Bamboo Forest Manager

Full Power

“Joo-hee, could you make a delivery to this friend’s store?”

It was unexpected.

While it was normal to deliver coffee to customers’ tables inside the store,

there had never been an occasion where she had to deliver coffee outside like this.

I understood that the cafe manager was busy talking with his friend.

And I knew that his friend was bald and someone I had seen fighting with gangsters before.

But to ask her to go beyond her usual duties and make a delivery like this—

“Our Woo-jin is working part-time at our store.”

“Ahem, where is this store located?”

The discomfort she felt moments ago had vanished, and Min Joo-hee was already packing up the coffee and heading out of the cafe.

“Hmm?”

She hadn’t heard which kind of store it was but followed the address on her phone; it was just a five-minute walk away.

Closer than she thought for finding part-time work.

“……”

She never imagined it would be this kind of place.

A pink signboard and pink wallpaper.

The explicit 19+ sign made it clear that minors were not allowed inside.

An adult shop.

There wasn’t even a sign indicating its name clearly enough.

Just entering seemed quite daunting indeed.

‘Why does he always have to be in places like these…’

He’s a dear junior and generally alright but denying he often has different ethical views from others would be difficult.

‘Could what I saw on Bamboo Forest last time be true?’

When third-year students were badmouthing Kim Woo-jin on Bamboo Forest,

Min Joo-hee also saw those posts there.

Then someone anonymous under ID287 appeared,

revealing Kim Woo-jin as a conglomerate chairman’s son which made all accusatory posts disappear, silencing those third-year students too.

It probably really is true.

“Sigh.”

He was a person from an entirely different dimension than I had thought.

I had merely perceived him as a cool junior.

Min Joo-hee entered with a self-deprecating smile, thinking she had reached for grapes that were forbidden to her.

“Hello, I’ve come to deliver coffee to one of your staff mem-”

From noble mtl dot come

I had just mentioned something about having strange ethics.

“Uh…”

The moment I saw Kim Woo-jin kissing the end of a d*ldo because of Yoo Arin.

I even began to wonder if successful people were somehow different.

* * *

“Ahem, I’ll enjoy the drink.”

She drank the coffee placed on the counter.

Little did I know that the cafe owned by my boss was where Senior Ju-hee worked.

And moreover, that my boss’s friend was the owner of that cafe.

“The world is really small! Haha!”

Although she laughed as she spoke, the reactions were chilly.

“The world… seems vast though.”

Senior Ju-hee looked around and seemed to have discovered a new world; apparently, since she wasn’t accustomed to such things, she was quite shocked by the items sold in an adult store.

“Ahem.”

Yoo Arin awkwardly turned her head away and then bowed deeply upon seeing adult products.

It seemed like we suddenly realized how crazy our actions had been until now.

“I can’t stay here any longer. Woo-jin, if you want coffee later on come visit our shop.”

“Yes, understood.”

Eventually Senior Ju-hee left with her face turning red as a beetroot and exited from the shop right away.

Only then did Yoo Arin sigh deeply and slap her forehead.

“I’m sorry.”

It appeared that she felt guilty about having done something inappropriate and showing it to Senior Ju-hee.

“Well, it can’t be helped. When senior saw us earlier probably thought we were just fooling around like couples do.”

With a slight tremble in her shoulders, Yu-arin stared intently at me.

“Why again? Was it wrong to say we’re dating? Sorry,”

I started with an apology right away, but Yu-arin sighed deeply and shook her head.

“No, it’s the opposite. Saying we’re dating makes me feel all fuzzy inside; it’s not bad.”

“…”

“I wish it were just the two of us and no one else.”

Muttering under her breath, Yu-arin tiptoed closer and suddenly grabbed my face and kissed me.

“Hmm?”

It was so unexpected that I couldn’t even process it and just stared blankly.

“I just wanted to do it.”

“…That’s possible.”

Nodding my head, this time I initiated the kiss.

Yu-arin didn’t refuse.

The awkward movement of our tongues was still there, but now instead of being stiff, the entanglement wasn’t too bad.

“Pffft, you’re annoyingly good at kissing. It feels like you’re showing off.”

After breaking the kiss and grumbling with a smile. Unbeknownst to me, my hands had wrapped around her waist; I moved them down to grasp her hips more firmly.

Somewhat forcefully,

“Ah! That hurts,” she said though her tone had already softened.

Yu-arin’s face flushed red. She tried pushing my hand away but lacked strength in her push.

We kissed again.

The explicit sound of our tongues and saliva mingling echoed through the room.

Suddenly Yu-arin’s fingertips lightly touched my now rigid lower body beneath my pants.

‘Ah! This is driving me crazy.’

I wanted to strip right then,

But weren’t we supposed to be working?

“Up…to here.”

As I broke off the kiss saying that, Yu-arin seemed spellbound for a moment as she leaned forward following my lips before snapping back to reality,

“Cough! Ahem. It…it was practice. You said I couldn’t use my tongue well.”

“That’s even s*xier.”

“…When does your shift end?”

Is she waiting for me?!

Seeing her rubbing her thighs and twisting her body, it seems she too is finding it hard to hold back.

“I get off at 9. Still about two hours left.”

“Umm, waiting here might be a bit much, right?”

“Yeah, probably.”

An ambiguous situation.

Eventually, Yuarin slapped her own cheek sharply and took a sip of my coffee before nodding.

“Okay, that’s it for now.”

“…”

“Don’t make that face. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

That may be true.

It had been a while since I held Yuarin and touched her; the feeling was just too good.

Still.

I must overcome this.

“Sigh, just go. I don’t think I can hold back any longer.”

Sitting in the chair, I clutch my head and tightly close my eyes. My lower half was already swollen to its limit.

Trying to calm myself down in this place filled with adult toys by taking deep breaths,

Yuarin who was about to leave came back again.

And then,

Thud.

“I’d like to pay.”

What she brought was underwear that could be used for cat cosplay complete with cat ears and tail—a rather precious item as a set.

Did Yuarin buy that?

I blankly alternated my gaze between the item and Yuarin.

The one who had been extremely excited just moments ago now wore an innocent smile full of mischief as usual.

“You’re buying this?”

“Yes. I’ll buy it.”

“Why?”

“I’m saving it to show my boyfriend later.”

“……Should I quit my part-time job?”

If she were to suggest going to a hotel right this moment, I’d abandon my job and run to her—that was my resolve.

Thump!

However, the card slammed against my forehead by Yuarin shattered that determination.

“Just shut up and pay, will you?”

I bite down hard on my lip.

Resisting temptation is harder than I thought.

Especially since everyone around me was pressuring me to win.

“I’ll buy it for you.”

I took out my wallet and paid on behalf of Yuarin.

Then she giggled, slipped the item into her bag she had brought along, and whispered,

“Meow.”

Ah, I’m looking forward to this.

Ah, I’m really looking forward to this.

As Yuarin walked outside,

Even as I close my eyes trying to calm down the excitement, the image of Yuarin in a cat cosplay keeps flickering before me.

Then the door opens again as she returns,

And then she snatched away the iced Americano that senior Juhee had given me.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Drink this.”

Instead, she dropped a Hershey’s chocolate milk in front of me and left abruptly again.

Could it be jealousy?

“Ha, how cute.”

Smilingly,I insert a straw into the chocolate milk and take a long sip.

Hmm,it was better than coffee.

* * *

“Ah,I feel like dying.I’m shaking so much.”

Trembling,I get on the elevator trying hard to breathe deeply calming down thumping heart.

But if deep breaths were enough,I wouldn’t be shaking so much like this.

“Woojina, look at this!”

Whether she knew how I felt or not.

Next to me, Seo Yerin smiled broadly and slightly lifted her skirt.

“I bought these vibrating panties from your store yesterday!”

“…Are you crazy?”

Even so, I wondered if it was necessary to wear such a thing while meeting with her mother and me.

Yes, that’s right.

Today was the day to meet Seo Yerin’s mother.

I had asked my older brother for a favor to dress neatly and even booked an expensive restaurant.

You might say I’m relying too much on my brother but,

‘This is my true intention.’

Even if it seems disgraceful or too dependent on the prestige of being wealthy, it doesn’t matter.

I was ready to give everything I had because I wanted Seo Yerin that much.

“I tried these on myself and they were no joke. It made me empathize with those scenes in adult videos where they cover their mouths with their hands trying to suppress moans.”

“I’m nervous here. Please don’t complicate things with weird talk-“

Smack!

Seo Yerin kissed me suddenly and gave a mischievous smile.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“Ah, you…”

“It’s okay. There’s no need to be nervous. I love you. That’s all that matters.”

“…”

“Tsk, it was supposed to be an eventful surprise but guess it failed.”

It seemed that she really meant it considering she didn’t hand over the remote control for the panties.

‘Is this her way of showing consideration?’

Though somewhat extreme as a gesture of care, seeing Seo Yerin behaving as usual somehow calmed me down.

“Yes, let’s just show them we’ve prepared well.”

“Mmm-hmm!”

The elevator stopped and we arrived at the restaurant.

As I sat down in the reserved seat, I thought I had found a moment to catch my breath amidst the night view outside.

“Mom’s here.”

Seo Yerin nudged me in the side.

I immediately stood up to greet her mother.

“Hello, Mother. It’s Woojin Kim!”

“Nice to meet you, Woojin. But is it okay to meet here? Where would a student get the money…”

“It’s fine. Please have a seat here.”

I even pulled out a chair for her.

Mother seemed to have put some effort into dressing up since Father was too busy with work to come.

As the prepared meal was served, we began eating first.

I remember being scolded by my older brother once for slicing steak like it was pork cutlet.

This time, I tried cutting it with proper formality.

“…Woojin.”

While I was slicing the steak,

Mother slowly put down her knife and fork and looked at me intently before speaking in a somber tone,

“I’ll pay for this. It’s too much for a student to cover.”

“No, Mother. I have plenty of money!”

“That’s enough. How much could a student possibly have?”

“Mom, Woojin really-“

“Just be quiet.”

Yerin shrank back immediately,

Pouting her lips and muttering under her breath,

“Just thinking about eating this kind of food on student money makes it hard to swallow.”

Then she took a sip of wine before getting straight to the point,

“Woojin knows right? That Yerin signed with YS Entertainment.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

As soon as I nodded affirmatively, Mother also nodded as if pleased that we understood each other well,

“Yerin will now pursue acting. She has been told to attend an academy but she still wants to be a student and keeps grumbling about it.”

“…”

“And I think that’s because of you, Woojin. That’s why this child still clings onto school.”

Glancing at Seo Yerin, she was already grumbling as she roughly sliced her steak.

“Yerin’s name in your phone is saved with a heart. Didn’t you say you had broken up when I saw it last time at your house?”

He was referring to the first time they slept together after the festival.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Back then, he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

He thought it would just be a one-night stand with Seo Yerin.

“Why are you changing your story again? Why are you blocking Yerin’s future like this?”

“Mother…”

“You know about the role Yerin got offered recently, right? A supporting role in a drama. It airs around the same time as the movie she did with Gold One; it’s perfect for getting her recognized. YS really sees potential in her.”

“…”

“But Yerin turned down the drama because of the romance and physical contact involved.”

That was because I advised her against it.

A pang of guilt throbbed in his chest.

“Sigh, Woojin. Our Yerin finally has a dream—to become an actress.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“As a parent, I want to help our child achieve her dreams. This is the first time she has ever told me that she wants something.”

His mother’s words were naturally understandable.

His own child had found a dream for herself and wanted to move forward towards it.

But how frustrating must it be if just one boyfriend from college could hold her back?

“I can date Woojin while being an actress!”

“That’s unrealistic…”

Despite Seo Yerin’s outcry, her mother remained firm. She seemed well aware of how much criticism actors or idols with partners receive online through research probably prompted by Seo Yerin herself.

Perhaps that latter assumption was more likely true.

The gentle voice filled with parental hope that their daughter wouldn’t face such criticism spoke again,

“Woojin isn’t a bad person.”

“I know.”

“If people at YS find out about her boyfriend, they won’t look favorably on it either. For an actor who has just signed a contract—if she gets on their bad side because of this—”

“There is someone else here for that reason.”

I immediately stood up.

Then, from a distant table where he had been dining, a man strode over.

“……?!”

My mother’s eyes widened, and she seemed at a loss for words, unable to speak.

So I greeted him on her behalf.

“Mother, this is Mr. Jeong Min-cheol from YS. Hello, Mr. Jeong Min-cheol. Thank you so much for making time to meet us today.”

“No, I am always indebted to the chairman. The madam also helped a lot when we were growing the company.”

From noble mtl dot come

My mother looked on blankly, clearly unsure of what to say next.

“What is this?”

Seo Ye-rin was also flustered and tugged at my clothes urgently.

“I told you as we came in.”

That I had prepared sincerely.

Even if it looks desperate or forced.

Today, I will do everything in my power to win Seo Ye-rin over.