Chapter 220

Chapter 220

Bamboo Forest Manager.

Episode 220: Sincerely

A quiet hotel room.

Choi Jin-ah, alone, pouring wine at the top floor of a hotel with a panoramic view of the city at night.

“……”

She was lucky to find one room available on such short notice.

Choi Jin-ah took a sip of wine and smiled bitterly. The wine itself was sweet, but oddly, the bitterness seemed more pronounced.

Perhaps the wine was tainted by the bitter taste lingering on her tongue.

“Haa.”

The long-awaited reunion with Kim Woojin was quite pleasant. People change as they age, but surprisingly, Kim Woojin hadn’t changed much.

He always lived a life beyond her imagination, and that aspect intrigued Choi Jin-ah intensely.

A life in stark contrast.

Unlike her, living within the confines set by her parents, he seemed to shine in a different way.

‘Really… Should I call him a fool or a genius.’

She spent quite some time talking with Kim Woojin. Starting on a park bench, Kim Woojin poured out stories to Choi Jin-ah.

Stories about the people he loves.

‘He mentioned Seo Yerin, Choi Yiseo, and Yu Arin.’

It was crazy enough to say he liked three women.

How flawed must a man be to come to a matchmaking meeting and talk about the qualities of the women he likes?

That’s why quite a bit of time passed.

Just listening to his bragging, for that one reason.

“By now, has he met them?”

He hurried off, saying it was late. He must have gone to see them.

Even while talking, he was fidgeting or tapping his fingers, showing how eager he was to see them.

‘What should I even say?’

The meeting itself was something she forced a bit to make happen. Having failed, she’ll surely hear a word from her parents.

She booked a hotel in part because she didn’t want to go home.

‘I just want to hold on to this feeling… A little longer.’

Elementary school days.

A boy who was a brief escape for her, living a life of scheduled time while attending numerous academies.

It felt like becoming a dolphin.

After a long time.

Like a dolphin surfacing to breathe after a very long time.

Before diving back into the deep, deep abyss.

Take a long, deep breath.

“Sigh.”

“Ah, I feel like I’m really going to die.”

On my back is Yu Arin.

To my left is Seo Yerin, and to my right is Choi Yiseo.

I heard they were going to drink, but I didn’t know they would drink this much.

They’re all leaning on me, unable to hold themselves up, and I thought they could handle their drinks better than this.

‘The fact that I went on a blind date today must have been quite a shock to them.’

I feel guilty, wondering if I made things hard for them.

“More importantly, give me some strength! I really can’t walk like this!”

I feel like my back is going to break.

Afraid I might get crushed, I sit them down one by one on the outdoor terrace of a nearby convenience store.

“Wow, what do I do?”

I should call a taxi, but I’m not sure if they can get home safely in one.

First, I’ll buy some hangover remedies from the convenience store and check on their condition.

I quickly went inside, bought them, and came back out.

“What? What did you say?”

It was just a moment, but a group of men had already gathered, targeting the girls.

Each of the three had a man clinging to her, and I was starting to feel really uncomfortable.

“Shut the hell up, you bastard.”

Yu Arin, pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, gritted her teeth and replied quietly.

That jerk was faking sleep on me!

Even though my back was killing me, did I really have to carry her like that?

For now, I stepped forward to push the guys away.

“Excuse me. Sorry, but they all have partners, so please leave.”

“What?”

“Partners? What partners? I saw you bring them here alone earlier.”

Maybe because they were drunk, they didn’t back down. The girls’ striking appearances were definitely part of the reason they weren’t backing off.

“Yes, they’re all mine, so please go.”

Speaking confidently with my shoulders squared, the guys stared at me blankly.

What do they want me to do? It’s not like I said anything wrong.

“This guy’s crazy, huh?”

“What do you mean they’re all yours? Hey, just take what you can handle.”

“Ha, what kind of porn did you grow up watching to be like this?”

“I’m capable. That’s the sort of person I am. I can go all day and still stay rock solid. Unlike you guys who go soft after one or two shots.”

I’ve been through this type of situation a few times, so I know.

In situations like this, talking like a lunatic is the most effective.

Look at them now.

They’re staring blankly because they didn’t expect this kind of talk.

I don’t have the confidence to win in a fistfight even one-on-one.

Let alone one-on-three?

Are you kidding me right now?

If it got to that point, it would be a fight to see how long I could hold out before the police arrived.

“So just get lost. You have no idea how fiercely they cling to me, do you? If you want to join, it’s going to take all day-!”

“What the hell is this bastard saying!?”

“There are things you can say to others and things you can’t!”

Yu Arin and Choi Yiseo jumped up and charged at me.

They started hitting me, but instead of feeling hurt, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Look at this! Look! Pretending to sleep while being awake! Forget it, hangover cure—ugh?! Wait, I’m getting hit!”

The two of them started cornering and hitting me.

The last one standing, Seo Yerin, suddenly shouted.

“Our Woojin can do it ten times a day?! And look at this, look at this! This huge—!”

“Hey, ugh! Hold on a sec! Stop her! What is she saying!”

Even though I yelled at Seo Yerin to stop, the two didn’t stop hitting as if they were in sync.

Anyway.

Those people left with a tired expression for some reason.

In the end, it was just the four of us left.

“It really hurts.”

I mutter while sprawled on the convenience store chair, looking up blankly at the moon.

It really hurts a lot.

My whole body aches, not just because of what was said earlier, but it seemed to carry the emotions from the matchmaking I went to today.

“…What did you do there?”

Yu Arin sits next to me.

She took my card earlier and bought Chocomong, sipping it noisily.

She handed me a Hershey’s chocolate milk when I reached out for the card, so I decided to just drink that.

“Didn’t do much.”

Then Choi Yiseo, sitting on the other side, asked.

“You went to your family home, right? How did you come back so suddenly?”

“I took a car. The chauffeur gave me a ride.”

Oh, they heard ‘chauffeur’, but I just moved on while drinking chocolate milk.

That wasn’t the important part.

“Did the matchmaking go well? How was the person? They’re famous, right?”

Seo Yerin, sitting in front, asked as if probing. Seo Yerin didn’t seem very skilled at this kind of probing question.

Her intentions were too obvious.

“I got rejected.”

The sweet chocolate flavor slid down my throat.

Why did everyone gather to drink today? The thought didn’t linger long.

I wanted to give as much assurance as the anxiousness I caused.

“I said I have three people in mind.”

Silence for a moment.

The three people, looking at me with blank expressions, seemed to have sobered up abruptly.

“And all evening, I only talked about you guys. Yes, I even forgot to contact you because of that.”

When would I get a chance to brag about them?

I just went on and on about them, and it got this late.

“So I wanted to see you. No, it’s not because of that. From the moment I first met that person, I just wanted to see you all.”

It was too late to take the bus, so I reluctantly borrowed a family car to come here.

Thanks to that, I could arrive even at this hour.

“Oh, it’s nice to see you all.”

Yes, it really is nice to see them.

I confess honestly while sneaking a look at their reactions. I was worried they might say I’m flirting with all three again.

The three of them kept their mouths tightly shut.

They started glancing at each other.

“What is it, why are you like that?”

In the chilly atmosphere, I wondered if there was a problem, then Seo Yerin glanced around and raised her hand to shout.

“Woojin, they said they’re going to give up on you now!”

“Hey, Seo Yerin!”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

What on earth is she talking about?

I alternated my gaze between Yu Arin and Choi Yiseo, feeling as if I had been struck hard on the head.

Seeing their awkward and embarrassed expressions, it didn’t seem like she was making it up.

“You, you said it too!”

When Yu Arin pointed at Seo Yerin and spoke, Seo Yerin laughed confidently.

“I said I would put it on hold. If it works out, I’ll meet him again.”

Look at him straightening his shoulders, claiming he laid the groundwork.

No, more than that.

“R-really?”

I ask with a trembling voice, and both of them avoid my gaze.

“Sigh, I see. So that’s how it is.”

I gently close my eyes.

“Since I said I wouldn’t hold you back.”

I had told the kids several times that I wouldn’t forcefully stop them from leaving.

Holding on to them against their will would really be crossing the line.

“I’ll accept it.”

I let out a long breath.

“I guess I’ll cry a lot when I get home today.”

I felt like I would really cry my heart out, maybe even with a drink. As I was expressing my melancholy, Choi Yiseo gently stroked the back of my hand.

“We felt like we were blocking your path. The person you went to meet was famous.”

“……”

This time, Yu Arin awkwardly mutters while patting my shoulder.

“Honestly, compared to someone like Choi Jin-ah, wouldn’t most people feel inferior?”

Their words made my tears retreat, and instead, I felt a bit angry.

“So, if there’s someone else who’s incredibly handsome, rich, and accomplished, would you go to them instead of me?”

At my words, the two of them seem to realize something, their eyes lighting up.

“Choi Jin-ah has a lot of money, is an award-winning famous musician, and is pretty? Why does any of that matter?”

It really didn’t matter at all.

From the start, I liked them not because I expected something else.

“I just liked you because you were you. That’s why I wanted to be with you. What, was it just me?”

I stand up abruptly, fuming.

“Ah, fine. Go ahead. If someone like Chan-woo hits on you, you’ll just give in, won’t you? Go on, go! Ah, damn, I’ll just go home and think about Jin-ah.”

As I was about to head back to the dorm, Choi Yiseo and Yu Arin each grabbed one of my hands.

“…Sorry.”

“Yeah, I guess we were thinking wrongly.”

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep sigh.

After releasing their hands, I turned to face them.

“I know I’m a trashy guy… But you three are so amazing that I am willing to accept it. No one else compares to you all.”

This time, I held both of their hands.

Neither pulled away, just awkwardly glancing at each other in embarrassment.

“I won’t stop you if you want to leave. But I think I’ll really struggle before letting you go.”

With a bitter smile, I said that, and the two hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

“Trash.”

“Jerk.”

Yet, they didn’t let go of my hands, which, in a way, was a form of acceptance.

I tried to hug them, but they immediately pushed me away.

“What? Isn’t this a hugging moment?”

“If only Arin wasn’t here.”

“I was going to say that. I don’t want to get tangled up with Choi Yiseo.”

“……”

Anyway, it seemed like things were settled.

“Then as a sign of reconciliation, let’s all sleep over at Woojin’s place!”

Seo Yerin suggested quite an appealing idea while hugging me from behind.

Sneaking into the dorm is no problem now that I’ve mastered it.

Swallowing hard, I looked at the two in front of me, surprisingly, they didn’t seem inclined to refuse.

But Choi Yiseo firmly warned.

“But, we’re just sleeping. Nothing more than that.”

“Agreed. It was an accident with three of us tangled up, but four is really too much.”

“…Wasn’t it supposed to be make-up sex?”

With a sullen look, shoulders drooped.

Yet, the two were immovable.

If that’s the case, there’s another way.

“Then I’ll say this. Don’t get me excited. The moment I get up, I’ll go for it right away.”

“……”

“……”

It was serious.

Utterly serious.

The moment anyone rises, it’s war from then on.

“Then just do it with me! We’ll put the others to sleep next to us!”

Seo Yerin, who was piggybacking on me, smiled and suggested. Doing it with Seo Yerin in front of Choi Yiseo and Yu Arin would be thrilling, but…

“Yerin, you have to go home.”

Unfortunately, Seo Yerin couldn’t come along.

“…Why?”

“Your mom contacted me, which is how I found you. She asked me to make sure you come home today.”

“……”

“I have to stay on good terms with your mom.”

It couldn’t be helped.

Postponing the idea of the four of us becoming one, I thought maybe the three of us could unite for now, but…

“Dismissed.”

Seo Yerin, who got off my back, coldly declared.

“Don’t do it. Don’t have sex without me. It’s not even logical for four people to sleep in a dorm at this hour.”

“You’re the one who suggested it.”

“You’re a perfect match for hypocrisy.”

“No, Yerin. That’s a bit…”

I felt like a husband making excuses after drinking. I tried various ways to persuade Seo Yerin, but…

“Erectile dysfunction, screech!”

Whack!

Seo Yerin’s kick landed precisely between my legs.

“Ugh, huh?!”

Clutching my lower body, I fell to my knees.

Breathing heavily, Seo Yerin warned ominously.

“I can’t have the dick, so no one else can.”

“Damn, you crazy woman!”

Oh, the pain!

The pain is overwhelming!