Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 352



Missile

Crunch, crunch.

Crunch, crunch.

“How can you eat so well and still complain about me eating spicy pork?”

I point my spoon at Seoye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin, who are aggressively eating spicy pork in front of me.

Choi I-seo, sitting next to me, just smiles without saying anything.

“Hey, this place is good! It’s amazing!”

“Arin, this is your first time here. We used to come here often back in the day.”

In the second semester of the first year.

When things were still awkward, Kim Woo-jin, Seoye-rin, and Choi I-seo used to eat together.

Back then, the person who won rock-paper-scissors would choose the menu, and now it’s just a memory.

“I never imagined we would have this kind of relationship back then.”

Kim Woo-jin reminisces about that day with a blank smile, and Yoo Ah-rin, sitting across from him, clicks her tongue.

“What’s so good about getting rejected by all the girls and still grinning like that?”

“You little…”

Hitting where it hurts.

“Guguduriisahagohiuhihohohihya.”

“Ye-rin, chew and then speak.”

Seoye-rin chews thoroughly and swallows.

After drinking the water handed over by Choi I-seo, she shouts again.

“It’s not Woo-jin’s fault, it’s those girls who are weird!”

“Ye-rin-!”

Feeling touched, Yoo Ah-rin scratches her cheek and confesses honestly.

“But I also think it’s strange. No matter what, not seeing him as a man at all is a bit upsetting.”

“Arin-!”

All three pairs of eyes converge.

They all look at Choi I-seo, as if asking if she has anything to say.

Choi I-seo, who had been eating silently, sighs and maintains a neutral stance.

“Everyone has their own preferences. Don’t get too worked up about it.”

It might seem like she doesn’t understand the atmosphere, but from Choi I-seo’s perspective, she couldn’t just blindly criticize them.

Because it was her fault that the girls in the dance department at Chungshim University showed no interest in Kim Woo-jin at all.

“Or did you have a preference among those women?”

So, Choi Iseo naturally shifted the flow to another direction.

“Hmm?”

“Interesting?!”

As Yoo Arin and Seo Yerin immediately changed their target, Kim Woojin quickly denied it.

“No?! Not at all! Even if those five combined into one, they couldn’t beat any one of you?!”

This was sincere.

Kim Woojin really had no interest in anyone.

However, his pride was hurt.

“But isn’t it kind of hurtful to my pride that I’m not seen as a man at all? Even if I have no interest, it feels like my masculinity is being denied.”

“I feel bad about that too!”

Seo Yerin, raising her hand, empathized intensely.

“How strong Woojin’s Woojin is!”

“Mm, mm, and my testosterone levels came out really high too.”

He clapped his hands as if he had forgotten to mention it.

“Oh! I should have said that! If I had mentioned my testosterone levels were really high, they would have seen me differently!”

“Right, they would have seen you differently. They would have thought you were crazy.”

“I’m really glad I remembered now.”

Yoo Arin and Choi Iseo sighed in relief, but Seo Yerin crossed her arms.

“Hmm? The testosterone levels might have changed by now. Shouldn’t we check?”

“I’ll book a hotel.”

“Hurry up, hurry. Somewhere close.”

Kim Woojin was about to take out his phone, but Choi Iseo gently pressed his palm down to make him put it back.

“Did you forget you’re busy tomorrow?”

“Oh, right. I have to prepare for work. I need to get a suit tailored.”

“Did you say you’re starting work the day after tomorrow? At Wooju Global?”

“It’s the moment Woojin takes his first step as the head of the family!”

Everyone fell silent and looked towards Seo Yerin.

“What. What are you staring at!”

Seo Yerin, pretending to throw a punch, seemed a bit embarrassed this time.

“Anyway, I think I’ll be a bit busy tomorrow.”

“Can’t we just go together and buy it?”

When Yoo Ah-rin tilted her head in confusion, Kim Woo-jin subtly pointed at Choi Yi-seo.

“Yi-seo said she’d go with me and help.”

“Why? Why are you discriminating?”

“Shu, shush! Shush! Hey, you rascal! Shush!”

They grumbled about not being taken along.

But it couldn’t be helped.

“Ah-rin, you have a regular shoot on Sunday, right? And there’s a content meeting scheduled too.”

“What, how did you know?”

“And Seo Ye-rin, you have a script reading, don’t you? You said you had to go because of that.”

“…Right.”

“In the end, only Yi-seo has nothing to do, so she’s coming with me. Yi-seo is also quite good at this kind of thing. And she’s free.”

“Why do you have to say I’m free twice, making me feel like a loafer?”

Choi Yi-seo glared at Kim Woo-jin while pulling his cheek.

Anyway, it was clear that Kim Woo-jin hadn’t asked the other two because he knew their schedules well.

“Ha, you jerk.”

“Woo-jin is too interested in me.”

Neither of them seemed to be in a particularly bad mood.

“Take a picture of Kim Woo-jin in his suit tomorrow and send it, Choi Yi-seo.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Alright, I’ll post it in the group chat.”

* * *

The next day.

“I shouldn’t have said I’d post it.”

Choi Yi-seo complained of fatigue while clutching her constantly ringing phone.

– Yoo Ah-rin: Doesn’t the color seem a bit off? How about something a bit brighter?

– Seo Ye-rin: If you don’t send a picture of you wearing only a white shirt with the buttons undone and a tie in your mouth looking s*xy, I’ll come find you right now and mess you up.

– Choi Yi-seo: Enough already.

– Seo Ye-rin: (˃̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣ )

– Seo Yerin: Jebaryuㅠㅠ

Seeing Seo Yerin sending a crying emoticon, I tried to take the picture she wanted.

But Choi Iseo stopped me.

“Stay still. We’re not going to take it anyway.”

“But she wants it so badly…”

“You’re too soft on the kids. You need to be more moderate.”

As expected, Choi Iseo, the only conscience and restraint of Kim Woojin.

Whenever emotions and impulses pushed me, it was always Iseo who stopped them and kept me centered.

– Yoo Arin: But wouldn’t something flashy suit him? He’s a chaebol after all.

– Seo Yerin: ㅇㅈㅇㅈ It’s too dull!

– Choi Iseo: Dull is right.

– Choi Iseo: He shouldn’t stand out.

– Choi Iseo: Woojin is going in as a parachute right now.

“Iseo…”

“It’s not wrong.”

That’s true.

– Choi Iseo: But if he wears a conspicuous suit, it will look much worse.

– Choi Iseo: He needs to blend in naturally with a calm color, as one of them.

What’s needed now is to get entangled with them.

Choi Iseo judged so and was deliberately choosing a calm navy color.

– Seo Yerin: ㅇㅈㅇㅈ!

– Seo Yerin: Arin, don’t look at the forest, look at the trees!

– Seo Yerin: ദ്ദിㆆ_ㆆ)

– Yoo Arin: ㅗ

– Seo Yerin: (˃̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣ )

The emoticon is cute.

– Yoo Arin: But won’t they recognize it’s Kim Woojin anyway? He’s the chairman’s son.

– Seo Yerin: That’s what I’m saying!

– Yoo Arin: Did she eat something wrong today?

– Seo Yerin: Σ(°ロ°)

– Choi Iseo: They don’t know it’s Woojin. Not yet.

I believe they haven’t mentioned me yet.

Just a parachute dropped from above.

In time, they’ll find out who I am.

– Kim Woojin: Do ordinary employees need to recognize the chairman’s youngest son’s face?

– Kim Woojin: It’s not like we’re in a communist party.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Choi Iseo’s words were loaded with meaning.

Hearing those words, I suddenly started to worry.

When I think about it, can I adapt to a place that’s incredibly hard to get into with a Gahyeon University diploma?

Can I naturally blend in with those people?

No, I can’t.

“Iseo, let’s change suits.”

Once I reached that conclusion, I decided to take a different approach.

* * *

“Ha, what is this!”

O Daeri from Wooju Global’s digital marketing team was fuming as soon as he arrived at work on Monday morning.

“No matter how much we requested additional staff, they didn’t listen, and now they send us just one part-timer?!”

Building a brand’s value is about marketing, not the product.

However, Wooju Group, known as a giant in South Korea, was quite conservative.

From noble mtl dot com

They didn’t put much effort or enthusiasm into digital marketing.

Even without it, you all know us.

It’s not about attracting customers, but making them come to us because of our name.

Arrogance befitting their size.

That’s why the digital marketing team often consisted of relatively junior staff or those pushed out of internal factions.

“O Daeri, don’t get worked up so early in the morning.”

“Aren’t you angry, Team Leader? They’ll just say they gave us this when we ask for more staff again!”

“There are many other places short on people besides us.”

“Seriously, what is this! Other marketing teams usually have at least ten members. But we barely have four.”

Team Leader Yoon Manager.

Choi, who flew in from the sales department.

Oh, filled with anger.

The only woman, Jung, in her third year.

Kim, who has been here for a year.

“Ha, Kim Moon-ho. Do you think this is right?”

“No! It’s not!”

“Right? You’ve been working your butt off since you were an intern, and now a temp suddenly becomes a full-time employee. Doesn’t that piss you off?”

“Yes, it does!”

As Oh exploded in frustration, Choi, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

“It’s not like they’ve said he’s becoming a full-time employee yet.”

“Mr. Choi, look at him. Do you think they’ll keep him as a temp when he’s obviously been placed here by the higher-ups? Watch, he’ll soon be wearing an employee badge around his neck!”

No one really disagreed.

“I asked the HR team, and they said they haven’t received anything official. I wonder how amazing he must be to get in like this.”

The people here had been burned by office politics so many times that nothing surprised them anymore.

“How about we just pretend he doesn’t exist?”

The only woman, Jung So-yoo, said playfully.

But surprisingly, that idea seemed to catch on.

“Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s not do anything weird. Let’s not get involved.”

“Don’t give him any work.”

“How about just making him fetch coffee?”

Various ideas were thrown around.

All eyes turned to Manager Yoon.

In the end, it was up to Team Leader Yoon to give the final approval.

He scratched his head and sighed deeply.

“Whatever we give him, he probably won’t do it right anyway.”

No one knew which higher-up had placed him here.

Manager Yoon decided to play dumb and let it slide.

If he’s a parachute, he’ll just be a passing wave.

If we endure a bit now, he’ll move on to a higher place on his own.

And then…

Clang.

“Hello, Digital Marketing Team.”

The door opened, and to everyone’s surprise.

A young man in a striking red suit walked in.

He exuded a strong presence, as if demanding everyone to look at him.

Kim Woo-jin, who made an entrance that could be seen as nothing short of a power move, confidently straightened his back and introduced himself.

“My name is Kim Woo-jin, and I’ll be working with you from today. I don’t know if any of you know me, but I’m the youngest son of Chairman Kim of the Wooju Group.”

“…?!”

“What?”

“The Chairman’s son…?”

Everyone stared at Kim Woo-jin with bewildered expressions.

They had seen parachutes before.

But never one this brazen.

“Yes, I’m the Chairman’s son.”

Confident.

Confident to the point of being annoyingly confident.

“Let me just say in advance, I will try my best not to cause any trouble for you, and I’ll be as quiet as a mouse, as if I don’t exist.”

What is this guy?

The question flashed through everyone’s minds.

“I only ask for one thing.”

Know your place.

Neatly.

Well.

“Just ignore me while being mindful.”

Ignore me while being mindful.

It sounded like nonsense.

But even if it’s said like gibberish, employees understand perfectly.

In short, right now.

One of the owners of Wooju Group.

He won’t do anything, but he doesn’t intend to cause any trouble either.

It was as if they had declared that they would each do their own work without bothering each other.

“Then, I look forward to working with you.”

Kim Woo-jin bowed his head.

As they watched him, the digital marketing team members thought.

‘Parachute?’

No.

A missile had landed.