Chapter 46: Stalker

This story takes place one week before Rania called Talsseong.

“What… is this?”

A strange message had arrived in her inbox.

The sender was unknown.

Staring at the ominous text, she hesitated before reading it.

『I know who you are.』

They knew who she was.

At first glance, it seemed like an empty threat—something vague enough to ignore.

But to a VTuber, those words meant something terrifying.

Rania felt a chill run down her spine the moment she read it.

“No way… there’s no way.”

She was careful.

She meticulously managed her personal information.

She never let anything slip while streaming.

She was always aware of background noises that might be picked up by her microphone.

And yet—

They claimed to know her?

They knew her real identity?

That wasn’t possible.

Or at least—

That’s what she thought.

Until the next day.

『xxxxx Apartment.』

“Gasp…!”

It was her actual apartment complex.

And not just the building.

They knew exactly which unit she lived in.

From that moment on, Rania felt too scared to step outside.

She stopped leaving her apartment altogether.

**”I have to stay hidden for now.

If I show myself, they might find out even more.”**

She began to question everything.

She felt paranoid, as if every object in her home had eyes watching her.

For a VTuber, their real-life identity is something that must never be exposed.

Especially for Rania—whose real form didn’t match her VTuber avatar.

Her fans knew her as a cute, beautiful dragon girl.

But if they found out she was actually a lamia—

A being with a snake’s lower half—

It would be a disaster.

**”No. I can’t let this happen.

I won’t let this happen.”**

But then—

The next message arrived.

**『Why aren’t you leaving your house?

Come out and show me your face, Rania-chan.』**

“Hiiiiiik!!”

Fear gripped her entire body.

How…?

How did they know she hadn’t left her apartment?

How were they watching her?

More importantly—

Who the hell were they?

A flood of horrifying scenarios ran through her mind.

She imagined a large man in black clothing, stalking her every move.

She imagined being cornered in a dark alley, unable to escape.

She imagined being stripped of her dignity, crying, powerless, as she lost control of her own life.

The sickening realism of those thoughts made her shudder.

“A-Ah…!”

**- Click! **

She locked the window.

**- Click! **

She locked the front door.

**- Click! Click! Click! **

She secured every additional lock and barricaded the door.

Only then did she feel a little bit safer.

“They… They can’t possibly get inside… right?”

But she knew.

Simply hiding wouldn’t solve anything.

She had to do something.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down at her computer.

She quickly typed out a reply to the sender.

**『I don’t know who you are,

but please stop this.

It’s disturbing.

If you’re a fan, act like one and know your boundaries.』**

She typed it quickly.

But it took her several minutes to actually press send.

“Haaah…”

**- Click. **

The message was sent.

She let out a deep sigh of relief.

She had done something.

She had taken action.

But then—

**- Ding! **

“!!”

The reply came instantly.

『I love you.』

“Hiiiik!!”

It was just one sentence.

Short.

But overwhelmingly terrifying.

Her eyes widened in horror.

She jumped out of her seat, stumbling backward.

It was nonsense.

But at the same time,

It told her everything she needed to know about the person behind the messages.

“They’re insane.”

Why were they doing this?

What did they want?

And worst of all—

She couldn’t even report it.

If she went to the police, they wouldn’t take it seriously.

There was no direct harm yet.

Her mental state was in shambles, but they would see it as a waste of resources.

There wasn’t even enough evidence to take action.

As she searched desperately for solutions online,

Her frustration only grew stronger.

“Should I talk to my Unnies about this?”

No.

They were busy.

Their channels were growing, and they had their own work to focus on.

She didn’t want to burden them with her problems.

Then, something clicked in her mind.

“*Wait…!

I have a collab coming up!*”

She had forgotten about it completely.

Kurona wouldn’t be there.

But Talsseong would.

She had met Talsseong once before in person.

And from the moment she saw her—

She knew.

“*This person…

She’s the type who never backs down from anything.*”

Talsseong wasn’t the type to go out of her way to be social.

But she carried an aura—

An undeniable confidence.

She was the kind of person who, if she set her mind to something, could achieve anything.

If it weren’t for this situation,

Rania would have been thrilled for the collab.

But now—

She couldn’t even feel excited.

Because someone was watching her.

Someone who knew her secret.

Someone who could reveal it at any moment.

If that happened—

Her VTuber career would be over.

Even if she reincarnated under a new avatar,

Her voice would give her away.

Viewers weren’t stupid.

They would figure it out.

“Should I… just cancel?”

She actually considered it.

For the first time ever, she thought about backing out.

But—

She quickly shook off the thought.

She had to go.

She needed to be there.

It was a rare opportunity to collab in-person.

And for the growth of her channel, she couldn’t afford to miss it.

Especially with Talsseong, who had over 600,000 subscribers.

And even Seria, who had a massive following of her own.

If she let fear control her—

She would lose everything.

“I have to go.

No matter what.”

She refused to let this stop her.

She wouldn’t run.

But then—

The morning of the collab—

She woke up screaming.

“Kyaaaaaah!!”

She had frozen in terror.

The chair next to her bed…

Had been moved.

She had put it away under her desk before going to sleep.

But now—

It was facing her bed.

And the worst part—

When she touched it—

It was warm.

“A-Ah… Ahhh…!”

Had someone been watching her all night?

Sitting right there in that chair?

She gasped for air, her chest tightening,

As she frantically scanned the room.

No matter how much she looked around, there was nothing suspicious in sight.

Whoever had been here was already long gone.

“I don’t want to be here anymore!”

She needed to get out.

She hurriedly changed clothes, grabbed her things, and rushed out of the apartment without looking back.

Escaping outside felt like a relief—

But the moment she stepped into the world, she felt like every single person was watching her.

She knew it was just paranoia.

She knew that the people around her were just ordinary pedestrians.

But still…

She felt like someone was watching.

She was terrified.

Pure, raw fear.

Hailing a taxi, she rushed straight to the YOLOLive studio.

Even during the ride, she kept looking back, checking to see if anyone was following her.

Her hands were trembling as she finally arrived, greeting the staff before heading into the changing room.

“Oh? Rania, you’re here?”

“Ah, hi, Unnie.”

Seria greeted her with a bright smile as soon as she entered.

Rania forced herself to act natural.

“I’ll head out first. Take your time getting ready.”

“Okay, I will.”

As Seria walked away—

The moment she disappeared from sight—

The smile completely vanished from Rania’s face.

Just a short while ago, she had told herself—

“I don’t want to burden my friends with my problems.”

But now that she was actually facing them in person…

Her resolve was starting to break.

She wanted to tell Seria everything.

She wanted to confess her fears.

“But today is the collab day.”

No.

She could wait until after the stream was over.

It wasn’t too late.

Right…?

Or maybe…

It was already too late.

The thought that someone was watching her at this very moment froze her in place.

Her muscles locked up.

Then—

A calm, elegant voice broke the tension behind her.

“Rania, you’re here early.”

It was Talsseong.

The newest YOLOLive VTuber—

The golden-haired elf queen.

The biggest clipper-turned-VTuber.

And an unreasonably rich woman.

“Rania?”

“A-Ah, Talsseong Unnie! Haha… S-Sorry.

I was just… lost in thought…”

Did she notice?

Did she sense that something was wrong?

Because without hesitation—

She stepped closer and playfully teased Rania, her touch surprisingly warm.

At first, Rania was flustered.

She pretended to resist.

But…

‘Why… Why does it feel… so nice?’

It felt weird.

She was a girl, too.

So why was another girl’s touch making her feel like this?

“Haaaah…♡”

Her body melted at the sensation.

The seductive whispers in her ear,

The soft, teasing touches on her skin—

It was disarming her.

“Your scales are really beautiful.

Do you take good care of them?”

She was praising her.

‘But… No one has ever complimented them before.’

All her life, people had called them disgusting.

They had compared her to lizards and crocodiles.

She had always hated being born as a lamia.

Whenever someone mentioned her scales, it was never in a positive way.

‘So why… does it feel different when Unnie says it?’

Sure, women complimented each other all the time.

Just casual flattery.

But this…

This felt genuine.

Something about Talsseong’s words felt real in a way that no one else’s ever had.

For the first time—

Rania felt herself falling.

For an elf she had barely met a few times.

For someone who was still, technically, a stranger.

Then—

Suddenly—

Talsseong pulled away.

“Pfft. Sorry, it’s nothing.”

“Ah…”

She wanted to say it.

“Just a little more.”

She missed the warmth immediately.

Her feelings must have been so obvious that they showed on her face.

“Come on, Seria’s waiting. Let’s go.”

Did she notice and pretend not to?

Or did she really have no idea?

Either way, Rania didn’t stop her.

She followed quietly behind.

The stream was a blast.

It started with Seria as the host—

Until Talsseong stole the role mid-stream and ran the show herself.

Even though her mind was occupied,

Talsseong had gone out of her way to tease her, bringing her out of her shell.

“She’s really kind.”

They said that people like her had warm hearts.

And even though Talsseong wasn’t overly expressive,

She was someone who looked out for others.

Even Seria—who had a sweet, nurturing personality—

Felt different from Talsseong.

By the end of the stream,

Rania had finally relaxed and was able to enjoy herself.

She immersed herself in the content,

And the collab was a huge success.

“Haaah…”

After a long but successful day,

Everyone headed home.

Rania had planned to take public transport—

But fear crept in again.

She couldn’t do it.

She hailed a taxi instead.

Watching the navigation, she saw that they were almost at her apartment.

And suddenly—

She hesitated.

“Is it really okay… for me to go home?”

What if they were waiting?

What if they had already been inside?

She shivered, but then—

She remembered Talsseong.

**”It’ll be okay.

Maybe… I was just imagining things.

That chair—maybe I just misremembered putting it away.”**

After all, the only real evidence was the messages.

That chair could have been her own mistake.

She forced herself to believe that.

She forced herself to go inside.

But then—

The moment she stepped into her apartment—

She saw it.

“KYAAAAAAAH!!”

She fell backward in sheer terror.

There was a meal set on her dining table.

A meal she hadn’t cooked.

In a house where no one else should be.

And next to it—

A single handwritten note.

『For my beloved.』

Her hands trembled.

Her mind raced.

She needed to call someone.

She grabbed her phone—

But then—

She froze.

She didn’t have Talsseong’s number.

Realizing this,

She ran out of her apartment immediately.

She rushed to an internet café,

Logged into Discord,

And called the only person she could think of.

The moment the call connected—

She didn’t hesitate.

**”Unnie…

Can I stay at your place tonight?”**

It was so sudden.

They had only just finished a collab.

She was probably being a burden.

But she couldn’t stay there.

Not after that.

**[Where are you? Send me your address.

I’ll come get you myself.]**

“R-Really? But… I feel bad.”

[It’s fine. Just send it. I’m coming now.]

“…Okay.”

And so,

Under the protection of the golden-haired elf,

Rania left for Talsseong’s home.

As they drove away,

A shadowed figure watched from the distance.

“…Who the hell is that,

taking my Rania-chan away?”

Their eyes glowed with pure malice.