Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 61



61 – Day 2 of the Festival

Day 2 of the festival.

Due to the incident yesterday, the English department and the pub closed early, but they reopened today after finishing the cleanup.

Since the pork belly sold out quickly yesterday, I came out early to prepare.

“What is this?”

In front of the kitchen tent.

I couldn’t help but make a bewildered expression as I looked down at the barbecue grill placed right in front of the path where people were passing by.

As I was staring blankly at the grill, Senior Juhee came with a torch, charcoal, and fire crumbs.

“The professor supported us. Our pork belly stir-fry was popular yesterday.”

“You want to grill pork belly on charcoal?”

“Well, yes. It’s the professor’s personal item, so we have to be careful when using it.”

It did look quite luxurious. I sighed as I thought it must be expensive.

“It’s easier to make a larger quantity compared to using a frying pan, but….”

I wasn’t thrilled about grilling pork belly in front of people passing by on the street, but still.

“On the contrary, won’t more people come to eat because of it? Moreover, our restaurant has gained a lot of attention on SNS.”

Juhee senior chuckled and patted my back.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

“Ah.”

Honestly, it wasn’t exactly a joyful remark. I never expected that my attempt to make delicious pork belly stir-fry would lead to this.

It probably overshadowed the other pub’s menu, too.

“Have you ever lit charcoal?”

“Yes, I’ve been camping before.”

“Oh, then I’ll leave it to you.”

Saying that, Juhee senior went into the tent area towards the kitchen. He’s practically the head chef, so there must be a lot for him to do.

Especially because there were small incidents in the kitchen yesterday, there must be things to fix.

He’s a serious person in everything he does.

I laid the fire crumbs below and lit the torch. Once it was roughly lit, I ignited the charcoal and stood there. Soon enough, the fire caught on.

“Honey, the fire is finally lit.”

“I’ve worked hard, my husband! I will grill the meat myself!”

It was indeed helpful that my ex-girlfriend, Oh Yoonji, used to suggest going here and there.

When I first started, I struggled with how to start a fire.

As I stared blankly at the rising flames, old memories naturally came to mind.

The fact that enjoyable memories can sometimes become painful is truly a unique experience.

It seemed that I needed more time to digest and reminisce about my memories with Oh Yoonji.

“Honey? My husband?”

Go to hell, Kim Woojin.

Since I had already started the fire, I thought of grilling something to eat. It was only around 4 o’clock, so there was still time before the pub opened.

I grabbed a mushroom from the kitchen and grilled it together with the marinated pork.

Grilling pork over charcoal was a first for me, but the aroma was rich and the flavor tantalized my nose.

“Ah.”

A taste that made me crave for a beer.

I was convinced that it tasted even better than yesterday.

“Excuse me.”

Two pretty female students approached me shyly, keeping a slight distance and hiding their embarrassment.

“Yes?”

At first, I wondered what it was about, but when I saw them blushing for no reason, something struck me in the chest.

“Could it be?”

It’s a festival.

And in a festival, a new encounter is inevitable.

Am I now in the ranks of men who can join the hunt?

Hangang, Ahn Hyunho, and Jung Chanwoo, bring it on.

Kim Woojin is joining.

“When did you start selling this?”

…

“The pub opens at 6 o’clock, so you can have it then.”

“Can we only have it at the pub? Don’t you sell it separately?”

“No, we only sell it as a side dish at the pub.”

“Oh, I see. I understand.”

A moment of lingering feelings, two schoolgirls leaving without any other business.

Damn it.

Then, as I was eating the remaining pork, I heard laughter from behind.

“If it’s Kim Woojin who thought it was hunting and got excited, what a dumbass.”

Laughing mischievously, Yoo Arin, who is currently at the pinnacle of popularity in our class.

“Dumbass.”

And Seo Yerin, who has been receiving the attention of countless men since attending the festival yesterday.

“Sigh.”

Lastly, Choi Iseo, looking at me with pitiful eyes, arms crossed.

The three of them were laughing at me and looking at me with pitiful eyes, and honestly, it felt a bit unfair.

“Hey, isn’t it possible to get excited? I’ve never experienced anything like getting someone’s number.”

I tried to make excuses, but the three of them who seemed familiar with getting numbers remained unaffected.

“Are you just eating alone? Give me some too.”

Yoo Arin immediately approached with chopsticks in hand. If it were any other time, I wouldn’t have given her any after being laughed at.

“I have to admit that Yoo Arin is a foodie.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“There you go, something like that.”

As a thank you for showing me something good yesterday, I offered her the pork stir-fry, and she ate it and patted my shoulder in surprise.

“Hey, what is this?! It’s really delicious!”

“Oh, it’s you.”

Muttering in response, Seo Yerin and Choi Iseo also came over and praised how tasty it was after taking a bite each.

“There must be a reason why Woojin was so obsessed with pork.”

“Ah, obsessed with pork stir-fry to the point of opening a pork house in the future?”

“It’s not to that extent.”

The three of them honestly complimenting.

The conversation naturally transitioned to what happened yesterday.

“Agh.”

Yoo Arin, who had been demanding for more to be cooked, took a breath and then put the chopsticks in her mouth, quickly running into the tent.

Following suit, Seo Yerin, who saw the same thing as Yoo Arin, sneaked away with small steps.

“Oh well.”

There, Jeong Chan-woo of the Department of Architecture was approaching this way, holding a sign.

Chan-woo, walking amidst the gaze of female classmates.

Even the fact that I was friends with someone who had good looks and who was also highly regarded in our department like An Hyeon-ho and could even compete with Hangang, made me feel proud for no reason.

I heard that Chan-woo also appeared on stage yesterday, so his popularity exploded in the Department of Architecture.

I also heard that there was even a fight among the girls.

“Hello.”

Chan-woo greeted, raising his hand. Because of his appearance, he gave off a cold impression, but both I and Choe Iseo already knew that his personality was not like that, so we greeted him nonchalantly.

“You’ve been working hard.”

“You must be busy in the Department of Architecture as well.”

I heard that over there, they were selling large quantities of meat-like products such as sausages, bacon, and pork belly at the festival booths.

“Come and join us, we have lots of delicious things.”

Chan-woo said with a slight smile.

Even though we casually talked about going too, I felt like I knew why Yoo Arin and Seo Ye-rin ran inside.

“Ugh, those bad girls.”

Why do they avoid Chan-woo, who is so kind?

I heard that Seo Ye-rin used to occasionally be with Chan-woo before meeting me.

Lately, I felt like she was avoiding him a bit too much.

“Well, um….”

Chan-woo seemed to have something to say while sneaking a glance inside the tent.

I smiled and pointed inside without hesitation.

“Go ahead inside. Yoo Arin is in there.”

“Can I go?”

“Why not? You’re friends with Yoo Arin.”

As I shrugged my shoulders and retorted, Jeong Chan-woo went straight inside. The atmosphere inside the tent seemed to heat up again with the appearance of the handsome man who had a different aura.

Even though it might seem strange that he appeared as Seo Ye-rin’s friend now after appearing as a potential lover at the offal restaurant before.

“What’s the problem?”

I thought it would be enough to be grateful that a handsome guy came.

From Noble mtl dot com

Yoo Arin’s annoyed expression while biting her lip seemed worth seeing, so I was wandering around absentmindedly, but Choe Iseo, who was standing next to me, was also looking towards the direction where Jeong Chan-woo had entered the tent.

And he didn’t have a good expression on his face.

“Why are you like that?”

Wondering what was going on, I asked, and Choi Eiseo looked at me. Her expression became even more complicated.

It was evident that she had something to say, but in the end, Choi Eiseo, without uttering a word, just tapped my shoulder, then pointed with her fingertips to the sign attached to the front of the tent.

[No hunting]

“It’s forbidden.”

I shrugged my shoulders in bewilderment.

“When do I have time to go hunting? It feels like I have to roast pork belly all day long.”

According to the words of Senior Juhee, who also posted on social media, today seems to be busier than yesterday.

Thanks to the large grill, we could handle a substantial amount in no time, but still.

“That’s not the point.”

Perhaps I touched on the wrong subject because Choi Eiseo muttered something quietly, so that no one around could hear.

“Don’t get involved in hunting.”

“….”

“Do you understand?”

It was a bit cute to see Choi Eiseo warning me anxiously, just in case.

Let’s do what needs to be done decisively for now.

“Can’t we just give them our numbers?”

“….”

“No, it’s not a big deal for you since guys often make advances. If a girl asks for my number, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event…!”

Smack!

Choi Eiseo’s fist landed on my shoulder. It didn’t hurt much because it lacked weight.

Thud thud thud.

“Okay, okay! Stop hitting!”

Without saying a word, she continued to hit my shoulder as if tapping it, and I eventually had to admit I understood.

“Seriously, die.”

Mumbling, Choi Eiseo left.

I remember she seemed a bit chic at first… People really change when you get to know them.

At that moment.

Whoooaack!

The pain that struck my buttocks was completely different from when Choi Eiseo hit me earlier.

“Ouch!”

Surprised, I grabbed my backside and glanced over my shoulder, only to find Yoo Arin standing there with a flushed face, looking confident.

“Are you crazy? What’s all of a sudden?! It really hurts, you know?”

I wondered if it was because of Jung Chanwoo, who had entered my body, but he was now outside the booth, promoting far away.

“It’s not because of him!”

Yoo Arin glared at me with a disgusted expression.

“That weirdo did something!”

Ah.

The black skirt, black panties.

The meaning was implied.

I couldn’t back down here.

Instead, I bravely puffed out my chest and replied.

“Can we resolve this peacefully?”

“Hit my butt before hitting my face!”

* * *

We had a history of touching each other’s chests, but hitting each other twice over seeing panties was a bit much, I said, only to be slapped five times.

Yoo Arin must have learned taekwondo well because she didn’t hit so hard that I couldn’t function.

Night came again.

The night air was chilly, but standing in front of the grill, I was actually warm, so it wasn’t bad.

No, maybe it was just because I was too busy grilling meat and tired that the coldness didn’t bother me.

“Here’s enough for three servings.”

Hyuna was still sucking on honey next to me. When I put the grilled meat on the plate, she took it and divided it up, placing pieces of tofu on top.

Now we were in a good enough relationship to talk naturally with each other.

“It’s definitely convenient since the meat cooks quickly.”

I took out pocket cheese from my pocket and stuck it on a wooden skewer, grilling it.

“Here, have some.”

“Is this mine?”

“I have one more.”

I was a little taken aback when she gave it to me, but I ate the cheese and waited for the next order.

“Wow, what’s that?”

A pale pink hair that caught the eye from afar. I thought it might be a celebrity, but Hyuna next to me started to get excited.

“Po, Poppoda! Wow! I’ve never seen the real thing before!”

“Poppo?”

Ridiculously, it sounded like a name an old man would give to a dog.

A popular figure in the field of architectural engineering.

The internet broadcaster Poppo.

“Ah.”

But to me, he was more familiar as Anonymous111.

“He looks like that.”

I didn’t know.