The Second Elixir of Growth
"Finally bought it...!!"
Dagyeom took the Elixir of Growth he had purchased out of his inventory.
Maybe it was because he had bought it with points he had painstakingly saved up a little at a time, but even though it was the same elixir, it felt far more precious than when he had received it as a reward.
After drinking it, he measured his body again and recorded the numbers on his phone.
Height: 172.4 cm -> 173.8 cm
Wingspan: 169 cm -> 171 cm
Leg length (inseam): 77 cm -> 78 cm
"It really lives up to its reputation."
The elixir's effects had worked perfectly once again.
What was a little strange was that, compared with his arms and legs, which had grown by about the same amount as before, the overall increase in height was larger this time.
Dagyeom realized it was because his hunched back, rounded by exercise, had straightened out, and he nodded to himself.
"Posture really does matter... Anyway, does this mean I've finally reached the average height for a man in his twenties?"
It felt strangely moving. 171 cm and 173 cm didn't look like much of a difference on paper, but Dagyeom could feel a huge change in his body.
Just seeing his reflection in a shop window as he walked down the street made him notice how different his proportions had become.
At the same weight, his frame had grown, making his body look sharper and much more appealing.
And that wasn't all.
"My face has definitely changed too."
He had only just noticed it, but it seemed the elixir's effects were influencing the bones of his face as well.
The T-zone really is more defined now. My jaw seems a little more developed too.
Before, Dagyeom's face had been flat and dull, with a noticeably recessed chin that gave him a vacant, washed-out look.
Now, after his second dose of the elixir, the brow ridge and the bridge of his nose had begun to protrude just a little, giving his eyes more depth, and even his jawline had started to take shape.
It wasn't the kind of dramatic change you got from surgery.
For now, it was more like the featureless face that had once made him look so weak had gained a little depth, and with it, a faint trace of masculinity.
Still, that alone was enough to satisfy him.
So the elixir really is the best.
He never would have guessed that the skeletal growth said to move in the user's ideal direction would also apply to the face.
Once again, Dagyeom was deeply impressed by the elixir's overpowered effect.
If that was the case, it was practically the same as getting expensive cosmetic surgery, complete with all its side effects, for free, wasn't it?
Now that I can earn 10 MP a day, even if I buy another bottle of Sacred Tree Sap in the middle, I should be able to afford one more in two months.
He was already looking forward to seeing just how much more his appearance would change by then.
"You know, I think you've gotten kind of handsome lately?"
"Pardon?"
After the restaurant's peak hour had ended, Dagyeom was resting on a chair set up behind the storage room when Jeongbae suddenly said that out of nowhere.
"Did losing weight from working out do that? And come to think of it, I think you're taller too..."
Jeongbae stared at him as though he were looking at something astonishing, openly puzzled by how different he seemed from the untrustworthy impression he'd once given off.
Unlike the changes that came from customization, changes brought about by items from the market were visible to other people, too.
It was only natural that those around him would notice Dagyeom's changing appearance after his steady workouts and elixir doses.
"I can't let this slide. I have to give you a present."
"What kind of present all of a sudden?"
"Don't ask questions and just take out your wallet."
"...?"
Though he remained suspicious, Dagyeom took his wallet out of his pocket.
"Take this, kid."
Without any explanation, Jeongbae dropped something into his hand.
"What the hell is this...?"
When Dagyeom opened his hand to check, he found a cheap condom wrapped in silver foil.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"Put it in your wallet. Money'll come in."
"That's just superstition. I don't need it."
"Hey now. If I tell you to take it, you take it, got it?"
Jeongbae forcibly stuffed the condom into his wallet, then gave him a wink.
Dagyeom was at a complete loss, but he let it slide and took the wallet back before heading to the kitchen with him.
Inside, Seohee was taking advantage of a free moment to check the kitchen inventory.
"What are you two talking about that you're laughing so much?"
"Just a little man-to-man talk."
"Oh, is that so? Fine, then go to the storage room and bring me one tub of the soaked glass noodles."
"I'll get it."
Dagyeom quickly went to the storage room and brought back the soaked glass noodles in a plastic tub.
"Should I put it here?"
"Yep, thanks."
After thanking him, Seohee suddenly stopped what she was doing and stared at him.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Be honest. You're secretly going to a dermatologist, aren't you?"
He had heard the same question before, but Dagyeom shook his head again.
"No, that's not it, but..."
He wasn't going to a hospital, let alone a dermatologist. He wasn't even using something as common as skin lotion.
The reason his skin had improved was entirely thanks to the Sacred Tree Sap.
His acne was already completely gone, and even the hideous scars that had once pockmarked his face had filled in with new flesh so well that no one would notice unless they looked closely.
"I was going to ask which clinic you were going to if you were seeing a dermatologist..."
Seohee's gaze on Dagyeom's face was full of envy.
Not that long ago, his skin had been in terrible shape with acne and scars, but lately it looked better than even hers did.
"You're really not?"
"I'm telling you, I'm not. Where would I even get the money to go to a dermatologist?"
As Dagyeom chatted with Seohee, he glanced sidelong at Hyojeong, who was trimming vegetables in a corner of the kitchen.
Something had suddenly occurred to him, so he pulled up her status window.
SLOT 2
Hyojeong's favorability has gone up too.
Nothing special had happened recently, and yet it had climbed by four points.
However he looked at it, the only explanation for the sudden rise in favorability was his own outward changes.
Even if she hadn't said it outright, Hyojeong had been noticing the change in him, too.
In the end, looks really are the whole argument.
Human beings really were slaves to visual stimulation.
It was a bitterly sweet reality.
Anyway, just as Dagyeom was feeling encouraged by the fact that the people around him were beginning to look at him more positively, another unusual event came along.
"Want me to set you up with a girl?"
While they were doing their usual morning workout, Seungho suddenly made a completely unexpected offer.
Dagyeom thought he'd misheard at first and stared blankly at him.
"A blind date?"
"Yeah. Someone I know asked me first, but I told her I was busy, so I said no. Then she asked if I knew anyone else around me..."
He could have just turned her down, but Seungho had remembered that Dagyeom didn't have a girlfriend, and the quiet, diligent way he'd carried himself up until now had made enough of an impression that he decided to bring it up.
But Dagyeom himself was only bewildered.
To think that, until not so long ago, he had seemed destined to have no connection with women for the rest of his life except for his stepmother—and now this chance had fallen into his lap...
"What do you think?"
"Uh... I'd be grateful."
Dagyeom didn't intend to kick away a chance that had rolled right into his hands, but he didn't set his expectations high, either.
Even if his looks had improved thanks to the customization system, he knew all too well that he still wasn't particularly handsome.
Of course, looks weren't everything in a relationship, but he also couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't have much else going for him, so he decided to approach it with as much humility as he could.
I'll just think of it as getting some experience.
Hyojeong flashed through his mind for a moment, but that side of things wasn't a problem. They were not even at the stage where you could call it dating, let alone anything like a real thing.
"All right, then I'll give you her number later. Try contacting her."
That was the end of the blind date story, and Dagyeom and Seungho returned to focusing on their workout.
Today was back day, and after finishing deadlifts, the two of them moved on to pull-ups.
"Come on, keep going, keep going!"
"Hrrng!"
Dagyeom still couldn't pull himself up all the way on his own, so Seungho held his legs to help him.
"Eighteen... nineteen... all right, one last one!"
"Grrraah!"
Dagyeom squeezed out every last bit of strength he had and barely managed to complete twenty reps before dropping down.
Gasping for breath and waiting for Seungho to finish his set, he looked at the full-length mirror mounted on the gym wall.
Maybe the workout effects show up faster because I'm a beginner?
In truth, it was mostly because the skeleton he'd gained from the elixir had widened his frame and increased his height.
His shoulders had gotten broader too, and while 2 cm of height didn't sound like much, it was a different story if the whole gain was concentrated in his leg length.
Maybe I'll end up with a model-like body someday? No, models are too skinny. I need to build muscle.
As Dagyeom let his imagination run wild while looking at his body getting prettier by the day, Seungho called him in an urgent voice.
"Hey, Dagyeom! Stop staring at the mirror and come hold my legs, will you?!"
"Ah, sorry..."
"That's her number."
On his way out of the gym after finishing his workout, Dagyeom received the blind date contact from Seungho.
Her name was Bang Yewon. From the messenger profile picture, she was quite beautiful.
Dagyeom felt a little intimidated by how pretty she was, but he still sent her a message that evening.
Even from those few messages alone, he could tell how lively her personality was.
Dagyeom felt his mouth going dry for some reason, but he carefully kept the conversation going.
After some light conversation, they realized they were the same age and decided to speak more casually.
Once Yewon learned that he was a friend, she became even more cheerful and familiar.
Isn't this pretty normal for me?
At Yewon's teasing, Dagyeom looked back up at the messages he'd sent so far.
"...Oh. I think I see what you mean."
His sentences were all honest, complete lines, with not a single emoticon or abbreviation in sight and every line neatly finished with a period.
Compared with Yewon's lively way of speaking, they really did look rigid and stiff. Anyone looking at them would have thought he wasn't on a blind date with someone his own age, but showing up for an arranged marriage meeting instead.
It was an unavoidable limitation of someone who had never exchanged private messages with a woman his own age before.
For a while, that kind of trivial banter went back and forth, until Yewon was the first to bring up meeting in person.
It happened to be almost the weekend, but inconveniently, they both worked on Saturdays, so they set up a lunch date for Sunday.
After reading her last message, Dagyeom gave a small snort of laughter and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He had a real blind date set up.
That made him a little excited, but it also made him worry about making a fool of himself when they met.
For now, I should start by looking for a restaurant we could go to together.