Chapter 134: Lunch Time
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Lunch Time
Choi I-seo had left.
It was only natural, but I still felt a lingering sense of regret.
Since I’d been so happy to see her after such a long time, it made sense that the parting—brief as it was—felt equally heavy.
“Upvote if you’re Kim Woo-jin and you’re frustrated because you didn’t get to touch Choi I-seo’s boobs. I’ll start.”
“I’m Kim Woo-jin, and I upvoted.”
“....”
Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin didn't have a single shred of consideration for my complicated feelings.
Even while eating lunch together in the staff cafeteria, they were busy making fun of me.
“I really am Kim Woo-jin, and I’m not disappointed at all.”
I tried to deny it while sipping my soup, but their piercing glares remained unchanged.
“Upvote if you’re Kim Woo-jin and you asked the Bamboo Forest at dawn how to greet a girl things have become awkward with.”
“Cough, hack?!”
“...That’s actually pathetic.”
At Seo Ye-rin’s sudden ambush, I accidentally inhaled my breath and started coughing. Yoo Ah-rin scowled, looking at me with pure disgust.
“H-How did you know?! I only posted that for a second before deleting it!”
“Hehe, I’m a Bamboo Forest regular.”
Both of them already knew I was the Administrator, and Seo Ye-rin knew that Yoo Ah-rin was also a Moderator.
However, there was just one thing.
“Ye-rin, what’s your number on the Bamboo Forest?”
Only Yoo Ah-rin didn't know Seo Ye-rin’s true identity.
“....”
“....”
The two of us looked at each other simultaneously.
I checked Seo Ye-rin’s expression to see if it was okay to tell Ah-rin.
Look at her.
She had turned pale and was breaking out in a cold sweat; it was clear I should absolutely not tell her.
“It’s an anonymous community. Why do you want to know?”
“What kind of unconvincing logic is that?”
Yoo Ah-rin looked puzzled.
“In the first place, if Ye-rin knows you’re the Manager, shouldn't she join as Bamboo Forest Moderator No. 2?”
Since Yoo Ah-rin became Unit 1 on the condition that she only became a moderator because she found out the Administrator's identity.
Seo Ye-rin had mentioned wanting to be Moderator No. 2 before, but things were a bit different now.
If I accepted that, Yoo Ah-rin would find out that Seo Ye-rin was Anonymous 69.
“No, I only said that to drag you in. I don’t force people to do it just because they know who I am.”
“You little...”
Yoo Ah-rin started nagging, but I tried to make an excuse in my own way.
“There are quite a few people besides you who know I’m the Administrator. So just let it go. We don’t even need more moderators right now anyway.”
In reality, the only ones who knew were Seo Ye-rin (Anonymous 69), Lee Eun-woo (the Physical Therapy Dept. Fossil, Anonymous 90), and the senior who handed the manager role over to me after graduating.
When I exaggerated the numbers, Yoo Ah-rin let it slide with a hum, sensing that the atmosphere wasn't right.
“Well, as long as she doesn't troll like 11 or act like a sex parrot like 69, it’s fine.”
Seo Ye-rin flinched and curled her shoulders.
Does she even have the will to keep this a secret?
Tap, tap.
Under the table, Seo Ye-rin was tapping my leg with her foot, sending a distress signal for help.
In that case...
I decided to choose the lesser of two evils.
“She’s Anonymous 243.”
“243? Who’s that?”
Even Yoo Ah-rin couldn't remember every single number.
“The Anime Master.”
“Ah, the otaku!”
Yoo Ah-rin slapped the table and nodded vigorously.
She seemed convinced.
“I don’t watch anime, though.”
But Seo Ye-rin wasn't convinced.
This girl...
I helped her because she asked, and now she’s complaining about being the Anime Master.
I glared at Seo Ye-rin, and she avoided my eyes.
“What are you talking about? You watch anime every day after work.”
Yoo Ah-rin immediately landed a counter-hit.
“You watch so much anime at the dorm.”
“....”
Seo Ye-rin shut her mouth tight.
I found it so absurd that I had to say something.
“If you’re going to hide it, can you at least think before you speak?”
“I watch plenty of other things besides anime.”
“That’s true. Ye-rin does watch a ton of dramas and movies.”
A typical homebody.
It was very like Seo Ye-rin.
I suppose she nurtured her lewdness at home like that, eventually becoming the Sex Master.
“Wait, why did the conversation go this way?! Weren't we supposed to be teasing Woo-jin?”
Having come to her senses, Seo Ye-rin hurriedly changed the subject.
I thought I had successfully diverted the conversation from the Choi I-seo topic, but we were right back where we started.
“So, did you say goodbye to I-seo? Told her to have a safe trip?”
“...I did.”
I went out this morning to see her off and told her to be careful.
To me, who was acting unnecessarily awkward, Choi I-seo had smiled and told me she’d see me after winter break.
“I-seo looked pretty after not seeing her for a while.”
“Her growing her hair out was... actually quite nice.”
Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin naturally began to praise Choi I-seo.
Her hair, which used to be quite short, now reached her shoulders, and it really did change her vibe.
Thanks to her athletic physique, she even had an air of elegance about her.
“She really was pretty.”
When talking to women, empathy is key.
Since this was a rare topic I could sincerely agree with, I jumped right in.
Thwack!
Yoo Ah-rin immediately kicked my shin under the table.
And Seo Ye-rin’s toes, which had been stepping on my foot earlier, reached out and pressed against my crotch.
“...You guys were the ones praising her.”
I protested, but it fell on deaf ears.
The two of them stood up first, saying they were finished.
I also finished my meal and went to the restroom to brush my teeth.
Vibrate!
My phone buzzed.
It was a message from Seo Ye-rin, who I had just been eating with.
She seemed still worried about what we talked about earlier.
That’s how much she didn't want others to find out.
But it might be a bit risky.
Yoo Ah-rin seemed to have forgotten, but back when we were looking for Anonymous 90’s identity, I had told her that I knew who Anonymous 69 was.
If Yoo Ah-rin had a slightly better memory or better deductive skills, she could figure out it was Seo Ye-rin without much trouble.
Whatever the case, for now...
I gave her the obvious answer since I had no intention of talking.
But her reaction was strange.
Seo Ye-rin had been saying a lot of crazy things lately, but I felt like this was crossing the line.
No reply.
I thought she had finally quieted down and started brushing my teeth, but another message arrived.
Ugh, how annoying.
“....”
I stared blankly at my phone.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the restroom mirror; I had a completely deadpan expression.
Looking at the angry emoticon Seo Ye-rin sent, I pondered what to reply to make her stop.
I replied in a way that I thought would suit Seo Ye-rin’s tastes.
Vibrate! Vibrate! Vibrate!
She called me immediately.
I spat out the toothpaste, rinsed my mouth, and answered the phone.
“...Hello.”
— That was a great line, Woo-jin!
I’m actually getting dizzy.
Should I go home early today because of a headache?
“I just said what I thought you’d like.”
— There’s a certain vibe to the situation, you know? I want to feel like I’m being pushed, playing hard to get, and then finally being conquered.
“This isn't that kind of establishment.”
I don't know why she’s explaining the scenarios she wants.
— Come on, you tied Ah-rin up and everything. You pushed her forcefully.
“....”
My mouth snapped shut.
It was true that I had enjoyed things with Yoo Ah-rin with that kind of vibe.
— Should we try that kind of vibe next time we do it? What do you think?
“Th-That... let’s talk about that when the time comes.”
— Okay! Great! I’m looking forward to it!
Her mood instantly improved, and she started acting cute with a nasal tone.
“Just go back to work.”
— Got it!
Seo Ye-rin hung up just like that.
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.
But at the same time, imagining such things caused a slight stir in my lower half.
Maybe...
What if I really gave her a proper scolding later?
To the point where Seo Ye-rin would be too embarrassed to even mention the word 'sex.'
Is that even possible?
Well, it was just a thought.
Having finished brushing my teeth, I dried my hands and headed back to work in room service.
I had to take over for the Assistant Manager so he could go have lunch.
When I reached the office, Yoo Ah-rin was there, folding napkins with the other staff.
As I walked past her, I took my revenge for the kick to my shin earlier and for her telling Seo Ye-rin about what we had done.
Slap!
“Hic?!”
“Assistant Manager! Please go have your lunch!”
The crisp sound of a hand hitting a butt and Yoo Ah-rin’s yelp rang out, but they were buried by my loud voice.
“You...!”
I gave a thumbs-up to Yoo Ah-rin, who was huffing and puffing while clutching her rear, silently telling her it was a satisfyingly firm hit.