Bamboo Forest Manager

104 – 104. The Day Before Departure

“Ahem, ahem.”

Choi Yiseo discreetly checked her wristwatch with an awkward cough.

She was wearing an elegant wristwatch that she didn’t usually wear, along with a navy coat and white blouse that Minji had helped her coordinate.

She was all dressed up and was scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

There were men who were interested in her, but they didn’t have the courage to approach her because she looked like she was on a date.

“Whew.”

Kim Woojin was leaving for Gold One tomorrow.

She wanted to go with him, but Choi Yiseo had things to do here during the break, so she couldn’t go with him.

So they would have to be apart for two months.

Choi Yiseo mustered up the courage to ask him out on a date today.

Honestly, she was a little embarrassed at first, but now that she was here, she praised herself for doing so.

Even though there was still some time left before the appointment, she was strangely nervous and excited.

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‘Well, we used to hang out together a lot.’

It wasn’t like they hadn’t met separately like this before, but she was nervous because it wasn’t at school.

Choi Yiseo quietly realized that she really liked Kim Woojin.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, she heard Kim Woojin’s voice from behind her. She turned around to greet him with a smile, but she was surprised to see him wearing a black tracksuit.

“……What?”

Kim Woojin was standing there in a black tracksuit.

“Oh, my?”

The important thing was that Kim Woojin himself was also embarrassed. They looked at each other, trying to find the right words to say.

Kim Woojin spoke first.

“I, I didn’t call you to work out?”

Oh, dear.

She had been embarrassed and had asked him to meet her, but he had taken it that way.

Choi Yiseo was usually enthusiastic about exercising, and she often teased Kim Woojin by calling him out like that.

She felt like crying because her usual behavior had led to this misunderstanding, but she forced a smile and said,

“I said it wrong.”

“……Just a minute, I’ll change my clothes and come right back.”

Kim Woojin realized why she had called him and was about to go back to change his clothes, but Choi Yiseo shook her head and grabbed him.

“No, no! It’s okay to stay like that!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing! I, I made a mistake! Right, we’re not even dating yet……”

Her voice became smaller as she spoke, and she began to fidget with her hands. Choi Yiseo seemed weaker than usual.

Kim Woojin, who was watching her, hurriedly made up an excuse.

“Oh! If it’s okay, can you come with me to buy some clothes?”

“Clothes……?”

“Yeah! I’m going to Gold One tomorrow, and I don’t have any clothes, so I’m going to buy some.”

Choi Yiseo looked at him blankly at Kim Woojin’s offer, which was a kind of consideration, and then a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“You’re going tomorrow and you still haven’t bought any clothes?”

She carefully walked beside him and linked her arm through his.

The atmosphere became softer, and the two of them began to walk down the street.

* * *

“You look great.”

Choi Yiseo looked at Kim Woojin in his new clothes and smiled with genuine satisfaction.

She knew that there were many handsome people around her, such as Ahn Hyunho, Han Kang, and Jung Chanwoo, but Choi Yiseo still thought that Kim Woojin was the most handsome.

Even though Minji, who lived with her, said that she was blinded by love.

“Ahem, it’s awkward.”

Kim Woojin was uncomfortable even though it wasn’t his first time coming to a clothing store with a woman.

At first, she thought it was just the clothing store that was awkward, but then she remembered that her ex-girlfriend and friend, Oh Yoonji, was interested in clothing, and she felt a strange sense of jealousy.

Perhaps the two of them often came here to choose clothes.

‘……’

Choi Yiseo suddenly wondered if what she was doing was right.

Even though they had already broken up, she was with her friend’s ex-boyfriend.Suddenly, a realization dawned on her that was both unpleasant and ethically wrong…

Choi Yiseo’s emotions, which had been pounding until just now, subsided and calmed down.

Thud.

She lightly placed her hand on the chest of Kim Woojin, who was wearing a brown coat. Then, Choi Yiseo tapped it twice and let out a bitter laugh.

“Shall we go?”

“……Yes.”

Choi Yiseo knew that Kim Woojin had noticed her sudden change in mood.

However, it was not easy to hide these emotions as she had thought.

She just wanted to let time pass by.

* * *

They went shopping.

They ate.

They watched a movie.

It was a more enjoyable time than she had thought. If they really started dating, wouldn’t this kind of time continue every day?

It was such a happy time for Choi Yiseo that she worried that she would become a fool.

There were times when Kim Woojin’s s*xual desire and reason conflicted, but even that was quite impressive.

However, the lump that had settled in her chest did not dissipate as easily as she had thought.

They had met in the morning, but the sky had already darkened.

She thought about having a drink, but she felt like she would reveal the jealousy and ugliness that had settled in her heart.

That’s why she was so scared.

“I’ll go now.”

Choi Yiseo waved her hand in front of her house and said goodbye. If she left for Gold One now, she wouldn’t see him for two months.

So she wanted to say something memorable.

However, what actually came out of her mouth was a greeting that was so bland and tasteless.

‘Ah, why am I like this today?’

She hadn’t thought that way in the clothing store earlier. She would be able to control her emotions again after just one day, but it was a bit difficult right now.

“Yes, go inside. Have a good vacation.”

Kim Woojin also noticed that Choi Yiseo was strange today, so he smiled slightly and sent her off.

They wouldn’t see each other for the next two months, but on the contrary, it was only two months.

There was no way that their friendship would be shaken or that there would be a drastic change in their relationship in such a short time.

However, if she had to express it.

Stagnation.

Yes, it would stagnate.

Choi Yiseo, who was suddenly terrified, stopped walking, but the timing was coincidental.

Woong!

Her cell phone rang.

Realizing that it was hers, Choi Yiseo hurriedly took out her cell phone and gasped at the name of the caller.

– Yoonji –

It was a call from Yoonji, a high school friend with whom she had lost contact for a while.

“What’s wrong?”

Kim Woojin, who was worried about her, approached her when he saw her startled expression, but Choi Yiseo closed her cell phone a beat late.

Kim Woojin must have already seen the name on the cell phone, and his expression distorted as he gestured.

“Can you… answer it?”

It was difficult to read Kim Woojin’s emotions as he asked cautiously.

Was that anger or longing?

Choi Yiseo, like a shrimp caught between whales, did nothing and just carefully answered the phone.

– Yiseo? It’s been a long time.

Oh Yoonji’s voice was the same as usual. It was no different from when she was in high school.

To put it nicely, she had the leadership to lead people, but to put it badly, she was somewhat self-righteous.

“Why did you call?”

She went straight to the point.

Choi Yiseo’s mind was not free enough to make meaningless small talk.

Although it might feel a bit cold, Oh Yoonji didn’t react much and brought up her main point.

– You’re on vacation this time, right? Can you come and help me out with Minji?

“……Help you?”

– Yes, it would be easier if you thought of it as a part-time job. It won’t take up much of your time. It’s not a big deal.

“I’ll think about it. I’m outside, so I’ll have to talk to Minji.”

– Yes, think about it. It’s not a bad thing.

After saying that, Oh Yoonji hung up abruptly. It was rather like the two of them to only say what they had to say, but Choi Yiseo hated it.

Choi Yiseo’s worried gaze turned cautiously to Kim Woojin.

“……”Unknowingly, I found myself hugging Kim Woo-jin tightly as I watched him biting his lips and clenching his fists, looking more distressed than I had thought.

“It’s, it’s okay! I just hung up on you because I didn’t know you were there and just talked about work.”

“I know.”

Kim Woo-jin’s voice was downcast.

It was the first time I had seen him look so vulnerable, and it also showed how heavily the woman named Oh Yoon-ji weighed on his mind.

“Just.”

A bitter sigh escaped his lips.

Kim Woo-jin’s voice, filled with regret and anguish, was devoid of strength.

“It’s just… I feel like I’m doing well.”

Unlike me, who was still struggling, and unlike him, who was receiving attention from many women but rejecting it.

Oh Yoon-ji’s words about working hard made Kim Woo-jin feel a complex mix of emotions.

“……I’ll go. I had a good time today.”

Kim Woo-jin gently pushed away Choi Yi-seo, who was still hugging him, and slowly turned his body.

The last day before going to the Gold One Hotel.

It was a day that would be memorable for Kim Woo-jin in many ways.

* * *

Click.

“Whew.”

I have to wake up early tomorrow to catch the bus to the Gold One Hotel.

No matter how much beer I drank, I couldn’t fall asleep. I regretted not buying stronger alcohol, and just as I was about to open another can.

Knock knock.

A knock came from outside.

I checked the time on my phone and it was already midnight. I wondered who would be coming at this hour, and asked as I headed towards the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

“……Choi Yi-seo?”

Choi Yi-seo had returned unexpectedly.

When I opened the door, her cheeks were flushed red, as if she had been out in the cold.

She was holding a large paper bag in each hand, and handed one of them to me before striding inside.

“Ah, it’s cold. Were you drinking alone?”

I had been worried about Choi Yi-seo since she had been acting strangely at the clothing store earlier, but now she seemed to be feeling a little better.

I answered her in a light voice as I checked the paper bag.

“I was just a little upset?”

Inside were wine and a small cake. It looked like she had bought them at a convenience store.

“What, are you trying to get into the Christmas spirit?”

The Christmas season was approaching, so I asked with a smile, and Choi Yi-seo sighed as she took off her coat.

“It’s my birthday today.”

“……?!”

“You’re going to… no, it’s today. Anyway, I met you a day early because you were going to Gold One today.”

I had no idea.

I wasn’t the type to keep track of birthdays.

“I thought you might be drinking alone, so I just came over. Min-ji threw me a surprise party, but I told her I was sorry and came here.”

“…….”

“Sit down quickly.”

I followed Choi Yi-seo, who was now sitting down as if it were her own home, and sat down as well.

An opener was also included, so I opened it neatly, unlike last time.

‘Last time?’

When was that?

I couldn’t tell if it was because I had been drinking beer or if my memory was just hazy.

I poured the wine into a beer glass instead of a wine glass and looked at Choi Yi-seo.

Watching her smile as she took a bite of the cake and said it was delicious, I felt my worries from earlier ease a little.

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude to Choi Yi-seo.

“Hmm?”

Choi Yi-seo, who had a fork in her mouth, stared at me and pretended not to hear, holding out her beer glass.

We clinked glasses and took a sip of wine. Even though it was convenience store wine, it was quite tasty.

“Wow, it’s hitting me fast.”

I had been drinking beer until just now, and I was also a bit weak when it came to wine.

I felt dizzy and looked at Choi Yi-seo. She was eating the cake and wine alternately, as if she were addicted to something. I wondered if she was hungry.

“Hey, are you going to eat this and then go to sleep?”When she asked in a flirtatious tone, Choi Yi-seo nodded slightly without saying anything.

There was another paper bag earlier, and it probably had clothes or toiletries for her.

“You’re all grown up, but you don’t know how scary men can be.”

She said that, but she honestly wasn’t in the mood today.

She could feel her voice trembling, and she felt drunk herself, and Choi Yi-seo hadn’t done anything last time because she didn’t have a condom.

‘To be honest, I do have some.’

She had bought a whole box of condoms at an adult store last time, so she did have some.

“Too bad, I should have bought condoms.”

She pretended to mutter it nonchalantly, as if she didn’t have any.

She was pretending to give up, staggering as if she were in the same situation as last time.

Thud.

A small rectangular box landed on the table.

The moment she realized that it came out of Choi Yi-seo’s pocket and that it was a condom.

She felt the red flush of intoxication fly away and looked up at her.

Choi Yi-seo, who was holding a fork in her mouth, was deliberately avoiding her gaze.

But her face, flushed with embarrassment, was sending a silent signal.

‘Oh, that’s right.’

And only now did she remember the time she had made a mistake while pouring wine.

It was the day she had done it with that guy at Seo Ye-rin’s house.