[TS] Malicious Sniper

Curry had been watching Barcode’s attempts to unravel the events of the past days from the side.

While spilling behind-the-scenes stories to the viewers, there was an air of subtle self-referentiality, as if she was enjoying the sight of someone struggling awkwardly—it was a peculiar feeling.

In the past, she had disliked and found this behavior annoying.

But after spending so much time with Barcode, her feelings had become diluted to the point of almost non-existence.

‘…’

Curry looked at Barcode’s masked face.

A gentle smile and joy were melting into her expression.

Removing the glasses of suspicion and annoyance, her appearance was beautiful.

Had such a pretty girl been so flirtatious with her all this time?

As she faced her situation, which she had been trying to ignore,

Curry felt her breath quickening.

Thud-
Thud-

When had she begun to hear her heartbeat so clearly?

It was pounding fiercely enough to resonate in her ears, drowning out all surrounding sounds.

Even reaching that point,

“Why aren’t Curry and Barcode dating? Besides just making out… There are some people really into the drama here.”

Barcode’s voice, talking about something related to herself, came clearly to her ears.

“I’m not in love with Curry; I just like her as a fan. It’s like, not love but like.”

At that moment, Curry felt as if her brain had short-circuited.

Barcode’s confession that her advances were merely fan affection was enough to cool off the heat of Curry’s heart.

Had she taken Barcode’s actions as courtship based on her own arrogant misconceptions?

Was Barcode really just a means of extracting joy from her?

Her head was spinning.

Curry leaned in to catch more of Barcode’s ongoing words.

“And to be honest, there’s no way what I’ve done to Curry could lead to love. That would be immoral.”

Regret, sadness, and emptiness.

Barcode flashed a smile mixed with many emotions and made a heartfelt confession.

Seeing Barcode like that made Curry recall what happened during their pension trip.

The sudden collapse of Barcode.

Her hurried call to emergency services.

And then, after apologizing for putting her in such a situation, Barcode lost consciousness.

As the memories of the past overlapped with the present, Curry’s confused feelings finally settled.

“Honestly, I’m not interested in dating anyone. If there are people gulping down fantasies, please spit them on the floor.”

Sorry, but that fantasy.

I’ve been gulping it down for a while now.

“I think Curry feels the same way? Even after being treated like that by Nayun Queen, you’re still maintaining this relationship with me. That must mean you really like me, right?”

The moment Barcode spoke about her,

Curry could no longer hold back.

So she stopped spectating from afar,

stood up from her place, and sat next to Barcode, who was streaming live.

Then she immediately opened her mouth and poured out her organized feelings into the microphone.

“You think of me that way, right, Barcode?”

She could see Barcode’s face filled with confusion.

They locked eyes, encountering her lost and pitiful crimson gaze.

“I don’t think of you that way.”

Now she began to somewhat understand why she had been tormented by her for so long.

*

[What is this?]

[??]

[Is that Curry’s voice?]

[Are they together right now?]

[Wow, is this for real?]

[Was this all scripted?]

[This is one hilarious hidden camera!]

If I were to express my current feelings in one word,

it would be confusion, pure and simple.

The chatroom was filled with endless question marks and inquiries.

And there, waiting for an answer was Curry’s gaze.

My heart, still unsettled, was unable to grasp a single thought,

and with no decision on how to act in this situation, I made an extreme choice.

[The broadcast has ended.]

Curry’s confession wrapped up along with the broadcast.

Since I couldn’t do both, I decided to give up on the stream and turned my attention to Curry, who had acted impulsively.

She was looking at me with a vexatious expression.

I briefly thought, “Did I just get played?” but she was already asking,

“Barcode, what about your response to my confession?”

Seeing her boldly demand an answer with that irritating expression,

it seemed like Curry was serious, and I couldn’t easily respond.

One of the fantasies I had kept hidden within myself.

What if Curry confessed to me? How should I handle it?

Back then, I thought it was nothing but a fantasy that would never be realized.

Yet now, with dreams turned into reality, I had to find an answer for those unfulfilled thoughts.

What answer would be considered the wisest?

As I pondered, while observing Curry’s expressions, I cautiously began to speak.

“We’re already in a virtual relationship, you know? So…”

“You know that isn’t what I meant by my question, right? You know me best.”

“…”

“I really want to date you, Barcode, and I’m not talking about some concept shown on stream.”

Curry, who used to be the victim of my torment, was now being so proactive; it was quite shocking.

It’s not something just anyone can do, confessing publicly on a stream watched by thousands, yet she just kept spewing those words I found cringeworthy.

I was so embarrassed, I couldn’t help but shut my mouth.

‘What should I do?’

What answer should I give to Curry’s sudden confession?

If I bluntly refuse, wouldn’t our relationship break?

There’s nothing more entertaining than tormenting Curry, but I couldn’t just dismiss her.

Yet accepting her confession wouldn’t do, either; I had no interest in dating at all.

I was someone who got bored easily, and I was uncertain if I could truly commit to a relationship.

Should I accept her confession and risk breaking our fine-drawn relationship?

Or should I sever things coldly, keeping our state intact to end abruptly whenever?

The choice rested solely on me, and Curry waited with a serious expression for my answer.

I’d never seen her serious before.

That sight struck me as vaguely amusing, making me realize what kind of person I was, too.

‘If I accept her confession…’

Our relationship would grow a bit closer.

But with that closeness, unseen faults would begin to emerge.

I didn’t see myself as a normal person.

Thus, Curry wasn’t someone who should fit into my life.

I couldn’t even be confident in fulfilling a devoted romantic relationship with her.

Yet even so,

“…This is a bit sudden. How about we take some time to think it through?”

I pulled a selfish answer out, not wanting to disrupt our previously tenuous relationship.

I couldn’t even look at Curry square in the eye while saying it.

“Is that answer acceptable?”

As I raised my head, noticing Curry’s somewhat light-sounding response,

I finally looked straight into her eyes.

“Barcode, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you fall for me, so is it okay for you to give me time?”

Those flames of passion in Curry’s eyes burned brighter than ever.

*

After the confession from who was presumed to be Curry, Barcode’s broadcast abruptly ended.

The viewers watching Barcode’s storytelling stream in real-time didn’t leave the channel even after the stream ended.

[What happened?]

[Looks like Curry was with her]

[They seemed to have scripted something, but Curry suddenly revved it up like whoah]

[Curry is such a manly woman, LOL]

[Never thought I’d see someone get scolded live for confessing, LOL]

[I went back to watch it, and yep, that’s Curry’s voice]

[So are they actually dating?]

[No way, right?]

[Barcode deserves better]

[Huh, but seems like they might actually get together]

[Get out, you dating enthusiasts!]

The remaining viewers quickly figured out the situation and began a heated debate.

The topic of the debate circled around whether Barcode would accept Curry’s confession and start dating,

or if she would reject it and maintain their original relationship. The debate became more dynamic than expected.

Just then chaos erupted in the chatroom.

[zxcv1234’s broadcast has started.]

The abruptly ended Barcode broadcast reignited,

and the title of the broadcast was instantly updated to
[Cosplay Advertising Review Stream (feat. Curry)]

.

Upon seeing that title, viewers began spamming the chatroom faster than ever.

[So did Curry get her confession accepted? Did she get her confession accepted? Did she get her confession accepted?]

[Honestly, could be a dating relationship]

[With someone like Barcode, it’s gotta be true love…]

[Money, content, and collabs, all thrown in by a lovely girl = Barcode]

[Is Curry really that lucky?]

[Man, I wish I could get a woman who feeds me and earns money for me]

[Even if my head broke, I’m all in for Curry and Barcode]

[What the heck is being all in?]

In an instant, the chatroom was filled with the discussion before the sudden end of the stream,

but as soon as Barcode appeared on camera in a Mafia Miss Fortune outfit,

comments related to Curry’s confession completely vanished.

[Whoa]

[Wow]

[Is that a Miss Fortune cosplay?]

[That’s insane]

[And Curry’s right next to her, LOL]

[Why isn’t Curry dressed up?]

[Not dressing up is way better]

As I perused through the comments, I let out a sigh of relief internally.

I thought that if we didn’t turn on the stream again, controversies would simply arise.

It was Curry who suggested drawing attention with cosplay clothes to create a natural explanation for things.

I accepted Curry’s suggestion and turned the stream back on.

‘I feel a bit embarrassed.’

When filming an advertisement, I already felt shy being seen by so many.

But now, with over ten thousand viewers watching me like this,

I wished I could hide away somewhere, feeling utterly exposed.

“This is one of the outfits we filmed in. Mafia Miss Fortune cosplay. What do you think? Does it suit me?”

I casually made a quip, directing the viewers’ attention elsewhere.

[So what’s the deal with Curry’s confession?]

[Was that all a secret camera?]

[Are they actually going to date?]

[For real, hurry with an answer]

[Let’s go, go for it!]

Yet the attention surrounding the cosplay would not last for long,

and as more comments about ‘that confession’ began appearing, I slowly opened my mouth.

“It seems like Curry had a lot built up from how I’ve treated her. She pulled off quite the prank.”

Following the pre-planned script, I shot a side-eye at Curry.

Curry then returned a silly smile and said in a gentle tone,

“Oh! You all didn’t see it, did you? Barcode’s real-time surprised expression was just too funny. I nearly laughed out loud!”

“…So you liked it?”

“Oh no, I made a mistake.”

“Sigh, I’m only letting it slide this time because you find it more enjoyable when I’m torturing you.”

“That’s a bit…”

Curry subtly darted her eyes towards me, just enough for only me to notice,

and in agreement, I looked at the camera.

[LOL]

[Curry does seem to enjoy being bullied]

[But is Curry actually quite the weirdo? LOL]

[Pulling those pranks on Barcode]

Following the prearranged script, Curry and I exchanged playful banter, stabilizing the previously shaky situation.

No one took Curry’s sudden confession seriously, and a casual atmosphere was now growing.

‘Impressive.’

This clarification was totally Curry’s idea.

She had run the show herself, saying she’d take responsibility for the trouble she caused.

After that, I talked with Curry about incidents during the cosplay commercial,

showing photos of Curry in cosplay and me on stream along the way.

After about an hour of this, the time to wrap things up began drawing near,

and I declared the official end of the broadcast with my closing remarks.

“Ahh…”

Having finished the stream normally, I turned my gaze to the side.

Curry, who had gotten up from her seat, stretched her arms and let out a refreshing sound before looking at me and slowly saying,

“How about for our next virtual relationship content, we go to an amusement park ‘just the two of us’?”

Seeing her confidently suggesting was almost laughable.

“Is that even a virtual relationship-related thing?”

Without a hint of hesitation, she replied to my question.

“It’s a virtual relationship for now. But later on, it probably won’t be.”

With that final statement, Curry left the room.

Left alone in the room, I couldn’t handle the spinning sensation and forgot to take off my cosplay outfit, flopping down onto my plush bed.

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