Bamboo Forest Manager

Overcoming Mountains

Starting next week were the final exams, so naturally, the atmosphere in the classroom was different than usual.

Even those who usually played on their phones, couples who chatted away, and those who constantly checked their watches hoping for class to end were all paying attention with united focus to every word and gesture of our professor.

Perhaps our professor was pleased with us because he passionately continued his lecture while casually dropping hints about questions that would be on this exam.

Yet even amidst this,

Seo Yerin alone wasn’t focusing on the lecture at all.

I heard she planned to minimize her studies since she would be entering filming during vacation.

No matter what though, not focusing at all seemed a bit much.

But then again I thought maybe it’s better for her to rest here if it means being less stressed when memorizing scripts or studying acting or during shooting later on.

Her frequent attendance in lectures like today might be considered quite remarkable in itself.

‘If anything is worth noting here—it’s just that we’re putting effort into different things.’

So let’s just let her rest now.

‘Tsk.’

My right hand holding the pen felt stiff so I massaged it with my left hand.

Watching blankly as I did this Seo Yerin reached out her own hand towards me.

“I’ll massage it for you.”

“There’s no need.”

I hesitated wondering if handing over my still sore hand might end up hurting more given that Seo Yerin hadn’t cooled off yet.

It seemed that Seo Yerin was even more upset about not being given a hand.

“Here.”

As I handed over my right hand, Seo Yerin pressed down on my palm quite diligently.

Seeing her doing it so earnestly made me feel sorry for having hesitated until just now.

Moreover, Seo Yerin’s expression had brightened considerably.

“Ah, thank you.”

I tried to quickly jot down something important the professor mentioned as I pulled my hand away.

But as soon as I did, Seo Yerin’s expression darkened again.

“……”

Her lips slightly pouted.

Along with a sulky gaze and a slight snort through her nose.

It seemed she didn’t like that I had withdrawn my hand.

‘Is she angry or what?’

I thought that couples usually don’t touch each other when they are angry or fighting.

Underneath the arm that was busy writing, I stealthily extended my left hand towards Seo Yerin.

Wondering if this was the right move, I glanced at her and saw her quickly grab my left hand and smirk.

“Heh, hehe.”

Seeing her try to hide an extended smile by propping up her chin made it seem like she felt better again.

Should this be considered easy or difficult?

There wasn’t any particularly intimate physical contact between us.

We were like a secretly dating couple in a youth drama,

simply holding hands under the desk where no one could see us.

That was all there was to it.

And thinking about this aspect made me realize it was part of the charm of a woman named Seo Yerin.

Seo Yerin talked about her true self as ‘Anonymous69’, showing immense curiosity and interest in s*xual matters,

but that didn’t mean all aspects of how she usually presented herself were completely fake.

‘She might have considered those parts of herself fake because people’s attention stressed her out excessively.’

Every time I saw this side of her,

it seemed undeniable that Seo Yerin possessed an innocent charm unlike what others saw in her.

“Why?”

Seeing me just chuckle without taking notes, Seo Yerin asked me slyly.

“Just.”

Does she know?

That I’ve just discovered another charm of hers.

“I think I like you even more now.”

As I said this with a slightly cheesy comment, a broad smile spread across Seo Yerin’s lips before she quickly turned her head away.

She tried to hide her laughter with her hand on her chin covering her mouth, but our hands remained clasped together.

Neither advancing nor retreating.

We were both enjoying that exact amount of time together.

* * *

“Let’s go!”

After the lecture ended, Seo Yerin didn’t care about the people around and hooked her arm through mine.

Even though she usually restrained herself when others were watching, it was as if she had broken free from something and clung to me passionately.

“Where shall we go?”

I could see other students murmuring as they left the classroom, but I had already given up on discretion.

Because we had been holding hands until the end of the lecture, my left hand was clammy and my shoulder felt stiff.

“To Woojin’s room!”

The way she called out indicated that she must have cooled down quite a bit.

“My room? Why? Just to rest for a bit?”

I wondered what else there was to do in my room when suddenly,

Seo Yerin mischievously tiptoed and whispered in my ear,

“We need to have s*x?”

“…”

The moments we had just spent exchanging tender touches felt like they dissolved into nothingness.

The gentle emotion felt merely like foreplay heating up our bodies before having s*x.

“What? Weren’t you saying you’re not one of those girls who only needs s*x?”

“That’s right.”

Stepping back and nodding, Seo Yerin spoke louder now that there was no one else in the classroom.

“But! Just holding hands felt so good! Imagine how great it would be to have s*x!”

“Why do you jump straight from holding hands to s*x?”

Her statement that she had been perfectly content with just holding hands reassured me that the emotions I felt were genuine.

“I don’t know. It’s because Woojin is too s*xy, it’s unfair. I did nothing wrong.”

What is she saying?

“Your focused look while listening to the lecture is subtly s*xy, I can’t stand it!”

“You know there’s another lecture after this.”

Moreover, that lecture is attended together with Choi Yiseo.

It feels like one mountain after another.

“We have a two-hour lunch break, isn’t that enough?”

“…”

Honestly speaking, it’s damn hard.

Yesterday’s passionate cat cosplay had stirred emotions intensely because of the somewhat fervent love shared with Yoo Arin.

“Ah, what should I do now?”

In a moment of pondering over my still numb lower body…

Crack!

Seo Yerin’s hand grabbed my lower body and pressed her chest tightly against mine.

“Surely not.”

Our breaths mingling closely.

Looking up at me slightly, Seo Yerin softly warned me.

“You can’t say we did too much yesterday to do it again today.”

Suddenly, the term ‘defensive battle’ came to mind.

Holding back tears, I grabbed Seo Yerin’s shoulders and said,

From noble mtl dot come

“L-let’s go!”

* * *

“Yes, Yerin. I’m going now to attend the lecture?”

“Hah! Haah!”

Leaving behind Seo Yerin sprawled naked on my bed in my room, I stepped outside.

Walking through pain as if my guts were being ripped out, somehow I moved towards the next lecture venue.

Though Seo Yerin looked utterly exhausted on the outside; truthfully speaking; half of her was devoured by me.

If I didn’t clench my teeth, it felt like I might bite something off in frustration.

“I really need to learn some restraint.”

Even if the finals weren’t particularly important to her, they were to me.

During exam periods, it was necessary to keep oneself in check, but how could she dive into things so recklessly?

And yet, if you asked her if she disliked it, that wasn’t the case either.

“Doesn’t it smell like Seo Ye-rin around here?”

Just in case, I had brought deodorant with me and was spraying it at the entrance of the dormitory when Senior Ju-hee entered looking utterly exhausted.

“Hello, senior.”

I only intended a brief greeting given her sensitive state during exams.

She nodded slightly as she passed by but then stopped abruptly and stared intently at me.

“Why… what’s up?”

Seeing Senior Ju-hee with such dark circles under her eyes was somehow refreshing.

Underneath a white cap, her gaze met mine sharply.

“Forget it.”

She seemed not wanting to talk and just walked away.

“What’s going on?”

Something felt incredibly off-putting; however since I was late for class already, I rode my bike straight to the lecture hall.

“It should be fine right?”

Anxiety continued to creep up on me as I pedaled. Somehow Seo Ye-rin had been appeased for now.

But what about Choi Yi-seo?

Despite trembling with fear, there was no denying that this path was my choice.

I figured talking things out once there would be best.

Arriving at the lecture hall…

The professor hadn’t arrived yet; luckily I wasn’t late after all.

The room was already full of people.

As noticed in previous classes but more so during exams – attendance really surged.

Choi Yi-seo sat right at the front – always taking a model student’s spot while also reserving seats by placing his bag next to him which eased my mind somewhat.

At least we were close enough for conversation.

“Hey, Seo-ya.”

It was only after I greeted her that I wondered if it was appropriate to greet her as usual.

Choi Seo-ye silently began to put away her bag while stealing glances at me.

Just as I was about to say the words I had prepared, anticipating some kind of excuse from her expression,

“…The previous lecture, it was Yerin, right?”

“Huh?”

Choi Seo-ye’s eyes twitched slightly before she shot me a sharp look.

I felt doomed already but responded casually anyway.

“Yeah, right? I attended the lecture with Seo Yerin.”

“Hmm.”

Choi Seo-ye took a deep breath and looked down at her textbook. She seemed to be debating whether or not to say something.

After much deliberation, Choi Seo-ye chose to smile.

“A-rin last night and Yerin during lunchtime?”

How did she know?

I could understand if she figured out Yu A-rin, but I thought I had hidden my meeting with Seo Yerin quite well.

“How much air freshener did you spray, Woo-jin? It’s overwhelming.”

“Well, the smell is strong because we ate pork belly for lunch.”

“Oh, is that why?”

A lie that wouldn’t take hold at all.

I knew it would be caught while saying it but felt compelled to try anyway.

Of course, the result was disastrous nonetheless.

“Woo-jin seems really busy these days.”

I swallowed hard.

Never in my life had I awaited a professor so eagerly before this moment.

Seeing me like this made Choi Seo-ye chuckle incredulously and point towards her own neck,

“You left a mark there Woo-jin.”

“…!”

Without realizing it, my hand swiftly moved up to cover my nape.

When did Seo Yerin leave a mark?

It’s already too late.

Then, I simply had to beg.

“Seo-ya, it’s not that it isn’t… It is true. But I didn’t start this.”

“Aha, I see.”

“I was just about to have lunch when Yerin forcefully dragged me along. It really felt like a defensive battle…!”

At that moment, Choi Seo handed me a hand mirror she took out from her bag.

A quick glance at my neck revealed no marks; it was clean.

Damn.

I’ve been had.

“So you really did it.”

Choi Seo nods as she puts the hand mirror back into her bag.

Clutching my fists tightly, I threw my last bargaining chip at Choi Seo.

“I’ll try two more times.”

“…”

“Three times?”

As I awkwardly held up three fingers and smiled, Choi Seo responded with a laugh too.

While sweating coldly and taking in the situation,

Another female student timidly walked towards me and said,

“Um, excuse me. This is my seat?”

“…Yes?”

I was about to ask what she meant when Choi Seo pushed on my shoulder and declared coldly,

“Get lost, Woo-jin. There are seats here.”

“Seo-ya!”

I tried to make excuses but just then the professor entered the classroom,

and eventually, I had no choice but to sit far away from Choi Seo.