Chapter 27: Administrator
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27: Administrator
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
Even though the lecture was in full swing, Seo Ye-rin was busy checking various things in the game on my phone.
I thought she wasn't paying attention to the class, but she was surprisingly efficient, quickly jotting down the core points in her notebook whenever they came up.
Even as I called out to her, she didn't even glance my way, occasionally clicking her tongue. Isn't she being a bit too harsh on an account I only started yesterday?
"Did you eat tangerines this morning?"
"Huh? How did—"
Startled, Seo Ye-rin reflexively brought her hand to her nose. Then, her face turned bright red, and she froze.
"I... I ate some on the way here to freshen my breath."
"I see. They're a bit tart right now, but I'm glad you enjoyed them."
"..."
Seo Ye-rin puffed out her cheeks and pouted as if pleading with me not to say another word.
She looked quite cute, and a smile inadvertently crept onto my face.
Vrrr!
Just then, my phone vibrated.
Naturally, both of our eyes were drawn to the screen.
— [Bamboo Forest Inquiry...]
My hand reacted first, snatching the phone away. I immediately checked Seo Ye-rin's reaction; she was staring blankly at the spot where my phone had just been.
'Did she see it?'
What if she did?
What if she found out I was the Bamboo Forest Manager?
'If I get caught...'
Thinking about it, it wouldn't actually be that big of a deal. After all, the person I'd been talking to as the manager was Anonymous 69, not Seo Ye-rin herself.
It might be a bit awkward if it came out that I knew Anonymous 69 was Seo Ye-rin while we were talking.
But as long as I didn't make a mistake, it wouldn't matter.
"Bamboo Forest."
At Seo Ye-rin's words, I reflexively tensed up. I had just thought it wouldn't matter if I got caught, but facing the actual situation was a bit uncomfortable.
"You use the Bamboo Forest too!"
However, Seo Ye-rin's response was slightly off the mark.
"Huh?"
"I use it often, too. There's so much interesting stuff posted there."
You're one of those interesting things.
It seemed she assumed I had posted something on the Bamboo Forest and received a notification for a comment.
I suppose I should consider that a relief.
"Well, yeah. A lot of interesting things do get posted. Sometimes I wonder if we're even attending the same university."
"Right, right? Sometimes I even play detective and try to deduce who wrote a certain post."
"And sometimes there are call-outs."
"Ah..."
Seo Ye-rin's mouth hung slightly open, a look of realization crossing her face as if she'd made a mistake.
This was a natural opportunity to frame it as if I'd installed the app because of the Karaoke Incident.
"I originally installed it to check on that call-out incident, but there were actually a lot of interesting stories. So I've been checking it occasionally."
"I see. I'm glad a bad memory turned into something positive."
Seo Ye-rin smiled, looking genuinely happy for me.
"Being able to talk anonymously has a lot of downsides, but it has its perks too."
When I added that, Seo Ye-rin nodded vigorously in agreement. Now that the conversation had shifted to the Bamboo Forest, she forgot all about her notes and started chatting.
"Exactly! It's like... a feeling of being able to say things I normally can't? It gives me a sense of liberation."
"You're not going around picking fights with people, are you?"
"Like Anonymous 11?"
"Ah... the one who trolls every single post?"
"Yeah. People on the boards call them a Keyboard Lu Bu. I've been cursed out by that person before, too."
I know.
They were just insulting you and your 'devotee' for 'heavy petting' this morning.
"But it didn't really bother me. It feels like I'm speaking through a mask, and the insults are being thrown at the mask, if that makes sense."
"I see. I didn't know you were such a fan of the Bamboo Forest."
"It's pretty good. It feels like a masquerade ball for verified people."
Since only Gahyeon University students can use the Bamboo Forest, they are, in a sense, verified.
"And then there's the manager."
That came out of nowhere, but I didn't have time to let my expression change. Thanks to that, I was able to ask with a look of pure curiosity.
"Hmm? Why the manager all of a sudden?"
"The manager is competent. They do their job well, and they're kind, which I like."
"Is it someone you know?"
"No, I don't know them. But I've talked to them a few times through inquiries."
"Ah."
"Every time we talk, I get the feeling they're a good person. Even when they're being blunt, they're secretly kind, in a way."
As she spoke about the manager, Seo Ye-rin had a soft, almost nostalgic smile on her face.
A sudden wave of concern washed over me, and I asked her cautiously.
"You're not... catching feelings for them or anything, are you?"
At my question, Seo Ye-rin gave a mischievous grin.
"Who knows? But I would like to meet them. You never know. I've been single for twenty years; maybe I'll finally get my first boyfriend."
"Is it that serious?"
Wait, my conversations with Seo Ye-rin weren't even that special. What exactly about them made her feel this way?
"Anyway, I wouldn't have to show my 'real' self to that person."
I could only catch fragments of Seo Ye-rin's voice as she whispered to herself.
As I sat there in confusion, Senior Min Ju-hee poked me in the ribs.
"It's nice that you underclassmen are getting along, but you're being a bit loud, don't you think?"
Uncharacteristically, Senior Min Ju-hee was wearing glasses. They really didn't suit her.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry, Senior."
When we apologized immediately, she gave a refreshing laugh and added a comment.
"Our little genius here looks flustered because Ye-rin said there's someone she likes."
"Wh-what?!"
Seo Ye-rin looked at me in shock, but I simply shook my head with a cold, detached expression.
"No, that's not it."
Perhaps because I was so firm and sincere.
"O-oh, really? I guess I read it wrong."
Senior Min Ju-hee awkwardly turned back to the lecture, and Seo Ye-rin looked down at her notes with a complicated expression.
I was flustered, just as Senior Min Ju-hee said.
But it was because I was wondering if she actually liked me—or rather, the manager.
'I should probably tone it down.'
I decided that from now on, I would keep my 1:1 inquiry responses to Anonymous 69 as short and curt as possible.
* * *
After the lecture ended.
The team members gathered to make the movie, just as Senior Min Ju-hee had mentioned.
We didn't leave the classroom but just sat around the desks. Seeing Han-gang and his friends pointedly keeping their distance from me was so childish it almost made me laugh.
At least Seo Ye-rin sat next to me, so I didn't feel completely isolated.
"Alright, thanks for making the time, everyone."
Senior Min Ju-hee, acting as the team leader, stood in the center and began to lead the discussion.
"First, I've thought about the content of the short film. Melodrama or horror will probably cost the least, so I'm thinking of going with one of those. Any objections?"
Naturally, no one spoke up. Melodrama was expected, and a B-movie style horror film would be cheap to produce.
Just walking around the school at night would be enough to whip up a horror flick.
"I asked the professor, and they said extra points are given based on the story's structure and overall quality. So, I'm announcing today that we're looking for a scriptwriter."
A scriptwriter?
"Draft a story and send it in. Whoever's script gets chosen is exempt from all other assignments from that day forward."
"Oh?"
I let out an involuntary exclamation. It wasn't just me; the other team members seemed intrigued as well.
Being able to skip a tedious assignment just by writing a story?
"I'll post two videos in the group chat. Aim for a story on that scale."
I was interested because writing a story sounded fun and skipping the assignment was a huge plus, but...
"But not you, Woo-jin. You have to edit with me."
"Ah..."
My shoulders, which had perked up, immediately slumped. I felt genuinely disappointed.
"Anyone except Woo-jin, send in a script. Got it?"
"But did you call us all here just to say that?"
As the meeting seemed to be wrapping up, one of Han-gang's friends raised his hand and asked.
He had a point. This could have just been posted as an announcement in the group chat.
But Senior Min Ju-hee shook her head.
"That was just an add-on. I have something else to say."
Senior Min Ju-hee looked back and forth between me and Han-gang before dropping a blatant bombshell.
"I heard you two fought."
"Ah, haha. It wasn't really a fight or anything like that."
Han-gang stepped forward with an awkward laugh. Senior Min Ju-hee ignored him and looked at me.
I just shrugged and didn't give much of an answer.
Whatever the case, it was a fact that I had cursed out Han-gang, and it was also a fact that the story had been distorted and I'd been called out on the Bamboo Forest.
"Since the parties involved say they didn't fight, I'll take it as that. Even if you did, I'm not going to tell you to make up. Instead..."
Firmly and intensely, Senior Min Ju-hee made her declaration.
"Just don't let it affect the assignment. If anyone says some bullshit like 'I'm dropping the class because I hate that guy' or 'I'm not doing the assignment,' tell me now so I can rip your damn mouth off."
Whoa.
For a moment, the Senior Min Ju-hee of old came out. Even Han-gang seemed taken aback and flinched.
I immediately raised my hand and declared.
"I will do my absolute best with the editing, Team Leader."
"Mm-hmm, that's the spirit. As expected, Woo-jin is so well-behaved."
"Aw, it's nothing."
As I acted bashful and waved it off, Han-gang's friends looked like they'd swallowed something bitter.
"I have no intention of doing that either."
"Good. Han-gang, unless you get a draft notice, you're not getting out of this."
Damn.
Look at that majestic presence.
Captain Ju really is the best.