[TS] Malicious Sniper

Time flew like an arrow during our tumultuous stay at the pension, right from the first day.

On the second day, we all played together in the indoor pool, and afterwards, we spent our time in the karaoke room and other facilities.

I felt a bit annoyed when Curry was staring at Ji-hye, who was singing in karaoke, almost bewitched, but I let it slide.

After that, we took turns singing, with Curry, me, and then Ji-hye, and surprisingly, it was Curry who sang really well.

I never thought much of Curry’s singing talent since she had rejected all song requests in the past and never sang on broadcasts, so I assumed she was hopeless.

But when I saw her naturally pulling off a song even though it was Ji-hye’s turn next, I had to reconsider my impression of her.

Well, I definitely couldn’t sing to save my life, but I wasn’t embarrassed about it.

Ji-hye, who I secretly thought might sing well given her knack for managing household chores and editing, turned out to be the true master of being tone-deaf.

I had a glimmer of hope, thinking maybe she had a hidden singing talent, but rather than feeling disappointed by her lack of singing skills, I just thought it was nice to be human.

Looking back, the pension trip veered off drastically from our original plans.

The intended goal was to crush Curry’s mental state, but instead, it turned into a healing retreat.

You could tell just by seeing Curry staring blankly at Ji-hye in her swimsuit in the pool.

I wondered if bringing Ji-hye along was a mistake, but I didn’t feel particularly bothered by it.

Even though the trip didn’t go as planned, I still enjoyed myself.

I used to think the only fun came from pushing Curry to the edge, but for some ironic reason, I started finding joy just being with her.

I recognized that something within me had changed, but I wasn’t scared of it.

As long as it was fun, that was enough.

Lost in thought about the past few days, drunken Ji-hye peeked over at me.

As I looked around, I saw the table in complete disarray and Ji-hye, passed out with a bottle of alcohol in her hand.

“Ugh, Unnie… why do you have three faces…”

“She’s really drunk.”

Sighing softly at the sight of wobbly Ji-hye, I got up from my seat.

The majority wanted to end our last night at the pension with outdoor camping, and this messy scene was the result of going with the majority.

Staring at the clutter of bottles and the filthy surroundings, I decided to wrap up the broadcast first.

It was impossible to continue broadcasting with not just one, but two people completely out of it.

“Ugh… when am I going to clean this up?”

Shaking off Ji-hye clinging to me, I set off to find Curry, who was not here.

She said she was going to the bathroom about ten minutes ago, so the fact that she was still missing meant there could only be two possibilities.

Either something big happened, or she was having a hard time.

Thinking the latter was more likely, I decided to support Ji-hye and walked into the pension.

I had drunk too, so I could feel the effects kicking in, and my vision was wavering. I forced myself to focus as I made my way to Ji-hye’s room, but since her room was on the second floor, I doubted I could make it up there in this state, so I headed to my own room.

“Mmm… Unnie… this is delicious…”

After laying drunken Ji-hye down on the bed, I stepped back outside the pension.

I woke up Ji-hye, who had buried her face on the table as if sleeping, and struggled to support her.

Ji-hye and Ji-hye were both light, so it wasn’t too much trouble, but I couldn’t help but be out of breath.

“Ugh…”

After dropping Ji-hye, who lay sprawled out, I sat down on a chair, intending to rest for a moment, but my eyes grew heavy, and I knew if I stayed still, I’d fall asleep.

I wanted to give in to sleep right there, but I still hadn’t found Curry, so I forced myself to move.

Thus began my search for Curry, returning to the outdoor camping area.

There’s a chance she had come back while I was running around like this, and I was eager to look for her.

However, the camping area where we had our barbecue party was empty.

Checking the time, it had already been 20 minutes since Curry had disappeared.

The time she spent in the broadcast going to the bathroom was roughly five minutes.

No matter how intoxicated one was, taking this long was strange.

While I tidied up the messy camping area, waiting for Curry to return, she never showed up.

At this point, I couldn’t help but worry, so I decided to search the surrounding camping area.

The camping grounds were really small because it was exclusive to those who had booked the pension.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, very few people were looking for other pensions.

Only a little while ago, there were people around, but now there wasn’t even a shadow of one.

The camping area had an oddly desolate atmosphere, and while worrying about finding Curry and returning to the pension, I headed to the bathroom.

“…”

Arriving in front of the men’s bathroom, I hesitated for a moment.

Was it okay to go in there?

I had adapted completely to my changed body, but such concerns crossed my mind.

If it were the old me, I would have gone in without a second thought.

Still, prioritizing the search for Curry, I entered the men’s bathroom.

It was empty inside, but some stalls had their doors closed.

Not wanting to barge in on someone doing their business, I cautiously knocked on the door.

Knock knock

“Curry, are you in there?”

After a long pause of silence, I opened the door, and there was no one inside.

The other stalls were also empty, confirming I had to hurry out of the bathroom.

I stood there for a moment, but if someone came in while I was dawdling, that would be disastrous.

“Where on earth did she go…”

I wandered around searching for Curry, who had vanished without a word, but I still couldn’t find her.

I thought maybe she had returned to the pension while I was busy looking around, so I hastened my steps.

Just when I was about to leave the camping area and head back to the pension.

“Barcode!”

Hearing Curry’s voice behind me, I froze.

I turned to see Curry staring at me with a mix of unidentifiable emotions in her eyes.

“…”

I wanted to ask where she had been all this time, but her somber mood was the complete opposite of her cheerful demeanor earlier, and I couldn’t gather the words.

“Shall we take a walk?”

Caught off guard by her sudden suggestion, I nodded slightly in agreement.

If it were any other time, I would have refused immediately because I was tired.

But maybe because I was tipsy, Curry looked quite unsteady.

She seemed like she would topple over with the slightest nudge.

I couldn’t be sure, but that’s how it appeared to me.

So, I ended up taking a late-night walk with Curry, relying on the cold wind to keep my mind clear.

Curry was definitely inebriated and not in her right mind, and if I lost my senses too, it would be strange if anything bad happened.

We walked in silence, and just as I was about to break the quiet, looking for the right moment.

“You seem a bit tired, Barcode. Let’s rest over there for a bit.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“Come on, don’t be stubborn.”

“Fine, I get it.”

Reluctantly, I followed Curry to a street rest area and sat down.

It was lucky that the brisk wind was keeping me alert, but I could feel the cold starting to seep in, and I knew I wouldn’t last long.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

As we rested, Curry opened her mouth in a serious tone.

Her voice echoed in my fading consciousness, holding onto my sanity, but soon that too was overshadowed by the alcohol.

“Barcode… I just… what the… reason…”

“It was really… hard… but why…”

I could hear Curry’s voice, but it didn’t fully register.

It sounded as if parts of her words were missing, and I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.

If I were in my right mind, I would have bitten my lip out of curiosity to understand what Curry was trying to convey.

But my body had reached its limit, and against my will, my eyes began to close.

“…? ….!”

Curry’s urgent tone reached out to me, but.

Sorry, I can’t quite catch what you’re saying.

With one last silent apology meant for Curry, my consciousness completely faded away.

*

“I’m sorry…”

With those parting words, Barcode lost consciousness, leaving Curry staring down at her for a while, as if frozen.

Though startled by the sudden turn of events, once she checked Barcode’s condition, Curry began mentally cursing.

Her body was burning like a fireball, indicating she was definitely not in a normal state.

Thoughts of having an honest conversation with her and untangling their complicated relationship vanished from her mind.

Should I call an ambulance?

Maybe it’s just a simple cold, right?

How long would it take to get back to the pension from here?

Could I actually carry her all the way?

What if something worse happens here…

A flurry of thoughts raced through Curry’s mind.

After making a quick decision, she called for an ambulance.

While she anxiously awaited the ambulance, she noticed Barcode shivering from the cold.

It didn’t matter if she was the malicious sniper who tormented her for years, the long-time president, or a fellow streamer; she cared for none of it.

She took off her coat and draped it over her, enduring the frigid winter while waiting in what felt like eternity.

Just as she thought she might freeze to death, she heard the distant wail of the ambulance siren approaching.

Curry felt relieved internally but kept a tight grip on her awareness.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but… please take care of her first…”

When the EMT arrived and asked about her condition, Curry pointed at the unconscious Barcode, struggling to speak.

Other paramedics who had just arrived began to lift Barcode onto a stretcher.

Thus, the last night of the pension trip came to an end.

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