Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 349



Midnight Mates

– Have you been studying?

“I told you. It really feels like my head is splitting.”

– Impressive.

Through the phone, Choi Yi-seo’s voice was laced with admiration.

Though she knew he was studying hard during midterms, it seemed she hadn’t realized he was still at it late into the night.

– But don’t push yourself too hard. Sometimes it’s better to just sleep when you’re tired and do it tomorrow.

“Is that so?”

– Yeah, so don’t overdo it to the point of harming your health. Especially, it’s best not to eat late-night snacks.

“…….”

– It would be nice if you could study after a late-night snack. But usually, eating makes you tired. That’s why many just eat and fall asleep. Minji is a prime example of that.

“…….”

– In those times, it’s better to just sleep. Got it?

“Okay, Mom.”

– Didn’t I say I’d kill you if you called me Mom one more time?

“Then don’t fuss over me like a mom! How much nagging are you planning to do when we live together later on, starting already like this!?”

– W-What? Live together?

Flustered, Choi Iseo stumbles over her words, unable to respond properly.

Her cute reaction prompts a more assertive approach.

“Then you’re not going to live together? You’re not going to complain if I leave my clothes lying around, right?”

– …You should put them in the washing machine properly. And turn the inside-out clothes right side out.

“What about taking the trash out? Is there a schedule for that too?”

– Isn’t it just whoever goes out can take it? Why make a separate rule?

“What about the dishes?”

– I’ll probably do them. You don’t seem like you would.

“I’ll do them if you tell me to.”

– No, I think it’ll be easier if I just do it myself.

“Let’s take turns.”

– Is there really anything to take turns with?

“You, me, and Seo Yerin, and Yoo Arin can rotate-.”

– Where are you right now? No, you’re going to the lecture with me tomorrow, right? Take care of yourself.

“…….”

From noble mtl dot com

– You need to be really sick tomorrow.

Though said playfully, there’s a strange sincerity in the words that’s slightly unsettling.

Anyway, the atmosphere lightens a bit as I share trivial chatter with Choi Iseo.

“Ugh!”

Stretching, I gaze out the window.

I had been focused on my studies, watching the sunset unfold.

But as I lift my head again, the night sky has unfurled before me.

A landscape devoid of stars, with only the moon hanging solitary in the vastness.

When I open the window, a fierce wind rushes in, lifting my spirits for no reason at all.

Though Choi I-seo had told me not to study so late, the clock now reads one in the morning.

If she’s still awake, it means she’s been studying too.

‘Should I push on a bit more?’

A surge of motivation wells up within me.

Talking to Choi I-seo was the right choice.

Knock, knock.

“Woo-jin!”

A tiny voice interrupts my fervor.

Is she calling me from outside, her voice carried by the wind?

“Woo-jin!”

I ponder ignoring it, but in the end, I open the door.

There stands Choi Jin-ah, dressed just as she was last time, smiling brightly.

“How about a hamburger tonight?”

“I-seo says I shouldn’t snack so late.”

“Are you not going to eat? Let’s share! I was going to order the new menu for you, Woo-jin.”

“Why would you order it for me? You can just get it for yourself, Jin-ah.”

“I’m having a Big Mac.”

“…….”

“…….”

So, she wants to use me as a test subject for the new menu.

“Hmm, why can’t you say a word in front of your father, even with someone like me?”

“Woo-jin is a bit easier to talk to. I can’t be this brazen with others.”

“That makes sense.”

If I acted like this elsewhere, I’d get slapped.

I know this well, having been on the receiving end more than once.

“Are you not going to have a hamburger?”

“…Just a large fries with a Diet Coke, please.”

“Sure!”

It seemed to lift her spirits that we were eating together.

She hummed a tune while ordering the hamburger, naturally stepping into my room.

“Shall we eat in Woojin’s room?”

“…”

“Hmm? You don’t want to?”

“No, let’s do that.”

Eating in the lounge on the first floor might get us caught again. Choi Jina perched on the edge of my bed, scrolling through her phone.

I felt a bit uneasy, but I sat back down at my desk and picked up my pen.

I intended to focus on studying until the hamburger arrived.

A few minutes later, I sensed a presence behind me.

Choi Jina was staring at me intently from just behind.

“What’s up?”

“It’s just… unexpected. I thought you weren’t the studying type, Woojin.”

“What do you mean, the studying type?”

“You hardly studied in elementary school. Yet somehow, you always managed to get good grades.”

Well, I wasn’t exactly failing, either.

“Don’t you study, Jina? You’re in college, after all.”

“I’m on a leave of absence this semester. I’m in a cold war with my father, and if I go to college, I’ll be caught in no time.”

“Right.”

Life is strangely peculiar, isn’t it?

“So why are you studying?”

“Pardon?”

“Your brother inherited the company, didn’t he? I wouldn’t think you’d feel the need to study if it’s not necessary.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

If I set my mind to it, I could grasp financial freedom, so the motivation to strive for something wasn’t particularly strong.

Is that why?

I don’t usually share such thoughts with others.

—

For them, it seems I was born with something desperately sought after.

But Choi Jin-ah is like me.

Perhaps that made it easier to talk.

The kind of distance stemming from formal speech surely played its part as well.

“I originally studied because of my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriends, you say?”

“Ahem, there’s no need to correct that, really.”

“So? You studied because of your girlfriends?”

“Yes, I thought I needed to become someone they could trust. Especially for Lee Seo-han.”

“……”

“I wanted to show that, despite being from a wealthy family, I had something exceptional beyond that. I wanted to capture all three of them.”

I wanted to be a reliable man.

The easiest way to demonstrate that was, of course, through studying, or to put it bluntly, through grades.

“But now it’s a bit different.”

I still want to instill trust in the kids.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

“I want to be faithful to the present.”

“Pardon?”

“Because I don’t have much time left…”

I whispered softly, but whether Choi Jin-ah heard or not, she seemed ready to ask what on earth I meant.

“Oh, the delivery.”

Just then, a message arrived saying the food had arrived, and I ended up going down to fetch the burgers without asking anything further.

And then.

The look in Choi Jin-ah’s eyes as she brought back the burgers was quite fierce.

“The part about not having much time left. It’s not for any particular reason, just because of the military, right?”

“No particular reason? Are you belittling Korean men right now?!”

“Belittling?! No, I was just worried that I sounded like I was talking about a death sentence or something!”

“It is a big deal! You’re going to dedicate yourself to your country!”

“Ah, I know! I’m not trying to dismiss it! But you’re speaking as if you’re on the brink of death—”

“My early twenties are dying!”

—

“Fine, let’s just eat the hamburger. Ah, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry!”

Sitting on the ground, we face each other, devouring our burgers.

“Could I have just one bite of that?”

Choi Jin-ah, intrigued by the new menu, eyes my food with longing.

“If you give me a cheese stick.”

“…….”

After a moment of hesitation, I finally slide a cheese stick her way.

“Mmm? It’s not as bad as I thought? But it’s a bit salty.”

“Not terrible with cola, I suppose. I wouldn’t order it again, though.”

“You’re quite harsh.”

Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!

Then, the phone rings.

Who would call at this hour? I glance at the screen and see it’s my older brother.

‘What’s going on?’

Not someone who usually calls at this time.

I set the hamburger down and answer the call.

“Hello?”

– You’re awake, huh.

“Yeah, it’s exam season.”

– Are you studying?

“Shouldn’t I? I’m a student too.”

– Heh.

A satisfied chuckle.

Hearing that his reckless younger sibling is actually studying seems to please him more than I expected.

“Why are you calling? It’s usually your sleeping time.”

He pauses at my question. I can tell he has something to say but struggles to find the words, so I keep quiet and wait.

In the meantime, I swat away Choi Jin-ah’s hand as it inches toward my cheese stick.

“Ouch!”

‘You trying to die?’

– Woo-jin-ah.

“Eh?”

– When does the exam end?

“It finishes the week after next. Why?”

– Huh, then I’ll send you the address via text, so start working from there.

“Eh?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

I wanted to argue against this absurdity, but my brother’s demeanor is unsettling.

– It’s not like there’s anything particularly problematic, and even if you go, they won’t give you anything too difficult. At most, it’ll be organizing or running coffee errands.

“No, wait a minute. Hyung, I’m a college student. It’s not like it’s vacation; the midterms just ended.”

– Right, just attend all the lectures that day and then head straight to work.

“Why the sudden change?! Is this about the succession nonsense again? After the Yoonji incident, Father told me to think about it until I graduate!”

– It’s what Father instructed.

“Father?”

– He seems to have decided that it’s better for you to learn the ropes and gain experience now.

“Father changed his mind?”

My brow furrows.

Hyung must know too.

That Father suddenly changing his stance is not a good sign.

“Hyung, is Father… is he sick?”

I ask cautiously, and my older brother falls silent for a moment.

“We’re family. Don’t hide it from me.”

At my plea, he sighs and answers honestly.

– I didn’t think Father would suddenly pull something like this either.

“……”

– So I’m looking into it.

“Okay, when you find out, make sure to let me know.”

– Woojin.

“Yeah?”

– Work hard.

“……”

Thud.

The call ended.

I stared blankly at the phone I had just pulled from my ear.

There was something lingering in those words.

—