Chapter 87 : Departure of the trip

After Opera and Drill’s duo got utterly destroyed by Barcode, public criticism of the pair reached its peak.

It came to light that they had been intentionally queue-sniping to get around the duo queue restrictions applied in Master rank and above.

Despite the growing controversy, they didn’t reflect or step back. Instead, they shamelessly kept playing as if nothing had happened.

They even targeted Barcode, the very player they trashtalked, and went as far as banning her signature picks in-game.

Multiple controversies exploded all at once, and past scandals involving the two started resurfacing,

leading to a steep and seemingly endless fall from grace for the infamous “Steel-Faced Duo.”

There was no room for doubt anymore—the blame was clear.

Even issue-neutral drama YouTubers, who usually avoided taking sides, started ripping into them.

The drama that had initially only spread within community forums became full-blown public discourse once it hit YouTube.

In no time, the public opinion towards Team Rannis plummeted to rock bottom.

And then came the cherry on top—

Rannis’ team owner showed up in Barcode’s stream and donated 100,000 won.

It was comedy gold.

At that point, both the players and the team management were seen as completely out of touch,solidifying Rannis’ image as a clueless, tone-deaf mess.

As time went on, public interest in the scandal faded, and Team Rannis gradually sank into oblivion.

Meanwhile, Barcode’s reputation skyrocketed.

She was seen as the underdog who came out on top, and the public rallied around her.

Her closest ally, Curry, also rose in popularity thanks to the halo effect,and even the former members of Team Curry-Breakers, the streamer group she used to be a part of, began showing noticeable growth.

Eventually, Opera and Drill posted handwritten apology letters through Rannis’ official social media,
but they were met only with further criticism—and even that faded over time as people lost interest.

And so, the scandal ended with the Steel-Faced Duo falling into ruin,
while everyone else walked away with their own version of a happy ending.

Three days after the infamous duo’s sniping scandal, Barcode soared once again—this time by entering Challenger for the very first time.

Everyone was hyped about what she might accomplish next…

Except the person herself.

Barcode couldn’t have cared less about the buzz—she was too busy spending time with Curry.

“Okay, say ‘aah~’”

“Barcode-nim… I’m not so helpless that I can’t feed myself…”

“You’re supposed to call me Mama, remember? I set the rules.”

“…Sigh.”

“Mama… aah…”

“Fufu. Good boy, my baby Curry.”

Public sentiment? Hype? Recognition? Barcode wasn’t interested.

She was entirely focused on bullying Curry for her own amusement.

Meanwhile, Kim Hyuntae, a YouTuber known for covering internet drama, had been watching the situation unfold.

Though he branded himself as a “controversy-focused YouTuber,”
he was really just another recca YouTuber—someone who profits off others’ scandals, mistakes, and misfortunes.

But things had changed for him after he signed a secret deal with Crystal, a major MCN.

He wasn’t officially part of their creator lineup, but they had a mutually beneficial relationship.

Thanks to that, he skyrocketed in both popularity and revenue, becoming one of the top names in the recca scene.

With that success, he no longer bothered covering small-time gossip.

(Quick explainer: Recca YouTubers make their living by sensationalizing other people’s dirt for clicks and profit.)

Now, with the Steel-Faced Duo’s disgrace and Barcode’s surging popularity,recca YouTubers went all-in—cranking out provocative content to ride the wave of attention.

The more they tore into the disgraced duo and glorified Barcode’s gameplay,
the higher their view counts soared—like they’d found a glitch that duplicated money.

Naturally, Kim Hyuntae also planned to capitalize on this by roasting the duo and glorifying Barcode.

But then—a directive came down from Crystal.

Do not touch this incident.
Instead, dig into Barcode’s darker side.

So, reluctantly, Kim Hyuntae shifted gears and started investigating Barcode.

But the deeper he dug, the stranger it got.

He found absolutely nothing.

It was chilling.

No trace of her past.

No mistakes.

No scandals.

Not even an old username.

So he changed his focus—maybe he could find something about her after she became a streamer.

But that only made things creepier.

Although there was no decisive evidence, all circumstances and suspicions pointed to the streamer Barcode and the malicious sniper Nayoung Queen being the same person.

How could someone torment a streamer maliciously for years in three different forms, even adjusting the intensity to avoid breaking them?

Through this investigation, Kim Hyuntae understood why Curry was so reluctant about Barcode.

Kim Hyuntae, who had been one of the people who thought Curry was a eunuch, offered an apology that would never reach him.

“…It’s useless to apologize now.”

Currently, public sentiment toward Barcode has surpassed extreme levels, and uploading a video targeting Barcode in this situation would not gain much response.

Of course, uploading a targeting video in this situation would certainly attract attention, but it was obvious that it would face an uncontrollable backlash.

After contemplating when to upload the targeting video, Kim Hyuntae decided to do so in about three weeks.

This controversy was gradually cooling down over time anyway.

Although there was no physical evidence, providing sufficient circumstantial evidence alone would ignite the flames of controversy.

The public was easily swayed, after all.

Even if this caused problems for the channel, it didn’t matter.

Kim Hyuntae was simultaneously running multiple channels with the help of Crystal.

In Kim Hyuntae’s mind, the picture of uploading the targeting video and earning a fortune was already drawn.

After the Iron Plate Duo incident, peaceful and enjoyable days continued.

Plans for a pension trip were also progressing sequentially.

The title of the first challenger brought a wave of popularity.

Besides that, spending time happily with Curry made time fly by.

And so, the morning of the day to leave for the pension trip arrived.

I packed the saliva I had prepared in advance and went down to the living room.

In the living room, Curry, who was smiling brightly for some reason, and Ji-hye, who was tidying up, were waiting for me.

“Curry, you seem excited about the pension trip. I’m excited too.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… well, it’s been a while since I traveled.”

It was an obvious lie, but since this trip felt like a reward for Curry, it didn’t really matter.

Of course, the original intention wasn’t to reward but to torment him even more.

But midway through, Rine decided to join, which turned the trip into an actual reward for Curry.

It didn’t matter if Curry poured his attention into Rine.

After all, Curry and I were in a ‘marriage’ arrangement, and this trip was undeniably about us being the main characters.

The majority of the time at the pension would be spent live-streaming. If Curry got distracted?

His refreshing image, which skyrocketed after the last incident, would instantly plummet.

This applied to Rine as well, which is why I was able to relax without much concern.

Rine had no reason to be interested in Curry—if anything, she’d be more interested in me.

We packed our travel bags and left the house.

We had booked a pension near a must-visit winter attraction.

The itinerary wasn’t precisely planned, but we intended to visit a tourist hotspot on the last day.

Until then, we could enjoy the indoor spa and swimming pool at the pension.

Or sing karaoke inside the pension with the four of us.

Or have a barbecue party outdoors and drink in the evening.

From a broadcast perspective, it was nothing extraordinary.

But I wasn’t someone who cared too much about broadcasting anyway.

Besides, no one comes on a trip just to focus on broadcasting.

“We might not have enough cameras…”

That was a foolish thought on my part.

Curry, checking the luggage in the trunk, muttered something to that effect, making me feel frustrated.

I grabbed Curry’s wrist and shut the trunk.

“Since we’re on a trip, forget about everything else. Just focus on me.”

“Well, but if we’re going to do outdoor streaming…”

“Hmph. Curry? Who planned this trip?”

“…Barcode did.”

As I gave Curry a slight glare, he quickly backed down and moved to the driver’s seat.

I sat in the passenger seat, and Ji-hye took the back seat.

Curry was the only one with a driver’s license here.

But his driving skills were reliable, with over two years of accident-free experience.

And so, the drive to pick up Rine began.

Feeling bored on the way, I took out my smartphone and logged into Twitch.

I logged in with Barcode’s account and started streaming from my phone.

“Barcode, you didn’t just start a stream, did you?”

“I did.”

“Why without even discussing it…!”

“I’m bored.”

After answering Curry’s question, I skimmed through the chats popping up in the chatroom.

[Haha!]

[Have you arrived at the pension?]

[Why is it a mobile stream?]

[Looks like you’re in the car.]

[Where’s Curry? Where’s Curry?]

[Barcode, please say hi to me!]

“Hello, everyone. Nice to see you. Hello to Yellow City’s Face Madam PD Park!”

“Why are you reading out such nicknames?”

“It caught my eye, so I read it. Do you think I did it on purpose?”

“…What happens if I say yes?”

“When we get to the pension, I’ll torment you. A bit harshly.”

“Hah…”

Curry sighed and focused back on driving.

I captured Curry’s expression on the stream.

Noticing this, Curry glanced sideways and put on a mask.

“The pandemic is over; why are you wearing a mask?”

“Hmph… ignoring me, are you?”

Overwhelmed by a sudden urge to tease, I couldn’t resist and poked Curry’s side with my finger.

“Can you endure this? Isn’t it ticklish?”

“Stop…”

“When you tell me to stop, it just makes me want to do it more.”

I poked him lightly, just enough to be annoying but not disrupt his driving. Eventually, at a stop signal, Curry couldn’t hold back and took off his mask.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes. Now, please drive comfortably.”

I stopped teasing Curry and began interacting with the viewers alone.

Of course, the broadcast screen was still focused on Curry.

Perhaps because of that, the frequency of questions decreased, and chats requesting to see me started appearing.

Reluctantly, I turned the phone toward myself, and the viewers reacted intensely.

[Now the stream is finally fun.]

[Is this kind of beauty even possible in real life?]

[Every time I see it, I’m amazed and think Curry is so lucky.]

[LOL Curry’s luck is off the charts.]

[Mom! When I grow up, I’m going to take down Curry!]

[Why would you take down Curry, you crazy kid? LOL]

[Curry’s mukbang is legendary.]

As I continued the stream focused on interaction, the topics naturally dwindled.

Right around the time the broadcast sound started to fade, we arrived at the spot where Rine was supposed to join us.

We had already been in contact, and Curry parked the car next to where Rine was waiting.

Ji-hye, sitting in the back seat, opened the door as Curry rolled down the window, and Rine got into the car with a bright smile.

After Ji-hye and I exchanged brief greetings with Rine, Curry, who had started driving again, couldn’t hide the smile on his face as he spoke.

“Rine, are you not going to greet me? That’s a bit disappointing…”

“Huh? Oh, no, not at all! It’s good to see you too, Curry!”

“That was just a joke. By the way, are you warm enough back there? I preheated the car just in case…”

“No, not at all. It’s warm and cozy.”

I thought I wouldn’t care much even if Rine joined us.

But seeing the two of them chatting so harmoniously made me feel oddly ticklish.

“Have you been doing well since we last parted… Ow!”

“Curry, you should focus on driving.”

I poked Curry’s side harder than before, then turned my head to look out the window.

It wasn’t because I was upset or anything like that.

Not at all.

Really.