Bamboo Forest Manager

Minji was escorted to the police station. I had also quickly written a report and came out, but Choi Yiseo was already slightly tearing up.

"It's nothing serious anyway. At most, it'll just end with a fine."

"I know, but…"

Until just now, she was cheering me on, encouraging me by saying we're friends forever, but it seems it was all bravado.

Normally, I would have teased her a bit, but doing so here would make me seem insensitive.

"You've had a hard time pretending to be strong."

As I lightly patted Choi Yiseo's shoulder, she sobbed and hung her head low.

It seemed that my words had just made her emotions well up even more.

"Sniff, sob."

Choi Yiseo, holding her face with both hands, trying hard to hold back. Since she wasn't my girlfriend, I couldn't offer my chest or give her a hug.

So, I just patted her on the shoulder.

"It's a good thing. It couldn't be better."

It was merely a simple consolation.

Choi Yiseo's tears didn't last long. In fact, the reason she cried was partly because Minji admitted her fault and the case was completely over, which made her happy.

"Ah, how embarrassing."

And after crying it out, she naturally regained her composure.

Just like the original Choi Yiseo.

"..."

"You're right, it's a good thing. But seeing Minji enter the police station made me feel uneasy."

"..."

"Should I wait?"

Looking down at Choi Yiseo, who asked if she should wait for Minji to finish her interrogation, I replied with a cold, stale look.

"You should have worried about me like that when I was crying earlier."

Mentioning how Choi Yiseo didn't even give me a glance when I was really struggling and crying earlier, it was rather Choi Yiseo who looked at me with disdain.

"I've never seen someone cry because they ate something spicy before in my life."

"My tongue feels like it's splitting, you know?! Who wouldn't cry if their tongue felt like it was splitting!"

"Ugh."

Choi Yiseo shakes her head with a sigh. The atmosphere, which had been heavy with tears just moments ago, now feels refreshingly cleared.

Perhaps it's partly because I voiced my own grievances, but maybe it's just because the night air is so cool.

Yes, a cool darkness has settled.

The sporadic streetlights also cast a pleasant glow.

"Hey, at least you have a good friend. Right?"

"Yeah, Minji is a good friend."

On the way home.

Walking through the streets, which have their own charm even in the dim light, we continued our conversation.

"What are you talking about? I was talking about myself."

"Do you always have to say that? Even if you don't, I would have said it for you."

"Tsk."

"I wouldn't normally say this but…"

Choi Yiseo stops walking, smiles brightly, and looks my way.

Yes, just this once.

Her smile made even my hardened heart flutter, to the point where I could understand why Ahn Hyeon-ho fell for Choi Yiseo.

"You're really a good… no, a wonderful person, Woojin."

The hirl illuminated by the moonlight and streetlights had a refreshing charm that made it hard to look away.

I smiled back, trying to hide the heart-fluttering feeling I just had.

We've arrived in front of Choi Yiseo's house before realizing it.

I gesture for her to go inside quickly, but Choi Yiseo hesitates for no reason.

'It must feel a bit lonely to be home alone.'

Minji is undergoing police investigation and it's uncertain when she'll return, or she might even end up in detention.

'She might not end up in detention, but it would still be lonely.'

The friend she had just been sharing a bowl of Malatang with and chatting with is now at the police station, so it's understandable if her heart feels uneasy and starts to race.

I pushed Choi Yiseo, who was hesitating to take a step, and probably out of consideration for her, said,

"Go, and if you're bored, give me a call. With everything that happened today, you probably won't be able to sleep anyway."

"Okay."

"I'm not saying you have to call no matter what! I need some me-time too!"

"Me-time, what's that supposed to mean? You're going to watch something weird again, aren't you?"

"...."

"You're not going to answer?"

"…Just go."

Only after seeing that did Choi Yiseo finally move and head home. After waving goodbye, I too quickened my pace towards home.

I figured she would call soon anyway.

‐‐‐

"Sigh."

The first thing Choi Yiseo did when she got home was take a shower. She washed and dried her hair to cool down her heated head and emotions as much as possible.

Thanks to her hair only reaching to about her shoulders, Choi Yiseo spent less time drying her hair compared to other women.

"Sigh."

She let out a faint sigh.

Having finished washing up and changed into her night clothes.

Looking down at her phone, Choi Yiseo was lost in thought.

She needed time to organize her thoughts, but it wasn't because of Minji.

It was because of Kim Woojin.

'What's this?'

Choi Yiseo recalled the conversation she had with Kim Woojin earlier.

"You're really a good… no, a cool kid, Woojin."

'Why did I do that…'

She had intended to say he was a good friend.

But for some reason, she suddenly disliked that and changed her words.

Because of that, she ended up saying he was a cool kid….

She felt sorry for seemingly putting some distance between them.

'Should I call him?'

It took her a while to organize her thoughts while showering, but she wondered if that was okay.

In the end, she couldn't come to a conclusion about why she suddenly changed her mind, but she wanted to call Kim Woojin anyway.

'What should I do…'

'He might be sleeping…'

'Let's hang up if it rings three times.'

Thinking that, she made the call.

*Doo-oo*

It rang once.

Doo-oo.

It rang twice.

*Doo-oo*

The moment it rang for the third time.

-Ye-yes, hello?!

Kim Woojin, with a voice heavy with sleep, answered the phone. He seemed to have picked it up quite hastily.

"Were you sleeping? Sorry, I'll just hang up."

Feeling sorry for possibly waking him up, I was about to hang up.

-No? I wasn't sleeping.

"Your voice sounds sleepy? Anyway, I didn't really have anything to say, just called because I was bored."

-I didn't sleep, okay? I was bored too. I even considered watching porn.

"..."

-That's how bored I was.

"…Sigh."

Although he said this, Choi Yiseo secretly felt pleased. It was obvious he had dozed off, but the fact that he woke up for her, even if it was from sleep, brought a smile to her lips.

Since when?

What was the trigger?

Choi Yiseo briefly pondered when and what had made her time with Kim Woojin so enjoyable and comfortable, but.

No answer came.

And she didn't particularly try to find one.

‐‐‐

"Look at this. I recorded you talking nonsense in your sleep."

"No, if you fell asleep during the call, you could've just hung up. Why did you even bother to record it?"

Tuesday.

For Kim Woojin, it was a miraculous day starting with a 9 a.m. lecture followed by a five-hour break from 12 to 5 p.m..

After the 9 o'clock lecture, I'm having lunch again today with Choi Yiseo and Seo Yerin.

Suddenly, Choi Yiseo plays a recording on her phone for Kim Woojin, who is sitting next to her.

It's a recording of Kim Woojin talking in his sleep after falling asleep during a call yesterday.

-Spicy, so spicy…

"It must have been really spicy, huh? You keep saying it's spicy even in your dreams."

Choi Yiseo is laughing joyfully, finding it amusing, while Kim Woojin grumbles, urging her to delete it.

Seo Yerin, who is directly observing the two from the front, was quite embarrassed.

'Didn't he say he was rejected after confessing?

I thought for sure it'd be too awkward to eat together today.'

But the two of them are, on the contrary, very close. As if they are dating.

"Are, are you two dating? Did I intrude without noticing?"

Feeling slightly alienated, Seo Yerin cautiously asked.

"No, not at all."

Kim Woojin waved his hands as he replied.

"Did you misunderstand because of what I said at the pork cutlet place? That was a lie to get rid of Ahn Hyeon-ho. Why would I confess to Choi Yiseo?"

"Ah-Aha! So that was it!"

Seo Yerin, her shoulders bouncing as if she finally understood, her expression quickly brightened, and she smiled brightly, sticking her head forward.

"Is it Woojin's sleep talking? Yiseo, let me hear it too."

"Uh, umm. Here."

Choi Yiseo, with a somewhat bitter expression, handed over her phone to let her listen to Kim Woojin's sleep talking.

- Spicy, spicy…

"Woojin can't handle spicy food, huh? Shall we try something like killer pork cutlet later?"

"Killer."

Seo Yerin joins the conversation, and once again, the table of three becomes lively.

Today's lunch is from a branded kimbap place.

It was Seo Yerin's pick, who won rock-paper-scissors.

Kim Woojin wondered why he had to stuff his mouth with kimbap that costs 7,000 won per roll.

He suspected whether they included gold in the kimbap rolls to justify the price, but he ended up eating it anyway.

"Woojin, you said you have a break in your schedule next time."

When Seo Yerin casually mentioned what she heard last week, Choi Yiseo snickered from the side and answered for him.

"Yeah, a five-hour break."

"Ha."

"Kim Woojin is Iron Man. He's got a hole in his chest."

Kim Woojin glares at Choi Yiseo, who is teasing him from the side, as he puts a piece of kimbap in his mouth.

For some reason, it tasted even worse.

Considering it was a 7,000 won kimbap.

It was supposed to be healthy kimbap, but he felt like it might actually make him sicker from the stress.

Hearing that Kim Woojin had a five-hour break in his schedule, Seo Yerin suggested with excitement.

"Why don't we go to the PC café? I have a character I've been practicing."

Seo Yerin, who wanted to go to the PC cafe again, asked with a fluttering heart.

However, Kim Woojin scratched the back of his head for no reason and refused.

"Sorry, I have plans during the break."

"What plans?"

"Who are you meeting?"

Kim Woojin was slightly flustered by the two people asking at the same time, but he immediately explained.

"I said it's a plan, but it's more like I'm going to see someone unilaterally."

"..."

"..."

The two of them pressed their lips tightly at Kim Woojin's response. It seemed he wanted to keep it a secret since he didn't elaborate.

"It's a shame. I was going to carry you, Woojin."

Kim Woojin almost blurted out a curse in frustration but managed to hold it back.

After all, he had things to do.

Minji and Choi Yiseo might think that the story has ended just like that.

But for Kim Woojin, an epilogue was still remaining.

*****

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