I am Smart

---

Lee Ye-rim was a born hard worker.

She loved the very act of effort and the sense of achievement and feeling that came through the process.

On days when her schedule was free, just lounging around left her feeling empty.

So, unless on specific days, she rarely took a break.

She worked hard to achieve her goals, rejoiced when she reached them, then set new goals.

This positive cycle had continued until now.

Despite being only 17 years old, Lee Ye-rim had accomplished various feats through relentless effort.

She had been studying and exercising since she was young.

And recently, she had been showing her prowess in the game and internet broadcasting she had fallen deeply in love with.

It all started when she was drawn into Fiore’s ranked matches, where the more victories she achieved, the greater the sense of accomplishment.

Then, she stumbled upon the broadcasts of “Garbage Fighter One-Champ Moon Si-hyun” through YouTube’s algorithm.

Through Moon Si-hyun, she learned about VTubers and thought, “I want to give it a try, too.”

After conducting a survey and countless practice sessions, she applied to join Satori’s VTuber group and got accepted immediately.

This led to her receiving an invitation to participate in the Demons Competition, which she eagerly accepted.

In the meantime, she hadn’t neglected her studying and exercising.

All of this came from Lee Ye-rim’s strong willpower and desire for self-improvement.

However, amidst all this, she experienced a slight loneliness.

Although there were many longing gazes from those around her, there wasn’t much shared understanding.

There were no peers around her who worked as hard as she did.

The connections she found through internet broadcasting were… especially so.

Even her friend Lee Da-ram, who had grown particularly close due to being the same age.

And recently, after getting to know Moon Si-hyun in person… that was probably the case as well.

Of course, that didn’t mean she looked down on Da-ram or the yet-to-be-familiar Moon Si-hyun.

Everyone’s aspirations were different. Not everyone started from the same position.

And at this moment of reflection…

“…… Huh? Huh?”

Lee Ye-rim fell into a severe cognitive dissonance.

She repeatedly checked the answers to the problem, alternately looking at Moon Si-hyun in disbelief.

Of course, such behavior wouldn’t change the outcome.

What was supposed to make sense to her presented a wholly unreasonable situation, while Moon Si-hyun’s expression remained calm.

She didn’t know why, but Lee Ye-rim was aware that Moon Si-hyun possessed quite a bit of knowledge. Yet, she had just vaguely assumed, “Maybe she heard a lot when she was young?”

It wasn’t easy to think of someone who often showed a clueless demeanor as particularly intelligent.

Korea University’s VTuber RP, claiming to be smart was also part of the RP.

But to get the problem correct like this…

‘Could she have guessed it?’

Lee Ye-rim thought to herself as she checked her answer sheet.

‘… No. There’s no way she’d have just guessed.’

From the start, the reasoning for the answers she mentioned for questions one and three matched those on the answer sheet.

Lee Ye-rim muttered a bit more foolishly to herself…

Until she finally managed to speak.

“…… Sis. How did you know this?”

“I solved it in the past.”

“……?”

However, Moon Si-hyun’s nonchalant reply only led to more confusion for Lee Ye-rim.

“You solved it in the past? Solved? Solved…?”

It wasn’t a mere mental calculation in an instant; she was saying she remembered a problem she had solved before.

The answer was simply strange. The more she mulled it over, the weirder it became.

Because Moon Si-hyun claimed she remembered problems she had solved a long time ago.

‘Is that even possible? …… No.’

… It wasn’t entirely impossible theoretically.

“These are collected math multiple-choice problems from the CSAT from the past few years, right? They seem relatively easier, considering the grade level.”

“……”

Lee Ye-rim stared blankly at Moon Si-hyun.

“……”

That gaze, which had appeared oddly dull until just now, suddenly looked sharp.

Moon Si-hyun’s casually thrown words were accurate.

What Lee Ye-rim held was a compilation made by the academy that gathered CSAT past papers and selected them to fit the level of her class.

Thus, if Moon Si-hyun had memorized all of the math CSAT problems from the past few years, it was plausible.

Theoretically.

Still… it would be statistically impossible to just remember this specific problem among countless math problems.

Of course, that didn’t seem feasible.

Swallowing her frustration down,

Lee Ye-rim covered the answer for another question and showed it to her.

“Sis. Then, do you know this one?”

“Number four.”

… Correct.

“Th-then what about this one?”

“Number three.”

Correct again.

“…… Then-”

Lee Ye-rim scrutinized Moon Si-hyun, almost examining her, as she pointed her fingers here and there.

Each time—

“Number one.”

“Numbers two and three.”

Moon Si-hyun immediately got all the problems Lee Ye-rim showed her right.

Lee Ye-rim’s expression turned grave.

“…… Sis. How do you know all of these?”

“I’ve been solving them as a hobby.”

“W-what kind of CSAT problems are a hobby… And you remember all of this?”

“Yeah.”

“…… How on earth did you do that?”

“Uh?”

Moon Si-hyun seemed unable to comprehend the question, pausing for a moment before nodding to herself.

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

And she simply said,

“I just memorized them.”

The words of a genius she’d only seen on YouTube spilled out.

“Eh? Ah…?”

Lee Ye-rim’s image of Moon Si-hyun flipped in an instant.

“Hey, Sis.”

Lee Ye-rim stammered as she tried to continue.

“You really are smart, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

Lee Ye-rim stared intently at Moon Si-hyun for a while.

… Meanwhile, as she looked at Lee Ye-rim’s expression, Moon Si-hyun casually uttered a sound similar to ‘Hmm’ that went unnoticed.

For a while, silence passed between them.

“Sis. So are you really—”

Just as Lee Ye-rim began to speak…

“Si-hyun unnie!”

Lee Da-ram’s voice echoed as she hurriedly approached with quick steps, followed closely by Kim Ju-yeon.

“Unnie! Ju-yeon unnie bought you a slice of cake!”

Lee Da-ram said as she presented the cake in front of Moon Si-hyun.

It was one of Moon Si-hyun’s favorite cakes, a strawberry whipped cream cake.

“Uh, um. I’m sorry, but I said I was fine.”

Moon Si-hyun said, her gaze still locked on the cake.

“It’s okay! I wanted to treat you!”

“-But……”

“Come on, unnie. Why aren’t you eating much today? Is there someone who doesn’t know you? Hehe, I’ll feed you. Here, ah~”

“…… Da-ram, there are other people here. If you do this… Ah—”

“Delicious, right?”

– Munch munch.

“…… Um.”

“Totally delicious, right?”

“Um.”

“How delicious is it?”

“…… Ummmm.”

“Phew. Don’t want to answer?”

“Um.”

“Hehe…! Got it, you’re so cute…”

Lee Da-ram said while ruffling Moon Si-hyun’s back.

Moon Si-hyun, obediently accepting the ruffling, nodded politely to Kim Ju-yeon and continued to eat the cake.

“……”

Lee Ye-rim’s eyes trembled.

The eyes that had seemed so sharp just moments ago were nowhere to be found.

All that remained was a woman purely enjoying her cake.

“…… Sis. Can you solve this one for me?”

Lee Ye-rim subtly approached Moon Si-hyun and showed her one of the leftover problems.

Moon Si-hyun swallowed the bite in her mouth.

“- Number three.”

“……”

… Correct.

Moon Si-hyun’s eyes sparkled with vigor once again.

*

Night had completely fallen now.

Lee Da-ram was tapping away in the group chat labeled “Family ♥”.

Kim Ju-yeon politely asked for Lee Ye-rim’s permission through her phone, held in both hands.

Finally, with a smile, she said, “You’ve allowed me,” and handed her the phone.

And just after everyone sat down—

“……”

Kim Ju-yeon, in her original seat, sipped her newly bought hot chocolate while glancing quietly at the scenery in front of her, which was markedly different from before.

In the center was a slightly awkward-faced Moon Si-hyun.

On either side of her were Lee Ye-rim and Lee Da-ram, sticking to her tightly.

It was no oddity for Lee Da-ram to be clinging to Moon Si-hyun in the first place.

But…

“…… Ye-rim? Why did you move there?”

“Um, I wanted to see this spot too.”

Lee Ye-rim had also shifted her seat to the opposite side following Lee Da-ram, now somewhat sticking close to Moon Si-hyun.

With her head closely pressed against Moon Si-hyun’s shoulder, nibbling on a cookie was Lee Da-ram.

Lee Ye-rim, with her legs closely together and hands placed firmly on her knees, leaned her weight forward, gazing intently at Moon Si-hyun.

As they breathed together, their shoulders gently brushed against one another.

Moon Si-hyun seemed to be deliberately avoiding looking at Lee Ye-rim on the left, sipping her drink until finally—

“…… Ye-rim. Isn’t this… a bit close?”

“Eh? Is it? But unnie, how did you—”

She started mumbling with her characteristic bright voice while staring directly at Moon Si-hyun.

“……”

Lee Ye-rim, displaying her true emotions, was watched with a feeling of strangeness by Lee Da-ram, who clung tighter to Moon Si-hyun.

Lee Ye-rim, seemingly unfazed, gazed at Moon Si-hyun with wide, sparkling eyes.

‘…… Did something happen when I wasn’t around?’

Kim Ju-yeon sensed indications of this, but while observing the suddenly much closer Lee Ye-rim, she thought,

‘She’s never shown me that kind of cutesy behavior.’

Lee Ye-rim’s gaze towards Moon Si-hyun was mixed with both curiosity and admiration.

‘…… What’s different?’

Lee Ye-rim had looked at Moon Si-hyun with far more affectionate eyes than that of admiration.

Yet, Lee Ye-rim attempted to hide it, knowing it wasn’t appropriate for her age.

Kim Ju-yeon, having received such treatment longer than Lee Ye-rim had, immediately sensed it.

As she pondered various differences between herself and Moon Si-hyun,

‘Could it be?’ she thought, glancing at the comparison between her looks and Moon Si-hyun’s, which involuntarily made her shoulders droop slightly.

“…… Huh……”

With a touch of betrayal, Kim Ju-yeon sighed deeply and quietly.

*

Thus, after a little more time alone with one person, the moment to part truly arrived.

“Thank you so much. Really… It’s all because of me—”

Lee Da-ram bid farewell to everyone with an unreadable expression.

Then, they exchanged farewells with one another, and soon it was Moon Si-hyun’s turn.

“Unnie, thank you for coming. Really… it was so uplifting. Let’s work hard together tomorrow.”

“Unnie, I had so much fun meeting you! Let’s fight hard tomorrow! Ah, and could you give me your phone number? Ah… You can’t? Yeah… yeah! It’s fine; we can just use Discord! Please definitely give it to me next time!”

After exchanging farewells with Lee Da-ram and Lee Ye-rim,

Next came the unspoken turn of Kim Ju-yeon.

“Um, Si-hyun.”

“Yes.”

“……”

Kim Ju-yeon stepped a bit closer to Moon Si-hyun and locked eyes with her.

Even in high-heeled shoes, she had to look up at her face.

Her elegantly closed lips held a serene poise.

And her large, sharp eyes bore no trace of foul sentiments.

That beautiful impression and glance seemed like they could see right through her heart.

A moment of breath caught in her throat, as Kim Ju-yeon remembered her prejudices against Moon Si-hyun until just earlier today.

And she recalled Moon Si-hyun’s proper behavior today, as well as the ways she engaged with Lee Da-ram, Lee Ye-rim, and herself.

‘…… She’s just a genuinely good person.’

With a soft smile, she thought.

Kim Ju-yeon finally spoke.

“Si-hyun, it was nice meeting you today. Let’s give it our all at the Demons Competition tomorrow.”

“Yes, thank you. Please be careful going home, Ye-rim and Kim Ju-yeon.”

“…… Uh.”

‘Thank you,’ Kim Ju-yeon was about to cut off her words when—

“…… But, Si-hyun. Doesn’t it feel weird to call you ‘Kim Ju-yeon’? It sounds too stiff.”

“…… Um, I don’t mind—”

“Just call me Ju-yeon unnie.”

“……”

In that moment, everyone’s attention focused on Moon Si-hyun’s mouth.

Intrigued by their unconscious memories, curiosity stirred.

Thinking back, it made sense.

None of them had ever seen Moon Si-hyun call someone ‘Oppa’ or ‘Unnie.’

She always addressed even younger people like Lee Da-ram and Lee Ye-rim in respectful language.

And she treated those older than her with the same courtesy.

“Uh……”

Moon Si-hyun, caught off guard by the suddenly concentrated gazes, looked blank for a moment.

Then, she suddenly lowered her gaze, mumbling,

“Uh, um… I’m not used to things like that. Just give me a little time… you can just call me by my real name, Kim Ju-yeon.”

As Moon Si-hyun said this, there was a slight sharpening of her gaze as if mixed with shyness.

“……”

Kim Ju-yeon stared blankly at Moon Si-hyun, who looked away, her ears blushing fiercely.

“R-right. Si-hyun, see you tomorrow.”

As Kim Ju-yeon thought about why Lee Da-ram and Lee Ye-rim had stuck so closely to Moon Si-hyun…

‘She’s so cute…’

She felt a slight understanding of it.

*

And then, the next day.

The day of the competition, long before it was set to start.

―――

tlgus123 has started broadcasting.

Harris has started broadcasting.

Satori has started broadcasting.

Squirrel has started broadcasting.

―――

Coincidentally, all of their broadcasts began almost at the same time.

And soon after—

―――

Hako Virtual Minor Gallery

―――

Yesterday, did the girls from Moon Si-hyun’s team get together? [14]

Moon Si-hyun: Last night, the girls gathered and had a blast [55]

―――