Dating Sim…
Kang Doyeon, a 24-year-old Korean streamer with exactly 83,842 subscribers and a dangerously fragile ego, sat in front of his monitor with the confidence of a man who believed tonight would finally be his redemption arc.
On screen, a dating simulator heroine with perfectly round bun hair and blushing cheeks looked up at the player.
Her name glowed softly above the text box: Seo Ah.
Pink petals floated dramatically in the background.
Her confession appeared:
「I-i… I daisuke you!」
Three choices appeared beneath it.
「I feel the same way.」
「Damn... sorry but I don't like you.」
「Do a backflip.」
Doyeon leaned forward.
"Okay chat. Calm down. We're not fumbling this. We go romantic. Easy."
Chat was not calm.
[cringeguy0193: PICK THE NICE ONE BRO]
[Troller1208: DO A BACKFLIP LMAOOO]
[Yoti: PROTECT SEO AH]
[MilkTeaQueen: If you mess this up I unsubscribe]
[Doyeonsimp127: GOO!!!! PICK WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!]
He squinted at the screen, dramatically narrowing his eyes as if calculating stock market investments instead of clicking a romance option.
His mouse hovered.
Paused.
Adjusted slightly.
Then—
Tap.
The wrong sound effect played.
On screen:
「Damn... bitch sorry I don't like you.」
The background music cut instantly.
Seo Ah's blush vanished.
Her sprite trembled.
A thunder sound effect played.
Doyeon froze.
"…Huh?"
Two seconds passed.
His soul left his body.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT—"
He slammed both hands on his desk.
"I MISSCLICKED!"
Chat exploded:
[cringeguy0193: CRINGEEEEEE]
[Gumogums208: BRO SOLD THE BAG]
[Yoti: RIP ROMANCE ARC]
[loverofyo:: YOU MONSTER]
Seo Ah's eyes filled with pixelated tears.
「I-I see… I hope you step on a Lego… Fuck you btw.」
"WHY IS SHE CURSING ME?!" Doyeon shouted at the screen. "WHAT KIND OF DATING SIM IS THIS?"
The screen glitched.
Music distorted into static.
The petals turned black.
Then everything faded.
Pitch black.
White text appeared slowly.
「BAD ENDING: YOU ARE DUMB… How did you even get in here…?」
Silence.
Doyeon stared at it.
"…This game is trash."
Donation sound.
[MisterRichGuy sent ₩20,000: Ay… Doyeon… didn't you promise you'd stream with Dakje?]
He blinked.
His rage evaporated instantly.
"Oh."
He scratched his cheek.
"Right."
Chat pivoted immediately.
[Kimchilove208: WHERE DAKJE]
[Yoti: You ghosted him didn't you]
[cringeguy0193: L friend]
[MilkTeaQueen: Justice for Dakje]
Doyeon forced a laugh.
"I didn't 'ghost' him! I tried messaging! He's probably busy, okay? That guy disappears more than my viewers when I stream horror."
A bunch of laughing emotes scrolled by.
But just enough…
He swallowed.
"Well! That's it for today, chat! This dating sim is rigged. Absolute scam. But… I won't lie… the girls were kinda fine."
Instant regret.
Chat:
[Gymplusmeals08: DOWN BAD]
[MilkTeaQueen: SIR]
[Yoti: CLIP CLIP CLIP]
He waved dramatically.
"I'll stream horror tomorrow! Real horror! Not emotional damage romance horror!"
He clicked.
Stream ended.
The chat disappeared.
The donation sound stopped.
The background music faded.
And suddenly—
The room was silent.
No scrolling text.
No validation.
No noise.
Just the quiet hum of his PC fans.
The smile slipped off his face slowly, like someone peeling off a mask.
The blue glow from the monitor revealed what the camera never showed clearly— a cramped room with a single mattress on the floor, slightly messy sheets, a desk overloaded with streaming equipment, tangled wires, a half-broken drawer, and a cabinet that probably contained just contained all his clothet… and probably just two jeans, and desperation.
He leaned back in his chair.
"…Damn."
The word felt heavier without an audience.
"Everything's kinda turning out wrong."
He rubbed his face.
Two years.
Two years renting this place.
Two years grinding.
The numbers had plateaued.
Sponsors stopped replying.
Collabs fell through.
Dakje hadn't answered in a week.
He stood up slowly and walked into the living room— if it could even be called that. A small sofa. A low table.
A kitchen corner that looked more decorative than functional. The place didn't feel like a home. It felt temporary. Like he was waiting for something better that never arrived.
"Agh… streaming's taking a toll," he muttered. "But I need it."
He opened the fridge.
Empty.
No drinks.
No beer.
Not even an expired milk.
He stared into it with betrayal in his eyes.
"…How is there nothing? Not even water?"
He closed it gently, as if disappointed in a child.
"I'm broke and dehydrated. Crazy combo."
He stretched and grabbed his black jacket from the sofa.
"Guess I'll go to the market. Maybe buy food too."
He grabbed his black jacket from the sofa and stepped outside.
Cold night air brushed against his face.
For a moment, it felt refreshing.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his car keys, and unlocked his car with a quiet beep.
He sat in the driver's seat.
Hands on the steering wheel.
The dashboard light illuminated his tired expression.
"…Dakje hasn't replied."
He stared ahead.
Then started the engine.
***
(At the market.)
At the Market
The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh.
After grabbing eggs, a few cans of beer, jerky, bottled drinks, and water, Doyeon made his way toward the counter.
The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly, casting a pale glow over his tired face. He shifted the plastic basket onto the counter and pulled out his phone.
His bank app was still open.
₩309,000.
He stared at the number longer than necessary.
(That should last… two months if I don't breathe too hard.)
He exhaled slowly and held his phone over the payment terminal.
Beep.
The cashier quietly packed his items into thin plastic bags.
The sound of crinkling plastic filled the silence. Doyeon thanked her absentmindedly and walked toward the exit.
The automatic doors slid open—
Thunder cracked violently across the sky.
Rain began pouring without warning, heavy drops splashing against the pavement like the night itself had shattered.
"…Of course," he muttered.
Before he could step fully into the rain—
Ring. Ring. Ring.
He paused.
Dakje.
He answered immediately.
"Hello? Dakje?! Where have you been? It's been months—"
The line suddenly ended.
Doyeon stared at his phone.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Then—
Tatalk!
A message notification.
He opened it.
There was only a link, and a messages.
Below it:
「Brooo, I forgot… My bad my bad. This game is cool btw! Try it!!! You'll like it 100% and… uh… sorry for leaving without a notice…」
That was all.
No explanation.
No apology that meant anything.
Doyeon's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Unbelievable."
Rain hammered down harder.
After a few seconds, he tapped the link.
A minimal website opened.
Dark background.
Centered title:
[Dating Simulator! Save Them All!]
He stared at it.
"Is this the one that made him disappear from society?"
Thunder rumbled overhead.
"Well. Nothing's going to happen just from installing it."
He pressed install.
The download completed instantly.
Too instantly.
"I'm using a data…."
A small chill crept up his spine.
He hurried to his car through the rain and threw the bags into the passenger seat. Droplets clung to his hair and jacket as he sat down and checked his phone.
[Game Installed. Warning: Are you sure you want to play?]
"Dramatic much."
(Sure.) He thought.
The screen flickered.
Then—
[Profile]
「Name: Doyeon
Weight: 61kg
Height: 175cm」
Doyeon frowned.
"Ohh… cool, cool?"
There was no explanation.
He dismissed it anyway.
He placed the phone in the holder and started the engine.
***
(In the highway.)
Rain blurred the road into streaks of light and shadow. The sound of tires slicing through water filled the car.
Then—
His phone began vibrating violently.
Not a normal buzz.
A harsh, rattling shake.
Red warnings flooded the screen.
[Turn around!]
[Turn around!!!]
[Turn left!!!]
[Do a U-turn!!!!]
He glanced at it briefly.
"What is wrong with this thing—"
Then something dark appeared in front of the car.
Too sudden.
Too close.
"Shit!"
Bang.
The impact jolted the vehicle violently.
The steering wheel slipped from his grip as the car swerved slightly before stopping.
His heart pounded in his throat.
"What the fuck was that…?"
Rain poured relentlessly as he grabbed his phone and stepped out into the cold night air.
The headlights illuminated the road ahead.
And there—
Lying on the asphalt—
A woman.
Her body was smeared with dirt. Dark blood stained her clothes and skin. Her hair clung to her face, soaked by rain.
She moved.
Slowly.
Then she stood up.
Her movements were unnatural— not broken, not stiff… just delayed. Like her body was remembering how to function.
"Why…" she whispered.
[A DATE HAS BEEN SET.]
Her voice trembled.
"Why did you hit me?"
Doyeon couldn't move.
His body refused to respond.
Then his phone rang, he checked it.
The phone screen shifted.
「Ha-eun (하은)
Mood: scared, confused, hope.」
Four options appeared below it.
[Fuck this shit, I'm scared; run!]
[Hey… Are you okay?]
[Ask her who she is.]
He ignored it without even looking at it properly, and immediately turned around.
(Fuck this shit! Fuck that shit too! I'm scared!) He thought.
Ha-eun began walking toward him.
Slowly.
Rain streamed down her face.
"Hey…" she asked softly.
"Can you see me…?"
The question wasn't hostile.
It wasn't threatening.
It sounded desperate.
Doyeon stumbled backward.
His breathing became uneven.
He turned and ran toward his car, grabbing the handle.
It wouldn't open.
He pulled harder.
Still locked.
"Fuck! Why is it locked?!" he shouted.
The phone screen flashed in his pocket.
[Fuck this shit, I'm scared; run!— CHOSEN.]
He didn't see it.
He only felt the consequences.
She was suddenly beside him.
Her hand wrapped around his wrist.
Cold.
"Hey…" she whispered again.
He jerked away violently and shoved her back.
"Get away from me!"
She fell onto the wet asphalt.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Then she slowly stood again.
The phone screen shifted and rang.
He checked it.
「Ha-eun (하은)」
Mood changed: anger, hatred, ho/pe.」
The word hope glitched repeatedly.
She lunged forward, shoving him into the middle of the road.
He stumbled and fell hard.
"Help!" he screamed instinctively.
But there was no one.
Only rain.
Only darkness.
Ha-eun stood there, trembling.
Not attacking.
Not monstrous.
She was crying.
Tears mixed with rain as her voice broke.
"Why?! Why does everyone get scared?!" she cried. "I'm just asking! I just want to go home!"
Her voice cracked in a way that sounded painfully human.
Doyeon looked at her properly for the first time.
Not at the blood.
Not at the dirt.
At her face.
She was young.
Terrified.
Alone.
There was no grotesque distortion.
No horror-movie grin.
Just someone who had been left behind.
And for a split second—
His fear wavered.
And a bright light was cast on both of them.
He looked, it was a truck running toward them.