Chapter 0: Prologue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 0: Prologue
The Bamboo Forest.
Derived from the classic and famous tale of "The King has Donkey Ears," it was once a place to pour out one's secrets.
Even in the modern era, Bamboo Forests still exist.
Today, the term is used as a proper noun to refer to anonymous university communities.
Hardships of college life, unspeakable accidents, lost items, funny stories, daily quotes, and so on.
It’s a place where a vast array of stories are posted, though not many are actually managed actively.
Among them, Gahyeon University was a place where the Bamboo Forest community was particularly thriving.
It starts with simple stories like that.
It also serves to connect people in need of help.
Of course, it also serves as an outlet for venting stress or as a tool for badmouthing others.
Or, it simply becomes a tool for discharging one's raw desires.
Anyway.
Gahyeon University had the most active Bamboo Forest, and as such, it was frequently featured in other communities and the media.
And I was the Administrator who managed that Bamboo Forest.
"Yawn."
I let out a sigh as I watched the posts on the Bamboo Forest refresh on my phone.
Posts containing banned words were automatically deleted by a macro, but I had to manually check posts with attached photos.
Seeing a post with a photo of a Western woman spreading her legs to show her panties, I immediately hit the delete button.
"Crazy bastard."
There were always guys like this trying to terrorize the Bamboo Forest with photos, and it was honestly pathetic.
You forever-alone virgin, give it a rest.
Even though I was the Administrator, I didn't have access to the users' personal information.
I simply played the role of keeping the board clean; I didn't know the identities of the people shitting all over it.
Guys like this probably have no friends and just eat alone.
Like me.
I was definitely insulting him, so why did that sting? I finished my convenience store sandwich and headed toward the classroom for my next lecture.
I had nowhere else to go anyway, so I figured I’d just play mobile games or clean up the board there.
The classroom was, naturally, sparse.
I saw a few others who had arrived early like me, but every single one of them was indifferent to others.
I took a corner seat and started playing a game on my phone.
"Hey, does that even make sense?"
"I’m serious! That’s why I told him we should break up right then and there."
"Isn't he a psycho?"
A group of female students swarmed inside. Holding coffees in their hands, they looked impressively vibrant as they went about their day.
Hmm.
In the center of them was a familiar face—a woman with black hair. She was dressed modestly compared to the other students, yet her appearance was still striking.
Seo Ye-rin, a fellow English Literature major.
Because of her looks, which stood out even in a department with a high female ratio, there were rumors that not only the male students in our year but even the seniors were secretly aiming for her.
Well, girls like her get to take their pick.
I didn't know what she was really like, but with her pure and innocent vibe, she had likely secured a spot as the first love for quite a few guys.
"Hey, I told you not to talk about boyfriends in front of Ye-rin!"
"Is the 20-year 'forever-alone' streak for real?"
"Ugh! If I had Ye-rin’s face, I’d change boyfriends every day."
"Hey! Stop it!"
She whined and playfully nudged her friends in embarrassment before coming to sit in the row right in front of me.
It wasn't that she was paying me any mind; they just happened to sit nearby while chatting, likely not even realizing I was there.
In fact, a few of Seo Ye-rin’s friends noticed me and looked like they wanted to move to different seats.
Unaware of this, Seo Ye-rin, who had already sat down, immediately pulled out her phone.
She checked her phone as if she’d received a notification, then rested her chin on her hand and began tapping away at the screen.
I’m not trying to look, but I can’t help it.
Since I was looking forward while playing my game, what Seo Ye-rin was doing naturally entered my field of vision.
Because she had tilted her phone to hide the screen from her friends, it was actually clearer from my angle.
The Bamboo Forest?
Seo Ye-rin was browsing our university’s Bamboo Forest.
Well, it is entertaining.
I wondered if she was going to post something. I couldn't see the content, but I caught a glimpse of her pressing the 'Register' button.
A notification popped up over my game screen.
As the Administrator of the Bamboo Forest, I had to maintain my anonymity.
Not like I care.
I wasn't particularly interested in whatever Seo Ye-rin had written.
I closed the game and opened the Bamboo Forest app.
"Huh?"
The sound escaped my lips involuntarily.
The eyes of the girls in front of me, including Seo Ye-rin, snapped toward me.
I found myself staring intently into Seo Ye-rin’s dark eyes as she hesitated, seemingly wondering whether to greet me since we were in the same department.
Because.
The only post that had appeared on the Bamboo Forest at the exact moment Seo Ye-rin hit submit was this:
It was Anonymous 69, being very true to their desires.