Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 9



9 – 9. This is called s*x.

“Hey, what are you guys doing to my boyfriend?”

The way he spoke was delinquent, but his tone of voice was somewhat light. Because of that, even the first-year English department students could laugh along.

“Oh, Junhee sunbae?”

“You’re dating him, sunbae?!”

“hahahaha, that would be nice.”

The words were said like that, but it was clear that it was more of a joke than genuine.

It felt like the kind of s*xual innuendo the older guys would make in a playful way.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but since it’s the leader of our group, I let it slide.

“Group project…”

“Senior, let’s go have a drink with us!”

“Yeah! I want to get closer to senior!”

Min Joo-hee was especially popular among girls, so I thought it might be a girl crush because she was such an easygoing senior.

After all, it’s natural for girls to like cooler girls.

“Hmm?”

But Min Joo-hee subtly glanced at me. It seemed like she hesitated to join the drinking party that I didn’t even want to be a part of because of herself.

Honestly, I didn’t really want to join.

However, I didn’t greatly prefer having a meal or drinks with just Min Joo-hee either.

Since there was a topic on assignments earlier, it didn’t matter what we talked about, but not now.

“It’s okay.”

Nodding my head, I replied that there was no problem, and Min Joo-hee’s lips curled up slightly, patting my back.

“What’s wrong? I thought you would dislike this.”

‘Dislike.’

But isn’t it a bit awkward to deliberately generate this atmosphere here?

Moreover, it would not be a big problem if I naturally disappeared while drinking alone in the middle.

Rather, I could accept it without much thought because I was aiming for that.

The pub was not the place we originally planned to go, but the place the kids wanted to go. They said they had already made a reservation over the phone, and there would definitely be separate dishes.

“You can’t have a meal at this time.”

As we entered the restaurant and took our seats, the waiter smiled and told us.

“Should we leave?”

Joo-hee senior said seriously that she couldn’t let me starve, but I shook my head.

“It’s okay. We’ll be full soon with snacks and beer.”

The other guys had already eaten, so they came to the pub specifically for beer, and they ordered snacks and some dry food or salad.

‘Eating salad, what a waste.’

Although I had that thought, it looked like Caprese with tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce arranged beautifully, and it seemed to have some sauce on it.

It was not to my taste at all.

The situation where everyone was going out to smoke, go to the restroom, or fix their makeup.

Joo-hee senior gave me the menu and told me to order something separately while she went to smoke.

There were about two pages filled with various types of alcohol, and I turned to the section for snacks.

‘Ah…’

Dry snacks, potato fries, small rice cakes, pizza, salad, gambas, assorted sausages, and so on.

There are really plenty of appetizers.

I’m not particularly picky when it comes to food, but I don’t know why I don’t feel like eating any of this.

“Not good?”

Choi Iseo, who has been sitting next to Park Sunwoo since earlier, discreetly moves to sit next to me.

An Hyunho is not present because he went to smoke with the other guys.

“Tsk, wouldn’t they refuse to add rice to the assorted sausages? With kimchi?”

“…Would they?”

Choi Iseo looks at me as if I’m ridiculous.

“I want to buy at least some instant rice.”

She sighs and looks through the menu, then points at the pizza.

“You don’t like pizza?”

Pizza is just thin dough with cheese and pepperoni on top anyway.

“Not that I dislike it. Just don’t really feel like eating it as a substitute for rice…”

No matter how picky I am, there’s nothing I can do.

I am a Korean who moves based on rice.

“Well, I figured that out from how you choose your menu.”

Choi Iseo, who had experienced the double main dishes of pork and tonkatsu, shakes her head.

Ignoring her, I thought about filling my stomach with dry snacks and beer.

“Are you really dating Ju Hui sunbae?”

Choi Iseo asks discreetly, putting her chin on her hand. She quietly asked so that the people around us couldn’t hear.

“No, we were just together for the group project.”

Last time and this time, I didn’t feel any enthusiasm for these questions because I had a feeling that Choi Iseo approached me with some ulterior motive.

“I see.”

It seemed more like relief than looking at me rationally.

“Hmm.”

There’s a feeling that she’s relieved because she has some other intention.

Ever since I talked about my ex-girlfriend, Oh Yoonji, Choi Iseo’s attitude has been really suspicious.

“And.”

This time, she gets closer to me and whispers.

“Hyeonho, be careful. He was famous as a bully in high school… He didn’t have a good opinion of you.”

“….”

“I’m just exaggerating. I don’t want to create an uncomfortable atmosphere by fighting with students from the same department for no reason.”

Well, I know.

Because I’m seeing posts on the anonymous board, called “Bamboo Forest”, where they curse at me tirelessly.

Choi Iseo lets out a sigh as she nods her head in understanding.

I thought she was going to ask something again, but this time it’s a rather unexpected question.

“Do you know about Bamboo Forest?”

“The anonymous community at Gahyeon University?”

Choi Iseo’s mouth slightly curls up as I answer. It seems she’s glad that I know about Bamboo Forest.

“Do you go there often?”

“Sometimes? Because there are interesting comics and posts there.”

What’s this?

Why did Choi Iseo suddenly mention Bamboo Forest?

“I see.”

“….Is the question weird?”

I was about to say something more, to dig deeper.

“What are you doing?”

An Hyeonho and his gang, who had finished smoking, return to their seats, and Choi Iseo quickly moves back and returns to her original seat.

“What were you two talking about? It looked interesting.”

An Hyeonho asks, sitting down and laughing. His words are laughing, but it seems that his mouth is twitching because he thinks I did something mischievous.

“Just chatting.”

“So, what were you talking about?”

If it had just been An Hyeonho and me, the atmosphere might have gotten tense.

“What’s this? Is An Hyeonho jealous?!”

“Are you targeting Iseo? Our Iseo is off limits!”

“Hey hey! Look at her blushing! They say power corrupts!”

“Oh, what are you saying? I just wanted to chat out of curiosity.”

The other students who came with us laugh without realizing the tension, and with the arrival of the ordered beer, our conversation also fades.

“Woojin, what did you order?”

Senior Juhee, who had just finished smoking, tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Is it okay if I just fill my stomach with beer? Seeing that I have a perfume scent on me, it seems like I got rid of the cigarette smell as a consideration.”

“Just filling your stomach with beer is fine.”

“I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.”

After that, time passed.

Senior Juhee, who had gotten drunk, kept urging me to fill my stomach with beer, saying that he felt sorry.

Ahn Hyunho also made an ideal effort to subtly get Choiiseo to drink through drinking games or black roses.

I casually responded to what Senior Juhee said and made room for the girls to have a frank conversation with him.

The girls gratefully took my seat.

“It’s about time.”

It’s the perfect timing to smoothly leave.

Without really paying attention to Senior Juhee, I quietly went outside.

“It’s been about an hour, right?”

I’m not particularly strong when it comes to alcohol, so I only had about two glasses of beer, but I feel slightly refreshed.

But I’m not drunk to the point of staggering or not being able to control my body.

“Oh, I’m hungry.”

Even though I ate some beer and snacks, I feel more hungry instead.

Just as I was about to go to a convenience store nearby.

“Where are you going?”

I heard Choiiseo’s voice from behind.

When I turned my head, she was looking at me expressionlessly.

Even though she had a few more drinks than me, there was no change in her expression, so it seems like she has a pretty strong tolerance for alcohol.

“Why are you here?”

“I got annoyed because Ahn Hyunho kept insisting on making me drink, so I just came out.”

“You said you smelled like gobchang (Korean delicacy made from intestines) and came out.”

“… It’s not to that extent.”

However, even though it was such a blatant lie, Choiiseo put her hand deep into the pocket of her coat and turned her head swiftly.

“I want to be someone who clearly says no when I dislike something.”

The fact that her sentence ended with “I want to be” means she hasn’t become that person yet?

“More importantly, where are you going? You sneaked out alone, so are you going back?”

“Oh, I sent a message to Ju-hee senior.”

“How about the stomach? Are you full?”

It seems like he remembered when I said earlier that I wanted to eat.

“No, that’s why I’m going to the convenience store.”

Pointing to the convenience store in front of us, I said, waving my hand in that direction.

“Well, then, have a good one.”

As I entered the convenience store and was contemplating what to eat, Choi I-seo quietly followed me inside.

“What are you going to eat?”

“Ramen and triangular gimbap.”

“…Sounds delicious.”

Perhaps it was a somewhat cruel menu for Choi I-seo, who was working hard on exercising to take body profile pictures.

I wondered why I didn’t ask him why he wasn’t going home, but then I remembered that I couldn’t ask about the bamboo forest earlier.

“Let’s eat together. I’ll treat you, so just choose.”

When I made the proposal with the intention of indulging in the little luxuries of the convenience store, Choi I-seo chuckled and replied.

“If I’m with you, I’ll keep snacking.”

“So are you not going to eat? It’s not often that I treat someone.”

It’s true.

I rarely buy something for others.

Choi I-seo shook his head in disbelief at my words, grabbed a spicy cup ramen, and said.

“What about gimbap?”

“It will make me gain weight.”

Choi I-seo, as if taking offense at my words, grabbed a tuna triangular gimbap.

After paying, we sat facing each other at the folding table outside and waited for the ramen to cook.

“PT teacher would be mad.”

Choi I-seo said with a bitter smile. I wondered if the slightly awkward atmosphere was because of that, but neither Choi I-seo nor I were the type to force conversation with others.

We just glanced at each other’s phones.

[Inquiry: 46]

“Wow.”

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t checked the bamboo forest for a few hours, and when I went in, there were numerous inquiries waiting for me.

The important thing was that they were all sent by one person.

As expected, it was Anonymous69.

– Anonymous69: Admin, are you annoyed?

– Anonymous69: Please reply. You said sorry earlier.

– Anonymous69: It’s okay if you’re not a fragile, beautiful girl.

From Noble mtl dot com

– Anonymous69: Could it be that you’re really a fragile, beautiful girl?

– Anonymous69: Soy sauce, milk, one egg.

– Anonymous69: Submit the assignment by tomorrow.

Now I know very well how to irritate myself by just using my own notepad.

I wanted to unblock him in my heart, but if I did, it would be unfair.

Without responding separately, I raised my head, pretending to ignore him.

The expression on Choi Iseo’s face as he looked down at his phone was very dark.

“What’s wrong?”

I felt strangely as if he wanted to throw his phone right now, his hands trembling.

“The instant noodles are cooked.”

I said, picking up my chopsticks a little early, and thanks to my words, Choi Iseo puts down his phone and starts eating the noodles.

“Aren’t they undercooked?”

“Yeah.”

Actually, they were a little undercooked, but Choi Iseo’s expression had returned to normal.

After eating a few bites, I got to the main point.

“Why did you mention Daenamu Forest earlier?”

“You remembered?”

You asked about Daenamu Forest during a drinking session. It was such an out-of-the-blue question, so I asked why, avoiding your gaze, confessing while looking down at the noodles.

“Yoonji and her high school friends.”

O Yoonji.

The name of my ex-girlfriend whom I dated and broke up with in the first semester, has been heard frequently recently.

“They seem to be preparing to write about you on the Daenamu Forest anonymous bulletin board.”

“But only Gahyeon students can write on the anonymous board, right?”

“….”

Choi Iseo didn’t answer.

But that was enough.

If you are a modern student and also Oh Yunji’s high school classmate, you are right in front of me, not eating ramen.

“Anyway, be careful. If you happen to see your posts on the bulletin board, immediately tell the administrator to delete them. Got it?”

I don’t know what kind of relationship I have with my high school friends, but it didn’t seem like a very healthy one.

Did they worry about me to protect me?

Choi Iseo started eating ramen again with a slightly relieved expression.

“Ah, it would be nice if you helped me prepare diligently.”

I don’t know what nonsense I would babble, but I hope I stay up all night and type with hatred filled in my fingers.

I wanted to show them how futile it is to snipe.

The lengthy snipe post that they had prepared so diligently.

The satisfaction of deleting it in a matter of three seconds while yawning in the morning.

Anonymous69, this is s*x.