Chapter 12: Expose It
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: Expose It
Ah, this is driving me crazy.
Sending Seo Ye-rin a text to help her escape that awkward situation wasn't a bad move, but the sheer number of inquiries flooding my inbox is no joke.
Even if I spent the whole time staring at my phone, the people in the karaoke room wouldn't care, but still...
It felt a bit weird, didn't it?
Is she actually insane?
I know she wants to make me think she’s a guy, but isn't this a bit too vulgar? Even if I try to pass it off as her being in a good mood, the sheer trashiness makes me grimace.
Since I knew she was trying to act like a man, I decided to play along for now. I had no intention of letting it slip that I was the Bamboo Forest Manager, either.
In truth, I don't really have any prejudices regarding gender. Of course a girl could act like that. But right now, I wanted to put Anonymous 69 at ease, so I intentionally acted like I was blinded by stereotypes.
Did that provoke her? She seemed desperate for me not to think of her existence as something strange.
Tsk, this is tricky.
I felt like a psychological counselor. I didn't have any special feelings for Seo Ye-rin, but I had just caught a glimpse of the life she lived. Being pulled in every direction, forced to be a "good person"—maybe that was why her Anonymous 69 persona was so much more provocative.
I corrected myself. It was a complicated set of emotions—not wanting her identity discovered, yet not wanting her existence to be denied. Well, I understood. Humans are complex creatures, after all.
But isn't this basically telling me she's a girl?
Since Seo Ye-rin was someone who didn't want to reveal even a shred of personal information, I figured she’d want to hide her gender too.
The way she tacked that on at the end to desperately cover her tracks was hilarious.
"Pfft."
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it, and I had to cover my mouth. What kind of face was she making while typing this? Whatever it was, it was funny. Adding the "gynecomastia" excuse followed by the "huff huff" meme—the trademark breathing sound of an otaku.
I was so busy laughing that I couldn't reply, but then I felt a strange gaze on me.
It was Choi I-seo, staring blankly at me from beside me. She looked fascinated, as if seeing me laugh for the first time since we entered the karaoke room was some kind of miracle.
"Something funny?"
She had been caught up in the whirlwind of the other girls, but at some point, they had all started singing "Tears" together. The atmosphere really shifted fast in here.
Choi I-seo tried to scoot closer, but I signaled her to stay away with a flick of my chin.
"He's watching."
They couldn't hear what we were saying over the music, but Ahn Hyun-ho was glaring at us again. He was looking at Seo Ye-rin just a moment ago, though...
"I thought about it," Choi I-seo said, closing the distance anyway. She looked a bit annoyed. "Why do I have to worry about talking to a friend because of some guy I'm not even interested in?"
"That's..."
"Right? It's not like he actually confessed to me. And it's not like he's only got eyes for me, either."
She was talking about how he had been staring at Seo Ye-rin earlier.
"Are you jealous?"
I wondered if she was upset that Ahn Hyun-ho was looking at another girl instead of her, but Choi I-seo’s expression hardened instantly as she slammed her fist onto my thigh.
"Gah?!"
"You're dead."
"Why is an athlete throwing punches so recklessly?"
I knew she hadn't hit me with full force, but I still muttered under my breath while rubbing my knee. Regardless, I got the point—she wasn't going to walk on eggshells anymore.
"You're the one who told me to be careful."
Hadn't she told me to watch out because Ahn Hyun-ho was a bully in high school?
"Oh, that."
Choi I-seo paused for a moment, glancing around. Her eyes met Ahn Hyun-ho's briefly, but she quickly turned away and whispered in my ear.
"You check the Bamboo Forest often, right?"
"...I do."
"Anonymous 287. Do you know him?"
Anonymous 287.
That was the account name Ahn Hyun-ho used to pour out insults about me on the Bamboo Forest board. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised. If she told me to look at the Bamboo Forest, she was obviously looking at it too. There was no way she wouldn't know about Anonymous 287's antics. His posts were blatant snipes at me and Choi I-seo.
"..."
"You knew, didn't you?"
When I didn't answer, Choi I-seo gave a satisfied smile.
"Since you're close with him, tell him to stop. It's too obvious."
I sighed as I replied, and Choi I-seo covered her mouth, laughing at something.
"Just pretend you don't know. Got it? And don't get into a fight with him over those posts. From the look of it, he won't move unless you get pissed off and move first."
"Yeah, yeah."
If anything, Choi I-seo was lightly tapping my shoulder as if trying to make Ahn Hyun-ho even angrier. But she wouldn't do this if she didn't care about me. From the high school alumni's call-outs to the fact that Ahn Hyun-ho was Anonymous 287... we were connected by these secrets. It gave us a strange sense of internal intimacy.
"So, what were you looking at?"
"Ah."
I had momentarily forgotten because of Choi I-seo, but I was in the middle of texting Seo Ye-rin. Seeing as she hadn't come back in yet, she was probably waiting for a reply.
"Just a text from someone I know."
"Oh, a friend?"
"Not exactly."
"Huh?"
Choi I-seo looked confused by my answer, but I checked my phone anyway. She leaned back slightly, making it clear she wasn't trying to peek. It was a mix of consideration and basic manners.
Whoa.
Unsurprisingly, Anonymous 69 had sent a massive amount of texts in a very short time.
"Heh."
A smile crept onto my face again. This time, I could clearly imagine the expression Seo Ye-rin was making. She was probably huffing and puffing with a beet-red face while pounding on her keyboard.
Look at how quickly she softened up. She seemed so pleased that I found it funny that her tone immediately lightened.
"When is Ye-rin coming back?"
"Yeah, she's taking a long time."
I heard the guys talking about Seo Ye-rin. It was time to let her back in.
Ending with a final message that felt somewhat lingering, I slid my phone back into my pocket. Sure enough, since I had stopped replying, Seo Ye-rin sheepishly walked back into the room with an awkward smile.
"Ye-rin, I heard from the PT trainer. She said today was your first day?"
Choi I-seo called out to Seo Ye-rin as she slipped back in. Ye-rin was about to sit next to Senior Han-gang again, but I-seo naturally pulled her to the seat next to her. It was the spot that had opened up when I-seo moved closer to me.
"Ah, yeah! That's right! The trainer was really kind and explained everything so thoroughly!"
Seo Ye-rin began chatting with Choi I-seo about the trainer and the gym. I pressed my eyes shut, feeling the fatigue, and let the chatter of the two women drift through one ear and out the other.
Man, I want to go home.
I had been here too long. Since I didn't have much of a presence anyway, I considered pretending to go to the bathroom and just slipping away.
"Hey, friend."
A shadow fell over me.
Senior Han-gang had walked over and perched on the edge of the table in front of me, wearing a "nice guy" smile. But it felt artificial, like a mask.
Because of his sudden action, everyone's attention shifted to us. The music cut off, and a heavy silence filled the room.
I thought he was coming for Seo Ye-rin. Maybe he was unhappy that she was sitting next to Choi I-seo instead of him. But that wasn't it.
Han-gang looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Did you call Ye-rin out?"
"Excuse me?"
It was a sudden, pointed question. I wondered how he knew, but because he had hit the mark, my expression froze like ice.
"Well, I saw you messing with your phone right when Ye-rin left."
"..."
"And then, the moment you put your phone down, Ye-rin came back in?"
He was sharp. I'd heard he was a friendly, popular guy who got along with everyone, but the pressure he was exerting now was intense.
"Senior, why are you suddenly...!"
"Ye-rin, stay out of this for a second."
"Oh."
Seo Ye-rin tried to frantically deny it, but she shrank back at Han-gang's sharp tone and bit her lip. She glanced at me, her eyes filled with apology.
Try acting like you do with me.
She looked nothing like the Anonymous 69 who cracked crude sex jokes and acted so bold.
The other students began to whisper at Han-gang's words. Especially the guys in Ahn Hyun-ho's group—they started throwing comments my way.
"Whoa, that's creepy. What's his deal?"
"Why's he doing unnecessary stuff to make us look like the bad guys?"
"Is that like gaslighting or something? Shit, it's not like we stripped her or jumped her; we just asked her to sing at karaoke, and suddenly we're the villains? First time for everything."
As the guys steered the mood that way, the girls naturally started looking at me strangely too. Sensing the momentum was in his favor, Han-gang spoke again with a slightly softened, smiling face.
"Look, I'm not trying to scold you. It's just that I feel like I've been made out to be a bad person. I think you're overreacting and misunderstanding things. I didn't force Ye-rin to come; I just invited her to hang out..."
Thud.
Han-gang's words were cut short.
I had tossed my phone; it hit his stomach and landed on his lap.
"What is this..."
He stared blankly down at the phone at my sudden action.
"1234."
I gave him my passcode and spoke.
"Check it. See if I even have Seo Ye-rin's number, or a single text from her."
"..."
"Go on. I gave you the password."
I stood up and looked down at Han-gang, who was still sitting on the table, my teeth clenched.
"Aren't you going to do it?"
I'm sorry to break it to you.
I don't have the number of a single person in our department. I might be "friends" with them on the messenger app through the group chat, but I don't have anyone's actual number. And of course, I've never texted Seo Ye-rin personally. Every conversation we've had was on the Bamboo Forest, through anonymity.
Even if Han-gang was crazy enough to open the Bamboo Forest app and somehow find out I was the manager... he would never know that Anonymous 69 was Seo Ye-rin.
The whispering voices were getting on my nerves. Maybe that's why.
"Hey."
My voice came out harsher than intended.
"I said check it, you son of a bitch."