Chapter 68 : Vacant Seat

After the co-op stream ended, Curry could no longer approach her broadcasts with the same passion as before.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of her, leaving her feeling unsettled.

To escape, Curry distanced himself from her and avoided any mention of her altogether.

However, her unstable state remained unchanged even now, despite the start of a new season in Leory.

Curry continued his solo queue streams, which had been her main content, but she couldn’t maintain the same energy as before.

[You have been defeated.]

“Ah.”

Caught off guard, Curry gave a flat reaction after being solo killed.

Afterward, she continued like a mechanical doll, offering only predictable responses.

[What’s wrong with her lately?]

[See? I told you she only made it to Grandmaster because of Barcode.]

[Her MMR is too high, so now she’s just getting stomped lol.]

[Why is her energy completely dead?]

[Curry’s lost his touch.]

Even her die-hard fans, who initially sent supportive messages, eventually fell silent.

The viewers who had joined after her stream with Barcode noisily stirred up the chat before losing interest and leaving.

[Defeat.]

With losses piling up and nothing else to offer, Curry’s viewer count kept dropping.

It was hard to believe that a once-booming big-name streamer could fall so far.

Her streams were now performing worse than before her sudden rise in popularity.

Although the complaints and jeers in the chat had faded, Curry quietly queued up another match.

{KareRice21 donated 5,000 won.}

-[Twitch clip link]

“Thank you for the donation, KareRice21.”

Shortly after thanking the donor, the Twitch clip link began to play.

The link led to Jericho’s channel, but the person on screen was Barcode.

Instead of Jericho’s familiar studio background, the setting was clearly a bar.

Besides Jericho and Barcode, other streamers were visible, all of whom had participated in the Curry-Breakers team during the platform tournament.

Was this a belated after-party?

It made sense, considering the awkward timing back then.

With things improving recently, it wasn’t strange for them to gather like this.

Jericho and Barcode shared drinks.

In a cheerful atmosphere, they joked and laughed with the others.

Barcode, too, melted into the mood, her soft smile lighting up the scene.

The 30-second clip ended with that smile.

“…”

Without saying a word, Curry turned off his camera.

She didn’t know what kind of expression she was making.

She couldn’t bear to look at herself in the camera.

For some reason, her chest felt tight, and a wave of anguish swept over her.

{KareRice21 donated 5,000 won.}

-[Twitch clip link]

“…Thank you for the donation, KareRice21.”

Another clip donation arrived from the same viewer.

Although Curry wanted nothing more than to skip it entirely,

she couldn’t bring herself to do so and was forced to watch another clip featuring Barcode.

– Are you saying Wandering Swordsman is already in their Master promotion series?

– Already? Seriously?

– I shouldn’t talk, but that’s someone who’s truly obsessed with Leory.

– Want to take a carry mission for the last match of your promotion series? The reward is around 100,000 won.

This clip showed Barcode streaming live as she proposed a carry mission to Wandering Swordsman.

She smiled, clearly enjoying herself, while Wandering Swordsman looked flustered at the suggestion.

If it had been me instead of Wandering Swordsman, she probably would’ve set up a donation mission and sniped me with NaYeonQueen.

I couldn’t help but think Wandering Swordsman was just unlucky to have crossed paths with someone so relentlessly tenacious.

That thought offered a small measure of comfort, but the unease in my chest refused to fade.

{KareRice21 donated 5,000 won.}

-[Twitch clip link]

“Thank you for the donation. Since I’ve queued up, I’ll watch the next one after this game.”

Checking the donation list, Curry realized there were still more clips to come.

Unable to view them mid-game, she temporarily disabled donations and focused on the match.

When the game ended, she shifted her attention to the clips.

In the next video, Jericho stepped in as a black knight, downing a penalty shot in one go.

Behind him, Barcode clapped quietly, his delighted expression stealing Curry’s attention.

The NaYeonQueen who had tormented Curry for years was nowhere to be seen.

It was baffling to see Barcode seamlessly fitting in with others.

Come to think of it, on that day in front of the police station, Barcode never gave a proper answer.

Instead, she’d responded with something as absurd as, “When are we doing our mock wedding?”

She neither confirmed nor denied being NaYeonQueen.

What if—just maybe—Barcode wasn’t NaYeonQueen?

‘…Ridiculous.’

Barcode’s real name was Choi Na-Yeon. She hadn’t denied the connection to NaYeonQueen.

Back during their co-op stream, she had reacted angrily to being compared to NaYeonQueen, but she hadn’t denied it either.

‘It’s for the best.’

Barcode seemed to be getting along well with Jericho and the other streamers.

If she had finally lost interest in me, it was as if the cursed bond with NaYeonQueen had been severed.

I should’ve felt relieved, even happy.

So why did my chest feel so tight?

Unable to find an answer, Curry forced himself to focus on her broadcast.

Thankfully, this time, she managed to immerse herself in the game.

The team was in top form, and everything aligned perfectly, leading to a great match.

Every lane was performing well, creating a game where it was nearly impossible to lose.

Rather than sitting back, Curry took an active role, leading the team to victory.

[Penta Kill!]

The result was Curry’s first penta kill of the season.

The overwhelming team fight win brought the game to a decisive close.

As victory approached, Curry turned his attention to the chat.

For a while, she had been too afraid to look at it due to her poor condition,
but this time, she felt she had earned the right to see it.

The chat was exactly as she’d hoped—filled with praise for her super play and penta kill.

Still, Curry couldn’t bring himself to celebrate.

She knew NaYeonQueen and FlowerShopOwner were the same person.

But the absence of FlowerShopOwner was unmistakable.

Curry couldn’t smile or lift his energy.

FlowerShopOwner had been a regular viewer, often active in the chat.

They would always cheer her on with donations and praise, especially after moments like this.

Now, neither NaYeonQueen, Barcode, nor FlowerShopOwner were part of her stream.

It was a relief to be rid of NaYeonQueen, but the loss of FlowerShopOwner was a bitter pill to swallow.

Even though he knew they were the same person, Curry unconsciously regarded NaYeonQueen and FlowerShopOwner as two completely different individuals.

Had she finally lost her mind?

Curry began to question his own state of mind.

And at the same time, another thought crept in.Could I forgive NaYeonQueen?

The absurd thought crossed my mind briefly,
but it vanished the moment I recalled everything she had put me through.

Shaking off all distractions, Curry resolved to ride this momentum to climb his tier and regain his energy.

{FlowerShopOwner donated 500,000 won.}

– Congratulations on your first pentakill of the season!

The sudden donation from FlowerShopOwner caused a ripple in Curry’s otherwise calm heart.

The afterparty for Break Curry’s Team turned out to be much more enjoyable than expected.

Even someone like me, who dislikes going out, found myself thinking, Maybe spending time with others isn’t so bad.

But it still didn’t compare to the fun I had with Curry.

So, I simply played along, wearing a passable smile.

It would’ve been strange to sit there with a blank expression while everyone else was having fun.

After that, I spent my time streaming solo.

I’d set up challenges for Wandering Swordsman during his Master promotion series.

Or I’d share stories about living with Curry, chatting with viewers.

That was how I passed the time.

And before I knew it, a week had gone by since the cohabitation stream.

A week was all it took.

Streaming, gaming, hanging out with people, chatting with viewers—

I’d grown tired of it all.

I had planned to avoid Curry’s streams for a month,but I couldn’t hold out any longer.

Reluctantly, I logged onto Twitch and entered Curry’s stream for the first time in a while.

I knew Curry had been avoiding me since that day,
so I watched anonymously, without logging in.

It didn’t take long for me to notice Curry wasn’t doing well.

The chat was filled with mocking comments aimed at her poor condition.

The thought that I might be the reason for her struggles made my chest ache.

I debated logging in and donating right then and there,but I was afraid it would only make things worse.

So I stayed anonymous, silently cheering her on.

Perhaps my heartfelt support reached her.

[Penta Kill!]

Curry’s pentakill shattered his losing streak,
and her broadcast was filled with the sound of victory.

[That’s the Curry we know!]

[That was insane!!!]

[This is why she’s a former Grandmaster.]

[The King of Cleanup! The King of Cleanup!]

[LMAO these people flipping their opinions so fast.]

[This chat is full of professional 180-turn artists LOL.]

Die-hard fans emerged from the shadows, flooding the chat with praise for Curry,
and the atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Ordinarily, this would’ve been Curry’s moment to let out a triumphant roar.

But she remained silent, focusing solely on finishing the game.

It wasn’t a bad look—seeing her pour everything into the match.

Still, it felt like a waste to let the moment pass.

I quickly logged in as FlowerShopOwner,
and donated every penny I had left.

{FlowerShopOwner donated 500,000 won.}

– Congratulations on your first pentakill of the season!

I waited for Curry’s reaction.

She stared at my username,then let out a light chuckle.

The heavy atmosphere dissolved in an instant.

“FlowerShopOwner just donated 500,000 won to celebrate my pentakill! Thank you so much!!! Kyaaaahhh!!!”

As if releasing everything she’d been holding back, Curry let out an explosive cheer,
then exhaled heavily.

Seeing her regain her energy made me smile uncontrollably.

I couldn’t resist any longer.

I turned on my computer, logged into Discord,
and called Curry directly.

Ring-ring. Ring-ring.

Ring-ring. Ring-ring.

“Barcode? What’s going on?”

“Curry.”

After taking a deep breath, I spoke softly.

“When are we doing our mock wedding?”

I’d always wanted to ask at a moment like this.

What kind of reaction would Curry give me?

I waited in silence, brimming with anticipation.

“Hah… Seriously. Unbelievable.”

Curry let out a disbelieving laugh.

It was hard to tell if it was a yes or no.

“When’s good for you, Barcode?”

But her next words were a clear yes.