[TS] Malicious Sniper

As soon as our pension trip ended, so did my living together with Curry through our virtual marriage.

Initially, we were supposed to continue for a few more weeks after the trip ended, but an unexpected cold forced me to wrap up our virtual living situation with Curry.

After that, I kept in touch with Rine often, but strangely, Curry’s attitude towards me changed subtly.

It felt like she was trying to avoid me, yet at the same time, she seemed to want to come closer.

Like a cat caught between suspicion and curiosity in front of a stranger.

I was puzzled about why Curry had changed, but honestly, it wasn’t bad.

Much better than intentionally avoiding or ignoring me like before.

As time went by from the day our pension trip ended, videos from our Mutube started getting uploaded.

From outdoor broadcasts during the drive to the shows we did at the pension, everything was edited and posted.

Since these videos were more like everyday life rather than just simple games, a lot of people who weren’t interested in League of Legends flocked to watch.

The result was that Curry’s Mutube subscriber count surpassed a million, and I hit a million as well.

There were many uploads related to this pension trip, but among them, one video caught crazy view counts.

“The algorithm really is…”

It was the video of us having fun splashing water together in the indoor swimming pool.

In the karaoke video, Rine shined, while Ji-hye took charge of teaching cooking to the not-so-great cooks, Rine and Curry.

Yet, the fact that a mere video of four people splashing water had the most views elicited an ironic chuckle from me.

At first, I didn’t give a damn about my Mutube channel, but as it grew rapidly over time, I felt oddly delighted.

Is this why people turn into Mutubers? I began to ponder.

I used the excuse of recovering my health to announce a temporary break from streaming.

If Curry had been actively streaming, I probably wouldn’t have taken a break, but since she hadn’t streamed often lately, I decided to lay low for a while.

Well, that wasn’t so bad either.

Reading through the comments added a bit of flavor to the dull days since it kept me from getting bored.

There was also a thrill in directly blocking those who crossed the line or whose intentions were obvious.

One day, while I was passing the time aimlessly, an intriguing video caught my attention on the algorithm.

[The Secret Past of Rising Streamer ‘Barcode’? (feat. Curry)]

I wouldn’t have cared at all if it had been a clickbait title made to draw in viewers for a struggling channel.

But the fact that the video was posted by a seasoned Mutuber with a significant following specializing in issues changed things.

From the selection of questionable words that were likely to be misunderstood, it was clear this video was crossing a line, but what mattered most was the content it contained.

“…”

After watching the 15-minute video, I was left speechless in shock.

As expected, the video claimed that I was the same person as the notorious harasser, Nayun Queen.

However, while the claims were filled with plausible suspicions, there was no concrete evidence to back them up.

I had no idea why a major issue Mutuber would release such a flimsy accusation video.

Thinking the issue would implode on its own over time, I lost interest and sat down at my computer.

I figured I might as well play another game to kill some time, so I focused on gaming for about three hours.

After quitting the game, I went back to check the comments on that video.

I thought the comment section would be filled with criticisms and blame for the Mutuber who posted the video.

Instead, the comments sorted by likes were all in agreement with the video’s content, bashing Barcode without any criticism for the video itself.

When I switched the sorting from likes to newest, I did see some comments slamming the Mutuber who uploaded it.

But after refreshing the page once, all that criticism for the Mutuber vanished.

A sane person would know what kind of ramifications that decision would have, yet I couldn’t grasp why they would choose such a disastrous option.

Did they have some hidden motive?

While searching about Mutube, I stumbled upon something strange.

From popular issue Mutubers to struggling ones, after the initial attack video, several other Mutubers uploaded videos targeting me.

At that moment, I realized someone was inciting malicious attacks to drag me down.

Many streamers before me had faced scandals after various controversies.

From behind-the-scenes promotions to their usual behavior finally being exposed, there were plenty of streamers who fell from grace in an instant.

It seemed someone was determined to send me plummeting just like they did.

“What a joke.”

Whoever it was, I just found it amusing.

I had a rough idea of who it might be, but I wasn’t sure yet.

I opened one of my saved emails to call the contact listed there.

*

Streamer Barcode was caught in controversy.

According to a video posted by a prominent issue Mutuber, Barcode and the streamer Curry, whom they had been targeting for years, were the same person.

There was no definitive proof, but the circumstantial evidence was so clear that public opinion, which had initially supported her, began to turn against her.

Those who had been secretly jealous of Barcode, who had rapidly grown through frequent collabs with Curry, began to swarm in.

It was a controversy based on unverified claims, yet fueled by the collective efforts of many, the public easily succumbed to manipulation.

While slandering Curry behind the scenes, the narrative claimed that Barcode had been trying to gaslight Curry.

The absurdity of the claim that Barcode was trying to manipulate Curry was ridiculously exaggerated.

In fact, neither Curry nor Barcode had said a word about the controversy.

Meanwhile, Curry was at home, exploring various communities with her manager, observing the situation.

Most of the communities framed Curry as the victim and Barcode as the perpetrator, even though Curry hadn’t publicly claimed she was suffering because of Barcode.

“Boss, our romantic couple is in crisis…”

“Romantic couple? Seriously?”

“…Are you going to just stand there?”

Curry avoided meeting her manager’s disapproving gaze, which was understandable, since if she took a stance supporting Barcode, the controversy could blow over quickly.

However, what Curry was grappling with was that the current public opinion indeed pointed towards her having committed something unforgivable.

Above all, a message from Crystal’s manager made her even more cautious.

Yet every time she thought of Barcode, a cocktail of emotions that she couldn’t pinpoint began to stir within her.

Memories of the time spent with Barcode flitted through her mind.

The scene where Barcode had sincerely apologized to her in their last conversation replayed endlessly.

Watching the avalanche of criticism and vile curses directed at Barcode, Curry could no longer suppress her frustration and stood up, slipping on her coat as she muttered to her manager.

“Do you still have the materials we’ve gathered?”

“Finally, is our knight in shining armor coming to the rescue?”

“Shut it.”

“Got it.”

Her manager chuckled awkwardly, grabbing a USB stick before following Curry out the front door.

“How many streamers have been harmed because of that woman?”

“Total of 12.”

Curry grimaced at her manager’s answer.

“Looks like we’ll be busy for a while.”

Her manager let out a bitter smile after her almost-frustrated reply.

Having worked with Curry longer than anyone else, he understood well the relationship between Crystal’s representative and her.

The representative treated Curry suspiciously well.

Finding it odd, Curry had secretly collected information, realizing the advantages she received were probably due to grievances that others deserved to claim instead.

From that point, Curry investigated whom the benefits she received should have gone to.

Building connections with the streamers that had been unfairly sidelined due to the misdeeds of CEO Lee Sun-a, she bided her time for the right moment to strike against the unjust MCN that had grown stagnant.

Curry visited all twelve streamers that day to discuss their shared plight.

*

“R-really, if I expose this, you’ll pay me 500 million won?”

“Of course. This is a transaction.”

I whispered softly like a devil tempting him, gauging how tense he was as he stuttered.

“1 billion in advance and 4 billion upon completion. Not a bad deal, huh?”

“Y-yeah, but—”

“Oh, your senior said they’ll arrange a spot for you at Sweet Company…”

“I-I will! I’ll do it!”

As soon as I mentioned assurances about what would happen after the exposure, the man’s previously timid demeanor transformed into eager resolve.

Thus, the clandestine deal was sealed, and I smiled, having set the bomb within Crystal’s ranks.

It wasn’t impossible that the scandal caused by the representative, Lee Sun-a, could be flip-flopped, considering I had once received intel about her from someone.

I had confirmed that the issue Mutuber who first brought the controversy surrounding Barcode was in fact contracted to Crystal.

I was determined to bring down every Mutuber involved with Crystal who had erupted this scandal.

After all, the Mutubers who had initially ignited the Barcode controversy were all in that camp.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the bomb to detonate, snacking on popcorn in the meantime.

After wrapping up the deal, I returned home to enjoy the meal Ji-hye had prepared, just like any other day.

Then I wasted time playing a survival game that had recently piqued my interest.

While I could have gone live to make a statement or clarify my side, doing so would only play into whatever Lee Sun-a had schemed.

In a situation where public sentiment was already so low, no one would believe any official statements I made anyway.

Time flew by quickly.

Before I knew it, the day of the appointment had arrived.

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