Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Outsider Who Comes Up with Contest Ideas
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A room cafe during weekday afternoons is usually quiet and sparsely populated.
Office workers are at their jobs, students are at school, so the customers are naturally limited.
Most patrons at this hour are housewives who meet up regularly in groups, and even they aren't that numerous, leaving most seats empty as a rule.
But right now, it's summer vacation.
Office workers are still tied to their offices, but students have free time during the day, causing the average age of room cafe customers to plummet vertically.
As a result, even on a weekday afternoon, nearly every seat inside the cafe is taken, and with so many immature students around, the place is noisy.
If they cared about the other customers, they'd lower their voices and use the space quietly out of courtesy, but that might be expecting a bit much from young, energetic kids.
...
Normally, I'd definitely be the type to quietly enjoy the cafe while inwardly cursing the noisy crowds.
Outsiders aren't much for talking anyway, and you need people to chat with to make noise in the first place.
But right now, I'm not in a position to complain about the other customers.
The reason? My friend sitting in the same room is raising her voice in anger.
"What you're doing might feel fun. It might satisfy your curiosity and make you feel all grown up. But you're overlooking something. One slip-up like that could turn your whole life upside down! We're still minors, and..."
Han Si-a has been inexplicably angry since yesterday.
If the cafe were quiet, her words would have echoed throughout the whole place.
This is probably the first time I've felt relieved that a weekday afternoon room cafe is so noisy.
Anyway, I didn't do anything to piss off this friend of mine.
Yoo So-mi, sitting next to me and watching the same thing, looks just as baffled.
Listening to Han Si-a, it seems like she's misunderstanding something about us...
"You're at the age where you can choose your path in life! You're both talented students, so you could become anything. But exchanging naughty photos with each other..."
Her lecture shows no signs of ending.
So, I decided to let it go in one ear and out the other.
In situations like this, it's best to let the other person vent everything first, then clear up the misunderstanding step by step afterward.
But Yoo So-mi, sitting beside me, doesn't seem to agree—she's getting fired up and raising her voice in response.
Does she prefer cutting in to clear things up fast and end it?
"So what if we swap a few mildly naughty photos? Friends have to show interest in each other to stay friends, so I just sent photos my friend would be interested in!"
"Wait, So-mi. What do you mean 'naughty photos'? When did we ever exchange anything like that?"
"Oh... right? Looks like Yi-an's finally building some tolerance. Maybe we can move to the next stage..."
"You two! Don't interrupt me—listen quietly! Things like that? You can do plenty of that after you're adults, so for now..."
...
My head is starting to hurt now.
I thought Yoo So-mi would clear up the misunderstanding and end this, but she's making it even more tangled.
And by talking like we actually did exchange naughty photos, no matter what I say now, Han Si-a won't believe me.
Still, I could roughly guess what Han Si-a was misunderstanding.
For some reason, she thinks Yoo So-mi and I are swapping inappropriate photos.
In that case, showing her our chat history should clear it up, right?
"I get the gist of why you're mad. But first, let's confirm the facts. Here's our chat history with So-mi—check it out yourself, and you'll understand."
.
.
.
Han Si-a accepted my suggestion and checked the chat history with Yoo So-mi on my smartphone.
Yoo So-mi watched with obvious displeasure, but oh well. This was the best option right now.
Han Si-a fiddled with my phone for a bit, then asked me something.
"There are deleted photos here too—what's this?"
...Ah, that's...
What should I say...
...
Among the photos Yoo So-mi sent, some weren't particularly revealing but still felt a bit too inappropriate to keep as data.
I just deleted those right away.
But if I say that straight, she'll take it the wrong way for sure...
I hesitated to answer, and Han Si-a's gaze turned icy.
I froze, unable to figure out how to explain, when Yoo So-mi, who'd been watching, spoke up again.
"Hmph... You deleted my photos, huh? Yi-an's still such a shy guy~ But I'd appreciate it if my bestie kept a few of my pics."
"...Right. So the deleted photos are all ones you sent, So-mi. Which means the ones you sent at that time are still on your phone, yeah?"
"Just like Si-a says, the photos are still on my phone. Wanna see?"
Han Si-a nodded at Yoo So-mi's words.
But Yoo So-mi shook her head as if it were a hassle and said,
"But not just like that! These are private photos that should only circulate between besties."
"You mean there's a price?"
"It feels unfair if I show my phone alone, so if Si-a shows hers too, I'll allow it."
"...Fine."
After some back-and-forth between Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi, they settled on swapping phones to check.
Yoo So-mi suggested we look at Han Si-a's together, but I declined—it felt wrong peeking into a girl's private stuff.
.
.
.
A little later, after checking Yoo So-mi's chats, Han Si-a apologized profusely to us with a pale face.
Fortunately, she didn't seem to consider photos of Yoo So-mi in loose tank tops as "naughty."
I wondered just how far her imagination had run while watching her reaction, but curiosity took a backseat to wanting to drop the topic fast, so I kept quiet.
Meanwhile, Yoo So-mi's expression while peering at Han Si-a's phone was off.
Her eyes looked dead, maybe?
Han Si-a noticed too and glanced her way, just as Yoo So-mi dropped a bombshell.
"...Si-a took some not-so-great photos."
"Hold on, So-mi. You didn't check the messenger—you went to the gallery, right? For the record, that's not underwear; it's a swimsuit."
"No, not that. The trash bin."
"..."
Han Si-a froze solid.
Yoo So-mi spoke to me in a slightly cold tone, though her face wore a smile.
"Yi-an? We girls need to talk alone for a bit, so wait here? It'll be quick."
With that, Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi left the room.
I had no idea what was up, but all I could think was we needed to wrap this and move on to the contest meeting.
.
.
.
The two returned about 10 minutes later.
Around the 5-minute mark of waiting, I'd started worrying they might fight.
Han Si-a handing over her phone probably didn't mean permission to check the trash—where deleted stuff lingers.
From their reactions, Yoo So-mi must've found something embarrassing, but that's personal privacy; I hoped she wouldn't dig it up.
Surprisingly, when they came back, both looked normally fine—moods stable.
What a relief. An old-school outsider like me has no clue how to break up fighting girls.
Han Si-a sat down, gave me a slightly apologetic smile, and said,
"Sorry. My weird misunderstanding wasted all our contest time. Shall we talk prep now?"
"Yeah, Yi-an. Si-a has academy later, so we gotta hustle or we'll fall behind schedule!"
Like they'd made a pact, neither breathed a word about the prior topic.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We three decided to enter the Seoul city-sponsored UCC contest during summer break.
And that's why we gathered at the room cafe today—for a contest meeting.
Though Han Si-a's misunderstanding derailed us a bit.
For reference, UCC stands for "User Created Contents"—videos, photos, or text made by users themselves.
Commonly, though, people think of videos first.
So the Seoul tourism UCC contest feels video-focused.
To aim for a win, we need to submit a 3-to-5-minute video promoting Seoul tourism, per the rules.
Back in my pre-regression high school days, UCC meant amateur musicians playing instruments.
Canon variations in C were everywhere—to my 35-year-old self, they're nauseating now, but they were fresh to high schoolers then.
But I'm regressing from an era flooded with YouTube videos, Shorts, and TikToks.
If an amateur just posted instrument covers back when I worked at the lab, it'd vanish into obscurity online.
Famous male guitarists in drag, killer-bodied pianists in anime cosplay—the environment demanded stimulation; plain videos couldn't survive.
Point is, as a regressor, I have a repertoire of eye-catching video ideas in my head.
"First things first: nail the overall concept. Seoul's running this with prize money to promote tourism via UCC, so I've brainstormed ideas to make people want to visit the sites."
I handed out my prepared materials to the two.
□ Idea 1.
→ Edit footage of dancing in various locations, seamlessly transitioning so the moves flow continuously despite background changes.
[Example photos]
*Pros: With good prep, filming day is low-effort. Keeps video engaging, grabs attention.
*Cons: Performers need dance practice. Public spots mean coordinating with site managers.
□ Idea 2.
→ Stage enjoying tourism at various spots, stitch into a video.
[Example photos]
*Pros: Highlights each site's appeals specifically. No special practice for actors.
*Cons: Staging "fun" on shoot day eats time; gear limits mean quality compromises.
.
.
.
Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi read my materials and gave their takes.
"Option one works fine with just a tripod for proper smartphone distance. Option two needs pro gear for decent quality or it'll suck. We gotta pick what fits our setup."
"Option two means all-day shooting at sites—no playtime. Better to quick-dance once per spot and chill the rest!"
Yeah, I figured option one too.
They won't make me dance, so I'll study filming techniques and editing ahead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ *** Yoo So-mi's Perspective
Si-a's phone had a photo in the 'bestie-or-below-viewing-forbidden' tier.
Dated yesterday and in the trash—she must've debated sending it to Yi-an, then deleted it.
She mistook it for us swapping those kinds of photos.
Even if we were, non-bestie Si-a has no say, I think.
Still, no rushing like that, Si-a.
Yi-an's shy; shove this at him suddenly, and he'll bolt. Gotta creep up slow and careful.
Sometimes I feel like Si-a's inner brakes are a bit worn.
So she doesn't suddenly accelerate without me watching...
I pulled Si-a outside the cafe and hugged her, comforting her after the 'forbidden' photo exposure wrecked her mentally.