Bamboo Forest Manager

“Yawn, oh. I’m more tired than I thought.”

Arriving home with a weary step.

Without even thinking of unpacking the suitcase, just shoving it into a corner, lying on the mattress brought sleep swiftly.

‘I have to go meet Choi Yiseo.’

Since I had a meeting promised with Choi Yiseo, I couldn’t just stay home like this.

‘Was the mattress always this soft?’

Having slept on the living room floor or the sofa every day at Gold One, I had forgotten this softness.

As I buried my face in it, a strangely familiar scent wafted up.

‘…It smells like Choi Yiseo?’

But the mattress was full of Choi Yiseo’s scent.

‘It’s addictive.’

Lying there savoring the scent without any particular thoughts.

Click.

“Huh?”

The sound of the front door opening makes me glance slightly towards the entrance.

I wondered if it was a thief, but there stood Choi Yiseo holding an envelope in her hand.

“Hi.”

A light greeting.

I stared blankly at her and suddenly remembered that I had given her the key to my room before I went to Gold One.

“Oh, right.”

That’s why the mattress smelled like Choi Yiseo.

Well, no matter how it is, even if we spent a night together, it’s been almost two months, so there’s no way the smell would linger.

“Did you rest here sometimes?”

I bury my face back into the mattress and ask.

“Yeah, sometimes when I was tired from work and didn’t want to go home, I slept here.”

“Yeah, the mattress smells like you.”

“…You’re not burying your face in it because of that, are you?”

She asked, looking disconcerted, so I answered honestly.

“About half the reason, I guess?”

“As soon as I saw it, I was totally turned off.”

“That’s really harsh.”

“I told you we should eat outside.”

I turn my body and look at Choi Yiseo. She’s already taken off her coat and is preparing the food as if it’s second nature.

“I thought you might be tired. I just wanted to make you dinner and leave.”

“It’s nothing special. Just something like stew. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

Honestly, I was really reluctant to go out, so this works out well.

When I was on the bus earlier, I thought about treating myself to something nice outside as a reward for the part-time job.

But now, I was so grateful that Choi Yiseo came over like this.

“How’s the dorm? You have to move in soon, right?”

“They said there’s an interview. It’s in a week or so.”

“That’s soon.”

“I came back quickly, so I have a little more free time.”

As we casually chatted, I felt like I was naturally returning to my usual routine.

When I stayed at Gold One, I thought I had gotten used to it, but now that I’m back, my daily life is here after all.

Choi Yiseo, wearing an apron, was cooking various things.

Watching her blankly from behind, I thought to myself how remarkable I was.

‘Yesterday, I had a threesome with the girls, and today I’m here with Choi Yiseo.’

This is why I’m the chairman’s son.

Rich people are indeed generous.

Vrr! Vrr!

My phone rang then.

I was too lazy to get up, so I just turned my head to answer it while lying down.

“Hello.”

• Woojin, are you home?

Seo Yerin’s lively voice.

Even though I had heard it this morning, it felt welcoming.

“Yeah, I’m home. I’m lying down right now.”

• Have you had dinner?

“No, I haven’t eaten yet. But why did you call?”

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• We’re about to have dinner. Should we video call while eating? Aren’t you lonely?

“I’m not lonely. Why did you call?”

It’s not that I’m rushing or annoyed.

Choi Yiseo is already staring at me with her hand on her hip, so I want to hang up quickly out of a sense of urgency.

• Why are you so cold? What, are you done with everything already?

“Please don’t say things like that.”

• Right? There’s still a lot left to do.

Usually, I would have asked in detail what there was left to do.

But now, Choi Yiseo seems ready to turn off the stove and come over here, so I should hang up.

“I’m hanging up.”

• Why are you in such a hurry? Who are you with right now-!

Click.

I hang up and bury my face back into the mattress.

Pretending not to notice Choi Yiseo’s gaze, I just lie there.

Buzz!

The phone rings again.

“It’s a call from Arin.”

Choi Yiseo is standing next to me with a ladle in her hand.

“Ah, it’s okay. I don’t have to answer.”

“Answer it.”

“I said, answer it.”

Why is she suddenly creating such a scary atmosphere?

I sit up and answer the phone. I connect it to the speakerphone, sensing the situation.

• Choi Yiseo, hi?

As expected, she’s quick-witted.

“Hello.”

When Choi Yiseo responds with a reluctant expression, Yu Arin asks in an excited voice.

• Where are you now? At Kim Woo-jin’s house?

“…That’s right.”

• Aha.

Then comes a brief silence.

‘Please, please, Arin. Please. Don’t say anything weird.’

I held the phone with a blank expression, but inside I was burning up.

I was terrified that Yu Arin might mention anything about what happened yesterday.

• How about we all get together for a drink when we get back?

“Drink?”

• Yeah, you worked part-time too. Since we all did, wouldn’t it be nice to have a drink at a good place? Let’s cheer up as second years.

It’s not a bad suggestion, but the fact that Yu Arin made it was peculiar.

Maybe Choi Yiseo felt the same, as we exchanged knowing glances and let out a deep sigh.

• Or should we go somewhere instead of just drinking?

“Where?”

• Woojin’s place?

• Ah, we can’t. It would be a big problem if we went there.

Just saying it would be a big problem without any explanation feels a bit chilling.

• Se…

Seo Yerin, who was listening nearby, suddenly interrupted. It’s clear she has no intention of hiding her true nature anymore.

“Uh, what?”

Choi Yiseo was flustered, wondering if she heard correctly, but Yu Arin continued laughing.

• Anyway, let’s meet up once we get back. There’s something we need to discuss. Right, Woojin?

“Yes. Of course.”

• Yeah, yeah, see you later.

Click.

I was definitely the one who felt good during the threesome, the one who benefited the most, and the one who took the lead…

Why am I the one being blackmailed in the end?

“It seems like something happened.”

Choi Yiseo looks down at me, gritting her teeth. Although nothing has been said explicitly, she seems to have sensed that something went wrong.

“Sigh, Kim Woojin, seriously.”

She sweeps her bangs aside and looks down at me resentfully.

“I made kimchi stew, so eat up.”

But surprisingly, she lets it slide.

“I want to grill some pork belly too, is it okay to do that here? I heard some studios don’t allow grilling meat.”

“It’s fine here. Just ventilate well.”

I quickly open the window, set up the dining table, and sit down.

Choi Yiseo grumbled but set the table neatly.

“I’m leaving. Eat on your own.”

“Aren’t you going to eat with me?”

“No! I’m not eating!”

While trying to throw the bags of food into the trash can.

Thud.

A box fell to the floor.

It was a condom.

Both of our gazes were fixed on it simultaneously. It seemed that Choi Yiseo bought it while getting the groceries.

“Ah, no. Tha

While putting on her coat, Choi Yiseo’s face turned bright red as she stammered awkwardly .

“You should have told me earlier.”

I immediately stood up and started taking off my pants.

“Wh-what the hell!? Why are you taking off your pants all of a sudden!”

“I mean, if you were lonely, you should have told me sooner.”

With my pants half off, I hopped closer, and Choi Yiseo frantically waved her hands.

“Just eat your food! A-and we’re not doing it!”

“I can eat later. Do you want to eat first?”

“Your line is really lame, Kim Woojin!”

“That kind of hurts…”

Anyway, I ran towards Choi Yiseo as if I were some kind of zombie, and she ran to the front door to escape.

“You need to eat! And it’s obvious you’re really tired!”

“Possible!”

“What’s possible, you crazy person! Just eat and sleep! I, I’ll come back tomorrow!”

Choi Yiseo leaving, saying she’d step back for my condition.

“Ah, damn.”

I was really angry because of the mischievous Choi Yiseo, but I couldn’t let it go.

Picking up the condom that had fallen on the floor to put it somewhere.

Creak.

The door opened again.

“As expected, Choi Yiseo! You wanted to-!”

Thinking that Choi Yiseo had come back, I smiled brightly and turned.

“Hello.”

There was someone who shouldn’t be there.

Red wavy hair.

A curvaceous body fitting a sophisticated suit.

As always.

Confidently squared shoulders and a rigidly straightened back.

Lastly, the affectionate gaze directed at me.

“Oh Yoon-ji?”

Startled, I stared blankly at Oh Yoon-ji, and she asked, just as she did in the old days.

“Quite a warm welcome, huh?”

“Huh?”

Oops.

My pants were still half-off, and I was holding a condom in my hand.

She might misunderstand.

I threw the condom out of the window I had opened earlier to get rid of the meat smell.

“Phew, that was close.”

“…You really are peculiar.”

“Don’t come in!”

Despite my shout, Oh Yoon-ji naturally entered the room. She boldly walked in, making my protest seem pointless.

“Yiseo came by, didn’t she?”

Sorry, Choi Yiseo.

“Yiseo even cooked for you? Just like I used to.”

Oh Yoon-ji clicked her tongue and shook her head at the dining table.

“She still doesn’t know well.”

“When we eat grilled meat, honey only eats it with doenjang jjigae.”

“Don’t call me ‘honey’.”

“Then, my husband?”

For a moment, I almost called her ‘dear’.

Kim Woojin back then was really crazy.

“I heard there’s a misunderstanding. The letter I left didn’t reach you properly.”

Before leaving me.

I heard from Choi Yiseo that Oh Yoon-ji left a letter.

And I already know that she’s working with my older brother for my sake.

There was a misunderstanding about our breakup.

There was an accident in my pain.

But.

“However.”

I’ve already sorted my feelings out.

“What does it matter.”

It was true that I was wavering among several women.

I even said trashy things like I would take them all.

However, among them, there was no place for Oh Yoon-ji.

“It’s true that it was hard because of you. And it’s true that you struggled because of me.”

“But Yoon-ji, I-!”

Thud.

Oh Yoon-ji’s index finger touches my lips. Her provocative gaze signals that no more words are necessary, and I fall silent.

“Woojin, I heard everything.”

It felt as if I could sense the intense heat.

“Yiseo, Seo Yerin, and Yu Arin? Those girls are playing mind games over you.”

What Oh Yoon-ji harbored was a kind of competitive spirit.

She was always better than others, more passionate, more proactive.

“How was it during the first semester when we were dating?”

At Oh Yoon-ji’s question, I unconsciously recalled the past.

It was university life, but we didn’t care about others. We only had each other, and we always spent time together, just the two of us.

The distance growing between people was natural and inevitable.

“Wasn’t Choi Yiseo there at that time?”

She was there.

“And Seo Yerin? Yu Arin? Weren’t they there then?”

No, they were all there.

“Then why?”

The smile she gave was intensely captivating.

Absolute confidence.

“Who did you choose back then?”

She hadn’t changed at all from the Oh Yoon-ji I knew.

“Did you even notice any other girls back then?”

She was just as I loved her.

“Hehe, Woojin.”

Still as attractive as ever.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Oh Yoon-ji slowly removed her hand from my lips.

“The fact that I worked for you? That I left a letter asking you to wait a little? That other girls flirted with you during that time? That I left you and you misunderstood?” ṝ

She licked the finger that had touched my lips and boldly declared.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Nothing changes.”

It felt as if I had gone back.

To the first semester.

Like dazzling fireworks.

Enchanted by her beauty, who led such a dominant life.

“In the end, we’ll meet again.”

As the naive Kim Woojin.

“Got it, my husband?”