Bamboo Forest Manager

Chapter 114: Night Terror

Night shifts continue day after day.

It wasn’t bad that I was getting off work when everyone else was heading to work in the morning, and that there wasn’t much work in the early hours, but there was a feeling of lagging behind on information.

Just like yesterday.

“Did the assistant manager get sued for sexual harassment by a part-timer?”

Jegal Jaemin and Min Dong-geon, who had just returned from work, shared the hot news while changing.

I didn’t know why they were wearing the same underwear, but I guessed they might have bought it from the same place since they lived in the same neighborhood.

“Yeah, and it just had to be when the vice chairman of the parent company was visiting. Ah, damn it, Min Dong-geon, you’re wearing the same underwear as me.”

“Anyway, when you go to the army, everyone wears them as couples.”

“So that’s why our manager went crazy.”

“Eyo, so it’s absolute chaos right now, you know? You know we’re not supposed to hang out with part-timers after work, right? But now, we can’t even meet after work. I had plans to go to the ski resort with the assistant managers, but it all got canceled.”

I had heard about all sorts of things happening, but this was just absurd.

“But where did you hear all this from?”

When I asked Jegal Jaemin, he pointed to Min Dong-geon who was next to him.

“He works at Black. Only VIPs go there, so such rumors reach the staff quickly.”

“Even the ramen there costs 100,000 won?”

Min Dong-geon added with a silly grin on his face.

“Anyway, everyone is tense, so you should be careful too. If you rub the seniors the wrong way, you’ll get a lot of flak.”

“…Did you get scolded?”

I asked slyly, testing the waters.

“Ah, damn it! You’re really making such a fuss over one little mistake in the order of the dishes!”

Jegal Jaemin, grumbling and suffering. Min Dong-geon, who is binge-eating snacks, seems to have had a similar experience.

Clatter.

Just then, Jeong Chan-woo and Dae-sang hyung also returned from work.

“We’re back.”

“…Haa.”

Seeing them weak and sighing deeply,

it seemed that the employees’ constant nagging was being passed down to the part-timers.

Everyone looked exhausted, so I jumped up from the sofa and shouted.

“Take a shower and come out. Let’s go to the karaoke.”

In times like this, karaoke is perfect for relieving stress.

Seems that everyone had the same idea of relieving stress by singing.

The karaoke room in the basement of Building C was already full. Since it was an unmanned karaoke room, we couldn’t ask the owner how much time was left.

“Ah, what’s this.”

“I’ve already picked out all the songs.”

“That’s disappointing.”

Everyone had come fully prepared, but it seems we had to leave just like that.

A familiar face seen through the karaoke room window.

“Janinaaaan! Womanaaaaan!”

The moment I saw Han Bom, who was passionately singing a high note, a smile immediately spread across my face.

“Wait a moment.”

As I discreetly checked the inside through the window, I saw Han Bom, Lee Se-ah, Seo Yerin, and Yu Arin.

All familiar faces.

“Hehe.”

As soon as I opened the door and went inside, Han Bom, who was singing, was startled and pointed at me.

“Woojin is here!”

“Wow! How long has it been!”

Because I had been on the night shift, it had been about a week since I last saw Han Bom and Lee Se-ah.

“Woojin!”

Particularly in the case of Seo Yerin, her workplace was different, so it had been a really long time since we last met, which made her voice sound more nasal than usual.

“Is it okay if our roommates join us too?”

“Oh, of course! Absolutely!”

“It’s a guy!”

Han Bom and Lee Se-ah welcomed them immediately.

Especially Lee Se-ah, who started preparing to take pictures right away, probably because she was still in the middle of a power struggle with her boyfriend.

“Come on in.”

As I told them to come in, everyone except Chan-woo rushed in with excited expressions.

“…I, I’m a bit uncomfortable with them.”

Chan-woo, who was standing still, approached me and whispered softly.

“You came with them when you reached Gold One, too.”

“I was uncomfortable then, too.”

“You know it’ll be weird if you stay out here alone, right?”

“Haa.”

I understand it might be uncomfortable if these four people knew my embarrassing moments from high school, but aren’t we uni students now? I pat him on the shoulder, telling him to just let the past go, and walk inside.

“Woojin, over here.”

Seo Yerin called out to me, patting the seat next to her.

Feeling the sharp gazes of the Sesin University duo, I sit next to Seo Yerin.

Then Yu Arin comes to sit directly opposite us. She crossed her arms and legs, her face showing dissatisfaction.

“Woojin, let’s do a duet!”

Seo Yerin, whom I haven’t seen in a while, didn’t look much different than usual. She searched for a duet song on her phone, and I beckon her with my finger.

I whisper quietly into her ear, so others can’t hear.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop spamming?”

“Hee.”

Seo Yerin, who found it amusing, smirked when I complained about the frequent Bamboo Forest posts lately.

The number of Bamboo Forest users has decreased because it’s vacation time, so naturally, only a few posts go up, so if you consistently write just two or three posts a day, you end up dominating the board.

In the midst of this, Seo Yerin was acting like she was expanding her territory by making obscene posts, so I told her to restrain herself.

This kid didn’t listen to me at all.

Seo Yerin, who smirked, gestured for me to bring my ear closer to her instead.

“You know what.”

She whispered softly in a strangely sticky manner. It seemed like she was doing it on purpose, but I pretended not to notice and kept listening.

“I’ve taken my spot as the sex goddess back, right?”

“…You’re still hung up on that?”

She’s surprisingly obsessive.

As I looked at her incredulously, Seo Yerin gestured for me to lend my ear again.

Thinking there might be more to say, I leaned in closer.

“Um.”

Churp.

Suddenly, she bit my ear and licked it as if tasting it.

“…?!”

She didn’t bite hard, so I could pull away easily, but the wet ear was bewildering.

Wondering what on earth she was doing, I glared at her, and Seo Yerin handed me her phone as if nothing had happened.

“Woojin! Let’s sing this together!”

“Why don’t you become an acto…ouch!”

Feeling a sudden pain in my thigh, I instinctively looked to the other side and saw Yu Arin glaring at me with a very uncomfortable expression.

She was pinching my thigh and giving me a signal, but it really hurt.

“If you pinch with your grip strength, it feels like you’re tearing my flesh off?!”

“Kim Woojin, you’re annoying, you know?”

Seems like I picked the wrong spot to sit.

Thinking about singing while being pushed around between the two, my head already hurt.

“Haah.”

However, unexpectedly.

Seo Yerin took a step back.

It was clear that she was deliberately avoiding actions that would provoke Yu Arin, so we could spend some relatively peaceful time in the karaoke room.

Although, she did secretly stroke my thigh or touch my butt occasionally.

Anyway, since it was brief enough not to be seen by Yu Arin, we could get through it without any issues.

Yu Arin and I had a night shift, so we left the karaoke room first, and while changing our clothes.

‘What’s this… I feel like a secretary being sexually harassed.’

Only then did I realize that Seo Yerin had sexually harassed me, and I scratched my head.

Honestly, I didn’t feel terribly bad or anything, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Seo Yerin, whom I saw after a long time, was surprisingly pretty, and strangely, I didn’t feel any repulsion from the touch of pretty girls.

Even if someone hears this and calls me trash, I would understand.

The commuting bus operates at night for those working night shifts. I pass by the people who have finished their shifts and get on the bus with Yu Arin.

Yu Arin, who sat by the window, seemed to be in deep thought, resting her chin and looking out the window.

I was thinking of killing time by reading some webtoons, but a message came through just then.

“Hmm?”

Recently, aside from Anonymous11 telling me to block Anonymous69 while cursing at me, there haven’t been any other messages.

Curious about what the message was, I checked.

• Anonymous69: (photo)

A familiar yet long-lost scene.

The background was the dorm bathroom, suggesting they had dispersed from the karaoke.

The face was only visible up to the mouth, but with the top of the shirt held in the mouth, exposing from the navel to the bra, I involuntarily felt tension in my lower body.

‘Ah, damn it.’

Seo Yerin, how should I handle this?

The photo, which was almost at the level of terrorism, made me lean forward unconsciously.

If Yu Arin catches me doing something wrong, she will beat me to death.

• Anonymous69: Use this to pull out.

• Admin: I told you not to send crap like this.

• Anonymous69: Hehe

The oddly relaxed chat irritates me. I considered slapping a one-day ban, but the last time I banned them, they sent it via text message.

“Hoo.”

As I took a deep breath and relaxed my lower body, Yu Arin, who was next to me, glanced at me and asked,

“Hey, about Yerin.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Doesn’t she seem a bit strange?”

“What seems strange?”

• Anonymous69: Sex!

• Anonymous69: Sex!

• Anonymous69: Sex!

• Anonymous69: Sex!

• Anonymous69: Sex!

Damn it.

From what I’m seeing, she’s in her prime. What’s strange about that?

“She’s been kind of cooperative with me…”

“Cooperative?”

When I asked what she meant, Yu Arin looked at me intently, sighed, and shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing.”

In the end, Yu Arin held her words back. It felt a bit off to leave the conversation hanging, but I didn’t have time to worry about Yu Arin right now.

• Anonymous69: (photo)

• Anonymous69: Getting ready for bed

‘What’s wrong with her?’

This time, it was a photo of Seo Yerin lying in bed wearing pajamas.

Again, her face couldn’t be seen, but the buttons of her pajamas were undone, revealing her cleavage, and her sleep pants were pulled down slightly, showing her underwear in one shot.

Meanwhile, the crucial part was covered by the pajamas, making it a classic provocative photo.

My lower body was starting to get angry.

‘Seo Yerin…’

• Admin: I’m seriously going to ban you. I’ll ignore all your inquiries and messages.

• Anonymous69: Wait! Wait!

• Admin: What.

• Anonymous69: I have one more thing to tell you.

• Admin: ?

Was it supposed to be a final argument or something?

• Anonymous69: (photo)

The composition is the same as before, but one different point is that the photo was taken with panties completely removed and hands covering the area.

The finishing touch.

• Anonymous69: This is Arin’s blanket.

• Admin: ???

• Anonymous69: This is originally a cliché. Doing it in someone else’s bedroom…

I immediately blocked them.

Buzz! Buzz!

I just turned off the vibration for the chatroom. It has been quiet lately, but today it’s really exploding.

‘Is something wrong with her?’

At this point, I was a bit worried. When Seo Yerin exploded like this, it was usually when she was stressed or something was bothering her.

Her activities as Anonymous69 were a way to release a kind of suppressed desire due to the gazes of those around her.

Just now, Yu Arin said Seo Yerin seemed a bit off…

Lost in thought, I had already arrived at Building A, Gold One Hotel.

“Hey, get out.”

“……”

I should have been the first to get up since I was sitting on the outside, but the anger stirred by Seo Yerin hadn’t yet subsided.

“You get out first.”

As I spoke while crouched, Yu Arin, though puzzled, agreed and tried to pass by me.

“Ah, move your head so I can get through.”

Because I was crouched, my head was leaning forward, and it bothered Yu Arin, who then pushed my forehead straight back.

“……?”

Thanks to that, my bent back straightened, revealing my lower body clearly.

Moreover, Yu Arin was passing right in front of me, and it was as if she was greeted by my erect part standing upright.

She was at a loss for words.

“Uh, uh? Ah, no…why?”

Stammering and trembling, Yu Arin pointed at my part with her finger, and I crossed my arms, pretending to be serious, and answered.

“It’s a natural bodily function. Please respect that.”

Since I’ve already been caught, I’ll just go out confidently.

“Ah, uh, wh-what happened?”

“Sometimes a man just wants to get angry for no reason.”

“……”

“……”

It felt like time had stopped.

“Sorry, but can you just get lost? Fuck, I want to be alone.”

It’s not a joke, I feel like dying of embarrassment.

“Hey, you know.”

“…What.”

It’s impressive to even talk in this state.

Glancing down, Yu Arin pointed at the zipper of my pants and asked,

“How about lowering that and making yourself comfortable?”

“Could you please just let me be alone?!”

“Haha! Kim Woojin, you beast!”

Seeing her leave happily, I think she misunderstood, so I called out to her.

“It’s not because of you!”

“Fuck you! Just come out quickly!”