I am Smart

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“I’m asking if I can just pet your head once.”

“……”

At that moment, Lee Seo-ah’s brain short-circuited. It was a question so far removed from common sense, like a car suddenly crashing into the store.

To top it off, it was a conversation with a young woman I wasn’t familiar with, and even a normal chat was draining my mental energy twice as much as usual.

Yet, Moon Si-hyun’s expression remained completely unchanged. This left me more confused, unable to grasp her thoughts, and my young, squishy brain started to spin.

“……”

“……”

Silence hung in the air for a while because Lee Seo-ah didn’t respond.

I tilted my head slightly in confusion. Then I took a step closer.

“Ah, um… wait a second.”

Finally snapping out of it, Lee Seo-ah took a step back.

Then, Moon Si-hyun took another step forward. It was a repetitive dance. It felt like déjà vu.

On her fourth step back, something bumped against Lee Seo-ah’s leg, and she plopped down on the sofa in the room.

As I sat there, I naturally looked up at Moon Si-hyun. A sharp nose, big eyes, a slender jawline. From below, she still managed to shake Lee Seo-ah’s senses.

“Can I pet your head?”

Moon Si-hyun asked.

“……”

Lee Seo-ah still couldn’t answer.

Her adolescent, soft brain was already overloaded with excessive stimulation.

Then, Moon Si-hyun took off her gloves. Her long, white fingers were revealed. They started to move closer and closer to Lee Seo-ah’s head.

Lee Seo-ah stared dumbfounded at the approaching hand with trembling eyes.

Shoulders had brushed a few times before. She had felt Moon Si-hyun’s breath.

But contact with a hand belonged to a different realm.

It was the first time a stranger’s fingers would touch Lee Seo-ah’s head.

– Swoosh

“…… Um.”

“……!”

– Rustle

“…… Um.”

“……! ……!”

Lee Seo-ah squeezed her eyes shut, balling her fists tightly as she remained still. Moon Si-hyun’s fingers brushed through her hair, flexibly and gently.

During this time, Moon Si-hyun made some incomprehensible murmuring sounds.

To Lee Seo-ah, it felt like about 30 minutes had passed, but in reality, less than 3 minutes had gone by.

“Thank you.”

Moon Si-hyun finally withdrew her hand, which had been petting Lee Seo-ah.

“……”

Even after that series of actions ended, Lee Seo-ah couldn’t calm down at all. Her face felt like it was on fire.

Then, a sudden thought struck her.

‘But why did you suddenly want to pet my head?’

“……”

She always came on weekends. She seemed most interested in the doll she had made. The distance between them felt strangely close.

And then she had asked if she could pet her head.

Lee Seo-ah’s brain started to race.

‘Could it be…?’

Realizing this, Lee Seo-ah opened her eyes.

But Moon Si-hyun was already opening the front door.

“Goodbye.”

“Huh!? Where are you going!?”

“I’m leaving now. It’s late.”

Moon Si-hyun stated without a change in expression.

“Ah… um…”

‘She, she’s just leaving…!?’

Lee Seo-ah’s mouth opened and closed a few times.

“Th-then… why did you… pet my head…?”

She mustered up the greatest courage of her 16-year life.

“Yes? Ah. It just looked similar to the soft fur of the doll. And it kind of looked that way too.”

“W-wait, what do you mean by resembling?”

At that, Lee Seo-ah swallowed hard.

The doll Moon Si-hyun had bought was a simplified version mimicking the features of a leopard.

‘Does that mean she thinks I look like a leopard?’

Leopards generally have a cool and sleek image.

Swallow. Lee Seo-ah gulped again.

“Yeah. Both are small and black. It kind of looks similar in texture too.”

“…… Huh?”

“The texture wasn’t bad. Goodbye.”

Lee Seo-ah raised her head. Moon Si-hyun had already closed the door and left.

Small and black.

Small and black.

Small.

Small.

Moon Si-hyun’s choice of words echoed in Lee Seo-ah’s mind.

She returned home with her black doll. Now, four dolls were placed on the bed.

After a quick wash and thoroughly drying off, she dove onto the bed without putting on any clothes. She buried herself in Bear Doll.

In that state, she rubbed her face against the black doll, the white doll, and Bear Doll while pressing her body against Bear Doll. The fur from the dolls brushed against her body, giving her a pleasantly ticklish feeling. The black doll felt completely different from the original doll she had.

“…… Hmph.”

She stayed like that for a while. Eventually, she got up, got dressed, and prepared a notepad and calculator. It was for managing money over the next month.

Mental calculations were okay, but… she decided to use the calculator instead since it would save her energy. Yeah, that’s a rational reason.

She began to punch in the numbers.

Subtracting the rent, gas bills, electricity bills, essential expenses, and the bonus given by the Manager, plus the money spent on the black doll.

So the remaining amount, including food expenses, was 150,000 won.

“Um.”

It might be a small amount for some, but it was enough for her. Money management was her specialty.

She had gotten through the month with a little money and little food.

Now, there was only one thing she wanted to buy. If she could get that, there wouldn’t be any problems.

“Thank you~ Come again!”

“Thank you.”

The paper box she received was beautifully wrapped.

The moment she stood up, the item she had reserved was a homemade cake. They contacted her around lunchtime that day, and she rushed over to pick it up.

The price was 50,000 won.

At a glance, it seemed expensive, but if you knew the facts, it was actually a very rational purchase.

According to her data accumulated over the month, a homemade cake for 50,000 won was unreasonable.

It was a promotional event for a new store; just that day, they offered a 50% discount. The original price was 100,000 won.

So buying it could be seen as making money. She would eventually buy cake sometime, so it was better to get something delicious enough not to regret it.

That would be a long-term benefit.

And she thought of it as a reward for herself for the financially difficult last month.

Now she had 100,000 won left. She had bought everything she wanted, so she could convert the rest into food expenses.

“Thank you.”

As she expressed her gratitude and turned to leave, something caught her eye on the shelf. A small brown bread with a teddy bear drawn on it.

“What is that?”

“Oh, that’s our homemade muffin.”

It looked delicious. The teddy bear imprint drew her attention.

“……”

She hesitated for a moment.

Should she really buy it? It would mean breaking a promise.

“……”

She stared intently at the muffin. The taste came to mind so naturally.

Outside, it would crumble crisply, while the soft bread particles would disperse in her mouth. And the rich dark chocolate scent would fill her mouth.

She swallowed. Yet, she shook her head.

At that moment, the staff member clapped her hands.

“Ah! By the way, if you buy the cake, we give a 30% discount on muffins.”

“……”

…… Well, such things do exist. Investing in food is relatively rational compared to other expenses.

It directly stimulates the pleasure of taste, providing high satisfaction, and such calorie-packed foods can serve as one meal, or even two or three.

Thinking this way, an additional 10,000 won shouldn’t be a problem. After all, if she only ate one muffin a day, it would be fine.

Yeah. Rational. She nodded. Let’s survive the next six days with cake and muffins.

“Just four, please.”

The sun set, and evening arrived.

The box containing the cake and muffins was completely empty, without a crumb left.

What happened to them?

“……”

She glanced down at her slightly protruding belly.

How did this happen?

Each bite of cake and muffin sparked fireworks in her mind. The rich cream and bread danced in her mouth. That feeling never grew old no matter how many times she ate it.

How could something so stimulating exist in the world? And how had she been able to eat so much?

…… Wait, she checked her bank account. She now had only 80,000 won left.

As the pleasure faded, a sense of emptiness washed over her.

It’s okay. She could save from now on. It would be fine to eat a bit less and find cheaper options.

A week had passed since Moon Si-hyun’s payday.

On the way to work that weekend, Lee Da-ram hung on Moon Si-hyun’s arm, chattering away on her own as they walked.

“- So, I was there. ……?”

However, something felt off with Moon Si-hyun today. Lee Da-ram could sense it.

Moon Si-hyun usually preferred listening over talking, but today, her responses seemed slower, and every time Lee Da-ram called her name, she flinched.

Lee Da-ram stared intently at Moon Si-hyun’s face. Their eyes met, only for Moon Si-hyun to quickly look away.

“……?”

Her suspicion deepened.

‘What’s going on with her?’

While searching for clues…

‘……!’

Lee Da-ram’s pupils widened. Then she opened her mouth.

“Sis, do you happen to know how much of last month’s salary is left? Including the savings?”

Moon Si-hyun shrugged her shoulders significantly. After a brief silence, she answered.

“30, 300,000 won.”

Moon Si-hyun averted her gaze as she answered.

“……”

“Be honest, sis.”

“…… I said it’s 30… 300,000 won.”

Thud.

Lee Da-ram stopped in her tracks. Moon Si-hyun slowly turned her head back. Lee Da-ram was staring at her intently.

“Sis. You spent all your salary, didn’t you?”

Moon Si-hyun’s pupils trembled greatly.

Lee Da-ram’s round gaze seemed like it could pierce through anything.

Moon Si-hyun had never managed to deceive Lee Da-ram when she was in this state.

“…… Yeah.”

Finally, Moon Si-hyun answered without resistance.

“Weren’t you saying you got a bonus…?”

“…… I made a bit of a miscalculation.”

“Where did it go? Be honest with me.”

“…… On cake and muffins, and mostly food after that.”

“What do you mean……! Sis, are you too weak to temptation……?”

‘You seem to play games well, but why are you so weak in this regard?’

“…… I miscalculated. I bought high-calorie foods, but I didn’t think I’d eat them so quickly.”

“…… Oh sis……”

Moon Si-hyun’s slightly drooping eyebrows sparked Lee Da-ram’s sympathy.

She held her arms up, fighting the impulse to pet her head, and gently patted her shoulder.

“It’s okay. Let’s figure out a way together. I could lend you some, but that doesn’t seem like a real solution…”

Lee Da-ram mumbled softly, then suddenly had a thought that seemed feasible. She abruptly turned her head toward Moon Si-hyun. Her shoulders shook.

Lee Da-ram opened her mouth.

“Sis. You should do a stream.”

And with a slightly annoyed expression, she added, “And say that you spent all your money on cake and muffins, and now you can’t pay the rent.”

“……”