Bamboo Forest Manager

If there’s one good thing about being among men, it’s that choosing what to eat hardly ever becomes a big deal for us.

When someone suggests eating beef soup near our house to cure hangovers, everyone just goes along without any fuss and eats together.

Everyone just woke up, and although we’re all healthy young men, our expressions were as if we’re on the verge of death.

We don’t eat to live; it’s more like we’re stopping by a resting place on our way to dying.

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!

“Chan-woo, turn off your phone. Or block those calls.”

Jeong Chan-woo’s phone has been ringing non-stop, presumably from the women he exchanged numbers with at the hunting bar yesterday.

“I already turned my phone off though?”

Just when we were wondering, Han-kang pulls his phone out.

Yesterday, Kang Han-kang made calls to all his ex-girlfriends and even got someone’s number from the hunting bar.

I’m worried he might actually dive into the Han River to live up to the reputation from his name….

“Ha, fuck.”

The moment the name ‘ex-girlfriend’ popped up, I wanted to bury my face in a bowl of hot soup and die. I never imagined I’d actually do something that one only hears about in internet community tales.

There are often stories like this posted on the Bamboo Forest, claiming to be personal experiences or copied from somewhere else.

I never thought I’d actually live through something like it.

Feeling like I might end up diving into the Han River with this guy, I forced myself to eat the hot soup.

It was so delicious that the desire to die slowly faded away from within me.

“Ugh, I think I can live now.”

Pyo Jinho, whose image was already ruined, was still pretending to be a tough guy in front of us. Matching his size, he devoured two bowls and then promptly stood up.

“I’m off now.”

Of course, no one tried to stop him.

“Han-kang… Let’s go to the Military Manpower Administration together later for the enlistment stuff.”

“…Let’s go now.”

Pyo Jinho, who had become friendly enough to casually address Han-kang. Han-kang, who hurriedly ate his beef soup, also quickly stood up and left with Pyo Jinho.

“Go on, you bastards.”

“Let’s never see each other again.”

We parted with such mock farewells. After Han-kang and Pyo Jinho left, Ahn Hyeon-ho immediately went to uni.

Apparently, he’s going to meet Choi Yiseo directly to apologize for what happened yesterday.

It’s uncertain if they will actually meet.

Lastly, Chan-woo had to leave because of his part-time job at the PC café.

“I’ll go too, Woojin.”

“…You’ve worked hard.”

“So have you.”

We looked at each other with salty looks, sighing deeply as we went our separate ways. It was nice to think that Chan-woo’s grudge, our first goal, had finally been resolved, but it left me feeling incredibly uncomfortable for some reason.

It wasn’t just resolved; it was as if everything inside had been hollowed out to the point of ruin.

At least, thankfully, it wasn’t my ass that got hollowed out.

‘I could probably attend a lecture if I head to uni now.’

I thought I could make it in time for the beginner’s Japanese conversation class that I was taking with Seo Yerin.

‘Forget it, just go to sleep.’

After all, it was the first time I’ve missed my Wednesday classes, having taken off from Tuesday afternoon all the way through.

I spent such a regrettable amount of time that I would have been better off attending lectures, which made me feel utterly dejected.

When I got home, what welcomed me were roughly 700,000 won’s worth of adult toys.

“Ah, seriously.”

I clearly told them to take the Tenga, but not a single person took it with them.

After carelessly putting the adult toys scattered on the floor back into the bag, I lay my body on the mattress.

No matter how hard I tried to remember, I couldn’t recall what I said to Oh Yoon-ji on the phone yesterday.

“Ah! Kim Woojin really, die! Just die!”

After banging my head on the floor several times, it really hurt, so I fell back, rubbing my forehead.

I wondered if hitting my head might bring my memory back, but it just really hurt me.

“Ha.”

Lying face down, I bring my phone in front of my face and sneak a peek.

• Oh Yoon-ji

  Outgoing call, 3 minutes 47 seconds.

The call history was still there. The fact that I talked for almost four minutes made my neck feel cold.

I searched to see if I had recorded the call, but of course, there was nothing of that sort in there.

I had turned off all automatic recording features in case there were calls related to family.

“I wish she hadn’t answered the call.”

Then, my heart would have been lighter than it was now.

What did I say to Oh Yoon-ji for 3 minutes and 47 seconds? Even if I tried to think of what I could say to her now, nothing came to mind, which made me wonder what nonsense I might have spouted while drunk.

“Should I call her now?”

Saying I called because I lost a game while hanging out drunk with friends. Asking if I said anything weird.

Actually, I meant to call my ex-girlfriend but ended up calling you, my ex-ex-girlfriend, instead.

Various excuses sprang to mind, but my thumb never actually moved to press the call button.

It wasn’t just because I drank and made a mistake yesterday, but the thought of hearing Oh Yoon-ji’s voice somehow scared me.

I felt… that something might change.

“Ahhh!”

Kicking the mattress as if swimming on it, I put my phone down and closed my eyes.

It seemed like the best choice for now was to just fall asleep.

Thud, thud, thud!

“Huh?!”

Startled by the knocking, I sprang up from my bed. Looking around, it was still bright outside, and I hadn’t slept long enough to feel rested either.

Realizing I had only slept for an hour before waking up, I tried to go back to sleep.

Thud, thud, thud!

Sighing deeply at the knocking from outside, I yelled,

“There’s no one home.”

“Open the door.”

The voice from outside was Choi Yiseo. Come to think of it, I did have a call record with Choi Yiseo yesterday.

“There’s no one here.”

“Then who am I talking to right now?”

“It’s an autonomous AI system. The master just bought it and brought it home.”

I was too annoyed to meet anyone then. Just when I was about to snuggle under the blanket.

• Hello? Woojin? If you’re with Ahn Hyeon-ho…

• Excuse me?! Is this the sushi restaurant I’m calling?

My voice, heavily drunk, began to seep through the gap in the front door.

• Please send some sushi.

• It’s not a sushi restaurant, it’s Choi Yiseo. Sigh, how much did you drink exactly?

• I said I want sushi?!

• It’s Choi Yiseo. Your friend. The student representative of the English department. If you’re with Ahn Hyeon-ho, just pass on one thing.

• Why did I call if it’s not a sushi restaurant?

• I made the call. Ah, come on! Where are you? I’ll come get you.

• If it’s not a sushi restaurant, why did I call?

• Don’t hang up on me!

The voice stopped there.

Listening to the recorded call history, I let out a sigh of relief.

“No mistakes made there.”

“Seriously.”

Choi Yiseo, seemingly incredulous at my brazenness, sighed again and knocked on the door.

“Open up, please. I have something to say.”

“The master isn’t here.”

“Sigh.”

Leaning her head against the door, Choi Yiseo let out a frustrated grunt.

“You talked to Yoon-ji yesterday.”

“Oh my god, shit!”

Startled, I jump up and hurriedly open the front door. Having heard me approaching, Choi Yiseo stepped back and, as soon as the door opens, pushes past me into the house.

It doesn’t matter.

What mattered was how Choi Yiseo knew I had talked to Oh Yoon-ji and if she knew the content of the call.

As soon as Choi Yiseo came inside, she handed me the hangover cure she had brought from the store. Not only that, it seemed she had also done some grocery shopping, judging by the ingredients she took out, it looked like she was planning to make rice soup with dried pollack.

I was about to ask about Oh Yoon-ji, but seeing Choi Yiseo tying on an apron, I lost my words.

Asking a girl who has feelings for me about an ex-girlfriend required more courage than I had.

So, I just blankly stared at her back and quietly sat down to drink the hangover cure.

I did have some soup earlier to cure the hangover, but I was so drunk that my stomach still felt bloated.

“Did you have something for your hangover separately?”

Choi Yiseo, who had just mentioned Oh Yoon-ji, now switched the topic.

“Yeah, I had soup with the guys earlier.”

As I mentioned ‘the guys’, Choi Yiseo just turned her head slightly to glance at me and sighed.

“Yesterday was really annoying.”

“Today, An Hyeon-ho went to uni looking for you.”

“I met him. It seems he had the guys contact each other to find out where I was.”

He really does have good connections, I’ll acknowledge that.

“After receiving confessions from An Hyeon-ho more than ten times yesterday, I blocked his number. I just unblocked him after telling him not to contact me privately again.”

“……”

“What annoys me is, you were right there and you didn’t stop An Hyeon-ho?”

“Ah, no. I wasn’t in my right mind either.”

“It seemed so.”

Choi Yiseo sighed again and grumbled as she took out minced garlic and Cheongyang chili peppers.

“While I was talking to An Hyeon-ho on the phone yesterday, you kept on…”

Thud thud thud!

“Hey, you bastard!”

Yu Arin’s voice calling for me could be heard from outside, pounding on the door as if to break it if I didn’t open.

Just a moment ago, it seemed like an important conversation was about to happen, but Choi Yiseo gestured with her eyes to open the door and let her come in, so I went that way first.

Creak.

“Hey, knock gently… Urgh!”

Yu Arin’s headbutt, thrown with her whole body, lodged into my solar plexus, and I collapsed to the floor.

Yu Arin, who had knocked me over, grumbled as she threw the envelope she was carrying onto my chest and then came inside.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“Hello.”

Yu Arin, surprised to see Choi Yiseo already inside.

“What are you doing?”

“Making dried pollack soup?”

“……”

A strange tension passed between the two of them. I picked up the hangover remedy from the envelope Yoo Arin had thrown, closed the door, and came inside.

“Why did you come?”

“Why did I come? You jerk! Don’t you remember what you did yesterday?”

“…I really don’t.”

“I told you not to call Jeong Chan-woo and Pyo Jinho, but you ended up switching them anyway.”

“……”

“What did you say next? Why are you doing this to such good people? Did you ask how it feels to have Chan-woo and Pyo Jinho taken away by a gay man? Do you really want to die?”

“I’m… sorry.”

I must have been spouting nonsense all day because I was drunk. As I knelt down to apologize without realizing it, Yu Arin opened the window with annoyance.

“Ah! I can’t breathe because of the smell of alcohol and the smell of a bachelor that reeks inside!”

The cold wind rushed in, but Choi Yiseo seemed to agree to it, silently boiling pollack soup.

“And clean up the house. What a mess this is anyway.”

Yu Arin, uncharacteristically, started cleaning the room. It was such a sudden situation that I just stared blankly.

“What’s this now?”

The moment she picked up the adult toy store bag left on the floor, I rushed in, flustered.

“Wait! That’s not okay to see!”

“What’s wrong?”

Yu Arin nonchalantly spilled the contents inside onto the floor.

Knock knock.

“Woojin, are you in there?”

Incidentally, Seo Yerin’s voice came from outside the door, an added bonus to the current situation.

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