Chapter 60 : Stalker

[Co-op stream? Cohabitation? What the f*ck.]

[How can I live with this sorrow? lol]

[If you don’t have a girlfriend, you might as well just die.]

[I just got out of bed, about to head to Han River.]

[I’ll write “Curry” in my will before I go.]

The suggestion of a co-op stream from Barcode was nothing short of shocking.

Though he called it a “co-op stream,” it was essentially an invitation to live together.

For viewers who had been watching Curry for years, it was hard to think otherwise.

After all, unless you were a Master-tier player, it was nearly impossible for Curry to hit Grandmaster.

Curry had been stuck in the same rank for nine years, playing Leo every season. Even after the Grandmaster tier was introduced, he remained a ghost lingering between Master and Diamond, the hellish limbo of rankings.

And now Curry was going to attempt a Grandmaster speedrun?

Currently, Curry was sitting at Diamond 1.

Even with it being the preseason and some opportunities to climb ranks through “empty house” strategies, it was an overly ambitious challenge.

“You’re lying, right? Please, tell me you’re lying.”

“What? I don’t lie about things like this…”

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

Curry asked Barcode desperately, but the reply was annoyingly dismissive. Just from hearing Barcode’s voice, Curry could imagine the expression he must be making.

It was definitely that smug, infuriating grin that made you want to punch something.

“I can do the Grandmaster speedrun, but cohabitation is off the table.”

“Why not?”

“Why not? Seriously… Ugh. If we do that, there’s bound to be some controversy.”

“So what? Let the controversy happen. Who cares?”

Talking to Barcode felt like talking to a wall, and Curry let out a sigh of despair.

Unlike the Curry of the past, who stayed positive no matter the hardship, the Curry of today spiraled into despair and frustration every time he dealt with Barcode. It was enough to drive him mad.

[But seriously, doesn’t this prove Curry is a total loser?]

[How much spoon-feeding does he need, you f*cking idiot?]

[This guy’s hopeless, even when handed everything.]

[People are going to start spreading rumors that we’re gay because of this kkkkk]

[I want them to have s*x, have kids, and live happily ever after!!!!!] – [This user has been blocked.]

[Do you want to see me go crazy?]

‘Those crazy bastards, that person is Queen Nayeon!!!’

Curry, unable to speak the truth, inevitably chose to suffer in silence.

His silent screams would not reach the viewers, and all that could be heard was Barcode’s subtle laughter.

“This is the first and last ‘request’ I will ever make of you, Curry… Are you going to refuse…?”

“No, I haven’t said I would refuse yet.”

Feeling the tearful tone hidden behind the laughter, Curry had no choice but to adopt a humble posture.

He had to consider the perspective of those who didn’t know the truth and act accordingly.

If he refused Barcode’s suggestion for a joint broadcast here?

Curry would become a piece of trash who ignored the Chairman’s first and last request, the Chairman who had given him messages of support and huge donations throughout the broadcast without asking for anything in return.

Furthermore, if he kept pushing away such an aggressively pursuing beauty like Barcode?

Controversy was inevitable.

Mostly of a sexual nature.

Whether it was about him being impotent or a homosexual.

One of these controversies was bound to erupt.

He would rather reveal Barcode’s true identity than be treated as impotent.

Of course, if he revealed Barcode’s identity here, the aftermath would be difficult to handle. From the start, he only had circumstantial evidence and no decisive proof, so revealing it would likely only backfire.

However, this “circumstantial evidence,” if accumulated, could become decisive proof.

Even at this moment, his managers were gathering circumstantial evidence that Queen Nayeon and Barcode were the same person, so it was only a matter of time.

“Haa… I understand. Since the Chairman says so, I will do a joint broadcast.”

“Really? I thought you would refuse…”

That detestable voice, feigning surprise.
He had brought it up knowing full well that Curry would accept the suggestion.

Seeing that smug attitude only made Curry feel worse.

[Finally, Curry! I knew you’d come through!]

[This… isn’t this setting up for a “virtual couple” scenario?]

[Let’s punish him at night, punish him at night, punish him at night.] – [User has been banned.]

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

[Chairman Barcode’s decisiveness is on another level.]

[What the hell did this guy save in his past life to deserve this?]

[At least we know Curry caused the Big Bang.]

“So, when should we meet?”

“The season starts on January 11th, so…”

Curry considered today’s date and the schedule ahead.

It didn’t seem like the speedrun stream would wrap up in just a day or two.

“…How about January 4th?”

“One week before the new season starts? Are you saying you want to spend a whole week with me?”

“How could you possibly interpret what I just said like that…?”

“Well… because I’m one of your viewers?”

[lolololol]

[There’s no escaping it if you’re a Curry stream viewer lol.]

[Oh my god, this is hilarious.]

[Barcode, the ultimate troll chairman.]

[Curry looks genuinely happy.]

[He looks half-dead though?]

[That’s just how Curry looks when he’s happy.]

[Hopeless idiots…]

Barcode’s cheeky reply made Curry feel dizzy.

He moved his mouse.

He wanted to escape this one-on-one situation with Barcode as quickly as possible.

With that thought in mind, Curry moved the cursor toward the “End Broadcast” button and finally opened his mouth.

“I’ll send you the details later. I’m tired for today, so I’ll…”

“Good job with today’s stream.”

It was because of him that it had been so exhausting.

Curry swallowed the reply that was about to escape his lips and ended the call with Barcode.

“Everyone, I’ll wrap up the stream here. Ah, I’ll make sure to send the promised keyboard and mouse to the winning team.”

[Bye, Curry~]

[Bye, Curry~]

[Great stream today.]

[This was such a wholesome broadcast.]

[Thanks in advance for the keyboard!]

[Bye, Curry~]

Finishing his closing remarks smoothly, Curry clicked to end the broadcast.

After confirming that Curry’s stream had ended, I shut down my computer.

It had been a productive day, and with the promise of the January 4th co-op stream in reality, I thought it couldn’t get any better.

Leaving my room to quench the thirst I hadn’t dealt with while talking to Curry, I headed downstairs. That’s when I felt it—a strange sense of unease.

Something was missing.

Scanning my surroundings, I realized Ji-hye wasn’t there.

Normally, if I skipped dinner, Ji-hye would prepare a late-night snack around this time.

But Ji-hye was nowhere to be found in the kitchen where she was usually present, and there were no traces of any cooking.

The spotlessly clean kitchen only heightened my unease. I immediately went to Ji-hye’s room.

Knock, knock—

No response.

Knock, knock—

“Ji-hye?”

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

Sensing that something was wrong, I opened the door and walked in.

I hoped to find her peacefully sleeping on the bed, but as I moved further into the room, the neatly arranged blankets only emphasized Ji-hye’s absence.

Where could she have gone at this hour?

Ji-hye had never left the house without my permission—not once.

Whether she liked it or not, our relationship was bound by a contract, and even outside the contract, Ji-hye wasn’t the type to act recklessly.

So where had she disappeared to at this time?

I slowly retraced my memory, recalling my last conversation with Ji-hye.

“We’re out of groceries, so I’m going to the store!”

“Okay, take care.”

At the start of Curry’s New Year stream, Ji-hye had clearly left the house with my permission.

But the fact that she hadn’t returned by now meant something must have happened.

Keeping calm, I analyzed the situation and pulled out my smartphone to call Ji-hye.

Ring…
Ring…

Straight to voicemail.

I desperately hoped Ji-hye would answer, but she didn’t pick up.

Unable to sit still any longer, I rushed out of her room and prepared to leave the house.

Should I call the police or not? No, I should definitely call.

As I stepped out of the front door, about to dial the police—

Beep— Beep-beep-beep.

The sound of the door lock’s keypad came from beyond the front door.

After a series of beeps, the lock clicked open, and the door slowly swung inward.

“You… where have you been…”

I was ready to demand an explanation for her late return.

But—

Thud.

Ji-hye suddenly collapsed to the ground, cutting off any words I might have had.

Her frail, trembling body, unfocused eyes, and pale complexion made it clear—anyone could see that she wasn’t in a normal state.

Realizing that a proper conversation was impossible in her current condition, I stayed quiet and waited patiently for her to calm down.

“…I’m sorry for coming back so late.”

“You must’ve had a reason. So don’t apologize. Just explain.”

When I asked for an explanation, Ji-hye took a deep breath before opening her mouth again.

“I was going to come straight home after shopping, but I saw a black car near the house. I’ve never seen it before.”

“A black car?”

“Yes. Cars don’t usually come into this area… so I tried to enter the house without being noticed.”

Ji-hye’s eyes darted nervously as she met my gaze, clearly showing her unease.

What could have happened to make her, always so cheerful, show such a foreign side of herself?

“I made eye contact with the driver of the black car, and after that, they started following me. I got so scared that I dropped all the groceries I’d just bought and ran. I ran into alleys where cars couldn’t enter, but the driver got out and kept chasing me. Somehow, I managed to escape and called the police. I’ve been at the station giving my statement, which is why I’m late.”

“What happened to the person who chased you?”

“Well… they were released without charges. Even though they definitely followed me, the nearby CCTV was broken, so they couldn’t verify whether it was stalking or not…”

“Sigh…”

After hearing Ji-hye’s explanation, I pieced together what had happened and let out a deep breath.

From the sound of it, some stalker had latched onto her.

“You’ve been through a lot. Go rest.”

“But I couldn’t bring back the groceries…”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s fine.”

“I’m so sorry…”

I helped Ji-hye, whose legs had given out, to her room.

Once I managed to get her to her bed, I pulled out my smartphone.

No matter how I looked at it, the stalker’s real target didn’t seem to be Ji-hye—it was me.

The fact that they chased Ji-hye could be explained by her face being shown on my streams before. It wasn’t out of the question.

But Ji-hye and I rarely left the house, so the chances of a stalker targeting her were slim.

That left only one conclusion—the stalker was after “Barcode.”

How should I deal with this bastard?

For a moment, I considered hiring a private investigator.

But that didn’t sit right with me, so I quickly abandoned the idea and racked my brain for another solution.

The problem was, no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a legal way to handle them.

“…Hah.”

The thought of Ji-hye being targeted made me feel dizzy.

What would the stalker have done if they’d caught her?

I didn’t need to think hard to figure out the answer—it was obvious.

“Crazy bastard.”

I muttered a curse under my breath as I climbed the stairs to the second floor.

It was already too late at night to file any requests, and if I wanted to approach this carefully, I needed to be thorough.

More than anything, I didn’t want to rely on anyone else.

I wanted to handle this with my own hands.

The stalker would undoubtedly try to strike on January 4th, during my planned stream with Curry.

Whether it was while I left the house or after the collaboration ended, that would be their moment.

The safest course of action would be to cancel the collaboration with Curry.

But canceling because of a mere stalker? That wasn’t something I could allow myself to do.

Back in my room, I spent the rest of the night looking up high-voltage stun guns before finally wrapping up the day.