Chapter 28: Shall We Try?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: Shall We Try?
“You’re heading to the next lecture, right? Let’s go together.”
Since I had Basic Japanese Conversation right after my first Wednesday afternoon lecture, and Seo Ye-rin was taking it too, it was only natural that we walked together.
I remembered her going to a cafe with Senior Han-gang last time, but now she was with me.
Ugh, I feel like he’s staring a hole through my back.
As we walked out of the classroom, I could feel Senior Han-gang’s eyes drilling into us from behind.
It was a stinging sensation. Getting this kind of jealousy didn't make me happy at all; I honestly wished he’d just take her away.
“Ha, what a crazy bitch.”
“Birds of a feather, I guess.”
I also caught a glimpse of the second-year female students—Han-gang’s friends—whispering among themselves.
This makes me uneasy.
I was worried that strange rumors about Seo Ye-rin and me might start spreading.
“Should we stop by a cafe on the way? How about some coffee?”
Whether she knew what was happening or not, Seo Ye-rin was smiling brightly as she suggested the cafe.
“Sigh.”
I knew she was a nice girl, but shouldn't she at least be a little suspicious of others?
I couldn't tell if she was being bold or just plain clueless, the way she just laughed off the glares from the seniors.
“Is there something specific you drink? There’s something really delicious on the chalkboard menu behind the counter, not the regular one...”
She was definitely clueless.
“Do you like sweet things?”
“I’ll drink pretty much anything.”
“Really? Then I’ll give you an experimental pick.”
“...Huh?”
“Hehe.”
Seo Ye-rin pulled me along, laughing as if something was hilarious.
Since we were going together anyway, we stopped by the cafe, bought the drink she mentioned, and headed to the lecture.
“Oh? This is better than I thought.”
“Really? Let me...”
When she asked for a sip, I held out the straw to her. Since I’d ordered the drink she wanted to try anyway, I’d obviously intended to give her a taste.
“Ah, um...”
Seeing her hesitate, I couldn't help but let out a smirk.
“You’re a college student now, and you’re hesitating over an indirect kiss?”
“N-no, I’m not!”
“Like hell you aren't. You watch those shoujo mangas, don't you? And only read romance webtoons.”
“I told you, I don't!”
She immediately put her lips to the straw, took a timid little sip, and pulled away.
“It’s good, huh?”
Seeing her respond so awkwardly, as if she were acting, it was clear she was genuinely flustered.
Her eyes were spinning and her face was bright red over a mere indirect kiss.
Is this really the same girl who posts about sex all over the board?
Who would believe that the true identity of the Sex Master was a girl who blushed just from using someone else’s straw?
“When you meet a guy later, make sure you talk to your friends before you start dating him.”
“...Everyone tells me that.”
“You’ve got good friends.”
Seo Ye-rin grumbled, looking indignant.
“I’m a good judge of men, okay? I’m actually, y-know, popular, so I get contacted a lot.”
“Yeah, you look the part. You’re damn popular, so guys probably KakaoTalk you every day asking to grab a meal, right?”
“...”
She looked at me as if wondering how I knew. If anyone in this university looked at Seo Ye-rin’s face and didn't know that, they were the weird one.
“T-that’s right! I’m popular!”
“Wow, hearing it directly from you makes it sound really lame.”
“You! No, that’s not it. But doesn't the fact that I don't get swayed and don't date anyone make me trustworthy?”
It seemed like she was trying to prove her reliability in her own way. I shrugged and countered her point.
“Isn't it more like there are so many people hitting on you that you just can't choose?”
“Ugh.”
It was like having so much delicious food in front of you that you couldn't decide what to eat first.
Because so many men were throwing themselves at her, it was difficult for Seo Ye-rin to actually meet someone or get to know them deeply.
“Mmmph.”
Well, I guess she has her own struggles.
I felt a tiny bit of pity, but then I realized that for some people, this was the definition of a 'first-world problem.'
“Must be nice being so popular.”
I just felt a little salty.
*
“Bye, see you next time.”
“Yeah. See you.”
The tedious Basic Japanese Conversation lecture ended. Since Kim Woo-jin and Seo Ye-rin had different classes next, they said their goodbyes and parted ways.
Because the Japanese lecture was so basic and easy, the two of them were able to kill time by being each other's conversation partners.
While Kim Woo-jin had to attend his next lecture alone, it was different for Seo Ye-rin.
“Ye-rin’s here!”
“Seo Ye-rin! Over here!”
The next lecture was a subject she’d agreed to take with her friends, so she naturally joined up with them.
“We’re grabbing dinner after this, right?”
“What should we eat?”
“Let’s eat something that won't make me gain weight. My boyfriend’s been dropping hints lately that I’ve gotten fat.”
“Look at this bitch casually bragging about her boyfriend.”
Seo Ye-rin naturally blended into the conversation. The three girls she was with weren't just department peers; they were high school friends who had come to the same university, so their bond was tight.
“What’s up? What are you thinking about?”
Yoo Ah-rin asked, smiling as she linked arms with Seo Ye-rin.
Among her high school friends, she had become particularly close with Yoo Ah-rin, who was also in the English Department.
“Huh? Oh, just...”
“Just?”
Seo Ye-rin considered keeping it to herself but decided this was a good time to ask.
“Ah-rin, you posted on the Bamboo Forest the other day, right?”
“Ah, because of the Kim Woo-jin call-out incident? Yeah, that was pretty fun.”
Yoo Ah-rin had been at the forefront of trying to sway public opinion. She had kept posting under the shield of anonymity even when the Department Representative, Choi I-seo, told everyone to stop.
“Have you ever sent an inquiry to the Bamboo Forest Manager?”
“Huh? No, why?”
“I see...”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Why did I ask?
Come to think of it, hadn't she herself sent inquiries to the Bamboo Forest Manager several times?
There was no need to check if Yoo Ah-rin had sent any.
Seo Ye-rin was currently a bit confused because of the Bamboo Forest notification she had seen on Kim Woo-jin’s phone screen.
Why did the message come through like that?
— Bamboo Forest Inquiry...
The notification had indicated that an inquiry had arrived.
For the record, when you send an inquiry to the Bamboo Forest Manager, the reply looks like this:
— A reply has been posted to your inquiry.
That was it.
Even if you post a comment, it doesn't show up like that.
— A reply has been posted to your writing.
Notifications came in that format; they didn't look like what she had seen on Kim Woo-jin’s screen.
Could it be...
If.
Just if Woo-jin was the Manager?
Was that why the notification looked like that?
Maybe it wasn't a reply to an inquiry, but a message that popped up for Kim Woo-jin when a user sent him an inquiry?
Seo Ye-rin was sinking deeper into her thoughts, but...
“Hey! She said she got a boyfriend!”
“Ah, I wasn't going to say anything yet.”
While Yoo Ah-rin and Seo Ye-rin were off to the side, the other two had been talking, and the conversation had shifted to boyfriends.
Until now, only one of the four had a boyfriend, but now they were split half and half.
“Oh, really? Didn't you say you weren't going to date for the sake of our 'girls' friendship'?”
Yoo Ah-rin smirked in disbelief, but the girl who got a boyfriend shook her head.
“Choosing between friendship and love is so old-fashioned. It’s not like our relationship is going to sour just because I have a boyfriend!”
“You’re a smooth talker.”
“Hey! She’s crazy! She said it was 'Sex First, Date Later'!”
“Oh?”
“Whoa...”
Yoo Ah-rin and Seo Ye-rin gasped simultaneously. They’d heard recently that there were couples who slept together first and then started dating, but they never expected their friend to be one of them.
“We’re basically in America now.”
Yoo Ah-rin clicked her tongue.
“Wow, w-whoa.”
Seo Ye-rin’s face flushed hot, but she was overcome with intense curiosity.
“Well then, shall I tell you guys the story today?”
As the friend began the grand epic of how she met her boyfriend, Seo Ye-rin became completely absorbed.
In that moment, her suspicion that Kim Woo-jin and the Bamboo Forest Manager might be the same person was pushed to the back of her mind.
*
“What is wrong with her now?”
It was around the time I was heading home after all my Tuesday lectures were over.
I let out a hollow laugh as I watched Anonymous 69 wreaking havoc and spamming the Bamboo Forest.
Anyway.
“If you spam, you get banned.”
I immediately blocked Anonymous 69.
Since it was dinner time, there weren't many students using the Bamboo Forest, but those two were certainly having a good time.
Afterward, a few other users posted saying the crackdown on the Sex Master was well-done.
But this was merely an act that moved Anonymous 69 from the public board to my private inquiries.
I knew for a fact she would just spam me the same way through 1:1 inquiries.
Given her mood today, I expected an inquiry to pop up immediately, but...
“Huh?”
It was surprisingly quiet.
Usually, if I blocked her, she’d go wild asking why I did it.
“Don't tell me.”
I recalled Seo Ye-rin seeing my phone during the lecture earlier.
It seemed like she’d moved past it naturally at the time, but did she actually notice something?
I felt a slight chill, and my pace toward home quickened.
Vibrate!
Right on cue, an inquiry arrived.
“Ah, why am I so nervous?”
Even the way she sent the inquiry felt different from usual. I replied with a bit of tension.
I replied as I normally would, but...
“Huh?!”
The sound escaped my lips involuntarily, causing someone walking on the trail to glance at me.
What’s with her?
What on earth happened today to make her so aggressively curious?
Of course, that was just sleeping next to Choi I-seo at the jjimjilbang. Still, it’s not like I’m inexperienced.
In the first semester, I had a girlfriend named Oh Yun-ji, and she practically lived at my place.
It was the same word, but it felt strangely heavy. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn't read what came next.
But Seo Ye-rin was much faster.