Bamboo Forest Manager - Chapter 394



Gold Run (2)

Could it be because of the stimulant that Choi Iseo gave me, which is supposed to be good for the body?

Anyway, I feel a strange surge of energy.

“Let’s gooo!”

Even Seoyerin seems energized as she hums and takes her seat.

The two people following closely behind me.

Choi Iseo and Yoo Arin.

For a moment, I felt like a mother duck.

“What, are you two staying too?”

Since it was already nearing midnight, I thought they would naturally go back.

Unexpectedly, both of them responded as if asking why I would even ask such a thing.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Do you expect us to just leave you and Yerin here?”

“Well, no, it’s just that you guys don’t particularly like PC rooms.”

At my words, Yoo Arin casually took a seat and grabbed a headset.

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“I’m going to watch a movie. Binge-watching Netflix.”

She really does love movies.

Then I wondered what Choi Iseo would do.

Choi Iseo also took a seat next to Yoo Arin and turned on the computer, saying she had something to do as well.

And from her bag, she took out a notebook.

“…You’re going to study here?”

When Yoo Arin, sitting next to her, looked at her with a tired expression, Choi Iseo nodded.

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem much different from a study cafe. I just need to listen to music a bit louder.”

Yoo Arin pointed at me and shouted.

“She’s the craziest one here.”

“I agree.”

“…Why am I getting cursed at?”

Look at her taking out her pencil case, even though she says she doesn’t understand.

“Iseo, I haven’t asked because I thought it was personal privacy, but are you the top of your class?”

Usually, the top students know these things.

So I wondered, and Iseo nodded with a blank expression.

“Of course.”

“……”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone who naturally tops the class.”

Come to think of it, I heard that Iseo once had only one A in her grades.

The rest were all A+.

“Hey, let’s just watch a movie together.”

“No.”

“If you’re going to be like that, just go home!”

Seeing Yoo Ah-rin and Choi Iseo chattering away makes me chuckle.

The two of them seem to get along well on their own.

“Woo Jin-ah, let’s start!”

I return to my seat at the urging of Seo Ye-rin, who has already settled in.

I glanced at Choi Jin-ah, wondering what she was doing, and saw that she was watching something like a classical orchestra on YouTube.

“Hmm.”

Her expression didn’t look very good, and she tilted her head in confusion before taking out an expensive-looking headset from her bag.

“……”

“Oh, the sound isn’t very good. I think I need to listen to it properly.”

At times like this, she really seems like a violinist.

“Does it sound different with that?”

“Yes, it does. I have another one, would you like to borrow it?”

“Hmm, okay.”

She rummaged through her bag and took out another identical headset.

“Here, Woo Jin-ah.”

“Thanks- What?”

“Use it well. It’s expensive.”

“Are we just going to gloss over what just happened?”

“Hmph.”

Choi Jin-ah snorted and focused on the video again. I glanced around at the others, but they didn’t seem to have heard.

‘What’s with her?’

It’s a bit too bold to say she just wants to be friendly because we’re classmates.

The key point was that I whispered softly so that no one around could hear.

Leaving the uneasiness behind, I started the game again with Yerin.

[Defeat!]

“…….”

I blink several times as I look at the two letters in front of me.

When I slightly turn my head, I see Seoyerin already standing with a switch in her hand.

“Hold out your palm.”

“No, Yerin. I made a mistake just now, but-.”

“I said hold it out.”

“…….”

As I reluctantly extend my palm, Seoyerin immediately strikes it.

“Ouch!”

“Do better next time.”

“Yes.”

It stings just enough.

But it seems to have cleared my head a bit.

[Defeat!]

“Where’s the switch?”

As I stand up and look for the switch, Seoyerin fidgets and then cautiously hands it over.

A slightly extended palm.

I strike her palm just as hard as she struck mine earlier.

“Ouch! Woojin hit me!”

“You need to get hit a bit.”

When she charged at five opponents alone, I thought she was really crazy.

As I prepare for the next game, I glance over at Yoarin and Choi Iseo.

“Hey, look at this. This is really awesome.”

“Ahrin, I told you I’m studying.”

“No, just look. The director’s filming composition and foreshadowing-!”

I’m glad they seem to be having fun.

I wondered what Choi Jina was doing, and she was going through the tutorial of the game we were playing.

“……What are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, it looked fun watching you two, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

I glanced over and saw they were just doing it normally. The only thing that bothered me was how awkward they looked using the mouse.

As I kept watching their monitor, Choi Jin-ah glanced at me and handed over the takoyaki she had ordered.

“Want one?”

“……No.”

“Oh, I thought you wanted some since you kept looking.”

“Ujina, the game is ready!”

Leaving Choi Jin-ah behind, I started the game again.

* * *

“What did you say our record was?”

“Yawn, 12 wins, 15 losses.”

The conversation between Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin came from behind me.

A lot of time had passed.

By the time the next morning arrived, we hadn’t even reached Silver, let alone Gold.

Luckily, the PC bang felt isolated from the outside world, so our sense of time was deadened.

If we had seen the rising sun, it would have been quite depressing.

“My butt hurts.”

Seo Ye-rin whimpered, rubbing her butt.

Ye-rin, who had been doing well at first, gradually became a mindless berserker as time went on, and ended up getting spanked repeatedly.

Originally, we hit her palm, but that made it hard for her to play, so we switched to her butt.

“Kuu.”

Next to me, Choi Jin-ah had fallen asleep with a blanket.

Eating and sleeping, she was enjoying herself thoroughly.

“Guys, turn your chairs around.”

Hearing that our performance had dropped since coming to the PC bang, Choi I-seo finally sighed and took drastic measures.

“We’ll help you.”

“Help us?”

Choi I-seo looked at us like a coach and manager of a gaming team.

But what could they help with?

“Is there anyone good at the game? Someone who can carry us?”

Actually, the easiest way is to call someone who is much better at the game than us and let them carry us.

Though it might be a bit unfair.

But Choi Iseo shook her head.

“No, Arin, Jina, and I will help you.”

“You don’t know anything about the game.”

Yoo Arin, who was drinking cola to wake up, interrupted. Seoyerin and I nodded, but Choi Iseo brought out her notes that she had been studying.

“I just learned.”

“What?”

“Wow.”

The theories of the game were densely written in Choi Iseo’s notes.

“Is this what you were studying?”

As I admired the notes, Choi Iseo nodded and answered.

“Yes, after all, it’s your bucket list. I wanted to do something for you.”

Choi Iseo looked at me with a gentle smile. The warmth in her gaze revealed her feelings for me, and a wave of emotion washed over me.

“Iseo…”

I felt an overwhelming urge to go and hug her right away.

If only we weren’t in a PC bang.

At that moment, Seoyerin, who hadn’t done anything noteworthy, wiggled her fingers and shook her head.

“Iseo, you know, games aren’t something you can master with theory.”

Look at her, acting all high and mighty as if she’s an expert in games.

“They’re a mix of emotion, intuition, instinct, and passion.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“That’s what a jungler-!”

When I snapped in annoyance, Seoyerin immediately retorted.

But Choi Iseo didn’t strongly disagree.

“The more I learn, the more I realize there’s not much I can do. It’s really hard to learn in a short time.”

“Right?”

“But I’m not playing the game, I’m helping. So thanks to that, what I needed to learn was limited. So I thought about it-.”

Iseo looked at us and declared firmly.

“We’re all going to play the game together.”

“All together?”

“Yeah, all together.”

Choi Iseo calmly explained to us, who were wondering what she meant. The more we listened to Iseo’s explanation, the more our eyes widened, and we even thought it might be a pretty good idea.

At that moment, when Choi Iseo was proving her worth.

“Me, just me?”

Yoo Arin, who was sipping cola, shouted with a bewildered expression.

“Was I the only one doing nothing and just fooling around here?!”

“Huh?!”

Choi Jina, who woke up from Yoo Arin’s voice, banged her head on the desk.

* * *

Choi Iseo’s strategy was actually simple and intuitive.

“Woojin, I saw the enemy jungle over there.”

“Confirmed.”

“I can’t see the mid lane either. I saw them heading down earlier.”

“Confirmed.”

“You don’t have to respond. Just focus.”

It was like delivering information while watching the game right next to me.

‘I can’t make decisions based on the information, but I can provide it.’

It feels like being an F1 racer.

I’m being briefed on every corner ahead.

‘Awesome…’

Since my tier is low, I naturally can’t see the map well, but with Iseo’s help, it’s much easier.

“And Woojin, I found out that high-tier players use these items against that character?”

“Hmm? Oh, like this?”

Seeing her inform me like this is quite nice.

It feels like using AI.

‘It feels a bit like cheating.’

But who cares.

Winning is all that matters, and if they can do it, they should too.

I am in charge of Choi Iseo.

Then what about Seo Yerin?

A special measure has been taken.

“No. Don’t. Don’t go in.”

“But, but it’s a kill angle?”

“I said don’t. No.”

“Sigh.”

Next to Seo Yerin, holding a switch, was none other than Bae Ji-hye.

In other words, it was Popo, the internet broadcaster and the goddess of the engineering department.

Seo Yerin’s custom relief pitcher and a kind of muzzle called by Choi Iseo.

She was from Diamond, two ranks higher than Gold, and had a history of winning awards in internet broadcasting competitions.

“Join, join. Teleport.”

“I’m Ignite, so I didn’t take Teleport.”

“…I told you to take Teleport. When did you change it?”

Of course, even if she couldn’t completely control Seo Yerin’s reckless tendencies, she was covering her from charging in blindly.

[Victory!]

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The moment I saw the sweet victory message pop up, I let go of the mouse.

Then Yoo Ah-rin, who had intervened immediately, massaged my hand.

“Is there any discomfort? Does this make you feel a bit better?”

Her attempt to prove her worth, which had become useless, was cute.

“Ugh! Ugh! Why is it so stiff?”

Choi Jin-ah, who was in the same position as Yoo Ah-rin, was also massaging my shoulders.

Their earnest efforts were impressive.

Like that.

[Victory!]

“Why is she fighting alone all the time?”

“Isn’t it because she’s bad?”

“She’s brave! You fools!”

With everyone’s strength.

[Victory!]

“Bring the girl and the massage!”

“Screw you.”

[Victory!]

“Topchaiii!”

We steadily kept winning.