[TS] Malicious Sniper

On the day of filming, I woke up early in the morning and quietly left my house to not disturb Curry.

Thanks to Jericho, I was already able to speak with the collab manager beforehand.

The manager happily accepted my request to observe the shoot.

Because of that, I was able to enter the League of Legends Academy with Jericho.

“Curry is going to be so touched! The Barcode is actually here at the scene. Anyone would think you’re really dating…”

“I’m just curious about what a place that teaches League of Legends is like.”

“…If you’re not the person in question, then it must not be true, right? Yes.”

As we exchanged trivial conversations, we were guided by a staff member into the studio.

Amidst the bustling preparations and studio adjustments, the staff member pointed out the location of the waiting room and left.

“Whiff… it’s a bit cold. Let’s hurry to the waiting room.”

How weak must one be to shiver indoors like that?

Jericho hurriedly quickened his pace, and I followed him.

As I walked deeper into the waiting room behind Jericho, I saw a woman and Curry facing each other.

Curry looked stunned, staring blankly at me, and the woman, presumed to be Lina, turned her head in response to Curry’s gaze.

“The inside is warm and nice.”

Clueless Jericho sat down with a smile that melted at the warmth of the waiting room.

I couldn’t tell if it was unintentional or if he was trying to ease the moment that had suddenly grown tense with those comments.

“Whoa! Is that you, Barcode?”

Lina, whose gaze met mine, showed a brief surprise before quickly approaching me with a smile.

Her voice was full of warmth, with a bright smile that could only be displayed to those she liked.

Was she trying to trick me? But Lina seemed genuinely happy.

If that were an act, wouldn’t she be better off as an actress than a singer?

At least, Lina was blooming with smiles and passionately continuing her words with sparkling eyes.

“I’m a huge fan of you, Barcode! Recently, in the Platform Tournament, when you won with two allies eliminated, your Talon took out three enemies in a shocking turnaround…”

“…I’m amazed at how you can do that! Ever since I found out about you, I’ve been consistently following your broadcasts!”

If that were acting, she’d surely win best actor.

As I reached that conclusion, the confusing feelings that had been swirling in my heart completely vanished.

Lina was still excitedly talking away.

And behind her, Curry was blankly watching the scene.

Perhaps it was because their expressions were so contrasting or it was just Curry’s silly daze, but…

Pfft!

I couldn’t help but laugh.

For the while I had been brooding, I felt as silly as a fool.

“Uh… Did I make a mistake…? Oh! I haven’t introduced myself yet. Barcode, I’m Lina, a solo artist!”

From the atmosphere, it felt like I had just shared a happy conversation with Lina not long ago.

Otherwise, Curry wouldn’t be making such a dejected expression, and as I watched the scene where Curry’s hopes shattered right before my eyes, I smiled with satisfaction.

“It’s nice to meet you. I don’t listen to your songs often, but I occasionally do.”

“Ah… I’m honored, but it’s a bit embarrassing. My singing skills aren’t that great since my singing career is short…”

“But you sounded really good! Honestly, I doubt I could be more famous than you, Lina?”

“I can’t deny that. Uh… this feels so awkward. But still, Barcode, you’re probably more famous in the League of Legends world!”

I thought to myself, if Ji-hye sang, would it have gone something like this?

Lina’s friendly personality was strikingly similar to Ji-hye’s.

“Why do you look like you just bit into something sour?”

“…Don’t talk to me.”

Curry mumbled something as he shuffled over to the seat where Jericho was sitting.

Having already dismissed all suspicion of Lina after chatting a few times, I thought it would be best to confirm everything, so I subtly asked.

“I checked Lina’s most recent play history beforehand, and your main role is top, right?”

“Ah, yes. The truth is, I started watching Curry’s broadcasts and just randomly picked the champions he played. Before I knew it, I was ‘top’.”

“When did you start watching Curry’s broadcasts?”

“About five months? I was just watching on Mutube, but after… ”

“After what?”

“…I started watching live broadcasts after you and Curry did your first collab.”

At this point, she was practically a passionate fan of mine.

And thinking back, it made sense for Lina to become Curry’s mentee.

If Jericho mentored a celebrity who mainly played jungle and Ain mentored one who primarily played mid…

It wouldn’t be weird for Curry to mentor someone who usually played top.

Reflecting on my past self, I could only think that I was as foolish as Curry.

How troubled had I been to jump to such misunderstandings?

Truthfully, it all came down to Curry.

If he had properly told me beforehand…

If he had simply refused the invitation and quietly done a virtual marriage living arrangement…

This personal mishap wouldn’t have occurred.

As I reached the conclusion that all of this was Curry’s fault, I began to think.

How could I exploit this situation to perfectly annoy that irritating Curry?

My pondering continued until more celebrities and streamers began to fill the waiting room.

Just as the filming was about to start, a brilliant idea struck me, and I sought out the manager.

The agreed-upon content was merely for me to observe the filming today.

I wasn’t supposed to participate directly in the collaboration.

Of course, there was a chance I would appear in later collaboration shoots, but what I wanted right now was to make an appearance in today’s filming.

“What brings you to find me?”

“I have a special request.”

Successfully meeting the manager, I laid out my idea.

Content-wise, it seemed only to have benefits, and I didn’t think they would refuse.

Just as I had that thought, the manager’s closed lips parted.

“Um… We would appreciate it if you could, but can you handle it?”

Despite granting permission, the manager couldn’t hide their doubt and looked at me with concern.

It seemed they were worried more about whether the significant investment and effort put into the collab would go to waste.

“I was the one who made that post about Curry too.”

“Ah… Then I’ll trust you with it, Barcode.”

With the manager’s permission, I neatly tidied my slightly disheveled outfit.

*

When Lina said she was a fan of mine, to be honest, I felt happy.

She was a singer whose songs I frequently listened to, and I became her fan after hearing her success story.

Having overcome hard family circumstances and resolved conflicts with her agency to achieve her success resonated with me.

Thus, I readily accepted this collab invitation, and I was thrilled beyond belief when I actually met Lina.

Just like I was a fan of Lina, when she said she was a fan of mine, I felt like I was going to float with joy.

However, when I saw the genuinely happy Lina interacting with Barcode not long after, Curry’s world collapsed.

Again, it’s Nayun Queen.

Lina had no reason to lie to me, so her saying she was a fan had to be the truth.

Of course, she also had no reason to lie to Barcode, so her being a fan of his was likely true as well.

…No matter how I looked at it, it seemed she liked Barcode more than me.

Yet, I was the one collaborating on this shoot.

In any case, Curry wanted to maintain a good relationship with Lina through this collaboration, so he tried to relax the tension building up inside.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have been at all nervous, but given the presence of famous celebrities and streamers, a small mistake here could tarnish the image he had built up over time.

And so, the filming began as the collab host took the lead.

Five celebrities primarily playing five positions.

And on the other side, famous streamers would mentor those five celebrities.

Prior agreements had already fixed which mentors would teach which mentees, and after the opening concluded, all that was left was for everyone to spread out and conduct their League of Legends lessons.

Curry and Lina, being in Group B, moved into the room marked with a [B] sign above the door.

“Um, I look forward to learning from you, teacher!”

“Ahaha… That title is a bit embarrassing.”

“Ah, then what should I call you…”

“How about mentor? It feels friendlier than teacher and better, I think.”

“Oh, then… Mentor-nim?”

“Yes, Lina. Hmm… Should I call you Lina-nim as well?”

With an expression that screamed awkwardness, Lina shook her head slightly.

Helplessly, Curry decided to just call her ‘Lina-nim’ as she was.

“Lina-nim. Should we play a solo queue match?”

“Yep!”

Following Curry’s words, Lina began matching for a game.

Lina’s current tier was Gold 3.

Her profile indicated she aspired to reach Platinum.

To raise her tier, she first needed to improve her fundamental skills.

Improving her skill was essential to climbing tiers and later showcasing good performances during scrims.

Eventually, the mentees who took lessons from their respective mentors would pair up for scrim matches.

Their objective was to defeat teams prepared for each tier, and how much the mentee’s tier rose during the collaboration was also a significant point.

No matter how well the editing might go, poor results from the mentee would inevitably tarnish the mentor’s own image.

Thus, Curry decided to first observe how Lina played.

Immediately when the game started, Lina rushed to the top lane.

She seemed utterly uninterested in things like invades.

Eventually, he saw the enemy team pushing into the allied base from bottom, but Lina merely stood in the top lane, watching allies get ambushed and die.

[First Blood!]

“Oh dear…”

“…”

To be fair, none of the teammates had watched for the invades, so it wasn’t 100% her fault, but…

Having a habit of keeping an eye on invades was essential, and Curry pulled out his smartphone, opened the notes app, and in a minute jotted down some feedback points.

Then the laning phase began.

Following the horrendous gameplay from Lina, Curry’s fingers moved busily.

If he didn’t utilize the notes, it was bound to lead to his mouth running off recklessly.

[Defeat]

“Whine…”

In the end, Lina bore a sad expression as she bowed her head after a plain defeat.

Seeing that made Curry feel bad, so he earnestly gave her feedback, rekindling her lost enthusiasm.

However, the next match also ended in another plain defeat.

Another round of feedback followed, but nothing changed.

At this point, was he simply incapable of teaching her?

Or was Lina’s League of Legends skill that dreadful?

Three hours of gameplay and feedback passed unproductively.

While seeking alternative methods, the door suddenly squeaked open.

“Can I help you?”

With a smiling Barcode stepping into the room.

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