Chapter 224: Successful Meeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224: Successful Meeting
My head was spinning from the complexity of it all.
The clamor outside, which I hadn't even noticed until a moment ago, now rang in my ears like tinnitus. It felt like a psychological defense mechanism, a desperate attempt to reject the reality of the situation.
The sofa, which I’d expected to be plush, felt hard the moment I sat down, pushing back against me. The tea the President served was strangely high-end. Only after taking a sip, recognizing it as his own way of making an effort, did my mind finally begin to clear.
"I am indeed the Administrator."
When I told him that, the President let out a short breath. He was probably thinking, Of all people, why him?
"But this has nothing to do with my father or my family. I’m here right now as the Administrator to settle the incident that occurred in the Bamboo Forest."
"Ahem."
"Besides, you’ve already been caught. Even if you keep your mouth shut here, I’ll eventually find out everything anyway."
I had wanted to believe it was someone else associated with the President who had done it. That would have made things much easier to handle. But looking at his face, there was no doubt—the President was Anonymous 407.
"Sigh."
The President took a sip of tea and let out a heavy sigh. His eyes were skeptical, as if he were searching for the root of where everything had gone wrong.
"It’s true. I am Anonymous 407."
Hearing it directly from his mouth made the path ahead feel even more daunting. Yet, it was an undeniable fact standing right in front of me, and the President was the only one asking me for help.
"First... first, I want to know why you suddenly started doing such things."
"..."
"I need to know. You’re well aware of what’s been happening because of you, aren't you?"
It didn't just end with this IRL fight incident. Anonymous 407 was also involved in the conflict between the freshmen and the upperclassmen last time.
"I—I wasn't the one who started the fire back then. A group chat was leaked where the Film Department was badmouthing the seniors..."
Oh, he knows exactly what happened. How incredibly annoying.
"Right, but you’re the one who poured gasoline on it in the Bamboo Forest, President! Thanks to you, the polarization in the community didn't stop for a long time!"
"Ahem."
"You did it on purpose, didn't you? I don't think someone of your stature could have been unaware of the consequences."
Feeling a bit guilty at my words, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I didn't expect it to spread to that extent."
"So, it was intentional then?"
"Ahem, yes."
Why is this headache mine to bear?
My head throbbed, and I felt a surge of irritation, but I suppressed my anger and asked again.
"Why did you do it?"
"..."
"There must be a reason! Every post Anonymous 407 wrote was full of insults. Every single word was malicious!"
Even if one is hiding behind anonymity, there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. Anonymous 407 had leaped right over them. He was the absolute worst. He wrote solely to hurt others. Nothing more, nothing less.
And to think that person was the University President.
When I asked out of sheer absurdity, the President took a moment to catch his breath and clenched his fists. Then, he poured out a resentment that seemed ill-suited for his age.
"Weren't you all the same?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Weren't you all doing it? Saying the school is a mess. Blaming the President, blaming the professors, calling the school a shithole. Didn't you all hurl insults?"
It’s an anonymous community. Specifically, the Gahyeon University anonymous community. Naturally, it was flooded with posts bashing the university. There were people sniping at professors, people mocking others, and of course, people insulting the President.
"The things you can't say to someone's face—isn't that what your beloved community is for?"
"..."
"Since last year."
The President nodded with a hollow, incredulous laugh.
"I’ve been watching since last year. Seeing what you all blabber about in the Bamboo Forest."
Strictly speaking, the Gahyeon University Bamboo Forest didn't belong to the university itself. It was something created and passed down by seniors until it eventually landed in my hands.
"It was enough to make my skin crawl. The professors, the TAs, the President... even the cleaning ladies working at the university."
"Phew."
"You all insulted and mocked them relentlessly. As if that were your sole purpose in life."
There was one thing Anonymous 407 always said.
- Your lives are like that because you spend all your time on the Bamboo Forest.
He specifically targeted and insulted the users of the Bamboo Forest. Not the entire student body of Gahyeon University, but specifically the community users.
"I know this is the era we live in. An era where people have no qualms about insulting others on the internet. Freedom of expression? Something like that."
So, the President took the opportunity to enter the Bamboo Forest. For someone in his position, getting in would have been simple.
"Do you know how many of your insults I had to read before I... before I could even mimic your way of speaking? Do you have any idea how much I agonized over and edited my posts before hitting 'send'?"
The President let out a series of hollow laughs, saying he hadn't even been this nervous when writing his thesis. After a while, he seemed to lose his energy; his shoulders slumped, and he gave a bitter smile.
"But I suppose it was wrong."
It didn't seem like I needed to say anything. He already knew.
"Yes, it was wrong. I feel like I stepped too far over the line. It’s pathetic that I’m only realizing I crossed it now."
A victim turned perpetrator.
It was undeniable that the President had been a victim. Even if it was the fate of those in power, he had certainly been used as a punching bag in the Bamboo Forest. But it was also undeniable that he was a perpetrator.
"Anonymous 7 is a student on a full scholarship."
With a bitter smile, I looked down at my teacup. I tapped the now-cold cup with my finger and continued.
"Her mother isn't around. After graduating high school, she worked in a factory. When her father passed away, she was able to attend university thanks to the insurance money."
"..."
"Even now, she never stops working part-time jobs."
"Ha, ah... I truly did something terrible."
"She is demanding an apology. She says her late parents did nothing wrong to deserve being insulted by a stranger."
At my words, the President pressed his thumb and index finger against his eyes and spoke.
"Call her in."
"Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"It is something I must endure. If you want to spread word of this incident, do as you wish. I will accept it."
The President closed his eyes tightly. Watching him, I slowly stood up and walked toward the door. Then, I made a call.
"Senior, could you come to the President's office for a moment?"
* * *
A few minutes later.
Senior Ju-hee arrived, wearing a white blouse instead of her usual Dragon Padded Jacket. It seemed she had dressed up a bit since she was coming to the President's office.
"U-Um, hello. I'm Min Ju-hee, a junior in the English Department."
She looked back and forth between me and the President with a bewildered expression. It was likely hard for her to understand what this combination of people meant. It made sense. Ju-hee didn't know I was the Administrator, nor did she know the President was Anonymous 407.
The President slowly stood up, approached Ju-hee, and bowed deeply.
"I am sorry."
It was a polite apology delivered with sincerity. It didn't look like an apology being made to a student much younger than himself.
"Huh? Suddenly, what...?"
"For recklessly disparaging you and your parents when you did nothing wrong... I am truly sorry."
"...!"
Ju-hee's eyes trembled. It took a moment, but she finally seemed to realize what was happening.
"You may spread this story if you wish. It is true that I did something I should never have done. I am sincerely sorry."
Ju-hee, who had been staring blankly at the President, glanced toward me. I didn't give any particular reaction. It was a sign that I was leaving everything up to her choice.
Ju-hee didn't deliberate for long.
"I only intended to get an apology from the start. But as the President, you should have been more careful with your words, considering your position. No matter how... anonymous it was."
Then, she lightly rolled up her sleeve.
Wait.
"One forehead flick. I'll end it with that. We'll act as if this never happened."
When Ju-hee made the proposal with a bright smile, the President thanked her and offered his forehead.
"W-Wait a second!"
The moment I rushed toward the President.
THWACK!
With a sound so loud I thought his skull might have shattered, the President's body recoiled backward. If I hadn't caught him, he would have collapsed right there.
"Gasp! Haaaah!"
I think he blacked out for a second. With a tearful expression, the President asked me what exactly he had just been hit with.
"There, we're even now."
Ju-hee walked out of the President's office with a refreshing smile. No, she stopped halfway.
"Woo-jin, let's talk later. I have to go right now because I pushed back my cafe shift."
"Ah, yes. Noona."
She immediately radiated her 'Captain Ju' aura and left.
Anyway.
"M-My head... it didn't get punctured, did it?"
"It didn't, so don't worry."
I helped the dazed President to his feet.
"Post a separate apology on the Bamboo Forest. I'll talk to Ju-hee separately as well."
"I... I understand."
"And, congratulations on becoming Unit 3."
"...Hm?"
As the President stared at me blankly, I continued with my proposal, smiling.
"Moderate the excessive insults yourself. Of course, you shouldn't just go around banning people blindly, but I'll give you the authority to use your judgment."
"To... to me?"
"This is the original rule of the Bamboo Forest. If you find out the identity of the Administrator, you become a Moderator."
"Ha... Hahaha."
The President laughed in disbelief, then suddenly remembered something and asked.
"Unit 3?"
"Unit 2 was just decided a moment ago."
* * *
Naturally, the Bamboo Forest went into an uproar for a while. However, rather than insulting the two for the anticlimactic ending of settling things through talk...
And so, the story came to an end. Things would likely remain quiet in the Bamboo Forest until final exams.
Kim Woo-jin scanned the Bamboo Forest one last time, gave a smirk, and stepped out of the dormitory. The fact that some people felt a sense of catharsis seeing Anonymous 407 become a sort of board slave didn't seem like a bad outcome.
"Nice, nice."
Humming to himself, Kim Woo-jin headed toward the bicycle rack to get to his next class.
A few minutes later.
A post appeared on the Bamboo Forest.
A photo of a bicycle with only one wheel remaining, exactly like last time.
And a single sentence added below it.