I am Smart

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The day at the restaurant ended without a hitch, which is the best outcome for a manager.

As cleaning wrapped up and everyone chatted during the closing time, he clapped his hands loudly.

“Alright, everyone! Shift’s done! Good work today, now let’s head home~ Be careful on the way back, watch out for cars and people.”

“Yes~ Thank you for your hard work~”

“Thanks for your hard work!”

“Take care!”

With those words, the employees greeted each other and left the store one by one.

Moon Si-hyun, who had just finished washing the mop, bowed her head and tried to follow Lee Da-ram, who was heading out.

“Hm? Si-hyun, you need to stay a bit longer!”

At that, Moon Si-hyun turned back.

“…What?”

“Huh? Haha! How could you forget your payday? You discussed it with Da-ram when you came in.”

“…Oh.”

It was obvious that Moon Si-hyun’s ears turned slightly red. Unlike her usually quiet expression, her ears always showed her true feelings.

The manager chuckled and fiddled with his phone.

“Has the transfer gone through? Let’s check.”

Moon Si-hyun’s pupils slightly widened as she turned on her phone.

“It’s confirmed. Thank you. I will work even harder.”

Moon Si-hyun bowed her head as she spoke. Her neat and polite voice echoed in the empty hall.

Just as she was about to bow once more and leave,

“Si-hyun.”

The manager called her back again. When Moon Si-hyun turned around, he put down the phone with a smile.

“Si-hyun, I’m sorry, but could you check your account one more time?”

“…? Okay.”

At that moment, Moon Si-hyun’s eyes slightly widened. An additional 200,000 won had been deposited.

“This is…”

“It’s a bonus. This isn’t something just anyone gets at any time. Since this was your first part-time job and I’m really grateful, I’m giving it to you.”

“…Thank you very much.”

However, Moon Si-hyun briefly closed her lips, then reopened them.

“…Manager. But, I feel like I’ve done a bit… not so great of a job to receive this amount.”

“…Hmm?”

The manager couldn’t deny that. Moon Si-hyun wasn’t particularly good at her job, even in passing remarks.

But.

‘…She must know.’

The manager paused for a moment, resting his chin on his hand as he observed Moon Si-hyun’s expression.

He recalled the events of the past month concerning Moon Si-hyun and the influence she had in the store.

“Si-hyun, are you pretending to not know on purpose?”

“…?”

Moon Si-hyun tilted her head slightly in confusion.

A genuinely clueless look.

“No, no. Honestly, it’s just impressive to see you working hard at such a young age. Good job. Now hurry up and go. Da-ram is waiting.”

With a puzzled expression, Moon Si-hyun bowed once more and then headed outside.

The manager leaned against the counter for a moment, watching her through the glass door.

Moon Si-hyun slowly descended the steps of the store.

Once on the sidewalk, she looked around as if searching for someone. Then she turned her head to the left.

At that moment, something zoomed in from the side and stuck itself to her.

The manager stifled a laugh.

“Unni!”

As a voice came from beside her, something crashed into her. A few seconds later, a fruity scent wafted through the air. It was Lee Da-ram.

“…”

When I looked down in surprise, Da-ram was looking up at me with a grin while hugging me.

I worried because of yesterday’s events, but just like during our part-time job, Da-ram seemed genuinely fine. If anything, she looked brighter. Thank goodness.

…But there wasn’t any sign of her letting go. Was she planning to stay like this? I walked forward, but Da-ram clung on tight, following closely behind.

“…But Da-ram. Isn’t this too close?”

After walking a bit, I finally spoke up. We were close before, but this felt different.

“Uh, I don’t know~”

“…”

Da-ram mumbled. Even though my body had changed, my social sensibilities remained the same. What should I even say to break apart? I let out a small sigh and simply kept walking.

After a while, Da-ram shifted her position and stood up, crossing her arms. That felt a bit odd, but it was better than before.

“By the way, unni, you said today was payday, right? What are you going to spend it on?”

“I have to spend it wisely. Rent, management fees, food, and phone and Wi-Fi bills… After covering those essentials, all the remaining money will go into savings.”

I need to be meticulous with money management. It’s one of my strong suits.

“Um… Unni, do you really have to stick to that?”

Da-ram spoke with a slightly peculiar expression.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Umm…”

When I asked, Da-ram looked away, twirling a strand of hair.

“I don’t mean to say you definitely can’t do it, but something… Uh, never mind.”

“…What is it? Tell me.”

I pressed her a few more times, but Da-ram ultimately remained silent.

After walking for a bit, various topics came up. Da-ram rambled on about several things.

How there might still be some bad guys on the broadcast, so she would take a break before resuming; how much she enjoyed this part-time job; how blankets were essential for sleeping at school; among other things.

I listened quietly. It was our usual pattern of conversation.

Eventually, the topic shifted to Fiore.

“But how come you never lose your cool while gaming? I see but people always seem to complain about what you’re doing in-game.”

“Sometimes it feels unfair, but most of them just want to win, right? I can understand that.”

“Wow… Even understanding that, I bet not many can actually practice it.”

Saying that, Da-ram beamed with a bright smile.

“I really think you’re a good person, unni. You treat everyone well, and especially me… Hehe-”

Thud.

I froze mid-step. Da-ram looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you like this?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Come on. What is it?”

Da-ram continued her chatter, while I returned my gaze ahead.

The low angle of my sight, the length of my hair, and the pitch of my voice.

I felt the sudden shift of familiar things.

I don’t acknowledge any changes besides my mind and intelligence, excluding my body.

Yet, there is one change I cannot deny.

I briefly recalled my old self. The me from my student days. Finally, the me who took a leave of absence.

“…”

A slight dizziness swept over me. I shook my head.

…I then glanced around again.

Ah, I might just pass right by. I halted my steps once more.

“Da-ram. Let’s part ways here.”

“Huh? Isn’t home just a bit further up?”

“…I need to stop somewhere for a moment.”

“Oh. Are you going to that Doll Workshop?”

“…What?”

I hadn’t said anything about it.

“Uh, how do you know…”

“How could I not know… you always stare at it on your way back from work.”

Da-ram said this with a look of mild disbelief.

“…”

Did she catch me? I thought I had observed it secretly. My face heated up, and I fanned myself with my hands.

“…No.”

“What do you mean~?”

“I’m not going to look at dolls.”

“Oh, I see~”

Even though I denied it, Da-ram didn’t look convinced. She wore a mysterious smile all the way until we said goodbye.

The weekday operating hours of the Doll Workshop end at 6 PM.

But weekends are a bit different. At 8:30 PM, inside the softly lit workshop, a boy wearing an apron was busy sewing.

His eyes caught shadow moving inside a glass box. It was a familiar silhouette.

The boy approached and opened the door. The woman turned her head as if waiting for him.

“…Um, welcome. Would you like to come in?”

The boy’s awkward voice echoed inside the workshop.

“No, just looking around.”

“…Please don’t do that, I have a doll I’m making. Could you see it just once? P… please.”

“…If you’re asking, then sure.”

The woman spoke as if she had been waiting, and the boy stepped inside through the open door.

It was their unique secret that had been kept for a month.

Moon Si-hyun examined the doll made by Lee Seo-ah. It was an animal doll with black fur.

“Not bad.”

She spoke with her hand covering her mouth. While patting, she gently squeezed and pressed it.

Moon Si-hyun quietly gazed at Lee Seo-ah. Lee Seo-ah opened his mouth.

“The one from earlier is unfinished, but the one you’re holding is complete. The price for both is 50,000 won.”

“I’ll buy this one.”

“Huh?”

Taken aback by the unexpected response, Lee Seo-ah reflexively asked. Then he recalled the past.

Moon Si-hyun had been visiting once a week for the last month under the guise of ‘experimenting.’ Each time, she’d asked repeatedly about how to take care of the “experiment” dolls she had bought.

If something went wrong, could it be repaired? If she could touch it multiple times, could she hug it several times? And, just maybe, if by chance, would frequent contact of her lips with the doll’s mucous membranes cause discoloration?

Hearing all the answers she sought, she now feigned disinterest and wandered over to the displayed dolls.

She examined and touched the displayed dolls, opened and closed her wallet. Finally, she bowed in farewell and walked out the front door. Lee Seo-ah felt a tinge of regret while watching her.

That she, who had only observed them, suddenly decided to buy a doll was unexpected for Lee Seo-ah.

“It’s payday.”

Moon Si-hyun said.

“Ah…”

Lee Seo-ah understood.

…And then, she spoke.

“Are you sure it’s okay? Spending like that…”

Lee Seo-ah trailed off his sentence, filled with concern.

The fact that she could buy a doll worth several tens of thousands of won on payday because she couldn’t afford anything else indicated that she wasn’t in a particularly good situation.

…And another layer of concern weighed in, similar to Da-ram’s worries.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just save more than what I’ve spent.”

Moon Si-hyun replied as if it were obvious.

“…”

Theoretically possible, indeed.

‘…Possible, but…’

Lee Seo-ah didn’t know her well.

He knew that she wasn’t honest with her feelings and that her inner self was somewhat different from her exterior.

Yet for some reason, he felt a slight worry.

However, it wouldn’t be appropriate for an employee to pry into a customer’s personal matters. Lee Seo-ah moved toward the cash register.

“Are you paying by card or cash?”

“By card.”

“Card received. Thank you. Please sign here.”

Moon Si-hyun drew a pen and signed. A small bear shape.

– Beep

– Beep

There seemed to be an issue, as the transaction took a little while.

“…”

Lee Seo-ah felt his nerves becoming frayed.

Before long, Moon Si-hyun was so close he could feel her breath. Her breath carried a cool mint scent.

‘…Isn’t this too close?’

Whenever Lee Seo-ah instructed her on how to care for the dolls or explained things about them, for some reason, Moon Si-hyun kept closing the distance more and more. Within minutes, they were nearly pressed against each other. Their shoulders brushed slightly.

That intimacy still felt unfamiliar. His heart raced harder. Lee Seo-ah squeezed his eyes shut.

“H-here’s the card!”

Lee Seo-ah quickly handed over the card and stepped back. He rubbed his slightly ticklish neck.

Moon Si-hyun accepted it and then looked at the doll. She hugged it tightly and rubbed it vigorously. The doll’s fur softened, gently caressed by her touches.

Seeing that, Lee Seo-ah couldn’t help but smile.

Her subtle smile after a month of not seeing her was delightful.

After a while of petting the doll, Moon Si-hyun suddenly stared intently at Lee Seo-ah. Then, she looked at the doll, before returning her gaze with a lingering gaze.

This happened a few times.

“…?”

Just when Lee Seo-ah felt a sense of confusion.

Moon Si-hyun spoke up.

“Excuse me, clerk.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, could I pat your head once?”

……

“Excuse me?”

“Your head. Can I just pet it once?”

……

“Excuse me?”