Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Bamboo Forest Manager.

Episode 219: Bar

Late at night.

Seo Yerin, who had run here impulsively, tries to catch her breath while looking around.

Just as she’s wondering if this is the right place.

“Yerin, over here.”

Under a nearby utility pole, Choi Yiseo waves at her. She, too, seems to have come out suddenly at this late hour, dressed casually and comfortably.

Watching Seo Yerin, who came running with a clatter, she looked a bit flustered.

“Y-Yiseo! You’re here!”

“Why did you run here in such a hurry? Wait a minute, are those pajama pants?”

Laughing as she asks why Yerin was in such a rush when the meeting time hadn’t even arrived, Seo Yerin wipes the sweat off her forehead.

“I snuck out without my mom knowing. That’s why. I was worried she’d catch me.”

“……”

“It’s okay. It’s just that lately, my mom’s been overly protective.”

Is it okay to just listen to this quietly?

Could it be that because of them, a fellow university student’s family is facing a crisis?

Choi Yiseo was worried about various things, but Seo Yerin, as if she had already made up her mind, smiles and pats her on the shoulder.

“What about Arin?”

“She should be here soon, right?”

“Oh…”

Seo Yerin seemed to understand why she was late. It must be a complicated feeling.

“You saw it too, right, Yiseo?”

“Yeah, Arin sent it to me. Choi Jin-ah’s post.”

Through SNS, they found out the identity of Kim Woojin’s match. They just heard about a match, but who would have thought it was a famous violinist and an elementary school classmate.

The three of them probably have similar feelings right now.

At that moment, a woman who had been walking from afar started jogging towards them.

It was clearly Yu Arin.

“Oh dear, I’m the last one, but surprisingly, there’s still 5 minutes left until the meeting time, so I won’t apologize.”

Confidently and shamelessly, Yu Arin shows the time on her phone.

“I didn’t even think about that.”

“Alright, let’s go inside. It’s chilly out here!”

“…Why are you wearing pajamas?”

The three of them continued chatting as they entered the shop.

The place Choi Yiseo chose was an izakaya. It had a rather serene and atmospheric vibe.

It was already late at night, approaching midnight.

The unique crimson lanterns and scattered shadows of the Japanese-style bar harmoniously filled the interior.

There weren’t many people, making it a cozy and perfect spot.

“In a place like this, we don’t have to worry about being hit on.”

Even Seo Yerin and people like Choi Yiseo or Yu Arin often attract attention in bars.

But in a place like this, most customers came to talk among themselves, so there was no need for such worries.

“Oh, is the menu here Japanese too? I’ve been craving Japanese food after watching a cooking anime recently!”

“Too bad. I wanted to mess with Kim Woojin by getting hit on.”

Despite saying that, Yu Arin, who was already seated at the counter with Seo Yerin, looked satisfied.

The three ordered drinks and some simple snacks, then they got straight to the point.

“Woojin is cheating…”

Seo Yerin, who had been excited about drinking just moments ago, slumped and showed her phone.

Since Seo Yerin was sitting between them, the other two could see the phone.

It displayed the photo they had seen earlier, a shot of violinist Choi Jin-ah and Kim Woojin together.

“Sigh, didn’t you know he was cheating? That bastard has been cheating with her for a while now.”

Clicking her tongue, Yu Arin turned away Seo Yerin’s phone screen, as if she couldn’t stand the sight.

“From the start, he was juggling three people, so what’s strange about adding one more? Right? It’s not, is it?”

“……”

Choi Yiseo thought it wasn’t exactly wrong. Even though it was called a matchmaking, they looked really close in the photo.

And he’s not even contacting them right now.

“If he keeps adding like this and then falls for another girl, won’t he just say he doesn’t like us anymore and break up? If feelings are shared with anyone, aren’t we just in a shallow relationship?”

Yu Arin continued with her aggressive tone. They were criticizing Kim Woojin, but somehow it felt like they were the ones getting hurt, though they tried to ignore it.

“Alright, let’s make it clear this time. If that jerk doesn’t decide among the three of us again, I’m giving up on him.”

“……”

“……”

Suddenly, both their gazes fixed on Yu Arin.

She took a sip of her drink and slammed the glass down roughly. Seeing her fuming, it was clear she had already drunk half the bottle she suggested they share.

“So, Arin, are you going to drop out?”

“Yeah! I will! Think about it! Why are we fighting over a guy like that, as if we’re playing a game of territory?”

“Then what about Yiseo? What are you going to do, Yiseo?”

The opportunity passed from Yu Arin to Choi Yiseo, as if handing over a baton. She sighed and then gave a bitter smile.

There were things she wanted to say, but saying them out loud required more courage than she thought.

Thanks to Yu Arin pushing the bottle her way, she took a sip and confessed a bit more freely.

“I was a bit scared.”

Scared.

A fresh word emerged, but just by hearing it, they both seemed to already know what Choi Yiseo was going to say.

“The person Woojin had a matchmaking meeting with. Recently appeared on variety shows, and as a violinist, received awards and often appeared in the news.”

That’s not all.

“Moreover, I know that her family is as wealthy as Woojin’s. Since Woojin’s father established his position, it must be at a similar level.”

A shadow falls over Choi Yiseo’s face.

Before she knew it, her head had bowed unconsciously.

“The person I thought was amazing, Woojin meets them effortlessly and they date each other. Even if this person isn’t much, he will probably meet even more incredible people without difficulty.”

A matchmaking meeting implied an intention to marry.

And just because one didn’t work out, it didn’t seem like a conglomerate family would stay still.

Second and third matchmaking meetings would come again at any time.

And each time, Choi Yiseo would always think.

“Do I have anything better than those people?”

Twenty-one.

Just a sophomore in college.

An age to worry more about tomorrow, assignments, grades, and interpersonal relationships than a distant future.

Surely, they must be the same age.

Choi Jin-ah achieved accomplishments that she couldn’t even achieve in several years.

And such a woman was interested in Kim Woojin.

“I thought Woojin was holding us together. Wanting to keep three relationships going… Yeah, it doesn’t make sense.”

Choi Yiseo glances at the two of them.

Seo Yerin’s fussiness, Yu Arin’s aggressive tone.

Now everyone knew it all stemmed from the same emotion.

“But looking at that picture, I suddenly wondered if it was the opposite. That I…was the one holding onto Woojin. Not letting him go anywhere.”

A frog in a well, a canary in a cage.

They wondered if they were keeping Kim Woojin trapped like that.

To prevent the frog from seeing the world outside.

To keep the canary from flying freely towards the sky.

“Ah, seriously.”

Choi Yiseo swept her bangs aside and let out a bitter sigh.

“I really hate myself.”

With a quivering voice, Choi Yiseo nodded slowly. She never thought she would say something like this.

“I’ll give up.”

Biting her lip, that was all she could manage to say.

Because if she said more, she felt like tears would start to fall.

“Cheers.”

Understanding her feelings, Yu Arin quietly offered her glass, and Choi Yiseo responded with her head still lowered.

Clink.

Seo Yerin watched the two glasses clink in front of her.

“That’s a shame.”

Seeing that, she genuinely felt regretful.

“What’s a shame?”

“……”

Receiving their simultaneous gazes, Seo Yerin slowly filled her glass with liquor.

“Because we won’t have time to hang out together as four anymore.”

Seo Yerin took a long sip.

All three were quite strong drinkers, but the steadily increasing number of bottles was starting to make them dizzy.

“I don’t want to share. I want Woojin to look only at me. That’s true.”

A chuckle.

Why is this happening?

Why was she saying this?

Seo Yerin didn’t understand herself, but this was her true feeling.

“Ah… It was really fun hanging out, just us.”

Now they can’t do that anymore.

That’s what she regretted.

“Huh, that’s funny.”

“Sigh.”

Although they said that, surprisingly, the other two also empathized with her feelings.

They had fun together.

It’s a shame they can’t hang out as much anymore.

From elementary school to middle school.

From middle school to high school.

And from high school to university.

Parting with friends we’ve played with is always sad, but good connections have always come along.

So.

It’ll be the same this time too.

“We’re in the same department, so it’s not like we’re really parting.”

Yu Arin gave a bitter smile as she raised her glass.

“Yeah, that’s right. We can still meet up like this occasionally.”

Though there was doubt about whether that would be possible, Choi Yiseo also raised her glass.

Two glasses gathered in front of her.

“Girl Code!”

Seo Yerin shouted meaningless words as she clinked her glass with theirs.

Gulp.

After drinking, Seo Yerin exhaled a long breath filled with the smell of alcohol and nodded.

“Alright! I give up too!”

It might have been the alcohol speaking, but at that moment, it was sincere.

“If I was standing in Woojin’s path, then whatever. I’ll let go for a bit.”

And become a great actress.

Become a very famous actress that everyone admires.

Then, she will go back once more.

‘Even standing next to Kim Woojin, I won’t feel-’

“Huff! Huff! Oh, seriously!”

The voice of a man from behind made the three turn their heads sharply.

The quiet time had already passed midnight.

Among the people trudging back, suppressing the urge to drink more for Monday’s work.

Kim Woojin, sweating alone, was staring at the three of them.

“What are you all doing here? Why aren’t you answering your phones?”

With a deep sigh, Kim Woojin approached, and the three of them stared at him blankly.

Pinch.

Choi Yiseo pinched Kim Woojin’s cheek.

Thud.

Yu Arin gave Kim Woojin’s shoulder a light punch.

Grip.

Seo Yerin tried putting her hand between Kim Woojin’s legs.

Then all three spoke simultaneously.

“He’s real.”

He was real.

This was the real Kim Woojin.

“Why and how is Kim Woojin, who had gone to his family home for matchmaking, here?”

The three voiced their question aloud.

Kim Woojin grumbled, saying it was a strange question.

“I came because I missed you all.”