Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Bamboo Forest Manager.

Episode 212: Hypocrisy

Just a moment ago, Seo Yerin’s mother received a recommendation for another item and left.

It seems that what I suggested last time worked well, as she had a good time with her husband.

Thanks to that, I thought of Seo Yerin and recommended various things that might suit her taste.

Fortunately, our store has a variety of unique items.

The problem was what happened next.

“Welcome….”

This was the first time I greeted a customer so awkwardly, aside from Seo Yerin’s mother.

Senior Ju-hee, who entered the store, looked around in wonder.

She had come a few times but always lingered at the entrance and left.

It’s her first time properly seeing the place, so it’s natural that she’s bewildered.

“Gasp.”

Not expecting such blatant items, she looked around with her mouth agape.

“…Senior?”

I called out cautiously, and she snapped back to reality, clearing her throat and trying to compose herself.

“Something popular.”

“What would you like? Are you using it with your boyfriend or alone?”

“……”

Senior Ju-hee bit her lip, as if questioning why I needed to ask that.

Personally, I hoped she’d leave quickly, so I asked.

“Al-alone.”

“Yep, got it.”

I immediately grabbed a relatively mild vibrator and went to the counter.

“We offer a friend discount, should I apply it?”

“…Is that possible?”

“Yes, the boss said to offer it if we want to.”

It seems the boss has another source of income besides this store.

In the end, senior Ju-hee accepted the discount and left. I bowed my head and bid her farewell.

“Haah.”

Min Ju-hee, who had thrown her bag onto the bed, let out a deep sigh of frustration.

A typical person might have thrown a fit or messed up their hair.

Min Ju-hee tried her best to calm down and suppress her anger by taking deep breaths.

She was angry at herself for acting on instinct and making such a mistake.

Even though she got a discount, she wondered if the adult items in her bag were the most useless expense she’d ever made.

“Haah, this is driving me crazy.”

Her emotions surged momentarily because of her younger siblings, but as time passed, she started to regain her composure.

Buzz! Buzz!

The phone was ringing.

When she checked, it was Lee Eun-woo, a senior from her old dorm.

She heard that Eun-woo was now juggling a teaching assistant position in the Physical Therapy department and graduate school.

“Senior Eun-woo?”

– Ju-hee, what are you doing today? Want to grab a drink? It’s on me!

“What’s the occasion, Senior? You used to always be looking for guys.”

– Today, I don’t want to see any guys. Guess what, the professor-!

It was practically a request to be an emotional dumpster. But Min Ju-hee also wanted to vent her feelings to someone.

“Sure.”

Even though it was a bit late, she decided to head out for a drink.

“Hmm, is it here?”

Squeeze.

“Aah.”

“Or maybe here?”

“Hmmng.”

An empty lecture room.

Since there was a bit of time until the next class, Seo Yerin and I were doing some research of our own.

“…What the hell am I looking at right now?”

It was Yu Arin’s voice from behind. She had mentioned she was bored since there was no lecture today, and it seemed she finally decided to join us.

“Aahng.”

“Hmm? You’re here?”

Instead of Seo Yerin, who was letting out groans, I greeted her, and Yu Arin, who was watching us, rubbed her eyes.

“Am I seeing this right?”

“No, it’s not something lewd or anything. Don’t look at it weirdly.”

“Hmm.”

“…You’re saying that massaging a well-endowed girl’s chest isn’t a lewd act?”

I nodded confidently at Yu Arin’s words. Even now, my hands were kneading Seo Yerin’s soft chest through her clothes.

I hope it’s understood that there’s not a single ulterior motive in this action.

“I work at an adult store, you know. So, customers ask me all sorts of things, and I’m studying for that.”

This was true.

Recently, I’ve had many customers ask me various things.

…Besides, I also want to recommend something suitable for Seo Yerin’s mom when she visits again.

Whatever it is, I should make a good impression on my mother-in-law.

“Okay.”

“Oh?”

Surprisingly, Yu Arin let it slide easily. She nodded and walked over with a bright smile.

“Then, you didn’t get excited, right? This is just work for you.”

“……”

“Right? It’s not appropriate to get aroused while carrying out professional work.”

I carefully withdrew my hand.

Yu Arin glanced down to check. I tried to bend over and cover up, but she started hitting my back instead.

“You got a taste for doing this at school, huh?! Oh! You really got a taste for it!?”

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Yu Arin hit me as if playing an Indian slap game. As I groaned and took the hits, another hand joined in.

“Hey, Seo Yerin! Why are you hitting me too!”

“Eek!”

Now, both of them were enthusiastically smacking my back. After a while, they stopped, complaining that their palms hurt.

“Sigh, at least some of my stress is relieved.”

“I feel like I’ve done a good exercise.”

“…Well, if that’s what you want, then it’s good.”

I just let it go, knowing that arguing wouldn’t lead to anything pleasant.

“So. Were you really touching it solely for that reason?”

Yu Arin chuckled incredulously while resting her chin on her hand.

“Yeah, it’s true. Honestly, I was a bit aroused. But it wasn’t just because of personal interest.”

“A bit? Just a little bit?!”

This time, Seo Yerin kicked my shin. She didn’t seem to like that I admitted to being only slightly aroused.

“Phew, I’m fully aroused.”

“Yeah, that’s the right thing.”

Seo Yerin nodded in satisfaction, and Yu Arin looked back and forth between us, nodding in disbelief.

“It’s really not my place to say this. But you two…are really compatible in a messed-up way.”

“Oh my, Arin, thank you! I’ll throw the bouquet to you at our wedding!”

“Look at her getting cheeky these days?”

Unable to watch their tension any longer, I stepped in between them.

“Don’t, guys! You can’t fight over me!”

“Oh, damn.”

“How can our ‘Yoon-ji’ say something so heartless?”

“……”

It’s a line I’ve always wanted to say at least once in my life.

Anyway, thanks to becoming their common enemy, the atmosphere lightened up again.

“But I’m not joking. Recently, people have really been asking me a lot. You guys will know if you check the Bamboo Forest every day.”

“Oh.”

“That?”

The reason people started asking me so many questions was because of a post that went up in the Bamboo Forest.

– Anonymous 266: Do you know the male part-timer at the adult store nearby who recommends products? At first, it was a bit awkward, but he really gives spot-on recommendations.

– Anonymous 141: That’s my friend, and everyone in the dorm gets dating advice from him. He’s quite popular.

As posts like these started appearing, conversations about me began to spread naturally.

No one approaches me at school, but at the store, there are quite a few who come by after seeing those posts for recommendations.

“The Bamboo Forest has become too obscene. Look at the posts coming up even now.”

As I grumble and hand my phone over, the two people lean in to look.

– Anonymous 90: I want to have sexxxx!

– Anonymous 198: Recently bought a rope. No reason. Just wanted to tie myself up. Tried tying myself, though clumsy. Found myself getting excited.

↳ Anonymous 457: These recent posts are really crappy.

↳ Anonymous 390: Wow, does someone like this really go to the same university as me?

– Anonymous 44: Today’s cheerful ghost story. Actually, most people who died in the bathroom-

– Anonymous 111: Hello, Gahyeon University! Today’s broadcast will feature interviews with famous people from Gahyeon University! Please tune in!

↳ Anonymous 301: Popo! Popo! Popo!

↳ Anonymous 311: I’ll be waiting from 30 minutes before the broadcast today!

↳ Anonymous 347: Where is the broadcast happening? If it’s someone famous from Gahyeon University, can’t we go and watch together?

↳ Anonymous 328: That’s right. It’s been a while since Popo came! Is viewer participation possible?

↳ Anonymous 111 (author): If you come, I’ll greet you! But please don’t interrupt the broadcast!

↳ Anonymous 328: Got scolded by Popo!

↳ Anonymous 301: 328, your year and name.

↳ Anonymous 302: 328, gather above me and below you.

-Anonymous 407: Ugh, you idiots. Are you still doing Bamboo Forest? Get a life, seriously. All you do is waste time here every day, so it’s no wonder the only thing you know how to do is waste time.

-Anonymous 432: I noticed there’s only one adult shop near Gahyeon University. Do they have a lot of stuff there? The reviews are good.

↳Anonymous321: There are gay people there.

↳ Anonymous 432 (Author): ???

↳ Anonymous 64: But isn’t it a bit awkward to go into a place like that?

↳ Anonymous 402: Agreed;

– Anonymous 4: It’s hard to go into a place like that at first, but after that, you just go in without a second thought. We’re all adults anyway.

– Anonymous 7: Hello everyone. I have a question, so I’m posting this. I used an adult product for the first time. And I kind of…imagined? Fantasized? About someone I know… Is that weird?

↳ Anonymous 117: You fantasized.

↳ Anonymous 82: But hey, you’ve been asking stuff like this for a while. Is this your thing?

↳ Anonymous 255: It’s not weird. Just watch adult films. If you imagine someone you know, you’ll feel guilty when you see them.

↳ Anonymous 342: How do you know that?

– Anonymous 243: I recently watched an anime that shocked me. Why do they suddenly kill off a character? It’s understandable in the first episode, but why kill them in the sixth when you’re already emotionally invested?

↳ Anonymous 369: Title.

↳ Anonymous 243 (Author): I have another anime to recommend. Let me list one for each genre-

– Anonymous 69: I want to have Sex!

“Hey.”

Yu Arin and I simultaneously look at Seo Yerin.

Holding her phone, she’s pouting and fuming.

“I’m, I’m the Sex God! I am! Aaaah!”

Seo Yerin, clutching the back of her neck and staggering. Worried she might faint, I quickly grab her and help her sit back down.

“Anyway, did you see? This rumor has been spreading quietly, so many people come to ask me about it. Some even asked for discounts, claiming they saw it on Bamboo Forest.”

Holding the breathless Seo Yerin, I try to explain, and Yu Arin shows a vague reaction.

“Can’t you just ignore it?”

“This actually ties into sales. The boss said sales have increased a lot since I came, so they even raised my pay.”

“Oh… Ah, so that’s why you didn’t delete the posts related to you? I thought you’d delete them right away.”

Understanding now, Yu Arin nods.

Yes, that’s right.

Normally, I would have deleted anything related to me without a word.

But since it helps the store’s sales, and my pay increases as well, I’ve just left it alone.

Unintentionally, it’s become a promotion.

“Anyway, I’m studying more about the female body for that reason.”

“This guy has a knack for making nonsense sound reasonable.”

“Hehe, come on.”

“That’s not a compliment, you jerk.”

Wasn’t it?

“…If it’s like that, should I help too?”

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Arin shyly asks. Blushing, she waits for a response with her lips pressed together.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, I remember when Yu Arin once offered her chest for me to touch.

Back then, it was so innocent.

Well, even now, her willingness to endure embarrassment for my sake was charming.

Soft.

I immediately reach out with both hands and squeeze both sides simultaneously.

“Wow, you didn’t even hesitate for a second.”

Watching me, Seo Yerin clicks her tongue in disbelief.

“Alright then.”

Yu Arin pushes my hands away and asks with a sly smile.

“Whose did you like better?”

“……”

“Oh, I’m curious too.”

I’m at a loss for words.

I force a smile and try to give a textbook answer.

“I like both-”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“What kind of trick is this, Woojin?”

It’s intense.

Yu Arin is smiling as if daring me to say something, and Seo Yerin is grinning sweetly, but it’s clear she’d pounce the moment I say the wrong thing.

Answering a foolish question with a wise response is the mark of a wise person, right?

“When I touched Yu Arin’s chest, I liked Yu Arin, and when I touched Seo Yerin’s chest, I liked Seo Yerin.”

Thud.

Thud.

Two different chests held in my hands.

They each grab one of my hands and place it on their chest.

“How about now?”

But this…

“Arin, do you think this could turn into a fight?”

I ask cautiously, and she grits her teeth and nods.

“Yeah, go ahead. Say what you’re thinking right now.”

Ah, if I mention Seo Yerin, I might actually die.

Did she plan this situation from the moment I first touched Seo Yerin’s chest?

“What do you think, you jerk? When you say the three of us are dating, it always leads to situations like this.”

“……”

“Do you think that makes sense? Huh? No matter who you choose here, we’re bound to fight!”

Yu Arin’s clever move.

Indeed, no matter who I choose here, feelings could build up between them.

In that case.

All the negativity and emotional rift.

I’ll take it on.

“Choi Yiseo is the best-!”

Both of their fists fly at me simultaneously.