Bamboo Forest Manager

Seo Yerin sits next to me, smiling.

Even though it wasn’t a dormitory entrance, it felt so natural that I was caught off guard, and others started whispering.

“Huh? What’s your taste?”

“Hey, this is a place for those entering the dormitory.”

I wanted to prevent others from expecting Seo Yerin to enter the dormitory just because she was with me.

“Oh, right.”

Pretending to be surprised innocently, even though she already knew everything.

“Then let’s go drink somewhere else.”

Seo Yerin stood up suddenly, trying to take me with her.

Lee Eun-woo urgently grabs Seo Yerin. It seemed like others didn’t want her to leave either.

‘So this is how it feels.’

I heard that if you’re pretty or handsome, you never have to pay for drinks in college. And it turned out to be true.

“Thank you.”

Seo Yerin sat back down with a smile. She clung to my side and took the glass I was drinking from.

“Woojin, you should stop drinking now.”

“Why.”

“If you drink too much, it’ll be hard for me when we go back.”

“I’m not drinking enough to get drunk.”

“How many glasses have you had so far?”

“Hmm- about a bottle?”

“That’s plenty.”

“You know I don’t get drunk easily with beer or soju.”

“But you keep drinking, so you’ll eventually get drunk.”

As we bickered, each holding our glasses, I felt the eyes of the people around us.

I glanced sideways and saw others staring at us, which was a bit embarrassing.

‘Anyway, when I’m with Seo Yerin.’

This is the problem.

Even movie stars want to scout her looks in person.

Her appearance stands out even among actors, so it’s impossible not to notice her among ordinary people.

Some men were already swallowing their saliva, revealing their desires.

“Don’t you carry a mask? Put it on.”

I told Seo Yerin to cover her face, but she confidently brushed her hair back with her hand.

“I came on purpose to look pretty.”

“She says she’s pretty with her own mouth.”

“So, am I not pretty?”

“…Why did you come like that?”

“Answer. Am I pretty?”

Does she really have no sense?

Everyone around was staring.

“Sigh, you’re pretty. What else are you good for besides being pretty?”

“Ah, it’s a relief that I’m pretty. Thanks, Mom and Dad.”

Seriously, what a load of crap.

“Incidents like that often happen in university dorms. Cheating, promiscuity, and all that.”

“So I came to let you know in advance. He already has a girlfriend, so don’t mess with him.”

Seo Yerin poked my cheek with her finger and laughed.

Her mischievous yet innocent smile suited her well.

“If Woojin gets any more drunk, it’ll be your turn.”

She whispered softly and pinched my cheek this time.

Unconsciously, I tensed up, my back straightening stiffly.

It seemed a bit absurd to bring up dorm promiscuity or incidents to someone like me at this moment.

“And it’s obvious you’re not in a good mood these days, not mingling with people and playing the outcast.”

“Hey.”

“I dressed up to boost Woojin’s spirits? How is it? Do you feel superior?”

It’s not that I don’t feel a sense of superiority. The feeling that I was somewhat lightly consuming Seo Yerin because of a trivial sense of superiority was unpleasant.

“Don’t do it next time. Got it?”

As if reading my mind, she nodded with a bright smile and rubbed her face against my shoulder.

I had long since stopped caring about other people’s stares.

‘Enough, I don’t care anymore.’

Since Seo Yerin took my drink, I was just eating meat.

“Oh, hello, senior! I’m Kim Chul-soo, a first-year in the English Literature department!”

“I’m Choi Young-hee, also a first-year!”

Chul-soo and Young-hee?

Other kids behind them also bowed their heads and greeted.

When I was alone earlier, they didn’t even glance at me, but as soon as Seo Yerin arrived, they immediately started greeting.

‘Maybe they didn’t know I was in the English department.’

After all, I do live a very quiet college life.

“Hi, guys. I’m Seo Yerin, a sophomore. This is Kim Woojin, also a sophomore.”

“Yes, seniors, is it okay if we offer you a drink?”

Chul-soo immediately offers a bottle.

“No, if he drinks more, he’ll get drunk.”

“Hey, I told you I’m not drunk.”

“Yes, Woojin isn’t drunk at all. You don’t have to worry about us, guys.”

She pinches my cheek again, teasing. Her demeanor and expressions are friendly towards the freshmen, which was nice to see.

But to me, it was clear she was just too lazy to deal with them.

The freshmen went back to their table.

“Didn’t they say hello to you?”

Curious, she asked as I nodded while eating meat.

“Why would they greet me? They probably don’t even know I’m in the English department.”

“Huh? How could they not know?”

What nonsense.

“Of course, they wouldn’t know. Who else leads a quieter college life than me?”

I was drinking soda because alcohol was restricted, and Seo Yerin was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Why.”

“Is there anyone who lives their college life as loudly as you do, Woojin?”

“What are you talking about.”

How am I loud?

“Don’t you remember the karaoke? Fighting with senior Han Kang? You even got called out in the Bamboo Forest.”

“At the gopchang restaurant too, you yelled at the third-year seniors. You got called out in the Bamboo Forest then as well. Twice in total.”

But wasn’t Seo Yerin not there at that time?

I told Chan-woo to take her away and then went to find her.

“Even the freshmen must have heard the rumors by now. Number one senior to avoid! Kim Woojin!”

“And yet you claim to live a quiet college life. This is really absurd. Is this the mindset of the wealthy or something?”

“Hey, I’m not a millionaire. I need to get a part-time job now.”

“What kind of part-time job?”

“I don’t know. But since I did well at Gold One. Maybe something related?”

“Something you’re good at? Working at a shop?”

As I reached out and stretched both her cheeks, Seo Yerin burst into a giggle.

“Ahaa! It’s a joke! A joke! It hurts!”

“This girl is crazy. Why do you cross the line like this?”

“You cross it too!”

Letting out a sigh and releasing her cheeks, Seo Yerin took the drink she snatched from me and exhaled heavily.

“But Woojin.”

“What now.”

Seo Yerin leaned on my shoulder and whispered softly, just enough for me to hear.

“You know you were really cool back then, right?”

“When.”

“When you helped me.”

“I’ve helped you so many times.”

“Heehee, right. That’s true.”

I said it as a joke, but she took it seriously.

Seo Yerin, slyly linking her arm with mine.

Her ample chest now softly presses against my arm.

“At the karaoke, at the gopchang restaurant, and now at the casino too. You’ve always saved me.”

Have I become somewhat sentimental?

Honestly, I was a bit too excited back then and acted rashly, and I feel a bit embarrassed when I think about it sometimes.

But not to Seo Yerin-

“Thinking about it excites me.”

“…Wasn’t this supposed to be a nostalgic, good atmosphere?”

“I think I’m wet. Touch me.”

“This is a restaurant. There are other people around.”

In fact, quite a few people were glancing over at Seo Yerin. I’d already given up on caring about that.

“Isn’t that what makes it exciting?”

“Do you want to ruin your college life?”

“You already ruined yours.”

It hurts when you hit me with facts.

I thought it might be a bit troublesome if the conversation continued like this, so I averted my gaze.

From earlier, Lee Eun-woo, who was sitting next to us and looking at us with envious eyes, met my gaze.

‘Come to think of it.’

Lee Eun-woo and Seo Yerin also have some kind of relationship.

As Anonymous69 and Anonymous90.

Should I mention it?

Lee Eun-woo still doesn’t know Seo Yerin’s identity, and Seo Yerin doesn’t know that Lee Eun-woo is Anonymous90.

I hesitated for a moment but decided not to say anything.

There was a reason for anonymity.

If I were to tell Seo Yerin.

‘…She’d probably suggest a real-life fight right away.’

She has a competitive spirit against Anonymous90.

“But how is having three girls around ruining your college life?”

At Seo Yerin’s voice muttering beside me, I stuffed a wrap into her mouth.

Min Ju-hee, with her hands deeply buried in her sweatshirt pockets, exhaled cigarette smoke while staring at the ground.

The place she was at was the smoking booth in front of the barbecue restaurant where the dorm dinner was taking place.

Despite having arrived a while ago, the fact that she hadn’t gone inside meant that Min Ju-hee was deeply contemplating.

‘Hoo, I really need to go in now.’

Although Min Ju-hee didn’t particularly like dorm gatherings, there was only one reason she came here.

She wanted to talk to Kim Woojin.

Since he had been drinking, he would likely be quite drunk, making it easier to hear his true feelings.

That was her plan when she came.

But despite her determination, she was just smoking nervously in front of the restaurant, unable to go inside.

At that moment.

The restaurant door opened, and two people came out.

“Ah.”

Kim Woojin and Seo Yerin.

The dinner gathering was not yet over, but the two seemed to be leaving early.

“What if you get drunk?”

“I’m not drunk!”

Kim Woojin supporting Seo Yerin, who was swaying as if she were drunk.

Min Ju-hee blankly watched the two of them.

“Woojin, are you going home?”

“After I take you home.”

“Why? I want to sleep at your place!”

“No.”

“Then you sleep at my place.”

“Oh, right. I can’t take you all the way to your house. It would be weird if your mom saw me.”

“Oh, that sobered me up, Woojin.”

The two left, having quite a familiar conversation.

Min Ju-hee, who had been watching their backs blankly from the smoking booth, put out her cigarette.

Feeling inexplicably dejected, she decided to head back.

Dormitory move-in day.

I was moving all my belongings out of the apartment I had stayed in for a year.

There wasn’t enough stuff to call a moving company, and thanks to Dae-sang hyung offering to move it with his car, all I had to do was move it into the room.

It seemed there were some vacant dorm spots this time, so some people had the rooms to themselves, and I was one of them.

‘Nice.’

The first floor of the dorm was crowded with people moving in, just like me.

It was so crowded that I was considering starting a bit later due to the congestion.

Poke, poke.

“Hmm?”

Someone poked my back, and when I turned around, there was Choi Yiseo wearing a navy jacket.

“Choi Yiseo?”

Since the semester hadn’t even started yet, I wondered why she was here, but Choi Yiseo smiled brightly and said,

“I’ll help you move.”