Chapter 50: Idiot
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 50: Idiot
“That will be 117,000 won.”
“Sure… Wait, what?”
Did I hear that right?
I only put a few pieces of meat in my mouth, and it cost this much?
The situation was irritating in more ways than one.
I was the one who offered to treat them, so I should have paid coolly, but for some reason, my hands were shaking.
It didn't help that Senior Han-gang, who was taking my payment, was grinning ear to ear.
“You seem to be in a great mood.”
I tried to twitch my lips into a smile, but it wouldn't form properly. My reaction seemed to be a delicacy to him, as he responded with an even more refreshing smile.
“Yeah, something good happened.”
“……Have a nice day.”
I gave a half-hearted reply and walked out. Even without him saying it, it wasn't hard to realize that my crisis was a "good thing" to Senior Han-gang.
He probably thought I was dating another girl while being close to Seo Ye-rin and was enjoying the misunderstanding.
Regardless, the atmosphere was definitely unusual.
As soon as I stepped outside, Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo were staring at me.
They looked like they had a lot to say but were holding back, which perfectly illustrated our current situation.
Vrrr!
Vrrr!
Even in this mess, my phone kept vibrating. It was Yoo Ah-rin. Because things had been so hectic, I’d forgotten to put it on silent.
“I think you’re getting…… a call?”
Seo Ye-rin gestured toward my phone with her eyes. I wanted to tell her it was nothing, but then the phone actually started ringing.
“One second, I need to take this.”
I eventually put the phone to my ear and stepped away.
— Why are you just now picking up!
“What is it?”
My situation was already a tangled mess because of Yoo Ah-rin, so I couldn't help but sound annoyed when I answered.
Despite my tone, Yoo Ah-rin rushed to explain her situation.
— Haven't you seen the Bamboo Forest?! It’s a total disaster right now!
“No, I haven't. I thought you were handling it.”
This was technically my first vacation; couldn't I enjoy it a little?
— You jerk! Look at the Bamboo Forest right now! Fix this!
“You said it was easy. You said it was no big deal.”
— I said I’m sorry! The religious clubs are fighting each other and it’s chaos! They’re even swearing at me! It’s insane!
“Sigh.”
Historically, whenever religion is suppressed, there’s a backlash. They probably viewed the manager deleting their posts as some kind of Pontius Pilate figure persecuting them.
— Ah, please. Administrator-nim, please fix this!
“…….”
— Boss! Master! Please!
To be honest, I didn't expect Yoo Ah-rin to feel this much responsibility when there was no real benefit for her.
Most people would have ghosted by now or just sent a message saying they couldn't do it and vanished.
‘I should have taught her the ropes properly.’
I felt a bit guilty for just throwing her into the deep end, so I was about to tell her I’d handle it, but—
“Woo-jin, do you want some coffee?”
Choi I-seo, who was glaring at me with her arms crossed, asked me in a warning tone.
It was a question I heard often enough, but ever since Yoo Ah-rin’s name came up earlier, the atmosphere had been freezing.
“Oh, uh! Anything is fine!”
“Then I’ll go buy some with Ye-rin.”
Choi I-seo turned and walked away coldly. Since I had a moment, I decided to check the Bamboo Forest.
— Was that I-seo? Are you with Ye-rin too?
It seemed Choi I-seo’s voice had traveled through the phone.
“Yeah, we just finished eating.”
— So while someone is suffering like a dog, someone else is having a meal with two girls?
“The mood wasn't exactly great, so don't start.”
I felt the sympathy I’d just felt for her evaporating instantly.
— I bet. I-seo’s voice didn't sound very happy just now. What happened?
“It’s because of you.”
Actually.
To be perfectly honest.
It was my fault for not keeping my mouth shut.
But for now, I’m blaming Yoo Ah-rin. She shouldn't have provided me with a squishy sensation I’d never forget.
— My fault?
Yoo Ah-rin abandoned the Bamboo Forest talk and started prying. I let out a sigh and gave her a brief explanation of the situation.
— You dumbass.
I was immediately insulted.
— Did touching my chest feel that good?
“It didn't.”
— Do you really want to die?
I mean, what was I supposed to say?
“Actually, it did.”
— You pervert.
“You son of a—!”
I was about to fire back an insult, but Yoo Ah-rin burst into a fit of giggles over the phone.
She laughed for quite a while.
Finally catching her breath, likely with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, she spoke.
— Let’s make a deal. You fix the Bamboo Forest mess. In exchange, I’ll fix your situation.
“……Fix it?”
— Yeah. Tell me where you are. I’ll head over right now.
It sounded suspicious, but seeing how confident she was, I felt strangely inclined to trust her.
“I’m in front of Inbaek.”
— Did you eat steak? Wow, I suddenly don't want to help you anymore.
Despite her words, I could hear rustling on the other end; she was clearly changing her clothes.
— You fix the Bamboo Forest before I get there. Got it?
“Well, that’s not hard.”
I’d seen the board turn into a dumpster fire several times; this much was easy. I had authority and tricks that Yoo Ah-rin didn't.
I hung up and immediately logged into the Bamboo Forest.
“Whoa.”
It was exactly as she said—a total mess.
“They’re really going at it.”
Since it was the weekend and not many people were using the Bamboo Forest, the religious clubs had completely taken over.
In the midst of it all, the infamous troll Anonymous 11 was single-handedly fighting a war to defend the Bamboo Forest.
“Crazy bastard.”
He was definitely crossing the line, but then again, the other side had crossed it first.
“It really is a total disaster.”
The board was active because a few specific people kept posting, but it was incredibly toxic.
In a case like this, there was only one solution.
“Time for a purge.”
I just had to delete everything posted today.
Of course, before that.
I gave Anonymous 77, 88, and 11 a one-day ban.
After clearing out the posts, I wrote a short notice.
Immediately, comments started appearing.
That pretty much settled it.
Naturally, some people came at me through 1:1 inquiries, but they quieted down once I cited the rules.
“What are you doing?”
“I just got Iced Americanos. Is that okay?”
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo had returned.
“Ah, yeah. That’s great.”
I took the coffee, forcing an awkward smile to stay on their good side.
The two of them seemed to have talked things over, as they wore identical expressions. Whether that was good for me remained to be seen.
‘Come to think of it.’
The situation was even easier to misunderstand because Yoo Ah-rin had set her profile picture to my house last time.
Actually.
It wasn't exactly a misunderstanding that something happened with Yoo Ah-rin. I did touch her chest, after all.
‘……But why am I acting so guilty?’
After talking to Yoo Ah-rin and cleaning up the Bamboo Forest, I felt calm again.
It’s not like I’m dating these girls; I don't need to be this mindful of their reactions.
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo were probably unable to pry further for that very reason, even if they were curious.
“Woo-jin.”
But in the end, it was Choi I-seo who spoke up.
“No matter how lonely you are, you shouldn't just do it with anyone!”
Her face was flushed, and her eyes were darting around nervously.
“She’s right! It’s not that Ah-rin is a bad person, but still, you two aren't even dating, so that kind of relationship is a bit……!”
Seo Ye-rin immediately jumped in to add her piece. It was the kind of advice friends give when they aren't actually dating.
I knew what they were misunderstanding, but—
‘Ah, dammit.’
The fact that she was lying down at my house was true, and the fact that I touched her chest was true.
Technically, we did everything except sex, so it wasn't entirely a misunderstanding.
It was hard to just flatly deny it, but then—
“Hey, guys!”
Yoo Ah-rin appeared from behind, waving her hand. She was running toward us, wearing a large hoodie with her blonde hair fluttering in the wind.
“Ah-rin?”
The two girls were startled by her sudden appearance. I kept my mouth shut, waiting to see how Yoo Ah-rin would handle this.
Then, a notification popped up on my phone.
She ended it with a cat emoticon.
I could see what her plan was.
She was going to make me look like the victim.
“Hi! Can I take Woo-jin with me?”
When Yoo Ah-rin openly declared she was taking me, the other two flinched simultaneously.
“Why?”
Choi I-seo, who had a bit of a standoff with Yoo Ah-rin last time, asked coldly with her arms crossed.
“Because we’re going to Woo-jin’s house.”
She pressed a finger against her cheek and made a playful declaration.
“To have sex.”
“Let’s go right now.”
For a split second, I thought someone else had cut in.
I looked around, but there was no one else there. The three girls were all staring at me.
“Oh, shit.”
Only then did I realize that I was the one who had just said, “Let’s go right now.”
“Ahem.”
I pressed my fingers against my lips, trying to think of a way out, but—
“He’s just a total dumbass.”
I couldn't offer a single excuse to Yoo Ah-rin, who was now glaring at me with pure disgust.