Bamboo Forest Manager

“……”

Blankly looking at the sky from outside.

The dark sky.

Stars densely visible because it’s a mountain village.

The moon emitting a subtle light.

Suddenly, I realized I’ve been looking at the sky often lately.

‘My older brother said that when you look at the sky a lot, it’s a sign of growing up.’

He said that when you have a lot on your mind and a lot to be responsible for, you naturally look up at the sky.

Now, it’s just something that I do.

Harbor worries, look up at the sky, call upon God.

Well, I never really thought about having a religion.

And since my problems wouldn’t be solved by borrowing omnipotent power, it stopped there.

“Did you resolve it well?”

At some point, senior Ju-hee came next to me.

She approached without making a sound, but I wasn’t particularly surprised.

The smell of cigarettes clung strongly to her, perhaps because she had just been at the smoking area.

“I already talked with Yiseo earlier. I heard that Gyu-ah helped to find Arin too. And it seems I just spent some time alone with Yerin.”

In the end, I finished the conversations with the three people who were my targets.

It was simpler than expected, but the outcome was the complete opposite of what I thought.

“So, do the kids seem to understand? Their expressions didn’t seem particularly troubled.”

“Sigh, Senior.”

Yes, there was a need for someone to consult with.

But I wondered if it had to be senior Ju-hee. It hadn’t been long since I rejected her confession.

“Tell me. It’s okay.”

But she was always a senior.

She seemed to have already sorted out her feelings for me, saying she’d listen to my concerns without any issue.

“The truth is…”

I clutched my forehead and briefly explained the answers they had given.

The story took no more than five minutes.

I didn’t explain at length; there was only a report of the results.

Before I knew it, the senior, like me, was absentmindedly looking up at the moon with a cigarette in her mouth.

“Ah, sorry. Smoking in front of someone who doesn’t smoke.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“It’s a habit to smoke while thinking. So, you told them you’d reject everyone?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, Oh Yoon-ji? Were you going to date her?”

“…Probably not.”

I know I have to talk with Oh Yoon-ji again someday.

But considering my relationships with the others, the idea of dating someone was vague.

“You’re exhausted.”

Seeing me like that, the senior muttered bluntly.

Exhausted?

“You look tired from dealing with the girls.”

“That’s not it.”

Senior Ju-hee said it out of concern for me, but I couldn’t say I was tired.

I didn’t want to express being worn out or troubled by people liking me.

I had never thought of it that way.

“……”

At my answer, senior Ju-hee exhaled smoke and gave me a pat on the back.

“Let’s go in. They even rented an auditorium for the talent show.”

“There’s an auditorium at the pension?”

“These days, many schools come for MT, so there are quite a few places prepared like that.”

I see.

But a talent show, huh.

It seemed like it would be fun to watch the freshmen dance and sing.

When I went to the auditorium with the senior, the kids were already sitting on the floor facing the stage.

At the very back, the professors were there too, already enjoying a can of beer while watching.

‘Once this is over, I guess we’ll be drinking for real.’

There was still some meat left, and plenty of snacks piled up in the restaurant.

They’re probably trying to get in the mood before drinking.

The second and third-years had their own area set up, so they went over there.

Choi Yiseo, who was standing slightly apart from the others, gestured.

It seemed like she was standing in the corner, ready to go whenever the professors called.

“Woojin.”

Senior Ju-hee called me as I was about to head towards Choi Yiseo.

With an awkward expression, she tilted her head and then patted my back again.

“Don’t worry too much. Just clear your head for now.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Senior Ju-hee said that and coolly turned her back, heading to the third-year area.

There weren’t many third-years, so they stood out, but the confession to me was really as if it never happened.

‘What a relief.’

I almost lost a good senior.

I was really glad that senior Ju-hee was cool and awesome.

“Have you talked with Yerin?”

Choi Yiseo asked as I got closer.

I replied calmly without much reaction.

“Yeah, I talked a bit. I warned her not to fight for no reason next time.”

“Good job.”

“What about you? You said you were talking with the first and third-years.”

“Well, I did talk.”

You did talk?

“You know, in the end, rumors are something you can’t control.”

“That’s true.”

Especially since I’m the Admin of the Bamboo Forest, I know this well.

Here, small and large lies often get inflated as if they’re real.

“Oh, it’s starting now.”

Choi Yiseo didn’t say anything else.

She just added that the kids worked hard while watching the talent show begin.

“Hello, students of Gahyeon University’s English Literature department. I’m Ahn Hyeon-ho, a sophomore from the department, and today’s talent show MC.” ṟÄƝòΒƐŠ

The microphone was in Ahn Hyeon-ho’s hands.

Surprisingly, it suited him, and his good rapport with others drew enthusiastic responses from the students.

The auditorium darkened.

As the lights came on, the freshmen began dancing and singing.

It was quite a sight.

The freshmen were so earnestly immersed that it made me wonder if they were really gossiping behind my back.

The other grades watched, laughing and chatting.

Then, a call vibrated in my pocket.

- Oh Yoon-ji -

Seeing her name on the phone was more touching than I expected.

Just half a year ago, I was waiting for a call from this number at any moment.

Now, feeling a bit awkward about it was amusing.

Leaving Choi Yiseo, I stepped outside.

Since everyone was gathered in the auditorium, there was no one around, allowing me to take the call comfortably.

“Hello?”

- Hello. Are you at the MT right now?

“Yeah, it’s the talent show. I think we’ll probably drink after it’s over.”

- There must be a lot of people, right?

“A ton.”

- You really hate that kind of thing, don’t you?

“…Right.”

She was right.

As expected of Oh Yoon-ji.

Honestly, no one at school knew my tendencies or preferences better than Oh Yoon-ji.

Because I wanted to share everything with her.

I thought talking like this with an ex was something that only happened in America.

“Why did you call?”

In response to my question, Oh Yoon-ji answered matter-of-factly.

- Ah, I wanted to thank you regarding the thing with Popo. Thanks to you, she started broadcasting again.

The Bamboo Forest must be in an uproar.

I’m worried that the Engineering department might have flooded it.

“Yeah, it was because of that. Tell them to hang in there. I don’t watch broadcasts much.”

- Okay, I’ll pass it on.

I thought that was the end of the matter, so I was about to hang up.

- Is something wrong?

The voice wasn’t filled with great concern.

Rather, because of that, it touched me even more.

A question asked casually, without burden, almost made me spill all my worries unknowingly.

“Why? Does my voice not sound good?”

I thought it wasn’t different from usual.

- Just. The vibe? You know I’m good at picking up on these things.

“Yeah, you were. Thanks to that, I couldn’t hide anything.”

- Haha, right. Remember when you tried to hide joining the band club from me and got caught?

“…Why do you have to poke at old wounds again?”

- You insisted on joining the band club just to sing love songs.

“Sigh, right. That’s true.”

I think I had a bit of a romantic notion about club activities when I was a freshman.

So I tried to join a band club, but I remember it was all girls.

But the problem wasn’t that.

- It wasn’t a band club, but an anime club. And with a unique taste at that.

“…When they asked if I was the top or bottom because I said I had someone I was dating, it was really dizzying.”

- You mistakenly thought it was a band because they did band anime cosplay. Sigh, I told you to check carefully because it’s weird there. The band club doesn’t recruit many people in the first place.

“I know, that’s why I left immediately.”

Oh Yoon-ji, naturally nagging.

What should I say?

It was a conversation that reminded me of when we were dating.

- …It reminds me of when we were together.

It seemed Oh Yoon-ji felt the same way.

Naturally looking up at the sky.

“Yoon-ji.”

Come to think of it.

“Let’s break up.”

I haven’t told you yet.

- ……

“I thought I could finally say it now.”

Parting required courage.

After a long time, I was able to muster the courage for farewell.

Yoon-ji remained silent, but I continued to speak.

“It was just, just something from when we dated in college.”

Something not difficult to see.

Something everyone experiences at least once.

It was just that kind of time.

“It can be hard and painful.”

Having gone through it myself, I knew all too well.

“As you live busily, one day you’ll laugh and wonder why you liked someone like that.”

And I…

“I want to be that kind of person for you.”

Someone you can laugh about and feel embarrassed about having dated.

I wanted to be that kind of person.

There was no answer for a long time.

There was no sobbing, no heavy breathing.

Just waiting for her to organize her thoughts.

- CEO Kim asked me. Why do you like him?

My second brother?

- Is there a reason you like him enough to make such an effort? Was there a trigger?

That question made me think for a moment.

When did I start liking Oh Yoon-ji?

I didn’t have a clear memory.

Yoon-ji just confessed, and I naturally accepted it.

- Life isn’t a drama, you know.

The sound of laughter flows in.

- Because of some situation, you end up liking someone. That’s actually rare, isn’t it?

That’s true.

Even when Yoon-ji confessed to me.

We were just walking while eating ice cream.

- Love isn’t something you fall into.

“……”

- It’s something you realize at some point. That you are already in love with that person.

I think I now understand why Yoon-ji suddenly confessed while eating ice cream.

- There’s nothing we can do about breaking up.

She didn’t seem sad.

Even though she declared a breakup, Yoon-ji was smiling at me.

- One day, when I remember you.

Words filled with firm conviction.

- I’ll smile, thinking you were someone I could like. That’s the sort of person you are.

She comforted me quietly, like the gentle moonlight.

Always confident.

Quick to notice.

Acts with conviction.

Yet sometimes shows a delicate side.

Only to me.

Something forgotten came to mind.

It was this part.

Because of this part.

That I liked this one.

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