Bamboo Forest Manager

Clumsy Change

“I…”

A gentle smile spread across her lips.

The words flowing from there were undeniable by anyone, and it was my sincere feeling that needed no doubt.

“I don’t think happiness is as far away as you might think.”

“……”

Choi Jin-ah gazed at me quietly in response to my words.

“It’s always like that. Because you’re by my side, I just haven’t valued it enough.”

She calmly lowered her gaze.

As if it were a promise that she would never let go, there was no wavering in my grip on her hand.

“That—”

Choi Jin-ah, who seemed to want to say something, closed her mouth again.

Perhaps it was because of the noise and the gazes around us.

She appeared burdened by the very act of speaking.

“Happiness is like that. It’s seeing the sunrise after a long time, taking a solitary walk late at night, sleeping refreshingly after a long time, or realizing that a movie was more enjoyable than expected, and so on.”

“……”

“Happiness has already settled into our daily lives. However, it’s not strange to miss it.”

Because most people do.

“Our two eyes, living fiercely, are always looking ahead.”

“……”

“Look around you. Then you will realize that there was more happiness around me than you thought.”

Choi Jin-ah still had no response.

Was she nervous because she was on stage?

Certainly, the sharp gazes of the people were a bit stinging.

“Huh.”

Choi Jin-ah let out a long breath.

In the end, unable to hold back, she asked me.

“Why are you saying this now?”

Though she wanted to shake off my hand immediately, I held on firmly, preventing her from escaping with a strong grip.

“I think you don’t really understand. The small joys in this daily life.”

“Small joys?”

Choi Jin-ah said, as if incredulous, but I answered firmly and clearly.

“Yes, these small joys are what make it good.”

Didn’t I just tell you earlier?

“For example, the new ice cream is surprisingly delicious, or I feel proud to help the grandmother with her heavy bags, or I found an old photo album…”

Or perhaps.

“I won a Porsche as a prize.”

At my words, Choi Jin-ah’s expression fills with despair. Her eyes seem to say, “What kind of person are you?” while my cheeks stretch into a grin.

“There’s a prize… for winning.”

With a face like he’s just eaten something sour, Bong-geun steps onto the stage, holding the Porsche car key meant for me.

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Laughter just wouldn’t stop.

Anyway, I had to admit that Bong-geun has always been someone who spends money like water.

Who would have thought he’d put a Porsche as the grand prize for the treasure hunt!

“Please share your thoughts… just one word.”

Bong-geun’s expression as he hands me the microphone isn’t very pleasant.

But since I found the answer using the rules and hints he set, he can’t really say anything to me.

“Ah, yes. Actually, I wasn’t planning to find it at all, you know?”

The gazes of the people below the stage aren’t very friendly.

Thinking about it, it’s like showing up in fake sportswear and then driving off in a Porsche.

Plus, we decided to pack the food separately as well.

“But thanks to Bong-geun’s hint—”

“James!”

At Bong-geun’s shout next to me, I scratched my head.

They give me drinks, food, and even a Porsche; can’t they at least call me by the name I want?

“Thanks to James’s hint, I was able to find it.”

Bong-geun had given three hints in total.

– It’s located in a place that is very rare globally.

– It looks like us, but in reality, it’s different.

When I heard this, I just thought, “Well, that’s that.”

I wasn’t particularly interested, after all.

The third hint came while Senior Joo-hee was settling the money wagered after winning the sparring match.

– It could be something that keeps moving.

On my way to give some money to Choi Jin-ah.

I saw her on the phone.

A grim expression?

Tears welling up in her eyes?

A back that seems to be bending under some weight?

A breath filled with anguish?

Setting all that aside.

‘Did her bracelet break?’

On the night ferry.

The moment I saw her wrist while she was talking amidst the shadows of the crowd, that was the only thought that crossed my mind.

The red bracelet on her wrist was not luminous.

In that moment.

– She is in a place that is extremely rare worldwide.

The wrist of a world-renowned violinist.

– It may look the same as ours, but it is actually different.

It looks just like the luminous bracelets we have, but it is, in fact, a non-glowing bracelet.

– It could still be moving.

Choi Jin-ah, who is a person, is moving.

The realization struck me like a lightning bolt, igniting a strong urge to shout “Eureka!”

Yet, I couldn’t help but notice the gazes of the men still targeting Choi Jin-ah.

Their eyes, aiming to approach her naturally while waiting for an opportunity, seemed as if they were about to snatch my prize away at any moment.

I immediately sprang up and ran to this spot.

“Thanks to the hint, I was able to realize that Miss Choi Jin-ah’s bracelet is a treasure.”

I lifted her hand, which she had been holding onto tightly since earlier.

There lay the bracelet.

This was the treasure.

With a satisfied smile, I handed the microphone to Bong-geun.

Bong-geun, whose eyes were dead.

But he was trying to maintain a high tension like a true host.

“Yes, that’s right. The treasure was indeed Miss Choi Jin-ah’s bracelet.”

Complaints began to bubble up around us.

Whispers questioning how they would find her. Some grumbled that only those close to Choi Jin-ah had the advantage.

“I thought she would be the most noticeable person at this party, which is why I planned this.”

Bong-geun dismissed their complaints with a feigned smile.

Indeed, Choi Jin-ah couldn’t help but stand out wherever she went.

It was because she had been dragged around by us that people couldn’t approach her.

If it weren’t for that, many would have wanted to get close to her, a world-class violinist.

There were also many who were paying attention to her because of the rumor that she was looking for a man to marry right away.

“Enchanted by her beauty, no one could find the treasure next to her!”

Did he grease his tongue?

He speaks such cringeworthy words with ease.

More than that, when I glanced at him urging me to hand over the car keys, he sighed and handed me the keys he had kept in a jewelry box-like place.

Flashes from cameras burst around us.

“Woo-jini is the best!”

“Wow! Oppa! Let’s go for a drive today!”

“If I can’t sit in the passenger seat of the Porsche, I’ll sit on your lap, oppa!”

Seo Ye-rin and the two other women were cheering from below the stage.

“What?! He’s my man?!”

Seo Ye-rin, glaring fiercely as if she had heard them, looked ready to pounce on the two.

Senior Joo-hee gave a thumbs up from afar.

Not like a senior, she was beaming with a big smile, probably because she had also gotten a bike.

As I posed for a photo, I whispered to Bong-geun next to me.

“Thanks, Bong-geun. Thanks to you, I got to ride in a car and got a bike too. Make sure to invite me again later.”

From now on, the alumni gatherings will be a regular thing.

“Can you put the food in the Porsche trunk?”

“…I’m not hosting next time.”

That would be quite disappointing.

“Come on, don’t say that. Where else would you find someone with such a big heart like you?”

“Were you going to call me a fool?”

“But it does feel a bit like that. It’s like coming to someone else’s birthday party and eating all the cake by myself.”

“Do you at least have a bit of a conscience?”

“Let’s grab a drink later. I’ll buy you something nice. Do you prefer soju or beer?”

“…….”

Ignoring the look that questioned why those were the only two options, I finished taking the commemorative photo.

* * *

“…….”

Choi Jin-ah stared blankly at Kim Woo-jin, who was standing a distance away.

He was sitting in the driver’s seat of a Porsche, on a call with someone, looking utterly exhilarated.

“Hey! Hey! No, I’m serious?! I’m in a Porsche! Isn’t that awesome? I’m right in front of my house! Let’s go for a drive!”

“Hmm? You’re not drunk, are you? Just a little? Then isn’t that drunk driving? Hm… you’re right.”

“Let’s drive tomorrow, tomorrow. Huh? Do you have a license? Oh, right. I don’t have a license.”

‘What on earth kind of conversation is that?’

It was clear he was drunk.

What was he rambling on about like that?

Watching him, I felt incredibly foolish for having been so deep in thought and troubled.

– People who try to handle him often find things don’t go as planned.

‘That’s true.’

I recalled what Kim Jae-woon, Kim Woo-jin’s older brother, had said.

I had thought something would definitely change.

But in reality, Kim Woo-jin had just picked out what he wanted, leaving me standing alone in my place.

Then, two women approached her.

They were the two people she had spent most of the party with today.

“Let’s exchange numbers!”

“Let’s hang out later! The kid seems really fun!”

“Oh, sure.”

Choi Jin-ah didn’t feel too bad about the two, so she exchanged numbers without hesitation.

She had quite a few friends, but this type of friendship was new to her.

“So, how do you usually hang out?”

Perhaps that’s why she suddenly felt curious and asked.

The two immediately began to spill their answers.

—

“What should we do for fun?”

“Karaoke? Hunting bar? Club? If there’s a place you haven’t been, just say it! We’ll take you there!”

“…….”

In that moment, looking at the two of them, I felt a complicated desire.

The sense of freedom I felt when Kim Woo-jin pulled me along earlier.

A different version of myself, experienced through things I had never felt before.

I wanted to feel those things again.

I wanted to become another Choi Jin-ah, not just the violinist Choi Jin-ah.

Like the two people in front of me, who were completely opposite to myself.

“Are you two good people?”

Even though it was a sudden question, they didn’t seem particularly flustered and laid their thoughts bare.

“No! We’re bad girls!”

“We’re really bad girls! That’s why we only attract bad guys!”

“Hahaha! That’s right! We need to fix our behavior!”

“We ended up here because we met some weird guys and got tangled up for no reason! I guess this is our fate!”

My head was complicated in many ways, and I couldn’t sort it out well.

From noble mtl dot com

“Can I… change like that too?”

I mustered up the courage to speak.

It was my first step, a brave attempt to say I wanted to change into something other than my current self.

“Wow! Let’s do casual s*x!”

“If it’s Porsche s*x, isn’t it the most expensive adult toy in the world?!”

Hearing Kim Woo-jin’s voice, which seemed to be living without a care, made me feel foolish once again.

Ugh!

At that moment, my father’s call came through.

The number of missed calls was terrifying.

“Hello.”

– Where are you?

The boiling anger in his voice seemed to melt my eardrum.

– Who was that guy from earlier?

“Woo-jin.”

—

Let me know if you need anything else!

Hearing the voice alone makes various emotions evaporate once more.

Before I knew it, I was reporting as usual.

– You’re not seriously thinking of meeting that guy again, are you!? I’ve looked into him separately! He’s nothing but a complete scoundrel!

– Absolutely not! Find someone else!

She had always been a daughter who listened well.

A fool who wanted to show that she had changed but didn’t even know how to do so.

In front of her father, she couldn’t utter a word, yet she was given a chance that was so simple, it was both the first and the last.

And having experienced many different things, she didn’t let it slip away.

A bad girl is bound to date a bad boy.

“I like that person.”

– What…?

“I’m going to date that bad person!”

Click.

The call was abruptly cut off.

Choi Jin-ah hung up for the first time in her life, and the fact that it was her father made her heart race.

“Ha-oh! Ha, ha-oh!”

As I caught my breath with some strange sound, the two people in front of me looked on in surprise.

“Are you really going to date that guy?!”

“No! He has a girlfriend!”

At their words, Choi Jin-ah turned off her phone completely and replied.

“I don’t like him!”

I won’t deny that he was my first love.

But honestly, remembering the crush from elementary school because of the actions I showed today doesn’t make sense, does it?

Yet, it was intriguing.

Because today, I experienced so many firsts.

I had my first taste of soju, saw martial arts up close for the first time, and had never placed a bet before.

‘Happiness is surprisingly close,’ they said.

In that regard, there was a similarity to the bracelet I wore on my wrist.

I didn’t even think of searching for treasures.

I didn’t even ponder the desire to know.

So he couldn’t find the treasure that was hanging on his wrist.

‘How ridiculous.’

It was clear that he had simply meant to tease her…

“Jina! Please take a picture of us!”

Kim Woo-jin called out for her to take a picture in the Porsche.

Choi Jina, seeing him, walked over with a look of disbelief.

She let down her hair, which she had tied up in a messy bun earlier.

The land was coming into view.

The lights visible in the distance felt like they were welcoming her for no particular reason.

There was no sudden change that she had been looking forward to.

She was still the same Choi Jina.

Yet, she had started to try to change a little, and for now, that was enough.

“Let’s hang out a bit longer.”

She didn’t want the day to end.

She wished for this strangely dizzying and refreshingly exhilarating day to continue.

“Excuse me? I don’t want to.”

Naturally, Kim Woo-jin refused.

“I just want to get to know Yerin better.”

“Me too!”

Choi Jina turned towards Seo Yerin, who, being naturally sociable, accepted without hesitation.

She was gradually learning how to handle Kim Woo-jin in her own way.

“Wow! Let’s play! Let’s play more!”

“Oppa, it’s only 12 o’clock! It ended too early!”

The two women who followed also cheered, welcoming Jina’s suggestion.

“Ugh, what do you want to do?”

Seeing Seo Yerin happy about getting close to a celebrity like Choi Jina, Kim Woo-jin ultimately asked, following along.

“Hmm, for now.”

Choi Jina answered with a bright smile.

“I want to drink soju!”