a motel if it’s the third round?”

What words could represent Yerin’s feelings while not causing her harm?

“What a pitiful guy.”

I choose and hurl insults at Han Gang.

“You’re pathetic as a man, you piece of sh*t.”

Thud!

I push Han Gang away and step out of the karaoke room.

The atmosphere won’t be good.

Since I’ve disappeared, it’s only natural for a negative atmosphere full of curses towards me to form.

There might be rumors spreading in the department, causing people to gossip.

But what does it matter?

“Oh well, I don’t have any friends anyway.”

Rumors only have an impact when there are people around.

I am invincible without friends.

………

………..

…………

Damn it.

* * *

“Huh.”

Kim Woojin left the noraebang (karaoke room).

His voice echoed through the microphone, and from the next room, voices quarreling were heard.

“Pathetic. Look at him, indulging in his delusions alone.”

“Hyung, should I go catch that guy?”

“Hangang, don’t get hurt for no reason. He’s an outsider, so he can’t read the atmosphere.”

Students comforting Hangang.

But he couldn’t laugh at all.

Why?

“Ha, it’s pissing me off.”

Because it struck a nerve.

Honestly speaking.

It was a blow.

Seo Yerin knows that she is kind to others but somewhat timid with guys.

That’s why she would bring up such things from time to time, then go with the flow, have a drink together, and eventually try to take him to a motel.

Today, coincidentally, he had worked out, so he must be tired. He thought he would quickly get drunk and fall asleep, so he judged it as a good opportunity.

“…….”

The image of Kim Woojin’s pupils penetrating him still lingered in his mind.

His own desires hidden behind a fake smile and excessive kindness were exposed so blatantly by his freshman colleague.

Embarrassment.

Hangang was indeed feeling embarrassment after a long time.

“hahahaha, honestly, it’s a bit dizzying.”

Without being able to properly smile as she usually did, So Ye-rin awkwardly glances at him.

She was staring blankly at the door of the karaoke room that Kim Woo-jin had just left, feeling somewhat strange.

“Ye-rin, you know he misunderstood, right? I just wanted to be friends with you, as your junior and senior.”

“Oh, yes….”

‘Thankfully, her reaction is alright.’

So Ye-rin is currently unable to gather her thoughts amidst the sudden situation.

She wondered if she could push a little further here and make something happen.

‘Ha.’

Kim Woo-jin’s eyes, which had been piercing through her since earlier, continue to come to mind.

Especially when she looks at So Ye-rin, the voice of the person who forced her to show her flaws to others echoes like an echo.

“Hey guys, I’m sorry. I’ll go first.”

Ignoring the students trying to hold her back, Hahn Kang went outside as she was.

“The atmosphere is so ruined.”

“What is this just because Kim Woo-jin did that?”

“Ha, it really is unbelievable.”

This isn’t a situation to sing a song. In the end, amidst the atmosphere of dissolution, everyone cursed at Kim Woo-jin, each saying a word or two.

“Is Woojin in the wrong?”

Choi I-seo, with her arms crossed, showed a disapproving expression.

“Of course, Woojin’s words were a bit harsh. But even I saw him forcefully approach Ye-rin, right? And who was the one who first pushed Woojin into being a weird person, wasn’t it our senior?”

“Why are you like this, I-seo?”

“Iseo, are you drunk?!”

The female students desperately clung to Choi I-seo, but she had nowhere to retreat.

“I didn’t even drink alcohol. So, what am I drunk on? It’s not an incorrect statement. It’s not like Woojin did well, but does that mean Han Kang is automatically the victim?”

“Hey, Choi I-seo.”

An Hyun-ho looks at Choi I-seo with wide eyes as he sternly suggests distinguishing between things.

Kim Woo-jin’s words were not just directed at Han Kang.

Beyond that, Kim Woo-jin also occasionally turned his gaze to An Hyun-ho during their conversation.

As if he was speaking to An Hyun-ho as well.

“Are you really dating him? Stop covering for him. The one who insulted the senior and ruined the atmosphere.”

“Hm.”

Choi Iseo, who let out a sigh, strengthened the fist clenched in his hand.

He couldn’t do it in high school.

That mistake still clung to Choi Iseo’s ankles.

So.

He would behave differently in college.

“I’ll look at the situation objectively. Not just being led by the flow but to judge people.”

Choi Iseo calmly replied to An Hyeonho and grabbed Seo Yerin’s hand, pushing aside other friends.

Seo Yerin, still unsure of how to handle herself, followed Choi Iseo outside, glancing around.

* * *

“…”

Exiting the karaoke and receiving Choi Iseo’s farewell, Seo Yerin returned home and flopped onto the bed.

Today had been quite eventful.

She needed to shower.

But she didn’t want to.

She just wanted to lie down, quickly fall asleep, and hope that this complicated day would come to an end.

It had definitely been a good day.

Understanding the lectures well, learning exercise from the PT teacher, gaining the nickname “SXX Jwa” in the bamboo forest, and having an amusing conversation with the administrator.

Ah, truly a good day.

But everything fell apart in the end.

The time when Hangang and Kim Woojin were fighting is still vivid in her memory.

From Noble mtl dot com

Even if it’s not visible on the internet, she didn’t want to see people sneering and cursing each other like this in reality.

Her head is spinning.

What did she do wrong?

While pondering such thoughts.

Ring!

Her phone rang.

Is it Hangang senior? Or Lee Seo, who saw her off?

Or perhaps people from other departments?

She didn’t know.

She didn’t want to check, but eventually, her hand was drawn to the phone’s light, illuminating the dark room alone.

– Administrator: Hello?

A completely unexpected person contacted.

“Huh?”

Seo Yerin let out a sigh and replied at the same time.

– Anonymous69: ? What’s up?

There’s no reason to contact directly.

I decided to forgive the post I made today.

– Administrator: How about the Bamboo Forest?

Why is that?

His tone was remarkably gentle today. For that reason, at some point, Seo Yerin was replying not as Anonymous69, but as a human, Seo Yerin.

– Anonymous69: That’s fine. It’s interesting. You can do whatever you want in a place where no one knows my identity.

– Administrator: That’s right. There are also people who use it in a negative way, but I also like that aspect.

– Anonymous69: What happened today?

Why all of a sudden?

Why send such messages, especially one-on-one?

However, while having this conversation with the administrator, Seo Yerin was completely immersed in it.

In a dark room.

The conversation inside the phone, the only light shining.

Approached like a ray of light in a dark day.

– Administrator: Being an administrator is tough, so I complained a bit. You are the person I have had the most one-on-one conversations with, and the person who has stirred up my emotions.

– Anonymous69: I’m sorry.

– Administrator: But yes. You are also my favorite user.

“Huh?!”

For a moment, Seo Yerin dropped her phone. Thanks to the impact, her nose felt numb, but in a hurry, she checked again.

– Administrator: Sometimes you cross the line. But you are one of the people who enjoy the community the most. Those are the moments when I feel proud as an administrator.

– Anonymous69: …….

– Administrator: I don’t know who you are.

– Anonymous69: I also don’t know who the administrator is.

– Administrator: Yes, that’s right. So.

We can become closer.

That one word.

Why did it resonate with me like this?

Without considering Seo Yerin’s appearance, specifications, personality, and so on.

Even though she was just a hidden existence behind the mask of anonymity.

It was truly a mysterious experience to feel sincerity because of that.

Truly a touching moment.

It felt like comforting, and at some point, I was receiving comfort.

– Administrator: I’m sorry. I’ve had a few drinks and I’ve become sentimental. I’ll return to normal from tomorrow, so please don’t post any strange pictures.

– Anonymous69: I’ll try my best.

– Administrator: LOL

– Administrator: Sleep well.

With that, the conversation with the administrator ended. She wanted to tell him to sleep well too, but for some reason, it was difficult.

Her eyes became moist, and her vision blurred, making it impossible to see the keyboard.

“Ah.”

After briefly wiping her eyes with her hand, Seo Yerin closed her eyes calmly.

The end of this unpleasant day.

It felt like it had changed for the better, and at the same time, she remembered the part she had forgotten.

“I should apologize.”

To Kim Woojin, who had misunderstood her because of herself.

“And I should thank him.”

For pouring out her own emotions, even though it was just that, she felt grateful.

She wanted to say it to Kim Woojin.

Even though she felt this way right now.

– I wonder. Does Seo Yerin have my number or at least a chat?

Kim Woojin’s words came to mind.

That’s right.

She didn’t have Kim Woojin’s number, nor did she create a separate chat room.

She even thought about entering a group chat and adding Kim Woojin as a friend.

But she stopped herself.

“Tomorrow.”

Okay, let’s go tomorrow.

“Let’s ask for his phone number.”

Let’s try that.