Chapter 113: Lulu-chan, Who Turns Even Haters into Fans!

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Jang Ji-won is a woman who struggled financially in real life, when life is tough, the heart tends to dry up as well.

Some might argue that this is an overly narrow perspective, but it’s often the case for many.

People become focused on their own survival.

They lose the capacity to care for others.

And they slowly forget what happiness even feels like.

All Jang Ji-won could do was idly browse through streaming platforms, using her spare time to check out new streamers.

That was her only hobby.

During one of these browsing sessions, she came across a VTuber named Lulu.

She had seen Lulu collaborate with a streamer she followed in a game of Last, and with Lulu being mentioned frequently in communities lately, she decided to look her up.

At first, she found the avatar cute and appealing, so she took an interest.

But it didn’t take long for that interest to be tainted by a dark resentment.

‘What a hypocrite.’

In some ways, Lulu was in a similar situation to her.

No, perhaps even worse—living a life of greater poverty.

Yet, despite that, Lulu was incredibly altruistic.

She cared deeply for her members and those around her, often neglecting her own needs, to the point where it seemed almost saintly.

If Jang Ji-won’s heart hadn’t been so tainted, she might have been inspired or even admired Lulu for persevering despite their similar circumstances.

But she couldn’t.

Why would someone go to such lengths?

How could someone care more about others than themselves?

Why does someone who was in a similar situation shine so brightly while I’m struggling like this?

These primal feelings of jealousy and envy festered within her, quickly consuming her and turning her into someone who resented this girl.

She was convinced there was something hidden behind that mask.

That Lulu was pretending to be an angel, acting kind just to gain attention.

Surely, after gaining popularity as a VTuber, she must’ve made a decent amount of money.

This donation thing was probably just a ploy to polish her image.

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Title: Lulu or whatever, she should take care of herself first lol

Author: jw361179

Even back when she was pretending to be poor and collecting money, she was annoying.

If she’s got money now, she should take care of herself instead of donating.

What’s with the donations lol?

People who donate that much just seem foolish to me.

They’re living so stupidly.

I’ve always found her ‘I’m so kind’ act annoying, and this just makes me dislike her even more lol.

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So she wrote that post.

Of course, hateful messages and comments followed but Jang Ji-won stubbornly clung to her beliefs, continuing her baseless delusions.

Deep down, she knew.

This was nothing but ugly jealousy but once the flames of resentment consumed her, she could no longer control herself.

[LuluSupporter] – You know your post was shown on stream, right? lol

[LuluSupporter] – If you’re scared of getting sued, maybe delete it now?

‘It was shown on stream?’

When a fan of Lulu’s informed her that her post had been read during a live stream, Jang Ji-won felt a cold sweat run down her spine and hurriedly went to Lulu’s stream.

Sure enough, her post was displayed on the screen.

In that moment, she felt all the blood drain from her body.

Knowing how internet trolls had been harshly dealt with recently, it was only natural to feel fear.

But it wasn’t just fear.

The fact that the person she had insulted now knew about it filled her with a creeping sense of shame.

This was actually the first time she had ever written a hateful post about someone.

Some might call it ugly rationalization, but many people who write such things online assume the target will never see it.

They treat it like a personal diary.

Jang Ji-won was one of those people.

That’s why she was terrified of how Lulu would react.

Humans are inherently selfish.

Even if they dislike someone, they don’t want that person to dislike them in return.

Jang Ji-won’s fear was a form of that.

‘She’s probably going to sue me.’

The moment she saw Lulu’s stream, Jang Ji-won had already resigned herself.

She wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t recognize her own wrongdoing.

The only thing that saddened her was the thought of her innocent family suffering because of her actions.

『Cherries, can you calm down for a moment and listen to me?』

As she prepared herself and watched the stream with trembling hands, despite having just seen a post exposing the ugliness of human nature, Lulu spoke in an oddly calm voice.

Jang Ji-won sat frozen in place, listening intently to every word Lulu said without missing a single syllable.

It was hard to believe.

At least, from her narrow perspective.

A girl who had lived a life even poorer, more unfortunate, and more destitute than hers claimed to have been happy during that time.

But as she listened, Jang Ji-won realized something.

This girl had lived through a life so dark and difficult that it made her own struggles pale in comparison.

And yet, she could still call that time “happy.”

At the same time, Jang Ji-won understood.

The actions she couldn’t comprehend before—the self-sacrificial acts of giving away what little she had—were rooted in what Lulu had just said.

Lulu was already overflowing with happiness.

Her cup was so full that it couldn’t hold any more, so she wanted to share the excess with others.

‘I’m such a pathetic person.’

As she listened to this pure-hearted girl’s words, Jang Ji-won was overwhelmed with self-loathing.

Was there some ulterior motive?

Was there another side to this?

Questions that anyone might naturally ask about others felt trivial and foolish when directed at this girl.

It wasn’t just that she recognized Lulu’s sincerity.

This girl, who accepted even the ugliest jealousy and used it as an opportunity to share her true feelings, made Jang Ji-won realize how hollow her own knowledge and preconceptions were.

So she made a decision.

Even if she couldn’t be forgiven, she wanted to sincerely apologize. What happened afterward would be entirely up to Lulu.

With that in mind, Jang Ji-won sent a heartfelt message along with a donation.

It was all the money left in her checking account.

[‘jw361179’ has donated 50,000 won for snacks!]

• Hello. I’m the person who wrote the malicious post about you, Lulu. After watching your stream today, I realized how foolish my thoughts were. I’m not here to ask for forgiveness. I just wanted to apologize. I will humbly accept any consequences for my actions.

『Huh? Oh, a-are you the person who wrote that post? Yeah, the username matches….』

Clearly not expecting the hater herself to show up, Lulu was flustered and widened her eyes.

• LOL, she came running because she’s scared of getting sued.
• How pathetic lol.
• If you knew better, you wouldn’t have written that in the first place.

Of course, even though she had admitted her mistake and bowed her head, the existing fans of Lulu weren’t about to welcome her with open arms.

The chat was instantly filled with voices condemning her, but Jang Ji-won simply watched them all with a calm expression.

Then.

『Hehe, it’s okay. I’m not really angry. But the Cherries were really upset, so I wasn’t sure what to do. Thank you for coming forward and apologizing.』

“Ah….”

As if silencing the chat, even in the face of someone who had insulted her, Lulu smiled brightly and forgave her.

For Jang Ji-won, who had come expecting nothing but insults, this was so surprising that she felt dazed.

[jw36117] – Even so, I’m really sorry for being forgiven so easily…

But for Jang Ji-won, she couldn’t just turn away thinking, ‘Ah, the person I insulted forgave me, so it’s over.’

This was the bare minimum of her conscience.

『Hmm… Even if you say that, I’m really not angry? I’m not angry, so why should I forgive… Oh!』

Lulu was also at a loss.

She truly hadn’t been upset, but letting it go like this would leave the apologizer feeling uneasy.

So, after thinking for a moment, Lulu came up with an idea and lit up, enlarging her avatar.

『Alright! Then I’ll forgive you, but can you do one thing for me?』

[jw36117] – Yes, anything.

Finally, the conversation was moving forward.

With that thought, Jang Ji-won nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

She didn’t know what the request would be, but she was determined to fulfill it even if it meant breaking herself.

『Hehe, then from today on, jw, please become a fan of Blue LUV!』

[jw36117] – Huh?

But the request that followed was so bright and absurdly lighthearted that Jang Ji-won blinked, wondering if she had heard correctly.

Become a fan?

To a malicious netizen who had just posted a hateful comment?

This wasn’t just about being kind or not.

Moreover, Lulu didn’t say, “Become my fan.”

She specifically said, “Become a fan of Blue LUV.”

That subtle difference clearly revealed the kind of person Lulu was.

『We’re called Star Pieces. jw, from now on, become a Star Piece and cheer us on! That’s how you can earn my forgiveness!』

[jw36117] – Is that really enough?

[jw36117] – Compared to what I’ve done, that seems too easy.

No matter how she thought about it, it felt like she was getting the better end of the deal.

No, it was practically the same as being forgiven outright.

So Jang Ji-won’s doubt was justified, but Lulu’s response was firm.

『Oh, easy? Being a fan is so hard! It’s about loving and caring for someone other than yourself! That’s why the Cherries here are amazing! It’s that difficult, so if you can do it well, I’ll forgive you!』

• Wow…
• She really speaks so beautifully.
• Lulu-chan, my tear ducts are drying up…
• T_T

“……”

For Jang Ji-won, who had taken fans lightly, this was like being hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

Literally.

Wasn’t Jang Ji-won herself proof of how hard it is to love and care for someone else?

[jw36117] – Thank you…

[jw36117] – I know it’s not enough to earn forgiveness,

[jw36117] – but I’ll do my best to become a passionate fan of Blue LUV, as you said.

[jw36117] – I’m truly sorry again.

『It’s okay! If you become a Star Piece, everything’s fine! And today is a happy Christmas!』

That’s right.

Today was Christmas.

For someone like her, who had always been holed up at home staring at a computer, those words somehow struck deep in her heart.

『Alright, so Cherries, don’t say anything more to her, okay? Got it?』

• Sure.
• If Lulu-chan forgave her, that’s enough lol.
• Since Lulu-chan forgave you, I’ll forgive you too…
• Behave well~

After lightening the mood, Lulu quickly deflected any further criticism that might have come Jang Ji-won’s way, bouncing around and shaking her adorably tied-up hair.

“…Pfft.”

At the sight of the irresistibly cute avatar’s movements, Jang Ji-won found herself smiling unconsciously before heading to her profile page.

[Would you like to change your nickname to ‘CherryFromToday’?]

Without hesitation, she pressed YES on the confirmation message.

With her new nickname, she returned and watched the stream until the end.

Even though Lulu had asked her to become a Star Piece, not a Cherry, seeing her like this, how could anyone not become her fan?

After all, Cherries are broadly part of the Star Pieces, so in a way, she had fulfilled Lulu’s request.

Trying to rationalize it, she immediately subscribed for the first time, posted an apology on the SNS account where she had written the hateful post, changed her nickname, and decided to live as a Cherry from that day on.

Could this also be called a Christmas miracle?

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At the same time, Kang Ha-neul, who had been watching Da-jeong’s stream, smiled faintly.

Having watched the entire stream, she knew that someone had dared to spout nonsense at the company’s precious youngest.

Even if a lawsuit might be difficult, she had considered issuing a small threat.

But fortunately, the perpetrator herself appeared on Da-jeong’s stream to apologize and was forgiven.

Though Da-jeong herself probably didn’t even think she had forgiven her.

‘She’s just too kind.’

If the other person’s response had been even slightly worse, Kang Ha-neul would have taken action at the company level, regardless of whether Da-jeong forgave them or not.

But since it ended so warmly, she decided to let it slide this once.

But there wouldn’t be a second time.

While she could overlook insults directed at herself, she had no intention of showing mercy to anyone who insulted the precious gems in her treasure chest.

“Ah, guys. Sorry. My mom called me, so I had to step out for a bit.”

• If your mom called, what can you do…
• She just pulled the ‘mom called’ card lol.
• Annoying, but I’ll let it slide.

Quietly putting down her phone, Kang Ha-neul turned her mic back on and resumed the stream.

Though complaints erupted about her sudden disappearance, the cheat code of “my mom called” quickly silenced them.