Bamboo Forest Manager

Chapter 220

Sincerity

A tranquil hotel room.

Choi Jina alone pours wine on the top floor of a hotel with a panoramic view of the city lights below.

“……”

It was fortunate that there was one room left despite the hasty reservation.

After taking a sip of wine, Choi Jina grimaced with a bitter smile. The wine itself was sweet, but strangely, it tasted more bitter than usual.

Perhaps it had turned sour on her bitter-tasting tongue.

“Sigh.”

The reunion with Kim Woojin after such a long time had been quite pleasant. People change as they age, but surprisingly, there wasn’t much difference in Kim Woojin.

He always lived a life beyond her imagination, and that aspect intensely piqued Choi Jina’s interest to an excruciating degree.

Lives in stark contrast.

Unlike herself who lived within the framework set by her parents, he seemed almost radiant in some sense.

“Really… should I call him foolish or remarkable?”

They had talked for quite some time together; starting from park benches where Kim Woojin poured out stories to Choi Jina as if unloading burdens—stories about people he loved.

“He mentioned Seo Yerin, Choi Yi Seo and Yoo Arin.”

It’s crazy enough that he likes three women,

But going to an arranged marriage meeting and talking about the virtues of other women he likes—how messed up is this guy?

So quite some time had passed indeed.

Listening to his boasting, just for that one reason alone.

“Have they met by now?”

He had hurriedly left saying it was getting late. He probably went to see those people.

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t hide his eagerness, fidgeting and squirming as if he wanted to see them right away.

“What should I say to them?”

The arranged meeting itself was somewhat forced into happening by him. Having failed, he would surely get an earful from his parents.

Not wanting to go home and choosing a hotel had that reason too.

‘I want to hold onto this feeling… just a bit longer.’

Elementary school days.

To her, who lived life scheduled around numerous academies, the boy had been a brief respite.

It felt like being a dolphin.

After such a long time,

like a dolphin surfacing for air after ages,

before diving back into the deep abyss once more,

take a long breath in.

“Sigh.”

* * *

“Ah, I really feel like I’m going to die.”

Behind me is Yu Arin,

to my left is Seo Yerin and on my right is Choi Yiseo.

I knew they drank alcohol but didn’t expect them to drink so heavily like this tonight.

All of them leaning on me unable even to stand straight; these kids whom I thought could handle their liquor are completely wrecked today.

‘The arranged meeting today must have been quite shocking.’

I feel guilty for making the kids suffer unnecessarily.

“Above all else try giving me some strength! I really can’t walk!”

My back feels like it’s going to bend.

Worried that we might end up crushed under our own weight, I first sit each of them down at the outdoor terrace of the nearby convenience store.

“Wow, what do we do now?”

While calling for taxis is one thing; whether these kids can safely make it home in one is another matter entirely.

Let’s buy some hangover remedies from the convenience store first then check on their condition.

I had just stepped inside and quickly made a purchase before heading back out.

“What? What did you say?”

It was only for a brief moment, yet already a group of men had gathered, targeting the kids.

Three men were clinging to each person, and just as I was starting to feel disgusted,

“Fuck off, asshole.”

Yu Arin, pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, gritted her teeth and muttered quietly.

That b*stard’s faking sleep.

My back is killing me; did he really have to carry me like that?

From noble mtl dot come

First things first, I push the men away.

“Excuse me. Sorry, but they’re all taken. Please leave.”

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘taken’? I saw you come in alone with the kids earlier.”

Perhaps it’s because they’ve been drinking that they don’t back down. The exceptional looks of the kids are surely another reason they’re not retreating.

“Yes, they’re all mine so please go away.”

I speak confidently while shrugging my shoulders and the men stare at me blankly.

What are they going to do? It’s not like I said anything wrong.

“This guy is crazy?”

“What do you mean ‘all yours’? Hey man, only take what you can handle.”

“Ha! Did this guy grow up watching porn or what?”

“I can handle it. That’s my capacity. Even if it goes on all day long I’m still fucking solid. Not like you guys who soften up after one or two shots.”

I’ve been through situations like this enough times to know,

Acting crazy in these moments works best.

Look at them now,

Stunned by talk they never imagined hearing.

I’m not confident about winning even one-on-one fights,

Let alone 1 against 3?

Are you kidding me right now?

If it came down to it before police arrived how long could I hold out?

“So get lost! You have no idea how fiercely these guys cling on! If we’re doing this together then expect an entire day-!”

“What kind of shit is this fucker saying!?”

“There are things you can say to others and things you can’t!”

Yu Arin and Choi Iseo suddenly got up and charged at me.

As they started hitting me, I couldn’t help but laugh despite being punched.

“Look at this! Look! Pretending to be asleep even though you’re awake! Enough with the hangover cure—Ouch?! Wait, that hit bone!”

The two of them cornered me and began beating me up while bickering back and forth.

Finally, the last one standing, Seo Yerin also sprang up shouting,

“Our Woojini can handle ten times a day?! And look at this, look! This tiny—!”

“Hey, ouch! Stop her for a second! What is she even saying!”

Despite my shouts to stop them, they continued hitting as if in perfect sync.

Anyway.

People left with sickened expressions on their faces.

In the end, only the four of us remained.

“It freaking hurts.”

I slumped onto a convenience store chair and muttered while blankly staring at the moon.

It really hurts like hell.

My whole body was throbbing not just because of what was said earlier but also because it seemed loaded with emotions from today’s arranged meeting I attended.

“…What did you do there?”

Yu Arin casually sat next to me.

After taking my card earlier, she bought Chocomong and was slurping it down.

I handed over my hand asking for my card back but ended up getting Hershey’s chocolate milk instead so decided just to drink that.

“Nothing much.”

Then Choi Iseo sat on the opposite side asking,

“You went home right? How come you came back so suddenly?”

“I came by car. The chauffeur drove me.”

Oh, there was mention of ‘chauffeur,’ but I let it slide while sipping on my chocolate milk.

That wasn’t important anyway.

“Did the meeting go well? What about him? He’s quite famous isn’t he?”

This time Seo Yerin asked as if probing; she didn’t seem very skilled in making such probing inquiries—

Her intentions were too transparent.

“I got dumped.”

The taste of chocolate that slides down the throat with a sweet scent.

I wonder why the kids gathered to drink today. The pondering didn’t last long.

As much as it caused anxiety, I also wanted to give assurance.

“I told you there are three people I’m interested in.”

A moment of silence.

The three looking at me with blank expressions seemed completely sober now.

“And all through dinner, I only talked about you guys. Yeah, and that’s why I forgot to contact you.”

When would I ever get a chance to brag about these kids elsewhere?

Just mindlessly spilling stories about them made it this late.

“That’s why I wanted to see you. No, not just that. Right from when I first met him, it was only you guys I wanted to see.”

It was too late for buses, and though reluctant, I hitched a ride in the family car instead.

Thanks to that, at least I managed to arrive at this hour.

“Ah, seeing you feels good.”

Yes, seeing them feels good indeed.

I candidly share while sneakily checking their reactions—worried they might complain about me showing off again around all three of them.

The three remain tight-lipped,

Starting to glance at each other nervously,

“What’s up? Why are you like this?”

Feeling an awkward tension as if there were some issue; then Seo Yerin suddenly glanced around before shouting out loud,

“Woo Jina said she’s giving up on you!”

“Hey Seo Yerin!”

“Just wait a minute.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

What is she talking about?

It felt like being hit hard on the head by her statement as my gaze shifted back and forth between Yu Arin and Choi Yi Seo,

Seeing their awkwardly embarrassed expressions suggested it wasn’t something made up on the spot,

“You said so too!”

Yu Arin pointed out accusingly towards Seo Yerin who simply smiled confidently,

“I said ‘on hold’. If things work out we’ll meet again.”

She straightens her shoulders proudly as if she had laid some groundwork beforehand.

No, rather than that.

“Really?”

As I ask with a trembling voice, both of them avoid my gaze.

“Sigh, I see.”

I close my eyes tightly.

“I said I wouldn’t hold on.”

I had told the kids numerous times. That I wouldn’t forcibly hold onto someone leaving.

It would really be crossing the line to forcefully keep the three in mind.

“I’ll accept it.”

I exhale deeply.

“I’m going to cry a lot when I get home today.”

It felt like I would end up crying my heart out while drinking. As I was expressing my gloomy feelings, Choi Yiseo gently stroked the back of my hand from beside me.

“Well, we felt like we were blocking your way forward. The person you met for the arranged date was famous after all.”

“……”

This time, Yoo Arin awkwardly puts her hand on my shoulder and mumbles embarrassingly,

“Honestly, compared to someone like Choi Jina, doesn’t everyone feel inferior?”

At their words, tears that were about to flow recede and instead a bit of anger rises within me.

“So what? If there’s another damn good-looking guy with lots of money and accomplishments other than me, are you going to go to him?”

At my words both flash realization in their eyes.

“Choi Jina has money and fame as an award-winning musician and is beautiful? What’s so important about that?”

None of it really mattered at all.

From the start, it wasn’t something different or special that made me fond of them or liked them for who they were not.

“I just liked you because you are who you are? That’s why I wanted us to be together. What now? Was it only me who felt this way?”

Fuming with irritation, I abruptly stand up from where we sat.

“Ah fine. Go ahead then! If guys like Chanwoo come seducing you’ll just fall for them! Go then! Ah damn it; when I get home maybe thinking about Jina will help!”

As soon as they see me heading straight back towards the dormitory Choi Yiseo and Yoo Arin each grab one of my hands simultaneously.

“…Sorry.”

“Yeah… Maybe we thought about this wrong.”

“Haah.”

I let out a deep sigh.

After letting go of their hands, I turn around to face the kids.

“I know I’m a piece of trash… But you three were just too good to accept that. Incomparable to anyone else.”

This time, it’s me who takes both their hands in mine.

Neither pulls away; they just awkwardly avoid each other’s gaze, seemingly embarrassed.

“If you leave, I won’t hold you back. But it’s going to be really hard for me.”

As I say this with a bitter smile, they hesitate for a moment before sighing deeply.

“Trash.”

“b*stard.”

Yet they don’t let go of my hands. In a way, it was like giving permission.

They tried to hug me then but were immediately pushed away and rejected.

“What was that? This isn’t some hugging scene right now?”

“If only Arin wasn’t here.”

“That was my line. I don’t want to compete with Choi Yi Seo.”

“…”

It seemed like things had settled down somehow.

“Then as a sign of reconciliation, let’s all sleep over at Woo Ji Ni’s place!”

Seo Ye Rin hugs me from behind and makes quite an attractive suggestion.

Sneaking into the dormitory shouldn’t be an issue anymore; we’ve become quite skilled at that.

Swallowing hard as I look at the two in front of me, the atmosphere surprisingly doesn’t seem rejecting.

But Choi Yi Seo firmly warns,

“Just sleep though. Nothing beyond that is allowed.”

“Agreed. The three of us getting tangled up was an accident; four is definitely not happening.”

“…Wasn’t this supposed to be make-up s*x?”

My shoulders slump dejectedly.

Yet the two remain resolute.

If so, there’s another way around this.

“I’ll add one condition then: Don’t get excited because if things escalate when I stand up—I’m going right ahead.”

“…”

It was serious.

It was utterly serious.

The moment anyone initiated it, war would immediately ensue.

“Then just play with me! Let the kids sleep beside us!”

Seo Yerin, riding on my back and suggesting with a laugh. Playing with Seo Yerin in front of Choi Iseo and Yu Arin would certainly be thrilling but…

“Yerin, you need to go home.”

Regrettably, Seo Yerin couldn’t join us.

“…Why?”

“I got a call from your mother. She found out where you were. She insisted that you must come home today.”

“…”

“I also need to make a good impression on your mom.”

There was no helping it.

We were supposed to unite as four, but perhaps for now we should try uniting as three.

“Disband.”

Seo Yerin declared coldly as she got off my back.

“Don’t do it. Don’t have s*x without me. Logically speaking, going to the dorm at this hour and all four of us sleeping there doesn’t make sense anyway.”

“You’re the one who suggested it.”

“We’re a match made in heaven when it comes to hypocrisy.”

“No, Yerin. That’s a bit…”

I felt like a husband making excuses to his wife after coming home drunk. I tried various persuasions to convince Seo Yerin somehow.

“Impotent squeak!”

Thwack!

Seo Yerin’s kick landed precisely between my legs hitting hard against my groin.

“Ah, huh?!”

Clutching my lower half, I knelt down right there.

Seething Seo Yerin ominously warned,

“If I can’t have that dick, no one can.”

“Damn crazy bi—”