Bamboo Forest Manager

Arrival at the Hotel

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

I throw myself onto the fluffy bed with white sheets.

Finally arrived in Hawaii.

I remember getting off the plane at 5 AM, and by the time we checked into the hotel that my older brother prepared, it was already 10 o’clock.

‘Is it because of the time difference?’

I let out a long sigh, burying my face in the pillow. I had said we should eat right away upon arrival.

But I’m too tired to want to go outside.

We booked two rooms.

—

One room for me and one for the girls.

The hotel room is so spacious that it should be comfortable for the kids and Senior Juhui to stay together.

It seems that Yoonji and Choi Jina have the same type of room as us.

“Haah…”

With a long yawn, my eyelids slowly begin to droop. It’s hard to resist the fatigue.

Knock, knock.

If it weren’t for the sound of knocking, I might have slept through the first day of our trip to Hawaii.

“Kim Woojin.”

Waiting outside is Choi Iseo. She looks neat, as if she’s already washed up, and her light clothing gives off that unique travel vibe.

“Haah, what?”

“You’re sleepy, right? The kids are all tired too. I just noticed that breakfast time has already passed.”

“Really?”

The kids were all excited about having hotel breakfast, but it looks like they failed in the end.

“You don’t have the energy to go out and eat, do you? How about we rest a bit and order room service?”

“Haah, you guys order. I’m too tired.”

“Seriously, you should have slept a bit on the plane—haah… stop yawning, it’s contagious.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Sorry…”

“Ugh, just go in and sleep. We’ll eat without you.”

“Okay, eat whatever. I’ll cover the bill anyway.”

My older brother’s black card that he gave me to enjoy myself. I plan to swipe it a lot during this trip and set it on fire.

“Got it.”

And with that, Choi Iseo slips into the next room.

‘She was sleeping well on the plane, but she doesn’t look that tired.’

Unlike me, she seemed to have a perfect sleep and looks pretty good for a travel destination.

From the way she fidgets while talking, even if she tries to hide it, she seems a bit more excited than usual.

‘I need to adjust to the time difference.’

Just as I zombie-walk back to bed, the doorbell rings this time.

“Woojinah.”

A voice, heavy with fatigue, drags on.

When I open the door again, there stands Seo Yerin, blinking sleepily.

“Why?”

“I’m sleepy, going to sleep.”

You came to my room to sleep?

“Come in.”

Stumbling in, Seo Ye-rin stepped inside as I moved aside. She tried to close the door, but something got caught.

“Hm?”

A hand caught in the door.

“Wait, wait, just a moment!”

It was Choi Jin-ah, her urgent voice gripping the door she was trying to close.

“What’s going on? Where did you come from?”

“I was just passing through the hallway. No, more importantly, did you just go in with Ye-rin?!”

“Yes, and?”

“Are you saying a guy and a girl went in together?”

“We’re dating, you know that.”

“Still—”

“Maybe you don’t know since you’re single. This is how couples are.”

“…….”

“Let go of my hand.”

I pulled Choi Jin-ah’s hand away and headed toward the bed. Seo Ye-rin was already diving under the covers, burying her head.

Neither of us was tired enough to go all the way, but still, Ye-rin’s soft body was perfect for cuddling up to.

I was about to head back to the bed when—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Ugh, seriously.”

Why are there so many people interrupting my sleep? I thought about ignoring it, but the knocking was too insistent, so I opened the door again.

“Who is it?”

There stood Senior Joo-hee, her hair still damp as if she had just washed it, her eyes darting around anxiously.

“Uh, Woo-jin! Is Ye-rin here?!”

“Yes, she is. She just came in. She said she was going to sleep.”

With that, she slapped her forehead and let out a long sigh. Her expression shifted slightly, filled with a sense of urgency.

She told me to wait a moment, then went into her room before coming back out.

“Hey, hey, hey! You have to do this!”

They handed me a condom.

“Senpai…”

“You promised you wouldn’t cause any trouble! Don’t make me resort to force, Woojin.”

“Ugh, I’m not going to do it. I’m really tired and just want to sleep.”

I’m not joking; I feel like I could fall asleep the moment I close my eyes.

Even though I asked Senpai if they wanted to see me collapse here, they stubbornly pressed the condom into my hand.

“Just in case! You never know. What if you wake up and Ye-rin is next to you? What if you go to wash up?”

“…I guess I would.”

“See!”

Hmm.

Senpai is definitely competent.

There are no gaps in their logic at all.

“But the thing is, if I wake up and it’s happening, I probably wouldn’t even think about the condom in the heat of the moment.”

“Eek!”

The owner of that dramatic voice isn’t Senior Juhui.

Curious about the noise coming from behind the open door, I pass by Senpai to check it out.

“What are you doing?”

“…”

With both hands covering her mouth, Choi Jina was eavesdropping on our conversation.

So she hadn’t left yet.

It seems Juhui Senpai knew but just ignored it.

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy.”

Anyway, Senpai was struggling with what to do since we hit a snag right from the start of our trip.

“I have a good idea.”

Seoyeon Ye-rin, who had quietly approached from behind, suddenly appeared. I thought she was asleep earlier, but it seems the noise woke her up.

“Let’s go, Woojin.”

Then, she linked her arm with mine and dragged me into the girls’ room for everyone to see.

As soon as we entered, what unfolded right in front of us was Yu Ah-rin changing her clothes.

“Mom! What the hell are you doing?!”

Startled, she hurriedly re-entered the shower room.

“Anyway, we’ve already touched, tasted, and enjoyed everything.”

Muttering with a hint of indifference, the bathroom door rattled.

“Shut up! If you’ve seen a woman’s body, you should either apologize or give a compliment!”

“…….”

Is that so?

Did I speak in a way that felt too much like an old married couple?

It seems like there’s a lack of excitement.

“Show me again. I’ll react again.”

“What are you going to do?”

“If you take off your pants, won’t you immediately know that I’m excited?”

“It’s effective, but it feels dirty! Why did you come in!”

I wanted to retort to the annoyed Yoo Ah-rin, but I was continuously pulled by Seo Ye-rin, who had her arms crossed.

We arrived at the bed.

There were four beds here, and she pushed me onto one, taking the spot next to me.

“What are you doing?”

Choi Yi-seo, who was organizing her things, came out of the room, startled by the commotion, and looked at us in confusion.

Following her, senior Joo-hee and Choi Jin-ah also seemed puzzled.

As she tightly embraced me while lying down, Seo Ye-rin whispered softly.

“If we sleep here, we can see everything that happens.”

And just like that, Seo Ye-rin fell asleep.

Though we were under the gaze of others, I was too tired.

I simply ignored them and closed my eyes, holding Seo Ye-rin.

* * *

“What’s this?”

Suddenly entering the room, seeing the two people curled up together in sleep left everyone around feeling bewildered.

There were many beds, but our eyes kept drifting toward the bed where the two were sleeping.

It was the largest bed, but there was also something endearing about their sleeping forms together.

“Should we take a picture?”

Choi Yi-seo, now seemingly accustomed to the scene, pulled out her phone.

Click.

After taking a photo, I smile at the two of them sleeping and step back into the room.

“Have they lost their minds?”

Even if it’s just sleeping together, seeing Kim Woo-jin like that with another woman, casually taking a picture as if it’s a memory of the trip and then going back to organize her things—it’s just ridiculous.

“Is it because they’re in America that their minds have opened up?”

Yoo Ah-rin couldn’t understand it at all, nor did she want to.

She glances at others around her.

Choi Jin-ah, who is sneaking away, and Min Joo-hee, who lets out a sigh of relief.

Yoo Ah-rin stares at Min Joo-hee and asks,

“Senior, what did you do for them to come looking for you like this?”

“……I gave them this.”

Min Joo-hee subtly pulls out the condom she had taken earlier. Yoo Ah-rin feels a complex and subtle emotion and asks,

“Don’t tell me Kim Woo-jin also made a move on you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Kim Woo-jin was under the illusion that he had made a move. Min Joo-hee resolved to correct that during this trip.

However, even after hearing the answer, Yoo Ah-rin still had lingering doubts.

“Then why are you taking care of his condom?”

“Because I’m his bodyguard. The real reason I’m here is to make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”

At her senior’s explanation, Yoo Ah-rin crosses her arms and shifts her weight to one leg.

It was a sign that she didn’t find it convincing.

“You’re interfering in our relationship? To put it bluntly, you’re an outsider.”

“I was asked by the vice president.”

“Does being family mean you can interfere in romantic relationships without hesitation?”

The atmosphere began to feel heavy and strange.

While it could be said that Yoo Ah-rin was somewhat aggressive towards her senior when discussing the hierarchy of seniors and juniors, from her perspective, she didn’t want any external interference or involvement in their already complicated romantic relationship.

“Whatever it is, it’s our choice. It only looks like you don’t respect that.”

“You might end up regretting it greatly in life, so I hope to prevent that in advance.”

“Whatever happens between us is something we choose and judge. We don’t prioritize immediate pleasure or enjoyment. We also think about what’s to come.”

—

“I understand what you’re saying. I respect that. But in the end, I’m someone who works for money. They wanted that over there, and Woojin more or less accepted it, so this is how I’m working.”

“So you’re still doing the same thing after interfering with Oh Yoonji and getting burned?”

Their conversation was running parallel.

Clatter.

Choi Iseo, now changed into workout clothes, comes out of the room with a somewhat excited expression.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

Quick-witted Choi Iseo naturally sensed that something was off.

Yua-rin deliberately changed the subject.

“Where are you going? You must be tired from the time difference?”

“I slept well on the plane, so I’m not tired. I saw there’s a gym in the hotel, so I’m going to check it out.”

So that’s why she’s so excited.

But is going to the gym the first thing she does right after arriving at the hotel?

“Aren’t you going to eat? Is there a mental hospital nearby instead of a gym? From what I see, you might need to go there.”

“What are you talking about? It’s nice to work out and then eat after sweating.”

Even though she says that, does she know she’s not exactly normal? Choi Iseo pouts her lips.

Yua-rin, alternating her gaze between Choi Iseo and Min Joo-hee, lets out a sigh and heads toward her own suitcase.

“Let’s go together. I don’t want to be here either.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain when we get there. But you just showered, didn’t you?”

“I saw in the notice that there’s a private jacuzzi available for rent. I’m going to work out and then wash up there again.”

“This is why people need to make money. Just hearing about the jacuzzi makes me want to kiss Kim Woojin.”

“I’m planning to do that in a bit.”

With that, Yua-rin took Choi Iseo outside.

Left alone in the room, Min Joo-hee looked at the door where the two had exited, then turned her gaze toward the bed, where she could hear soft breathing.

Kim Woojin and Seo Yerin were asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Min Joo-hee, who had been staring blankly at them, sighed and took out her phone, heading toward the spacious terrace attached to the room.

‘I want to smoke.’

She licked her lips, feeling the throbbing in her head, possibly from stress.

Korean hotels are entirely non-smoking, so she had to go outside to smoke, and she briefly wondered what it was like in Hawaii.

But since everyone in the same room was a non-smoker, she had to go outside anyway.

—

Let me know if you need anything else!

Demjuhee, pulling out her phone, dialed someone with familiarity.

“Vice Chairman, this is Demjuhee. I just arrived at the hotel.”

She immediately began reporting to her employer.

‘After this, I should go have a smoke.’

She thought it was no big deal.

But the very act of doing this was quite stressful for Demjuhee herself.