The Imposter, and the Real Deal
It had all started with nothing more than a desperate gamble or a crude attempt to stir up drama. Whenever a player who wasn’t a real hacker made a public promise to do something, it immediately landed the culprit in hot water.
The threat was simple: if they broke the promise, their real personal information would be exposed. Even without the explicit blackmail, some people had actually followed through on what they said. Whether it was eating ramyeon mixed with mint-choco ice cream every single day, or boiling ramyeon in cola, these were the kinds of promises that felt more like a joke than anything serious.
They’d thrown out a light, silly dare just to spark laughter, and in return someone would suffer one bad reaction so the whole group could laugh together again. Light, harmless promises were easy to keep. Something as basic as making mint-choco kimchi jjigae could be faked with nothing more than a few burger toppings.
But the promises Noel had received were something else entirely. Promises like “I’ll buy you meat,” “I’ll buy you pizza,” or even “I’ll give you shares in a gaming company.” For those individuals, the situation had become genuinely urgent. If they didn’t follow through, their real identities would be ripped open at any moment, and there was no way to contact the person they’d promised to give the item to.
Of course, people noticed the panic and immediately began sniffing around, hoping to snatch whatever item was left behind. If something valuable had been dropped on the floor and the owner hadn’t returned for it, why wouldn’t anyone else pick it up? A grown adult wouldn’t feel bad about taking something that had literally fallen to the ground.
[This is really Noel, and I’m starving…] – Noel
I live in a family with such bad finances that I can’t even afford a cane…
I heard on the stream that if I’m not a hacker, the person promised to buy me a burger…
Eating ramyeon every single day just to survive is already tough…
I want to try a burger so badly…
- SilverPantea: Speaking of which, on the explanation stream you said you were using a cane that snapped…
ㄴ blowgoodjob: Yeah, right now SNS is full of disabled people taking your seat posts, and it looks like it’s Noel’s…
ㄴ blowgoodjob: Same outfit, same hair color… the “cane” was just a long stick someone picked up and used…
ㄴ SilverPantea: Oh…
- infifanrandawe: When I see someone so skinny every day, I always wonder if they’re only eating ramyeon…
- okgogo: ㅠㅠ Open cocoa chat link, I’ll give you a burger…
- Noel: No, it’s just a joke, sorry…
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: Ugh, trash…
ㄴ minchoramyeon: Ugh, trash who sells disabled people…
ㄴ Noel: I’m sorry, everyone… if I ever come out in person, I’ll buy you all burgers…
Of course there were also people who had only meant it as a harmless joke. But there were others who looked like they were dead serious about scamming.
Even setting aside the fact that she had only one leg, some believed they could exploit the pitiful image Noel showed on stream to beg for money. They thought it would work perfectly.
Most users in the League of Champions community were already well-versed in online culture. The majority had either been scammed once in their lives or had seen it happen to someone they knew.
Scammers ended up with nothing.
[This is really Noel…] – Noel
(Photo)
This is my League of Champions profile I explained I’m not a hacker, so stop spamming me…
And the over-the-top promises are fine… please just give me a few burgers…
- ttihwakjjit: This profile verification is fake, lol
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: The tier emblem is pixelated with different colors on each square
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: The glowing color around the master badge is supposed to be different… this guy is actually gold tier and stitched a master badge on top… lol
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: Just delete the nickname and you’re done lol
ㄴ bokssildreimo: How did you even notice?
- bojitheblues: So it was fake? You scammed people who were actually trying to scam… you have no conscience?
ㄴ reksiyaewangnim: These kinds of trash who sell disabled people for political points…
- sgaepunbulwanjjeum: Mew mew woof woof
Even with the profile photo faked convincingly, certain players could still detect the tiniest mistakes.
[Caught the scammer who’s scamming Noel for money] – ttldttlttlda
(Photo)
They said they’d send money via account transfer, so I asked for the account details and only took the name… no deposit was made National * Bank Kim * Hyeok
Because they keep scamming as Noel, it might actually be worth adding them as friends in-game and sending gifts to keep promises lol lol lol
- chocobananaprotein: Could Noel’s real name be Kim * Hyeok?
ㄴ ttldttlttlda: I already told you that was the case, Noel’s real name is Chocobanana. If you spam more you’ll get a lawsuit immediately…
ㄴ ttldttlttlda: And if it’s Kim * Hyeok that’s a male name, but Noel is female…
ㄴ chocobananaprotein: Ahh
ㄴ chocobananaprotein: So the family name is Noel and the first name is Eul? That name is so pretty…
ㄴ ttldttlttlda: Always ask stupid questions here, lol
Other users also stepped up and caught scammers to prevent further damage.
At that moment, one very short post appeared.
[Hand it over] – Noelngeur
(Photo)
Hand over the meat, burger, pizza from the promises…
The community had previously been full of pathetic stories and emotional manipulation posts, or people just waiting to see if anyone had something they could beg for.
But the moment this bold, aggressive post went up, something strange happened. People who had been wandering in the scammer’s valley suddenly found themselves on the summit of a ridiculous mountain of joy and clicked recommend.
- ttihwakjjit: Lol lol now even fakes aren’t working lol lol
- ttldttlttlda: Look at that half-assed username lol lol
- priceless: After all that pathetic scamming, they finally throw it out openly and it feels so good lol lol
- weneby: You gone crazy lol
- jungseongtand: D… I’ll do it!
But just as quickly, people who noticed the profile screenshot for authentication looked suspicious.
- ttihwakjjit: Wait, is this for real?
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: There’s not a single pixel that looks edited?
ㄴ manyeomboron: ??? Then it’s really the real person?
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: At least the profile photo is definitely theirs… I did a search and the scores match… this photo was just taken moments ago…
- ttldttlttlda: If it’s real, maybe they’ll accept friend requests in-game?
ㄴ ttldttlttlda: The in-game nickname starts with PO
ㄴ Noelngeur: Yeah
Then someone confirmed that Noel herself had actually posted the message inside the League of Champions game.
[It’s real, lol] – ttldttlttlda
(Photo)
Added them as friends in-game and confirmed Because of all the imposters, I asked to check and they understood The post they wrote is real, they just wrote it here to match the vibe But they’re a top-laner syndrome type who just went in hard lol lol
- SilverPantea: A crazy maniac, I actually like it shit lol
- biruseugeoyaim: Ok, going to keep the promise
- jungseongtand: Ok, going to deposit the burgers
After that post, the community naturally caught fire. Those who enjoyed the burning just poured gasoline on the embers and used Noel’s past haters as fuel.
The people who had been insulting her for so long simply disappeared.
Someone posted a warning to stop spamming, but it got buried and no one paid attention.
Meanwhile, another post from Noel appeared.
[No interest in other promises] – Noelngeur
Whether it’s grilling meat at Gwanghwamun or climbing the Himalayas, that’s not my problem Just give me meat, burger, chicken, pizza But is there no way to use gift cards other than on the phone?
When I went to explain earlier I slipped and my phone broke I still don’t understand why I can’t use gift cards on computer cocoa chat…
- dbcksrnjs0012: Thank you for the mercy, teacher
ㄴ TSjoa: She should have kept the promise
ㄴ oo3jnn: What was the promise again?
ㄴ TSjoa: Cut the leg and become a woman
ㄴ bopulleogeogi: Lol lol if you have a conscience send at least one burger lol lol
ㄴ dbcksrnjs0012: I’ll send two, lol set…
- naegeumeunriochamgosu: Was the person who fell this one? https://gorgle...
ㄴ Noelngeur: Celestia told me not to click links from strangers
ㄴ naegeumeunriochamgosu: Ah shit lol just a news article
ㄴ Noelngeur: I know how voice phishing works
ㄴ ttihwakjjit: Ugh, a kid who does text phishing scams
ㄴ naegeumeunriochamgosu: No shit lol lol
People who saw the post began sending friend requests for different reasons. Some wanted to keep their real information private and actually follow through on the promise. Some just wanted to give a gift to the pitiful Noel. Some wanted to learn from the high-tier League of Champions player. Some just wanted to stir up drama.
[Shit, I’m at Gwanghwamun right now] – ravenbujeorinnal
I laid out a mat in the middle of the square and am grilling meat right now, what?
Noel said you didn’t have to keep it?
(Photo)
I don’t care, I’m just going to eat it anyway
Even though the post had given her mercy, some people still went to keep the promise anyway. Right beside the glowing fluorescent lights, the glowing tile next to it probably wouldn’t stand out.
Naturally, the post was buried under all the replies saying “she gave me a burger” or “she gave me chicken.”
The legend of the lonely person grilling meat in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square would only ever drift away as internet articles.