Bamboo Forest Manager

Chapter 49

49 – Save Me

Choi Yiseo looked up at the shameless and despicable Kim Woojin and pursed her lips.

“Speed is 4, but he pretends to run so well?”

“…Is there any bonus for acting?”

In front of the dressing room in the gym, there was a table. Although there weren’t many, Seo Yerin was sitting with her legs crossed, looking down at her phone, waiting for the group to come out.

And there was someone behind her, peeking at her phone screen and patting Seo Yerin’s shoulder.

It was me.

“Where would you like to go?”

Seo Yerin tapped on her phone quickly, stretching out her words like a character in a drama. Since I became the one buying dinner tonight, I was in the midst of choosing a place.

“How about Mr. Kim? Is there anything you want to eat?”

Seo Yerin slightly turned her head to look at me and asked. Despite it being a trap that was blatantly obvious, I forced a fake smile and answered.

“Oh, our president can have anything he wants if he desires.”

“Oh really?”

In the end, I would be the one paying anyway.

If I make Seo Yerin uncomfortable here, my wallet might suffer.

“What about steak?”

“Isn’t that a bit heavy?”

“Pizza?”

“If they’re gonna eat that, we might as well have our unique green onion pancake.”

“…Pasta.”

“How about jjambbong noodles?”

“Chow mein.”

“Instead of that, how about some spicy mackerel stew…!”

“You won’t cut it.”

As I responded, I unintentionally let my personal desires slip, and it seemed that didn’t sit well with her.

“Iseo, what do you like?”

Watching our conversation with her legs crossed on the side, Choi Yiseo sighed and answered.

“Since we worked out, it might not be good to eat something that will make us gain weight.”

If it were Choi Yiseo, she would probably suggest going to eat a salad. Recently, salads have become expensive, but they are still lighter compared to meat dishes like steak.

“Let’s go eat steak to supplement protein.”

“There’s a steakhouse nearby! Let’s eat there!”

In? Isn’t it Out?

Well, anyway.

“No! Wait! Just because I won in a race, it doesn’t mean I’m going to buy steak! Who supplements protein with steak!”

When I shouted, Seo Yerin glared at me.

“Well, you shouldn’t have lied then. If I had won fair and square, I would have just eaten something cheap.”

“But by pretending to win like a snail, you’re just asking for punishment.”

From Noble mtl dot com

Choi Iseo added with a shrug of her shoulders. Since I had nothing else to say, I ended up being dragged to a steakhouse like a cow being taken to a slaughterhouse.

“I’ll buy the salad bar.”

Seo Yerin stepped forward, showing some conscience.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of my own meal.”

Choi Iseo also patted my back from the side, telling me not to worry.

“It’s okay, you guys.”

If I drew the card once, wouldn’t it be manly for me to take a stand? I cheerfully stepped forward and declined.

“I can bear this expense. I don’t live such a poor life.”

“Oh.”

“Hmm.”

The two of them clapped quietly while looking at me. Anyway, we sat at the table and everyone started choosing and placing their orders.

“Ah…”

A familiar face greeted us.

It was none other than Hangang, our senior from the second year, who came to take our order while wearing a part-time job uniform.

“Ah, hello.”

Seo Yerin greeted awkwardly.

“Do you work here?”

Choi Iseo asked Hangang naturally but skillfully.

“…….”

Of course, I just kept my mouth shut. Although we had drank together before, the awkwardness hadn’t completely disappeared.

“Oh, yeah. I started recently after finishing midterms.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll place the order then.”

Choi Iseo, who was uncomfortable with me and Seo Yerin, took the initiative to speak and quickly placed an order, cleanly sending off the senior.

As expected, he’s quick-witted and good at his job.

“Are you very uncomfortable?”

Watching him ask me and Seo Yerin, it seems he’s quite worried.

“It doesn’t really bother me. I’m not the type to care about others in the first place.”

At first, I was a little taken aback, but I never had any intention of eating with him while being conscious of the senior.

But Seo Yerin seemed a little different.

“Uh, I, I’m uncomfortable.”

“What happened when we drank together last time?”

Seo Yerin seems even more uncomfortable than she was at that time. Judging from her dark expression, there must have been some conversation going on at that time.

“When I went to the bathroom, the senior followed me and confessed that he liked me.”

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation. Of course, I closed my mouth immediately when Choi Iseo glared at me.

But is this something to be glared at? If someone confesses, should you not congratulate them?

“I clearly declined and told him I’m sorry! B, but he still asked me to think about it….”

“He asked you to think about it?”

“So, I, I told him I’ll wait and if my feelings change, I’ll let him know.”

“I see.”

So, even though I rejected his confession, it means that he’s still waiting on the other side, in a somewhat pitiful situation.

Certainly, now that it’s Seo Yerin we’re talking about, even someone like Han River-senpai would take a ticket and wait.

He’s not at the level of Jeon Chanwoo, who automatically comes up with the phrase “He’s incredibly good-looking,” but Han River-senpai was someone who was admired by girls in our department.

Thinking that, I realized once again how amazing the time I’m spending is.

Not just Seo Yerin, but also Choi Iseo.

It was the same at the PC bang, the same at the gym, and it’s the same here right now.

Gazes from all around were pouring towards the two women, and there were clear signs of envy, jealousy, and comparison directed towards me.

I’ve even seen people mumbling about why someone like me is with these two, for real.

“You must be going through a lot.”

Choi Iseo patted my shoulder and expressed his concern, which seemed to ease Seo Yerin’s mind a bit.

“But don’t reject him too harshly.”

So, I said a few words.

The two of them were slightly taken aback by the story that came out of my mouth, not expecting it to come out of my mouth.

What I said was something I said for Seo Yulin.

“Objectively speaking, what do you think Han River senior is not a bad guy?”

He has a good reputation, and he gets along well with people.

There are rumors that he is rich, and on top of that, he is good-looking.

It’s not often that you meet someone with such conditions.

“If you want to say his drawback, it’s that he’s a bit open with women… but that’s not a problem for you, right?”

I don’t think there will be any other girls who will come into Seo Yulin’s eyes. Maybe he doesn’t want anyone else to come into his eyes, so he’s pushing them away.

“You’ve never had any experience with dating, right? It’s not bad to experience someone else’s feelings at least once.”

Why don’t grown-ups also tell us to experience the things we can only experience at this age?

This was the point where responsibility and pleasure met. Not to just blindly get married, but to maintain the innocence of youth.

This kind of love is something that can only be experienced at this age.

“……”

Seo Yulin’s expression grew a bit darker. She looked at me with a resentful expression, as if I had said something wrong.

Choi Lee-seo, who had heard the whole story, looked quite surprised by my opinion.

“Really objectively?”

“Is that so?”

There was direct friction between Han River senior and me, and that’s why it was strange for me to say such a thing.

Lee, who had been silent, smiled slightly and asked further.

“What if, on the other hand, you said it with a subjective perspective, but with a deep affection for him?”

“Then……”

The two women’s gazes focused on me.

Particularly, Seo Yulin looked at me with a nervous expression, which felt strange.

In any case, I should answer honestly.

“I’d say it’s turned off.”

“Psh.”

Only now did Seo Yulin smile.

“Don’t make fun of me and just go join the army.”

“Ah, Woo-jin also has to go to the army.”

“Right, when are you going?

“Why did you suddenly hit me?”

Weren’t we just gossiping about Han River senior?

Why am I suddenly hurt?

“I’ll write you a letter, Woojin.”

“These days, you can use phones, right? Can’t you reply through text?”

“Why do you have a stomachache when you haven’t eaten anything yet?”

Hmm, this is strange.

Why did the conversation suddenly change like this?

“Bereumo! I want to try Bereumo! Loan it to me when I have vacation!”

“Can I send something like a package? If you need anything, tell me.”

“I’m still a civilian, you jerks.”

Why are they treating me like someone who’s about to go to the military?

The two of them laughed and joked, saying it was a prank, and in the meantime, the menu we ordered arrived.

We had to go to the salad bar, but we couldn’t because we were engrossed in the conversation.

Han River senior had come to serve us, but we were once again immersed in talks about the military.

“But won’t the reunification happen next year?”

“Yes, even if it reunifies, you still have to go.”

“Yes, sir! Private Kim Woojin!”

“…The steak is ready.”

Han River senior tried to interrupt, but we were focused on our conversation.

There was also a feeling of intentionally seeking attention from the senior.

“Woojin, I’ll take my friends to visit you all together. There are many pretty girls among my friends.”

“If there are young children included, I’ll pass.”

“But the children are pretty too.”

Her voice was unique and had a fruity scent that was alluring.

“The tomahawk steak is…”

“Yes, that’s me.”

As we started eating the steak, we continued our conversation. Since Han River senior was there, we just blurted out anything that came to mind.

“This senior is really mean.”

How strong were my feelings towards Seoyerin that the service was so slow?

Moreover, he was looking directly at Seo Yerin, and I wondered if this was the approach of a “hunnam” (a charming man).

How confident must he be to beg like this?

If it were me, I would have been cursed out for staring.

“Ah, Arin! Did you know that I used to be a Taekwondo athlete?”

And Seo Yerin, who received such attention, continues to speak like a circus clown spewing balloons from her mouth.

“A Taekwondo athlete?”

I’ve never heard of that before.

“Yeah! A Taekwondo athlete! I used to be a promising talent and talked a lot about it! I even won prizes in competitions!”

“Oh, really?”

No wonder her legs were so perfectly stretched.

“She’s incredibly flexible! She made difficult moves seem easy!”

“Indeed, she does seem flexible.”

Just by looking at her, I could tell she was flexible. It was evident in her gestures and actions, and even when she came to our house last time and pounded my back with her leg.

“Her body is amazing too! She has muscles! Oh, but overall, her body is so soft, it feels nice to hug her!”

“Um, she does seem soft.”

My heart felt so soft.

“….”

While contemplating how to eat a tomahawk steak, I absentmindedly replied and then raised my head to reconsider what I just said.

Seo Yerin, who spoke, and Choi Iseo, who was sleeping next to me.

And even Han Kang, who was serving us.

They were all looking at me with the same surprised eyes.

“Hmm, I guess I said something that could be misunderstood.”

If I stay here quietly, it’s going to be a disaster.

I put down the fork and knife that I was holding calmly, pretending to be nonchalant.

“So, what I just said was….”