Chapter 400: Realization
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 400: Realization
Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr!
My phone vibrated aggressively, as if it were issuing a threat.
A quick glance showed it was the Bamboo Forest. It seemed my latest post had caused quite a stir. A flood of comments was likely pouring in as we spoke.
Normally, I’d be camping out on the site to respond to each one individually, but...
"Hm? What’s wrong? Is someone trying to reach you?"
"No, it’s nothing."
I didn't want anything to interrupt my time with I-seo, so I decided to leave it alone for a while.
Besides, I doubted many people would actually want to become the manager of the Bamboo Forest. Most of the comments were probably just mockery or mindless questions meant to draw aggro.
I’d considered handing the reins over to the current staff, like Yoo Ah-rin or Senior Ju-hee, but I decided against it. I had a feeling that if I stepped down, those two would probably quit as well.
'I can't exactly give it to the President, though.'
The Gahyeon University Bamboo Forest was an anonymous community accessible to both students and professors. However, it was strictly a space for students. While the President might accept the role of administrator, I didn't want to hand over the management of a student space to him.
Entrusting it to other acquaintances was also tricky. All my close male friends were heading off to the military with me, and there wasn't anyone among the girls I wanted to burden with this role.
To be honest...
'Being the Bamboo Forest Manager is a total grind.'
You often end up as a punching bag for insults, and you have to block bizarre images and spam that borders on harassment. What makes it especially grueling is that it’s a purely honorary position with zero benefits. And since it’s anonymous, you don't even get any public recognition for it.
'Now that I think about it, why did I even do this?'
I’d taken it over because a senior had handed it to me before leaving. Looking back, I suspect he was just dumping the burden on me so he could escape.
Regardless.
I would be stepping down as the manager of the Bamboo Forest around the start of winter break. I couldn't shake a strange sense of bittersweetness, even though it felt like a relief.
Squeeze.
Knowing I’d probably get an earful from I-seo, I gave her a firm hug. I expected her to complain that I was distracting her from the movie or ask if I was in heat again.
Pat.
Instead, I-seo quietly placed her hand on my head and gave me a gentle pat. Her unexpected tenderness, as if acknowledging my hard work, brought a lump to my throat and a strange wave of emotion, but I did my best to ignore it.
*
Slurp.
The two girls left behind had ended up, surprisingly, at a PC Bang. Seo Ye-rin had followed along because she had no work and could rest easy, while Yoo Ah-rin had come because she didn't want to be alone.
"Ugh, seriously. Jungle diff."
However, Seo Ye-rin was completely absorbed in her game, making Yoo Ah-rin regret not just going home by herself. Perhaps that feeling manifested in her blunt attempt at conversation.
"You worked so hard to climb the ranks back then, so where are you now?"
"Don't ask."
"Good grief, you idiot. You should've just stopped when you hit Silver. Why did you keep playing and tank your rank?"
"What's the point of playing if you're just going to park your rank!"
Fuming, Seo Ye-rin tapped her keyboard irritably. It turned out she wasn't just gaming; she was back to shitposting on the Bamboo Forest.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you acting out on the Bamboo Forest?"
"This is my routine."
"Ugh, I'm deleting it."
"Why would you delete it?! I actually did it once today! Yoo Ah-rin, you're such a dictator! I'm going to call you out!"
They glared at each other irritably before simultaneously letting out a long sigh. They both knew the reason for their foul moods wasn't a lost game or spamming the Bamboo Forest. Was it the fact that Kim Woo-jin and Choi I-seo had gone out together that was making them feel so restless?
"Ugh, damn it. Maybe I shouldn't have let them go."
Yoo Ah-rin sighed with regret while sipping her chocolate milk. Of course, they had agreed to meet separately later, but she hadn't expected being the one left behind to feel this unsettling.
"Next time, I'm going."
At Seo Ye-rin's declaration, Yoo Ah-rin frowned deeply and countered.
"What are you talking about? It's my turn."
"It's my turn."
"Fine, let's settle this right here. What should we use to decide? Arm wrestling?"
"How about a 1v1 in-game?"
"Sparring wouldn't be bad either."
"What about a chest size battle?"
"Are you mocking me?"
"Then what about sparring with me?"
While the two were engaged in a fierce psychological battle, each suggesting things they knew they could win, another post appeared on the Bamboo Forest page Seo Ye-rin had open.
"Huh?"
The two let out a bewildered gasp in unison. As they stared blankly at the post, comments began to appear in real-time.
The comments kept rolling in. Even though it was exam period and traffic was high, it had been a while since a post had generated this much heat.
Meanwhile, the two girls were staring at the screen, their mouths opening and closing wordlessly. They had things they wanted to say, but it felt like saying them would lead to a disaster.
"Ah..."
Finally, Seo Ye-rin let out a sound—a sigh that escaped her, unable to contain the emotions surging from deep within.
"He's really... going."
Kim Woo-jin was truly leaving soon. Of course, the military was a place most South Korean men had to go. It was only natural, in a way.
"Sniff."
But that didn't mean the parting felt natural.
"Ugh... sniff."
No matter how one tried to sugarcoat their separation, it was only natural for their hearts to ache.
"Waaaaah!"
As Seo Ye-rin burst into tears, Yoo Ah-rin moved closer and gently hugged her.
"Don't go, Woo-jin-ah!"
It was a process many couples went through. Countless people had experienced the same parting. But that didn't make it any less difficult.
Understanding that feeling, Yoo Ah-rin, who was holding Seo Ye-rin, also tried to hide the fact that her own eyes were beginning to well up. She finally understood why she had felt so uncomfortable with Choi I-seo and Kim Woo-jin being alone together.
In one month, he wouldn't be by their side.
The regret stemmed from the fact that they couldn't even spend these fleeting moments together.
*
Ah-rin wanted to let Ye-rin cry until she felt better, but since people in the PC Bang were starting to stare, the two headed outside.
"Sniff... I still had time left on my PC Bang account."
"You make plenty of money, what are you complaining about?"
"Sniff... Ah-rin, how does my face look right now?"
"Ugh, you're pretty, you brat. So stop worrying and let's go."
"Waaaah, where did Woo-jin go?! Why is it Ah-rin hugging me at a time like this?!"
"Tell me about it."
They intended to head home, but their footsteps felt heavier than expected. Was it because the lump in their chests hadn't cleared yet? They wanted to vent somewhere, and just then, a karaoke sign caught their eye. It seemed there was a noraebang in the basement of the PC Bang building.
"...Hey, want to go sing a few songs?"
"Sing? Sniff."
Seo Ye-rin, her voice still nasal from crying, looked at the sign and nodded vigorously.
"Let's go. I want to sing my heart out."
And so, the two of them ended up at the noraebang, looking rather pathetic. As soon as Yoo Ah-rin saw the songs Seo Ye-rin was reserving, she immediately scowled.
"Hey, you brat. Did you just get dumped? Why are all the songs about breakups?"
"I have no hea-a-art!"
"Crazy bitch."
"Ah-rin has no che-e-est!"
"You bitch!"
Fortunately, they were in a private room. Yoo Ah-rin briefly considered murder, but her vibrating phone helped suppress the impulse.
"I'm going to take this call."
"Is it Woo-jin?! Woo-jin?"
"No! It's Senior Ju-hee!"
"Hmph."
The voice echoing through the microphone vibrated painfully against her eardrums. Yoo Ah-rin stepped outside with a grimace.
"Why don't you kno-o-ow!"
"She's just wallowing in her own sadness in there."
Annoyed by Seo Ye-rin's voice still audible from outside, Ah-rin answered the phone.
"Yes, Senior."
— Ah-rin, did you see what Woo-jin posted on the Bamboo Forest?
"I saw it. That's why we're at a noraebang right now. Seo Ye-rin is bawling her eyes out."
— Ha... right. It was expected, but still.
"It makes your heart ache seeing a post like that, doesn't it?"
— Yeah, it does.
"Right? That's why we—"
Yoo Ah-rin was about to say they felt the same way when she sensed something odd.
"Wait, why are you feeling that way, Senior?"
— …….
"Kim Woo-jin is my boyfriend."
— Ahem. Ah-rin... or should I say, Madam?
"Speak."
Yoo Ah-rin became arrogant in an instant.
— Didn't we have a good time in Hawaii?
"……."
— I helped you out quite a bit back then.
"That's that! Honestly, you're really crossing the line, Unni!"
— Wh-where are you? I'll come and talk to you. Okay? Let's talk in person.
"We're in Room 3 at Seven Karaoke. We still have time left, so come here if you want to talk!"
— Okay, I'll be there soon.
After hanging up, Yoo Ah-rin went back inside.
"Goodbye, my lo-o-ove! I'll let you go no-o-ow!"
Watching Seo Ye-rin having a grand old time by herself, even shaking a tambourine, Yoo Ah-rin grit her teeth and shouted.
"Hey! Stop shaking your tits and get over here!"
"Huh?"
Seeing Ye-rin's chest bounce along with the tambourine only made Yoo Ah-rin feel worse. Regardless, she snatched the microphone from Seo Ye-rin and shouted into it.
"Get ready for a fight!"
"A real scrap?"
A few minutes later.
The moment Min Ju-hee entered the noraebang, the two were ready to pounce, but...
"S-sorry. The others were with me."
Two more people followed her in.
Oh Yun-ji and Choi Jin-ah.
They didn't know why she had brought those two along, but the two girls carefully lowered the microphones they were holding to subdue Min Ju-hee and began to read the room.
"Ah-rin, what do we do?"
"......Where the hell is Choi I-seo?"
Suddenly, the two of them found themselves hopelessly outnumbered.