Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 301



The One and Only Instructor, Oh Yoon-ji

“Sniff, sniff.”

After a day of reveling in the water, we returned to the hotel.

Everyone, worn out, decided to dine at the hotel buffet, gathering after a quick wash.

But hasn’t Seo Ye-rin been sniffing something for a while now?

She keeps circling around Choi Yi-seo.

“What’s up with her?”

We’re supposed to head into the buffet, yet she’s lingering there, and it’s distracting.

I can feel the eyes around us.

“I don’t know, she just started acting like that out of nowhere.”

Yoo Ah-rin, who shares the same room, can only offer a confused response.

“Why does she have that look on her face?”

“Ah-rin, it’s the other way around. She lives like that because her face is like that. Even looking like that, she’s still pretty.”

“Ugh, life sucks. If I looked like Seo Ye-rin, I’d be batting away guys left and right.”

“Even if you looked like Ye-rin, you wouldn’t be able to, Ah-rin, because of your personality.”

Just then, a low kick landed squarely on my rear.

“Ah!”

“Isn’t this the time you should be saying I’m pretty enough?”

“I was just about to say that!”

“Well, go on then.”

With her arms crossed, Yoo Ah-rin looks up at me, and I hesitate before speaking.

“You, you, you—”

“Me?”

“You messed up, you crazy girl! Ah! No! I’m sorry! Don’t hit me!”

Isn’t she learning Taekwondo just to hit me? Wait, can someone who practices martial arts really hit a civilian like this?

“Ugh, Kim Woo-jin, seriously.”

Even while I’m bickering with Yoo Ah-rin, Choi Yi-seo and Seo Ye-rin remain unchanged.

Choi Yi-seo looks bewildered, while Seo Ye-rin continues to sniff around.

“Y-Ye-rin? What’s with you? Do I smell? I just washed…”

Unable to hold back any longer, Choi Yi-seo finally asks, and Seo Ye-rin nods in response.

“It smells.”

“R-really? I thought the scent of the shampoo and body wash was nice here.”

Choi I-seo sniffed at her own body and hair. She didn’t seem like she would smell bad at all.

Seo Ye-rin snapped her fingers, declaring as if she had become a great detective.

“It’s the scent of a female.”

“……?!”

Choi I-seo hurriedly glanced around, bewildered by the words. Fortunately, we were in Hawaii, and there was no one around who understood Korean.

“I think it smells like a female. Very strongly, in fact.”

“Hey! What are you talking about?!”

With a flushed face, Choi I-seo fanned herself with her hand and quickly entered the buffet.

I stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Seo Ye-rin, my tongue clicking in disbelief.

‘That girl is sharp.’

Did she catch on that I had called for Choi I-seo?

Even if not, she definitely sensed something was off compared to usual, so it was clear that Seo Ye-rin had a keen intuition.

Not just her lust, but in matters related to it, her instincts were as sharp as a beast’s.

Even the way she shot me a playful wink was almost mischievous.

Anyway, we entered the buffet and began to eat. The hotel buffet was expensive, but it offered a wide variety of dishes, things we wouldn’t normally get to try.

“Wow, caviar! I’ve never had that before!”

“Is it because we’re in Hawaii? The seafood selection is incredible.”

“Ujina looks like that thing, doesn’t it?”

“……Why do you only notice things like that?”

The churros laid out as snacks did indeed resemble it. Seo Ye-rin brought one over, squinting her eyes as she muttered.

“0.6 Ujina?”

“Hmm, I think it’s about that size?”

Honestly, it looked bigger, but I wouldn’t refuse the exaggeration.

“Enough, enough. You two should keep some distance.”

Choi I-seo interjected, plate in hand, stepping between us.

Was she feeling jealous? She glared at me with a sleepy expression.

“If you two are together, all you talk about is lewd stuff. You need to exercise some restraint.”

“Isn’t it just us who can understand Korean here anyway?”

“That’s not the problem, Yerin. It feels like your mind is getting tainted.”

“Tainted, you say?”

Choi Iseo, arms crossed, tugged along a slightly wounded and deflated Seo Yerin.

As she widened the distance between us, she turned her head just enough to glance my way and mouthed,

‘You’ll die, for real.’

A warning from Choi Iseo, threatening to kill if another woman showed up tonight, aside from herself.

I hadn’t even considered that possibility.

‘Well, if I’m with Seo Yerin, that chance could arise.’

Given how attuned she was to this direction, it was natural for Choi Iseo to associate the strange atmosphere with me.

Was this her version of jealousy?

Feeling a sense of satisfaction, I piled food onto my plate when Yoo Arin approached, her own plate brimming.

“What’s up? Where did the others go?”

“I think they headed towards the salad.”

Though Seo Yerin was forcibly dragged along by Choi Iseo’s preferences.

“Wow, those brats. Even at a buffet, they’re hunting for greens.”

“How did that swimming match with Senior Juhui go?”

As we returned to the table with our food, Yoo Arin frowned.

“Ugh, it was a razor-thin margin. If Seo Yerin hadn’t yawned and missed her turn, we could’ve contested the judgment.”

“You sure do like to elaborate on how you got your ass kicked.”

“I didn’t get my ass kicked! It was a really close call!”

“Sure, sure, I believe you.”

“Ugh, if I were just 3 cm taller, I would’ve won.”

“Isn’t 3 cm a bit of an excessive request?”

“Maybe I should’ve practiced swimming a bit more. I heard the seniors trained really hard before coming here.”

“Swimming practice?”

“They said the bodyguards made them do it. They were worried you might drown in Hawaii.”

“Hah, they have no idea how well I can swim.”

Even if they did, I would’ve done the same.

After all, they were bodyguards.

“Looks like you’re really pushing yourself with the training.”

“Well, I’m a bodyguard. I’ve heard they don’t cut any slack, even for interns who feel like part-timers. We spar sometimes, and my senior says they can beat just about anyone.”

“Ha.”

Yua-rin clicked her tongue.

Suddenly, a question sparked in my mind.

“If you and Senior Joo-hee fought, who would win?”

“……”

Was that crossing a line?

But isn’t it just a bit intriguing?

“Still, I’m a taekwondo representative, you know?”

Ah, she has a bit of pride in this regard. It’s true that Yua-rin comes from a competitive background.

“Senior Joo-hee has this thing, you know? Invisible something? She’s strangely strong. Plus, she has real combat experience.”

“That’s true. Hm, it’s a bit ambiguous.”

Watching Yua-rin start to ponder, I felt a twinge of regret.

“Hey, you’re not thinking of checking it out or anything, right? You shouldn’t let that martial artist’s competitive spirit get the better of you.”

“What do you take me for? What would I gain from beating Senior Joo-hee? And the taekwondo I’m doing now isn’t even for sparring; it’s for performance.”

From Yua-rin’s reaction, it seemed she hadn’t even considered that angle.

I worried I might have ignited some strange fire, but thankfully, it seemed not.

“It doesn’t matter if I lose in the first place. Winning doesn’t really bring any benefits.”

Humming to herself, Yua-rin began to eat the food she had brought. Watching her, I felt a warm sense of contentment and started to eat as well.

* * *

Thud.

After finishing the meal, on the way back.

Choi Yi-seo’s mind was a tangled mess.

‘Ugh, what on earth am I supposed to do?’

Kim Woo-jin had told her to come to the beach tonight.

Choi Yi-seo didn’t particularly want to refuse, so she did want to go.

But there was no way for her to actually get there.

In the room, there were women with wide-open eyes, lurking everywhere.

‘No matter how I think about it, there’s no way.’

There is no way to meet Kim Woo-jin alone.

Somehow, he would follow like a shadow or interfere.

‘Should I just give up?’

For a moment, the option of “together” flickered in her mind, but Choi Yi-seo shook her head.

Absolutely not.

The memory of the last time with Yoo Ah-rin still lingered, making her cheeks flush.

To moan together under one man was an experience she truly did not wish to relive.

‘It felt good, and it was a bit comfortable because of it…’

Yet, it was the most comfortable night she had ever experienced, thanks to alternating encounters with the reckless Kim Woo-jin.

Still, that didn’t make it right.

At that moment.

“Yi-seo.”

A voice calling Choi Yi-seo as she was about to enter the room.

Turning her head slightly, she saw Oh Yoon-ji beckoning from the ajar door of the next room.

“Where did you and Jin-ah go? I was going to ask you to eat together. Is Joo-hee with you?”

“Yeah, I told them I’d eat separately. I felt a bit bad for you guys.”

“Is there anything to feel bad about?”

“…….”

Oh Yoon-ji, lips pressed tight.

Seeing that, Choi Yi-seo crossed her arms and glared.

“Did you talk about old times in front of Yerin? That was a bit crossing the line.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t care, but I felt like I ruined the mood even on this trip.”

“……That’s unexpected.”

She remembered Yoon-ji as someone who rarely said such things of remorse.

She was never one to create situations that warranted an apology in the first place.

“I learned that being confident and being shameless are two different things.”

Watching Oh Yoon-ji shrug, Choi Yi-seo couldn’t help but smile softly.

Her friend’s growth felt quite pleasing.

“So, what did you call me for?”

“You’re going to Kim Woo-jin’s room today, right?”

In that fleeting moment, Choi Yi-seo flinched.

She had tried to conceal her reaction, but the words struck too close to the heart.

“Jin-ah told me earlier. You two were on the beach, wrapped up in each other, wearing those revealing swimsuits.”

“……!”

“Predictable, right? And then you were invited to her room?”

Is this the power of an ex-girlfriend?

Kim Woo-jin’s actions seemed to follow some unspoken guideline, precise and unnerving.

“I’ll help you.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Yeah, I’ll help. I’ll draw the attention, and you can go spend some time.”

“Draw attention?”

“It means to catch the eye. If you’ve worked in a streaming company, you should know this kind of lingo.”

“Ahem, why are you helping me?”

Surely, Oh Yoon-ji had declared she wouldn’t give up. So, wasn’t it strange for her to offer such assistance?

“You helped me once, remember?”

Oh Yoon-ji had a vague recollection of what Choi Yi-seo had said to the chairman.

The fact that she could now reconnect with Kim Woo-jin was, in a way, thanks to Choi Yi-seo.

“Is that really all there is to it?”

But the Oh Yoon-ji that Yi-seo knew was not one to act out of mere goodwill.

No, even if she showed consideration, she would always seek to gain something for herself within it.

“I felt it during the trip. It seems impossible to monopolize everything like before—”

“Impossible, you say?”

“I’m just trying to expand my territory.”

“…….”

Choi Yi-seo glared, her expression a clear sign of discontent, yet Oh Yoon-ji slipped away into her room as if fleeing.

And then, moments later.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang in the room occupied by four women.

In walked Oh Yoon-ji and Choi Jin-ah.

Choi Jin-ah clutched a bag filled to the brim with liquor in both hands.

Oh Yoon-ji held a dildo.

“What’s that?”

“…….”

“Eh?”

Amidst various reactions, Oh Yoon-ji raised the dildo like a trophy and declared,

“You can do it too. How to make Kim Woo-jin’s ahoge.”