I am Smart

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It was a little after noon. Stepping out the front door and looking up at the bright sky, I could definitely feel that the broadcast had ended early today. Thanks to that, the complaints from the viewers were quite something.

Leaving those complaints behind, the reason I shut off the broadcast was one rather serious misunderstanding I had.

Rice cake…

“……”

The moment it came to mind, my face flushed red. That was a bit strange. In the past, I would have brushed it off without a second thought.

It must be because thousands of viewers were teasing me. Yeah. I nodded in understanding and stepped onto the walking path.

On either side stood trees with green leaves. The season that started as spring had quickly turned into summer. Time felt like it was passing much faster than before.

I walked slowly along the path. Whenever my thoughts got tangled up, I would take a walk.

The main reason for this walk was, of course, what happened with Hu-ji.

For some reason, that person said it might be prettier outside, but looking back, it nearly wrecked the path of a broadcaster.

Lately, I had been feeling the weight of my broadcast and myself creeping up on me more clearly, and this incident only reinforced that feeling.

I recalled the broadcasting statistics I had checked recently.

Pazzk had about 30,000 followers now, and the viewership count for my broadcasts hovered around 2,500 at a low point. Typically, it never dropped below that.

My earnings from broadcasting had now far surpassed my part-time job’s salary.

What I had started lightly at the suggestion of Lee Da-ram had rapidly grown, and my world in this internet realm was expanding.

From the gameplay videos I occasionally pop up in on YouTube algorithms, to the steadily increasing viewers, and friends in Fiore—Squirrel, Cactus, San-deng, and Hu-ji.

What was once a light pastime had now started to feel like a job.

The broadcast times had naturally turned into an implicit agreement to be early every morning, except on days with existing part-time work, and I wanted to keep talking as much as possible during broadcasts.

In short, a sense of responsibility was gradually forming. I also became more attentive to viewer feedback.

The most common topic lately was, of course, whether I would set up a YouTube or community channel.

Putting money aside, I wanted to accommodate everything the viewers wished. After all, it was thanks to them that I could enjoy my leisure time.

However, the problem was that I didn’t know much about that stuff.

I wasn’t close enough to anyone to ask about such personal matters. I had no face to ask Hu-ji, and with Cactus and San-deng, we only exchanged light greetings when we happened to meet in games.

San-deng was quiet, and while Cactus occasionally sent affectionate ‘ㅎㅎ’s, it didn’t feel like we had reached the level of personal conversation yet. Moreover, after what happened with Hu-ji today, I felt even more careful about approaching anyone.

So there was only one person I could ask for advice. I took out my phone to check the time. Around 2 PM. Since today was Wednesday… Hmm, guess I’ll finish early. Yes, I could take this chance for a walk.

With my mind made up, I nodded.

*

The bell rang, attention, salute, thank you for your efforts. Classroom of 1st Year Class 2.

Unlike the several excited students buzzing with the thrill of freedom, the girl sitting at the very back of the classroom remained quiet. She had a petite frame with short hair, light brown hair, and light brown eyes. It was Lee Da-ram.

It was now around the time when the first semester of 1st Year was passing. It was a period where students who felt awkward meeting for the first time could open their hearts and become closer.

But she remained isolated in class.

Lee Da-ram put her pencil case in last and zipped up her bag. At that moment, a few pairs of indoor slippers approached and stopped at her periphery.

At that, Da-ram lifted her gaze. Several students stood awkwardly in front of her, three boys and two girls—a mixed group.

“Um, Da-ram, do you have time today?”

The tallest boy at the front asked, slightly nervous despite his robust frame.

“Uh, sorry. Hehe… I’m a bit busy today.”

Lee Da-ram apologized with a smile. They exchanged waves, and she shouldered her bag and left the classroom.

They watched her for a moment, blankly.

“That’s a shame.”

“Yeah…”

“Yep.”

Lee Da-ram usually had no trouble having conversations with her classmates. Anyone who spoke to her would get a smile in response, and they would occasionally share interests.

She certainly had a cute appearance, and quite a few boys had an interest in her.

However, whether boys or girls, whenever someone asked her to hang out after school, she would always politely decline.

It was as if an invisible barrier surrounded her.

“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s go among ourselves.”

The girl next to the bulky boy said.

They left the classroom and went down the central staircase. A little in front, they could see Da-ram’s small head. It inadvertently became a scene following Da-ram.

Third floor, second floor, and then the first floor. They emerged from the stairs and now were on the sports field.

Da-ram continued walking toward the school gate while pressing the power button on her phone. They could see her phone booting up.

She operated her phone, letting out a sigh as if slightly tired.

Then, tilting her head and pressing the center of the screen, a white screen popped up.

And then—

– Thud.

Da-ram suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“……?”

She slowly lifted her head. Reflexively, they also followed Da-ram’s gaze. It was directed at the school’s main gate.

Standing in the center of that gate was a girl.

“Hey, isn’t she super pretty?”

“Where? … Wow. Damn. Hey, stop playing on your phone and look over there.”

“Who is she here to pick up?”

“Um, it’s definitely not you.”

“At first, I thought she was a celebrity. Heh.”

“Wait, isn’t she really a celebrity?”

Several conversations had already begun around that girl.

They didn’t realize that they were still staring at Da-ram, but several other groups of students had been whispering about the girl standing alone at the gate for a while now.

Without a doubt, she had proportions and looks that shone brightly even from dozens of meters away.

Da-ram stared at her for a moment, then suddenly dashed over. She waved her hand and shouted.

“Unnie!”

None of the students could hear Da-ram’s excessively excited voice.

With Da-ram’s loud shout and the strikingly beautiful outsider standing next to her, even more gazes were drawn toward Da-ram and her.

In an instant, Da-ram reached the girl, briefly chatting shoulder to shoulder, and then they walked away together, disappearing from view.

They were too far to hear any conversation.

However, she looked brighter than any expression they had seen before.

“……”

As they gazed at Da-ram, whose first sighting had been so different, one of them said.

“…… Hey.”

“Ah!!”

The girl next to the bulky boy let out a cold voice and pinched his side hard.

“Ouch! It really hurts!! No, I just saw it. For real, just saw it. But you saw it too! No, wait. I’m sorry— Aah!!”

*

“Heh… Huh…”

Da-ram panted heavily. Having already run and lost her breath, the sudden visit from Moon Si-hyun had excited her so much that she kept talking and wound up even more exhausted.

“Da-ram. Are you tired from running that short distance? We need to exercise together.”

“I-I don’t need to exercise.”

“Why?”

“I’m, um, a gaming body.”

“A gaming body? What’s that?”

“A body specialized for gaming. My efficiency right now is just perfect.”

“……What does that even mean—”

The two continued their pointless chatter as they walked along the commuting path. Da-ram, still thrilled, chattered away to Moon Si-hyun about various topics.

Why she had come all this way, how she had walked here even though it was farther than she thought from her unnie’s house, and whether she had time to play with her in the future.

As they chatted, naturally the topic Moon Si-hyun wanted to ask came up.

“− You want to start a YouTube channel or a community?”

“Yeah. I feel like I need a way to communicate with the viewers.”

“Um! That’s a totally good idea.”

At those words, Da-ram’s eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands once.

“I was just going to mention it. I mean, I’ve grown, but you’ve grown tenfold, right? So, there must be lots of people waiting for you, so I highly recommend you create a community. You’re talking about a Neighborhood Cafe, right?”

“Yeah.”

Moon Si-hyun nodded with a slightly flustered face.

A few days ago during a broadcast, she had mistakenly understood her viewers’ request for a Neighborhood Cafe as just a café and had ended up being teased a lot by her viewers.

“I have a café too. It’s small, and I have a YouTube channel… and also, I wanted to ask you about broadcasting. Can we go to the café and talk?”

“The café sounds good.”

When she heard that word, Moon Si-hyun’s voice rose slightly. Da-ram could certainly feel that subtle pitch change after having seen Moon Si-hyun for a long time.

Moon Si-hyun remembered the café she wanted to visit in this area and the desserts she wanted to eat there. She told Da-ram to go there.

“Yes, unnie! Let’s go to a nice place.”

“Yeah. But, you want to ask me something? I think you know way more than I do.”

“Uh…”

Hearing Moon Si-hyun’s puzzled words, Da-ram slightly twirled her hair before opening her mouth.

“Uh, it’s a bit awkward here… I’ll tell you at the café.”

*

“Customer number 87, your order is ready…”

A dying voice. Hearing that, Moon Si-hyun quickly approached the counter with rapid steps.

“Thank you.”

After bowing, what Moon Si-hyun brought back was a very large parfait. She ordered two of those.

One for Da-ram and one for herself.

If Da-ram left any, she thought she would eat it.

Taking a big bite of the parfait, fireworks exploded in her head. She enjoyed it in silence for a while. Da-ram was smiling and looking at her.

A few minutes later, when that large parfait in front of Moon Si-hyun was already half gone, she delicately wiped her mouth with a tissue.

Da-ram looked at her with a glimmer in her eyes. Aware of that gaze, Moon Si-hyun met Da-ram’s eyes and spoke.

“So, Da-ram, what do you want to ask me? Or should I speak first?”

At that sudden question, Da-ram’s shoulders lifted slightly. Then, while fiddling with her hands, she opened her mouth.

“Ah, no. I’ll ask first… um…”

Da-ram seemed a little shy and fidgety. Moon Si-hyun smiled slightly at her clumsy attitude.

“Ask anything. I’ll answer everything I know.”

At those words, it seemed Da-ram had made up her mind, nodding before opening her mouth.

“Um, what should I do to look feminine like you, either normally or during broadcasts?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“What did you say?”

After a brief silence, it was Moon Si-hyun’s bewildered voice that finally came out.