Chapter 19: Anonymous 287
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Anonymous 287
“Aaaaaargh!”
Thud! Bang! Crash!
She kicked her desk and hurled her chair, but Min-ji’s rage didn't subside in the slightest.
Watching the long call-out post she’d spent several sleepless nights writing vanish in a mere two seconds yesterday had left her chest feeling tighter than ever.
To make matters worse, the bastard of an administrator hadn't just kept deleting her posts—he’d gone as far as to provoke her. It was impossible not to be furious.
“Son of a bitch! Bastard! Piece of shit!”
As if having a fit, Min-ji screamed out her frustration, throwing whatever was within reach and slamming her fists down.
“Gaaah!”
Her anger wasn't just from yesterday’s events. It was fueled by the messages she’d just received from the seniors she was close with.
— Min-ji, sorry, but we’re all at the police station right now.
— We didn't mention you specifically. But I think it’s best if you stop messing with this guy.
— He’s a total psycho.
The sight of those seniors—who had left with such confidence only to come crawling back with their tails between their legs—was so pathetic it made her blood boil.
“That piece of shit Woo-jin!”
Was it right for a sex offender to use the police like this?
Was the public power of South Korea really at such a low level?
Min-ji gnashed her teeth, trying desperately to find another way, when—
Buzz!
Her phone vibrated.
Startled by the thought it might be the seniors who were just at the police station, she checked the screen.
— MyFriendYunji
It was Oh Yun-ji, who hadn't been in touch for a while.
“...!”
For a moment, Min-ji felt a lump in her throat. With trembling hands, she cautiously answered the call.
“H-hello?”
— Hello? Sorry, Min-ji. I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I couldn't pick up.
“N-no. It’s fine.”
— But why did you call so many times? I-seo too. The others called a lot, too.
Min-ji wanted to snap at her, asking what on earth she’d been so busy with that she didn't even notice the missed calls.
Instead, she gritted her teeth and replied, “So, you know. Your ex-boyfriend.”
— ...Why?
Her voice turned chillingly cold.
It felt as if Min-ji had encountered a growling beast, warning her not to step into forbidden territory.
“He—he’s been the talk of the town lately! You cried so much when you two broke up!”
— I did.
Yun-ji’s voice over the phone was thick with bitterness. But she soon followed up with a bright laugh.
— But it’s okay. I’ll be going to see him soon.
“...What?”
— We broke up, but it wasn't a problem between the two of us. There were other external issues.
“....”
Min-ji’s mouth clamped shut.
The cluttered thoughts in her head seemed to clear up instantly, like mist being swept away.
— So? What about Woo-jin? Nothing happened to him, right?
“T-that’s...”
Min-ji’s eyes darted around. She felt like she had to say something, but she had nothing left to say.
Click.
She hung up and hurled her phone away.
Crack!
The phone shattered as it hit the floor.
“Pant! Pant!”
Oh Yun-ji was always like that.
She’d said they were like sisters because their names, Yun-ji and Min-ji, were similar.
But in reality, their lives were polar opposites.
“I... I am...”
The memory of being forced by her boyfriend.
The memory of him bringing in other people to sleep with her.
The memory of him leaving her for another woman, saying she was useless.
The memory of being beaten and mocked when she tried to hold on to him.
All of that.
The moment she realized those memories weren't Oh Yun-ji’s.
But her own.
She began to sink into an inescapable pit of self-loathing.
* * *
Night had fallen before I knew it.
The cool autumn breeze and the rising starlight felt refreshing.
I’d been bored since it was Sunday, but I felt like I’d had a pretty productive day.
Of course, I still hated the fact that I had to go back to school tomorrow.
“What a fulfilling day.”
“...In what way?”
As we walked out of the hospital, Choi I-seo glanced at me and asked.
I figured she’d had a pretty fulfilling day too, considering she’d been stuck with me the whole time.
“We went to the police station, the hospital, got some exercise, saw some bad guys beg on their knees, and I even got to smell Choi I-seo’s sweat...”
Thwack!
“Gah!”
A low kick flew at me, making me stumble. She didn't look like she’d learned martial arts anywhere, but seeing how well she pulled it off, she seemed to have a natural talent for it.
“Sigh, seriously. I’m just glad you have a strong mental game. My heart was racing all day; it was a nightmare.”
“Whoa, maybe you should head back into the hospital?”
“Like you said... I haven't even been able to wash up.”
Ignoring my grumbling, Choi I-seo sniffed herself.
The sweat had dried, but she hadn't been able to shower after being dragged around everywhere. Of course, the same went for me.
“That’s why I told you to just go home.”
“How could I? This all happened because of my friend.”
Choi I-seo let out a deep sigh. She seemed exhausted at the thought of having to face her friend when she got home.
“Do you think Senior Ju-hee made it home okay?”
“Yeah, she messaged me. Said she’d see me in class later.”
I replied to the Tok Senior Min Ju-hee had sent earlier.
By the way, Captain Ju.
That is, Senior Min Ju-hee had stayed with us all the way to the police station to see what would happen to those guys.
They seemed to have been close at one point, but she didn't ask for leniency or take their side just because they were old friends.
She just stood there with her arms crossed, watching them until the end, as if it were her final act of loyalty.
‘So damn cool.’
Captain Ju was a cool person in many ways.
I tried to head home, but Choi I-seo’s footsteps were heavy.
At some point, her pace slowed until she eventually came to a halt.
“Hey, listen...”
She called out to me cautiously. Her hesitant, ambiguous attitude and slightly flushed face told me she was feeling embarrassed.
“Can I stay at your place for just one night?”
It meant she didn't want to go back to the house where her friend Min-ji was. For some reason, Min-ji wasn't answering her calls or checking her messages, so I-seo seemed scared to face her.
I let out a sigh and replied.
“Of course not.”
“....”
“How could you just try to waltz into a strange man’s house? Is that it? Are you after my body?”
“Are you crazy?!”
Choi I-seo’s face turned beet red as she shrieked. Her outburst drew the attention of everyone around us, and she began to stomp past me in embarrassment.
“Fine, I’m the idiot for asking.”
“Yeah, you are.”
Naturally falling into step beside her, I pointed toward a tall building.
“Let’s go there instead.”
“...A jjimjilbang?”
A 24-hour jjimjilbang.
You can wash up, relieve your fatigue, and even stay the night after hitting the saunas.
I grabbed Choi I-seo’s wrist as she stared blankly up at the building and led her inside.
After receiving our sauna clothes for the night, I spoke as I got off the elevator first, since the men’s section was on the 3rd floor and the women’s was on the 5th.
“Message me when you’re done washing up. Let’s grab dinner.”
“Ah, okay.”
Perhaps because everything was happening so fast, Choi I-seo just nodded like she was in a trance.
‘I wonder if she’ll even be able to wash properly like that.’
Well, she’ll snap out of it once she hits the cold water.
It felt good to soak my body in the hot tub for the first time in a while.
I’d had a gauze pad applied to my cheek where I’d been slapped, but I just ripped it off since it was annoying and washed up.
After finishing, I headed into the common area. Since it was the weekend, it was still crowded.
The place was packed and spacious.
Even if Choi I-seo came out, it would be hard for her to find me.
Normally, I’d prefer a corner spot, but since she might get the wrong idea, I took a spot right in front of the giant TV.
I sent a quick Tok and laid out my mattress. Was I more tired than I thought?
Before I knew it, my eyes drifted shut and I fell asleep.
“What? Are you sleeping?”
I heard Choi I-seo’s bewildered voice.
I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I felt refreshed as I slowly sat up. The crowd had thinned out significantly.
Even though it was the weekend, it seemed most people weren't staying the night since tomorrow was Monday.
“Whoa, how long were you washing for?”
“About two hours? It’s been a while since I’ve been to a bathhouse...”
“Are you trying to turn yourself into bossam? You’ve been slow-cooking yourself in there.”
“Whatever, let’s just eat. Aren't you hungry?”
At her words, a wave of hunger hit me. Food at a jjimjilbang tends to be a bit pricey, but there’s a certain vibe to eating here.
Fortunately, the restaurant inside was still open despite the late hour.
Choi I-seo ordered soft tofu stew, and I ordered yukgaejang.
“Is it okay for you to eat stew?”
“It’s fine for today.”
Well, if she says so.
While waiting for the food, I checked the university’s Bamboo Forest.
I was wondering if any new posts had gone up, but fortunately, the Bamboo Forest was peaceful.
“Oh, there’s a post about us on the Bamboo Forest.”
The mention of the police at the trail had to be about us. Choi I-seo turned on her phone, curious.
“Ah, right.”
“Hm?”
Something... quite unbelievable came out of her mouth.
“I’m banned from the Bamboo Forest.”
“...You’re banned?”
Banned from the Bamboo Forest?
“Yeah, I don't really know why, but I’m banned.”
At her words, I instinctively went into the Bamboo Forest administrator settings.
If she was banned, it meant a permanent ban. And since I’d become the manager, I’d only permanently banned one person.
Anonymous 287.
The user who had called me out and written all those stories about me and Choi I-seo.
The user I’d assumed was Ahn Hyun-ho.
‘Wait, what?’
My head started to spin.
I had only blocked Anonymous 287.
There was no one else currently blocked.
“Wow, this looks delicious.”
Choi I-seo smiled brightly at the soft tofu stew.
In contrast, I stirred my yukgaejang with a spoon, lost in thought.
There were two possibilities.
Either Choi I-seo was lying and wasn't actually banned from the Bamboo Forest.
Or she was Anonymous 287.
Since there was no reason for her to lie about the former, if I assumed the latter...
‘What?’
Did that mean the person I’d thought was Ahn Hyun-ho all this time was actually Choi I-seo?
I checked the post history of Anonymous 287.
“You can check your phone after we eat.”
Choi I-seo grumbled in front of me, but I didn't have the mental capacity to care.
The recent activity of Anonymous 287 scrolled down the screen.
[Anonymous 287 Recent History]
------------------
The replies he’d left were all there too, making me a bit dizzy.
But looking at the content, it was all written to make it seem like Ahn Hyun-ho had written it.
However, the last one.
The post calling me out as a sex offender was something Ahn Hyun-ho couldn't have written.
Even on an anonymous board, if only Gahyeon University students could post...
Min-ji must have borrowed the phone of Choi I-seo, who lived in the same house, rather than Ahn Hyun-ho’s.
The conclusion, then, was this.
Min-ji had only written the final call-out post, and all the other posts had been written by Choi I-seo.
Otherwise, there was no way anyone could have known the details of what happened between the three of us so precisely.
‘Why?’
But why?
Why would Choi I-seo do such a thing?
Why would she pretend to be Ahn Hyun-ho and write those things on an anonymous board?
I felt a chill run down my spine.
How should I put it?
It felt like my trust in the person sitting in front of me was about to shatter.
‘Do you know Anonymous 287?’
I remembered what Choi I-seo had said at the karaoke.
When I mentioned I was looking at the Gahyeon University Bamboo Forest, Choi I-seo had brought up Anonymous 287 herself.
And she had subtly implied that it was Ahn Hyun-ho.
‘Be careful of Hyun-ho. He was a famous bully in high school... and he doesn't seem to like you.’
It was also Choi I-seo who had warned me to be careful because Ahn Hyun-ho was a bully in high school.
Anonymous 287.
He had openly targeted me.
He had openly made it known that he was Ahn Hyun-ho.
And what was my reaction?
I had been wary of Ahn Hyun-ho.
I had been cautious, careful, and hadn't taken his actions lightly.
Come to think of it, if someone were truly targeting me, they wouldn't have posted on an anonymous board like that.
They wouldn't have written in a way that made it immediately obvious to me and Choi I-seo that they were talking about us.
“You...”
“Yeah?”
When I called her, Choi I-seo stopped eating and looked at me, wondering what was wrong.
“You kept telling me to look at the Bamboo Forest.”
She’d said it was because of the call-out post, but there was another reason.
“Didn't you?”
Choi I-seo had used the false mask of Anonymous 287 to disguise herself as Ahn Hyun-ho.
Since she was close to Ahn Hyun-ho, she could easily have heard what he was saying or planning.
The reason she did all this.
Was to protect me.
She was worried that Ahn Hyun-ho, jealous because of her, might harm me.
That was her concern.
“Heh.”
A laugh escaped me. I felt ridiculous for having doubted Choi I-seo like a fool just moments ago.
“What? Why are you laughing? You’re the one who’s just looking at your phone while we’re eating.”
Looking at Choi I-seo, who was pouting and grumbling, I couldn't help but shake my head.
Should I let her know I know?
The thought crossed my mind for a moment.
“Want a drink?”
But I just smiled and changed the subject.
If she had tried to help me without my knowledge...
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“It’s not really sudden.”
Then I would show my gratitude without her knowledge, too.
“I’m just thankful.”