[TS] Malicious Sniper

Since the Eye Tracking Challenge, there have been no events and only gambling tables were opened and closed.

Sometimes I thought about buying products like acting cute to the love interest or calling them by their desired nickname.

It felt like all the viewers were focused solely on “stick candy,” and the cohabitation with the love interest flowed smoothly.

Ten days passed, and viewers began to purchase products with the considerable amount of points they had accumulated.

One of our room’s viewers bought a product for a call with the love interest, specifying the conversation style as informal.

The call connected, and this time, a viewer from the curry room purchased the product to call the love interest by their desired nickname.

Since I had to use informal language with curry for ten minutes anyway, I requested the title “Master.”

“Uh, Barcode-nim, no matter what…”

“Did I mishear? Barcode-nim?”

“…Not at all. Master.”

Although I was now in a forced master-servant relationship due to the viewers.

I surprisingly felt satisfied with the situation of this master-servant roleplay.

[Kim Curry, the bathroom bandit, purchased the ‘Collab Stream with the Love Interest’ product.]

“Ah…”

“I can tell what it is just from your voice.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Not speaking up.”

Curry, swallowing a sigh, ended the broadcast.

Not long after, I felt a presence outside.

The door opened, and familiar footsteps began to approach.

“Come sit down.”

“Yes…”

Curry obediently followed my instructions.

To be honest, speaking informally to Curry felt really awkward.

But it might be better than having Curry call me Master.

Curry sat next to me and turned on the broadcast.

Since I had already set up all the broadcast settings in advance, Curry could quickly go live.

The viewers seemed to have gotten used to the broadcasts ending every time a collab happened, as there was hardly any change in the viewer count.

“…”

“…”

Usually, I would have said something by now.

Honestly, I wasn’t used to speaking informally, so I found it hard to start a conversation.

Maybe Curry felt the same way, or perhaps she just didn’t want to talk, as she remained silent with me.

However, staying silent after a viewer purchased a product would be rude.

So, I awkwardly continued the conversation with meaningless informal comments.

Seeing Curry blushing while calling me Master made me feel good.

But the immersiveness seemed to break with my informal speech, creating a strange tension throughout the conversation.

Thus, thirty minutes, filled with awkwardness, passed by slowly.

“Um, I feel really awkward speaking informally…”

“Isn’t it a bit much for a love interest to have a master-servant relationship…?”

Curry and I spoke simultaneously.

What if the viewers felt uncomfortable?

Contrary to my worries, the chat was filled with “LOL”s.

[I feel like I’m watching young lovers.]

[I can’t breathe for real.]

[Informal speech is really not appealing…]

[The norm for conversation style is definitely the cat style.]

[I’m curious about Barcode’s cat style.]

[I lost all my points, but what’s the temperature of the Han River?]

Luckily, nothing happened, and as soon as the collab ended, I terminated the broadcast.

Then I went to find Ji-hye to discuss the product matters.

“Um… Should we take out the conversation style designation?”

“That sounds good, right? You’ve been streaming for quite a long time lately.”

Since I had been airing frequently, the amount of channel points being released had gone crazy.

Now, I could easily purchase products costing around 50,000 points.

The amount of points released to the viewers had drastically increased, and if we didn’t adjust it soon, it would inevitably become burdensome.

After discussing how to edit the product list with Ji-hye, I conveyed the finalized opinions to Curry.

We agreed not to meet directly unless we were having meals together, so even though we lived in the same house, we communicated through direct messages.

Entering a message in the chatroom, I waited until the number “1” disappeared beside it, but there was no response for a while.

I hadn’t gone outside, and it wasn’t even during a broadcast.

Was she in the shower? I thought maybe that was the case, but…

I had checked during breakfast, and some hair of hers had still been slightly wet.

Of course, she could have taken a shower again, but there was no reason to do so at this hour.

It was a suspicious situation, but since she could be doing something else, I didn’t think much about it.

She would reply once she saw the message, I thought, as I passed the time watching several cute videos.

With so many points released, a situation where I’d have to act cute towards Curry was bound to happen.

It’s better to get hit early, I passed the time watching cringeworthy cute videos.

How long had I been waiting?

Bzzz-bzzz

Bzzz

My smartphone buzzed several times.

Reaching for my phone next to me, I checked the incoming messages.

[Curry: I definitely thought we needed to adjust since so many points are being released.]

[Curry: Sounds like a good idea!]

[Curry: Oh, and by the way, I have a filming schedule in three days.]

I pondered the message I got from Curry.

We had discussed details numerous times while preparing for cohabitation.

Hearing about a schedule during the time of cohabitation was a first for me.

[Barcode: Filming schedule? What kind of filming is it?]

[Curry: I was invited to collaborate with the League Academy and Tich.]

After reading Curry’s reply, I quickly searched online.

To my surprise, multiple articles were published confirming that Tich and the League Academy were collaborating, as she said.

From the dates of the articles, it didn’t seem like the schedule had been arranged before our cohabitation.

As I was researching the collaboration, I typed another message.

[Barcode: It won’t take long, right?]

[Curry: I was informed it would take about half a day.]

[Barcode: You’ll be tired after the filming.]

[Curry: Yes, so I think I’ll take a day off from broadcasting.]

So that was why her replies were late.

While continuing my research about the collaboration, I froze at the part listing the participants.

The streamers were to mentor those wishing to start or improve their skills in League.

The collaboration between the League Academy and Tich boasted a glamorous lineup.

Just the mentor lineup included Jericho and Ain, along with several renowned streamers known for their skills.

While teaching skills and gaming skills are fundamentally different, even considering that, Curry’s level didn’t match that lineup.

More than that, the main reason I froze while scrolling was because of Curry’s partner.

Why was Rina, who was currently active as a solo artist, appearing as Curry’s mentee in this collaboration?

Rina’s profile depicted her primary line and primary champion practically mirrored Curry’s.

Creeeak-

Was Curry unaware that her partner was her?

No, it was very likely she would have known since receiving the invitation.

A certainty filled my mind with doubt, and my heart felt heavy.

It was perfectly reasonable for filming schedules to be arranged, and it wouldn’t be an issue for her to be away for a day.

Even if her partner in that collaboration was Rina, it was a business relationship, so there was no reason to be concerned.

Yet, it was hard not to feel uneasy since Rina’s profile damnadly expressed her intentions.

What were the odds that two mentees with the same ranking would randomly become partners?

Sure, it could be mere coincidence.

But my unease couldn’t be help.

It was entirely possible that Rina approached Curry with ill intentions.

There’s no such thing as absolute safety, and I had a crazy stalker before.

There’s also no guarantee that someone wouldn’t stalk Curry, even if she were a successful solo artist.

Especially a successful solo artist was all the more suspicious.

How could a famous singer, who could churn money just by singing, suddenly register at the League Academy?

That might happen. She might have gotten bored quickly after tasting great success at a young age.

But still, calling it coincidence felt far too coincidental and bizarre.

It felt like some unpleasant sensation, like everything was falling into place, planned by someone.

“…”

By the way, Curry had never mentioned anything about her partner.

Of course, I knew there was no reason for her to bring up her partner.

But the fact that she hadn’t mentioned anything first made me feel outraged.

Originally, I would have barged into Curry’s room and asked her to go together.

But doing so might put pressure on her because of me.

Curry hadn’t mentioned her partner to me first, so it would be unfair to press her on it.

I dialed Jericho’s number saved in my contacts.

*

Early in the morning, Curry began to prepare to leave in a rush.

Yesterday, she had sung a cute song next to Barcode while dressed as a rabbit.

Despite this, Curry’s eyes sparkled, and a smile naturally appeared on her lips.

Although it was comfortable living in this house, the psychological burdens were considerable.

As Curry, feeling mentally drained, thought about finally going out, the thought of meeting Rina excited her.

Checking her outfit in the full-length mirror to ensure there were no flaws, Curry smiled in a relaxed manner.

To anyone, she looked like a person who enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

Finishing her pointless smile practice, Curry exited her room.

It seemed the housekeeper and the others hadn’t woken up yet, and as she carefully walked to avoid making noise, she put on her shoes and left the house.

Climbing into the manager’s vehicle that had been waiting outside, Curry tidied her appearance once more with a handheld mirror.

As her manager watched her act all cutesy, his expression twisted in disgust, but Curry paid him no mind.

“Boss, don’t you feel any guilt about Barcode?”

“Isn’t it Barcode who should feel guilty about me?”

“He could torment me a bit to attract my interest. That guy…”

The manager made a face of disappointment and muttered softly.

“What did you say?”

“…Nothing. Just keep going.”

After that, the manager didn’t say anything further and drove the vehicle.

Before arriving at the League Academy studio, Curry got out at a nearby location and headed towards a pre-reserved styling shop.

No matter how influential a streamer Tich was, in front of a real celebrity, she was like a little child.

Especially since Rina was a solo artist in high demand with countless fans adoring her, it was all the more necessary to look perfect.

After finishing her preparations at the styling shop to meet Rina, Curry entered the League Academy building with her manager.

Following the guidance of a staff member who was already there, Curry and her manager slowly explored the interior.

From trainees preparing to become pro players to regular students dreaming of improving their League skills.

Various people were playing League here, and observing this unfamiliar world along with her manager, Curry and he entered the studio.

“Go left through the passage, and you’ll find a waiting room. If you can wait there, I’d appreciate it.”

“Ah, understood.”

Once the staff finished guiding them, they walked away.

“I don’t think it’s my place to join, so I’ll just look around a bit longer.”

The manager also left, and alone, Curry slowly moved forward.

Following the staff’s directions, Curry soon found the waiting room.

Standing in front of the waiting room door, she took a deep breath and then opened it.

“Oh my, Curry? Is that you, Curry?”

As soon as she opened the door, a woman stood up from her seat and approached Curry.

Perhaps feeling bored while waiting alone, she wore a bright smile that made her look beautiful.

“I’m a huge fan of yours, Curry!”

Upon Rina’s shocking confession, Curry’s mind went completely blank.

She had come in nervous as a fan, yet…

It was Rina who came out as a fan instead.

“Uh, yes? I… I’m also a huge fan of Rina!”

Flustered, Curry revealed her sincere thoughts without any filter.

In a situation where both were confessing to being fans of each other.

Curry resented herself for creating such an awkward setting just moments ago.

“Really?”

Surprisingly, Rina’s reaction was quite positive.

“How interesting that we are both fans of each other.”

Rina burst into a radiant smile, speaking in a bright voice.

“I look forward to a great filming today!”

Rina extended her hand for a handshake, and while accepting Rina’s hand, Curry intended to say she looked forward to it too.

Creek-

“The inside is warm and nice.”

Just then, as Jericho entered through the waiting room door, Curry froze.

The person who walked in after Jericho was none other than Barcode.

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