Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 379



Successor

“……”

The moment I saw the photo, my body froze.

I won’t ask the obvious question of what this means.

But, my grip on the phone tightened.

It was true that my emotions were running high in many ways.

The messages that followed gave me a sense of elation, but also spoke of the responsibilities I had to bear as a person.

“Mr. Woojin?”

The employee, who had been walking behind me, called out cautiously, perhaps puzzled by my sudden stop.

“Um, are you okay?”

Okay?

Why wouldn’t I be okay?

“Do I look sick?”

Did I look that way?

I asked out of concern, but the employee glanced at my face for a moment and then shook his head.

“No, it’s just… you seem a bit overly excited.”

“Did it show?”

I brushed my hand over my mouth and realized I was smiling without knowing it.

I was about to meet my father and brother, and it would be a problem if I was smiling like this.

‘Ah, geez.’

I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Don’t worry. Let’s go.”

I decided to just accept it.

There was no need to hold back my joy.

“Ah, yes.”

Following the staff member.

Even so, my attention was still on my phone, so I couldn’t hear the surrounding sounds well.

It seemed like something was being said, but it probably didn’t matter.

As if it were a habit, I checked my phone again.

– Seo Yerin: What should I do?!

– Choi Iseo: …Woojin.

– Yoo Arin: Damn.

Seeing their reactions, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I know it’s going to be a difficult time in many ways, but still, in the end, it feels like things turned out the way I wanted.

– Kim Woojin: I’ll be there soon.

– Kim Woojin: Just wait a little longer.

– Kim Woojin: Let’s have a party today.

– Kim Woojin: I really love you.

I scrolled up slightly to check the photo again.

Unable to hold back a smile, I saved the photo.

Three pregnancy tests.

All showing two lines.

* * *

Rewind a bit.

Seo Yerin, Choi Iseo, and Yoo Arin sneaked back into Kim Woojin’s room after he left for work.

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In their hands were none other than pregnancy tests.

“Negative!”

“Phew… Thank goodness.”

“Damn, it’s ridiculous that the three of us are checking this together.”

Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate.

Despite living such a wild and promiscuous life, no one had gotten pregnant yet.

“Next time, I’m really going to stop Kim Woojin. He absolutely has to use protection.”

Seo Yerin and Yoo Arin snickered as they watched Choi Iseo squat down in relief.

“Typical Choi Iseo. She’ll be nervous and checking the test again next time.”

“How many times has it been? Was this the third time? Why does she keep giving in?”

“Be quiet!”

Anyway, the three of them, feeling relieved, decided to have a simple brunch.

The three of them ordered pho for delivery.

Yoo Ah-rin, who lost at rock-paper-scissors, hummed as she brought in the bag.

“This is our hideout now.”

“You’re here? Let’s set the table.”

“Oh my, is your husband making good money?”

Choi I-seo chuckled as she watched Yoo Ah-rin hum like she was singing a folk song.

As the two finished setting up, Seo Ye-rin came out of the bathroom.

“Hey, guys!”

“She always goes to the bathroom when it’s time to set the table.”

“Ye-rin, come eat. The noodles are getting soggy.”

“Look at this!”

Seo Ye-rin, smiling, pulled out none other than a pregnancy test.

Unlike before, there were two lines.

“Huh?”

“What?”

At that moment, both of them let out the same exclamation.

They had heard that pregnancy tests could sometimes be inaccurate.

They were flustered, wondering if that was the case.

Seo Ye-rin pulled out two more two-lined pregnancy tests from her pocket.

“Ta-da! Triplets!”

“……”

“……”

Holding the three pregnancy tests in her hand, Seo Ye-rin proudly rubbed her belly.

“What should we name our babies? I-seo, you catch the bouquet, and Ah-rin, you handle the congratulatory money. We’ll ask Jin-ah to sing the congratulatory song.”

“Hey, Ye-rin. Did you say triplets because you have three pregnancy tests?”

Choi I-seo asked, hoping it wasn’t true, and Seo Ye-rin nodded.

“Yes!”

“Damn, isn’t she the one who waits 15 minutes after pouring water into five cups of instant noodles?”

“Yerin, how did you get into college? You do have a high school diploma, right?”

“Geez, that’s harsh. I was just kidding. I’m not that stupid.”

Seeing the sulking Seo Yerin, the two felt somewhat relieved.

Yeah, it’s a relief that she’s not that clueless.

They didn’t really care about hurting her feelings.

“What’s that? It’s fake, right?”

“Yeah, the bald guy gave it to me. He said it’s a surprise gift for his girlfriend.”

“…Isn’t it more terrifying than surprising?”

Choi Iseo muttered, thinking that receiving that would be horrifying.

“Anyway, I was planning to prank Woojin with this. Lately, he’s been too friendly with other people.”

“…”

“…”

“The other morning, I went to his room and it smelled like another woman, and at the pension, there was something weird with senior Joohee and Yoonji.”

It was a bit humiliating for the two to be persuaded by Seo Yerin, but they couldn’t deny she was right.

She was right.

Lately, Kim Woojin had been excessively interacting with other women.

“Men don’t feed the fish they’ve already caught!”

Watching Seo Yerin scream, the two were slightly tempted.

Wouldn’t showing this make Kim Woojin come to his senses?

Of course, they wouldn’t prank him for long. Just until he arrives today.

Just that long.

“Bring it here.”

Yoo Arin was the first to step forward.

“Let’s send this and tell him all three of us are pregnant. I want to see how he reacts.”

“Right? You want to see it, don’t you? If it’s Woojin, he’d probably run over and hug us tightly!”

Seo Yerin indulged in a happy delusion.

But Choi Iseo didn’t look very pleased.

“…Will it really get a good reaction?”

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

“No, I know Woojin isn’t that kind of person. But still, there’s a bit of worry. If he feels burdened or reacts differently, honestly… I think I’d be hurt.”

“……”

“……”

It was the first time seeing Choi Iseo so vulnerable, it was refreshing.

But it was also relatable.

If Kim Woojin rejected or felt burdened and reacted differently.

None of the three would be unscathed.

“Hey! Our Woojin isn’t like that!”

“Yeah, that guy wouldn’t do that. If he really does, I’ll go and kill him.”

“Me too… I don’t think Woojin would react that way.”

The three looked at each other and felt a strange sense of camaraderie. At first, they just thought of each other as rivals.

Before they knew it, the three had become comrades who relied on and respected each other.

Like that.

They sent the photo they took together.

“Ha, haha… This is surprisingly nerve-wracking.”

“Tsk, should we have some beer? There are a few in the fridge.”

“Haa, I don’t think I can focus on my lecture.”

Surprisingly anxious, the three waited for Kim Woojin’s response.

It hadn’t even been three minutes, but their mouths felt dry.

Buzz!

A reply came in the group chat.

– Kim Woojin: I’ll be there soon.

– Kim Woojin: Just wait a bit.

– Kim Woojin: Let’s party today.

– Kim Woojin: I really love you.

The moment they saw the reply, the tense air that filled the room melted away.

“Woojin-ah! I love you!”

“Phew, I knew it. Ah, I feel good! Let’s drink some beer!”

“…Give me some too.”

“You’re going to lecture, right?”

“I’m skipping today.”

Watching Choi Yiseo’s faint smile, Yu Arin couldn’t help but smile too.

They started passing around beers, and Seo Yerin was giggling while texting.

“But, you know.”

Suddenly, something occurred to Seo Yerin, and she turned to them with a chilling expression.

“If you say it’s not a pregnancy… do you think Woojin will just let it go?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

The two women, who had been drinking, froze.

Thinking about how they were about to dump cold water on someone so happy, she suddenly felt sorry.

“Uh… what should we do then?”

“Should we tell him it was a joke now? He won’t be able to concentrate at work.”

Lost in thought, Seo Yerin came up with a solution, as if she had made up her mind.

“Woojin’s bucket list. Let’s do it today.”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m serious! I mean it! Today, Woojin is so, so adorable! I’m in a state where I want to do anything for him!”

Watching the bold declaration of Seo Yerin, Yu Arin and Choi Yiseo wore blank expressions.

Ironically.

Both of them were feeling a similar emotion.

They wanted to do it.

They just wanted to do it all.

Then.

Choi Yiseo let out a sigh while taking out her phone.

“I, I’ll… book a hotel. We can’t do it in the dorms.”

The preparation of Choi Yiseo, who was determined.

Yu Arin tugged at her top and checked her underwear for the day.

“Ah, shit. My underwear is kinda… not great.”

“Want to borrow mine, Arin?”

“Do you want to die? Are you teasing me?”

“A little?”

The two of them rolled around, laughing.

Choi Iseo, who had booked the best hotel in the area, tried to calm her pounding heart.

“Heh.”

She smiled as she checked the message Kim Woojin had sent again.

“Ah! Iseo, you’re such a tease!”

“Tease? What do you mean…”

“Ha, when is that husband of mine coming? I really want to kiss him!”

Anyway.

Today was supposed to be an unforgettable day.

But as time passed, it was already 9 PM.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Even though it was time for him to be home from work, Kim Woojin hadn’t arrived.

* * *

“I won’t hand everything over to Woojin right away.”

In the chairman’s office.

Chairman Kim spoke to his eldest son, Kim Jaewoon, who was standing in front of him.

“But it will be decided soon. I’m at the age where I need to step down.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

In fact, Chairman Kim felt it was a bit early to retire.

But due to health issues, he needed to step down.

Preparations for his retirement and convalescence were progressing smoothly.

He planned to leave the main house and spend the rest of his life with his wife in a quiet place.

“But it’s true that Woojin has shown his qualifications. Moreover, he is clearly the successor who resonates with me more than you do right now.”

“……”

“You need to consider whether giving in to the youngest just because he’s precious is really for the company’s benefit.”

“……”

“Executives who discharge countless filth behind their backs for the sake of their families. I’ve seen too many of them.”

As I climbed up to this position.

I’ve seen too many people committing corruption in the name of family.

Solicitations, bribes, corruption, military exemptions, and so on.

Family is certainly important, but.

“As a superior, I have a duty to take responsibility for all the heads of households in the Wooju Group.”

He couldn’t shake the households of countless employees just for the sake of his own family.

“I hoped you could abandon Woojin. That child who would strangle you.”

“Father.”

A faint smile appeared on Kim Jae-woon’s lips.

“I knew in the end you would choose that child.”

Yes, he knew.

In the end, he was an inadequate successor.

Despite his lifelong efforts, he never truly caught his father’s eye, and his incompetence drove the youngest to leave home.

“But it’s okay. If it’s Woojin, I can trust and entrust him as well.”

“……”

“I will step down.”

With a determined expression.

Chairman Kim couldn’t help but feel bitter as he looked at his eldest son.

After all, to him.

Both the eldest and the youngest were equally precious sons.

It was just not a matter to be decided emotionally.

Just then, Chairman Kim received a message that Woojin had arrived.

With no more conversation to share, the two silently waited for Woojin.

Clunk!

Woojin burst through the door and shouted boldly.

“Father! I’ve become a father of three children!”

“……”

“I’ve caught up with you in an instant! You also have three sons, don’t you! Of course, all my children’s mothers are different, but still-!”

Looking at the beaming and excited Woojin.

Chairman Kim closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his eyelids with his fingers.

He let out a short sigh.

The deliberation was long, but the answer came quickly.

Chairman Kim buried all his past agonies and immediately called his eldest son.

“Jaewoon.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Take good care of the company.”

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“……”