Chapter 176: Lulu, Where Do You Think You’re Running?

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How did things end up like this?

I was just planning to have a normal, ordinary stream with the cherries today, like always.

But why am I now…

Thud—

“Eek?!”

From the loading screen and BGM alone, it’s already setting off that unsettling feeling—am I really about to play this kind of horror game?!

• LOLOLOLOLOLOL
• She hasn’t even started yet lol
• Such a pathetic axolotl lololol
• Scared? Lmao

I am scared! I admit it! I’ll own up to it, so stop teasing me!

No, I told you guys before we even installed this!

I said just the trailer looked way too scary, do we have to play it?!

But after Yuna and I pushed for it, what’s with the “scared? ScAaAred?”

Ugh, you rotten cherries, I swear!

You all exist just to watch me suffer, don’t you?!

While I was grumbling internally, Yuna had already slipped behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, waving her hands playfully.

“Alright, Lulu. Say hi to everyone first. Say ‘Lu-ha~’ to the Youtube friends!”

“L-Lu-haa…”

• Lu-ha
• LH LH
• Yukiko is even setting up the editing angle LOL
• Lulu’s already broken, I think

No, I’m not broken.

…Not yet.

It’s just that I know I’m about to break, so I’m nervous, okay?!

I just hope I don’t faint, at least.

“O-okay, today, we’ll be playing a horror game with our special guest, Yukiko! W-wow…”

“Wow!”

• Wow!
• So excited!
• Why’s the streamer’s face like that?
• Hey, smile LOL
• Facial muscles broke already?

No, that’s not it.

It’s not my face that’s broken—it’s my muscles from trying so hard not to panic.

I’m barely holding back the urge to close the game and uninstall it right now.

“A-anyway, the game we’re playing today is called Poppy’s Playime!”

Ugh, I was supposed to make the other members play this.

It was obviously going to be hilarious.

I was so excited thinking about the great clips we’d get… But now I’m the one playing it?!

Poppy Playtime is a jump-scare horror game—you know, the sudden pop-up kind.

In my world, it was already up to Part 3 and pretty well-known.

But in this world, it’s probably not that popular yet.

It hasn’t even been two weeks since release.

And since it’s the developer’s first game, they didn’t advertise much, so barely anyone knows about it.

From what I remember, no Korean streamers have played it yet.

And now I have to be the first?!

…Should I be happy or upset about this?

Yeah, no, I’m upset.

• First time seeing this, what kinda game is it?
• Same, never heard of it
• Checked the trailer, seems like jump-scare stuff
• Graphics look decent though?
• Since Lulu already planned this, she must’ve wanted to play it, right?

Don’t talk nonsense.

There’s no way I wanted to play this.

I only had it in mind to recommend to the other members, okay?!

Say that one more time, and I’ll give you an axolotl punch.

Anyway, before we properly start the game, I decided to introduce a quick extra rule—for the cherries and future Youtube viewers.

“O-okay, before we begin, today’s special rule is… if I really can’t handle it, I can use the ‘Help me, Yukiko!’ card once. If I use it, Yukiko will take over and clear that part for me.”

“You all know how bad Lulu is with horror games, so we gotta give her at least this much. Right?”

• Right, right
• Otherwise, she’ll just collapse LOL
• Better than a broadcast disaster fr

Thankfully, the cherries didn’t complain when Yuna backed me up.

I did cry during my first horror game stream, after all.

I guess they agree that some safety net is necessary.

Besides, Yuna isn’t completely immune to horror games like Chae-yoon unnie. She says she doesn’t get scared—she just enjoys the thrill.

So even if she takes over, it won’t be completely boring.

If it were Chae-yoon unnie, she’d just breeze through it without blinking.

[‘Jisss’ donated 1,000 won!]

• But you’re still watching the whole thing, right?

“Y-yes, of course! I-I don’t want to watch, but… that’d be too shameless.”

“Then I’ll just force Lulu’s head to face the screen, so don’t worry!”

“Y-Yukiko, do you just… hate me…?!”

“Eh, no way. I love you!”

Squeeze—

• LMAOOOOOO
• So reliable! That’s our Yukiko!
• Is this that ‘I like you, so I wanna tease you’ thing? LOL
• Yukiko << She’s just a grade-school boy at heart lololol

Ugh…

I don’t know about the grade-school boy part, but sometimes, Yuna’s way of showing affection is… unique.

Still, being hugged like this feels nice.

It’s kinda reassuring.

Maybe I’ll actually get through this horror game better than I thought.

“O-okay, should we start now, cherries?”

“Let’s gooo!”

• Dugun dugun~ (heart pounding)
• I’m already drooling LOL
• Hurry up and start, I’m getting dizzy here

With that little boost of courage, I pressed the start button.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that courage was completely pointless.

***************

There’s a saying that goes like this.

“Masterpieces make you return to them even when you know their endings.”

It means that simply knowing what happens next is never enough to diminish the joy and emotion a masterpiece carries.

Yeah, I agree.

Though we’re not quite the same.

Because right now, I’m feeling that sentiment firsthand.

Thump— Thump—

“KYAAAAAAAH! IT’S COMING! IT’S COMIIIIING!”

“Lulu, stay calm! Right! Go RIGHT!”

• LMAOOOOOOOO
• Lulu’s reflexes are cracked tho
• The second she sees a fingertip, she jumps backward lolol
• Lulu would dominate fighting games frrr

Logically, I already know how this game works.

I should know where that thing will jump out from.

So why hasn’t the fear faded even a little?

That’s the real mystery.

When I first encountered the monster chasing me, I panicked briefly.

Luckily, thanks to Yuna’s directions, I dashed into the right hallway to escape.

From here, the paths twist like a maze. One misstep, and you’re cornered.

Get it together, Jeong Da-jeong!

Clear this section, and it’s over!

Chapter 1’s playtime is short anyway!

Thud— Thud—

“I-I’m not scared… I’m not scared… I’M NOT SCARED…!”

“Lulu, you’re making it scarier…”

• FR lolol
• Now she’s gaslighting herself…
• The second she sees an enemy, her soul leaves her body lololol

Sh-shut up!

Anyway, I’m getting out of this insane map ASAP!

P-probably just go right here, and the path should—

“Huh?!”

W-what?! Gone?!

Wait, why’s the path blocked?!

I swear going right here was the way!

This is a bug! A BUG, I tell you!

[SKREEEEE—!]

“EEEEEEK?!”

While mentally cursing the devs, the monster closed in and pounced.

All I could do was shriek and slump back into my chair.

[ ‘Laziness00’ donated 1,000 won!]

• Yo, you crying?

“N-no, I’m not crying…!”

“Yeah, Lulu’s not crying. I confirm!”

“Sniff… thanks, Yukiko…”

• GG
• Damn, she isn’t crying lol
• Too weak to cry anyway lol

GG? What GG?!

You just wanted me to cry!

Ugh, you cherries are the worst!

“That maze-like part earlier… we gotta find the path first.”

“Y-yeah. But who knows how many more times I’ll die trying.”

Even with Yuna’s constant advice and encouragement…

Right now, knowing the solution doesn’t help.

Because the answer I knew just collapsed.

By my memory, turning right here should’ve opened the path.

Then left, right again, and when the monster charges—ignore it, sprint straight ahead. The floor collapses, dropping you both somewhere.

Next, escape while it’s stunned, then destroy the bridge-like path to kill it. That’s Chapter 1 cleared.

But why didn’t the right path open earlier?

Unless…

Did the game change from my world’s version?

Just a hypothesis, but if true… what then?

If it’s not my memory, but the game that’s different?

No guarantee the rest will match either.

Then from now on, I’m just like any other player—no guide, no foresight.

Only my own skills to rely on.

If knowing the future was scary, losing that knowledge is…?!

Facing the possibility of endless retries, I made a decision: Use the “Help Me, Yukiko” coupon I’d received earlier.

“Y-Yukiko…”

“Hm?”

“C-can I… use it now?”

“Huh? Already? It’s barely been an hour!”

• She was terrified LOL
• Using it here? What about later stages?
• Just close your eyes and go, Lulu

Since the cherries and Yuna don’t know Chapter 1’s short…

They’re shocked I’d use it so soon.

But I know this section’s the last hurdle.

I do feel a little guilty…

But survival comes first.

I even picked Poppy Playtime as the slot for this.

Chapter 1’s brevity means less suffering.

Sorry, everyone.

But fear is unbeatable.

“Alright, I’ll clear this part. But no more help after, okay?”

“Y-yeah…!”

So I switched to spectating.

Yuna took my seat, hands on the keyboard and mouse.

She resumed the game from where I’d faced the monster.

Thud— Thud—

“EEK?!”

Ugh, even watching is terrifying.

B-but better than playing. Just endure…!

“Left here! Left again! Now right—!”

“Wow, Yukiko’s good…!”

• Let’s goooo!
• Damn, she nailed it lol
• She’s hitting every mark!!
• Lulu’s grinning like an idiot lolol

True to my expectations, Yuna made all the right choices at the branching paths I’d hesitated on, finally reaching the final section I remembered.

“Y-Yukiko! Ahead! You gotta drop that thing!”

“That? Ah, got it!”

Tap—

She fumbled slightly at the end, but this part matched my memory. When Yuna knocked over the box to collapse the bridge after my instructions…

Crash—

[SKREEEEE—!]

The monster chasing her plummeted into endless darkness and vanished.

• Huh?
• Wait, is this the ending?
• It’s over?
• Damn, that’s wild…

Only then did the cherries sense something off, lamenting how anticlimactic it was. If it ended here, they wouldn’t get to see me suffer more.

Heheh, this is your fault for letting me use the “Help Me, Yukiko” coupon!

This is the power of intel!

Cry, cherries!

“Thanks, Yukiko. I’ll take it from here.”

“Oh, okay. But it’s really over? Kinda underwhelming…”

“W-well… maybe?”

• Bruh…
• She played us
• Lulu, for our sake, die and retry…
• Ending like this is a crime

La la la, I hear nothing, see nothing~

I’m just sprinting to the credits now.

“Ehehe…”

Grinning, I headed for the lit area where the ending scene awaited. With no threats left, I could relax.

Flick—!

I entered a room and found a doll in a case. Playing clueless, I opened it. A brief message would play, followed by credits.

[You saved me. Thank you.]

The doll’s frail voice rang out as expected, and the screen faded to black. This was Chapter 1’s conclusion… huh?

“H-huh…?”

“Lulu, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing…”

But why weren’t the credits rolling? Shouldn’t the devs’ names appear before returning to the title screen?

Assuming a bug delayed them, I kept staring—until—

“……?!”

A small cushion-like object appeared in the darkness. I knew this scene.

It was Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2’s opening.

W-wait.

Why was this here?! Unless—

“D-does Chapter 1 lead straight into Chapter 2 here…?”

• Seems so lol
• LMAOOOOOOOOOOO
• SHE’S DONE FOR LOLOLOL
• Annihilation speedrun lol
• GG EZ LOLOLOL
• Tried to ditch Yukiko and got wrecked, huh?

That was it. Unlike in my world, here Chapters 1 and 2 were one continuous game.

I’d wasted my “Help Me, Yukiko” coupon without knowing. Now I’d have to clear Chapter 2—three times longer and scarier—alone.

…Yep. I’m done for.

What’s done?

My whole life.