Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 304



If I show you this for five minutes, will you believe me?

Yuarin and Kim Woojin had left for the hotel pool, leaving the room behind.

“This is how it’s done. What do you think? Fun, right?”

“……No.”

Seo Yerin was in the midst of teaching Choi Iseo a game while lying on the bed.

It was a collection RPG on her phone, requiring some control, but Choi Iseo was struggling to keep up.

“That’s because you can’t do it, Iseo. How can you miss a slime ten times in the air?”

“The monster is too far away.”

“Is the keypad just for decoration? You just need to move forward.”

“Ahem, the controls are harder than I thought.”

“If you can’t even move your fingers, how did you manage yesterday’s… you know?”

“Can you please stop talking about that!”

Every time, she kept asking about yesterday’s escapades, making it unbearable for Choi Iseo.

Even if she wanted to run away, her legs ached too much to move.

It was a time when Kim Woo-jin, who had enjoyed the moment together, was despised for fleeing alone to the pool.

“Come on, Lee Seo. Try again. This is the click.”

“I want to stop.”

Though she was lured in by the promise of cute characters, the truth was that the game did not suit Choi Yi-seo at all.

“Just sitting here tapping on my phone is hard for me, given my personality.”

“Then yesterday, you must have played with a passionate stance?”

“Seriously, stop it!”

Unable to hold back, Choi Yi-seo lunged at Seo Ye-rin. They were both lying on their stomachs, so the one who attacked first had the advantage, but due to her weak lower body, she was quickly subdued.

“Ugh.”

“I’m sharing the tale of how I defeated Choi Yi-seo.”

Seo Ye-rin, perched triumphantly atop Yi-seo.

Choi Jin-ah, sitting on the sofa and blankly watching their scuffle, suddenly spoke up.

“You all are quite fascinating, you know.”

“Huh?”

“……”

“No, think about it. Sharing a guy you like. It’s not exactly conventional.”

When she first heard this, she accepted it without question. After all, the Kim Woo-jin she knew was an extraordinary being, and that was why her younger self had been drawn to him.

But now, as she watched, she wondered how such a precarious relationship could be maintained.

Even though Kim Woo-jin had spent the night with Choi Yi-seo yesterday, Seo Ye-rin was casually playing with her now.

“Well, if you date someone who makes sense, that’s how it goes.”

Choi Yi-seo sighed deeply, pinned beneath Seo Ye-rin.

“There are people like that. Those who lead others according to their own flow.”

For instance, Oh Yoon-ji was one, and Kim Woo-jin was the same.

“It just happened this way because we’ve been together. At first, I thought it would be impossible to endure… but as time passed, it just became like this.”

“Doesn’t it bother you at all?”

“I do feel jealous. But when I see him enjoying what he loves, those feelings naturally fade away.”

Choi Yi-seo lamented to herself about falling for someone so absurd.

Choi Jin-ah still found it hard to comprehend or accept.

She thought back to her elementary school days, when she had been swept away by his irrational actions, calling it first love.

“If I’m not around, Woo-jin will die!”

Seoye-rin, her mouth tightly sealed, suddenly raises her hand, her hips swaying.

“Cough!”

Choi Yi-seo, lying beneath, groans in agony, but Seoye-rin ignores her and continues.

“But even without Yi-seo or Ah-rin, I’ll die! So, it’s about accepting it! I can’t let the person I love die!”

“That’s hard to grasp. Isn’t it possible that it doesn’t have to be Woo-jin?”

Having already experienced the sting of first love, Choi Jin-ah speaks from her own past.

“No, it has to be that way. When you’re with Woo-jin, whether you want it or not, your true self eventually comes out.”

“P-please, let me down!”

“That’s what I love. Just accepting me, no matter what I look like!”

Seoye-rin’s actions and words, crossing the line, must stem from that.

Choi Jin-ah wondered if perhaps she had been misled.

‘To show one’s true self.’

It was hard to deny entirely.

At the last reunion, thanks to Kim Woo-jin, she had glimpsed another side of herself, and the changes that followed were quietly unfolding.

People change.

That much, Choi Jin-ah could agree on.

Whether she intended it or not.

“But.”

Now, O Yoon-ji, who had been silently watching TV, glances over and asks, “Why do you speak formally to Woo-jin? You two are classmates, right?”

Even if there was some distance between them, her question implied that since Kim Woo-jin was a classmate, it shouldn’t be a problem. Choi Jin-ah awkwardly replied.

“During the blind date, we met again. At that time, Woo-jin didn’t remember me.”

The topic of blind dates wasn’t particularly welcome among those present, so Choi Jin-ah quickly moved on.

“So, we’re not just elementary school classmates; we’re merely people who had a blind date once.”

That’s how they could exist like this now. And that’s why she didn’t drop the formalities.

Choi Jin-ah thought this was just right.

That Kim Woo-jin was a buffer until she could change.

At least until she received a call from home a few minutes later.

“My father…? What did you say?”

– He collapsed.

The moment she heard her mother’s words, Choi Jin-ah sprang up from her seat, almost without realizing it.

“Why? All of a sudden? Is it serious?”

– No, it’s not like that. There’s no health issue, but she just experienced a bit of a mental shock, you see?

“Excuse me? A mental shock?”

It was hard to fathom why someone with such a strong will and stubbornness would be affected like this.

What followed was her mother’s reprimand.

– So, Jin-ah, you’re of an age now, and while it’s good to enjoy yourself… don’t go overboard.

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

– Ahem, do I really have to spell it out for you?

What her mother explained next was shocking to the point of being almost unbelievable.

The moment Choi Jin-ah hung up the phone, her entire body trembled.

An indescribable shame washed over her.

At the same time, the words that Seo Ye-rin had just spoken echoed in her mind.

“Change, it really does happen.”

One couldn’t help but agree with the notion of changing a person.

“Ha, ha…”

Choi Jin-ah’s life could be described as tranquil.

She had lived confined within the invisible fence of her father’s presence, yet paradoxically, that meant she had led a life that was both safe and uneventful.

She had always hoped to resolve issues through peaceful conversation with others, believing it was possible.

After all, everyone she had encountered, including herself, fell within the realm of the intellectual.

So, in many ways, this was a first for her.

“You, little b*stard.”

It was the first time she had ever used such harsh words.

The first time she had felt the urge to beat someone to death.

* * *

“Kim Woo-jin!”

“Wait! Just a moment!”

As Choi Jin-ah entered the pool, her form resembled that of a diving athlete.

She leaped in with precision, showcasing the swimming skills honed through early training.

It was clear she understood the situation at a glance.

She, who usually was so demure and gentle, now charged at me as if possessed by a spirit, and it was terrifying beyond measure.

As I swam and fled, it seemed to those around us that we were merely a couple playing, their laughter ringing out like bells.

“Aum, masitta!”

Especially that wretched Yu-A-Rin, savoring a wood-fired pizza all to herself.

Could it be true that she really likes me?

Doubts gnawed at our love.

In any case, a swimming pool is still just a pool, no matter how vast. As I entered the water, Choi Jin-A had drifted away from the entrance, so now I just needed to slip out and lose her.

I thought I could swim straight out of the pool without a hitch.

“Gotcha.”

The moment I turned, she had stealthily grabbed my ankle from beneath the surface.

“Ah.”

In the midst of my escape, I was pulled back into the pool once more.

From that point on, Choi Jin-A unleashed a torrent of fierce reproach.

“Because of you, I—!”

“Puhak! Puhak!”

“You bad guy—!”

With my hair in her grip, I was subjected to a watery torture, surfacing and sinking several times.

Finally, perhaps exhausted, Choi Jin-A released me. As I lay there, breathless and limp, I felt her hands clutching my face from behind.

“What am I supposed to do about this? What on earth should I tell my father? That it was all a misunderstanding? But I sent him the photos! Do you think he’ll believe that?”

“Ugh, ugh! Ah, Ah-Rin! Pull me up a bit.”

At last, having finished her pizza, Yu-A-Rin came over and took my hand, tugging me up.

“Woo-Jin, should we order another round? This is smaller than I thought!”

“It’s not ‘we’—it’s you. You devoured it all by yourself.”

Ugh, I really thought I was going to die.

Sitting at the edge of the pool, I took a moment to catch my breath and glanced at Choi Jin-A.

Her face, filled with confusion and chaos, struck me as pitiful.

“Well, for now…”

I needed to find some glimmer of positivity in this situation, so I fished for the best words I could muster.

“Congratulations on becoming an adult.”

I was caught off guard, fleeing from the sudden onslaught.

* * *

“Where’s Jina?”

As I asked while scanning the surroundings, Yuarin continued to hum, sprawled on the sunbed.

“She said she’s going to the sauna. Wants to clear her head somewhere.”

“Ah, I brought drinks.”

Then I’ll have to drink both.

As I sipped my drink and sat beside her, she stared at me intently.

“Did you do something crazy yesterday?”

“Ahem, it was a mistake. An unintended mistake.”

“Ugh, you acting like a fool isn’t new. I’ve stopped caring by now.”

“It’s a bit disheartening that you believe me like that.”

“Whatever, so… you’re hanging out with me today, right?”

“Hmm?”

It felt like an oddly abrupt question, but glancing at Yuarin’s averted gaze, it seemed this was her true intention.

If Choi Jina hadn’t shown up, the atmosphere would have naturally led to this.

Now that the mood had been broken, she was starting to make her feelings clear.

“Isn’t that so?”

Yuarin continued to stare at me.

What a strangely exhilarating question.

Maybe that’s why I wanted to tease her a bit.

“Nope! I’m too worn out from yesterday.”

“You have a rather unique way of saying you want to die, you b*stard.”

As Yuarin sprang to her feet, I stood up as well.

“Ah, I was just joking. You really need to stop raising your hands at everything.”

“Ugh, hey. I think you’re a bit confused.”

Her gaze was thick with irritation.

“Some of us have three women to rotate through, you know.”

“That’s a rather crude way to put it.”

“Did I say something wrong? But we’ve got one damn c*ock to share, you know?”

From noble mtl dot com

“…….”

I’ve become a mere s*x toy, rolled around like a ball.

“If you settle a problem once a day, we do it three times a week.”

“Ah.”

I understood what you were trying to say.

So, in short.

“Is it because you haven’t done it for a long time?”

“What the hell, you’re talking like a complete idiot.”

“That’s how it is.”

I replied accordingly, but it seemed like I might have gotten it wrong.

Yu-Arin approached, her eyes gleaming with excitement, and slapped me on the forehead with a resounding “thud”.

“Wait, what’s going on? You’ve gone crazy.”

I couldn’t see what was happening, but judging from the redness of her ears, it looked like she was getting worked up.

“What the hell, you said you’ve been exercising lately, but-.”

Yu-Arin started talking again, and I tightly wrapped my arms around her, leading her out of the pool.

“Come on, Arin! Let’s go! Hurry up!”

“Hey, wait! I haven’t even gotten in the pool yet-!”

I had already pulled her along, heading towards the room.

* * *

“Are you talking about U-Jin and Arin? I already went back.”

Chief Choi, who had thoroughly enjoyed the sauna, was now calmly wiping her hair with a towel and responding.

Democracy Lee was initially unsure where she had gone off to.

Seo-Ye-Rin and Choi-I-Seo, who were lying together on the bed, opened their mouths at the same time.

“It’s time for s*x.”

“How many times have you done it?”

Democracy Lee sprang up, startled, at the response.

I had already gone to great lengths to avoid telling the vice-president about it this afternoon.

I couldn’t possibly cross that line again.

“Isn’t what you’re doing now something that should be done in the evening? Then, in the order of things, isn’t that me?”

“……Can U-Jin really do that? Didn’t the order even exist in the first place?”

—

“Eh? Wasn’t it? That’s why you’re not interrupting. If you do when it’s my turn, I swear I’ll kill you all.”

“Don’t say that seriously, it’s scary.”

From beside her, the ominous warning of Seo Ye-rin echoed, but Min Ju-hee ignored it and stepped straight out of the room.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

She knocked on Kim Woo-jin’s door.

“Woo-jin! Please! Woo-jin!”

A few minutes later.

Soaked in sweat, wearing a disheveled robe, Kim Woo-jin emerged.

“Gasp! Gasp! Y-yes? What’s going on?”

“Oh, please!”

A dizzying sight.

What had he been doing that he looked like this? It was clear as day.

“C-condom! You used a condom, right? You’re not short, are you?”

“Ah…”

Kim Woo-jin averted his gaze slightly.

“Why! Why! I gave you more! I left some in your room!”

“Oh, of course! I used it. Y-yeah… I used it.”

Look at him fumbling around.

“Please! Woo-jin! How many times have I asked you! Didn’t I tell you not to? You can do it! But you have to use protection!”

Words that she wouldn’t normally say spilled out without hesitation from Min Ju-hee.

It was that desperate for her.

She hadn’t come here to play; she had come to work.

The cost of the trip to Hawaii was a luxury far beyond her salary.

The sense of duty to do work worth that cost ignited a fire within Min Ju-hee.

“Use the condom! It’s essential! Ugh, how can I trust you if you keep this up?”

“Ahem, I’m sorry.”

“The reason the vice president sent me here—!”

“Oh, damn it!”

At that moment, a sharp voice from inside the room cut through.

Yu Ah-rin, also clad in a white robe, appeared disheveled, her hair unbound and her face flushed, looking unlike her usual self.

—

The temperament remained unchanged.

Especially since the anger surged within her, having been interrupted during a rare moment of enjoyment.

“If it bothers you that much, come in and see for yourself! Ah, damn it, I’ll show you! Whether we’re involved or not!”

She spat out words that seemed beyond reason.

“…What?”

Thanks to that, Min Joo-hee found herself speaking formally to a junior for the first time in her life.