Chapter 47 : This world truck that does not stop (3)

– I went on a midnight drive with my lover against the backdrop of a rainbow formed by a waterfall!

[ Lover? Lover? Lover? Lover? ]

[ LOL. I told you to write a review, not brag, you bastard. ]

[ I’m so heartbroken. Thanks to you, I’m leaving a Pandralchu on the review. ]

*

– A game for those who want to go on a quiet trip alone.

[ I may be a loner, but I still want to travel alone. ]

[ I’m a loner in real life, should I be alone in the game too?! ]

[ Hey, he’s gonna cry, stop it LOL. ]

*

– It randomly popped up in the capsule store, and I wondered why. Turns out Jung WooSeok bookmarked it, so it showed up in my recommendations. Super recommend LOL

[ Me first! ]

[ Is this even content worthy of a broadcast? It’s just driving. ]

[ Can you seriously say you wouldn’t be thrilled watching a guy drive? ]

[ I’m happy just watching a guy sleep. ]

*

These were the top 3 reviews before I downloaded this game.

The ultimate healing game for those who want some quiet time alone.

It’s said to recreate various real-world locations, giving you the feeling of actually being there.

In multiplayer mode, you can hang out with friends or even enjoy a date with a guy.

They said since just truck driving wouldn’t sell, they forced in some other features, and unexpectedly, it’s become a popular game for dates.

Apparently, since guys don’t leave the house, or if they do, they’re too lazy to move, the girls drive, and the guys ride in the back.

I don’t understand how it’s a date if they’re not even in the same place, but whatever makes them happy.

Anyway, this game isn’t tagged as horror.

It’s totally unrelated to thriller or action or anything like that.

*

“Okay, ladies, coordinates incoming~! Are you ready to copy them down?”

What the hell is that?

The sound is faint since I swerved and floored it as soon as I saw her, but I can hear her shouting into the void.

How did she even barge into single-player mode?

She greeted me so naturally and shyly that I nodded and acknowledged her without thinking.

It’s only been a week.

If common sense can be overturned in just a week to the point that it unconsciously reveals itself, is that a beast or a human?

I don’t know why the viewers are spamming the chat about open world.

And who would have known that little girl was after me, to the point of leaving the truck she rode in the middle of the desert?

The moment her small lips parted slightly and she said she found me, I got goosebumps all over.

It was so bad that the doll hanging in my car flew off from me jerking the wheel.

It was a doll I liked.

The female doll with a cowboy hat reminded me of a certain redhead from Toy Stㅇry, so I felt attached to it.

I was so scared of the current reality that I tried to fill my head with thoughts of the doll.

My hands on the wheel were trembling.

I shouldn’t have started the broadcast.

I should have just quietly driven by myself.

Regret stories are cathartic because of the emotions the characters experience, but I never wanted to be the protagonist.

As I started driving off-road, the car started shaking constantly.

Sand grains pelted the windows, and since it wasn’t a proper road, unmaintained, slightly… well, pretty big cacti started hitting the vehicle haphazardly.

The cheerful yet calming country music was now replaced by static, as if it couldn’t find a frequency.

A feast of white noise filled the truck.

You know how horror movies always have those clichés when the protagonist gets in a car?

1. The car won’t start.

2. There’s someone in the back or the trunk.

3. Someone frantically bangs on the car.

4. The radio or phone rings with a death threat.

Shit.

This was my situation in real-time.

Me, of all people, becoming the scared lamb in a horror movie.

Number 3 is flashing brightly.

“Why are there so many damn cacti!”

The viewers watching me run away must be loving this.

Yena’s even spamming popcorn emoticons in the manager chat.

Followed by Yuna’s 200 clones spamming popcorn exploding and a frog with sunglasses screaming emoticons.

Why does Yuna like frogs so much?

*

[ Don’t worry. ]

– The game’s single-player, but the world is open to everyone LOL. In multiplayer, all you do is drive two trucks LOL.

– Who told you to buy it before trying it out? LOL

– It’s one server! Why don’t you get it, LOL.

– I don’t know why the price is so high, is this some kind of silent protest, begging me to buy it?!

– Jung WooSeok, is he male?! Jung WooSeok, is he male?!

*

Gaia’s chat message made me realize that less than an hour had passed since I vowed to remain silent.

Once when I screamed at the girl, and just now when I was annoyed.

If we’re doing a regret story, they should be the ones regretting it, not me!

*

[ Because you have a reliable ally in the back seat! ]

What nonsense is that?

Since the viewpoint is fixed to my eyes, they can’t see anything I don’t see.

And this is single-player mode!

“Jjwin-nim!!!”

So that’s why number 2 was triggered.

*

*Slice. Slice. Slice.*

*Slice. Slice. Slice.*

I can’t see anything, but I keep hearing something being cut from behind the driver’s seat.

I can’t take my hands off the steering wheel, too afraid to turn around.

Or rather, I can’t turn it because my hands are too sweaty.

My back is drenched in cold sweat.

*Crack. Slice. Slice.*

*Slice. Crack. Slice.*

A stream of water flows from my right eye.

I’m really terrified of horror.

This damn game even changes the weather according to the current time, and now it’s pitch black outside.

The temperature has plummeted, and here I am, driving a truck alone on an unpaved road.

The slicing sound from behind changed to cracking and started coming from all directions.

I can even hear nails scratching on the car door.

But the most terrifying sound is the one that comes in fragments every time something is cut.

“Master’s!”

*Slice.*

“Path!”

*Slice.*

“Yulia will!”

*Crack.*

“Clear it!”

Every time she swings her sword, the cacti and rocks blocking the car disappear.

Except, it’s not just one spot, it’s happening all around my car in real-time.

And then, number 4 begins.

{ *Static–. Static–.* }

{ *Ah-. Ah-.* }

My radio, which used to make me smile with country music, is gone.

All that’s left is the sound of someone I don’t know sending something on my frequency.

Bye-bye, my lovely radio…

{ *You are surrounded! Turn off the engine immediately and…* }

I turned the speaker down as much as possible, tuning it out.

I swerved the car left and right, trying to shake off Yulia.

You see those scenes in movies where the car makes a sharp turn, and the bad guy goes flying?

Well, guess what. Yulia must be a hero.

She was stealthy to the point that I couldn’t sense her presence, and no matter how hard I try, she won’t budge.

Not even when I slam on the brakes, deliberately drive near huge trees, or jerk the steering wheel wildly.

“Hahaha! Master! You’re making me laugh on our first day! Yulia, I am! I’ve already mastered this level of amusement park ride!”

“So this is a baobab tree! I was curious after reading about it in . As expected of my master! You are testing my lacking knowledge! I will strive to improve!”

“Still, I’m so happy to be riding in a truck with you at night, Master. As your escort, is it okay for me to be this happy?”

Who would dare stop her?

It seems like everything I do becomes a positive for her.

She doesn’t even understand what I’m saying.

The tall woman, bathed in moonlight, is lost in a daydream with a bright smile on her face.

– Maybe this was a viewer participation event all along.

– She wasn’t trying to get rid of viewers, she was giving them a chance.

– You’re a genius!

– Wow! You know Sans!

– Woo! Fun!!

*

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

*

Now that it’s night, fireworks periodically light up the sky.

Large spheres grow and explode, and the scattering sparks would have been beautiful.

If this really was fireworks being enjoyed alone from a place far from a festival.

But this is a desert.

People keep getting it wrong, this is just the middle of a desert, with no water, no villages.

It’s even night, the temperature has dropped below freezing, and normally, it should be pitch black with no streetlights and no sound!

Then why is it so bright around me?

“There will be a temporary checkpoint. Please park your car on the side of the road and show your ID. You also need to step out and show your face for identification.”

I swear I’ll eat my hat if twenty trucks, not even police cars, are setting up a checkpoint on an unpaved road, in a location not even on the map.

They have these expectant looks on their faces, like they really think I’m going to get out.

Do men in this world really fall for this kind of thing?

[ Well, they don’t go outside, so they lack common sense. ]

I easily ignore them and pass by.

They even parked nicely, so it’s easy to get through.

“Master, they keep shooting flares, should I take care of them?”

Don’t say “take care of” so cheerfully.

And when did you get back in my car?

“…”

Ignore.

Don’t forget!

*

They say heaven helps those who try.

So is that why heaven finally lent a hand?

To them, not to me.

Horror movie cliché, the grand finale, number 1.

“The engine died.”