Chapter 53

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 53

Chapter Title: Sell It

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Darkness blanketed the bedroom.

Councilman Kim Hyun-soo emerged from the bathroom and stood before the mirror. His hair, still damp from the shower, clung limply to his forehead.

With trembling hands, he swept back the wet strands.

"Haa..."

It was stark.

Wet, the deep M-shaped recession stood out even more prominently, and under the fluorescent light, his shiny bald scalp looked like a barren wasteland.

A heavyweight politician eyeing the presidency, the leader of the reformists, and the young blood of the political world. But before this mirror, he was just a man battling hair loss.

"Guaranteed results, huh..."

He opened the small box that CEO Seo Yi-hyun had left behind.

On luxurious velvet sat a hefty crystal vial. Its surface bore an impressive gold-embossed label: Genesis Noir.

But the moment he uncapped it, the smell wafting out was far from pleasant.

"Eugh."

A strange aroma, like herbal medicine mixed with earth.

Inside the vial swirled a sticky, pitch-black liquid. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like something that would rot his skin on contact.

"......"

Kim Hyun-soo had no choice.

He gingerly dipped his fingertip into the black liquid. Then, with shaking hands, he carefully spread it over his receding hairline and barren scalp.

"Ugh."

The instant it touched, his scalp began to burn fiercely.

Is... is this okay?

Anxiety surged. What if even the remaining hair fell out? What if Rabbitfoot was just a bunch of scammers?

But it was too late to wash it off now.

"I believe... in you... Rabbitfoot..."

Muttering like a prayer, he lay down on the bed. The burning sensation on his scalp refused to subside. He tossed and turned until dawn finally claimed him.

"Mm..."

Stung by the harsh morning sunlight, Kim Hyun-soo opened his eyes.

Reaching habitually for the clock on his nightstand, a sudden memory of the previous night hit him.

"My hair...!"

He reflexively ran his hand over his head.

But.

"Huh?"

The texture between his fingers felt unfamiliar.

Normally, his limp strands would slip powerlessly through without resistance.

But now, they met firm, resilient opposition at his fingertips. A dense thickness, like pushing through a thickly grown forest.

His heart pounded wildly.

Kim Hyun-soo bolted upright and dashed to the bathroom.

Standing before the mirror, he could scarcely believe his eyes.

"......"

It was gone.

The pale scalp that had gleamed yesterday was nowhere to be seen.

His crown was now covered in a thick blanket of coarse black hair, and the deep M-shaped recession on his forehead was filled perfectly with short, sturdy sprouts like fresh grass.

"Is this... me?"

He pressed his nose almost to the glass, rubbing his hairline.

Shh shh.

No black dye came off. It wasn't hair dye.

He tugged gently.

Ouch.

It hurt. Not a wig either.

"Hah, hahaha..."

A shiver ran through him.

No more desperate styling to hide it. Wind? No fear. Rain? No more looking pathetic.

His eyes reddened.

This was a miracle.

"Rabbitfoot..."

The name echoed sacredly in his mouth.

The light of my life, the flame of my soul. My savior.

Kim Hyun-soo swept back his lush new hair in the mirror, murmuring in a voice thick with emotion.

"The bill passing? Ha!"

What did that matter?

"I'll stake everything I have... no matter what...!"

That morning, Councilman Kim Hyun-soo was reborn.

In front of the National Assembly building.

Reporters staked out the entrance on their way to work, eager to cover Kim Hyun-soo, the hottest figure amid the recent White Tiger scandal.

"Here he comes!"

A black sedan pulled up, and the door opened.

A strong gust blew just then, fierce enough to flap neckties.

Normally, Kim Hyun-soo would have scrambled back into the car or frantically pressed down his hair.

But today, he was different.

Clack.

He stepped out confidently, shoes clicking on the pavement. He deliberately stopped right in the midst of the clustered reporters.

Whoooosh—!

The wind whipped mercilessly through his hair.

Yet he didn't flinch. He even tilted his head back, as if savoring the breeze. His thick black mane fluttered majestically, like a lion charging across the plains.

"......?"

The reporters ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠froze mid-shutter. Something was different. Same man as yesterday, but the aura had completely changed.

He looked younger, exuding overwhelming confidence from every pore.

"Councilman Kim! Regarding the Awakener Management Agency bill..."

"It will pass. Without fail."

Kim Hyun-soo cut off the question with ironclad certainty. His eyes blazed with conviction.

"We will excise the corrupt system and create a world where innovative companies like Rabbitfoot Company can spread their wings freely. That is my mission."

There was no hesitation in his voice. His charisma silenced the crowd like honey-mouthed mutes.

Kim Hyun-soo's remarks sparked buzz as always, but the real uproar flipped the community.

Once the spark ignited, the fire spread uncontrollably. What started as speculation fueled desperate hopes, solidifying into accepted fact.

Suspicion turned to conviction, conviction to mania.

Rabbitfoot Company's customer service and website were paralyzed by inquiries about hair loss potion sales.

"Chun-sik, lights out."

Click.

The switch flipped, plunging the vast workshop into pitch-black darkness.

Only a thin beam from the mana reactor-powered artificial light pierced the gloom atop the workbench.

"Whew..."

I sat before the workbench, catching my breath.

There lay the S-rank material Yi-seol had sent: the Divine Beast's Tear. The liquid inside shimmered iridescently, alive even in the dark.

The tear held immense mana on its own. Using it raw wouldn't do.

What I needed was a pure crystal.

I dropped the Divine Beast's Tear onto the shallow dish, recalling knowledge from the gallery.

Optical Purification.

I positioned a lens carved from high-purity Moonlight Stone over the dish.

Light pierced the tear.

Tzzzz—

A faint ringing accompanied the liquid's surface reacting violently where the light hit.

"......"

Deprived of sight in the darkness, my tactile senses sharpened. Faint vibrations from impurities scattering in the liquid traveled up my fingers.

I twisted the hand holding the lens, bit by bit.

Like carving a raw gem with light.

Sizzle.

Wherever the light touched, black smoke oozed from the liquid.

A little deeper. A little sharper.

Like sculpting. With the blade of light, I excised the unnecessary dregs within the tear.

Pop. Pop.

Tiny sparks burst as impurities burned away, flashing in the dark workshop. Cold sweat trickled into my eyes, but I had no time to wipe it.

"Phew."

How much time passed?

The sizzling faded, and the liquid began hardening into solid form.

Ting—

With a clear chime as the last impurity ejected, only a lustrous blue gem remained on the workbench.

"Haa..."

I set down the lens, panting heavily. My body was soaked in sweat.

"Lights on."

Fwoosh.

The workshop lit up, revealing the result in sharp clarity.

A pure crystal, impurities perfectly purged.

"Nice."

As I admired its gleam, Chun-sik, who'd been watching, flashed a thumbs-up.

He was wearing sunglasses from who-knows-where.

"And what's that?"

"Eyes hurt."

"Mine?"

"......"

He slyly turned away. Always looking out for himself.

Anyway, just the finishing touches left.

I placed the crystal in a mortar and ground it fine. Scrape scrape, yielding a clear blue powder.

I dumped the powder into a black solution—the base I'd prepared for the hair loss potion.

Same principle anyway.

Advanced Recovery Potion to restore lost tissue and heal magical damage. Hair loss potion to revive dead follicles.

Both maximally activated life force. Different levels, same essence.

Swirl—

Stirring slowly while tuning mana, the murky black cleared, revealing a mystical purple glow.

The completed potion emanated an eerie aura under the lights.

"Done."

Advanced Recovery Potion. Complete.

Now just hand it over to Yuna, and we're good.