Chapter 402: The Reason I-seo is Mad
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 402: The Reason I-seo is Mad
“Hey, do you know why our country’s dramas and movies are so loved abroad?”
At Oh Yun-ji’s question, asked while she was thoroughly wasted, Seo Ye-rin closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a smirk.
“I dunno!”
“Geez, and you call yourself an actress?”
“I dunno~”
She was an actress, not a director or a writer.
She thought to herself that she didn't need to worry about what other people did as long as she excelled in her own role as an actress. However, perhaps because she was drunk, her words came out much more condensed.
“Not my problem.”
“Ugh.”
Oh Yun-ji took another sip of beer and began her explanation.
“It’s because of Han. It’s because we have this Han deep in our chests.”
“Han?”
“Yeah, the Han of parting. Our country is a divided nation, so men have to fulfill their mandatory military service, right?”
She gets surprisingly talkative when she’s drunk.
Seo Ye-rin thought this but decided to keep listening for now.
“So, there are so many cases where college-aged lovers are forced to break up or can’t see each other for a long time, right? Since they experience that bitter pain from a young age, that unique sentiment gets captured well in movies and dramas.”
It sounded like total nonsense, yet strangely persuasive at the same time—a sure sign that Ye-rin herself was quite drunk.
“But why are you suddenly telling me this?”
“Since you’re in the industry, I’m saying it wouldn’t be so bad for you to experience a breakup like that.”
“I’m going to wait for him until the very end.”
“Heh.”
Oh Yun-ji let out a smirk.
“I thought I would, too.”
That one sentence, heavy with meaning and born of experience, poked at Seo Ye-rin’s nerves.
Immediately flipping her the bird, Seo Ye-rin shouted back more aggressively than usual, telling her to stop talking bullshit.
While those two were engaged in a drunken battle of nerves...
Yoo Ah-rin was in the middle of a conversation with Min Ju-hee.
“So, what I’m saying is... you shouldn’t cross the line like that. You get it, right?”
“I know, I know.”
“Honestly, we’re pretty upset too, but we’re putting up with it because you’re a senior.”
“Of course, of course.”
The two of them were talking with their arms around each other’s shoulders like they were sisters, but they were so drunk it was doubtful they even understood what they were saying to each other.
Choi Jin-ah, who was the most normal among them, wasn't sober because she was strong against alcohol, but because she had eaten so many snacks that she hadn't drunk as much.
“Ugh, I’m so full.”
She leaned back against her chair, clutching her bloated stomach with a satisfied smile.
And so, the drinking session of this unintentionally gathered group continued until quite late.
* * *
Bubble, bubble.
I believe that Doenjang-jjigae boiling in the morning carries a certain symbolic weight.
Usually, something like this is cooked by a family member you live with or a spouse.
In that sense, I-seo, who was cooking the stew while facing the chilly morning breeze, looked just like a wife.
“…….”
If only she wasn't glaring at me, that is.
“I-seo, should I go heat up the instant rice?”
When I asked cautiously, I-seo gave a sharp reaction but nodded her head.
Like a husband scurrying out to take the trash under his wife’s pressure, I quickly grabbed the instant rice and went to the common area to heat it up.
There were other people lined up to use the microwave besides me.
I tried my best to ignore the strange looks I was getting from the people around me as I heated the rice and brought it back.
Without saying much, I-seo had prepared a lavish spread with the Doenjang-jjigae, fried eggs, and even grilled Spam.
“Wow, this looks delicious!”
“…….”
I-seo still said nothing.
Despite her silent response, I just mindlessly kept making a fuss, saying how delicious it was.
In the end, we didn't have a proper conversation until the meal was over. When it was time to check out, I went to return the key.
“You mustn't do that again, okay?”
At the owner’s words, accompanied by a hollow laugh, I bowed my head and apologized.
I returned the key to the counter and stepped outside. Had she heard the conversation inside?
I-seo was already on her bicycle, pedaling away.
“I-I-seo?! I-seoooooo!”
If you leave me here, I really have no way to get back!
* * *
“Ugh, the smell of booze.”
After returning, Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin were waiting in my dorm room.
Judging by the hangover cures scattered around and the faint smell of hangover soup in the room...
“Did you guys drink yesterday? Did you order hangover soup?”
“Yeah, my head is killing me.”
Yoo Ah-rin was lying on the bed with her hand on her forehead.
Seeing how they come and go so naturally now even though this is a male dormitory, they must have figured out some kind of trick.
“Where’s I-seo?”
“She went to return the bicycle.”
“She went alone?”
“She said she wanted to go alone.”
Seo Ye-rin’s eyes widened as if she’d realized something from that alone, and Yoo Ah-rin sat up and looked at me.
“Did you two fight?”
“What is it? Did something happen?”
The two of them spoke at the same time.
They must have realized the atmosphere was bad just from the fact that I-seo went alone.
“No, nothing happened.”
I tried to gloss over it, but of course, they didn't believe me.
However, I just ignored them, grabbed some clothes, and headed into the bathroom.
I felt like I needed a shower first.
“Maybe they just did it non-stop? And that’s why I-seo got totally turned off!”
“Hey, you think that’s a first? Choi I-seo went there fully prepared for that anyway.”
“I guess?”
“We have to look at it from a different angle. Maybe he made a slip of the tongue? Like, while they were doing it, he suddenly called out ‘Yun-ji!’ or something.”
“Whoa... that’s chilling.”
“Right? It would be a total mood killer.”
“Yeah, if Woo-jini called out another girl’s name while he was with me, I might actually kill him on the spot.”
“I wouldn't kill him. But I’d make it so he couldn't walk for a few days.”
Damn, they’re terrifying.
I’ve never made a mistake with names so far, but I vowed to myself that I never would in the future either.
“But that’s probably not it.”
“Right? If that were the case, Kim Woo-jin wouldn't be here right now.”
“Hehe, true.”
Seriously, they are scary as hell.
I wanted to ask where I-seo was, but I decided to just wash up quietly.
Even though I could hear them talking occasionally, the sound of the shower drowned it out, so I could at least wash in peace.
When I came out, they had already moved on to another topic and were both looking at their phones.
‘That’s a relief.’
I was worried about how to answer if they kept prying.
“Hey, you posted on the Bamboo Forest?”
“Huh? Oh... that?”
The post about looking for the next Bamboo Forest Manager.
Yoo Ah-rin asked indifferently.
“You could’ve just given it to me. I am Moderator No. 1, after all.”
“I could give it to you if you wanted it. But I didn't think you’d actually want to do it.”
“…….”
Yoo Ah-rin started to say something in response but closed her mouth again.
It seemed I had hit the nail on the head.
“I was the one who half-forced you to do it in the first place.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Yoo Ah-rin nodded awkwardly. Thinking back to those days, we did nothing but fight.
“Anyway, I’m going to give the Bamboo Forest Manager position to whoever wants it.”
“Are you going to do face-to-face interviews?”
“Are you crazy? If someone says they want to do it, I’ll just do an autopsy on their past posts and comments, and if they seem okay, I’ll put them in the seat.”
“Oh.”
“Surprisingly many people applied.”
“I applied too!”
Seo Ye-rin raised her hand and laughed.
“Right, she applied too.”
Anonymous 69 had also reached out separately saying she wanted to be the manager.
“I haven't replied yet, so I’ll tell you now: you’re disqualified.”
“Whyyy?!”
“What do you mean why? Do you think I can pick someone who spams the board with nothing but sex all day as the manager?”
“What if I become the manager?”
“Hehehe.” Seo Ye-rin’s mischievous smile was quite charming, but...
Since the rest of her sentence was bound to be something lewd, I decided to just pretend I didn't hear her.
“Are you going to keep doing the Bamboo Forest even without him?”
“Huh? I was a Bamboo Forest legend even before I met Woo-jini.”
“Why are you proud of that?”
As Yoo Ah-rin tilted her head in confusion, Seo Ye-rin laughed and showed her the Bamboo Forest page on her phone.
“There’s so much fun stuff! Look at this, someone reposted something from another community today.”
“What’s it about?”
“A story about hearing the couple in the next room having sex while on a trip!”
“Ugh. You only like things that are just like you.”
But Seo Ye-rin insisted it was hilarious and started reading it out loud.
“It says they started hearing noises around 10 PM after dinner. At first, they just tried to ignore it, thinking, ‘Oh, they’re starting early,’ right?”
“I said I’m not interested.”
I was interested.
When I checked the Bamboo Forest, the post with the most comments was right there.
— I think the window must have been open. The woman was sobbing so much, and the guy seemed to be on the rougher side (lol).
— After hearing that, I told my babe right away. I told him he couldn't lose. Then he got all fired up and said he’d do his best.
— But it didn't end with just one round? At first, I laughed and thought, ‘Oh, they’re starting round two already, my babe can do that much too,’ right?
— But this started at 10 PM and kept going until 4 AM? 5 AM? My babe was desperately shouting that they must have just left an adult video playing.
— Eventually, the owner went there in person, and only then did the noise stop.
— Was it really an adult video? My boyfriend and I are still divided! Unfortunately, I didn't see their faces, but I’d like to take this opportunity to say...
— Thank you~ Thanks to you, I had a very steamy night with my babe~ (blush).
“…….”
After reading the whole post, I took a deep breath and spoke to the two of them.
“Don't tell I-seo about this.”
“Eh? Why? It’s funny.”
“Choi I-seo has built up some resistance to this kind of stuff now, so she’ll be fi—”
The two of them started to say something, but as they reached the truth they shouldn't have touched, their expressions gradually turned to horror.
“Wait, don't tell me this...”
“Was you guys?!”
The two of them had finally discovered the reason why Choi I-seo was so angry.