[TS] Malicious Sniper

[Kingstream collab? Living together? What the hell?]

[Am I living in sadness? LOL]

[If I don’t have a girlfriend, I might as well die!]

[I just got out of bed to go to the Han River, yeah.]

[I’ll write down curry in my will.]

Barcodes proposal for a collab was nothing short of shocking.

It was called a collab proposal, but it was essentially a confession of wanting to live together.

Viewers who had been watching Curry for years had no choice but to think that way.

It was nearly impossible for Curry to hit Grandmaster, let alone being a Master.

Having spent a whopping 9 years playing League of Legends, Curry had always been stuck in that hellish realm toggling between Master and Diamond since the Grandmaster tier was introduced.

Now, Curry was talking about doing a Grandmaster Kingstream?

Currently, Curry’s rank was Diamond 1.

Sure, it was preseason and home raids could happen, but this was a reckless challenge.

“Are you kidding me? You must be kidding.”

“Me? I don’t lie…”

The viewers knew it, Barcode knew it, and even Curry himself knew it.

So, Curry, with a desperate voice, asked Barcode, but the reply was an annoying denial.

Just by listening to him, Curry could predict what expression Barcode was making right now.

It would have to be that infuriatingly smug grin.

“You can do the Grandmaster Kingstream, but living together is a no-go.”

“Why not?”

“Do I really have to explain? Hah… we might really spark a controversy, you know.”

“Tch, let the controversy arise.”

Feeling like he was talking to a wall, Curry let out another sigh of despair.

No matter how tough things got, Curry had always been positive in the past.

Now, every time he dealt with Barcode, despair and frustration replayed in his mind, making him feel like he was losing his sanity.

[Is Curry really goja now?]

[How much more do I have to spoon-feed you, you bastard?]

[Can’t even eat what you’re given? Pathetic.]

[At this rate, Curry’s gonna get gay rumors, LOL.]

[Let them do their thing, have kids, and live happily ever after!!!] – [Blocked.]

[Do you want to see me go insane?]

[Heeung… Na’s Curry eating broadcast…]

“Those bastards, he’s Nayun Queen!!!”

Unable to utter the truth out loud, Curry chose to suffer silently.

His silent screams wouldn’t reach the viewers, only Barcode’s subtle laughter echoed in the air.

“This is my first and last ‘request’ to you, Curry… will you refuse?”

“No, I’m not saying no just yet.”

Feeling the tearful tone hidden under the laughter, Curry had to humble himself in this moment.

He had to think about the perspectives of those who didn’t know the truth and act accordingly.

What would happen if he rejected Barcode’s collab proposal here?

He’d be a piece of trash who ignored the first and last request of the chairman who had supported him throughout his broadcast without any demands.

And to keep pushing away a beauty like Barcode who was coming on so strongly?

There would definitely be a controversy.

Mostly sexual in nature.

Being labeled impotent or a homosexual.

Either way, controversy was inevitable.

He would rather reveal Barcode’s true identity, but he sure as hell didn’t want to be treated like he was impotent.

Of course, revealing Barcode’s identity would lead to a mountain of trouble to clean up.

He had mere suspicion and no definitive evidence; if he blurted it out, he would only face backlash.

But over time, even ‘suspicion’ could pile up to become concrete evidence.

Even now, managers were gathering circumstantial evidence that Nayun Queen and Barcode were the same person; it was only a matter of time.

“Phew… fine. Since you’ve gone this far, I’ll do the Grandmaster Kingstream.”

“Really? I thought you’d refuse…”

That disgusting voice dripping with surprise.

Having said it expecting a yes while pretending to be surprised; it made him feel even worse.

[Jeanzang! I believed in Curry!]

[What’s that, it’s a virtual marriage, right!]

[Let’s take care of him at night, let’s take care of him at night, let’s take care of him at night] – [Blocked.]

[I want to live as Curry in my next life.]

[Chairman, your decisiveness is impressive!]

[What did this kid do in his past life?]

[At least Big Bang exploded thanks to Curry, right?]

“So, when are we gonna meet?”

“The new season starts on January 11th…”

Curry considered today’s date and future schedules.

The Grandmaster Kingstream didn’t seem like it would end in just a day or two.

“…How about January 4th?”

“That’s a week before the new season starts. Are you saying you want to be with me for a week?”

“How did that come across as what I just said…?”

“Well… because you’re a viewer of Curry’s broadcast?”

[LOL]

[A Curry broadcast viewer can’t be blamed, LOL.]

[This is hilarious for real.]

[Incredible chairman, Barcode!]

[Curry really looks happy.]

[Half of his complexion looks rotten though?]

[Curry usually looks like that when he’s happy.]

[You seven idiots…]

Feeling dizzy from Barcode’s shocking reply, Curry moved the mouse.

He wanted to escape this situation with Barcode as soon as possible.

Thinking about that, Curry moved the cursor over to the broadcasting end button, and finally opened his mouth.

“I’ll contact you about the detailed schedule later. I’m really tired today, so I’ll…”

“Thanks for your hard work on today’s broadcast.”

Yeah, thanks for causing me all that trouble.

Curry swallowed the retort that nearly slipped out and ended the call with Barcode.

“Everyone, I’m signing off now. Oh, and I’ll send the promised keyboard and mouse products to the winning team separately.”

[Cabba~]

[Cabba~]

[Obang-al]

[Today’s broadcast was really packed.]

[Thanks for the keyboard in advance!]

[Obang-al]

[Cabba~]

Wrapping up with a clean ending, Curry clicked to end the broadcast.

*

After confirming that Curry’s broadcast was over, I shut down the computer.

It had been a satisfying day, and I had secured a real-life Kingstream collab on January 4th.

I figured there wouldn’t be a more satisfactory day than this, so I left the room.

Going down to the first floor to quench the thirst I hadn’t satisfied while talking to Curry, I felt an odd sense of unease.

With a feeling that something was missing, I looked around but couldn’t see Ji-hye.

Typically, when I skip dinner, Ji-hye would prepare a late-night snack around this time.

The kitchen, which should have naturally been there, was empty of Ji-hye, and there were no signs of cooking.

Feeling anxious seeing the overly clean kitchen, I made my way directly to Ji-hye’s room.

Knock knock

No response.

Knock knock

“Ji-hye?”

Even after knocking and calling her name, there was no answer.

Realizing something was wrong, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Hoping she was just sleeping comfortably on her bed, I ventured further inside, but only the neatly organized blanket indicated Ji-hye’s absence.

Where on earth could she have gone at this hour?

Ji-hye had never gone anywhere without my permission.

Regardless of how she felt, our relationship was bound by a contract, and even without one, Ji-hye wasn’t the type of person to act recklessly.

So where on earth did she disappear to at this hour?

Slowly retracing memories, I recalled the conversation I had with Ji-hye.

-Sis! I’m heading to the grocery store since we’re out of ingredients!

-Safe travels.

When Curry’s New Year’s special broadcast started, Ji-hye clearly left the house with my permission.

Yet still, she had not returned, which meant something must have happened.

Trying to remain calm while assessing the situation, I pulled out my smartphone and called Ji-hye.

Beep beep…

Beep beep…

Voicemail…

I wished she’d answer, but Ji-hye didn’t pick up.

No longer able to stay calm, I hurriedly left Ji-hye’s room and prepared to head out.

Should I call the police or not? Best to do it just in case.

Just as I stepped to the front door thinking I’d dial the police.

Ding-dong, ding-ding-dong…

The sound of the door lock being unlocked echoed from the other side.

The door lock clicked a few times, and slowly the front door began to open.

“Sis…”

“Where have you been…?”

I wanted to scold her for arriving so late, but—

Thud…

Ji-hye suddenly collapsed to the floor, leaving me speechless.

With trembling limbs, unfocused eyes, and a pale face, she was clearly not in a good state.

There’s no way we could have a proper conversation like this, so I decided to wait until Ji-hye regained her composure.

“…I’m sorry, I came back late.”

“What happened? There’s no need for apologies, just explain.”

As I demanded an explanation, Ji-hye took a deep breath and spoke again.

“I was planning to just go grocery shopping and come back, but there was a black car I hadn’t seen near the house.”

“A black car?”

“Yes. Normally, cars don’t come around here… so I tried to sneak back home.”

Ji-hye met my gaze, her eyes darting around as she revealed her anxiety.

What in the world did she go through that brought on this unusual demeanor, usually so bright and cheerful?

“When I made eye contact with the driver in the black car, they started chasing me. I got so scared that I ditched the long-distance stuff I’d just bought and ran away. I escaped to an alley where the car couldn’t get through, but they got out and kept chasing after me. I managed to call the police while running and had to wait at the police station to give my statement till now.”

“And that person who was chasing you?”

“Well… he was released with no charges. Even though he kept following me, the CCTV nearby happened to be broken, so they couldn’t verify whether he was stalking or not…”

“Ha…”

Listening to Ji-hye’s explanation, I finally pieced together what was happening and let out a deep sigh.

It sounded like a stalker had latched onto her.

“You did well. Go in and rest.”

“B-but, I couldn’t bring back the groceries…”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry…”

I helped Ji-hye, whose legs had gone weak, and managed to get her into her room.

Once I got Ji-hye settled down, I pulled out my smartphone.

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like the stalker’s intentions were aimed at me, not Ji-hye.

The stalker must have recognized Ji-hye and started following her since her face had been exposed on the broadcast.

Honestly, with the limited amount of time that Ji-hye and I ever left the house, the odds of a stalker targeting her were very low.

In the end, the stalker’s target appeared to be ‘Barcode.’

How would I go about dealing with this creep? I thought about contacting a private investigator, but that didn’t seem right, so I halted that thought and instead focused on how to deal with him.

Yet, no matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t find a legitimate way to confront him.

“…Phew.”

The thought that a stalker had been targeting Ji-hye made my head spin.

If Ji-hye had been caught, what kind of demands would that creep have made, using her as leverage against me?

Without needing to think deep, the answer was painfully clear.

“Crazy bastard.”

After muttering a curse, I went back upstairs.

It was way too late to file a report, and I needed to prepare thoroughly, now that I had turned into someone else.

At the very least, I didn’t want to rely on someone else’s help.

I wanted to handle this myself.

That stalker was undoubtedly going to target me during the collab with Curry on January 4th.

Whether it was when I was leaving the house or after the collab ended.

The safest option would definitely be to cancel the real-life collab with Curry, but…

I couldn’t bear the thought of canceling the collab over just one stalker; it was something I simply couldn’t accept.

Once back in my room, I started looking at high-voltage stun guns to wrap up my day.

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