Bamboo Forest Manager

"Shall we go together to the next lecture?"

After the first lecture on Wednesday afternoon, there was a beginners Japanese conversation class, and Seo Yerin ended up joining me naturally since she was taking the class too.

I remember the last time she went to a café with senior Han-kang, but now she was moving together with me.

'Ah, feels like my back is being pierced.'

As we leave the classroom, I could feel senior Han-kang staring at us from behind.

It's rather prickly, and I'm not at all pleased to be on the receiving end of such envy. I just wish he would take her away.

"Ha, crazy woman."

"Birds of a feather."

Moreover, I caught a glimpse of senior Han-kang's friends, the second-year female students who were whispering among themselves.

'I'm feeling oddly anxious now.'

Worried that odd rumors would start about me and Seo Yerin.

"Shall we stop by at a café on the way? How about some coffee?"

Whether she knows it or not, Seo Yerin is cheerfully smiling and suggesting that we go to a café.

"Phew."

I understand her kindness, but shouldn't she be a bit suspicious of others?

I couldn't tell if she was bold or just plain clueless for just smiling and brushing off the attention she got from the seniors.

"Is there anything you want to drink? Not on the café menu, but written on the chalkboard at the counter, there's something really delicious…."

Clueless. She has to be clueless.

"Do you like sweet things?"

"I normally drink anything."

"Is that so? Then I should pick something unique for you."

"…Uh?"

"Hehe."

Seo Yerin, finding something amusing in the menu, quickly dragged me along, insisting we go.

Since we ended up together, we stopped by the café to buy the drink which Seo Yerin mentioned before heading to the lecture.

"Hmm? This is a lot better than I thought."

"Really? Me too…."

I casually offered the straw of my drink to Seo Yerin who asked for a sip. After all, I ordered it because she wanted to try it, so naturally I intended for her to take a sip from it.

"Ah, hmm."

Seeing Seo Yerin hesitate made me chuckle in disbelief.

"You're a student in university now and you're hesitating over something as simple as an indirect kiss?"

"No, it's not that!"

"What do you mean by that? You watch those pure love comics, don't you? Only looking at those romance webtoons."

"I said no!"

She timidly took a sip from the straw and pulled away.

"It is tasty."

Her awkward response as if she was acting, clearly said that she was flustered.

Seeing her eyes dart around and her face turn red just from this indirect kiss made me think.

'Is this really the one who talks about sex on the forum?'

Who would even believe the true appearance of the sex symbol, the Sex God, is blushing just because they used the same straw someone else had?

"Tell your friends if you meet a guy, for them to come along."

"…Everyone says that to me."

"You've chosen good friends."

But Seo Yerin grumbled like she was wronged.

"I'm good at spotting guys too? I have my own popularity, so I get a lot of contacts."

"Right, you look like that. So popular that guys send you messages every day asking you out for a meal, right?"

"..."

Her expression asked how I knew, but in our University, if anyone doesn't know Seo Yerin by face, they would be the weirdest one.

"Y-yes! I am popular!"

"Woah, hearing you directly say it, doesn't give it that effect."

"You! No, it's not that! But seeing me unswayed by anyone and not dating, don't you think it's trustworthy?"

It seemed like she was trying to instill some confidence in her own ways, so I just shrugged and said,

"Isn't it rather that you have too many people trying to appeal, making it impossible for you to choose anyone?"

"Euk."

Just like being unsure of what to eat first when you have too many delicious items in front of you.

Seo Yerin also found it difficult to meet someone or get to know them deeply because too many men were trying to appeal to her.

"Ugh."

'Well, I guess that comes with its own set of problems.'

Though I felt a bit sorry for her, I also thought it was a problem of abundance for some.

"Woah, must be nice being so popular."

It was just starting to annoy me.

"Bye, see you again."

"Yep, see you again."

The boring beginner Japanese conversation class had ended. Seo Yerin and Kim Woojin had to go to their respective classes now, so they parted ways.

Since it was a basic and easy Japanese class, both of them could turn into conversation partners and kill time.

In the case of Kim Woojin, he had to attend the lectures alone from now on, but for Seo Yerin it was different.

"Yerin is here!"

"Seo Yerin! Over here!"

Since the next lecture was a subject she had agreed to attend with friends, so naturally she joined her other friends.

"Are we going for dinner after this?"

"What should we eat?"

"Let's eat something which won't make us gain weight. My boyfriend has been hinting that I've gained weight recently."

"Look at her subtly bragging about having a boyfriend."

Seo Yerin naturally joined in the conversation with her friends. The three people she met now weren't her university friends, but ones she went to high school with, which made their bond stronger.

"What is it? What are you thinking?"

Yu Arin, smiling as she linked her arms with Seo Yerin.

Among her high school friends, Yu Arin was also in the English Department and had gotten closer.

"Um? Just…."

"Just?"

Thinking about no longer hiding it, Seo Yerin decided it was a good chance and asked Yu Arin.

"Arin, did you post on the Bamboo Forest the last time?"

"Ah, because of that Kim Woojin incident? Right, it was kind of fun."

Yu Arin was the one who went with public opinion, even the class rep, Choi Yiseo, told her not to, but she continued to post using anonymity as a shield.

"Have you ever contacted the Bamboo Forest Admin for anything?"

"Uh? No, why?"

"Right…"

"What? What is it?"

"No, it's nothing."

'Why did I ask?'

Thinking about it, she herself sent this inquiry to the Admin several times.

There was no need to ask Yu Arin to confirm it.

Seo Yerin was slightly confused because of the Bamboo Forest notification she had seen on Kim Woo-jin's phone.

'Why did the message come in like that?'

-Bamboo Forest inquiry….

A notification had come in as if some inquiry had been made.

For reference, when sending an inquiry to the Admin, the reply would be:

-A reply has been made to your inquiry.

That was it.

'I've never received notifications like that even when comments were made.'

-A comment has been made on your post.

Notifications would come in in such a manner, not in the way that she saw on Kim Woojin's phone.

'Could it be….'

If. If only….

What if Woojin is the Admin?

So, could that be why the notification came in like that?

Not that a reply to an inquiry had come, but that such a message appeared when a user sent in an inquiry to Kim Woojin?

Gradually, Seo Yerin began to get lost in her thoughts.

"Yah, I heard she got a boyfriend!"

"Ah, I wasn't going to say anything."

When Yu Arin and Seo Yerin were together, it seemed like the remaining two ended up talking amongst themselves and the conversation turned to boyfriends.

So far, among the four, only one has a boyfriend, but now it's split evenly.

"Really? Weren't you the one saying you wouldn't date a guy for the sake of our friendship?"

The girl who got herself a boyfriend shook her head at Yu Arin, who smiled.

"Choosing between friendship and love is so outdated. It isn't like getting a boyfriend ruins our friendship!"

"Your talk game has improved."

"Yah! Crazy one! She said it was sex before dating!"

"Oh?"

"Woah…."

Yu Arin and Seo Yerin exclaimed in unison. They had heard that there were relationships where people turned intimate before officially dating, but they never imagined their friend would be one of them.

"So, like America."

Yu Arin clicked her tongue.

"Woah, woahhh."

Seo Yerin had a red face but was overtaken by curiosity.

"Come on then, why don't you spill the beans already!"

Thus Seo Yerin said, getting too engrossed in this epic saga which began with how her friend met her boyfriend.

At some point, the doubt on Kim Woojin as the Admin of the Bamboo Forest was pushed aside.

-Anonymous69: I wanna have sex so baaad!

-Anonymous69: Ahhh, I really wanna do it rough!

-Anonymous69: Just wanna stick my dick in a vagina and stir it the fuck up!

-Anonymous11: What the fuck is this bastard raging out for?

-Anonymous90: Looks like Mister Sex is in a good mood today!

"Why is she being like this now?"

After Tuesday lectures ended and I was on the way home,

I couldn't help but chuckle at Anonymous69 for causing a commotion and spamming the Bamboo Forest.

Anyway,

"If you spam, you get blocked."

I immediately blocked Anonymous69.

-Anonymous11: The admin is finally doing something.

-Anonymous90: Please be considerate of the well known users on the board, admin.

-Anonymous11: Stop talking nonsense.

Even though there were fewer students using the Bamboo Forest due to it being dinnertime, weren't the two of them having a good time?

After that, a few users wrote posts saying it was good that the admin took down the Sex God.

This was an act of moving Anonymous69 to the inquiries.

After all, it was obvious they would spam me the same way they did the board.

I thought today would be a good day with no inquiries coming in.

"Uh?"

All was calm.

Usually, when someone gets blocked, they kick up a fuss asking why they were blocked.

"Could it be!"

I remembered Seo Yerin looking into my phone during the lecture.

It seemed like it passed naturally, but could she have noticed something?

Perhaps, it was because I felt a slight chill that I began to walk quickly.

Woong!

And then in came this message.

-Anonymous69: Admin

"Why is this making me anxious?"

The tone of the message felt so different from usual. I replied with a bit of tension.

-Admin: Thank you for moving into a 24-hour block?

I responded as usual.

-Anonymous69: Have you ever had sex?

"Uh!?"

I let out a sound, causing another person walking on the path to glance at me.

'What's with the person?'

What could have happened that she was so keen to know this?

-Admin: I have.

-Anonymous69: Ah, you said you slept with a woman before.

-Admin: Right.

Of course, that was just sleeping in a sauna with Choi Yiseo, but it isn't like I don't have experience.

I had a girlfriend called Oh Yoon-ji in the first semester, and Oh Yoon-ji and I lived together in my studio apartment.

-Anonymous69: How did it happen?

-Admin: Why are you being like this today?

-Anonymous69: Mr. Admin.

Despite being the same texts, it somehow felt more significant. It seemed like I shouldn't read what comes next, but.

Seo Yerin was swifter.

-Anonymous69: If it's alright, let us meet.

-Anonymous69: And try it?

*****

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