Bamboo Forest Manager

Chapter 2

2 – 2. ㄴㄲ(No Nol)

Dark room.

Even though it’s dawn, the glaring light from the cellphone illuminates the small studio apartment.

“Ah, what time is it?”

Since I have no other place to contact, I checked my phone with a sigh, and there was a loud notification from the Dandelion Forest app.

As the only administrator of Dandelion Forest, it’s natural that I can’t manage it in the early morning.

Thanks to that, there were often posts causing incidents and accidents in the early morning, but it is an anonymous community in the first place.

It’s rare that problematic posts don’t appear.

Of course, mentioning someone’s real name without hesitation results in an immediate ban and the deletion of the post, but sometimes it’s late.

That’s why sniper-like posts often come up, targeting the time when the administrator, me, is asleep.

Well, anyway.

Usually, when there is such a loud notification, it means that something chaotic is happening on the bulletin board.

“Who could it be this time?”

Last time, it was a female student who targeted a professor but was caught because it turned out she was forcing herself.

This time, I was curious again, so I turned on my phone.

[01:47]

The time displayed on the screen was surprisingly early. Although I went to bed early, isn’t it the time when people in their 20s lie on their beds and look at their phones between 1 and 2 a.m.?

“Ah.”

And it’s also the time when the most incidents happen.

However, when I actually entered Dandelion Forest, there were only photos of beer, night scenery, a few lines of poetry, and so on, all with a dawn sentiment.

It seemed that there were only people appealing to the dawn sentiment in Dandelion Forest, and there were no major incidents.

‘Ah.’

Finally, I realized that something had come through 1:1 administrator inquiries.

“Seo Yerin?”

Anonymous69.

So, Seo Yerin had sent a considerable number of messages.

– Anonymous69: Answer, answer, answer, why won’t you answer…

Looking at the most recent message, I honestly shivered for a moment.

I wondered why she was doing this, so I scanned the messages above.

“What is this?”

There was another picture in the middle, but this time it only showed her lifting up her skirt and revealing her thighs to some extent.

However, seeing a mark on the inside of her thigh, it seemed to be Seo Yerin herself.

– Anonymous69: Administrator, it’s been a day, but the block hasn’t been lifted.

– Anonymous69: You told me to take a day off and come back.

– Anonymous69: Please unlock it.

– Anonymous69: I’ll be a good gay now.

Note that “gay” is an abbreviation for a bulletin board user.

– Anonymous69: Damn it, unlock it.

– Anonymous69: Were you jerking off after seeing the picture earlier?

– Anonymous69: Honestly, is it hard?

– Anonymous69: Damn it.

– Anonymous69: (Picture)

– Anonymous69: Looks like it’s going to be a wild ride, lol.

– Anonymous69: Review score.

– Anonymous69: Answer.

– Anonymous69: Answer, answer.

– Anonymous69: Answer, answer, answer, you son of a b**ch.

After that, he continued to respond in the same manner.

It seems that the administrator’s 1:1 chat doesn’t show read receipts unlike other messengers, so he must have thought he was being ignored.

– Administrator: It’s currently 2 AM.

As soon as I suppressed my irritation and replied, a quick response came.

– Anonymous69: You’re late in responding; call me next time.

Is this what they call an internet troll?

Thinking about Seo Yerin’s behavior in class, my tongue curls at the opposite feeling.

What expression is she making while sending such messages?

– Administrator: Asking for the administrator’s personal information results in a 3-day ban.

– Anonymous69: Sorry, dude. I got a bit drunk and got carried away.

Dude, my foot.

– Administrator: Also, it’s a 24-hour ban, so you have about 10 more hours to go.

– Anonymous69: I even bribed you; please unlock it.

– Administrator: Not happening.

– Anonymous69: Ah, honestly, it’s irritating.

Ah, really annoying.

I can’t block the 1:1 inquiry chat, so it will keep coming.

– Administrator: It’s not irritating.

Honestly, how could it not be irritating? But to not disappoint myself as a human being, I had no choice but to say that.

I only looked at it as if it passed by, I didn’t bother saving or anything.

It was the least I could do out of conscience.

Seo Yerin’s reply didn’t come easily.

Is she sleeping now?

The moment I thought that, the reply came right away.

– Anonymous69: F*ck.

You really have confidence in yourself.

Well, people around you praise you that way, and Seo Yerin herself has eyes, so it makes sense.

She’s well aware of how great she is.

– Administrator: I’m serious.

– Anonymous69: Are you gay? Or a pervert? Or do you have a lolita fetish?

You’re really crazy.

– Administrator: No, it’s a normal preference. But the picture is just naked.

– Anonymous69: F*ck.

– Administrator: F*ck off.

– Anonymous69: F*ck off.

Will this conversation continue in the future?

It’s annoying even to receive notifications, so I just put my phone on silent and cover it.

In the peaceful silence, darkness settles in again.

As I wake up and toss around in bed, the familiar scent of rose shampoo comes from somewhere and tickles my nose.

It’s not my shampoo.

From Noble mtl dot com

I pretend not to recognize it and bury my face in the pillow.

The scent of Phytoncide deodorant that I sprayed to remove the smell violently wraps around my nose.

Like that.

I was able to slowly fall asleep.

“Ah, Mr. Ah.”

Early morning.

Having arrived at the lecture hall at 9 o’clock, I forcefully rub my sleepy eyes and let out a yawn.

I was beginning to understand with my own skin the difference between 9 a.m. for high school students and 9 a.m. for college students.

“Why on earth did I schedule a lecture for this time?”

I remember it being a situation where I was so absent-minded at that time. As a result, I just randomly assigned classes with fewer students and this is the outcome now.

“This is insane.”

I resolve to never schedule a 9 a.m. class again and take my seat.

Anyway, since it’s a required major course, it would be convenient to get it out of the way in advance.

But I don’t understand why they schedule required courses for 9 a.m.

When I become completely adjusted to college life, this will be torture.

“Ah…”

Not only me, but others seemed to feel the same way. It felt like a gathering place for exhausted soldiers. There were probably quite a few who couldn’t come.

I roughly find a seat and close my eyes, using my major textbook as a pillow.

Knock knock.

Did I take a quick nap?

With the thought that my consciousness flew away for a moment, I suddenly jerk my head up.

The professor standing in the lecture hall greets the students with familiarity.

“The professor just arrived.”

Whispering with a pen in hand, my overenthusiastic classmate, Choi Iseo.

Although she tells me in a calm expression, there is a hint of coolness in the air.

More like deodorant that gets rid of the smell of sweat than perfume?

She’s wearing a lilac hoodie and sweatpants, and it’s obvious that she hurriedly came after exercising.

“…I almost overslept because of my morning workout, so I came like this.”

As if she noticed me scanning her outfit, Choi Iseo slightly moves back her body.

Her expression remains unchanged, but it seems like she’s subtly concerned about that.

“Yeah, I can see.”

When I answer her in a muffled voice, she subtly turns her head to check if she smells like sweat.

Her expression doesn’t change at all, but she seems to be paying attention to those little details.

The professor starts calling attendance and responds with his chin resting on his hand.

But.

“Seoyerin?”

“Yes.”

Right next to Choi Iseo, Seoyerin raised her hand to show her attendance.

Although she did a simple makeup, there was a sense of fatigue on her face, indicating that she slept late.

“Slept late?”

Leaving aside why Choi Iseo is sitting next to her for now, I discreetly turn on my phone out of curiosity.

Choi Iseo frowned at me for being distracted, but this is not high school, it’s university.

I will take responsibility for my actions, and I tilt my phone so that Choi Iseo can’t see and check my social media feed.

I didn’t have time to check my feed hurriedly in the morning.

The bulletin board remained the same.

It’s noisy, but peaceful.

This is the normal atmosphere here.

And.

“Wow.”

[Inquiry: 101]

Anonymous69.

So, it was a notification that piled up in the 1:1 chat with Seoyerin.

It seems like she’s been sending messages on her own after I fell asleep, and I’m afraid to read them.

“Was she awake until she got a reply?”

Looking at the timestamps, it seems like she kept sending messages until I left for class.

“It’s dizzying.”

I blocked Anonymous69 during lunchtime yesterday, so there are still about 4-5 hours left.

I briefly check the contents and most of them are repeated comments asking if the pictures are not clear enough, wanting confirmation.

I sent a few more additional photos, but most of them stopped at the level where you could see panties.

“What should I do with this person?”

While I’m contemplating, Choi Iseo turns his head and expresses his concern for Seoyerin.

“Is something wrong with her face? Did she keep following the upperclassmen for drinks yesterday? They said she could leave if she’s not feeling well.”

So, it was true that she drank yesterday.

In response to Choi Iseo’s question, Seo Yerin forced a smile and lowered her head.

“No, we’re all going together. I can’t be left out alone.”

By the way, I was left out too.

Even though we’re in the same department.

I didn’t know.

“I heard there’s a group chat without me.”

I felt a sense of disappointment for no reason, but honestly, I didn’t think she would call me.

Maybe she said we were all going together, but there were probably others who were left out like me.

But then, Seo Yerin, who met my eyes, smiled and waved her hand.

“Hi, Woojin. Are you also taking this lecture?”

“Yeah, I messed up my schedule.”

“Me too. Let’s meet often.”

“Sure.”

She’s really kind.

She can remember my name properly even though she couldn’t before, and she even takes care of me as a fellow student in the same department without any reservations.

The way she asks if I have any preferences or interests, it feels like I can even sense warmth in her kindness.

“Should I include Iseo too?”

“Yeah, sure.”

She even includes Choi Iseo, making it so natural that I couldn’t possibly have any strange thoughts.

Could it be that the person who begged me to let her use the bulletin board until dawn and sent me explicit photos is actually her?

Could it be that I’m just misunderstanding?

Such thoughts came to mind.

Just in case.

With one hand tilting my phone, I sent a reply to Anonymous69.

– Administrator: ㄴㄲ

Let’s send only this much instead of a long message.

Oof.

Yerin’s phone rang simultaneously, and she jumped in surprise, checking her phone as if someone had suddenly appeared at the dinner table after three days.

Then, her gentle expression hardened.

“Why?”

Her actions were so noticeable that Choi Seo asked her with concern, and Yerin smiled and shook her head.

“It’s nothing.”

It was clearly not nothing.

And then.

She started sending secretive messages.

“It’s a relief that it’s on silent.”

An anonymous message from “anonymous69” was immediately sent to me.

– anonymous69: Just try to meet me.

After leaving that one line,

“I’ll be right back, I need to use the restroom for a moment.”