My Favorite Streamer Found Out Who I Am
The first time I saw her stream, I was just killing time on a random recommendation from the algorithm.
It was a low-viewer broadcast with only a handful of people in the chat. The streamer, going by the handle StarCandy, was playing a horror game but kept screaming at every little thing. Her reactions were so over-the-top that I couldn't help but laugh.
Even her voice was cute. A bit husky, but bright and full of energy. The way she fumbled her words when she got scared, the little giggles that slipped out when she survived a jump scare by pure luck—it all felt strangely comforting.
Before I knew it, I'd been watching for two hours straight.
That was the beginning of my descent.
I started watching her every day. When she wasn't streaming, I'd rewatch her clips. I even joined her fan cafe and became an active member. People started calling me a hardcore fan. Some even joked that I was her number one simp.
But I didn't care. Because for me, StarCandy—whose real name was Joo Yuna—was the only light in my gloomy, monotonous life.
I was a university student majoring in computer engineering, but I had zero interest in my studies. My only joy came from editing videos. Specifically, editing highlight clips of Yuna's streams and uploading them anonymously on a popular clip-sharing site.
My username there was StarCandy'sGuardianAngel.
At first, it was just for fun. But as the clips gained traction, more and more people started watching her streams. Her viewer count, which used to hover in the single digits, began climbing. Ten, twenty, fifty... and eventually it broke a hundred.
I felt an immense sense of pride. It was like I was helping her grow, even if she didn't know it. Like a secret supporter working behind the scenes.
Of course, I made sure to stay completely anonymous. I never revealed my face, never used my real name, and I was careful not to leave any traces that could connect me to the clips. I even used a separate VPN and anonymous accounts for everything.
That was my ironclad rule.
Until that day.
It was a late night in early summer. Yuna had just finished an intense endurance stream and was doing her usual closing remarks, looking exhausted but happy.
"Thank you so much for staying with me until this late, everyone... Really, I love you all. StarCandy, signing off~"
She waved at the camera with that bright smile of hers. The stream ended, and the screen went black.
I let out a small sigh and leaned back in my chair. Another great stream. I was already thinking about which moments to clip for tomorrow's upload.
That's when it happened.
My phone vibrated.
It was a message on KakaoTalk. From an account I didn't recognize.
Hey.
I know who you are.
StarCandy'sGuardianAngel.
My heart dropped to the floor.
For a moment, my mind went completely blank. I stared at the message, reading it over and over again, hoping it was some kind of prank.
But the profile picture was definitely Yuna's. The one she used for her personal account—the one only her close friends knew about.
How...?
How did she find out?
I had been so careful. I never slipped up. I never left any breadcrumbs. So how on earth—
Another message arrived.
You're Kim Woohyuk, right?
The guy who sits behind me in Algorithm Analysis class.
Come to the rooftop of the engineering building tomorrow at 2 PM.
If you don't show up...
I'll tell everyone that the famous clipper who's been boosting my channel is actually a creepy stalker sitting right behind me.
My hands started shaking.
This couldn't be happening. It felt like a nightmare. How did she know my name? How did she know I was in her class? I always sat in the very back corner, never spoke to anyone, and made sure to keep my head down.
I thought I was invisible.
Apparently, I was wrong.
I swallowed hard and typed a reply with trembling fingers.
I'll be there.
After sending it, I dropped my phone on the desk and buried my face in my hands.
What the hell am I going to do now?
My secret was out.
The one thing I'd been hiding from the entire world—especially from her—had been exposed in the worst possible way.
And tomorrow, I was going to have to face Joo Yuna in person for the first time.
Not as StarCandy'sGuardianAngel.
But as Kim Woohyuk.
The guy who'd been secretly, obsessively supporting her from the shadows.