Bamboo Forest Manager

Sports Day

“……”

“……”

The silence that had fallen between us was so heavy.

I only realized belatedly that I had been holding my breath.

“Gasp!”

“Just, just a moment!”

As I took in a breath, my mother hurried over.

“It seems there’s been some misunderstanding. I entered here by mistake.”

“……”

Should I accept that?

Although I haven’t worked here long, the customers each have their own characteristics.

Among them, first-time visitors either widen their eyes at the items here or can’t bear it and flee.

But Mother entered so naturally and looked around at the items-

“Cough, yes, indeed.”

I affirm her words while avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

In life, there were things seen yet unseen; known yet unknown.

Where Seo Ye-rin’s adventures began—

Though I knew the origin now, I pretended not to know and just let it pass.

“Oh really—”

Even though I agreed with her, Mother clutched her head and bowed deeply.

It could have ended like a play but given Mother’s nature, that seemed difficult for her.

“Mother, you don’t need to worry. I won’t tell Ye-rin about this.”

“……Of course you shouldn’t.”

“We are adults after all. It’s natural for us to enter such a store.”

“Sighs… That is true too…”

If one has an assertive personality that doesn’t easily overlook things—

There was nothing shameful about it; rather it was essential to instill an understanding of its normalcy.

“My friends also meet me here often. At first they’re shocked but later they beg me for recommendations! Haha!”

“…….”

Could it be that my consideration had gotten through?

Mother’s shadowed expression seemed to brighten a bit.

“You don’t have to feel ashamed, Mother. A harmonious marital relationship is actually a great source of vitality for leading a prosperous life.”

“That’s too much consideration.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s a compliment.”

Ah, I see.

As I scratched my cheek awkwardly, Mother stared at me intently and asked,

“Woojin, were you serious about what you said yesterday?”

“If you mean—”

“That besides Yerin, there are two other people you care about.”

“Yes, I was serious.”

My confident response seemed to slightly fluster Mother.

“How can you say such things in front of your parents? And Yerin has accepted this?”

“She hasn’t fully accepted it yet—”

Still, among the three of them, Yerin was the one whose barriers had most crumbled.

We’ve even tried being together…

“Does that make any sense? This is Korea. We practice monogamy here.”

From noble mtl dot come

“I know. But I still want all three of them.”

“Don’t you think it’s too forceful just because you’re the young master?!”

Mother slammed her hand on the counter as she argued,

“I know it’s forceful.”

“Then—!”

“Mother, I genuinely wish for all three of us to be happy.”

There was no deceit in my words.

I truly wished for their happiness.

“I won’t forcibly keep anyone with me. If they wish to leave me at any time, I’ll let them go without leaving any bitterness behind.”

“……”

“But as long as they choose to stay with me. I am confident that I can make them happier than anyone else.”

As I declared this boldly, Mother stood gaping at me silently.

And then, clenching his teeth, he retorted.

“How could any woman be happy when there are two other women beside her man? Huh?! Wouldn’t she be much happier with a more reliable man than you, Woojin?!”

“I’ve thought about that too.”

Indeed, for a while I wondered if dating other men wouldn’t make the three of us much happier.

“But surprisingly, men who can make them happier than me are not common.”

A smile played at the corners of his mouth.

It was a smile born of confidence.

Sincerely, I was confident that I would not lose the three of them to anyone else.

I was sure I could make them happier than any other man could.

“Ha…”

Staring blankly at me, my mother eventually seemed at a loss for words and let out a long sigh.

After all, the outcome now seemed to reinforce what I was saying.

“Do all young people these days think like this?”

“…Not really. We’re just a bit special.”

“It’s not ‘we’, it’s Woojin who is special—or rather strange!”

“I won’t deny that.”

“Let’s talk about this another time. This doesn’t seem like the right place for such conversations.”

That made sense.

Discussing this with your daughter’s boyfriend in an adult store might indeed be inappropriate.

“I should get going now.”

My mother moved to leave the store outright.

“Uh, aren’t you buying anything?”

I had meant it as considerate but only realized after speaking how inconsiderate it sounded.

“……”

“……”

Silence enveloped us once again.

Seeing her hesitant steps told me she was contemplating something. Then quietly moving towards one of the displays and after looking around for some minutes,

“…Please ring this up.”

She placed an item on the counter and asked to proceed with payment.

It was a type of female masturbation device.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s for use with, you know, that person.”

“Of course. These days, it’s all the rage to use tools.”

As I was about to scan the barcode to complete the purchase,

“…But ma’am.”

“What, what, what?!”

“I think… that one over there might be more to your taste…”

“Yes?”

“Oh, no. Just thought it might be.”

As I awkwardly turned my head while speaking, ma’am looked incredulous but bit her lip and picked up that one too.

“Let’s see how well this works.”

She seems intent on finding fault with it after using.

I quickly processed the payment for both items and bowed deeply to her.

“Take care on your way home, ma’am!”

If you ask me what my recommendation was based on,

I had no answer except that it involved Seo Yerin.

Like mother like daughter…

* * *

Sports day.

For someone who only participates in tug-of-war and group jump rope, there couldn’t be a more wasteful event in terms of time.

Yet if you don’t attend this nonsensical event where attendance isn’t even recognized,

“What’s the point of not recognizing attendance?”

Each class is different anyway.

Anyway,

Even though it’s sports day, just sitting casually under an English department tent on a spread-out mat while dragging my slippers along,

“Aww man, we won everything.”

“Wahh! We lost!”

Yu Arin looks like she fought hard as she approaches with Seo Yerin looking crestfallen.

I heard earlier they were going out for a girls’ fight; seems like they lost after all.

“What, Yoo Arin lost?”

“It was the English Department that lost. She faced five people alone.”

It seems she struggled alone after all the English majors had fallen and eventually was defeated.

“Choi Yi Seo should have been there. Look at him skipping out because he’s busy. What’s the use of working out then!”

Yoo Arin, sitting next to me, vehemently curses Choi Yi Seo.

“Exactly! We really need to give Choi Yi Seo a piece of our mind! Ahh! Seriously, Choi Yi Seo!”

As I immediately respond with enthusiasm, both Yoo Arin and Seo Ye Rin turn their gazes sharply towards me.

“What’s going on? You’re cursing Choi Yi Seo too.”

“Yeah. You’ve always been on his side. Honestly, I’m a bit hurt by that.”

“No, today Choi Yi Seo is my enemy. My main enemy. Seriously, he’s being so unreasonable!”

Bang!

I slam my hand down in frustration as they both look puzzled by the situation.

Then comes Choi Yi Seo approaching us.

“Woo Jin-ah, help me move this water.”

“No.”

“Really? Just help me move it quickly.”

“You’re just trying to drain my energy! I know it all!”

“…There’s no one else to help but you.”

He hesitates for a moment which seems to confirm it isn’t entirely untrue.

Despite knowing this could be ignored,

Eventually I had no choice but to move the water knowing full well it was all part of Choi Yi Seo’s scheme.

Today is the day,

The day we promised before midterms with Choi Yi Seo,

s*x Day,

A day agreed upon for doing nothing but s*x all day long

The important thing is that Choi YiSeohas scheduled s*x Day as Sports Day

Essentially skipping morning and afternoon activities

Meaning we’d inevitably be exhausted by evening

“Ahem… After moving this can you also help move those chairs over there?”

Knowing I wasn’t participating in many events he deliberately assigned me these menial tasks intending to wear me out.

“Can you handle this?”

As I glared at Choi Yi-seo like a beast, breathing with hatred, he quickly turned his head and retorted.

“Why, why! It’s just asking for help with some work!”

“Alright, let’s see how you do, Choi Yi-seo. Today won’t be as easy as you think.”

Choi Yi-seo flinched and clutched his body. Since it was a promise anyway,

After gritting his teeth and moving all the water, he moved on to shifting chairs.

When I returned, Yoo Ah-rin was nowhere to be seen again; only Seo Ye-rin was squatting down chatting with other kids.

“Ah, Woo-jin! You’re here?”

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

It felt somewhat awkward that she would just get up from talking with others and come sit next to me when I arrived.

The kids looked bewildered for a moment but soon got used to it and let it slide without much fuss.

“Ah-rin went out for the obstacle race! Let’s go cheer her on together.”

“I want to conserve my energy today as much as possible.”

“I-seo went too. Heard that Hee-jung couldn’t make it so he stepped in as a substitute.”

“That makes me even less inclined to go.”

I was trying to persuade Seo Ye-rin just to stay put and save our energy when,

“Sigh, really.”

“Oh dear. Be careful now.”

Returning back towards the tent were noticeably soaked Choi Yi-seo among students and Yoo Ah-rin clicking her tongue beside her.

When asked what happened, Yoo Ah-rin shrugged nonchalantly explaining,

“She got hit squarely by a water balloon during the obstacle race. Do you have spare clothes?”

“Nope. Didn’t know I’d be running in an obstacle race.”

“Just go wash up then. Hey Kim Woo-jin—using your room okay? I’ll borrow whatever clothes too.”

She naturally assumed she could use my room.

Honestly today Choi Yi-seo annoyed me so much that I wanted to refuse,

“Sure wear anything.”

But since she’s soaking wet if left alone she might catch cold,

“I’ll lend you underwear!”

Seo Ye-rin happily followed along excited about helping out.

“Underwear? Then do you have separate clothes too?”

“No! I only brought underwear.”

“Why?”

As I watched their retreating figures chatting away, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Somehow, seeing the three of them getting along always lifted my spirits.

Since I ended up looking after the kids’ stuff, I was just playing a mobile game when suddenly…

“Hmm?”

I remembered something Seo Yerin had said as she left earlier.

‘Why did she only bring underwear?’

This question started to accelerate in my mind, and before I knew it, I began rummaging through Seo Yerin’s bag.

The kids around me gave me odd looks or whispered among themselves, but by now such reactions were familiar to me.

“Found it.”

Holding ‘that thing’ in my hand and imagining the future that awaited brought a pleased smile to my face naturally.

Ah, when will it come?

I hope it arrives soon.

My heart was pounding with excitement.

The bad mood from moments ago vanished completely and I was certain today would be one of the best days ever.

“They’re here!”

I could see the kids coming from afar.

They were whispering and talking amongst themselves; Choi Yi-seo was wearing a black jersey that belonged to me. It looked slightly provocative as it hung down to her thighs due to its size but seemed fitting enough.

But why were the other two wearing my clothes too?

Yu Arin laughed while wearing a white jersey.

“Hey Kim Woojin. You wear expensive stuff?”

“My big brother bought them for me. He said people talk behind your back if you don’t show off your wealth even though you have money. So he sent over some clothes in parcels telling me to flaunt it.”

“Heh! As expected from our vice-president!”

“It smells like Woojin! That’s why I changed into this too!”

Yu Arin wore a white jersey; Seo Yerin wore one in beige color.

“But why only jerseys?”

At Choi Yi-seo’s question, I smiled broadly and answered as sincerely as possible,

“He sent these because he heard that these days we are exercising regularly. Probably thought they’d be more comfortable for us.”

“…What’s this, why do I suddenly feel so good?”

“Just because. You changed all your clothes, including your underwear, right?”

“I didn’t wear yours.”

As if that needed to be said.

What would happen if she wore my underwear too?

“Did Yerin lend it to you?”

“Why are you prying so much?!”

Choi Yiseo kicked me with her foot in annoyance and then was about to leave to cheer on the others.

Click.

The moment I pressed the switch on the remote in my hand.

“Eek?!”

Choi Yiseo’s body lurched forward, her buttocks slightly lifting.

Startled by the strange moan that burst out, Choi Yiseo widened her eyes and looked at me.

“So it is from Seo Yerin?”

Last time,

when Seo Yerin went to see her mother, she was wearing it too—

the vibrating panties bought from our store.

Just as Seo Yerin had said she only had the underwear without any clothes,

I guessed right after all.

I grinned and rushed towards Choi Yiseo.

“Ah, today is going to be so much fun.”