Bamboo Forest Manager

Passenger Ship Running

The unusual drinking party with these eccentric people continued on.

– Alright! Here’s another hint for the first prize! It looks like us, but it’s actually different!

Aside from Bong-geun excitedly shouting treasure hunt hints into the mic every now and then, nothing else is particularly bothersome.

The three women are chattering away happily.

Right now, one of the women is showing her phone and talking about something while showing a picture.

“Look at this, this! I bought it a long time ago. It was a fake!”

“Do you know how much she cried back then? Honestly, it was hilarious!”

“Oh, I have one of these at home. Should I give it to you? I got it as a gift, but I don’t use it.”

“No, no! I don’t even want to see it!”

“Ha ha ha ha! How much is this white one?! Just giving it away to others like that?!”

At first, I thought I didn’t understand what they wanted to do.

Now, it just looks like they’re enjoying playing around like that.

Is it a feeling of joy from making new connections?

To be frank, they don’t seem like good people, and often harsh words slipped out in conversation.

But for now, they were showing a friendly demeanor towards Choi Jin-ah.

More than that, I was looking around, trying to find someone.

Seo Ye-rin and Senior Joo-hee.

‘Where on earth did they go?’

I thought they would be here.

This was the place I left them.

But they were nowhere to be seen.

I wondered if they went off to play treasure hunt, but that was an event for alumni, so the two couldn’t participate.

“Oh, you’re not listening to us!”

“Looks like they’re sulking! They’re upset because we’re only talking among ourselves!”

“Woo-jin, come over here. There are so many interesting photos!”

“Yeah, yeah, just a moment.”

I half-heartedly responded to the three calling me while scanning the area aimlessly.

Even though Senior Joo-hee was supposed to be next to me, I started to worry as I couldn’t see her.

Then, I spotted a crowd of people gathered where the bodyguards were stationed.

At first, I thought there had been an accident, but the atmosphere felt more like a festival.

I headed in that direction.

“Wait here for a moment.”

“It’s boring!”

“Let’s go together!”

“I’ll go too!”

“……”

They really don’t listen to me at all.

I could understand the first two ignoring me, but why do they follow my father’s words so thoroughly while brushing mine off so casually?

‘Choi Jin-ah, are you a bit tipsy?’

It seems like you might be a bit drunk, judging by the way your steps are slightly unsteady?

I don’t know how many bottles of soju you’ve had, but it looked like you were pouring it down without tasting anything.

“Hahaha! Let’s go!”

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

“Wait a moment! I’m wearing heels!”

Clearly, the two of them were drunk.

Their energy was so high that it was obvious they were quite tipsy.

Upon arrival, what caught the eye was unexpectedly a ring made of makeshift materials.

In the modest-looking place, people who looked like they could throw a punch were warming up.

The audience was all cheering and placing bets.

Amidst the crowd, a beauty exuded an intimidating presence just by being there.

Ignoring the greedy gazes around her, Seo Ye-rin was throwing punches into the air.

In front of her stood senior Joo-hee, casually listening to Seo Ye-rin’s advice.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

Feeling relieved, I approached Seo Ye-rin, and she beamed at me, raising her hand high.

“Uji-na! You’re here! You made it!”

“What’s going on? Is something happening? Did someone pick a fight?”

I was startled to see senior Joo-hee wearing boxing gloves.

But then, she turned pale upon seeing me and hurriedly took off the gloves.

“I-I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t be doing this during work!”

“No, please explain first.”

Wondering what was going on, Seo Ye-rin pointed dramatically to a man on the opposite side of the ring.

It was Han In-ho, who had tried to hit on Seo Ye-rin earlier.

“When you disappeared, he came over and started being all flirty! Senior Joo-hee was the one who stopped him—!”

With my absence, Han In-ho had made another attempt.

It must have been a blow to his pride, but Seo Ye-rin’s beauty was so exceptional that he couldn’t give up easily.

“So, senior Joo-hee decided that if she could win a sparring match with the bodyguard over there, he would just leave! I heard only the bodyguards wearing blue bracelets can participate!”

“Doesn’t that sound like a huge leap in logic?”

When I asked, feeling like the story had taken a sudden turn, Seo Ye-rin glanced nervously at senior Joo-hee.

“W-Well…”

The senior scratched the back of her head and carefully turned her gaze.

There was a racer-exclusive bike on display, touted as a prize.

“Are you seriously trying to change the topic to sparring just to get that?”

“…….”

Juhui, who kept her mouth tightly shut.

She did look quite fitting for the bike, at least on the surface.

“That thing costs a fortune in gas.”

“W-well! I thought it might be nice to ride it once or twice. If it’s too hard to maintain, I could always sell it… or something…”

Juhui’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

“Don’t worry! Ujina! I’m teaching the senior about fighting with a quick attack! Look at this, senior! Whoosh! Whoosh! Hey, you little brat! Like this!”

Seoyeorin’s adorable little punches were cute.

After grabbing her head and pulling it, I asked Juhui.

“Senior, looking at this, there’s no protective gear like a sucker. Is that okay?”

Then the senior hesitated for a moment, looking around, and asked back while pointing at herself.

“Me? Are you asking me if it’s okay?”

“…….”

“Ahem, um, young master?”

Juhui, carefully correcting her title again, tried to offer a kind smile and advised.

“Prepare some money to bet.”

Well.

Who was I worrying about right now?

“Of course, if you, young master, do not allow it, I won’t go.”

Then what.

“Since we’re on the boat, don’t hit too hard. We can’t go to the hospital.”

“Yes, understood.”

With a confident reply, Juhui began putting on her gloves again.

Seoyeorin, freed from my hands, started enthusiastically instructing something again like a passionate coach, but I set that aside.

I turned my body and asked the three people who were watching with interest.

“How much money do you all have? Let’s see your wallets.”

* * *

“That’s it! That’s it!”

As Min Joo-hee’s punch landed squarely on the face of the opposing bodyguard, knocking him out, Kim Woo-jin erupted with a near-epileptic cheer.

It had been a bit surprising when she suddenly asked how much money he had earlier and took it away.

‘Should I consider this a matter of faith?’

He thought he might have had an unwavering belief that his bodyguard would win without question.

Anyway.

Kim Woo-jin’s bodyguard, Min Joo-hee, overwhelmed her opponent without allowing a proper strike.

Compared to the opponent’s professional movements, she was almost beast-like, and because of that, the opponent was unable to respond and was powerless.

“Ahhh! Oppa!”

“How much is this! I clearly said earlier! Double! It’s definitely double!”

The two women beside him rushed straight to Kim Woo-jin after winning money.

At first, they had a displeased expression when he gave them money.

But now they were ready to cling to Kim Woo-jin as if they might even kiss him.

“Get away! Get away! He’s mine! He’s mine!”

They couldn’t get close because Seo Ye-rin was pushing them away with both hands to protect Kim Woo-jin.

“Hehe.”

Choi Jin-ah, observing the entire scene from a step back, wore a small smile on her lips.

Honestly, earning just a little more money didn’t excite her much.

At this moment, she felt that time was more valuable than any material possession.

It was a time she would never have experienced under normal circumstances.

There was even a thrill, as if she had stepped into a movie or drama.

She never imagined she would be at the center of such a rough, raw, and passionate place like this.

‘A melody is coming to mind.’

She was sincere about the violin.

Her calloused fingers twitched, wanting to move naturally to the rhythm that floated in her head.

With a hobby in composition, she thought today would have quite a significant impact on her musical life.

“Ahhh! What should we do?! How much have we won!”

“Awesome awesome! So awesome!”

The two who had been blocked from approaching Kim Woo-jin quickly ran over to Choi Jin-ah and started sharing what to do with the money they had won from the bet.

‘Honestly, we shouldn’t be doing this.’

Since it could be considered illegal gambling, Choi Jin-ah couldn’t really enjoy it.

Rather, it was precisely because of this that she felt a sense of disconnect from them.

Didn’t he say it?

Do what you want to do.

Once she did it, it became a deviation and a problem; she had no intention of doing anything wrong.

‘How can it be so perfectly displayed?’

Perhaps no one would raise an issue about what happened here.

This was that kind of place, and James would ensure that everyone kept their mouths shut.

These seemingly trivial aspects were also the reason why costs ballooned at the party.

Money is the most effective way to silence people, her father had said.

“……!”

From noble mtl dot com

All her thoughts focus on the ringing phone in her handbag.

The name that appears on the screen instantly shatters all her elevated emotions.

“Yes, ah… Virgin.”

She tries hard not to let her trembling voice be detected.

– What’s the update?

Without any greeting, he dives straight into the main point.

His authoritative voice, like pebbles scraping against her throat, always made her feel small.

“Th-that is—”

– It’s noisy, I can’t hear you. Go somewhere quiet.

Her father’s request, made difficult to hear due to the surrounding commotion.

Choi Jin-ah momentarily fails to comprehend his words.

Because she was so anxious that she could hear nothing but her father’s voice.

‘H-how should I report the update?’

She had done nothing.

This gathering was practically a blind date for her.

What would he say if she admitted that she hadn’t achieved any results yet—?

“Run!”

In that moment.

Her vision shifts abruptly.

Suddenly, Kim Woo-jin, who had been holding the phone, snatched her wrist and started running as if something urgent was happening.

“Eh? What?! W-What’s going on!”

“Quick! We have to go right now!”

“W-Wait a second!”

Kim Woo-jin dashed through the crowd, pulling Choi Jin-ah along with him.

He almost dropped the phone in the chaos, but he managed to grab it and check the call status.

“I’m busy right now!”

Click.

“Ah.”

Choi Jin-ah was taken aback by his abrupt disconnection from the call with his father.

“What are you doing right now! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden!”

“I can’t explain it to you! So let’s just run! We only need to run a little bit!”

Even as she was being somewhat forcefully dragged by Kim Woo-jin, who insisted he couldn’t say anything.

Strangely, Choi Jin-ah began to feel lighter at heart.

The suffocating feeling that had been choking her just moments ago vanished.

The reason was obvious.

The heels she had been wearing were already off.

Her hair was tousled by the wind, a wild mess.

The deck was too hard to run on with just her stockings.

Yet, her disheveled appearance felt freer than ever.

Moreover, the phone that had been ringing with her father’s voice was now in Kim Woo-jin’s hand.

It felt as if he was saving her from her father.

“Haha! Hahaha!”

With the cool night breeze against her, a thrilling laugh burst forth.

“Stop fooling around! Just run!”

At least, that was before Kim Woo-jin said anything.