Chapter 56 : Two hours before the broadcast ends

Two hours before the broadcast.

“Ha… damn…”

The room where Suhyun was muttering curses was silent.

On the desk, the monitor was still off, and the keyboard quietly emitted a faint light, waiting in idle mode.

Though this quiet space would soon turn into a battlefield, for now…

‘It’s not too late.’

Could it be avoided if I don’t do it now?

Yuki tilted her head and slowly exhaled a sigh. The viewers who were waiting in the chat room had seemingly forgotten about it.

Right now.

Right at this moment, it felt like it would be fine to just stay still.

But eventually, her hand moved toward the mouse.

“Yeah. Let’s finish the broadcast quickly and eat something delicious…”

Click.

As the computer powered on, a familiar logo appeared on the monitor, accompanied by a short booting sound.

Disorganized icons.

Folders scattered across a fan-made wallpaper.

Among them, what caught her attention was today’s game icon.

A logo faintly visible on a black background.

A blurry image with a reddish hue.

And the short title written beneath it.

“(Devotion)”

(Delusion).

Suhyun unknowingly bit her lip.

‘Is this okay?’

There wasn’t a particular reason.

It just… felt uncomfortable.

She’d played countless horror games, but for some reason, this one felt different.

Not because it was truly scary…

But something about it felt ominous.

“Ha…”

To calm her nervous heart, Yuki took a slow breath. And only then did she start preparing for the broadcast in earnest.

She adjusted the volume on the audio interface beside her desk.

Microphone test.

“Ah, aah.”

Her familiar voice naturally came through.

It was definitely clearer than the headset mic, but,

She wasn’t sure if that would be good or bad for a horror game.

‘Won’t the mic break if I scream?’

Well, her voice wasn’t in the best condition, so it was an unnecessary assumption.

Possible scenarios flashed through her mind.

‘Bang! (Sound of mic breaking)’

Hmm…

“Ah, whatever.”

Suhyun muttered quietly and began setting up again.

The webcam was off, so there was no need to worry.

Basic screen settings.

After all, she was a V-Tuber, so her face wouldn’t be shown, but,

Just to minimize the possibility of mistakes, she checked everything once more.

After finishing all the preparations,

Suhyun moved the mouse and clicked the live broadcast start button.

The screen flickered for a moment, and the chat room activated.

-ᄒᄋᄒᄋ

• Yuh~

・Yuki, I came to hear your scream.

• This is the famous scream restaurant, right?

Suhyun stared at the screen for a while, not saying anything.

Normally, she would have greeted everyone right away, but,

For some reason, it felt like the game was staring at her.

That can’t be right.

‘Huh. Why am I feeling like this?’

For now, I have to act like everything’s fine.

Suhyun spoke in a light voice.

“Snowflakes, thank you for coming again today! Haha… Whew. Damn. Today is a special day, right?”

ᆞHorror game day!!

• Scream festival ON.
• But why is Yuki so low-energy?
• Already scared, huh?

“Ah. It’s not like that…! It’s just a feeling, I guess?”

Suhyun forced a playful laugh.

She was the one who had told them to vote.

There was no turning back now.

“Actually, I’ve never played a horror game before. But thanks to your votes today, here we are. Wow. Thank you so much~?”

-ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ

•Her expression looks like she’s about to curse.

• As long as you’re thankful, it’s fine.

‘This… this damn…’

Suhyun muttered under her breath, but moved the mouse and finally launched the game.

Click.

As she clicked the icon, the black screen flickered for a moment.

Soon, the loading screen appeared, and the sound of an old VHS tape played softly in the background.

The game company logo.

A brief overture.

And soon, the title appeared on the screen.

[(Devotion)]

The background was dark.

A faint reddish hue tinted the screen, and quiet breath-like sounds played.

And…

Somewhere, a faint melody could be heard,

Strange and unsettling.

“Yikes…”

Yuki suddenly stopped her hand.

What was that, just now?

She had simply started the game without thinking.

For some reason, she felt nauseous.

In the corner of her chest,

It felt like an old memory was surfacing.

Could it be? Is there a damn game that triggers a trauma?

I’ve been living fine, haven’t I? Without my parents, and cutting ties with my brother, I’m doing okay, right?

‘Yeah, it’s just a game.’

It’s just a horror game.

Nothing more, nothing less.

With that thought, Suhyun slowly moved the mouse.

[Start New Game]

The moment the game started.

The screen turned black, and low noise spread.

And,

Swoooosh!

The rain began to fall.

The man’s hand naturally picked it up.

And slowly, he moved his index finger.

Click.

A spark ignited.

In an instant, the screen flashed, and scenes from the past flickered by.

A smiling actress under bright lights.

A man watching her fondly beside her.

The moment he quietly lit a fire for her.

And then.

She slowly reached out her hand,

Extinguishing the flame.

[Miryeong, can we start over?]

A low voice was heard from somewhere.

Suddenly, the screen shook, and the quiet room was filled with the sound of a radio.

[[Radio News] “Recently in Korea, a new religious group has been spreading rapidly…”]

‘Huh? Why does this feel so familiar?’

Yuki looked at the screen, her hand trembling naturally.

It was disturbingly similar.

This wasn’t just a simple horror game.

It felt like a story she had heard somewhere before.

Memories she had buried were resurfacing in fragments.

• Where did the host go?
• Did they faint already? LOL
• Ooooh, scaredy-cat
• Chickening out?

“Haha. Who’s the scaredy-cat? I’m a total badass, okay? Keep… keep going.”

“Alright, everyone. Just to remind you, I am absolutely not scared of anything. I am a very strong woman.”

Even as Yuki made this bold declaration, her hand gripping the mouse was trembling slightly.

The chat was already filled with viewers eagerly waiting for Yuki’s mental breakdown.

Look at her hands shaking!

• This is a scaredy-cat stream, and she’s the only one who doesn’t know it.
• In five minutes: ‘AAAAH!!’

“Come on, guys. What are you expecting? I’m totally fine! I’m calmer than ever ri—EEK!”

• She just got scared by a rat;;

If she gets a heart attack, is it our fault?

• Probably.

And so, the game resumed once more.

A hallway in an old apartment.

Grayish walls.

A dark corridor at the end, flickering under dim yellow light.

[A choice: Open the door]

Something really…

There’s something black on it.

Hmm. Hmmm…

“…Hmm? Well, whatever. Just opening it. Haha. It’s nothing.”

Yuki felt sweat forming on her palm but clicked the mouse, pretending to be calm.

Creeeak…

The door slowly opened.

The room inside was dark, with a dim, flickering fluorescent light.

The walls were covered in red talismans, and on the desk sat an old cassette player.

“…Wow. What a warm and cozy atmosphere.”

• Cozy, my ass LOL
• If Yuki needs to use the bathroom right now, it’s over for her.
• Whoa
• This is not cozy at all… A ghost could pop out any second.

Forcing a laugh, Yuki looked around the room.

When she clicked on the cassette player on the desk, a recorded voice played.

[Sing a song.]

A man’s voice, sounding uneasy.

There was a moment of silence, then a young girl’s clear voice rang out.

[The lady by the dock~♪]

“…Oh. Ooooh..?”

Yuki unconsciously closed her mouth.

The voice was beautiful, but for some reason, it gave her chills.

And at that moment.

Click.

A door closed somewhere.

“…Huh?”

Creeeak…

The door leading to the living room slowly opened.

An empty, vacant living room.

The screen flickered on and off, and a silhouette started appearing.

Rev—

But then.

Tel—

[….Remember.]

“Huh?”

Huh? LOL

• That was kinda cute, actually.
• 700

Suddenly, the screen flickered, and the dark silhouette became clearer.

[Remember. Remember. Remember.]

“…Wait, remember what…?”

Click!

The television abruptly turned off.

And then, a black-haired child’s corpse appeared.

“….Eek. Haa.. AAH!”

Thud! Bang!

Yuki instinctively pushed her chair back in shock.

She almost dropped her mouse but barely managed to grab it again, letting out a shaky laugh.

“H-Haha. No, I wasn’t scared at all. It’s just that… the scene was too… impactful.”

The chat was already exploding.

• LOLLLLLLL
• What a scaredy-cat LOL
• We’re only in Chapter 1, and she’s already reacting like this??

“Guys, nothing even happened yet! I’m not scared at all. This is actually really fun.”

Just as she was about to continue the game.

Snap.

The screen distorted.

And suddenly, something started emerging from the pitch-black background.

A young girl’s pale face.

And eyes that seemed to pierce through the screen, staring directly at Yuki.

“…Uh…?”

“I missed you.”

“…Ah.”

Then, the screen went black, and a voice echoed.

“Come with me.”

In that moment.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!! EEK. WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THIS?!!!”

Yuki instinctively jumped up from her chair and almost ran out of the room.

The mouse dropped to the floor, and the broadcast turned into total chaos.

The chat was in an uproar.

• LOLLLLLL
• No way, she screamed like that LMAO
• From now on, only horror game streams, please LOL

Yuki panted heavily, unable to speak for a while.

Then, she slowly pulled the microphone closer and muttered,

“…No, guys. I’m not scared at all. I was just… startled.”

• Isn’t that the same thing?

“I’m not sad. I’m just crying.”

• Basically this.

Yuki took a deep breath, barely holding onto her nerves.

She thought she was fine now.

But she didn’t know yet.

That this eerie sense of familiarity wasn’t just because of the game.

“Alright! Let’s move on, shall we?”

Forcing a smile, she prepared to continue, wearing her ‘Yuki’ streaming persona like a mask.