Bamboo Forest Manager

Chapter 86: The Call

Chapter 86: The Call

The next day, Sunday, as the shooting came to an end, the movie filming that seemed like it would carry on forever finally came to a halt.

I thought we would all have dinner together, but since it was just the beginning for me, senior Ju-hee decided to be considerate of me and agreed to gather separately at a later time.

Thanks to that, while everyone was happily drinking away, having finished a big task, I alone faced the misfortune of editing.

“Yawn.”

I was pushing ahead with the editing process.

After finishing a smooth Monday lecture, I was editing at a PC café.

I tried doing it a few times at home with my laptop, but the lag was so severe that I ended up coming to a PC café instead.

“Here, take this.”

“I didn’t order this though?”

Chan-woo brought me some Jjapaghetti.

This PC café was the best near my house, and I came here because Chan-woo was here, and seeing him made my heart flutter.

‘I haven’t done anything here.’

Yet, I find it hard to meet Chan-woo’s eyes, feeling as if I’ve done something wrong.

‘Ah, Yu Arin, really.’

Blaming Yu Arin once in my head and eating the Jjapaghetti he gave me as a service, I continue to focus on editing. It seemed like it would get complicated if I let my thoughts wander too much.

The midterms are over, and the festival has passed.

Now, finals are approaching for us, and soon it will be vacation time.

Last vacation, I couldn’t overcome the pain of a breakup and lived like a shut-in, so this time I planned to live more like a human being.

‘Should I go on a trip?’

Even if going abroad is too much for me this time, I thought about backpacking around the country.

It would be a bit cold since it’s winter, but it might be okay to travel with a tent or something?

With that thought, I found myself searching for camping gear without realizing it.

From tents to portable stoves, burners, and various tools. Surprisingly, there was a real pleasure in looking at these objects which I hadn’t before known.

“What’s this?”

A chilly voice coming from behind me.

“This is strange.”

Even though I want to run away, the moment I try to get up, the weight pressing down on both shoulders forces me back into the chair.

As I lift my head slightly, there was Senior Ju-hee, looking down at me with the corners of her lips slightly trembling, wearing a white hat pulled down low.

“I heard you were editing.”

“Se, Senior… It’s not what you think”

“I even ordered coffee after hearing you’d be here, so what am I supposed to do now?”

As she put more strength into her hands, it felt like my shoulders were going to dislocate, so I cried out in desperation.

“No, Senior! I’ve finished today’s work! I was just taking a break and doing something else for a bit!”

Only then did senior Ju-hee’s grip around my shoulders loosen. While rotating my stiff shoulders, I played the video I had edited.

Although it was still the early part of the entire video, Senior, having watched it all, suddenly grabbed my head with both hands and patted it vigorously.

“Wow! Woojin! You did so well?! Really great job! Wow! Our cutie! You’re back!”

“I never went anywhere!”

Without realizing, my words trailed off, expressing how shocked I was. Anyway, senior Ju-hee, with a satisfied smile, handed me one of the iced coffees Chan-woo had brought.

“Drink it down. Wait, didn’t you just start today?”

“Yes, that’s right. But I practiced a bit on my own, and it turned out quite well, I think?”

“Wow, as expected, Woojin does a great job.”

Senior sat next to me, drinking coffee with a satisfied look. I thought about stopping as we looked at the camping gear, but seeing how much I enjoyed it made me consider doing more of this.

As I tried to turn off the video of the camping gear, Senior, who had been silently watching, immediately asked.

“Planning on going camping?”

“Ah, I’m thinking about trying it during the vacation time. I don’t really have a part-time job.”

“Is that so? That sounds nice.”

Senior sighed at those words.

Being tied down by scholarships and living in a dormitory, it seemed like Senior didn’t have much financial freedom to go around.

“Camping is nice. Ah, I want to go too.”

“Let’s go together then.”

“I can’t this time. Call me next time maybe? I have a part-time job this vacation.”

A part-time job?

“Do you work somewhere specific?”

As I showed interest, Senior took a sip of her coffee and sighed regretfully.

“During vacation, we have to vacate the dorm rooms, right? So, I looked for a part-time job that includes accommodation along with pay.”

“Are you going to another place?”

“Yeah. Over there in Gangwon Province. You know, the place with both a casino and a hotel.”

“…Gold One Hotel?”

“Right, I heard that this time, students from Food Science and Hotel Management are going there for training? So, I decided to join them and work there for the time being.”

“I heard there are scary figures because of the casino there.”

At my words, senior Ju-hee chuckled and crossed her legs. Her bare legs, in slippers despite the weather, caught my eye intensely for a moment.

“What does that matter? Anyway, I just need to go back and forth between the provided accommodation and the workplace.”

“True, that makes sense.”

Anyway, going through hardship was unchanged for her. How hard it must be to go work in a strange place while staying with strangers.

“Why did we end up at this topic while talking about camping gear? Anyway, that’s how it is.”

Senior Ju-hee casually changed the subject and leaned in again to look at my screen.

“But camping gear is kind of expensive, isn’t it?”

“It is. I’m trying to find something with the best value for money.”

A faint concern appeared in the senior’s eyes. It seemed she directly felt the difference between herself, who was going to work part-time to find a place, and me, who was going camping.

“But now that I think about it, it would be cold to go around at this time.”

I closed the browser window and changed the subject, and senior Ju-hee, realizing that I had deliberately been considerate, smiled slowly and sighed.

“Which place wouldn’t be cold? Have you eaten? Let’s go, I’ll buy it.”

“Let’s eat here. Is there a need to go somewhere else?”

Perhaps since we just talked about money, I didn’t really want to mooch off her. Even if I said I would pay, senior Ju-hee would definitely insist on paying for it.

“Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve been to a PC café… Oh? The menu here is more varied than I thought?”

Fortunately, senior Ju-hee seems to have taken an interest in the PC café’s menu, flipping through it and humming a tune.

“Sseup.”

After eating.

We were still in the PC café, not bothering to go anywhere else.

Senior Ju-hee, with her hat pulled down low, had a tense look in her eyes.

“Hoo.”

She kept touching her chin with her hand, seemingly deep in thought, continuously letting out pained sighs.

“…Senior.”

Seeing that, I cautiously called out to her, and senior Ju-hee looked at me in surprise.

“Eh, eh?!”

Senior was flustered.

I glanced at the hanafuda (a Japanese card game) game on Senior’s screen for no reason and asked cautiously.

“It’s not illegal, right?”

“…Does it look that way?”

I was a little worried it might actually involve real money, but Senior scratched her neck, embarrassed.

“Of course not. It’s just game money…!”

Just then, a flashy effect burst onto the screen. I’ve never played this card game, so I couldn’t tell what was happening, but judging by senior Ju-hee’s face turning pale, it seemed like a bad turn of events for her.

[You have been expelled!]

Senior, having lost all their money, had been expelled.

Looking at the game money payment window that popped up, she slammed her hands down on the desk in frustration.

“Aaaaarrrhhh!”

It seemed like she made a cute sound.

Tears welled up slightly in her eyes, and as I stared at her pained expression, I suddenly became worried for her.

“Senior, just in case I’m telling you this, you shouldn’t go into any casinos there.”

“……”

The way she squinted at me was like a cat pretending not to be a culprit.

It seemed like she wanted to rush at me and vent if there was any excuse, but since there wasn’t anything she could say to me, she just grumbled in frustration.

“You shouldn’t- shouldn’t slam.”

Chan-woo, stopping senior Ju-hee from slamming the desk several more times. Eventually, Senior’s hand stopped in mid-air, looking for somewhere to go.

It went towards the pack of cigarettes laid aside.

“I’ll go have one.”

“Yes.”

With senior Ju-hee gone, I was once again looking at camping gear.

I was thinking of playing a game, but it felt somewhat bothersome to do it now, so I was just skimming through things.

‘They are a lot more expensive than I thought.’

I wonder if there’s really a need to buy something too good, but then again, when I actually look at it, I think maybe it’s better to get something good if I’m buying anyway.

Amidst these various concerns-

Woong!

An incoming message for me.

It was peculiar that it came as a phone message, and not a KakaoTalk message.

“What are you doing?”

A familiar voice called out to me.

Yu Arin, standing askew with her hands shoved into the baggy pockets of her hoodie, looked down at me.

There was a strange atmosphere yesterday, but today’s Yu Arin didn’t seem much different from her usual self.

“What’s up, why did you come here?”

I knew she didn’t like coming to the PC café because Chan-woo worked here.

Yu Arin, frowning deeply and sitting next to me, lets out a sigh.

“Jeong Chan-woo told me.”

“…Who now?”

Without realizing it, I found myself staring at Yu Arin and asked again, and as she sank low into her chair, she stretched her hand out and pushed my face away.

“What are you staring at!”

“No, you said…!”

Just as I was about to argue that Chan-woo had told her-

Woong!

Woong!

My phone rang again.

Annoyed, I checked the message that had come through.

• Big brother: Come home during the vacation.

• Big brother: Mother is saying she wants to see you.

• Big brother: Stop acting like a child now.

• Kim Woojin: ?

“Wait, Chan-woo told you I was here?”

“Why are you being this clingy today?!”

While I was focusing back on Yu Arin.

Woong! Woong! Woong!

This time, a call came through.

“Haah, let me take this call.”

“Is it Yerin? Or Yiseo?”

“My brother.”

“…You have a brother?”

Without responding to her, I answered the call, and a voice colder and more rigid than anyone I’ve ever heard before pierced my ears.

• If you don’t come home for this vacation, know that I’ll cut your allowance off and clear out your room.

“Ridiculous. When have you ever given me an allowance?”

• I’ve already talked to Dad about it.

“…Hyung.”

• You know when to step back, huh.

“Did you think I would say that? Screw you. I can just get a part-time job. Don’t bother.”

• You? Getting a part-time job?

I wanted to retort something to my scoffing brother.

“Ha-aaah Woo-Woojin! I-I can’t hold back the moans anymore!”

“…?!”

Suddenly, Yu Arin leaned in close, moaning. Without realizing it, I jerked back, and Yu Arin flashed her trademark mischievous smile and flicked her middle finger up.

• Sigh.

A sigh came from over the phone.

“Wait, just a minute. Don’t get the wrong idea about this.”

• Are you messing around with another girl again?

“It’s not that, what…!”

Just as I was about to deny it.

I felt a strange sensation.

“Again?”

Now.

Did he say ‘again’?

• ……

He didn’t answer me.

The fact that my usually unyielding older brother chose silence this time.

“How did you know I was dating Yoon-ji?”

Without realizing it, I got up abruptly and pressed for an answer.

• I’ve said all I have to say. Come home during the vacation.

With that, he hung up.