I decided to apply the hair-loss treatmentto both sides of my receded hairline,which had noticeably retreated over the past few years.
However, when I reread the manufacturing instructions I had just decrypted,one particular warning caught my eye.
[If an effective hair-growth agent comes into contact with skin,it may cause unwanted hair growth. Use with caution.]
The fact that such a warning was explicitly includedsuggested just how powerful the cream's hair-growth effect truly was.
"…If I apply this to normal skin instead of the scalp,would hair really grow there as well?"
Just to be safe,I put on gloves and carefully picked up a small brush,dipping its tip into the black, cream-like hair-loss treatment.
Then, little by little, with great care,I applied it precisely to the sparse areason both sides of my frontal hairline.
Ten minutes later,I thoroughly washed it off.
***
Early the next morning,I woke up rubbing my sleepy eyes.
With the company expanding at a breakneck pace,I had been spending nearly every waking hour working,sleeping only when absolutely necessary.
I stood in front of the sink and began washing my face.
But something felt… different.
"Ah—right.I applied the hair-loss treatment to my hairline yesterday."
The areas on both sides of my hairlinewhere I had applied the black cream—
short hairs had sprouted densely there.
"W-What is this…?Don't tell me this happened just from yesterday's application…?"
I touched the newly grown hairs.
They were coarse, resilient—undeniably real hair.
Staring blankly at my reflection in the mirror,I muttered,
"This is… way beyond what I imagined…"
***
At the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport,a man in his forties—clearly American—walked briskly while pulling a massive suitcase.
"Ohhh, so this is Korea!It's my first time here in person."
Thinking about it,he had traveled to Shanghai and Tokyo for business before,but Seoul was a first.
"Once I visit Taipei, I'll have conquered all of East Asia—haha.Wait, no… Pyongyang is still left?Hmm… that one might be a bit dangerous…"
Muttering to himself,Howard, Head of Overseas Product Planningat U.S. retail giant Target,headed toward the taxi stand with his suitcase.
Although there was still plenty of timebefore his scheduled meeting with Hyun Si-woo, CEO of Luktic,Howard had deliberately arrived in Korea a few days early.
He wanted to personally visit storesand observe how Luktic's products were being received,and since he had traveled all the way to Seoul on the other side of the globe,he also wanted to enjoy a bit of sightseeing.
Howard had explained to his superiorthat his five-day stay in Korea included preliminary market research,but his boss had instantly seen through the excuse—realizing Howard intended to spend part of the trip sightseeing.
After various justifications—including claims that Luktic's factory was located in a rural area—Howard ultimately received company expense coveragefor only four days of lodging and meals.
After getting into a taxi,Howard showed the driver the hotel location on his smartphoneand said in Korean—phrases he had memorized in advance,
"Please take me here~"
"Haha, sir, your Korean is very good~You are Korean very well~"
"Hahaha, thank you~Gamsahamnida."
Having shared his first-ever Korean conversation(?) with the taxi driver,Howard gazed out at the sweeping view of Incheon Bridgepassing by outside the window.
What an impressive bridge.I'm really looking forward to meeting Luktic's young CEO.
***
The hair-loss treatment manufacturedusing the Akashic Records' decrypted method.
Through testing it on myself first,I confirmed that it was more than capableof treating mild M-shaped hair loss.
However,how effective would it befor severe cases like alopecia areata,where people often had no choice but to wear wigs?
That was still an unknown.
So I decided to visit a middle-aged man in my neighborhoodwhom I knew well.
Since entering middle age,he had been suffering greatly from alopecia areata,causing him deep emotional distress.
"Oh my, Si-woo!What brings you to my place? Haha.President Hyun Si-woo must be very busy these days~"
"Hello, sir.Actually, Luktic has recently developed a new product—a hair-loss treatment…"
"…Huh?A hair-loss treatment?"
His eyes widened instantly.
I lifted my bangs and said,
"Sir, see these small hairs growing along my hairline?I've actually experienced mild M-shaped hair loss over the past few yearsdue to stress.But after applying the hair-loss treatment Luktic is developing just once yesterday,new hairs grew in this densely."
The man walked over as if possessedand closely examined the newly grown hairsalong both sides of my forehead.
After touching them several times,his mouth fell open.
"W-What…?Is this really true…?!You're saying you just applied the medicineand hair grew like this?Then… could you maybe apply a little to me too, Si-woo…?I know it's still in development, so it might be difficult…"
"Actually, that's why I brought this today."
I took out a flask containing the black cream and said,
"Would you like to try it?"
"Of course!I've heard nonstop rumors about how effective Luktic's products are.I'll trust you and give it a try!"
Carefully,I applied the hair-loss treatment with a brushto the sparse areas of his scalp.
Ten minutes later,I washed his hair clean.
"All right.You should start seeing results by tomorrow morning."
"Wow… really?I hope it works.I'll try to get my hopes up.Thank you so much, Si-woo."
After that,I returned to the office, finished my work, and went home.
Early the next morning—
I heard an excited voice outside my front door.
"Si-woo!This is incredible!How on earth did you make a medicine like this?!"
Rubbing my sleepy eyes,I opened the door.
The man stood there in running clothes,his face overflowing with joy.
"Look, Si-woo!Can you see it?!My hair is really growing!It's actually growing!"
From his previously bare scalp,countless tiny hairs were sprouting densely.
At first glance, they looked like soft fuzz,but they were unmistakablyblack, coarse hairs.
"This is unbelievable!How could something like this happen?!I've suffered for over ten years,and now my hair is coming back overnight…!I'll never forget this kindness, Si-woo.I don't even know how to repay you.Thank you… thank you so much…!"
"Haha…I'm glad our technology could help you."
Unable to contain his excitement,the man clasped his hands together and shouted loudly,
"Long live Luktic!!Long live our village's pride,President Hyun Si-woo!!"
"Hahaha…"
*
I visited CTO Kang Joo-taeand handed him a bottle containing the black cream.
"Director Kang,I believe I've developed a new product."
"What?You must have been incredibly busy just expanding Luktic,and you were conducting research on top of that…?The more I see, the more astonishing you are, CEO."
He stared intently at the bottle in my hand,then asked with interest,
"But what exactly is this substance…?At a glance, it looks like a viscous… cream."
"It seems to be highly effectivein treating hair loss."
"Hair loss…?!May I ask how its medicinal effect works?"
Director Kang asked again, disbelief written across his face.
"You mean…simply applying it to the scalp causes hair to grow…?"
"Yes.I've tested it personally."
I lifted my bangs to show him the short hairs growing along my hairline,then showed him photos of the neighborhood man's scalp,where new hairs were sprouting densely from previously empty areas.
"Y-You're saying this really happens just by applying the medicine…?!Then does this drug regeneratehair follicles and follicular cellsthat were already lost…?!"
Director Kang looked utterly shocked.
That reaction was only natural.
Current hair-loss treatments could, at best,slow further hair loss with oral or topical medication,or transplant hair from the back of the neckto visibly bald areas.
Regenerating completely lost hair follicles and follicular cells—causing large amounts of new hair to grow—was nearly impossible with modern human science.
"Yes.That seems to be exactly what it does.You could practically say this drug cures hair loss."
"This is unbelievable…CEO Hyun, you've achieved something truly monumental.If this is real…this is the kind of new drugthat pharmaceutical companies around the worldhave dreamed of for centuries…This is extraordinary.How did you create such an incredible substance…?"
"Haha…I suppose I was just lucky."
"Luck?Results on this level cannot be explained by luck alone.Just like the skin regeneration agent and Elixir before it,you've accomplished what global pharmaceutical giantsfailed to achieve even after spending hundreds of trillions of won.It's simply unbelievable…"
After a moment of silent admiration,Director Kang spoke firmly.
"We should apply for approval with the MFDS immediately.If this becomes a product,Luktic will instantly riseto become a world-class pharmaceutical giant."
"There's also a chanceit could be recognized as a modified new drug,since it's based on the existing skin regeneration agent."
"Is that so?Then we should definitely examine whether modified new drug recognition is possible.If approval is granted,this hair-loss treatment will sweep the world…!"
***
After CEO Hyun Si-woo left,Director Kang Joo-tae murmured to himself,his expression a mix of emptiness and awe.
"Incredible…To achieve such feats in one's twenties…Is it possible that a geniuswho appears only once every few centurieshas truly been born in this land…?"
No matter how gifted he had been considered,no matter how long he devoted his life to research,he had never reached the heightsthat Hyun Si-woo was stepping through one after anotherbefore even turning thirty.
The technologies Hyun Si-woo had developed so far—the skin regeneration agent, the Elixir,and now this hair-loss treatment—
any single one of themwould have been enoughto earn recognition as one of the world's greatest researchers.
Yet Hyun Si-woo had created all of themat such a young age.
There was no other way to describe itbut as the work of a genius of the century.
Director Kang let out a hollow laugh and muttered,
"Perhaps heaven hasn't abandoned this country after all.It seems the world's greatest pharmaceutical companyis about to be born right here."