Bamboo Forest Manager

Oh Yoon-ji

The visiting room looked exactly like those I had seen in movies or dramas.

There was a transparent partition in the center, with a chair on each side.

Since we had entered first as the visitors, Yoon-ji sat down, taking deep breaths as she waited for her father.

One difference from what I had seen in the media was that a guard did not come in with the visitors.

While it was surprising that they allowed us to talk privately, it was not hard to guess that they were probably recording inside the visiting room.

Creeeak!

The door opened, and Yoon-ji’s father entered.

His name was Oh Cheong-min.

He was 56 years old.

He was the perpetrator of the Dongbaesan serial murder case, which had shocked the entire nation and created numerous victims.

On the outside, he appeared somewhat thin and did not have a ferocious impression.

He must have become more haggard and aged during his time in prison.

If it weren’t for that, she would have had the kind of appearance that would make one think she was a dignified middle-aged person walking outside.

The moment she took in her father with her eyes, Yoon-ji’s eyelids fluttered.

It seemed she was struggling to chew over and organize the words she wanted to spill out.

“Ah, Father.”

That was the very first thing she uttered.

Father.

For the first time in her life, Yoon-ji called someone that. Amidst the coexistence of trembling and emotion, Oh Cheong-min blinked rapidly, staring intently at Yoon-ji.

And then.

“Yes, you’re my daughter?”

He looked at her with an expression of disbelief, mouth agape.

“Ha, hahaha. So, you’re my daughter?”

With his shoulders bouncing, he welcomed Yoon-ji. Then, as if something clicked, he nodded his head.

“Yes, yes! No wonder it felt strange! I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you! There must have been a reason!”

“……What?”

“No, no! It’s nothing! Oh my, our daughter! Who would have thought you’d grow up so beautifully!”

What is this?

For a moment, it seemed he glanced my way.

He wanted to embrace Yoon-ji with a bright smile, but of course, it was impossible due to the barrier.

“I came because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Um? Something you want to ask?”

The father, slightly flustered, cleared his throat a few times and nodded.

“Yes, yes! Ask me anything!”

“…….”

She knew what to ask.

Why did you do it?

What was the reason?

Do you regret it now?

Do you want to ask for forgiveness?

And so on.

Countless questions were lodged in her throat, yet they could not be voiced.

It seems that she was scared of what kind of answer would come when she asked the person who is her father.

“Hmm? You said you had something to ask?”

My father asked back, but in the end, Yoon-ji couldn’t respond.

Instead, my father smiled and asked a question in return.

“How old are you, our daughter?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Oh, that’s the age! Haha! I’m sorry, I’m here without even seeing you.”

What is this?

“Then what are you doing now? Are you attending university? Are you at a good university?”

“Gahyeon University. But right now, I’m on a leave of absence and working. It’s an MCN that manages internet broadcasters… It’s like management.”

“Ma, what? Haha! I don’t really know about that!”

“You can think of it like being the president of a talent agency.”

“……!”

My father’s eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead, laughing heartily.

“No! My daughter has gotten that far?! Yes! See! I’m not strange! It’s just that I’ve been unlucky; you have the ability!”

I couldn’t help but frown.

What did this person just say?

I almost said something out of anger, but I didn’t want to take away Yoon-ji’s time.

“Then you must be making a lot of money! Oh, then you should send me some snacks from here sometimes!”

“I can’t send snacks anymore. The law has changed.”

“Really? Your mom used to come and send them often back in the day.”

“My mom…?”

It was the first time I heard that.

I had heard that Yoon-ji’s mother had gone back to their hometown and was living while tending to a small garden.

“Yeah, she came and sent various things. It was really nice. Back then, I was also walking around proudly among the bread people.”

Then he glanced at me and cleared his throat before asking.

“Is the person next to you your boyfriend?”

“No, just a friend.”

“Oh, really? Then, um… could you excuse me for a moment?”

“Excuse me?”

Suddenly, I frowned, wondering what he meant, and my father chuckled softly.

“We have something we want to talk about, just the two of us.”

“More than that, just a moment.”

It seemed my father was feeling a bit uncomfortable with me there.

As the conversation continued, Yoonji seemed to gather her thoughts, taking a deep breath as she looked at my father and asked.

“A long time ago, I mean, when you came in here.”

“……”

“You killed… a lot of people.”

Yoonji, struggling to find her words, clenched her fists tightly as she took a breath.

“You regret it, right?”

My father’s eyes widened at Yoonji’s trembling voice.

Then he said.

“Are you joking? Is it my fault?”

The atmosphere shifted suddenly.

“What do you know to talk about regret? If you knew what those b*stards did back then, you would have wanted to kill them too!”

“Ah, Father—”

“Shut up! If you’re family, you should stand by your family! I’m your father! How dare you side with those damn b*stards!”

“Ah….”

“How much did those b*stards owe from the promise they made and didn’t pay!”

Before I knew it, I hugged Yoonji. Her eyes had turned blank, as if she had become disconnected, reminiscent of the ‘ceasefire’ she had mentioned earlier.

But my father’s words kept coming.

“Damn those b*stards. Just thinking about them makes me want to explode. Anyway, it’s a relief I’ve saved their money for now. Ugh, those filthy scoundrels.”

“Stop it!”

“Who are you to interrupt a father disciplining his daughter!”

“Th-then!”

Yoonji, snapped back to reality by her father’s shouting, asked urgently.

“What about the hikers?! Why did you kill those innocent hikers?!”

“Ah, them?”

My father chuckled, tapping his forehead with his finger as he replied.

“I was starving to death, and if I saw them eating kimbap in front of me, I’d want to take it.”

“Is that the reason…?”

It wasn’t something that was reported in the media.

I had only heard it was an impulsive crime stemming from mental illness and separation anxiety.

It seemed I should have avoided coming here altogether.

Whether it was because that guy was shouting or because visiting hours were up, the guard came in.

“Wait! I still have something to say! Money! Did you find that money?! You came to tell me that, right? You came to say you found it, didn’t you?!”

Money?

“Your mom! Jin Mi-ae told me! That’s why you came! You found the money, right? Right?! Am I wrong?!”

In that moment.

Yoon-ji’s body trembled violently.

Just as she was about to collapse, I managed to catch her, and Yoon-ji gasped for breath as she struggled to respond.

“W-we… Mom is—”

With tears bursting forth, she spoke the unbelievable truth.

“Shin Yoon-ah.”

In an instant, the atmosphere inside became charged with silence. Oh Cheong-min, who had been thrashing about just moments ago, suddenly calmed as if doused with cold water.

“What?”

He replied coldly, as if spitting out the gum he had been chewing.

“You’re Yoon-ah’s daughter?”

From noble mtl dot com

Then, as if he had no further business, Oh Cheong-min turned to leave on his own, but the heat in my head surged.

“Yoon-ji, let’s get out of here for now.”

It was more important to steady Yoon-ji, who was clearly not in a state to process everything right now.

* * *

Back in the car.

I thought Yoon-ji would cry a lot.

But she didn’t.

No, perhaps she didn’t want to show me her tears.

I wanted to give her space.

But I felt like if I did, this child would shatter.

So I couldn’t leave.

With a blank expression, Yoon-ji took in the prison, her heart pounding as she expressed her frustration.

“Huuh, haa!”

After taking a long breath, she exhaled deeply.

“It’s fine.”

She reassured herself, saying it was okay.

“I wasn’t even planning to have a proper conversation with that person called father again. I was just curious about who he is.”

“Yoonji…”

“Don’t worry. I’m Oh Yoonji. I was a bit flustered earlier, but now that I know he’s that much of a trash, I can shake it off without any regrets.”

“……”

“It’s okay, Woojin. Nothing has changed. I’ll go home, wash up today, and go to work tomorrow. I am… doing well.”

As she said this, Oh Yoonji reassured herself.

Yes, that’s right.

She has achieved what her peers cannot, and she is making a lot of profit.

Except for us, no one knows who she is the daughter of, nor do they care.

Yes, that’s how it is.

It’s okay-.

Woom! Woom! Woom!

Yoonji’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

– Boss, right now-!

The urgent voice of an employee pierced through my chest oddly.

And then.

I received a call too.

– Choi Iseo –

Since Yoonji was on the phone, I stepped out of the car to answer, and Iseo’s frantic voice pierced my ear.

– Woojin, where are you right now?

“Uh? I’m right now…”

– Are you with Yoonji?

“Uh, uh.”

I thought I was going to get scolded, but that wasn’t it.

– Take Yoonji’s phone away! Right now!

—

“What?”

I wondered what this meant.

But Choi I-seo’s urgent voice immediately opened the car door.

Yoon-ji was already looking at something on her phone.

A man’s voice, unfamiliar to me, came from her phone.

– Is this right? The daughter of a murderer is living lavishly off her father’s earnings, even establishing a company and serving as its president.

– Meanwhile, the victim’s family is still haunted by trauma, unable to forget their loved one, crying every single day.

– Is this the justice of South Korea? Is this right? There are even rumors that she has connections with a major corporation.

– An astonishing fact. The company she founded is affiliated with well-known internet broadcasters we all know—!

Snap!

It was too late.

I should have snatched the phone right away, but the timing of getting out of the car was unfortunate.

However, Yoon-ji offered no resistance as I took the phone from her.

She remained frozen.

Without a word.

As if she didn’t even know how to breathe.

In silence, her eyes were closed.

* * *

Inside the hospital room.

Looking down at Yoon-ji, who had not regained consciousness, I was watching the sniper video uploaded on YouTube.

I had muted the sound, fearing that Yoon-ji might hear, leaving only the subtitles on.

– Is this right? That the daughter of a murderer and a death row inmate is living far better than our hardworking middle class?

– Even many broadcasters we know are calling that person “boss” and fawning over them.

– As someone in the same industry, I’m truly ashamed. Have you ever listened to the voices of the victims? How can you be so brazen?

– And finally, you. Ha, normally I wouldn’t mention names, but today I’m speaking my mind.

– Oh Yoon-ji! Are you that confident? Living off the money your murderer father, Oh Cheong-min, scammed—!

Grit.

“Ha.”

I could no longer watch.

According to the doctor, Yoon-ji had temporarily lost consciousness due to extreme mental stress.

—

It’s a relief that you said she would wake up soon.

But what awaits her when she does wake up?

Her father’s identity, a human scum she wouldn’t even recognize, and the burden of his sins that have fallen upon her company.

I slowly stepped out of the hospital room.

With my eyes gently closed, I took out my phone and made a call.

Not long after, I received a response.

– What now? Is it because of the event?

James sighed heavily and asked.

“Do you know anyone among your friends who does background checks or anything like that?”

– ……What’s going on?

“There must be people among your wealthy friends who deal with that kind of stuff often.”

– There are, right?

“Send me their numbers.”

– Why? I have someone I know too.

“Whatever it is, just send it all.”

– Alright, I got it.

Click.

I immediately made another call.

– Hello? Uh, Woo-jin! Are you okay? The woman who came to your house last time-!

I interrupted Choi Jin-ah, who was surprised and kept talking about something.

“Jin-ah, you appeared on that variety show last time, right? You’re close with the people from the broadcasting station since you often do interviews or documentaries with them.”

– Ah? Yes… That’s right?

“Please help me out.”

– Huh? All of a sudden?

“I’ll explain when I get home. Before that—”

After briefly explaining, Choi Jin-ah swallowed and replied.

– I’ll at least ask.

“Thank you.”

My phone has been busy today.

I called again right away.

This is the last time.

It was my older brother.

– Woojin.

His voice didn’t sound too good, whether he already knew or not.

“Hyung, help me.”

So I asked directly.

– Ha, I want to do that too. But luck is tied to this. There are claims coming in saying that the corporate image itself is defending a murderer.

– It’s probably going to get worse. From our position, we need to cut ties quickly.

“I’ll handle it, so please. You have to help me.”

– Woojin…

“Maintain a no-response stance regarding Yoonji.”

– There’s a limit to that too. If we keep quiet, rumors will spread recklessly from their side.

“It’s okay.”

– I really want to support you.

“I know.”

– But… even if I decide that way, my father won’t allow it.

After all, the chairman is my father.

But.

“Give me a chance, hyung.”

I feel tension throughout my body, and strangely, my mind is racing.

“In the end.”

At the end of all this.

“My father will personally protect Yoonji.”

The very person who had cast her aside will step up to protect her.

“I’ll make it happen.”