Chapter 70 : Cohabitation Begins

As soon as I announced the fake marriage, my stream blew up.

After that, Curry and I began communicating frequently to finalize the details.

This wasn’t just an ordinary fake marriage—we were following the format of the original televised version.

I thought it would take a long time to prepare for the collaboration, but the schedule was set surprisingly quickly.

“So, Curry’s coming over to my place tomorrow.”

“So, does that mean I get a vacation while you’re doing this, unni?”

When I brought up tomorrow’s collaboration over dinner, Ji-hye openly expressed her disappointment.

For a moment, I thought, Don’t most working people enjoy vacations?
But the thought disappeared just as quickly.

Because of what I’d said during the last stream—that I couldn’t keep the housekeeper around during the fake marriage—Ji-hye must’ve thought she had to take time off.

Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of sending Ji-hye away, and Curry was already on board with the arrangement.

“You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. Curry and I already talked about it.”

“Really?”

“And during the fake marriage, you’ll be responsible for managing the chatroom.”

“Hehe… Sounds good.”

Though I’d just told her she’d have to work, Ji-hye seemed much happier than when we were discussing a possible vacation.

Managing the chatroom during a fake marriage was bound to be exhausting. There would undoubtedly be comments that could cut deep.

Still, I wasn’t too worried. We’d hired experienced stream managers, and Curry’s team would also be helping out.

Once dinner was over, I started preparing in earnest for the cohabitation that would begin the next day.

“Please place that over there.”

I directed the movers to arrange the furniture I’d ordered for the room Curry would be using.

I also stocked up on Curry’s favorite snacks, which he often ate on stream, and filled the shelves.

Since I was the one who had unilaterally initiated this fake marriage, I put extra effort into ensuring Curry wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

After investing significant time, care, and effort, I finally finished setting up Curry’s room.

Next, I went looking for Ji-hye.

When I opened her door, she seemed to have been waiting for me. Without missing a beat, she led me to the kitchen.

Ever since the day the fake marriage was confirmed, I’d been learning to cook from Ji-hye.
And, of course, there was only one reason I was learning to cook.

“Ouch!”

“Are you okay ?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It just grazed me a bit.”

“Be careful when handling hot pans!”

I ran my slightly burned hand under cold water to cool it down.

I’d never cooked before and had never imagined I’d need to.

But if I was going to commit to the fake marriage content, I couldn’t skimp on things like cooking for Curry—it would feel hollow or disappointing otherwise.

If I’d intended to merely play along on the surface, I wouldn’t have suggested the fake marriage in the first place.

The dishes Ji-hye taught me were mostly Korean foods that Curry liked.

Since Curry especially loved spicy stir-fried pork, I practiced that dish over and over until I got the hang of it.

For a while, with Ji-hye’s help, I honed my cooking skills to the point where I could make passable meals.

Once the dishes started to look decent, all that was left was the taste.

To test that, Ji-hye took the first bite of my well-prepared spicy stir-fried pork.

“How is it?”

“Nom, nom… Hmm…”

She chewed a few more times, seemingly undecided, then flashed a bright smile.

“you should try it yourself!”

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

It had to be terrible, and Ji-hye was probably teasing me by asking me to eat it.

Ji-hye wasn’t the type to do that, but my distrust in my own cooking skills outweighed my trust in her.

The amount of pork I’d ruined while learning must’ve been at least a kilogram by now.

Skeptical, I picked up a piece of the beautifully cooked pork with my chopsticks and popped it into my mouth.

Chew, chew—

I cautiously bit into the meat, only to be amazed by the flavor.

It was hard to believe I had made this dish—it was that good.

Given how dull my palate usually was, my earlier attempts at cooking had been borderline inedible.

Now, the effort I’d poured into this finally felt worthwhile.

I turned my gaze to Ji-hye, who was watching me with a knowing look.

Trying to savor the taste with every bite, I soon realized what kind of feedback Ji-hye was expecting.

“It’s a bit… salty, maybe?”

“You miscalculated the seasoning earlier.”

“…You could’ve told me that sooner.”
“Not telling you everything won’t help you improve!”

Ji-hye’s uncharacteristically firm tone left me speechless.

So, I continued practicing under her guidance, and gradually, my confidence in cooking began to grow.

“Haa… Smack.”

“Boss, why do you keep sighing like that?”

The manager, who was driving, glanced at me with a faint smile.

It was a clearly loaded question, and I didn’t need to respond.

But I couldn’t help but scowl as I replied in a low voice.

“Wouldn’t you be sighing too if you were me?”

“If it were me, I’d be smiling out of pure joy!”

The way he laughed while saying that only made my temper flare.

Still, I held back—getting mad would only entertain him.

“We’re here.”

“Haaaaah…”

So, it’s finally happening.

With that thought, I grabbed my luggage, opened the car door, and stepped out.

“You got this, boss! Fighting!”

“Get lost already!”

I shouted back at my manager, who’d rolled down the window to yell something embarrassingly loud, before turning to walk forward.

The moment we entered the neighborhood, I noticed how densely packed the area was with high-rise buildings.

However, Barcode’s house was located further out in a more suburban area.

Despite its location, it was impossible to underestimate the place.

“A detached house… How much does this cost?”

A home like this in the suburbs must easily exceed a billion won in rent alone.

I’d known Barcode was rich from the massive donations over the years, but this made me wonder if she was even wealthier than I’d imagined.

Feeling oddly nervous, I swallowed dryly and took heavy steps toward the front door, finally stopping in front of the doorbell.

The thought of Na-yeon Queen being on the other side of this door made me want to run.

But I reminded myself that I wasn’t meeting Na-yeon Queen.

I was meeting Barcode, the streamer.

With that self-affirmation, I pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong.

The chime echoed, and I heard hurried footsteps approaching from the other side.

—“I’m coming!”

The voice wasn’t Barcode’s.

It belonged to another woman, and soon, the door opened.

A short-haired woman with light brown hair greeted me with a polite bow.

“Welcome. You must be Curry, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“She’s waiting for you inside. Please follow me—I’ll show you in.”

This must be the housekeeper Barcode had mentioned.

For some reason, I’d assumed the housekeeper would be an older woman, but clearly, I was wrong.

Following her inside, I glanced around as I walked.

The house had seemed big from the outside, but stepping in, it felt even more spacious.

The living room was equipped with various exercise machines, but strangely, there was no television.

“You can head in here.”

“Understood.”

Passing by the housekeeper, I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

As the room came into view, the first thing I noticed was Barcode sitting at the dining table, sipping tea.

The seat across from her was empty, so I moved to it and sat down.

Looking up, I met her gaze.

Her unwavering red eyes stared directly at me, their intensity making me uncomfortable.

I fidgeted with the teacup in front of me to avoid her gaze.

“Why do you look so stiff?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”
“How do you stay composed in an atmosphere like this?”

Curry wanted to mutter under his breath but kept his mouth shut.

Did Barcode somehow sense his inner turmoil?

With a faint smile, she poured him a cup of tea and spoke in a low voice.

“Actually, this room doesn’t normally have this kind of vibe. I spruced it up as a little commemoration for your visit. What do you think?”

“…You decorated it just for me?”

At Barcode’s casual remark, Curry glanced around the room.

The space was filled with elegant, antique furniture that looked undeniably expensive.

All of this wasn’t here before? And she bought it just for his visit?

How rich could she possibly be to afford such extravagance without a second thought?

Curry, who’d never felt outclassed in terms of wealth, encountered a towering wall for the first time.

“Would you like me to show you to your room? I didn’t have much time to prepare, so it’s not very decorated.”

“Ah, yes, please.”

Barcode stood up and stepped out of the room.

Following her, Curry arrived at a room so stunning he doubted her claim that it hadn’t been fully decorated.

“So, how is it?”

“It’s… excessively nice.”

It was clear Barcode was downplaying her efforts.

Still, knowing she had gone to such lengths for him made a smile creep onto his face.

Just moments ago, he had been nervous, but now, all the tension melted away.

“Did you have dinner, Curry?”

“Not yet. You told me not to eat beforehand, remember?”

“Fufu, then unpack your things and come out. I’ll treat you to a meal. Oh, and I’ll go ahead and start the stream—it is technically a ‘couple content’ stream, after all.”

Without waiting for his response, Barcode left the room, casually mentioning the stream.

Although this hadn’t been part of their prior agreement, Curry didn’t protest.

Streaming a casual day-to-day segment wasn’t unusual for couple content.

So, Curry quietly began unpacking his things.

After asking Ji-hye to set up the camera, the preparations for the outdoor broadcast were complete.

At first, Curry had questioned whether it was necessary to record their day-to-day activities for the “couple content” stream.

But once he decided to go along with it, he figured he might as well go all in.

For the first outdoor broadcast, he chose cooking as the theme.

“Starting the stream now.”

Signaling to Ji-hye, he turned the stream on.

The title was set to “Couple Content Day 1: Barcode Prepares a Meal for Curry.”

While it wasn’t the most clickbait-worthy title, it was straightforward enough.

[What’s this?]

[Is Barcode streaming at this hour?]

[Did the couple content start today?]

[What’s with the outdoor broadcast?]

[Waking up early was worth it—getting to watch Barcode stream.]

[It’s afternoon, though—how’s that early? LOL.]

The sudden and unannounced broadcast left viewers bewildered.

Normally, a streamer would open with an explanation or some sort of introduction to set the scene.

But Barcode, already engrossed in cooking, didn’t seem to notice the chat.

“Everyone, Barcode is preparing a meal for Curry,” Ji-hye softly explained, trying to quell the confusion.

[Who’s this?]

[Whose voice was that just now?]

[Is it her sister?]

[Wait, Barcode has a housekeeper?]

Noticing the rising curiosity, Ji-hye quickly added, “I’m Barcode’s housekeeper.”

[Oh, right, I remember now.]

[She has a housekeeper? How rich is she?]

[That’s the cute housekeeper, isn’t it?]

Having clarified her identity, Ji-hye decided to shift the focus back to Barcode.

Zooming in on Barcode’s concentrated expression as she cooked, the audience’s attention naturally followed.

Relieved to have avoided a crisis, Ji-hye observed the cooking process.

The dishes, predominantly Korean cuisine, were coming together beautifully—evidence of Barcode’s dedicated practice.

As the finishing touches were added, Ji-hye realized it was time for Curry to make his appearance.

Fixing the camera in place, she headed to his room.

“Curry, it’s time for dinner!”

“Coming out now.”

Curry promptly opened the door, his face a mix of anxiety and anticipation.

“Perfect timing,” Ji-hye said.

“The housekeeper called me.”

“Is that so? Everything’s almost ready, so take a seat.”

Following Barcode’s suggestion, Curry sat down.

Once the preparations were complete, Barcode took a seat as well—not across from him, but right next to him.