Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 342



Aegyo

“Sa, save me-! Please save me!”

Choi Jinah struggled to grasp the reality of her situation.

It was clear that she had to perform a forfeit in front of Oh Yoonji because of a bet made during yesterday’s game.

She had to display an excruciatingly embarrassing aegyo.

Why they would make her do such a thing was beyond her understanding, yet she was determined to carry out this absurd task with sincerity.

After all, there was no one around to witness her humiliation.

How could she possibly do this in front of others?

But ironically, it was this very superficiality of Jinah that ensnared her.

“Jugeo-eo-eo-eo!”

“Kuak! Kuek! Save me!”

Had she known it was akin to summoning a demon, Jinah would never have complied, no matter how much she lost in the game.

“Sa, save me! Save me!”

“Guaaah!”

Minutes passed.

It was only when Jinah, in her utter disdain, called for her mother and father that Oh Yoonji snapped back to reality.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

Oh Yoonji cautiously attempted an apology, but Jinah’s face was already twisted in anger, tears brimming.

“Is that all you have to say!? What is this! Why are you suddenly treating me like this! Honestly, I didn’t want to do this empty-headed aegyo either!”

“Y-your head is empty…?”

Oh Yoonji was slightly taken aback, yet she knew Jinah was right.

It was Jinah who had been unfairly subjected to this pointless venting of frustration.

“I’m sorry, I’m just a bit sensitive about that.”

“I-I won’t give you fried rice. Just stop eating.”

“Yeah, well. What’s that?”

Is that enough?

I never knew that the daughter of a conglomerate and a world-renowned violinist had such a fondness for fried rice.

In Hawaii, I didn’t realize, but it seems her tastes are surprisingly simple.

“Haah, Jina. But why the sudden cuteness?”

“Yesterday, I was told to come to this room for pizza, and I ended up losing a game. So, I did it.”

I struggle to keep my boiling insides in check. Right now, I needed to be a cold-hearted detective.

“Didn’t Kim Woo-jin say where he was going while we were together yesterday? He’s not the type to go out on weekends.”

“Hmm? He didn’t really say he was going anywhere today, you know? So, I ordered this fried—um, rice. Since we enjoyed the pizza yesterday—um, I thought why not.”

“……Didn’t you learn not to talk while eating? The wealthy are usually strict about that.”

“I did learn. But I’m doing this as a form of resistance against my parents—um, you see.”

How uniquely timid her rebellion is.

Oh Yoon-ji nodded vaguely, but all she could do was sigh.

Whatever it is, the important thing isn’t this.

“Phew, how on earth do I catch this b*stard Kim Woo-jin?”

“Um, um. Did Woo-jin do something wrong again?”

“……He made a very big mistake.”

“Um, um. Is it just me, or is this fried rice incredibly delicious because it’s so oily?”

‘I found it greasy.’

No, isn’t the conversation veering off into strange territory?

“I should try ordering sweet and sour chicken and spicy fried chicken at the same time later. Honestly, I don’t know the difference between the two.”

“No, I’m not curious about that.”

Is this girl perhaps lonely and in need of someone to talk to?

Thinking about why she’s still in the dorm, it surprisingly makes sense.

“Haah, well, since Jina is also a victim, I’ll make sure to get my revenge.”

“……You do know you’re the perpetrator, right?”

“I’ll make sure to kill that b*stard Kim Woo-jin.”

“Didn’t you hear? No, more than that—”

What followed from Choi Jina was somewhat hard to believe.

“Excuse me?”

O Yoon-ji has finally come to know where Kim Woo-jin is.

* * *

Clatter.

The door swings open.

O Yoon-ji steps into Choi Yi-seo’s apartment, a place she knows all too well.

It was a spot where Choi Yi-seo and Jung Min-ji often gathered with high school friends to drink and share laughter.

Naturally, O Yoon-ji felt at home here.

As she entered, Choi Yi-seo greeted her with a smile, as if she had been waiting.

“You’re here?”

And behind Choi Yi-seo, hiding, was Kim Woo-jin.

His height made it impossible to hide completely, even when he bent down.

But O Yoon-ji’s gaze was fixed on Choi Yi-seo.

“I never thought I would have an experience like this in my life.”

The lingering blush on her face spoke volumes about how embarrassed O Yoon-ji felt.

“I truly didn’t expect that the cute antics I pulled back in the day would come back to haunt me.”

And even more so.

“I can’t believe it was you, Choi Yi-seo, not my ex-boyfriend, who spread this around.”

“I swear, I’m innocent, Yoon-ji! I promised I wouldn’t say a word!”

“Shut up, Kim Woo-jin! You’re next after Yi-seo!”

“I told you I didn’t want to be here, Yi-seo!”

Kim Woo-jin, on the verge of tears, pleaded for mercy.

But Choi Yi-seo continued to ignore him, her eyes locked on O Yoon-ji.

O Yoon-ji faced her high school friend, gritting her teeth.

“Why, why did you make us play such a ridiculous punishment game, even to our classmates, and even to Jin-ah?”

“Why?”

“Yeah, if you stirred up trouble like this, there must have been a reason behind it.”

Choi Yi-seo paused, her eyes rolling as she pondered. Then, with an awkward smile, she replied.

“There’s no reason.”

“……What?”

“I was just curious to see if a friend from high school would ever act cute like that.”

“Why did you tell Popo?”

“When the three of us were together, you didn’t say anything. So I talked with Popo and we decided to share.”

“…What about the punishment for Jina?”

“Well, I should give a punishment, but nothing specific comes to mind.”

How am I supposed to take this right now?

For starters, O Yoonji felt a strange distance from Choi Iseo. It was as if she were looking at a different person, and it left her somewhat bewildered.

“Were you always like this?”

“I wasn’t like this before.”

She must have known that O Yoonji would dislike it, so why act oblivious?

But Choi Iseo wasn’t really pretending not to know; she was just playfully aware of what she had done wrong.

“I thought, if I tried something like this, maybe I could understand Woojin’s feelings a bit better.”

“Iseo…!”

“Don’t get all emotional, Kim Woojin! The victim here is me!”

And there was Choi Jina, happily devouring fried rice without joining them.

“Why are you saying that to me?”

“Well, I might have had a bit of selfishness in it.”

To be honest.

Choi Iseo wasn’t entirely devoid of selfishness.

No, it even felt a bit unpleasant.

“Isn’t it a bit off to talk about my boyfriend like this?”

“Iseo!”

“Shut up, Kim Woojin!”

“Why only to me…?”

Kim Woojin sulked, his head drooping in defeat. Regardless, O Yoonji sighed and pressed her forehead.

“I’ve done things with you regarding Kim Woojin before, but isn’t this a bit out of the blue?”

“It bothered me that you pretended to know a Kim Woojin I don’t.”

“…”

That was probably.

The conversation they had while eating together with Popo.

The one about whether she had ever fought with Kim Woojin.

In a way, it was a situation that could be brushed off as trivial.

“You were keeping that?!”

The Choi I-seo I know isn’t one to hold onto such things. Yet, even I-seo scratches her cheek awkwardly.

“Once, the chairman said something like that. That there’s a greedy part in her that resembles you quite a bit.”

“I-seo!”

“Shut up!”

“…You bad girl.”

As Oh Yoon-ji gestures for her to repeat it, taking a deep breath, I-seo continues with a smile.

“Maybe I’ve become a bit like that. If someone like Ahn Hyun-ho had pretended to know me well and talked about me, Kim Woo-jin would have been furious, right?”

“He’s dead. That b*stard.”

Kim Woo-jin clenches his fist, indignant at the audacity of speaking about I-seo so freely.

“I’m similar. When someone else seemed to know my boyfriend better than I did… I think I felt a bit jealous.”

“…You’ve changed a lot.”

“Right? I think so too.”

I-seo’s smile, awkwardly formed, still seemed not quite settled, yet undeniably it was a striking smile.

“Ugh, well, I’ve lost all my energy to be angry.”

Oh Yoon-ji decided to admit it honestly.

She too had memories of being blinded by jealousy, acting out in ways she regretted.

‘No, it was worse than that.’

Had she been too serious over something as trivial as a little charm?

She had thought Kim Woo-jin was just being his usual crazy self, but realizing it was I-seo made her surprisingly calm.

It felt like nothing at all.

“But Yoon-ji, if you were upset, I’ll apologize.”

“Hmm? Ah, well… it’s not that serious.”

Shaking her head, I-seo steels herself, eyes narrowing.

“No, I didn’t know you were struggling that much. I definitely owe you a clear apology.”

“…”

“Phew.”

Feeling an ominous chill from her deep breath, Oh Yoon-ji hurriedly tried to intervene, but…

“Isseoneun! I can’t sleep without my husband!”

With her fists resting under her chin, Choi I-seo winked cutely at Oh Yoon-ji.

Seeing this, Oh Yoon-ji felt a surge of anger rise within her, but she knew she had to confirm it clearly.

“You were just teasing me, weren’t you?”

“Did it show?”

“Absolutely.”

As the two shared a quiet laugh, an oblivious interloper barged in.

“I-seo, so kawaii! Super kawaii! Wow! Seriously, so cute! What is this? Do it again! I want to film it on my phone!”

‘When I did it, I don’t think I got that kind of reaction.’

Irritated, Oh Yoon-ji kicked Kim Woo-jin, who was fawning over Choi I-seo, and shouted, “Get lost! Anyway, it’s your fault this happened, so be ready to face the consequences!”

“…Forgive me.”

“Forgive you for what? You just need to take your punishment.”

“…Woo-jin is—!”

The rest of the sentence never came.

—