I am Smart

---

Time passed quickly.

After waking up, the morning routine, followed by practice, and then disbanding at night.

As the seven of us gathered and repeated this for several days, we found ourselves on the eve of the actual battle.

[Yeah. Yeah. San-deng is a warrior, right? He has charge and provoke, right? Si-hyun, who can tank to some extent, has also joined, and the opponent’s backline is weak. So, at this time, it would have been better if you had just avoided taking hits up front and circled around instead.]

[Ah, okay. Thank you.]

[Harris, can you come in for a moment? Let’s adjust our timings for the light damage dealers by the riverside in the Sky Realm.]

[Yes!]

[For now, San-deng’s coaching ends here. And… Si-hyun? Si-hyun is… just… yeah. Do whatever you want.]

“Yes.”

As we became more comfortable with each other, we could point out mistakes, make requests more easily, and the time for casual chatter was reduced as long as the viewers allowed.

No one suggested or controlled any rules separately.

It naturally became so because everyone’s strongest goals aligned.

A strong passion aimed at one goal of victory.

Feeling the atmosphere again, my heart raced a little…

…it had been a while since I felt this way.

Especially in a group, having such pure excitement was rare.

Back when I was in facilities or school, I never liked many group activities that much.

As the number of people increased, there were more variables I couldn’t control.

Even with passion, if there wasn’t enough skill, it was meaningless. Rather, if the proportion of passion outweighed the skill, it would only be irritating.

A few can ruin many.

Sometimes, it might be better to strike hard if the situation aligns. There are times when it’s better for me to do twice the work.

But.

Right now… why didn’t I feel that way?

[Ah, San-deng, wait a moment? Squirrel, come in. And, ah, Si-hyun, could you come too? We’ll pick the wizard.]

“Yes.”

I received an invitation from Sansu and waited a moment.

―――

Moon Si-hyun V

Squirrel – – –

―――

However, the Squirrel didn’t receive an invitation even after some time passed.

[…… Squirrel? Squirrel?]

[Ah, ah? Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear. I’ll come in quickly.]

[No, no. Take your time.]

―――

Squirrel’s mood seems to be low lately.

Why does the Squirrel sound so down?

I’m a bit worried…

Squirrel has been out of it since a while ago.

Is Squirrel okay?

Looks like she’s having a tough time lately…

―――

“……”

Hmm.

After that, practice continued.

Practicing until 12 o’clock, we had a light lunch at the same time, took a short break, and continued again.

The more this routine continued…

[Nice!]

[Wow, that was epic, In-jang. Haha……]

[Should we acknowledge the resurrection carry?]

[Yeah, this time it’s really acknowledged.]

―――

Wow, 8 consecutive victories ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ

It’s devastating.

Now 6-man ranked is like a truck.

At this point, we might be able to compete for real?

―――

Our team coordination and individual skills had clearly improved.

[Hello? Oh, everyone did well. But can I ask Squirrel to come in for a moment? This is the situation we promised, Squirrel. Please don’t give shields to the tank; just take it on yourself and try to absorb it.]

[Ah, I’m sorry….. I forgot.]

[Don’t feel down like that. We’re all trying to be happy.]

[Yes……]

However, the frequency of Lee Da-ram being pointed out has noticeably increased lately.

[Yeah. If you fix this, everything should be fine. We’ll provide overall feedback later. Let’s run it again. Good luck.]

Eventually, Sansu went out, and we were now in a lounge that automatically connected while running the game.

Everyone was playing with the items they were assigned.

[……]

Lee Da-ram was huddled in the corner, looking dejected.

“……”

For a moment, I approached and gently stroked her.

[…… Unni……]

“Yeah, let’s hang in there.”

After a little more time passed…

[Okay, everyone.]

Someone clapped. It was Sansu.

[Let’s finish early today. It won’t be good if we keep pushing until the day of the match. If you have feedback, share it, and I’m just stepping out for a break, so feel free to ask any questions about strategies. Remember that it’s a tournament tomorrow, so don’t overdo it. Prioritize rest. Okay?]

Everyone responded with a ‘yes’.

[Let’s go, team! See you tomorrow.]

Sansu was the first to leave.

It was now 4 PM.

Good choice. I’ve seen many people ruin their performance due to fatigue by pushing themselves to the limit before tests or matches.

We spent a short time chatting and interacting with the viewers.

“I’ll end the stream for today. See you tomorrow.”

―――

Bbye

Bbye bbye bbye bbye bbye bbye

Moon Si-hyun hi

I don’t know what will happen, but I’m cheering for you.

Moon Si-hyun, fighting!!

I’ll support you.

I’m watching the Demon’s tournament because of you.

―――

As I gradually concluded my broadcast like others, I bowed my head again and ended the stream.

[Well then, I’ll take my leave now. Let’s do our best tomorrow.]

[See you tomorrow. Take care.]

“Yes. Take care.”

Then, San-deng and Squirrel left the call room.

Now, the ones left in the call room were Satori, Squirrel, Harris.

…and me.

[Ah, I’m getting nervous. Tomorrow is already here.]

[That’s right. I hope it goes well…]

[By the way, Unni, do you remember the clothes I said would suit you?]

[Ah, that one-]

“……”

My breath caught slightly again.

After practice and broadcasting ended, when San-deng and Squirrel left, an implicit atmosphere formed among them.

[Si-hyun, Da-ram, could you watch together for a moment?]

…No.

“…… Yes.”

It was our gathering.

We, or rather they, engaged in various conversations.

It was a gathering that had naturally formed over the past few days.

“……”

I wasn’t quite sure why I was included here, but before I knew it, it had turned into an atmosphere where it was hard for me to leave alone.

They seemed to have a sixth sense, as every time I thought of leaving, they quickly shifted the topic to keep me engaged.

And so their conversation flowed on, as if it were an unending spring.

When one topic ended, another would pop up. If there were no new topics, they’d just stretch out the previous ones.

Recently, we talked about how our residences are closer than we thought.

Then, they recommended their favorite secret dining spots nearby.

…Next was discussing the drama or movies they had been enjoying on OTT lately.

The topics varied, but the pattern was always similar.

But today, one thing was slightly different.

I waited for a moment when the conversation quieted down.

“Da-ram. Are you okay?”

I cautiously spoke up.

[[……]]

It seemed everyone faintly understood, as the conversation paused momentarily.

Unlike me, Da-ram had continuously participated in the chat, yet her voice clearly lacked strength.

[Ah, me? – I’m fine. Hehe……]

A light laugh from Da-ram, as usual.

But as her brow furrowed slightly…

[Ugh……]

“Da-ram.”

[Da-ram!?]

With that sound, the call room was enveloped in silence, accompanied by a flurry of activity.

Eventually, Da-ram came back.

She surely had almost retched.

But even so, Da-ram, perhaps not wanting to worry us, kept trying to smile and steer the conversation away.

“……”

…I didn’t feel too well.

“Da-ram.”

[…… Yes?]

“I wanted to meet you last time, but we couldn’t because of our schedules.”

[…… Yes.]

“How about meeting today?”

A bit late in the afternoon.

I stood quietly in front of the café where I had made plans.

It was a significant variable that Satori and Harris were coming, but the purpose of the meeting was purely to be there for Da-ram. It should be fine.

“…… Unni.”

When Da-ram finally arrived, her eyes were clearly puffy.

“…… Yeah. Let’s go in.”

First, I took Da-ram into the café, ordered our drinks, received the vibrating bell, and sat down.

Da-ram sat right next to me.

“…… Are you okay?”

I spoke quietly, gently stroking Da-ram’s hair.

Since I wasn’t accustomed to comforting, this was all I could do.

For a moment, Da-ram leaned her head against me and remained quiet.

“Unni, can I complain a little?”

“Of course. It’s not complaining. You can let it out.”

I said that, and a brief silence followed.

“…… Other… others.”

“Yeah. Take your time.”

“I think I’m really scared that others hate me… I’m so scared that the viewers or my teammates might hate me……”

“Yeah. I understand.”

“And that’s making me play poorly, and the more that happens, the more I get scolded by the viewers… It’s like a vicious cycle… Uh-huh.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. It’s alright……”

I continued to pet Da-ram, who was sticking close to me for a while.

I never learned what to do in situations like this.

But… I knew this worked well for Da-ram.

“……”

As she gradually calmed down, Da-ram’s breathing began to normalize.

“…… Unni.”

At that moment, Da-ram moved briefly away from me.

– Swish

Squirrel, still with a damp expression, stretched out her arms toward me.

“……”

…Is she asking for a hug?

I had now become a bit used to natural contact with Da-ram. When she leaned in, it was no trouble to embrace her.

However, just now… it was a somewhat awkward situation.

I quickly looked down at myself.

Today’s outfit was… rather snug.

I hesitated for a moment.

What should I do?

If I sat here together with Da-ram at the same level, with the height difference, hugging her might lead to a… somewhat embarrassing situation, no matter how much we knew each other.

As I thought about how to hug Da-ram without making contact in that area, an idea quickly crossed my mind.

This should work.

I half-bent my upper body and gently embraced Da-ram.

And then, a realization hit me.

“”……””

No matter how I hugged, there was no way to avoid contact.

Still, it felt awkward to just get up and leave from here.

Da-ram seemed to be okay with it, so I quietly stroked her back.

“…… Unni.”

“Yeah.”

“Your embrace is so warm……”

“…… Yeah.”

“…… I envy you.”

“……”

Usually, there were times I found it bothersome…

But if it comforts Da-ram right now… isn’t that a good thing?

“…… Unni.”

“Yeah.”

“But you’re not involved with San-deng, right?”

“Yeah…? Yeah.”

“Hehe……”

Da-ram smiled and snuggled deeper into my embrace.

“Is this it?”

“Mm, yes. This is it.”

Inside the luxurious foreign car, two girls looked around and spoke.

Satori, whose real name was Kim Ju-yeon, and Harris, whose real name was Lee Ye-rim.

“Let’s get out, Ye-rim.”

“Yes. Unni.”

In their private space, they felt comfortable calling each other by their names.

After all, they were close friends, and the relationship differed from the employee-employer dynamic in the corporate VTuber group.

“Is Da-ram going to be okay?”

“I hope so.”

The two had come together to check on Squirrel after Moon Si-hyun.

“But will Si-hyun be there too?”

With a slightly worried yet excited tone, Lee Ye-rim’s voice betrayed her excitement.

It seemed like she might have some other objective besides checking on Da-ram.

“Yeah. I’ve never seen them miss an appointment.”

Kim Ju-yeon vaguely answered while recalling the unpredictable Moon Si-hyun, parking the car and getting out with Lee Ye-rim.

As she looked back at Ye-rim, she then glanced down at herself.

‘Kids these days are growing…’

With that thought, somewhat confused, she followed Lee Ye-rim and soon arrived at the café.

The café at this ambiguous time between lunch and dinner was quiet, with only two women inside.

“Is that… Si-hyun and Da-ram?”

“It looks like that. I can’t see clearly because of the pillar.”

After a faint glimpse from a distance, they moved a little closer.

Kim Ju-yeon quietly swallowed.

‘What kind of person is Moon Si-hyun?’

Recently, they had become closer, and although she had come out of concern for Da-ram, she was also a bit curious about Moon Si-hyun.

It was natural to be curious about someone who had recently become a friend and who had caused a significant incident, whether intentional or not.

And the moment they were able to clearly identify them, peering around the slightly blocking pillar…

The moment they caught sight of something between the two,

“…… Wow.”

“…… Wow.”

Both let out sounds they couldn’t comprehend.