Pressing the Start Game button for Ocean Butterfly seemed no different from her usual streams at first.
Even when a rarity for a "healing game" appeared—a difficulty selection screen—there were no red flags yet.
[ Please select your game difficulty. ]
"I'm brave, so I'll go Hero!"
Ha-eun, streaming as Diah, selected the hardest difficulty without hesitation.
She was confident in her gaming skills.
Besides, picking an easier difficulty felt like admitting defeat before even starting.
"What could be so challenging about a healing game?"
Brushing aside her chat's teasing concerns, Ha-eun proceeded to the game’s tutorial.
So far, everything seemed perfectly normal.
Unlike Battle Island, an FPS battle royale game with no storyline, Ocean Butterfly leaned heavily on its narrative.
"Saving Strawberry Squad is Daddy’s mission!"
“‘Saving Strawberry Squad is Daddy’s mission!’ Aw, this kid is adorable.”
As a VTuber, Diah mimicked the character's lines in her own voice, adding a unique charm to her stream.
This was a hallmark of VTuber streaming—infusing gameplay with the personality and voice of the streamer.
Viewers found it far more engaging than a silent, unvoiced playthrough.
"A brave and heroic soldier like Daddy can definitely do it! Now, go on!"
“A brave and heroic soldier like Daddy can definitely do it! Now, go on!”
Diah’s voice, soft and youthful, fit perfectly with the lines of the in-game daughter, who appeared to be around six years old.
Guided by tutorial messages, she steadily progressed through the game.
Even the signature wire mechanic, which allowed players to navigate obstacles, quickly became second nature to her.
“This is my first time, I swear!”
Confident in her wire skills, she soon reached the goal of the tutorial: rescuing Strawberry Squad from a strawberry tree and placing them in a basket.
Everything felt peaceful.
When the in-game daughter cheerfully shared strawberries with her father, Diah’s viewers relaxed into the soothing atmosphere.
"Yum yum! Sweet and sour Strawberry Squad. So tasty!"
“‘Yum yum! Sweet and sour Strawberry Squad. So tasty!’”
The tranquil vibe of a classic healing game left Ha-eun feeling genuinely soothed.
“I see why people love these kinds of games.”
But then, things changed.
While playing hide-and-seek with his daughter, the protagonist stepped outside.
"Are you hiding yet?"
"Yeah! But Daddy, there’s something weird in the closet."
The calming background music abruptly stopped.
"Yeah. It says, ‘Butterflies don’t cross the ocean.’ What does that mean?"
A line of bold text appeared on the screen:
"Butterflies don’t cross the ocean."
At the same time, the house where the daughter was hiding—
The screen erupted into flames as the house was obliterated.
The protagonist was flung far away, unconscious from the blast.
“W-what… what just happened?”
Diah’s avatar froze in shock, her mouse cursor hovering still on the screen.
The game, however, didn’t pause.
The title screen reappeared—now drenched in blood-red hues.
What followed was a grim new sequence.
"No… if you kill, you’ll be killed."
The protagonist, transformed into a vengeful figure, massacred an entire mafia organization.
There wasn’t a trace left of the kind father who once played hide-and-seek with his daughter.
“This… this was supposed to be a healing game! What the hell is this?!”
As the protagonist's rampage continued, Ha-eun debated whether to quit the game entirely.
But stopping now would mean the ultimate streamer disgrace—rage-quitting a game under the guise of “healing.”
Resigned, she pressed on.
Eventually, the wire mechanic, once used for simple traversal, evolved into a deadly weapon.
"Your skills haven’t dulled, Major. Now I know who wiped out Deadbear."
The game’s first boss fell to Diah’s expert wire control.
But for Ha-eun, the emotional toll was immense.
Performing as Diah often amplified Ha-eun’s emotions far beyond her usual level of intensity.
While this worked perfectly for cheerful games, it left her vulnerable in darker, more emotional games one.
"Look, Daddy! The flowers are blooming!"
“Why… why is she still here? Even if it’s just a memory…”
Caught in the whirlwind of emotions delivered by the game, Diah found herself increasingly drawn into the story.
When the protagonist met a peculiar girl who seemed the same age as Ha-eun, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant was about to happen.
Her chat became louder and more chaotic, anticipating the next twist.
But Ha-eun had no idea how deeply she would become entangled in the girl’s fate.
Nor could she foresee how the emotional aftermath of Should We Fall Together? would intertwine with this journey.