Bamboo Forest Manager

15 – 15. Gukbap Restaurant

When he woke up from his nap, it was already 3 p.m. in the afternoon.

Looking at the clock that announced that more than half of the day had passed even though he woke up with a sluggish body, he smirked.

“I’ll rest tomorrow too.”

And.

“I’ll rest the day after tomorrow too.”

How delightful it is.

I wondered if I had such a fulfilling day in my college life.

Lifting his waist on the bed, he danced with joy knowing that he would rest tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

Even though he thought he had finished all the exercise for today, he still kept his back glued to the floor as he turned on his phone.

“Wow.”

If it were an ordinary day, there would have been only game notifications or ads, but today there are a lot of messages.

Is this the life of an insider?

It would be tiring to look at my phone after sleeping and waking up.

“Let’s see.”

There were a few people who submitted 1:1 inquiries in the bamboo forest, but most of them were useless.

“What’s this?”

– Anonymous46: Are you kidding? Is it right to delete posts like this in a board where anonymity and freedom are important? You even put it as a taboo word, so please undo it.

When I checked the list of posts that I had written, it turned out to be the person who targeted me with the English Department and karaoke incident.

“Whatever.”

I wondered why someone would go so far as to force me to swear at them.

– Admin: No.

I explained the reason earlier.

Although there are people who think freedom means they can do anything they want, freedom must be within the framework of the law to have meaning.

Just letting them do whatever they want is lawlessness.

I could see it as a small difference, like a lion inside the zoo fence and one roaming outside.

“Anonymous46 is probably from our department.”

Thinking that he might be one of the kids who were in the karaoke room at the time, I checked my other contacts.

The group chat room was piling up to the point of explosion, but I ignored it.

There won’t be any meaningful conversation there anyway.

The places to check are…

“Seo Yerin and Choi Iseo… Who is Yoo Arin?”

Seo Yerin and Choi Iseo could be possible since they have been chatting frequently recently, but I don’t know who Yoo Arin is.

Let’s check the profile. A girl with cat whiskers and ears, taking a selfie. Her hair was dyed yellow-gold, and I had a feeling.

“Oh, it’s her.”

She was the girl who caught my attention because of her hair color at the first semester MT.

I know her as Seo Yerin’s friend…

I don’t know why she sent me a message, but I checked Seo Yerin’s side first.

She sent the most messages, and it seems like she has a habit of using the anonymous69 nickname.

– Seo Yerin: Woojina, it’s me, Seo Yerin. Where are you now?

– Seo Yerin: Have you seen the content on the group chat? About the Bamboo Forest?

– Seo Yerin: Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything to the kids. You didn’t do anything wrong yesterday.

– Seo Yerin: If it’s tough, let me know. I’ll help you.

– Seo Yerin: Can we meet and talk if you’re okay?

– Seo Yerin: Where are you now?

– Seo Yerin: Woojina?

“Oh, what is this?”

I was acting all high and mighty because I thought I had been hurt by the sniper posts on the Bamboo Forest and what the people in the group chat were saying.

– Kim Woojin: Just woke up. Going to eat.

That’s what I replied, but Seo Yerin’s response was surprisingly prompt.

– Seo Yerin: Where? Can I meet you briefly? I want to talk to you.

– Kim Ujin: I’m going to the gimbap store in front of my house.

– Seo Yerin: Meet me there. I’ll be there.

“Look at her initiative…”

Why was she so proactive?

Yesterday, her daughter seemed to have passed away, so I deliberately contacted the administrator to offer my condolences. But it seems like there was no need for that.

Seeing her fight alone and passionately move on, I felt like I had done something unnecessary.

“Hham.”

I yawned and checked this time with Choi Yeseo’s message.

– Choi Yeseo: Did you see your post on the pine tree forest? Don’t worry too much. I’ll tell the kids it’s just hearsay.

– Choi Yeseo: Is everything alright? Just reply once.

– Choi Yeseo: Ujin-ah?

– Choi Yeseo: …Don’t you have somewhere to be?

“Cluck, cluck.”

This was getting complicated.

Feeling awkward, I coughed softly and replied reluctantly.

– Kim Ujin: Good morning.

After saying that, I ran away and switched to texting.

– Yoo Arin: ㅎㅇ

– Yoo Arin: We’re in the same class, 23rd batch. Is this our first conversation?

– Yoo Arin: (Emoji)

The emoji of a cat waving its paw was quite cute.

Only with that impression, I replied.

– Kim Ujin: What’s up?

I was about to reply and leave, but Yoo Arin’s response was more than I expected.

– Yoo Arin: What’s going on? You’re the hottest topic in English class right now.

– Kim Ujin: But?

– Yoo Arin: Mental blockㅋㅋ

– Yoo Arin: I just suddenly got curious about who you are.

– Kim Woojin: ㅇ

– Yoo Arin: It’s not as interesting as I thought.

– Kim Woojin: You’re more impolite than I thought.

After saying that, he just left the chat room with Yoo Arin. It was more beneficial to read random posts in the bamboo forest than to have unnecessary conversations.

He quickly put on his clothes and hat before going outside to eat.

Since he lived in a small room, there were quite a few restaurants nearby, so he was able to quickly sit down at a restaurant.

He ordered a special beef soup and checked his phone again, only to find a reply from Choi Yisuh.

– Choi Yisuh: It’s reassuring that you’re not worried, but it’s still better.

– Choi Yisuh: Are you free today? Let’s exercise in the evening.

“Exercise?”

– Kim Woojin: I don’t want to.

This time, the reply came immediately.

– Choi Yisuh: You have to exercise. You never know.

What does he mean by “you never know”?

– Choi Yisuh: You said Hangang-hyung might beat you up, so you shouldn’t go around looking uncool.

“……”

Come to think of it, when I talked to Hangang sunbae… no, when I talked about getting beaten up by Hangang, I said I would run away.

Although I felt a momentary hesitation because my words had become rough due to excitement,

“I should be able to escape when necessary.”

Recently, both Buchae-dae Anhyeonho and senior Hangang seem to have a lot of people targeting me, so I thought I should build up my stamina so that I can at least run away.

– Kim Woojin: What time?

– Choi Yisuh: 6 o’clock. Don’t eat dinner, come. I’ve found a restaurant that’s good at making chicken breast.

“What’s so special about a restaurant that’s good at making chicken breast?”

Last time, he said it was a place that’s good at making salads, but now it’s a place that’s good at making chicken breast.

– Kim Woojin: But dinner is going to be tonkatsu.

– Choi Yisuh: …It’s going to be a fierce debate.

They were sharply opposed to each other on what to eat for dinner.

“Well, we could just eat separately from the beginning.”

Honestly, I didn’t feel like eating together because last time, when I went to eat dinner with Choi Yisuh, I was dragged to a karaoke room.

And now, I’m eating a special beef soup, but in 3 hours, I will be exercising and eating dinner again?

“It’s possible to chew.”

As soon as the piping hot blood sausage soup and rice came out, a woman entered the store.

Her brown hair, basking in the sunlight, had an unusually shiny appearance today.

She glanced around the store, sweat forming on her forehead, and after confirming my presence, approached with a bright smile.

“Woojin!”

“Oh? Oh… you’re here.”

Yerin Seo, who was excessively welcoming, felt a bit awkward, but she seemed oblivious to such thoughts.

She sat across from me and inquired in a friendly manner.

“Are you okay? Have you been through a lot?”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. I spoke with the kids and separately talked to Han River senior.”

“…”

From Noble mtl dot com

“So don’t stress too much…”

“Let’s have some food.”

I was about to eat the comforting hot soup, but why is she interrupting me like this?

I calmed down Yerin Seo, who seemed impatient as I immediately put the rice cake into the bowl.

“Don’t worry, as I said earlier, I don’t know what happened until a while ago because I slept all the way. And I don’t really care.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, there’s no one close to me in the department, so it doesn’t matter if rumors circulate.”

Yerin Seo’s mouth slightly lifted as she stared at me, looking cutely dumbfounded.

But the emotions hidden behind it seemed strangely bitter…

“I envy you.”

It was a kind of jealousy.

“You truly don’t care what others around you say.”

“Well, that’s right.”

What’s the point of caring about every little thing? I think it’s necessary to be somewhat perceptive, but I don’t need to be influenced to that extent.

“Anyway, have you eaten? If you haven’t, eat. I’ll buy it for you.”

“No, I’ll buy yours too. Instead…”

“Hmm?”

Murmuring, Yerin Seo handed me her phone.

“Give me your number. I realized that I don’t have your number.”

“……”

I never thought the day would come when I would ask someone like Seo Yerin for their number. Of course, it wasn’t about romantic feelings, but still, my heart raced a little.

After saving my number, Seo Yerin looked at it for a moment and then smiled satisfactorily before asking.

“What should I save it as?”

“English Literature, Kim Woojin.”

What else could it be?

That’s how I wanted to save it.

“That sounds a bit formal.”

While saying that, Seo Yerin’s sundae soup arrived.

She raised her eyebrows as she saw me eating it, carefully layering each piece of sundae on top of the rice lid.

“You really don’t know anything. Sundae soup is meant to be mixed with rice to make it more satisfying.”

As she said that, Seo Yerin did not back down this time.

“You can truly taste the flavor when you eat it like this. If you mix the soup and rice, the seasoning becomes ambiguous.”

“Isn’t that the charm of sundae soup?”

“The charm lies in dipping the sundae in wasabi soy sauce.”

“Wow, get out of here.”

“Since last time, I’ve been thinking, your taste resembles that of an old man, you know?”

“Are you saying it’s a traditional Korean taste passed down from older generations? Thanks for the compliment.”

I thought the conversation wouldn’t break, but just as I had that thought, silence fell.

There are times when that happens.

When you’re in the middle of a conversation and suddenly the words disappear, and silence fills the air for a moment.

Without much thought, absentmindedly, I continue eating my food.

“Woojin.”

Secretly amidst the silence.

Also, with a gentle and soft voice brushing against my ear.

Like a passing spring breeze.

Small, but distinct.

Lastly, with a faint smile.

“Thank you.”

He expressed gratitude.

There was no need to ask what he was grateful for.

The response was conveyed with a slight nod of the head.

At some point, we were sitting in silence, just eating our meal.

And yet, strangely, it didn’t feel all that bad.