Chapter 2: ㄴㄲ(No Boner)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: ㄴㄲ(No Boner)
Vrrr. Vrrr. Vrrr.
A dark room.
Even though it was the crack of dawn, the light from my phone, vibrating incessantly, illuminated the entirety of my small studio apartment.
“Ugh, damn it. What time is it?”
I didn’t have anyone who would be contacting me, so I checked the phone with bleary eyes. Notifications from the Bamboo Forest app were blowing up.
Since I was the only manager for the Gahyeon University Bamboo Forest, I obviously couldn't moderate it in the middle of the night.
Because of that, posts causing all sorts of trouble often popped up during the early hours. Then again, it was an anonymous community. It was rare for a day to go by without a problematic post.
Naturally, I would ruthlessly ban anyone who mentioned specific real names and delete their posts, but sometimes I was a bit slow on the draw.
That’s why "sniping" posts—call-outs targeting specific people—often appeared, usually timed for the dawn hours when I, the manager, was asleep.
Anyway.
Usually, when notifications went off like this, it meant the board was in the middle of another meltdown.
“Who is it this time?”
Last time, it was a female student who sniped a professor, only to be caught red-handed for being the one in the wrong.
I turned on the phone to see what the fuss was about.
[01:47]
The time on the screen was surprisingly early. I had gone to bed early, but for someone in their twenties, the window between 1:00 and 2:00 AM was prime time for lying in bed and scrolling through a phone.
“Ugh.”
It was also the time when the most incidents occurred.
However, once I actually entered the Bamboo Forest, it was just the usual late-night vibes: photos of beer, night landscapes, a few lines of poetry, and so on.
The board seemed to be filled with nothing but "emotional pretenders" soaked in late-night sentimentality; there didn't seem to be any major incidents.
‘Ah.’
Only then did I notice a notification for a 1:1 Manager Inquiry. I clicked on it.
“Seo Ye-rin?”
Anonymous 69.
In other words, Seo Ye-rin had sent a staggering number of messages.
Looking at the most recent message, I honestly felt a momentary chill.
Wondering what on earth was wrong with her, I scrolled up.
“What the...”
There was another photo in the middle, though this time she had only lifted her skirt slightly to show her thigh.
However, seeing the mole on the inner thigh, it was definitely Seo Ye-rin herself.
For context, "gay" was shorthand for "board user" in this community.
From that point on, she just kept demanding an answer in the same repetitive way.
Unlike other messengers, the 1:1 manager chat didn't show a "read" receipt, so she must have thought I was ignoring her.
I typed back, suppressing my irritation, and a reply came almost instantly.
Is this what they call a keyboard warrior?
Thinking about the persona Seo Ye-rin maintained in our department, the total 180 she pulled here made my head spin.
What kind of face was she making while sending these texts?
Oppa, my ass.
God, she’s annoying.
Since there was no way to block someone in the 1:1 inquiry chat, she was just going to keep at it.
Honestly, how could I not be? But I had to say that to avoid being disappointed in myself as a human being.
In reality, I had only glanced at them; I didn't go out of my way to save them or anything. It was a matter of having a shred of conscience.
Seo Ye-rin’s reply didn't come for a while.
Was she finally sleeping?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a reply popped up.
She was certainly confident in herself.
Well, with everyone around her putting her on a pedestal and having eyes of her own, she must be well aware of how attractive she was.
She was really losing it.
Was this how our conversations were going to go from now on?
The notifications were getting annoying, so I put the phone on silent and turned it over.
Darkness settled back into the quiet silence.
Since I was wide awake, I tossed and turned under the blanket. Suddenly, the distinct scent of rose shampoo wafted over and tickled my nose.
It wasn't my shampoo.
I buried my face deep into the pillow, pretending I hadn't smelled it.
The scent of the phytoncide deodorant I had sprayed to mask the smell aggressively enveloped my nose.
And like that...
I slowly drifted off to sleep.
* * *
“Ugh, man.”
Early morning.
Arriving at the lecture hall at 9:00 AM, I forced myself to rub my sleepy eyes and let out a massive yawn.
I was feeling the truth of the saying that 9:00 AM for a high schooler and 9:00 AM for a college student are two very different things.
‘Why on earth did I put a class at this time?’
I remembered being completely out of it when I registered. I had just picked whatever classes had open spots, and this was the result.
‘I was seriously insane.’
I sat down, vowing never to take a 9:00 AM class again.
Well, it was a major requirement, so I guess it’s better to get it over with early. Still, I didn't understand why they scheduled mandatory classes at 9:00 AM.
Later, when I’m truly jaded by university life, taking a class like this will be pure torture.
“Ugh.”
Everyone else seemed to be in a similar state. The room felt like a gathering of defeated soldiers. It looked like quite a few people hadn't even made it.
I settled into a seat and closed my eyes for a moment, using my textbook as a pillow.
Tap, tap.
Had I dozed off?
Realizing I had momentarily lost consciousness, I jerked my head up.
The professor standing at the podium was greeting the students with a practiced air.
“The professor just got here.”
Whispered Choi I-seo, the department representative, still holding the pen she had poked me with.
She spoke with a stoic expression, but a cool scent drifted from her. It wasn't perfume, but more like... deodorant used to mask sweat?
She was wearing a light purple hoodie and tracksuit pants; it was obvious she had rushed here after working out.
“...I almost ran late because of my morning workout, so I came like this.”
Choi I-seo pulled back slightly, perhaps sensing me looking over her outfit. Her expression remained unchanged, but she seemed secretly self-conscious about it.
“Yeah, looks like it.”
When I gave a blunt reply, she subtly turned her head to check if she smelled like sweat.
Her face didn't show it at all, but she really did worry about a lot of things.
The professor began calling roll, and I answered while resting my chin on my hand.
However.
“Seo Ye-rin?”
“Here.”
In the seat right next to Choi I-seo, I saw Seo Ye-rin raising her hand.
She had applied light makeup, but the fatigue was practically dripping off her face. It looked like she had stayed up late.
‘Stayed up late?’
Setting aside why she was sitting next to Choi I-seo for a moment, I pulled out my phone on a whim.
Choi I-seo immediately frowned at me for slacking off, but this was college, not high school.
I was responsible for my own actions. I tilted my phone away from Choi I-seo’s line of sight and checked the Bamboo Forest.
I had been in such a rush this morning that I hadn't had a chance to check it.
The board was the same as ever.
Noisy, yet peaceful.
This was the normal atmosphere here.
And then.
‘Wow.’
[Inquiries: 101]
Anonymous 69.
The notifications from my 1:1 inquiry chat with Seo Ye-rin had piled up.
It seemed she had been rambling to herself long after I fell asleep. I was almost afraid to read it.
‘Did she seriously stay awake until I replied to this?’
Looking at the timestamps, it seemed she had been texting right up until she left for class.
‘That’s terrifying.’
Since I had banned Anonymous 69 yesterday around lunchtime, she still had about four or five hours left.
I took a quick peek at the content; most of it was just spamming the same phrases or trying to get confirmation on whether her photos were a turn-on.
She had sent a few more photos, but most of them stopped at showing her panties.
‘What am I supposed to do with her?’
While I was agonizing over this, Choi I-seo turned her head, looking worriedly at Seo Ye-rin.
“You don't look good. Did you keep following the seniors around when they asked you to go drinking yesterday? I told you it was okay to skip if you weren't feeling well.”
So she really had been drinking yesterday.
In response to Choi I-seo’s question, Seo Ye-rin forced a smile and shook her head.
“No, everyone in the department was going. I couldn't be the only one to skip.”
For the record, I skipped.
And I’m in the same department.
I didn't even know about it.
‘Is there a group chat I’m not in?’
I felt a momentary pang of exclusion, but honestly, I probably wouldn't have gone even if they had invited me.
She said "everyone," but there were likely plenty of others who skipped like I did.
Then, Seo Ye-rin’s eyes met mine. She beamed and waved.
“Hi, Woo-jin. You’re taking this class too?”
“Uh, yeah. I messed up my schedule.”
“Me too. Looks like we’ll be seeing each other often.”
“I guess so.”
“Want to grab lunch after this? It’s a three-hour block, so it ends at noon anyway.”
“Sure, sounds good.”
She was so kind.
Before, she couldn't even remember my name properly, but after meeting once, she was using it perfectly.
On top of that, she had the thoughtfulness to look after a classmate she barely knew.
When she added a question about what kind of food I liked, her kindness felt almost warm.
“I-seo, you’re coming too, right?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
She even roped in Choi I-seo, naturally preventing any awkward misunderstandings.
Was this really the same girl who had been whining to use the message board and sending lewd photos until dawn?
Could I be mistaken?
Was it possible that a series of coincidences had led me to completely misunderstand Seo Ye-rin?
With that thought in mind...
Just in case.
I moved my hand on my tilted phone and sent a reply to Anonymous 69.
I didn't send a long message, just that short, clean jab.
Vrrr.
Seo Ye-rin’s phone vibrated at the exact same time. She startled like a beggar who had just been offered a feast after three days of starving and checked her phone.
Then, her kind expression instantly froze.
“What’s wrong?”
The reaction was so conspicuous that Choi I-seo asked out of concern. Seo Ye-rin shook her head with a smile.
“It’s nothing.”
It was obviously not "nothing."
And then.
She started tapping away at her screen.
‘Good thing I have mine on silent.’
A reply from Anonymous 69 flew in immediately.
After leaving that one sentence...
“I’m going to the restroom for a second.”
Seo Ye-rin stood up with a chilling smile on her face.