I am Smart

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“……? Thank you.”

Lee Da-ram said as she tapped the keyboard. It was a bit unusual, but not entirely strange.

“Hmm, that was a bit of a tricky nickname. Just a moment. Ah, this is it.”

Lee Da-ram copied the creator’s account.

“And oh, did we exchange contact info… this morning?”

Lee Da-ram mumbled while fiddling with Lee Seo-ah’s phone. However, upon hearing that, Lee Seo-ah’s shoulders tensed.

“Wait a second.”

Lee Seo-ah reached out.

But by then, Lee Da-ram had already accessed his contact details. Seeing that, Lee Seo-ah’s hand abruptly stopped.

“……”

Lee Da-ram’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at the screen.

Contacts arranged in alphabetical order. However, the only one listed separately at the top was.

[Favorites]

[Si-hyun Unni]

“……”

“……”

Lee Da-ram stared at her.

Lee Seo-ah broke out in a cold sweat and averted her gaze. Lee Da-ram let out a sigh and sent a message to Moon Si-hyun.

Then she cleared the search history and pressed ‘Delete for me only’.

It felt a bit wrong, but it was something not to mention to Lee Seo-ah just yet.

After that, we stopped by a nearby department store.

A luxurious lobby, bright white marble floors, and a wide-open ceiling up to the roof.

“I’m excited since it’s been a while since I came here!”

Lee Da-ram dashed around with her short legs as if she were a little kid. We wandered around various corners for a while.

Lee Seo-ah, standing next to me, looked like she had all her energy drained away.

It was blatantly obvious in her slightly hunched posture, something I hadn’t noticed before. It didn’t look good.

I stepped closer, placing my hand on her shoulder and back, giving her a gentle nudge. At that, Lee Seo-ah let out a “Guh!” and straightened up.

“Unni!”

Suddenly, Lee Da-ram called out from afar. She had found herself in front of a clothing store.

“Unni, please check out that outfit.”

“Hmm. I’m not really good with clothes, though.”

“Uh? That doesn’t seem right! Let’s go together. Seo-ah, do you wanna join us?”

“Uh? Uh-oh.”

It’s important for guys to notice too—muttering, Lee Da-ram led us towards the fitting room.

With an armful of clothes, Lee Da-ram closed the curtain. I could faintly hear the rustling of her changing behind the single curtain. Lee Seo-ah took a step back. I did too.

I wasn’t really interested in clothes. Whether in the past or now, I always just wore simple black outfits.

It seemed to be the same for “Moon Si-hyun,” as most of her wardrobe consisted of black clothing too.

… However, unlike me, most of her dresses and pants clung tightly, which was a bit troublesome.

– Whoosh

Lee Da-ram pulled aside the curtain.

She was wearing shorts.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Pretty nice.”

“…… That’s okay.”

– Whoosh

Long pants.

“How about this one?”

“Not bad.”

“…… That’s fine.”

– Whoosh

Overalls.

“How about this?”

“Looks great on you.”

“…… That’s okay.”

… I felt bad for Lee Da-ram, but that was the best evaluation I could give, as I didn’t really know the exact names of the clothes. Still, I could tell if something suited her or not, so I tried my best to respond enthusiastically.

Lee Da-ram seemed satisfied with just that.

“Hehe. – But Seo-ah, your evaluations have been the same since earlier?”

“Well, what am I supposed to say then?”

Lee Seo-ah’s voice dropped as she hung her head.

But since those weren’t negative comments, Lee Da-ram seemed pleased as she hummed happily and went back in—

– Whoosh!!

As soon as the curtain closed, it was flung open again. I was startled, and my shoulders jumped.

“Unni.”

“Uh, yes?”

“You should try picking out some clothes too. I want to see yours!”

“No, I’m fine, really…”

Yet, under Lee Da-ram’s persistent requests, and with Lee Seo-ah’s curious gaze, I randomly picked out some clothes and went into the fitting room.

The rectangular fitting room had mirrors on three sides.

I turned my eyes away from the mirror side and glanced at the curtain.

It wasn’t that I particularly disliked it, but I wasn’t fond of looking at reflections.

I remembered a senior who was about to join the military, fussing over their short hair while crying buckets.

People can get depressed when something that made up their identity disappears.

If hair can affect someone like that, how would I feel with my entire body changing? It wasn’t as bad as the senior, but on some sleepless nights, it sometimes got to me. … And, on my cycle, too.

Not a memory I wanted to dwell on. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, turned back to the curtain, changed, and then pulled it aside.

“…… Wow.”

“……”

Lee Da-ram gasped, surveying me from top to bottom. Lee Seo-ah discreetly glanced over at me without saying a word.

… Even though they were kids, I felt slightly embarrassed. The clothes clinging to my body felt tighter all of a sudden.

“Honestly, Unni looks good in anything… Even without makeup, it seems a little unfair… But anyway, you look pretty! Ah? But Unni, have you never worn a skirt? I’ve never seen you wear one.”

“Um. I’m a bit…”

Skirts are a little…

I had thought about it before, but I had deliberately avoided skirts even with those random clothes I picked out.

Then, thinking about it, didn’t Lee Da-ram not wear skirts either?

I suddenly became curious.

“Hey, Da-ram, don’t you wear skirts?”

“Y-yes!?”

Lee Da-ram looked completely startled at that moment.

“I-I don’t think I suit them very well. I’m a bit… like a guy, you know…”

She averted her gaze, twirling her hair nervously.

“… Like a guy?”

That was a bit unexpected. I casually examined Lee Da-ram’s features.

Round, crescent-shaped eyes, with a small and rounded face that was neatly set up.

She always dressed androgynously and plumply, but there was no impression of masculinity in her physique at all, even with the occasional silhouette showing.

If I had to nitpick, it might be her short hair. However, that too was feminine-looking.

“I never thought you looked like a guy.”

“N-no!?”

Lee Da-ram gasped again in surprise.

“R-really…?”

Lee Da-ram fidgeted with her hair, looking even more flustered than usual. Her face seemed slightly flushed too.

“Then, um, should I try out wearing one? While we’re at it. Since I picked some… yeah.”

Lee Da-ram said and picked out some skirts. It looked like she had her eye on a few as her picking path was quite short.

She took the skirts into the fitting room.

From there, I could hear the sound of fabric was much more flouncy than before. After a little while, Lee Da-ram opened the curtain.

“Uh… how do I look…?”

She appeared wearing a black skirt that exposed a little below her thighs. Lee Da-ram was holding the hem, squeezing it around her thighs as if she felt a bit bare.

“……”

I stared at her for a moment.

Then, I opened my mouth.

“Yeah. It doesn’t suit you.”

“It doesn’t… suit me.”

“Oops!?”

Lee Da-ram ended up bringing multiple skirts back, almost as if she was frustrated. This was a completely different attitude from earlier when she said she couldn’t wear skirts at all.

It was just that the initial black skirt had clashed with her image, while the brighter skirts suited her more. Lee Da-ram retreated looking satisfied after hearing my acknowledgment.

Lee Da-ram bought a few outfits that Lee Seo-ah and I particularly praised. I also purchased a few clothes strongly recommended by both Lee Da-ram and Lee Seo-ah.

I wasn’t particularly interested, but I had some extra cash lately. So, yeah.

Afterward, Lee Da-ram and I came out of the clothing store each holding several shopping bags. I had asked a few times, but in the end, Lee Seo-ah didn’t wear or buy anything.

Then, hearing Lee Da-ram chatter away, just as we were strolling through the mall—

– Tap, tap

“Hmm?”

“Uh?”

Suddenly, the shopping bags in my hands felt lighter. I turned around.

Lee Seo-ah was holding both Lee Da-ram’s and my shopping bags in her hands.

“… It’s because I’m a guy.”

Lee Seo-ah said, looking specifically at me.

“Ooh~ Oh~~ This is nice! Hehe!”

Lee Da-ram suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Lee Seo-ah bowed her head deeply.

I had no idea how much of a strength difference there was between me and Lee Seo-ah.

However, it was clear that they both were considerate of each other despite the differences. It showed they had been raised well.

When Lee Da-ram wasn’t looking, I gently ruffled Lee Seo-ah’s hair.

“Wow. They have something new here.”

Lee Da-ram said. Hearing that, I turned my head. I spotted Lee Seo-ah.

Lee Seo-ah was increasingly quiet. I think it’s been about ten minutes without hearing her voice. Her posture was slightly hunched again. Her eyes lacked their usual sparkle.

“Seo-ah, is it heavy?”

“No, it’s not the clothes. I just find it hard to keep up with Unni’s energy level…”

“Hmm.”

I nodded. Certainly, the already high spirits of Lee Da-ram had intensified since we entered the department store. Even I felt slightly drained.

For Lee Seo-ah’s sake, should I propose we head out a bit earlier?

Just then—

– Standstill.

Lee Seo-ah’s footsteps halted. She seemed fixated on something. I followed her gaze.

– Standstill.

I stopped as well.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? … Ah.”

There was a doll store.

“Ah, so this is how they wrap things up here. But wait, if you do it like this—”

Lee Seo-ah muttered, staring intently at a doll. Gone was the lifelessness from earlier; her posture was now firm. The eyes that had seemed half-dead became very bright.

It was a side of Lee Seo-ah I hadn’t seen much before. Moon Si-hyun thought to herself, impressed. Indeed, people look their best when they’re involved in something.

On the other hand, Lee Da-ram had grown a bit quiet this time. That’s because it wasn’t her area of interest.

Moon Si-hyun picked up a doll, following Lee Seo-ah’s lead. She loved dolls. Not just loved, she adored them. However, she didn’t openly acknowledge it much.

Of course, she didn’t know much from a professional perspective. Still, she could definitely sense a difference between the dolls and those made by Lee Seo-ah.

The materials used, the design, the finishing. Even though they were both bear dolls, everything felt different from Lee Seo-ah’s.

After a while of inspecting the dolls, Lee Seo-ah suddenly shifted her gaze to Moon Si-hyun.

These dolls weren’t factory-made. This place received supplies from a well-known overseas workshop.

While she took pride in her own doll-making, these dolls were formidable contenders too. They exuded a certain ‘experience’ that Lee Seo-ah didn’t possess yet.

Moon Si-hyun found herself fixated on one particular doll, gazing intently at it.

“……”

Lee Seo-ah felt a slight unease. He hadn’t acknowledged it, but it was undoubtedly jealousy.

“Hey, me.”

That was the second time he had been called that today. It felt a bit odd. Moon Si-hyun turned her head toward Lee Seo-ah.

“What do you think about the doll? Compared to mine.”

She cautiously asked.

“Hmm.”

Moon Si-hyun seemed to ponder, staring into the void before looking back at the doll she was holding.

“I don’t want to compare since it’s going to be coming home with me, but…”

Moon Si-hyun paused, seeming deep in thought. Lee Seo-ah swallowed hard.

“I think they’re both incredibly beautiful.”

Moon Si-hyun said with a slight smile.

Upon seeing that, Lee Seo-ah’s expression brightened instantly.

An almost overwhelming feeling washed over him. Suddenly, he wanted to express that feeling in words.

“I’ll keep making beautiful dolls for you… forever.”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

In response to those words, Moon Si-hyun smiled and ruffled his hair.

Lee Seo-ah’s bed.

– Bang! Bang!

Lying on the bed, Lee Seo-ah suddenly realized he had said something immensely embarrassing earlier.

And to decipher the meaning behind that “Yeah, sounds good” from Moon Si-hyun, he had to stay awake all night.

After washing up and drying off, he crawled into bed with the bear doll he’d brought home today.

Rolling around with the bear doll, Little Bear, Black Stone, and the new kid.

“Hmph…!”

Lying on his stomach, he kicked his feet up in the air. Overwhelmed with happiness, he felt like he could burst.

He was wearing a suit, had an eyeglass on one side, and held a cane in his right hand.

This kid’s name? Yes. Let’s go with Fashionista.

“…… Hey, Fashionista.”

He spoke, and suddenly the doll appeared unbearably cute.

He rubbed his face against it eagerly.

After a bit, he pulled out his phone.

– Moon Se-hyun

– Lee Da-ram

– Lee Seo-ah

Now, there were two more contacts added. Just that alone felt a bit off. Usually, he didn’t fill out contacts this easily.

A message was waiting from Lee Da-ram that she had sent to Lee Seo-ah’s number about creating a VTuber model. The introduction of that account had the contact details listed.

– First and foremost, the most important thing is whether Unni can show affection. If so, you’ll also feel a sense of unity with that model, which will last longer. Oh, and it’s essential to match the viewers’ tastes. The direction should be something both you and the viewers would like, pretty and cute. Got it?

Lee Seo-ah recalled the advice Lee Da-ram had given him before they parted ways.

He thought it made sense.

A design that both the audience and I could love. There was something I had considered for a long time.

Recalling that in detail, he sent a message.

At the promised time, the phone rang. The man answered right away.

“Hello~”

[Hi, I’m calling about the inquiry for creating a virtual character model.]

“……”

He momentarily blanked out at the voice that came through.

Most VTubers have a nice voice. Since they don’t show their faces, they need another charm.

However, the woman on the other end surprised even a man already accustomed to high-pitched voices with her remarkable tone. Moreover, her natural politeness flowed seamlessly into her speech.

[…… Hello?]

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. Hello. Is this Moon Si-hyun, the one who contacted me today?”

[Yes.]

“Great. Well—”

They engaged in various work-related discussions. Talking about costs, approximate time frames, copyrights, and so on.

“And, I do need you to send a message about this, but could you share your desired design ideas in advance?”

[Yes, uh, first—]

Moon Si-hyun’s voice filled the phone for a while. The creator listened intently for several minutes.

However, the more he listened, the more his mouth fell open in disbelief.

[- That’s the kind of model I want.]

Moon Si-hyun’s words came to an end. A moment of silence followed.

Then finally, the man managed to open his mouth.

“…… Are you serious?”

It was the first time in the creator’s life that he made an impolite remark.