episode_0160

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Watching me getting beaten up by Yurin in real-time, Gu-ah’s gaze feels a bit warm.

Or maybe I just want to feel warm.

Anyway, Gu-ah suddenly came to ask for help. As a senior, I want to help when a junior asks, but I don’t want to help more than I have to.

“I strangely don’t want to help.”

I don’t even want to have a conversation, let alone help.

Thinking this, I felt the piercing gazes of the three people behind me.

It’s like they’re saying, “That guy still hasn’t fixed his behavior,” and even though I didn’t want to, I found myself shrinking under their judgmental stares.

It seems I wasn’t the only one feeling burdened by the gazes of those three.

“Ahem, should we talk outside? You seniors seem busy.”

Gu-ah hurriedly suggests going outside, probably feeling uncomfortable with the stares. But from my perspective, talking outside is more dangerous.

“No, let’s talk here.”

I didn’t want to risk any misunderstandings by talking separately.

Our relationship is transparent, and there’s nothing to hide from the people behind us.

But it seems Gu-ah didn’t feel the same way.

“Oh, please.”

Perhaps because of what happened yesterday, he didn’t want to reveal to the seniors that he’s the lowest of the low even among the trash.

“Senior, just this once!”

As Gu-ah grabs my sleeve and pulls, I immediately grab his wrist to stop him.

“Eek!”

Startled by my reaction, Gu-ah quickly lets go of my hand.

“Um, please come with me. I’m really in a hurry.”

Gu-ah looks on the verge of tears.

“Please, help me. Please.”

Seeing Gu-ah, who is considered quite attractive, in tears and asking for help like this, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“Come on, stop crying over nothing.”

I unintentionally scowled at him.

“…”

Gu-ah looks at me in disbelief.

“That’s harsh.”

“Wow, didn’t expect you to go that far.”

“Woojin…”

And the three people behind me, each saying something to me.

But what can I do?

It’s obvious he’s faking the tears.

Having already figured out Gu-ah’s character yesterday and feeling like the atmosphere was fake, I just let it go.

“Go listen to him, Woojin.”

In the end, pitied by Choi Isu, I agreed.

“Ugh, let’s go.”

“Thank you!”

I just wanted to get it over with and was heading outside when Choi Isu called me.

“Woojin.”

“Hmm?”

He didn’t say anything else, just held up a paper decoration similar to the one Yerin made yesterday.

Rip.

He tore it in half with a smile.

“Are you coming or not?”

“Alright.”

Gu-ah, not understanding the situation, looked back and forth between us, but I pushed him forward and left.

“Eek!”

“Scream! Woojina!”

Ignoring the lower half of the decoration, Yurin and Yerin screamed hysterically, but I paid them no mind.

Annoying lower bodies.

With nowhere else to go, I was about to start the conversation right in front of the classroom.

“Senior.”

Suddenly, Gu-ah, who had been crying earlier, looked at me seriously.

“Um, something.”

He had been whining for help earlier, but now he was carefully choosing his words.

“Your thoughts seem very different?”

“What’s different?”

“It’s very… controlled?”

“Huh? Me?”

What is he talking about?

“No, people who cross their legs usually take control or walk around with a sense of superiority, right?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, it makes sense. And I’m not dating anyone.”

“What’s different? Anyway, but isn’t senior a bit different? Even though he’s sitting with his legs crossed… it feels like he’s caught?”

I can’t believe it.

“What are you talking about? How much am I correcting?”

Feeling a bit defensive due to a sense of wounded pride, I quickly deny it.

“…”

But Gu-ah stares at me with disbelief, his mouth tightly shut.

“Then can you link arms with me and come inside right now?”

“Why would you do that?”

“See, you can’t do it. You’re just caught up.”

“Link arms with me.”

Just as I was about to link arms with him.

Click.

The classroom door opens, and Choi Eseo peeks her face out.

“Get lost!”

She pushes Gu-ah away, creating some distance between them.

Thanks to that, Gu-ah falls flat on the floor.

As he lies there, looking at me with a murderous expression, veins popping on his forehead, I feel like he wants to kill me right then and there.

“What are you doing?”

Choi Eseo looks confused too.

“Oh, nothing. It just… happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but don’t do anything strange. And when you come back, bring back a few drinks from the vending machine.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll get a zero cola.”

Choi Eseo goes back into the classroom.

Awkwardly coughing, I look at Gu-ah, who has slowly gotten up.

“Did you see that manly act just now? Forcing you to choose a drink. Just drink the zero cola.”

“Is this guy crazy?”

“Senior, Gu-ah.”

“No, even if that’s the case, why push me suddenly? What if I got hurt?”

“I’m sorry about that. But!”

I grab my chest and passionately defend myself.

“It’s better for you to get hurt than for me to get hurt by them!”

“At this point, I’m starting to think there’s something wrong with you.”

Gu-ah coughs and links arms with me.

Since the conversation has veered off track for a moment, I steer it back.

“Ha, I shouldn’t have asked for no reason. Geez. Anyway, senior, please write something in the bamboo forest.”

“In the bamboo forest?”

I had a feeling it was related to the bamboo forest from when he asked me to write something.

I didn’t think it was because he knew I was an administrator.

It just seemed like he wanted me to write a single piece.

I had a feeling.

“Did you write something about you in the bamboo forest yesterday?”

“Yes! That’s right! You’re an experienced person after all!”

It’s not a very flattering comment.

Anyway, the story was simple.

Yesterday, her boyfriend posted a critical post anonymously in the bamboo forest.

He didn’t mention his real name, but he wrote that there were many lovers besides himself in the English department.

I turned on the bamboo forest and quickly read it, but there was nothing specific other than the English department.

“Because he mentioned ‘reptiles,’ it must be because of what he said about the iguana. It’s your story.”

“Oh, that’s right! Senior, could you please refute it? Please?!”

“Do I have to do this?”

Since there was no specificity and no names were revealed, I wondered if it was such a big deal to just say it was someone in the English department.

“You’re too much trouble…”

Click!

The classroom door opens, and Seo Yerin and Yoo Arin urgently call me.

“Woojin! You’ve been targeted!”

“Hey, you idiot! Check the bamboo forest more often!”

“Huh?”

I refreshed the page to see what they were talking about, but there was no new post.

When I looked at the screen of Yoo Arin’s phone, there was a post targeting Gu-ah.

“This wasn’t me, you guys.”

“Huh? It wasn’t you? I was sure it was you.”

“So, there’s another person in the English department who’s messing with Kim Woojin? What a world we live in.”

Since Gu-ah’s post didn’t reveal the gender and just mentioned being in a relationship, they must have mistaken it for me.

“Sigh, let’s go inside quickly.”

“Get me a Melona on your way back!”

“If it’s a Melona, is it 1 Woojin?”

“Woojin is smaller than I thought, right? If you try putting it in your mouth, it’s just right-!”

The two of them entered while chatting about this and that.

Click.

The door closed.

“I saw you, didn’t recognize you? It seems like you were confused because it was your first time being sniped. That’s not a problem at all.”

“Indeed, a sniping specialist.”

As Gyu-a nodded in agreement, understanding dawned on him.

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!

– From Yoonji –

A call came in from Yoonji.

Did something happen related to drinking with the guys yesterday?

I’m not sure how to approach Yoonji yet, but for now, I won’t avoid the call.

“Just a moment.”

Nodding in agreement with a smile, Gyu-a takes the call.

“Hello?”

– Woojin! Are you okay?!

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Yoonji’s urgent voice made me wonder what was going on.

– You were sniped in the bamboo forest?! Someone called you a reptile-!

“That wasn’t me.”

– Huh? I thought it was you because you were crossing multiple bridges in English class?

“No, it wasn’t me. By the way, did you check out the bamboo forest too?”

– I’m going back to school, so I wanted to get some information.

Yoonji knows I’m the administrator.

I became an administrator in the first semester, and I didn’t hide anything from Yoonji.

“Anyway, it wasn’t me.”

– Well, that’s a relief.

Yoonji replied with a slight smile.

– I’m glad to talk to you.

“Don’t suddenly get emotional.”

– I have a recording of when you called me drunk last time.

“…Please delete it.”

– Anyway, I’m glad it wasn’t you. I’ll go visit the dorm for a bit. I have something to talk about.

“Okay, got it.”

Even if it’s uncomfortable, I won’t avoid it.

That’s the feeling I have towards Oh Yoonji right now.

In fact, it felt more like guilt than discomfort.

– See you later.

Click.

I hung up the phone and looked back at Gyu-a.

He was already reading the bamboo forest post and chuckling to himself.

“Oh, really? There’s nothing specific that identifies me. They wrote it so you can’t even tell if I’m a man or a woman.”

“They did it on purpose. If things get serious, I’ll have to deny it-.”

Thump thump thump thump!

Loud footsteps coming from the end of the hallway.

Senior Juhee, wearing a ponytail and a tracksuit, rushed over urgently.

“Woo, Woojin! Have you seen this post?!”

She showed me the bamboo forest post earlier.

“Sigh.”

After taking a deep breath, I told Gyu-a, who was trying to contain his laughter, what was so funny.

“Give me your ex-boyfriend’s number.”

“Why?”

“To tell him to stop sniping properly.”

“No way!”