Bamboo Forest Manager

Lately, I found myself zoning out often.

I was aware of it myself, but it was hard to shake off the feeling of being dazed.

“Are you not paying attention?”

That was the case even while I was working.

It was almost time for my part-time job to end, so people said I was slacking, but it wasn’t easy to get my head straight.

‘Why am I like this?’

Even when I asked myself, the frustration remained.

I knew the answer but didn’t particularly want to dwell on it.

It must be because of Seo Yerin.

I knew all too well that this was a disgusting feeling of obsession and possessiveness.

I had felt something similar with my ex-girlfriend.

Oh Yoon-ji complained to me that she thought only she had severe obsession and jealousy.

Actually, at that time, I was quite obsessed with Oh Yoon-ji.

When I thought about how I fell apart after she left, it wasn’t hard to see how tenacious I had been.

But feeling such emotions towards Seo Yerin…

“What are you doing?”

Yu Arin spoke to me as I stood there blankly holding the cart.

At least Yu Arin was someone who made me feel comfortable recently.

“A guy who used to be good at his job can’t even do that now. What use are you?”

She kept joking around every time she saw me.

“Let’s go, go.”

She moved her feet busily while pushing the cart.

But even as I pressed the elevator button, the complexity in my head didn’t go away.

Complexity.

Yeah, it seemed like the current state was best defined that way.

My mind was very complicated, feeling self-loathing, suffering, and jealousy.

‘It’s annoying.’

There were many times when I hated myself.

This time, it’s just one of those countless feelings of self-reproach.

I decided to let it just pass it over.

“They say we need to vacate this room?”

After work.

Yu Arin and I were at the hotel room where we had spent the night in the past.

The room given by my sister-in-law, who is also my eldest brother’s secretary.

I thought it might be useful, but in the end, I used it with Yu Arin only once.

I didn’t feel any regret.

Rather, I thought this room had served its purpose well enough.

Anyway, vacating the room wasn’t a problem.

“What are we supposed to do with this?”

The problem was the adult items inside. Seeing them piled up like a mountain made me click my tongue.

When I asked, Yu Arin scratched her cheek awkwardly and answered.

“They said to take them along?”

“……”

What are we supposed to do with these?

“First, let’s divide what you will take and what I will take.”

When I gave a thumbs-up and spoke, Yu Arin suggested with an annoyed expression.

“Can’t we just throw everything away?”

“Most of it is brand new, not even unwrapped. Plus, looking at the brands, a lot of these are really expensive.”

“How would Woojin know that?”

“……”

Pretending not to hear, I randomly grabbed something. Unfortunately, it was a squishy onahole, which felt rather disgusting.

“But it does seem expensive.”

Yu Arin nodded in agreement.

I was fascinated by the squishy texture of the onahole and was busy swinging it around.

“The Vice President wouldn’t use anything cheap.”

Suddenly, my body froze.

When I looked at Yu Arin to ask what she meant, she shrugged.

“They were going to use these themselves and then gave them to us. So, they might have used these too…”

“Ah, fuck!”

I screamed as I threw the onahole, which might have been used by my oldest brother, straight onto the floor.

Oh, shit.

There are depths in this world that one should never know, and it was true.

The tower of adult toys in front of me was something that should never have been built.

A Tower of Babel constructed by the corruption of modern times.

“Let’s just throw them all away.”

When I firmly said this, Yu Arin showed a slightly ambiguous reaction.

She had just suggested throwing them away, but now that she knew their value, she seemed somewhat tempted.

“How about we don’t throw them away but take them for now? We can sell them on second-hand markets like Junggonara.”

“Who would buy something like this on Junggonara?”

Even though there are some new ones, selling adult toys on a second-hand market like Junggonara seems a bit much.

Even Yu Arin herself seemed speechless upon reconsidering and kept her mouth tightly shut.

“No, but why do we have to handle this? It was just one pair of handcuffs that was used!”

When I shouted while lifting the handcuffs Yu Arin and I had used last time, her face turned red.

The way she squirmed was suggestive, making me think she was trying to seduce me.

I almost pounced on her.

“I’ll talk to my older brother about it.”

I immediately called the person directly involved in this situation.

We weren’t in the habit of calling each other often, but this needed to be cleared up.

After a few rings, my older brother’s voice came through.

• You’ve been calling me frequently these days. What’s the matter now?

His straightforwardness was just like him, so I went straight to the point as well.

“Shouldn’t you clean up the stuff you enjoyed in your room?”

• Room?

“You remember giving the room key card to Yu Arin at the C Building Hotel? Room 909. You’ve piled up adult products here.”

• What are you talking about?

“You really don’t know? Then who did your wife use these with? Should I take it as your wife cheated? Should I call Mom right now?”

• …Don’t do that.

“Why can’t you just admit you used them?”

• I didn’t use them.

“Sure, sure, you didn’t use them but packed them.”

• ……

“Damn, it’s true.”

A sigh escaped as I slapped my forehead. The items in front of me felt filthy.

“Ah, I really want to puke, but let’s finish this conversation first. What are you going to do? Take this away.”

• Use them as you please or sell them. Most of them are unused anyway.

“Just tell me. Which ones were used? I’ll throw away the ones that were unwrapped.”

• ……

“…You shouldn’t be the vice president.”

• Among my peers, I’m considered quite clean. Here, having at least three or four partners is the norm.

I wanted to call them bad guys, but I couldn’t because I met Arin’s eyes.

I’m in no position to criticize anyone about relationships.

• But your stomach is full.

“What now.”

Look at him changing the subject for no reason.

• From now on, neither your mother nor I plan to support you financially.

Yes, mom secretly gave me some pocket money to use without my brother knowing.

She secretly stashed it in my pocket to use as a slush fund.

• Then why don’t you try selling those things? There are many unopened items.

“So, you’re saying everything that’s opened has been used.”

• ……

Coincidentally, YunArin was organizing the opened and unopened items neatly.

“Who in their right mind would….”

I was about to say when suddenly.

“Wait a minute, this might actually work.”

After hanging up, I called Chan-woo and got someone’s number.

A few minutes later.

• Hello?

A somewhat androgynous voice.

Though it sent chills down my spine, I tried to maintain my composure.

“Do you remember me?”

• Oh, of course I remember. We had a good time that night.

“It wasn’t me, it was Chan-woo you had a good time with.”

I corrected the bald man, and he laughed but didn’t deny it.

Thank goodness.

“Do you buy adult products? I have some expensive, unopened ones here.”

I later found out from Chan-woo.

Surprisingly, the owner of the store where we bought the adult products was the bald man himself.

The man has quite the knack.

I even slightly suspect that he was the one who led our drunken selves there.

• Can you take pictures and send them?

“Sure.”

I told Yu Arin to come out, take photos, and send them.

The reaction was intense.

• Wow? Only expensive brands? Are you really just selling those?

“We’ll give you a bit of a discount since we know each other.”

They’re hard to get rid of anyway.

Even if it’s cheaper, getting some money is better than none, right?

• But what are those ripped ones next to them?

“Oh, those are used items.”

• …Did you use them?

Why does it seem like he’s smacking his lips?

Fucking annoying.

“Fucking annoying.”

• ……

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

• No, it’s understandable.

“But smacking your lips is a bit too much, isn’t it?”

• Sorry, I couldn’t help it. It was my mistake.

If he didn’t at least have good manners, I would have just cursed him out, but that’s not it either.

“It wasn’t me; someone else used them. Are you interested? They’re used.”

• Who used them?

“…Does it matter if you know?”

• Depending on their face, the price can drop or rise. Roughly a 0.5 to 1.5 times difference?

“Please wait.”

I immediately call my brother.

“Hey, I’m trying to sell your used onahole to a bald gay guy, can you send me a picture?”

• …What?

“I’m trying to sell that dirty adult toy you used, and the bald guy said he’d pay double if he saw your face. But I don’t carry your picture on my phone.”

• Don’t do that.

“You’re not going to send it?”

• Do you think I would?

Ugh.

“Can’t be helped then. I’ll just use the vice president’s picture from your company site.”

• …Just take care of it.

“It’s mine now, what are you talking about? If you don’t send the picture, I’m hanging up.”

• Double.

“Sir, your tongue is too long, so the price went up midway. 2.5 times.”

• Stop messing around.

“Okay, 3 times.”

• Hooooooo.

“Four times?”

• Let’s settle for 2.5 times.

“Ugh, forget it. What’s the point of taking that? I’ll just sell it to the bald guy to mess with you.”

• …Three times.

“Thanks, bro!”

• You really make me want to curse.

“Is that all your negotiation skills amount to, and you’re still a vice president? Give it up.”

• You son of a…

Click.

Damn bastard.

This is payback for the rude words you said to me last time.

“What did you decide to do?”

Yu Arin, who had finished tidying up, asked with a bright smile, and I responded by giving a thumbs-up.

“For unused items, a bit below the list price. For used items, three times the list price.”

“…How does that even work?”

I gave a big smile to Yu Arin, who seemed utterly confused.

“Shall we go eat some beef?”

“Beef!”

The questions she had just moments ago vanished, and Yu Arin, now focused on beef, hummed a tune.