As the viewers said, the fact that the downstairs lady was known to be coming in and out of our place meant one of those barcode-named viewers had to be one of two possibilities.
First, they could be someone internal to our organization.
They definitely weren't from the opposing team.
Those people wouldn't even be able to hear the ladies' voices.
But they couldn't be a teammate either, since our team members already knew the ladies were chatting outside.
If they were watching our game, even if the ladies didn't understand gaming, it would mean I was breaking our contract.
That's why I'd have mentioned the confidentiality agreement and asked the ladies to leave.
As a result, the lunch and snacks the ladies prepared ended up being fed to me by Gabi instead, but whatever.
...Anyway, it couldn't be Gabi. She wouldn't have any reason, motivation, or free time to write such comments.
That left only one possibility.
Another stalker had latched onto me.
Just like those strange people who had targeted Badro before.
Of course, like other accusations, this might just be someone throwing out baseless claims.
They make a bunch of guesses and latch onto anything that sticks.
But the details were too specific for that.
This wasn't just someone watching through a telescope from outside the window.
I keep my curtains closed most of the time, only opening them when Gabi and I clean.
Even that cleaning routine only started after Gabi moved in and forced me to do it.
But that's not the important part right now.
"You're right. How did you know that? The ladies only move around inside the building. Don't tell me you've been watching from inside the building?"
The problem is having a stalker.
Though it's not as bad as last time.
Last time, people actually tried to break into my home. This time, they're just watching.
But that doesn't make the situation any less serious.
If they know where I live and understand the daily patterns of me and the ladies,
it means they're not just watching—they could interfere with our daily lives at any time.
"I need to join scrim soon so I can't say much more, but please stop doing that. I appreciate the interest, but watching me like that doesn't look good. It feels like watching a Teemo hiding in a bush after placing a ward while I'm trying to lane."
I didn't want to be too serious about it.
I didn't want to provoke them since you never know how people might turn nasty, so I mixed in a joke before ending the broadcast.
I had to go anyway since scrim time was approaching perfectly, and I couldn't delay any longer.
The ban-pick phase was already underway.
- KTC014: Talking about something serious like stalking and suddenly bringing up League of Champions lol
- SilverPanthea: The streamer really is a League of Champions demon...
- NieunGiyukYa: But it's true that it feels creepy when Teemo goes invisible and just watches you
- Dedica: If you don't have non-targeted skills or CC, you can't even catch him lol, just have to listen to his laughter
- IllIllIIl: Are you calling me a stalker? I was speaking out of genuine concern, and I'm offended that you're misinterpreting my intentions
- Ttihwakjjit: What you're doing IS stalking
- Tasimula: Did you even knock politely and ask for permission? Would you like someone watching your daily life?
- IllIllIIl: The streamer didn't call me a stalker, so why are you all slandering me? Do you want the streamer to get caught up in controversy and be attacked by strange people? Are you really fans?
- IllIllIIl: Since celebrities attract attention wherever they go, doesn't someone need to watch over the streamer to make sure they don't go down the wrong path?
- Vlad: This is a real weirdo, ugh
- Sistato: Thank goodness Noel didn't give this person any opening; if she had made even a small slip, they would have torn her apart
- IllIllIIl: Why would I attack the streamer? I only gave advice because I want what's best for her
- MissingBnB: Noel went to scrim, so I guess I'll go eat some ice cream
- HS2000: What's going on? I got a notification that Noel was streaming but it's off. Where did she go?
- IllIllIIl: Of course, if the streamer had made a mistake, I would have pointed it out so it wouldn't happen again
- SadCat: Noel went to scrim. She briefly turned on the stream to explain something about eye surgery
- SodiumCitrate: Explanation? Is it about that Mr. Animal controversy?
- IllIllIIl: Anyway, I spoke with good intentions... it hurts my heart that so-called fans are slandering me like this
- Paragon: What's the Mr. Animal controversy?
- LexiaQueen: I don't know exactly, but the former editor and other streamers are making accusations and firing shots... I don't know if it's true, and there's been no explanation from the channel, just lots of rumors, so HLG said they'd cover Noel's surgery costs to keep her out of the controversy
- SilverPanthea: Cha Gang Han Hwa
- Hexdrinker: For real, they're good at everything except baseball
- Greyon: Yeah, that's wise. Better to draw a clear line and wait to see what happens than have rumors spreading
Even after the broadcast ended, the chat remained active.
The alleged stalker was defending themselves, insisting they weren't stalking.
And viewers who missed my live stream were lamenting.
Soon enough, interest in the stalker's messages faded, and voices praising the team grew louder.
I'm not sure what controversy they're talking about, though.
Anyway, it's nice that they're praising our team.
But this new stalker incident—it's already making me feel helpless.
Last time, someone was actually trying to harm me, so the police could intervene.
Legal action was possible.
But this time, there's no direct harm to report.
I know that even if I file a report, this isn't something the police can address.
If they had shown clear malice, I could have provoked them into taking some action that would be reportable.
Whether they're being fake or genuinely sincere, I don't know.
But they claim they're doing this for my sake, which makes it frustrating.
What action should I take?
Someone coming near my home to stalk me—
that means they could escalate in strange ways at any time.
If it only affected me...
Well, I became a pro gamer, so maybe I should accept some of this.
It might be similar to people recognizing me on the street and asking for autographs.
Maybe this person has their own life and didn't deliberately come knock on my door.
Just watching from a distance?
Giving them the absolute benefit of the doubt, maybe they're just a neighbor who happened to see me, so I could let it go.
But I'm living with Gabi now.
And there are the upstairs and downstairs ladies who approached me with pure goodwill.
I can't just ignore something that could harm them too.
But what can I do?
I don't have the ability like some viewers to dig up someone's personal information and make them feel the same discomfort.
Of course, a pro gamer doing such things would cause serious problems, so it's not an option anyway.
I can't file a report, and I don't want to curse at them and risk making their attitude worse.
"Noel, what should we do about this? Should we try filing a report?"
"I don't want to make things worse. Someone who claims to have good intentions might quickly turn nasty. Gabi, I'm really sorry. I feel like I've dragged you into this."
"Dragged me in? Anyone can see this person is obsessed with you, Noel. Anyway, focus on your scrim. I'll look into the legal options."
So after finishing the ban-pick phase, while the game was loading,
I briefly consulted with Gabi, and then my teammates, who had been quiet while I was explaining HLG's support to the viewers, spoke up.
[Wow, Noel's got a stalker now? Don't you need to move?]
[Is the broadcast over? Can we talk now?]
[What's the ADC going to do about it? Just help with the leash when the game starts.]
[If the stalking gets worse, just move into the dorm. The team might be able to provide you with accommodation.]
Ah, they were all listening.
Of course, I hadn't muted my microphone or left the Discord channel.
The coach and I were just talking outside briefly.
The teammates had been quiet on their own.
It warmed my heart that they were all concerned.
Well, if something happened to me, our top lane would be ruined.
So they have professional reasons to worry too.
Anyway.
The dorm—in the past I might have been reluctant,
but now it seems like a viable option.
[They're looking for game ambassadors and setting up a studio. Maybe we could get accommodation through that.]
[Let's talk about it when the coach arrives after scrim. I didn't hear all the details either.]
The teammates even shared specific information.
It's my first time hearing this, but since the HLG team lives and eats in the corporate building,
they probably have more opportunities to hear announcements while walking around or going outside.
I probably don't know about it because I haven't looked.
It might be posted on our team website.
[Why are you talking about me? Were you gossiping behind my back?]
[Oh! Coach, are you joining from your phone?]
[Yes, you brats. Hurry and turn on your streams so I can watch while I travel.]
[What about driving? Isn't it dangerous to watch game streams while driving?]
[I took a taxi.]
[Wow, a man in his 30s watching game streams alone in a taxi—the driver must think it's really strange.]
[Jinseok, Gyeonghwan says he wants to target your bottom half today.]
[Ah, sorry!]
With the atmosphere so good like this, I can ask them after the game.
Thanks to them, I was starting to feel hopeful.