Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 393



Gold Run (1)

The initial atmosphere was good.

“Ujina. Don’t you think we can finish this today?”

“……Yeah.”

Honestly, I felt like apologizing for underestimating Seo Yerin.

After starting the game, we won three consecutive matches, and we couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.

I was in the support line, and Seo Yerin was in the top line.

We were at opposite ends of the map, so there was hardly any need for cooperation.

We just played our own games well and progressed.

“Ujina, I’m going to get a drink. Do you want one too?”

“Oh, I’ll order it.”

We each ordered an energy drink that felt like a cocktail and started the next game.

[Defeat!]

“That’s unfortunate. If I had played a bit better, we could have won.”

“Sorry, Ujina. I didn’t play well either.”

Losing one game wasn’t a big deal. At this point, it was better to lose once.

[Defeat!]

“Oh, that’s how you do it. It’s really a difference in team members.”

“Stop coming here, why does the jungler keep coming!”

[Defeat!]

“Oh, this is a bit unfair.”

“Phew, let’s go to the next game right away.”

[Defeat!]

“……”

“……”

[Defeat!]

[Defeat!]

[Defeat!]

After six consecutive losses, the atmosphere started to turn sour. Before we knew it, we were snapping at each other with rather provocative tones.

“Yerin, are you kidding me? Why did you go in there? Huh? Trying to lose the game? Are you doing this to make me quit gaming before I go to the army?”

“…Sorry.”

[Defeat!]

“Kim Woojin, attention.”

“Attention!”

“Do you want to die? I told you I’d handle it. Why did you come and die?”

“I’m sorry!”

[Defeat!]

“Ahhh!”

“I don’t know how to win games anymore.”

Before we knew it, it was evening.

We were getting hungry, so we decided to eat to lighten the mood and get some fresh air.

“Oh!”

At the voice from beside us, we both turned our heads.

Surprisingly, Choi Jina, whom I had dismissed as a voice phishing scam, was standing there.

“Hello!”

“You’re here.”

“…What?”

Choi Jina greeted not me, but Seo Yerin. It seemed Seo Yerin had informed her of our location.

“She said she was bored and wanted to watch. So I called her.”

“Mr. Woojin, you were so engrossed in the game that you forgot my request?”

“…”

I avoid her gaze and ignore her.

From noble mtl dot com

I was about to say that there was no seat next to us anyway since it was a couple’s seat.

“Ujina, let’s move seats.”

Seo Yerin suddenly stood up and suggested we move seats.

“Why? Jina, you can just go separately and film your mukbang alone.”

“…I’m not a broadcaster.”

Same difference.

“Hey, how can you say that? She’s here to watch our Gold Run.”

“We’re on a date.”

When I spoke in a barely audible voice, Seoyerin frowned slightly.

“What date? Do you think Gold Run is a joke?”

“…No.”

“We have to go for gold.”

She tends to get overly immersed when it comes to games, and this time is no different.

Anyway, we eventually moved seats, with me sitting in the middle and Seoyerin and Choi Jina on either side.

“I’m having fried jjapagetti.”

Seoyerin hummed as she ordered food, while Jina, in contrast to the skilled Seoyerin, was a bit clumsy.

“Wow, there’s so much! Do I press this?”

“Sigh, give me the mouse.”

I leaned towards Jina and roughly showed her how to order.

“Aha.”

Jina quickly learned and started ordering what she wanted to eat.

We all ate a simple meal together.

“Let’s go, Woojin!”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

With renewed determination, we started the game again.

“Fried udon and tornado potato are here.”

“Oh, over here, please.”

Jina started the second round.

The game went smoothly.

[Victory!]

“Whew.”

“Clean.”

Nice, very nice.

We broke the losing streak, so we high-fived and celebrated the start of a new winning streak.

Slurp.

At the loud sound of slurping noodles, I turned my head to the side and saw Choi Jin-ah, who had turned her chair around to watch us.

She was holding a cup of ramen and eating it enthusiastically.

Slurp.

When I looked at her, she hurriedly stuffed the noodles into her mouth, swallowed, and shouted.

“Fighting!”

“Ah, yes.”

She really came here just to eat.

As our gold run continued into the late hours.

The first guest of our gold run arrived.

“Yawn, you’re still at it, huh.”

Yoo Ah-rin, who had come in the chilly weather wearing just a hoodie, yawned as she looked at us, and I hurriedly greeted her.

“Hi, Ah-rin! We’re in the middle of a team fight right now.”

“What’s a team fight?”

“It means we’re all fighting together.”

“Woo Jin-ah! Care for me!”

As we focused on the game, Yoo Ah-rin’s attention turned to Choi Jin-ah.

“How much did you eat to have so many plates?”

“Haha… I just finished a diet recently.”

“Looks like you’ll have to start again?”

“No way!”

Meanwhile, we were quite busy moving around.

“Ah, what’s that?”

Seeing a teammate suddenly fighting 1 vs 3, I sighed deeply and typed in the chat.

– Yeokcheonpot: What are you doing?

– Teolbongbongi: Shut up.

“This b*stard…”

I’ve saved him from dying so many times.

– 털봉봉이: Bus-riding b*stard, you’re all the same.

– 역천폿: I won lane, it’s because I’m good, not you.

– 털봉봉이: Shut your mouth, leech.

– 털봉봉이: Guess you’re duo’ing with top, know why your brother doesn’t lane with you?

– 털봉봉이: ‘Cause you’re trash.

“What’s this guy saying?”

Looks like he thinks I’m a girl getting carried in ranked by my boyfriend.

– 역천폿: I’m a guy, you moron.

– 털봉봉이: Pathetic guy getting carried by his girlfriend.

“What the hell?!”

I’m practically the admin of the bamboo forest here.

I’ve keyboard-smashed countless idiots – time to show him what I can do-.

[Double Kill!]

[Triple Kill!]

“Hah.”

A victory cry from Seo Yerin, who’d been silently playing.

Then she types just one word.

– 라인전은이김: s*x

– 털봉봉이: Sis, date me.

– 털봉봉이: Dump that trash.

I thought Seo Yerin would say something, but she just ignores him.

That’s weird.

“I’m chat-banned, can only type once a match.”

“……”

It’s all the same here as it is in the bamboo forest, huh.

[Victory!]

We win the game thanks to Seo Yerin carrying, and I go to check on Yua-rin, who came earlier.

“Ah, AHH!”

“Oh? OH!”

Choi Jin-ah and Yua-rin were both half-sitting on a chair, playing their game.

Back in elementary school, we used to play Cray Arcade.

It was a game that two people could play together on one computer, and the two of us were having a blast.

“Yeah, as long as we’re having fun.”

We were about to start the next game when Yoo Ah-rin, without taking her eyes off the screen, shouted.

“Hey, hey! Don’t start yet. Choi I-seo said she’d be here soon.”

“I-seo?”

“Yeah, didn’t you guys say you were staying up all night? So Choi I-seo said she’d bring some health drinks she makes during her exam period.”

“…For just a few rounds of the game?”

I thought she was being too serious, but Yoo Ah-rin, still focused on the game, smiled and answered.

“It’s on your bucket list, right? So we’re helping you out sincerely.”

I’m a bit touched.

If I had known, I would have put something more impressive on my bucket list.

Honestly, aiming for the gold rank in the game is a bit of a stretch for a bucket list.

“And I heard that having a high game rank helps a bit in military life. So we’re helping you out.”

“Ah.”

Well, the military is just a gathering of kids my age after all.

The higher your game rank, the more respect you might get.

“Oh, I lost.”

“Whew… That was a tough fight.”

In the end, Yoo Ah-rin raised her hands and sighed, having lost to Choi Jin-ah.

Then she suddenly got up and sat on my lap.

The fruity scent she gave off warmly enveloped me.

“Hey, how many rounds did you play today? Did you win a lot?”

Choi Jin-ah quickly turned her head, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

Yoo Ah-rin acted naturally, not paying any attention.

At first, I was a bit flustered too, but since it didn’t feel bad, I just kept watching the computer with her.

“I think we played about twenty rounds.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Yeah. Honestly, at this point, it’s more of a duty than fun.”

“Sigh.”

Yu Arin, who was leaning on me, glanced to the side.

There, Seo Yerin was sitting as if lying on a chair, wearing a sleep mask she had brought from somewhere.

“Is she sleeping?”

“They say she rests like that when her eyes are tired.”

“……”

Yu Arin reached out and gave Seo Yerin’s forehead a light ‘smack.’

“You’ll die, Yu Arin.”

“Hehe.”

Despite the warning, Yu Arin found it amusing and did it a few more times until Seo Yerin couldn’t take it anymore and took off her mask.

A chase between the two began.

Watching the two of them run outside the PC room, I laughed helplessly.

‘Lee Seo said she’d be here soon.’

Since bringing outside food into the PC room is prohibited, I thought I’d go out and have a drink too.

“Mr. Woojin, I’ve been thinking.”

Suddenly, Choi Jina pulled on my sleeve and called out.

“Yes?”

“We’re the same age and classmates, isn’t it strange to keep using formal language?”

“……”

Well, if you think about it, that’s true.

Because of me, everyone else also uses formal language with Choi Jina.

It must feel a bit distant.

“Why did we decide to use formal language again?”

“Because we wanted to draw a line as match-making partners, not classmates.”

“Ah.”

I think I remember.

But now, we seem more like classmates than match-making partners.

“So, should we start speaking informally now? It might feel a bit awkward.”

“You used to call me Jina a lot back then. As in ‘dear Jina.’”

“That was back then.”

“Can’t we do it like that again? Yerin calls you ‘Woojina,’ right? Something similar to that.”

“You’re telling me to call you by your elementary school nickname now?”

How embarrassing.

“Anyway, just be comfortable with me. No, be comfortable, Woojin.”

“What?”

What did I just hear?

“How is it? Doesn’t it sound good? It kind of rhymes. Jina, Woojin.”

“It sounds like you’re trying to be cute, and it’s annoying.”

“Who was the one calling me Jina, Jina every day…?”

“Ha, whatever, just order something. I’m going to see Iseo.”

“Go ahead, Woojin.”

“……”

“Hmm, it’s not bad, right?”

I don’t know.

Ignoring it, I walked out of the PC room to find Choi Iseo already there with two people.

Both were drinking something from the water bottles Iseo brought.

“Yuck! It’s bitter!”

“Ugh! Are you really drinking this during exam period?!”

“That’s why I’ve been drinking it alone until now. But it works for sure.”

Iseo handed one to me as well.

Since we can’t drink it inside, we have to finish it all here, but seeing their reactions, it seems tough.

So, to delay it even for a moment, I changed the subject to something else Iseo was holding.

“What’s that?”

“A switch.”

“…A switch?”

It’s thin and looks exactly like a switch.

But when I asked where she was going to use it, Iseo just shrugged.

“I don’t know either. I was just told to bring it.”

At that moment, Seoyerin snatched it and smiled.

“If you can’t do it now, you’ll get your palms or butt hit with this!”