Summercon is a God!
[Summercon] is……a god! ……………
"Uh, um. Grandma? I mean, what I’m saying is……."
An unexpected curveball. I was about to get introduced to some thirty-nine-year-old woman whose name I didn’t even know. But I had no idea how to turn it down politely.
"Oh, don’t let the age scare you off. My girl’s got a bit of a personality, sure, but she’s pretty. Won’t lift a finger for cooking or housework, though—"
That was the moment. Kim Bom’s grip on my arm suddenly tightened. She pulled me in close, hugging my arm tight as she stepped forward toward the grandma.
"Oh, come on, Grandma! This is my boyfriend. He came down from Seoul a few days ago."
She put extra emphasis on boyfriend, squeezing my arm even harder. Our bodies were pressed right up against each other.
The grandma’s mouth fell open in a perfect O.
"What? You’ve got a boyfriend, Bom? Since when?"
"Not long ago! That’s why nobody around here knows yet."
Lies flowed effortlessly from Kim Bom’s lips. So naturally that even I got confused for a second.
Wh-what the hell is this woman saying?!
I was flustered, but denying her words right there felt impossible. Say, for example, I blurted out, “No, that’s a lie.” How messy would things get? How embarrassed would Kim Bom be? I didn’t even want to imagine it.
And honestly, I wouldn’t do that anyway.
The grandma grunted once, eyeing us back and forth.
"Is that right? Well, good for you then. Bom’s twenty-five this year, isn’t she? At that age, it’s time to get married—"
"We’ve got some errands to run, so we’ll be going now!"
Kim Bom quickly dragged me away. I heard the grandma grumbling behind us, but Kim Bom didn’t look back once.
……………
I stared at Kim Bom in a daze. Her pretty face and those standout curves……no, that wasn’t it.
She was still holding onto my arm. That beaming smile hadn’t faded either.
"Uh, hey, Bom."
"Yes?"
"What was that just now? Boyfriend?"
Kim Bom finally released my arm from her tight embrace. The restraint that even frail little me couldn’t have broken on my own vanished, leaving me with a strange mix of relief and emptiness.
"Just kidding! Kidding!"
She burst into laughter.
"That’s the easiest way to deal with nosy elders like her. Otherwise, they’d keep hounding me about setting up my thirty-nine-year-old daughter. Wouldn’t want to put you in a tough spot, right, Yeoreum?"
"Yeah……you’re right."
It made sense. A blind date with a thirty-nine-year-old spinster? Terrifyingly burdensome.
"Country folks don’t compromise on this stuff. They think mid-twenties means you must get married. Just say you’ve got a boyfriend, like I did."
Kim Bom’s explanation was logical. Her sudden move and white lie had plenty of justification.
So why……did I feel this odd pang of regret alongside the relief?
I flashed back to that moment she called me her boyfriend. The feel of her squeezing my arm was still vivid. Soft, warm, round—that……ahem.
Yeah. Truth be told, it felt pretty good.
"Yeoreum?"
"Huh? Yeah?"
"What’s wrong? Did calling you my boyfriend upset you?"
Kim Bom tilted her head slightly. She was smiling, but it felt unnaturally wide.
"Of course n—"
Of course not. But how to put it?
Saying it bothered me, even as a joke, felt like it’d spell disaster.
"It’s fine. Didn’t bother me at all."
Her smile shifted a little. Back to her usual bright one.
Hm. Wait a sec. Could it be……
A thought flickered through my mind. Maybe her “white lie” wasn’t entirely false. Maybe a tiny bit of it was real?
Not 100% fabricated to shoo off the grandma, but with a sliver of actual feelings for me?
No……that’s just my ego talking.
Yeoreum’s small and delicate. No matter how you slice it, she gives off sickly pretty-boy vibes from a shoujo manga. Meaning, seriously lacking in manly appeal.
Not the kind of look that draws romantic interest. Nothing special economically or skill-wise either.
First things first, I need to fill up my bank account before thinking romance. Can’t starve if I can’t work.
I shook my head inwardly. But once the thought took root, it wouldn’t fade.
Kim Bom’s attitude toward me. Her excessive kindness from the start. Letting me freely come and go from her house and shrine to work. Would a normal neighbor go that far?
"We should check out more stalls, right? Let’s go, Yeoreum."
Kim Bom started walking first. I watched her back for a moment, then slowly followed.
Today, her sky-blue sundress looked especially pretty. The skirt fluttering in the breeze, the ribbon on her straw hat.
I—no, Yeoreum—felt romantic attraction toward Kim Bom. That was undeniable.
……………
A few more days passed after our market outing.
After the “fake boyfriend” incident, things definitely got closer between Kim Bom and me.
Before, there’d been a slight awkwardness every time I entered her house. That tension of being a guest in someone else’s home.
Now, it had dulled a lot. Exaggerating a bit, it felt like my own place.
Kim Bom’s living room had become my second workspace. Maybe even my first.
Why? I spent more time here than in that internet-dead shack.
Today was a weekday afternoon. I was working in Kim Bom’s living room.
My laptop screen showed the new emoticon set I’d been ambitiously crafting since becoming Yeoreum.
This one was a different style from before. Not cute animal characters, but SD-proportioned anime-style ones.
Cute SD art style, big heads on tiny bodies, with soulless expressions spouting nonsense like “Kuhuhuhu,” “I’m screwed!” or “Gonna chobo!”
Riding the wave of community site emoticon trends, with my own twist mixed in.
Click.
Kim Bom set down today’s tea. Omija berry tea.
"Thanks."
"No problem! How’s the work going?"
"Yeah, almost done."
She sat down next to me. This closeness felt natural now.
We weren’t officially dating yet. But the mutual attraction was obvious, even to me.
Why else meet every day and spend time this close?
I clicked the mouse to finish the final tweaks. Just needed to upload now.
"Done!"
"This one’s different from the last."
"For success, style’s just collateral I can toss."
I shrugged and hit upload.
……………
Three days later.
My emoticons were blowing up everywhere. I checked various communities—same story across the board.
I logged into the sales site and pulled up the dashboard. The sales graph shot straight up, nearly vertical.
Over a thousand sold yesterday alone.
This is……
My mental calculator whirred. 2,500 won per set, after fees about 1,500 for me. A thousand sets……1.5 million won.
In one day.
I checked my inbox too. Twelve unread emails. Mostly collab offers from companies.
"Yes! It actually worked! Jackpot!"
The concept I’d only sketched back in my old world had hit big. Smart use of internet memes fused with demented SD anime characters.
Simple idea, but it landed perfectly.
The excitement wouldn’t quit. I shot up from the chair, sat back down, paced Kim Bom’s living room.
That’s when Kim Bom approached with more tea.
"Yeoreum, you look thrilled!"
"Bom! Have you seen my emoticons online?"
"How’d they do?"
"They’re exploding! A thousand sold a day!"
I turned the laptop toward her, zooming in on the skyrocketing graph.
"Whoa, amazing!"
Kim Bom clapped. She seemed genuinely happy for me.
"If this keeps up, no more money worries. Tons of freelance offers too."
"So you won’t have to work so hard anymore?"
"Probably! If the momentum holds."
I showed her the inbox, rambling on.
"Could make bank in months. Financial freedom. I’m gonna be rich!"
I couldn’t stop grinning. From Yeoreum’s penniless start, this was a total life reversal.
"Soon I can ditch this rundown village shack!"
"……Pardon?"
"My place—no decent internet. If this blows up and I rake it in, I’ll head back to Seoul for a proper home!"
Plans filled my head. Yeah, a nice officetel. Gangnam, good area.
And then——
I could properly confess to Bom. Repay all these debts too.
Just solve the rural-urban distance issue, and nothing’d block us. Stabilize financially, settle in Seoul, confess seriously. Perfect.
End up with a kind, beautiful, normal woman for a happy ending. Breeze through the goddess’s trial.
"Gotta be picky with freelance now. No need for scraps—high-paying gigs only."
Clink.
A small sound. Something bumping. Too faint to notice.
Or rather, no room to care. Success joy overwhelmed everything.
I kept spilling future plans.
"When I move to Seoul, visit often, Bom. Or I’ll come down! KTX’s quick, right?"
No reply.
Clink, clink.
Clearer this time. Porcelain cups touching.
Finally, I turned to Kim Bom.
She held a teacup. Looked normal as ever.
"Bom?"
"……Ah, yeah. That’s great. Congrats."
Kim Bom smiled. Her tone sounded oddly mechanical.
"Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without your help. No internet spot, no work."
"Don’t mention it."
She set down her cup.
Crack.
A different sound……like something fracturing.
I turned back to the laptop. Watching sales climb in real-time made my heart race.
This time, it’s really gonna work.
Han Minseo’s life ended in tragedy, but Yeoreum’s would be different. Economic success, loved one, happy future, trial cleared.
Everything felt within reach.