[TS] Malicious Sniper

After that incident, Ji-hye and I didn’t go out of the house.

If I had it my way, I would have wanted to install CCTV near the house, but that would have been too conspicuous.

Unless the stalker was a complete idiot, it was obvious that they would run away if I took such action.

Since I wanted to not just drive the stalker away but really mess them up, I had refrained from drawing attention to myself all this time.

Well, “refraining” just meant I continued my usual routine anyway.

“Haa… This is why grocery shopping should be done in person at the market…”

Ji-hye made a fuss about the state of the ingredients ordered online.

Seeing Ji-hye quickly recovering from something like that stirred mixed feelings in me.

One was worry, the other was anger.

Worry that maybe she was just pretending to be okay, and anger towards the stalker who planted such horrible memories in pure Ji-hye.

Ji-hye was the first person I had in my life.

And because of this, I couldn’t forgive the stalker who touched her—and by extension, me.

“Sis, you’re having breakfast, right? Off to a collab afterward?”

“Yeah. I have to go.”

I picked up the spoon for the breakfast Ji-hye set for me.

Maybe because of my indifferent attitude, Ji-hye looked at me with worry-filled eyes.

It’s absurd to think about who was worrying about whom.

I found it ridiculous, but at the same time, it felt very much like Ji-hye.

Ding ding!

A silly, caring idiot who prioritizes worrying about others over herself.

After finishing breakfast and getting ready to leave the house, I called out to Ji-hye before heading out.

“You know you have to succeed at least once in sniping during the collab, right?”

“Yes! Since you lent me your account, I’ll definitely succeed!”

“It’d be better to succeed as much as possible. Can I count on you?”

“Just leave it to me!”

With Ji-hye’s confident reply, I was able to leave the house feeling at ease.

After three weeks of intense training, Ji-hye had achieved the skill level of an average Diamond 1 player.

To outsiders, it might seem ridiculous, but there are even greater prodigies out there. So it wasn’t all that shocking.

What I had asked Ji-hye for was to do as many snipes as possible on the ‘Nayun Queen’ account during this real-life collab.

After all, this collab was about Curry’s Grandmaster challenge, so there wouldn’t be any duo ranks with me.

Even if she sniped, it meant she wouldn’t be on my line or anything like that.

The account I lent Gian to Ji-hye included both the Nayun Queen and the sniping account.

Moreover, I provided her with tips on sniping, so she should easily be able to succeed at it.

Excited!

I was curious how Curry would react to being sniped by Nayun Queen during the match.

Would he suspect me when he saw Nayun Queen and Barcode coexisting?

Or would he think that Nayun Queen and Barcode are different people?

Regardless of how Curry reacted, it was bound to be fun.

If not for that stalker bastard, I would’ve moved to Curry’s place with a light heart.

I fidgeted with the taser I had hidden as I stepped out onto the nearby street.

There were no people or vehicles that looked like stalkers on the way from my residence to the street.

It seemed like they were cautiously tailing me since I had a history of being discovered.

Just the thought of a stalker being near me sent chills down my spine.

As soon as I managed to grab a taxi, I headed for Curry’s place.

*

It was hard to believe that she was Korean with such an exotic appearance.

Her red hair and mysterious red eyes never grew old, no matter how often I looked at her.

Ring ring!

A sudden phone call came in.

Who could it be?

Seeing the name on the screen, I picked up the call.

“Hello.”

-How’s it going?

“Me? I’m doing well.”

-I had a good experience thanks to you. Did you see Curry’s fan meeting?

“Ah, yeah. I did.”

Why is this person bringing that up all of a sudden?

Does he have an interest in my Barcode?

If so, I need to… get rid of him discreetly…

-I really never thought Barcode was the flower shop owner.

“Me neither. I was shocked.”

-Anyway, it was thanks to you giving up your spot that I got to go to the fan meeting. I’d like to treat you to a meal if you’re available now?

“Ah… I’m busy right now. How about later? We can schedule accordingly.”

-Well, if you’re busy, it can’t be helped. How about next weekend?

“Next weekend works fine for me.”

-Okay then, let’s meet then.

“Sure.”

Beep!

After hanging up the phone, I shifted my gaze back ahead.

There was a taxi with Barcode inside up ahead.

If it were up to me, I’d want to kidnap her right away and spend blissful days together, but I had to keep my distance lest I end up in jail.

“There’s not much time left…”

The day we could live together for the rest of our lives was truly close at hand.

*

“Haa… Jin-sung, do we really have to do this?”

“Hyung, if you declare a no-show now, it’s game over.”

“I mean, do I really have to live with that woman?”

The manager, who had been quietly listening, looked at Curry with a strange expression.

Slowly, his gaze shifted downward, stopping just below Curry’s belly.

“Hyung… Is that rumor true…?”

“NO WAY, you crazy bastard!!!”

Curry strongly denied it, but the manager didn’t drop his suspicions.

“No matter how insane Barcode did something crazy, it’s hard to believe she would be so forward with someone like you…”

“Do I not know that Nayun Queen girl is pretty? She’s beautiful! But beauty without a good heart? What’s the point?”

“Whoa…”

The manager looked at Curry like he was some national treasure.

Finally losing his composure under that gazing, Curry kicked the manager out of the room.

“Haa… I’m going insane.”

As the manager pointed out, Barcode was indeed a beautiful woman.

When they were together, it felt like people would say it was a waste to have someone like Barcode with him.

But that was only the outer appearance, because Barcode’s true form was Nayun Queen.

With Nayun Queen continuously sniping, it was clear her true identity was Nayun Queen.

Other forms were just tools to torment herself.

Knock knock!

Hearing a knock, Curry stood up from his spot and walked towards the door.

“What’s up?”

“Barcode is waiting for you on the first floor.”

“Ugh, damn it. But why is she waiting on the first floor? Just let her in.”

At Curry’s question, the manager gave an awkward chuckle.

“Then the feeling won’t be the same. Good luck, boss! I hope you two reconcile!”

“You little… are you seriously trying for a virtual relationship…?”

The manager fled without looking back.

Curry tried to chase him, but the manager had already bolted out of the house.

“Damn it…”

After cursing under his breath, Curry prepared to leave.

To think the manager he had worked with for so long was actually a delusional dating sim fan.

Curry was shocked at the revelation but kept his sanity and stepped out of the house.

As he took the elevator down to the first floor, he saw a woman standing beyond the entrance.

Her smile, which appeared the moment our gazes met, was extremely irritating for some reason.

Of course, one couldn’t show such inner thoughts outwardly, so Curry maintained a face that wasn’t too stiff or too bright and opened the door.

“Long time no see.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Ugh…”

Seeing her dull response caused Barcode to snort.

She made that particular face that often annoyed me.

Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes weren’t, leaving a look that could induce PTSD as if coming out of a nightmare.

“Did you not miss me, Curry? I’ve been very eager to see you…”

“I did want to see you.”

“Sounds like a lie.”

“Why would I lie about something like this? Come in, it’s cold outside.”

As Barcode stepped in behind Curry, they both moved into Curry’s home.

*

Upon entering with Curry, I looked around the interior.

It was just one of those ordinary homes, yet somehow everything felt fascinating.

“So this is Curry’s house… how intriguing.”

“What’s so interesting about a house a guy lives in alone?”

“I don’t know, it just feels fascinating? Thinking of it as ‘Curry’s’ house.”

“…Let’s get ready for the broadcast.”

Changing the subject, Curry moved to a room filled with broadcasting equipment, and I followed him inside.

Seeing the room filled with microphones and lights made me realize this was indeed a streamer’s room.

“You can sit here, Barcode.”

I took a seat in the chair he pointed to.

It was right next to where Curry would conduct the collab.

Being at a different angle than the usual camp view felt strangely appealing.

“Testing the mic.”

“Is it possible to test the mic before starting the broadcast?”

“A simple test is possible.”

“Interesting.”

After a brief exchange, Curry focused solely on preparing for the broadcast.

Seeing his serious side, which I could only find in real life and not on streams, was refreshing in its own way.

Tormenting serious Curry.

Just the thought made me feel good.

After Curry finished all preparations, he began the stream.

Like usual, he played some songs on the waiting screen and turned to me.

“Everything is set, but could you step out of the cam for a moment? I’ll do the opening and call you in.”

“Sure, I’ll do that.”

Following Curry’s instructions, I pulled my chair away and moved out of the camera’s view.

Once Curry saw I was far enough, he turned on the camera right when the song ended.

“Hello everyone! Kaha Kaha~”

The strict, serious Curry that had just been there vanished in an instant.

Now, the Curry who sounded appealing enough to want to punch him just by hearing his voice appeared.

“Wow, the chatroom is on fire! You want Barcode out, huh? Well….”

“If I say Barcode isn’t here, what happens? Hmm? Do I need to brace myself for a kill? Oh come on, don’t joke around like that.”

“Looks like it’s about time; we can’t keep the audience waiting or it might explode…”

Curry cast a slight glance to his side and gave me a nudge.

It was a signal for me to come in, so I pulled my chair into the camera’s view.

“Here’s our chairman and streamer helping us today, Barcode!”

“Hello!”

I waved at the camera, something I would never do in my own stream.

But this was Curry’s broadcast.

Of course, I wasn’t keen on continuing to participate in this cheesy opening.

“Should we start the collab?”

“Wait, I need to use the bathroom…”

“You just went earlier. Where do you think you’re running off to, Curry?”

Without answering, I grabbed Curry as he tried to sneak away.

Maybe it was because of my constant exercise, or perhaps he was purposely letting it happen, but Curry got caught without a fuss.

“Everyone, I just realized that Barcode’s grip is insane.”

“What?!”

“Ah, never mind. I didn’t say anything.”

“Ugh… Is that so? Well, since you said you didn’t say anything… how about we kick off this ‘collab’?”

Seeing Curry’s face filled with disgust made me truly happy.

Upon locking gazes, Curry finally lowered his tail and connected to League of Legends.

“Queue it up, hurry.”

“Ugh…”

“Are you going to ignore your teacher’s words?”

“…I’ll listen to you.”

I spoke to him in a teacher’s tone since I had come here as a ‘mentor,’ and seeing Curry obediently respond put a smile on my face.

Is there any situation that could let me easily torment Curry more than this?

“Currently, Curry’s rank is Diamond 1, with 19 points, right?”

“Y-yeah… that’s correct.”

“Don’t worry. Your ‘teacher’ will guide you well.”

“Haa… No, yes. Teacher.”

Curry sighed for a moment, but he soon accepted his role as the ‘mentee.’

As Curry got ready to queue, I shifted my attention to check the chatroom’s reactions.

[Wowww]
[An authoritarian professor Lee Oh!]
[I want tutoring too, Barcode-sensei!]
[Please scold me with a ruler!]
[Being scolded by such a teacher is a reward!]
[What’s today’s collab concept…]
[This is honestly insane, hahahaha!]

It was a hastily arranged concept that hadn’t been discussed beforehand, but thanks to Curry’s appropriate responses, the reactions were quite positive.

Confirming that we could continue the teacher-student concept, I decided to become even more proactive in guiding Curry.

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