Chapter 611: Inquiry
Chapter 611: Inquiry
Anonymous 11 was a long-time user, so he had made quite an impression on me.
I had talked with the others about the Bamboo Forest before. Naturally, the topic of Anonymous 11 had come up.
Seo Ye-rin had this to say about him:
— He’s got absolutely no manners!
Since he insulted her almost every day, it seemed even the attention-seeking Seo Ye-rin found him unpleasant.
On the other hand, Yoo Ah-rin, back when she was active as Manager Unit 1, said:
— He’s like a cold soda!
She said it felt refreshing because he said all the things she wanted to say herself.
Regardless, he was a user who polarized opinions, and there was no denying he was a fixture of the Bamboo Forest.
‘He was active even before I went to the military, so normally, he should have graduated by now.’
Since he hadn't, there was a high probability he had become a teaching assistant or a graduate student.
To graduate students, the Gahyeon University Bamboo Forest was literally a "bamboo forest"—a place to scream their lungs out.
That’s why when I see posts that look like the screams of a graduate student, I don’t ban them; I just quietly let them slide.
‘Slaves should at least be allowed to talk smack about their masters.’
Ahem.
Anyway, for someone like Anonymous 11 to send me an inquiry, I figured it wouldn't be about something trivial.
“…….”
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the long list that followed.
‘Well, he’s used the Bamboo Forest as much as I have, so he probably has a good idea of who’s trying to manipulate public opinion.’
Looking at the list he had meticulously put together, it was clear he was out for blood.
‘He’s probably talking about Han Gi-min.’
I had set it aside for a bit because of my reserve forces training, but it wasn't an issue I could just ignore.
However, there was something I found more puzzling than that.
‘Why is Anonymous 11 interested in Han Gi-min?’
No matter how annoying the bandwagoning was, going to this much trouble to report it was no small feat. It suggested Anonymous 11 had some kind of connection to Han Gi-min.
‘Should I test him?’
I glanced at my phone and left a reply to the inquiry.
That should do it. For Anonymous 11, this kind of response was enough.
The lecture resumed. I flipped my phone over and began trying to focus on the class in my own way.
Two hours later, the lecture ended, and it was lunchtime. Students swarmed out of the lecture hall.
I stayed in my seat and checked my phone. The girls were probably enjoying the spa, as there were no messages from them.
There were several inquiries from the Bamboo Forest, all from the same person, naturally.
“Heh.”
A laugh escaped me involuntarily. Yeah, this was the Anonymous 11 I knew.
-
The reply came back instantly.
‘This guy...’
I was about to snap back when I heard familiar voices from the classroom door.
“Hey! You punk! What are you doing?!”
“Ugh, why does this guy never keep his word? It makes me want to put a hole in his head.”
“Does your hyung have to wait for you? Huh? Woo-jin? Is this right? Even after you’ve been to the military? The world’s really gone topsy-turvy.”
‘...What’s with these guys?’
The idiots had suddenly appeared: Ahn Hyun-ho, Jeong Chan-woo, and Kang Han-gang. I stared at the guys who had shown up out of nowhere.
“What is it? Why are you picking a fight as soon as you get here?”
“Ugh, Kim Woo-jin, you son of a bitch.”
“Hey, we agreed to meet up for lunch. Why are you sitting there instead of coming to the meeting spot?”
“Sigh, that’s how rich people are. They think they own the world.”
“...Did we say we were having lunch?”
There was no mention of that when I saw them earlier. Had I instinctively tuned out their voices?
“Check your messages, you punk!”
“What do you even have a phone for? Is that the best a Uju phone can do?”
“Hah, you bastard.”
“...At least wait for a reply before you start talking.”
I grumbled as I stood up. I decided to deal with Anonymous 11 while eating and grabbed my bag to join them.
“What are we eating?”
“Damn it, Korean food for sure. I drank last night.”
“Gukbap?”
I checked my phone while listening to the three of them talk, but something was off.
“Hey, you guys never contacted me.”
They said they sent messages, but the group chat was clean. When I gave them an incredulous look, they each gave a different answer.
“I didn't contact you.”
“I sent it to the group chat you’re not in.”
“Just shut up and eat.”
These crazy bastards.
Anyway, the place we headed to was, of course, a Gukbap restaurant. Even after ordering, the idiots kept spouting such nonsense that I didn't have a chance to look at my phone.
“Phew! That’s refreshing!”
“This is what it means to be Korean!”
“Auntie! More radish kimchi over here, please!”
“It’s self-service!”
Strangely, there were many good restaurants near the school. Or perhaps only the good ones managed to survive?
“Hey, what do you want for dessert?”
“Have some Sikhye. They have it here.”
“Sikhye, my ass.”
Kang Han-gang smirked as he showed us his phone. A gifticon he had received was displayed right there.
“Hyung is buying, you punks. Consider yourselves lucky today.”
Since it was the first time Kang Han-gang had ever offered to treat us to something, we followed him immediately.
* * *
“Wow, this is really shitty.”
I don’t know which one of us said it, but they were spot on. That was exactly how I felt.
It was fine when Kang Han-gang was acting all high and mighty about using a gifticon he received as if it were his own money. We were the ones getting a freebie, after all.
But the menu he was buying us was pathetic.
Specifically, we were in a cafe packed with female students. The four of us, looking like a gloomy cloud, were huddled around a table for four right in the center.
And in the middle of the table sat a Strawberry Mango Shaved Ice.
“My life is a legend, four guys huddled together eating Strawberry Mango Shaved Ice. Fuck.”
“Then don't eat it, you punk.”
At Ahn Hyun-ho’s muttering, Kang Han-gang replied shamelessly. Even so, he kept glancing around, clearly looking for girls.
‘What a guy.’
Looking at him reminded me of how our ancestors fought to the end without surrendering to the Japanese. No matter how painful or agonizing it was, they never let go, fighting with sheer tenacity and conviction.
And here was a guy who inherited their blood, using that inherited tenacity to pick up girls just because the world was at peace.
‘I’m sorry, ancestors.’
With the unyielding will you passed down, this guy is trying to pick up girls.
“How can he look for another girl at lunch right after getting rejected this morning?”
“That’s a talent at this point. He’s insane.”
“Guys, I’m right here.”
Despite his words, Han-gang’s eyes continued to wander. While we felt like a gloomy mess, the girls at the other tables seemed to view us quite favorably.
They kept stealing glances, likely because Han-gang and Hyun-ho are above average, and especially because Jeong Chan-woo was there.
‘As for me...’
I should be excluded since I’m a married man.
I sighed as I ate the Strawberry Mango Shaved Ice—or "Stramang-ice" for short.
“I mean, eating it is fine. But what kind of mindset do four adult men have, sharing a single bowl of shaved ice?”
Even if I came here with my three wives, I’d order two. If one of them was Choi Jin-ah, I’d order three.
“Then you buy another one.”
I immediately shut my mouth at Han-gang’s dismissal.
“Mmm, it’s delicious.”
“Look at him. The guy from a chaebol family spends the least amount of money.”
“That’s why he’s the youngest son of Uju Group.”
“Hah, you bastard.”
I just pretended not to hear them and turned my phone back on. There were more inquiries from Anonymous 11.
I typed back a reply with a spoon still in my mouth.
There was no reply for a while. Then, a moment later:
I smirked at the much-softened reply.
‘Hmm.’
Should I take a guess? I knew he was from the Security Department. Given how long he’d been in the Bamboo Forest, was he a graduate student?
Wait, hold on.
“Hey, does the Security Department have a graduate school?”
At my question, Jeong Chan-woo answered while eating a piece of mango.
“Not at our school. They’re rare to begin with. Usually, they transfer to other majors like Physical Education, Police Administration, or Security Studies.”
“Oh.”
For the first time, Jeong Chan-woo was actually useful. Then let’s take a rough guess.
Again, there was no reply for a long time. Then:
Anonymous 11 tucked his tail immediately.