Bamboo Forest Manager

The Game

Early Saturday morning.

I was riding my bicycle out of the school grounds.

The sun shone brightly, and a refreshing breeze gently blew.

It was perfect weather for an outing or a long walk along the river trail.

Perhaps this is what they mean by the air being filled with freshness.

Suddenly, I felt an urge to just keep riding on and on.

But my actual destination was a gloomy commercial building that housed an internet café.

“……”

I wondered if Chanwoo would be working today.

He had gotten a girlfriend and had been neglecting his part-time job, making up for it by working as a fitting model instead, I heard.

As I entered, indeed Chanwoo wasn’t there.

In his place was another female worker who looked like a college student from nearby—pretty but not strikingly so amidst all the other beautiful people around here.

Objectively speaking though, she would be considered beautiful.

‘My standards have really gotten weirdly high.’

I clicked my tongue as I looked around the internet café.

It was the usual scene except for one thing: it was empty.

Those who had stayed up all night must have left already; it was still too early for new customers to come in at this hour of the day.

“Hmm?”

Today’s group stood out so much that I decided to take seats in a corner but surprisingly someone else had arrived before us.

“What? Choi Isuh you’re already here?”

None other than Choi Isuh himself.

Yes, he was one of our group at the PC cafe today.

“Ah, Woojin.”

Choi Isuh seemed to have thought similarly since he chose seats in the corner without turning on his computer yet.

“Why aren’t you using your computer? If you came early you should’ve started already.”

“Ah… umm, just because.”

Choi Isuh glanced awkwardly at me as he replied vaguely. It seemed odd that sitting next to him should feel strange until I quickly realized what might be wrong.

“Aha.”

Unlike Seo Yerin, who has always loved games, or Yu Arin, who had no interest in games but often came to the PC cafe because Jeong Chanwoo would give her something to eat.

Choi Iseo could count on one hand the number of times she’d been to a PC cafe.

“Here, Iseo. This is the power button.”

He turns on Choi Iseo’s computer with a smile. It makes sense she couldn’t find it; after all, PCs here are customized differently from those at home.

“……”

I thought she would make a typical excuse like ‘I knew that,’ but instead, she just keeps her mouth shut and looks down.

“That can happen. Last time we were ticketing together it was already on.”

She wouldn’t have known how to turn it on since she only saw computers that were already running.

If you come early in the morning like now, you wouldn’t know because the part-timer might have turned off all the computers.

“Computers are really strange.”

Choi Iseo finally mutters as she scratches her cheek.

“There are two mice here. One is for the next seat so don’t touch it.”

“What? Why is there a mouse from another seat here?”

“It’s a spare mouse. If someone’s mouse stops working during their game they can use that one—”

“You’re teasing me, Kim Woojin.”

“……It was just a joke.”

He thought he could tease Choi Iseo who felt awkward in the PC cafe but didn’t get very far with it.

Yu Arin comes yawning and trudging over as we talk about topping up our time.

“Oh, I’m tired. Why do we have to meet this early over the weekend?”

Yu Arin grumbles while wearing a black hat and loosely dressed in sportswear.

“I came because of you guys. Why bother learning something new?”

As I sigh deeply at this response, comments come flying from both sides:

“You’ve been gaming every day recently with Yerin.”

“Do you two just enjoy your sweet time playing all night? Is it fun hiding and playing?”

“What are we hiding exactly?”

The reason they both came to this PC cafe today was none other than to learn how to play games.

Recently Yerin and I got hooked on gaming.

We often stayed up late due to our newfound hobby which Yerin bragged about prompting them both wanting to join in learning how.

“When you see things like this…you must really like me.”

With a satisfied nod, Yoo Arin immediately smacks the back of my head.

Whack!

“I’m just doing it because there’s nothing else to do these days. You like this too much.”

“Ah, now I just want to go home.”

Holding my throbbing head, I listen to the venomous words spilling from Yoo Arin and Choi Yi Seo as I help them register for the game and explain its name.

Being college students, they didn’t encounter any issues during registration.

I did have a bit of trouble stopping Choi Yi Seo from trying to read all the terms and conditions in detail though.

“These days games explain everything before you start. Once you finish the tutorial, you should roughly know how to play.”

About 30 minutes passed like that.

“Don’t do it. You guys suck at this.”

Watching them unable to finish even the tutorial in 30 minutes made me sigh involuntarily.

“……”

“……”

Both of them awkwardly set down their mice. They must know themselves – they’re simply not cut out for gaming.

“How can you not manage this if you can read? Why are you clicking left when I tell you right?”

The fact that both were making the same mistake really added to my frustration.

“This game is too hard.”

“Isn’t there something easier?”

“Huff.”

Eventually, we quit the game.

Since we came all this way to a PC café, we might as well do something else here.

“I’ll have spicy ramen and sausages.”

“They also have fried rice here? I’ll go with rice then. We’re all having coffee too, right?”

‘Ordering food like pros makes me even more irritated.’

Yoo Arin seems experienced with ordering food online; she finishes placing our order on her computer very professionally.

‘A game for us…’

After some thought, I click on a game icon that I’ve never opened before in my life.

* * *

“Oh shoot! It’s Seoul! Choi Yi Seo got Seoul!”

“aaah!”

Yes, I never imagined that at the age of twenty, I’d be playing Blue Marble with the kids at a PC cafe.

Yu Arin is thrilled to have landed on Busan, while Choi Isuh sincerely sighs and slaps her forehead.

Now it’s my turn.

As I’m about to roll the dice…

“…What are you guys doing?”

Seo Yerin, who had told us she’d be late, stands behind us wearing a hat and sunglasses.

She must be surprised; she said she wanted to learn LOF, the game Seo Yerin and I were playing, but here we are playing Blue Marble instead.

“Blue Marble.”

I sneak a glance at Seo Yerin. Perhaps my expression conveyed various emotions.

From noble mtl dot come

Though Seo Yerin pats my shoulder…

“Hey, Kim Woojin. Hurry up and roll the dice!”

“Please three. Please three. Please three.”

Yu Arin and Choi Isuh chatter beside me as I roll the dice.

Honestly, I’m not even thinking about anything. Frankly speaking, Blue Marble isn’t even fun for me anymore.

I just mindlessly roll the dice while those next to me seem like they’re detoxing dopamine or something—thoroughly enjoying their rare game of Blue Marble after so long.

“Yippee!”

“Oh really…”

Eventually victorious Yu Arin throws her hands up in celebration while Choi Isuh covers his face with his hands as he feels the sting of defeat.

“Wow! It’s my first time seeing people enjoy Blue Marble this much.”

As I mutter in amazement Yu Arin immediately thumps me on the shoulder:

“Hey! Pay up ten thousand won.”

“This was for money?!”

“We decided to bet money while you were in the bathroom.”

That explains why they suddenly got so fired up about it. Choi Isuh paid ten thousand won but I refused:

“I wasn’t here when you made that decision so no way am I paying.”

“You joined in anyway; how can you back out now?”

“No! But…I didn’t want to play!”

“Oh come on!”

I wanted to ask Choi Isuh for some help but he just sulkily stared at his screen displaying ‘defeat.’

Wondering if I really should pay up ten thousand won…

“Include me too!”

He seemed utterly uninterested in the game of Blue Marble, but given that he was betting money, he looked like a dopamine addict whose eyes had already turned.

“Okay, Yerin joins and we play another round for ten thousand each?”

As Yu Arin suggested with a grin, Choi Iseo adjusted his seat and murmured softly.

“Come on in.”

The real pros have arrived.

I was about to lament being unintentionally roped into a game of Blue Marble when Seo Yerin behind us snapped her fingers.

“Tsk tsk. Is ten thousand enough? We should make it more exciting.”

“You want to raise the stakes? It might get too heated.”

Choi Iseo seemed reluctant to cross that line further but Seo Yerin shook her head.

“No, not that. Let’s bet something else. Like a wish bun or something!”

Though betting ten thousand seemed better by comparison.

“I already have one wish coupon from Kim Woojin.”

Yu Arin loosened up her hand as she prepared to roll the dice with just a click of the mouse.

“What shall we do? The last place fulfills the first place’s wish? Or if you come first, the remaining three fulfill your wish?”

Choi Iseo wanted to set clear rules before proceeding.

“Hmm, it’s tricky. Let’s say everyone grants one wish of whoever comes first. Nothing too excessive though.”

Trying to stay sane here but even Seo Yerin was getting seriously into spending on Blue Marble now.

‘Wishes.’

All three seemed quite serious about it actually.

I sneakily sent a message on my phone:

– Kim Woojin: Bro, just ten million won for me.

The reply came quickly:

– Big Bro: …What’s going on now?

– Kim Woojin: Nothing much. Just playing a game where I really need to win.

Guess I need some in-game purchases too.

– Big Bro: Are you gambling?

– Kim Woojin: No, just playing Blue Marble with friends. But I need some funds for it.

After that my brother stopped replying for some reason. Even if I wanted to talk to my younger brother about this matter; his wife is pregnant recently so they must be busy and spending quite a bit as well.

‘Can’t make any in-game purchases then.’

In the end, fate is decided by the roll of dice, isn’t it?

A wish ticket.

And you can get one for all three at once.

“By any chance, asking for three legs isn’t allowed, right?”

I nodded in agreement to Choi Yi-seo’s warning beside me.

That’s because it’s not something you can forcibly obtain like a wish; you need to win hearts.

But still.

A wish ticket could be an opportunity to open up hearts.

“Stay calm, Kim Woo-jin. You can do this.”

He even ordered a cup of coffee to regain his senses.

“Kim Woo-jin! Pull yourself together!”

He splashed water on his face and steeled himself with resolve.

“If we win here, the four of us are going straight to a hotel. You can do this; you’re capable.”

“…?!”

“…!”

“Huh.”

For a moment, all three pairs of eyes were fixed on me.

[Game start!]

The destiny that would unite us four in Blue Marble had already begun.