Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Lulu-chan Turns an Anti into a Fan!
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Jang Ji-won was a woman whose real life was pretty impoverished.
When reality dries up, so does the heart.
Some might call that view too narrow-minded, but that's how it usually goes for most people.
They start prioritizing their own interests above all else.
No time left to consider others.
They even slowly forget what happiness feels like.
She just endlessly scrolled through trashy forums.
Spending her excess time checking out new streamers.
That was Jang Ji-won's one and only hobby.
Then, one day, a VTuber named Lulu caught her eye.
She'd collabed with streamers she enjoyed watching through a game called Last Run.
And lately, the VTuber had been popping up a lot in community chatter, so she looked her up out of curiosity.
At first, the avatar was pretty cute, matching her tastes, so she took an interest.
But it didn't take long for that interest to get tainted with a dark lump.
'What a hypocrite.'
In a way, they were in similar positions.
No, maybe even more impoverished than her.
And yet, this girl was incredibly selfless.
Caring only for her members, busy looking after those around her.
Putting her own needs last—like, was she even an adult? She seemed that purely kind.
If Jang Ji-won's heart hadn't already turned pitch black,
she might have been inspired by someone in a similar spot pushing forward so steadfastly.
Or maybe even admired her.
But she couldn't.
Why go that far?
How can others come before yourself?
I'm struggling this much—why are you shining so brightly in the same situation?
Dark clumps born from that primal jealousy and envy.
They devoured her in an instant, making her resent this one girl.
There had to be something behind that mask.
Pretending to be an angel, acting all nice to grab attention.
She'd probably made decent money blowing up as a VTuber anyway.
This was just her polishing her image with donations and such.
So that's why she wrote that post.
Naturally, messages cursing her followed in the comments.
And yet, Lulu stubbornly stuck to her beliefs, chasing empty delusions.
Deep down, she knew.
It was just ugly jealousy.
But once the flames grew out of control and engulfed her, even she couldn't rein it in.
'She saw it live?'
Then, someone who seemed like a Lulu fan.
Informed her that Lulu had read her post during the live stream.
A chill ran down her spine as cold sweat prickled; she frantically searched for Lulu's stream.
Sure enough, there was her post displayed on screen.
In that instant, she felt the blood drain from her entire body.
If you knew how anti-fans had been getting publicly schooled online lately, of course it'd be terrifying.
But it wasn't just fear.
The mere fact that the person she'd trashed now knew about it.
That alone brought a wave of dread and shame.
This was her first time posting something demeaning about someone.
Someone might call it ugly rationalization.
But most people who post stuff like that online assume the target will never see it.
They treat it like a personal diary.
Jang Ji-won was no different.
So, she dreaded what reaction Lulu would have upon seeing it.
Humans are inherently selfish, after all.
Even if they hate someone, they don't want that person hating them back.
Jang Ji-won's fear was just that.
'She'll probably sue.'
The moment she saw Lulu's stream screen, Jang Ji-won had already resigned herself.
She wasn't so far gone that she didn't know what she'd done was wrong.
The only regrettable part?
If she got sued or something.
Her innocent family might end up suffering needlessly because of it.
『Cherries, could you all calm down for a sec and hear me out?』
She'd steeled herself, gripping her trembling hands, watching the stream.
Despite seeing that post exposing humanity's ugly side.
For some reason, the VTuber Lulu spoke in an oddly calm voice.
So Jang Ji-won sat frozen in place.
Hanging on every word, not missing a syllable, listening to the end.
Honestly, it was hard to believe.
At least from her narrow-minded perspective.
A girl who'd lived even poorer, more miserable, more deprived than her now.
Calling those days "happy" was unbelievable.
But as she listened quietly.
Jang Ji-won realized something at some point.
This girl could call even those times happy because.
She'd endured a far darker, more grueling life than Jang Ji-won's—beyond comparison.
And at the same time, she understood.
The actions that had baffled her from her viewpoint before.
The root emotion behind those seemingly self-sacrificing acts of giving up her own flesh for others.
It was exactly as Lulu said.
She was already overflowing with more happiness than she deserved.
Her cup was so full it brimmed over, no room for more.
So she wanted to share the excess happiness with others.
'I'm such a fucking idiot.'
Hearing this purely innocent girl's response.
Self-loathing washed over Jang Ji-won.
Doesn't she have ulterior motives?
Isn't there some hidden side?
Doubts anyone might naturally hurl at others.
But with this girl, they felt so petty and foolish—it didn't take long to realize.
Not just because she saw the genuine truth in this VTuber Lulu.
This pure girl accepted even someone's ugly jealousy.
And used it to convey her sincerity.
For her, all the knowledge and prejudices Jang had built up in life were meaningless.
That's why she resolved.
Even if it didn't earn forgiveness.
At least she wanted to apologize sincerely.
And leave whatever came after entirely up to this girl.
With that, Jang Ji-won sent a heartfelt message along with a donation.
It was her entire remaining balance on her debit card.
『Eh? Oh, uh, you're the one who posted that just now? Yeah, same ID...』
Clearly never expecting the culprit to show up.
Lulu's eyes widened in surprise.
Of course, even if she'd repented and bowed her head.
To Lulu's existing fans, she wasn't welcome.
The chat filled instantly with condemnation.
But Jang Ji-won just calmly read through them one by one.
Then.
『Hehe, it's okay. I'm not mad at all. But the Cherries are really upset, so I was wondering what to do... Thank you so much for coming forward and apologizing first.』
"Ah..."
Like dousing the chat flames.
Even with her insulter right there.
Lulu smiled brightly and forgave her sin.
For Jang Ji-won, who'd braced for abuse at worst, it was beyond shocking—straight-up numbing.
But for Jang Ji-won, hearing that wasn't enough to just.
'Oh, the victim forgave me, so we're good.' Turn tail.
That was her bare minimum conscience.
『Ugh... Even if you say that, I'm really not mad? How can I forgive when I'm not upset... Ah!』
Lulu was just as troubled.
She genuinely hadn't been hurt much.
But sending her off like this would leave the apologizer feeling unresolved.
So, after racking her brain, Lulu lit up with an idea and zoomed in her avatar.
『Got it! I'll forgive you, so could you do one favor for me?』
Finally, things were moving.
With that thought, Jang Ji-won nodded positively, feeling almost relieved by Lulu's response.
Whatever the request, she'd see it through even if it broke her.
『Hehe, then starting today, become a Blue LUV fan, jw!』
But the follow-up— so bright and absurdly light request.
Had her doubting her ears; she blinked.
Become a fan?
To the malicious netizen who'd just posted hate?
Wasn't this beyond just being nice?
And notably, Lulu didn't say "Become my fan."
It was strictly "Become a Blue LUV fan."
That nuance perfectly revealed the girl's character.
『We call them Pistas. So jw, become a Pista from now on and cheer for us hard! Do that, and you're forgiven!』
No matter how she thought about it, she was coming out ahead.
Hell, it was basically just forgiveness outright.
So her doubt was justified.
But Lulu's response was firm.
『Hey now, easy? Becoming a fan is hard! It's loving and cherishing someone else, not yourself! That's why all these Cherries here are amazing! It's that tough, so if you pull it off, that's your forgiveness!』
"......"
To Jang Ji-won, who'd taken fandom lightly.
It hit like a hammer to the back of the head—stinging shock.
Literally.
Wasn't she proof herself?
Of how hard it is to love and cherish someone else.
『It's fine! If you become a Pista, everything's okay! And it's a fun Christmas today!』
Right.
Today was Christmas.
For her, always holed up staring at her computer.
Those words somehow lodged deep in her chest.
『Okay, so Cherries, no more picking on her! Got it?』
Afterward, Lulu lightened the mood cheerfully.
Nipping any arrows aimed at Jang Ji-won in the bud.
She bounced up, shaking her cute twin tails.
"...Pfft."
At that unbearably adorable avatar motion.
Jang Ji-won unwittingly smiled, then went to her profile.
[Change nickname to 'CherryFromToday'?]
She hit YES without hesitation on the confirmation.
Logged back in with the new name, watched the stream to the end.
Sure, Lulu had asked to be a Pista, not a Cherry.
But seeing that, you can't help becoming her fan.
Broadly speaking, Cherries are Pistas too— so she'd fulfilled the request, right?
Rationalizing like that, she immediately subbed for the first time.
Posted an apology on the SNS where she'd shared the hate.
Changed that nickname too, vowing to live as a Cherry from today.
If this was a Christmas miracle, well, a miracle it was.
At the same time, Kang Haneul, watching Da-jeong's stream, wore a faint smile.
She'd watched from start to finish, so she knew.
Someone had spewed nonsense at the company's precious maknae.
Lawsuit might be tough, but she'd pondered a little intimidation.
Then the culprit showed up in Da-jeong's stream, apologized, got forgiven.
Da-jeong herself didn't even see it as "forgiving," apparently.
'So hopelessly kind.'
If the response had been even slightly off.
Company would move regardless of Da-jeong's forgiveness.
But it wrapped up warmly, so Kang Haneul decided to let this one slide.
No second chances, though.
She could overlook insults to herself.
But slights against the jewels in her treasure chest? No mercy.
"Ah, guys. Sorry. Mom called me away for a bit."
Quietly closing her phone after watching.
Kang Haneul turned her mic back on, resuming the stream.
Grumbles erupted at her sudden vanishing act without a word.
But the cheat code "Mom called" shut them down quick.