Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 333



Presentation

I expected there would be resistance.

– Hwang In-woo: If that’s the case, then just drop it.

They’ve put in their own effort, and now to suddenly switch topics here…

Naturally, that brings a heavy fatigue along with a sense of loss.

I anticipated that talk of quitting would arise.

But I didn’t need to bring it up myself.

– Bang Da-ye: Didn’t you see the announcement from the professor this time?

– Bang Da-ye: The content is important, but they say teamwork is the most crucial.

– Bang Da-ye: You have to ask the team members about the content, no exceptions.

– Bang Da-ye: Are you going to make sure I get my scholarship?

– Hwang In-woo: But that doesn’t mean we can start over from the beginning.

– Lim Dong-kyu: …I will start over.

– Im Dong-kyu: If I have to retake this, I’ll be thrown out of my house.

– Heo Jeong-ah: Look at you, so selfish.

– Heo Jeong-ah: It’s because you act like this that you’re getting cursed at. Every time something goes wrong, you just want to give up.

– Hwang In-woo: Heo Jeong-ah, don’t cross the line.

– Heo Jeong-ah: Tch.

It’s a mess, isn’t it?

Watching them fight among themselves brings me a strange sense of relief.

Is this what it feels like to watch beasts clash?

Surprisingly, a sense of satisfaction wells up within me, and it’s not so bad.

– Shin Se-rim: So what are we going to do? If we’re going to do it, let’s do it.

– Bang Da-ye: It’s practically giving away points for free, so why would we give up on this?

– Bang Da-ye: Because of you, we all have to suffer with our grades? Are you kidding?

People are expected to be considerate, yet no one wishes to be the villain.

As they begin to openly blame themselves like this, realizing that only their own decisions matter…

– Hwang In-woo: Ha, fine. I’ll do it.

Hwang In-woo had no choice but to concede in the end.

We were already a relationship that had shattered once.

Instead, we could hurl unfiltered words at each other without hesitation.

– Kim Woo-jin: Then since I submitted the report, I’ll take the lead again.

– Kim Woo-jin: We’re already late, you know? We started later than the other groups and even changed our topic midway.

– Kim Woo-jin: There’s no slacking or anything like that.

– Kim Woo-jin: Just let one person go silent.

– Kim Woo-jin: It won’t end simply with some bamboo forest sniping.

– Kim Woo-jin: Let’s go kill that person together.

Just like that.

No one wanted this.

Each one of us loathed the other.

Yet, a journey bound by the leash of grades had begun.

* * *

– Heo Jeong-ah: Is this the right data? Team leader, take a look at this.

– Heo Jeong-a: (File: Research)

– Kim Woo-jin: What the hell. Did you scrape this from Wikipedia?

– Kim Woo-jin: Who sent this?

– Heo Jeong-a: That b*stard Hwang In-woo.

– Kim Woo-jin: In-woo, do you want to die? Damn it, can’t you do it right?

– Hwang In-woo: Shut up.

– Hwang In-woo: I was busy, okay? Busy.

– Kim Woo-jin: Is there anyone here who isn’t busy?

– Bang Da-ye: You b*stard, do it properly.

– Lim Dong-kyu: Ha, these trendy assholes.

– Shin Se-rim: (Emoticon)

– Hwang In-woo: Ha, this chat is really filthy.

If there’s one thing that has changed since I took the helm, it’s this.

The words we use in this chat have grown increasingly harsh.

Even as our feelings clash, we push forward to the end. After all, isn’t it enough just to keep moving?

– Kim Woo-jin: Find the right materials and bring them. Jeong-a, send me what he sent you for review.

– Heo Jeong-a: Yes!

* * *

“Are you kidding me? If you set the font size like this, who the hell is going to read it?”

I grab Lim Dong-kyu by the back of his head and pull him closer to the laptop.

“Look at this. Do you see it? Can you see it? It’s visible like this, right? Do you think this is okay?”

“……No.”

“You said you’ve made a PPT before. But what is this? Is this right? Huh?! Do you want to learn what a PPT is again?! And what’s with this ridiculous format you brought in—!”

I raise my voice, letting it spill out.

Across from me, Bang Da-ye and Hwang In-woo are buried in their tablets and laptops, researching.

Next to them, cans of energy drinks are lined up like sentinels.

“Did you find the materials? I told you to bring something decent.”

“No… The team leader’s topic is too obscure, so it’s a bit—.”

Hwang In-woo pouts, starting to grumble.

“Is it my fault again?! Again! Again?! Then why didn’t you do it right from the start! Huh?! You didn’t act all sweet and nice back then, did you? Am I wrong?”

From noble mtl dot com

“……I’m sorry.”

“Hey, team leader.”

Beside me, Bang Da-ye cautiously raises her hand. With her horn-rimmed glasses and hoodie pulled up, she looks just like a college student.

“Speak.”

“I have what you asked for, but the materials are in English…”

“And?”

“……I don’t really know English well.”

“Aren’t you supposed to know some English in the Literature department?”

“No, not everyone does. Aren’t you an English major, team leader?”

“So what? You’re the one doing the research.”

“…….”

I wonder why she’s asking me when she already knows how to do it.

I check the time again.

It’s already been 30 minutes past the reserved time for the library meeting room.

“Why isn’t Shin Se-rim here yet!”

As I shout in frustration, Shin Se-rim arrives just in time, as if she had heard me.

With a bright, cheerful smile, she comes straight to me, offering snacks.

“I’m so sorry, team leader! I had to make a call for work, and that’s why I’m late!”

She rubs her chest against her arm, acting cute.

Hwang In-woo looks on enviously, while Heo Jeong-ah clicks her tongue.

‘This girl still hasn’t gotten a grip.’

It seems I need to show the gap here.

Just in time for her arrival.

The door opens again.

Seo Ye-rin, all dolled up, walks in with a big smile, carrying coffee carriers in both hands.

“Hello! I’m Seo Ye-rin!”

“Wow…”

“Insane.”

People overwhelmed by her dazzling appearance.

Even Im Dong-kyu, the otaku, stands with his mouth agape, staring at Seo Ye-rin.

A goddess has descended.

“I brought coffee because Ujini has seemed so down lately! Here, have some!”

Seo Ye-rin hands out the coffees one by one.

She smiles as she gives the last cup to Shin Se-rim, who stands beside me.

“Oh, so you’re with the agency Ujini mentioned! I can totally see it now!”

“Ah, yes….”

Look at her, so deflated she can hardly speak.

Before long, Shin Se-rim’s gaze drops, but it bounces back up, drawn by Seo Ye-rin’s ample bosom.

“Which agency are you with? I’m currently working at YS!”

“Oh, I’m… with Marimo, a small, new agency.”

“Maybe we’ll run into each other while working later!”

I can’t tell if Seo Ye-rin is acting or if she genuinely thinks that way.

Now, I can’t distinguish between the two either.

“Ujini can be a bit harsh with her words, but she’s really kind to those who treat her well! It might be a bit tricky if you go the other way, though.”

The team members nodded slightly, as if in agreement.

“Anyway, hang in there! Fighting! Ujina, I’ll message you later, okay?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

The door closes.

The air, once fresh, feels tainted again.

I sip my coffee through a straw and ask Shin Se-rim.

“So, what were you up to?”

“……Nothing.”

“Alright, let’s practice the presentation. Jeong-a, where’s the script?”

“Oh, here it is. I’ve prepared it for now.”

Heo Jeong-a quickly brings me the script. As I read through it, I can’t help but furrow my brow.

“Why are there so many typos? No, you’ve even got basic grammar wrong. What are you, a webtoon writer? You’re not, so why are there so many mistakes! Is it that hard to write this down for a moment?!”

“Ah, no.”

“Did you run a spell check?”

“……No. From what I see, nothing seems wrong.”

“Of course, that’s what you think! First, do a thorough spell check, and fix the grammar! And there’s a hell of a lot of repetitive vocabulary, so tweak that too!”

“Ah, yes.”

Even as the words were spoken, the script was handed straight to Shin Se-rim.

“Read this.”

Shin Se-rim took the script and began to read calmly.

“What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“Yes? What the hell, yes? Do you think this is a joke? Are you going to present like that? Even elementary school kids don’t do it like that these days!”

“…….”

“Engage your core! Is that all the projection you’ve got for someone who claims to be an entertainer? Stand up straight! Don’t just look at the script; make eye contact with the audience! Add some gestures!”

“Ah, yes.”

“Voice projection!”

“Yes!”

Finally, she’s starting to sound like a person.

As I listened to Shin Se-rim read, I checked the messages that had come through on my phone.

– Seo Ye-rin: You were close to that girl, huh?

“…….”

– Kim Woo-jin: No, I just got scolded by her.

– Seo Ye-rin: Did she give you snacks too?

– Kim Woo-jin: I threw them away. I swear.

– Seo Ye-rin: Be careful. I’m watching you. I’m really watching!

– Kim Woo-jin: When I see stuff like this, it scares me, Ye-rin.

– Seo Ye-rin: ♥

“Ugh.”

Anyway, I’m grateful she came to assert some discipline today because of me.

“Uh, Team Leader, could you take a look at the PPT?”

“Bring it here.”

With a flick of his fingers while seated, Im Dong-kyu brought over the laptop.

As I skimmed through the PPT, it was noticeably better this time compared to earlier.

“Much improved, isn’t it?”

“Right?”

“Yeah, looking at this, it seems like there’s even more room for improvement.”

“……What?”

“See over here? The presenter mentions each one individually, right? Can we animate this to move like that?”

“It’s possible… but it looks like there’s a lot of work involved.”

“Hmm, well, good thing we have plenty of time.”

“…….”

“If you do this, I’ll throw in a character of your choice for the PPT.”

“Really?!”

“Would I lie? Go do it right now! This guy still hasn’t gotten his act together!”

“…….”

With that, Lim Dong-kyu returned to his seat, fiddling with the PPT.

As he sipped his coffee and played a mobile game, another message pinged in.

– Yoo Ah-rin: (photo)

– Yoo Ah-rin: Hahaha

– Yoo Ah-rin: Didn’t delete it on purpose.

– Yoo Ah-rin: This is so funny. How much are they roasting you?

After checking the photo and the messages, I let out a sigh.

As I openly sighed, everyone started to glance around, sensing the shift.

“Everyone, freeze.”

“……?”

“What’s up?”

“Are we taking a break?”

What a ridiculous question.

“Whoever wrote in the bamboo grove, ‘Our humanities team leader is such a fucking tyrant. I hope this b*stard gets hit by a car and dies,’ step forward.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

* * *

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

The sound of applause feels as if it is comforting me.

As the group project presentation comes to an end, I bid farewell to my fellow members of Group F, hoping that our ties will end here for a lifetime.

When the clapping ceases.

The professor’s comments pour forth.

“You did well. Truly well. I never expected that, despite saying you wouldn’t focus much on the content, you would bring forth such a complex and intricate topic and unravel it so perfectly.”

Professor Jung was equally astonished, admitting he hadn’t anticipated such a performance.

“The synergy among team members was excellent. The way you answered like a machine was quite impressive.”

Of course.

I didn’t let them leave until I had crammed it all into their heads.

After all, I live in the dormitory.

Naturally.

The ones doing the research had to create the PPT, yet I still made them dig deeper for the data.

I scraped the bottom to ensure we gathered quality materials.

“The PPT was neat as well. Did you reference any Jobs videos? It seemed to capture that kind of atmosphere.”

Of course.

I made them watch those YouTube videos on repeat, claiming it was for the presentation, and even chipped in my own money to buy premium templates.

“Especially the presenter, very impressive. No slurring in pronunciation, good eye contact, and appropriate gestures.”

Of course.

Shin Se-rim cried once.

I can’t count how many times I pushed the idea that if the presenter isn’t perfect, everything falls apart.

“Overall, it was excellent. I hope other groups will take inspiration from yours for their projects.”

Receiving the professor’s high praise, we muttered among ourselves.

“Damn, it’s finally over.”

“Let’s not see each other again, you b*stards.”

“Group F. Fucking, fucking, fucking, fucking.”

“Should I take a leave of absence?”

All of us, in a state of utter exhaustion, whispered curses to one another.

There were no farewells among us.

Returning to my seat, I locked eyes with Choi Yi-seo.

She gave me a thumbs-up, praising me as the best.

“That’s it, this is enough.”

With a satisfied smile, I turned to my teammates for one last word.

“Everyone, I have a confession to make.”

The group stared at me, puzzled, wondering what could possibly be left after the presentation.

I spoke plainly, my tone flat yet honest.

“I didn’t submit any report.”

Silence.

In the midst of the stillness, Bang Da-ye, the only one somewhat alert, raised her hand and asked, “W-what do you mean?”

“The group leader said we couldn’t do anything else because of the report submission. The truth is, that was a lie.”

So, there was no need to change the topic.

The professor probably didn’t even think we were at odds with each other.

“So… what did you do, group leader?”

“I just kept you all on your toes. While nagging, I played some mobile games, sipped coffee, took a nap, and chatted with the girls.”

I really let off some steam.

After all, doesn’t venting and taking a step back often yield better results?

“Still, since we gave the best presentation, I felt I had to say something about your efforts.”

To my teammates, who looked at me with blank expressions, I flashed a bright smile and raised my thumb.

“You caught the bus just fine.”

—