Min Seo-ah returned home.
The tension and fear that had gripped her entire body while she was outside still lingered, making her fingertips and toes tremble faintly.
No matter how tightly she wrapped herself up, standing in front of other people was terrifying.
And this time, she had even revealed her face—the very source of all her despair—to someone else.
She had been prepared.
Prepared for the moment when those people, who introduced themselves as employees of a startup venture, would see her face and twist their expressions in every imaginable way.
Because that was how it had always been.
Shock, followed by overt rejection.
Or cheap sympathy.
Or perhaps a subtle, twisted sense of underdog catharsis—finding relief in watching a star who once soared to the heights of mass media crash down to the ground.
Those were the reactions she had seen countless times since the sulfuric acid attack.
But strangely enough, the man she met today had looked different.
Disgust and contempt?
No. That was clearly not it.
Cheap pity?
He had looked at her with concern, yes—but it wasn't the kind of cheap sympathy she was used to, the kind mixed with relief at one's own safety.
It was an expression she had never seen before.
One that didn't fit into any of the categories she had unconsciously built over years of facing others' reactions.
His gaze lingered in her mind.
Eyes that seemed to feel for her pain, yet at the same time promised—I will return you to who you were.
A face that seemed to say—I'm glad I can help you.
To be honest, from a rational standpoint, she still doubted whether she should believe his words.
Doctors around the world—plastic surgeons and dermatologists alike—had all shaken their heads and declared her condition impossible to treat.
And now, a newly founded startup claimed they could heal her?
With nothing more than a few confident words and a single jar of cream?
And yet—
The man's eyes and expression kept whispering to her heart.
Believe me once.I will cure you.
She pulled out a small hand mirror she had buried deep inside a drawer.
All the large mirrors had been smashed long ago.
How long had it been since she last looked at herself properly?
At least several months—no, longer.
Even earlier today, before leaving the house, she had only glanced briefly to check whether her body was fully covered.
Staring at her reflection filling the mirror, Min Seo-ah spoke with trembling hands.
"W-Well… it can't get any worse than this anyway…"
Following her heart—
She decided to believe.
She opened the container of cream given to her by the startup called Luktic and gently spread it over her scarred skin.
Then she lay down to sleep.
Today, she had endured far too much mental strain.
***
Morning came.
Min Seo-ah opened her eyes.
Soft sunlight seeped through the blinds.
Not the dull, reddish light of late afternoon she was used to seeing—
But the clear, white light of morning.
How long had it been since she'd slept deeply and woken up in the morning?
Perhaps years.
Her body felt light. Refreshing.
A comfort she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt.
"…Could that cream really be working…?"
Her condition felt unusually good.
Still, no matter how miraculous it was supposed to be, something happening overnight felt impossible.
Is this the placebo effect everyone talks about?
She picked up her smartphone to check the time.
Then, out of habit, she raised it toward her face and pressed the power button.
Just before the screen turned on—
She saw something impossible reflected on the dark glass.
A silhouette.
Unfamiliar.
And yet—
Familiar.
Her entire body froze.
Even her breathing seemed to stop as silence filled the room.
After several seconds, she turned the screen off again and stared at the black surface.
The outline was still there.
Her hands trembled violently.
She leapt up and ran to the drawer.
She tripped once getting out of bed.
Then stumbled again on the way, crashing noisily—
But she kept going.
She pulled out the hand mirror hidden deep inside the drawer and faced her reflection.
There—
Was a face both unfamiliar and achingly familiar.
The face she had before that incident.
An image she could never have believed she would see again.
A tear dropped onto the mirror.
"…H-Hic…"
She began to cry.
Please—
Let this not be a dream.
Let it be real.
With that desperate prayer, Min Seo-ah whispered through her tears.
"Th-thank you… thank you so much…From now on… I'll live properly…I'll be grateful… for everything… always…I swear…"
She made a vow.
To never forget that the things she once thought were obvious had never been guaranteed.
To remember that there are people in the shadows of this world, groaning in pain—and to dedicate herself to them.
She believed this was the best choice she could make.
The best path for someone who had been born with the qualities the world desired, and who had once enjoyed glory far beyond her due.
Tears streamed down her beautiful profile.
The endless night was finally coming to an end.
In the darkness that had filled her vision, dawn broke—revealing a horizon tinted blue with morning light.
Soon, the sun would rise.
A new day would begin.
Her dawn—
Was beginning.
***
The next day, we received a message from Min Seo-ah.
She said she wanted to visit our company in person.
I asked Dong-sik,
"Do you think she used the cream?"
Dong-sik nodded with a resolute expression.
"Yeah.I'm sure she did."
"That's a relief.You know… when fans talk about things, credibility tends to drop a bit.Objectivity and all…"
"Hey!I told you I'm not a fan!"
Leaving Dong-sik—still not honest with himself—I began preparing to welcome Min Seo-ah.
Our office, attached to the warehouse, was modest.
Aside from essential equipment, there was almost nothing there.
A few desks, two desktop computers, a printer, and a single sofa—that was all.
Dong-sik suddenly looked worried.
"Come to think of it… our office is pretty shabby.Is it really okay to invite her here?"
"Well, yeah, it is shabby.But after experiencing the effect of our skin cream, I doubt she'll judge our company based solely on appearances."
"…You're right.Someone like Min Seo-ah would understand."
I stared at him knowingly.
"See?Even from the perspective of a long-time fan."
"…Tch."
He couldn't deny it anymore.
And honestly—seeing him accept himself like that wasn't bad at all.
Just as we finished tidying up, someone knocked on the door.
At this hour, there was only one possible visitor.
Dong-sik, who was standing closer, walked over to open it.
But his expression was oddly stiff.
Was he nervous about seeing Min Seo-ah?
Or afraid of seeing any trace of her former pain?
Creeeak—
The door opened.
And the moment Dong-sik saw beyond it—
His face froze completely.
Like time itself had stopped.
Several seconds passed before he managed to speak.
"H-H-Hello, Ms. Min Seo-ah…"
Something was off.
Dong-sik wasn't usually this flustered.
Then a voice answered from beyond the door.
"Hello… You're Mr. Kim Dong-sik, right?Thank you… truly. Thank you so much."
Dong-sik's ears turned bright red.
Was he really that happy she remembered his name?
Tap. Tap.
The sound of heels echoed as Min Seo-ah stepped into the office.
And the moment I finally saw her clearly—
I understood why Dong-sik had frozen.
"Hello. You must be Mr. Hyun Si-woo—the one who contacted me…This… this really… really…"
Her voice trembled, unable to finish the sentence.
But I could only stare at her in shock.
I knew she had been beautiful before the incident.
Even without following celebrities or SNS, her images had crossed my path more than once.
But seeing Min Seo-ah in person—
It was overwhelming.
How could a human look like this?
Was she really the same species as us?
The image I'd seen yesterday was nowhere to be found.
Her face had completely returned to how it once was.
No—
It was even more beautiful.
As if she had stepped out of a painting or a comic.
Now I finally understood how she had risen like a comet to become the nation's top influencer.
Min Seo-ah bowed repeatedly, her voice shaking.
"Thank you… truly, thank you so much…You've given me a new life…"
Tears welled up again.
Dong-sik instantly rushed over with tissues—
Noticeably faster than usual.
After calming down, Min Seo-ah asked, genuinely curious.
"To be honest… I was shocked.Doctors around the world said it was impossible to heal my burns…So I imagined your company must be a huge pharmaceutical or biotech firm with massive funding…"
Her gaze wandered around the small office.
"…But when I came here, there was just a single warehouse…"
That was understandable.
I would have wondered the same.
"…How did you even develop something like this…?I don't mean that in a bad way—I'm just honestly curious."
Dong-sik spoke up.
"Ask him.Hyun Si-woo developed everything himself.Even I was shocked after experiencing the cream firsthand."
Min Seo-ah's eyes widened as she looked at me.
"A-Alone…?You developed it by yourself…?"
Before I could answer, Dong-sik continued.
"Yes.He researched and created it alone at home."
To be honest, I'd only followed the recipes decrypted from the Akashic Records.
Calling it research and development felt a little embarrassing.
But they didn't know that.
"…That's incredible…"
Min Seo-ah looked at me as if she were staring at a once-in-a-century genius.
"How could you do something like this on your own…?"
Unsure how to respond, I said the first thing that came to mind.
"My father is suffering from an incurable illness that modern medicine can't treat.That's why I devoted myself to research—To develop technology capable of curing diseases beyond the reach of current medicine."
It wasn't a lie.
If anything, it was close to the truth.
"I-I see… I'm sorry.I shouldn't have asked…"
"Not at all.I began researching for my father, but…If my technology can help others too, that brings me joy.That's why I contacted you.Ultimately, I want to use what I develop to benefit the world."
I managed to wrap it up somehow.
But—
The looks on Min Seo-ah's and Dong-sik's faces were… strange.
Min Seo-ah murmured softly, eyes shining.
"You really are… an amazing person, Mr. Hyun Si-woo.Using your abilities for the world…Turning the talent you were born with into something that benefits everyone…"
…That felt a bit much.
I hadn't said it for praise.
And Dong-sik's expression—
It was different too.
I've known this guy since we were kids… but today, I see him in a new light.
That's what his eyes seemed to say.
Why was everyone suddenly like this?
This was awkward.
I needed to steer the conversation back to business and marketing—fast.