Chapter 61 : Teacher and Student

After that incident, Ji-hye and I didn’t leave the house.

I wanted to install CCTV near our home, but that would have been too conspicuous.

Unless that stalker was a complete idiot, such an obvious move would only scare him off.

I didn’t just want to drive him away; I wanted to crush him. That’s why I refrained from doing anything noticeable.

Well, not that refraining made much of a difference—our daily lives remained the same as usual.

“This is why I prefer grocery shopping in person…”

Ji-hye grumbled about the poor condition of the groceries we ordered online.

Seeing her recover so quickly after what happened filled me with mixed emotions.

One of those emotions was worry.

The other was anger.

Worry, because I wondered if she was just pretending to be okay.

Anger, because that stalker had planted such a horrible memory in someone as pure as Ji-hye.

Ji-hye was the first person who truly felt like “mine.”

That made it all the more unforgivable.

That stalker didn’t just hurt her; he hurt me. And I couldn’t forgive him for that.

“Unni, you’re going to eat breakfast and then head to the collab stream, right?”

“Yeah, I have to go.”

I picked up the spoon and started eating the breakfast Ji-hye had prepared.

Because of my nonchalant demeanor, Ji-hye looked at me with eyes full of concern.

Who was worrying about whom here?

It was absurd, yet it felt so like her.

Ji-hye, the type of person who prioritized others over herself—a foolishly kind soul.

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

“Make sure to land at least one snipe during the collab, okay?”

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

“The more successful shots, the better. I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me!”

Thanks to Ji-hye’s confident response, I could leave the house feeling at ease.

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

To others, her growth might have seemed unbelievable, but there are always a few prodigies who outshine even this.

It wasn’t anything too shocking.

What I asked Ji-hye to do was to snipe as much as possible using the “NayeonQueen” account during this in-person collab stream.

This stream was focused on Curry’s challenge to reach Grandmaster, so we wouldn’t be duoing in ranked matches.

Even if she managed to snipe, there was no chance of her landing on the same lane as me.

The accounts I lent Ji-hye were “NayeonQueen” and a separate sniping account.

I also taught her various tips for sniping, so she should have no trouble succeeding.

‘I’m looking forward to this…’

How would Curry react to being sniped by NayeonQueen during the stream?

Would he suspect me after seeing both NayeonQueen and Barcode in the same match?

Or would he assume that NayeonQueen and Barcode were different people altogether?

No matter how Curry reacted, it was bound to be entertaining.

If only it weren’t for that stalker, I could’ve headed to Curry’s place with a lighter heart.

I fiddled with the taser hidden in my pocket as I stepped onto the nearby street.

On the way from the residential area to the street, I didn’t notice any suspicious people or vehicles that could have been the stalker.

It seemed like he was being cautious after getting caught once.

Even so, just knowing that the stalker might be nearby sent chills down my spine.

I hailed a taxi as quickly as I could and got in, heading to Curry’s house.

A woman whose exotic appearance made it hard to believe she was Korean.

Her crimson hair and mysterious red eyes were something you could never tire of looking at.

Ring-ring-ring-

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Who could it be?

I glanced at the name on the screen before answering the call.

“Hello?”

– Doing well?

“Me? Yeah, I’m doing fine.”

– Thanks to you, I had quite an experience. You watched Curry’s fan meeting, right?

“Oh, uh, yeah. I watched it.”

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

Could he possibly be interested in my Barcode persona?

If that’s the case, then… then…

I’ll have to get rid of him before he becomes a problem.

– I never would’ve guessed that Barcode-noona was a florist.

“Me neither. It totally caught me off guard.”

– Anyway, it’s thanks to you giving up your spot that I got to go to the fan meeting. I was thinking of treating you to a meal. Are you free now?

“Ah… I’m busy right now. How about later? We can coordinate our schedules.”

– If you’re busy, I get it. How about next weekend?

“Next weekend works for me. My schedule’s pretty open.”

– Great. Let’s meet then.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Click.

I ended the call and turned my attention forward again.

The taxi Barcode was in was just ahead of me.

As much as I wanted to just abduct her right now and live happily ever after together,

I knew it could land me in prison. I had no choice but to keep my distance.

“It’s not much longer now…”

The days I’d spend living with her forever weren’t far off.

“Hah… Jinsung, do I really have to do this?”

“Hyung, if you back out now, your career is over.”

“But still… Do I really have to live with that woman?”

The manager, who had been silently listening, gave Curry a strange look.

His gaze slowly drifted downward and stopped around Curry’s lower abdomen.

“Hyung… don’t tell me that rumor is true…”

“It’s not, you crazy bastard!!!”

Although Curry vehemently denied it, the manager didn’t seem convinced.

“No matter how much Barcode-noona’s actions were over the top… still, someone as stunning as her coming on to you so strongly—”

“Do you think I don’t know she’s pretty? She is. She’s gorgeous. But what’s the point of a pretty face when her heart is ugly?”

“Wow…”

The manager looked at Curry as if he were some kind of rare species.

Unable to endure the irritating stare, Curry finally kicked the manager out of the room.

“Hah… This is driving me crazy.”

As the manager had said, Barcode was undeniably a beautiful woman.

When the two of them were together, it was almost laughable how out of Curry’s league she seemed.

But that was only her outward appearance. Barcode’s true identity was NayeonQueen.

After all, with NayeonQueen’s relentless sniping and the florist suddenly appearing, it was clear that Barcode was NayeonQueen.

All her other personas were simply tools for tormenting him.

Knock knock.

Hearing the knock, Curry rose from his seat and walked to the door.

“What’s up?”

“Barcode-nim is waiting on the first floor.”

“Ugh… Damn it. But why is she waiting downstairs? You could’ve just let her in.”

At Curry’s question, the manager let out an awkward laugh.

“That wouldn’t have the same vibe, would it? Good luck, boss! I hope you two make up!”

“You… don’t tell me this is some kind of… couple roleplay—”

Before Curry could finish, the manager bolted without looking back.

Curry considered chasing after him but realized the manager had already escaped outside.

“B*stard…”

After muttering a curse, Curry reluctantly got ready to head out.

The revelation that his long-time manager was, in fact, a hardcore “fake marriage” fan hit him hard.

Still, Curry pulled himself together and left the apartment.

Taking the elevator to the first floor, he spotted a woman standing just beyond the entrance.

The moment their eyes met, Barcode smiled.

Whatever she found so amusing was irritating to no end.

Of course, Curry couldn’t show his true feelings, so he maintained a neutral expression—not too stiff, but not overly friendly either—as he opened the door.

“It’s been a while.”

“Good to see you.”

“Hm…”

Barcode let out a nasal hum in response to his curt reply.

It was that distinctive expression of hers, the one she made when something bothered her.

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were anything but. That expression alone was enough to haunt his nightmares and trigger PTSD.

“Didn’t you miss me, Curry-nim? I missed you a lot…”

“I missed you too.”

“Sounds like a lie.”

“Why would I lie about something like that? Come in already. It’s cold outside.”

Barcode followed Curry inside, and the two made their way to his apartment.

I followed Curry into his home, glancing around as I stepped inside.

It was an ordinary apartment, like countless others, but for some reason, everything felt fascinating.

“So this is Curry-nim’s place… How interesting.”

“What’s so interesting about a single guy’s apartment?”

“Just… everything feels interesting. Thinking that this is ‘Curry-nim’s’ home makes it so.”

“…Let’s just get ready for the stream.”Curry shifted the conversation and moved to a room filled with streaming equipment. I followed him inside.

The room was packed with microphones and lighting gear, making it clear this was a real streamer’s setup.

“Barcode-nim, please take a seat here.”

I sat in the chair Curry pointed to.

It was right next to the one Curry would use during the collaboration stream.

Seeing him from this side angle, instead of through the usual camera perspective, felt strange.

“Mic test, one, two.”

“Can you test the mic before the stream starts?”

“You can do a quick test, yeah.”

“That’s fascinating.”

Our brief conversation ended, and Curry turned his full attention to the stream setup.

This was the serious side of Curry, one you could only see off-stream.

It was the complete opposite of his usual on-camera persona, but it wasn’t bad.

Messing with a serious Curry.

Just imagining it felt fresh and thrilling.

Once all the preparations were done, Curry started the stream.

As usual, he played some music on the waiting screen and then turned to me.

“Everything’s ready. Could you step out of the camera frame for a moment? I’ll call you back in after the opening remarks.”

“Got it. I’ll do that.”

Following Curry’s instructions, I pushed the chair out of the camera’s view.

Once I was out of frame, Curry waited for the music to finish and turned on the camera.

“Hello, everyone! Kaha Kaha~”

Where had the serious and focused Curry gone?

In an instant, he had transformed into the Curry whose voice alone was annoying enough to make you want to punch him.

“Wow, the chat is on fire. You’re all demanding Barcode-nim? Hmm…”

“What if I told you Barcode-nim isn’t here? What would happen to me then? Huh? You’d tell me to prepare for exile? You guys take jokes too far sometimes.”

“Well, it seems like enough people have gathered. If I delay any longer, the stream might implode…”

Curry glanced to the side and gave me a quick signal with his eyes.

It was the cue to come in. I pulled my chair back into the camera’s view.

“This is our president and today’s collaboration partner, streamer Barcode-nim!”

“Hello, everyone.”

I looked at the camera feed and waved my hand.

It was something I’d never dream of doing on my own stream.

But this was Curry’s stream, not mine.

Of course, that didn’t mean I wanted to keep playing along with this cringeworthy opening for long.

“Shall we start the stream now?”

“Uh, wait, I just… need to go to the restroom real quick…”

“Didn’t you just go earlier? Where do you think you’re sneaking off to, Curry?”

I grabbed Curry by the back of his neck just as he was trying to slip away without answering me.

Maybe it was thanks to my regular workouts, or perhaps Curry let himself get caught on purpose, but he returned to his seat without much resistance.

“Guys, I just realized something. Barcode’s grip strength is insane.”

“…What did you say?”

“N-nothing. No, seriously, I didn’t say anything.”

“Really? Well, if you say so… Anyway, let’s officially start the collab, shall we?”

Seeing Curry squirm and grimace at the situation made me feel really good.

Meeting my gaze, he eventually surrendered and logged into Leorie.

“Queue up already. Hurry.”

“Ugh…”

“Are you going to ignore your teacher?”

“…I’ll listen to you. I’ll behave.”

Since I was here as a “mentor,” I tried using a teacher-like tone.

Watching Curry comply so obediently made a small smile creep onto my lips.

Was there any better opportunity to tease Curry in peace than this?

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

“Yeah… That’s right.”

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

“Sigh… Alright, teacher.”

Curry sighed deeply, perhaps already questioning his life choices, but he eventually accepted his role as the “student.”

As Curry started queuing up, I turned my attention to the chat to check the audience’s reactions.

[Oooohhh myyyy goooood.]

[An authoritative LoL professor? Yes, please!]

[Teach me too, Professor Barcode!]

[Hit me with a ruler! I need discipline!]

[Getting scolded by a teacher like this is a reward, not a punishment.]

[What even is today’s collab theme?]

[This is killing me! LOL!]

It was a concept we’d come up with on the fly without any prior discussion.

But judging by the chat’s enthusiasm, the dynamic between us was working surprisingly well.

Realizing that the teacher-student concept was resonating with the audience, I decided to lean into it even more, preparing to “guide” Curry with all the authority I could muster.