Chapter 131. Do You Believe in Miracles?
Chapter 131. Do You Believe in Miracles?
I set down the dessert I'd been quietly eating.
For a long moment, I simply stared at the sea anemone dessert in front of me, silent.
This mysterious creature, shimmering with an otherworldly light—it was no mere delicacy.
"A revolution..."
"W-what do you mean by that...?"
A word that had suddenly surfaced in my mind.
Hair loss.
'A state in which hair was absent from areas of the body where it should normally exist...'
That tragic definition flashed through my thoughts.
A problem afflicting over forty percent of the global male population.
A worldwide conundrum with an annual market size approaching thirty trillion won.
One of the great unsolved mysteries of human civilization, a complete solution still undiscovered by anyone.
'The common cold, AIDS, dementia... and hair loss.'
Hair loss, unconquered by humankind.
And simply eating this would make your hair grow?
"You... do you have any idea how incredible this is?"
Serenia blinked at my question and tilted her head.
"It is true that it's a very rare dessert... but it does have the side effect of increasing body hair?"
"That's a feature! It makes your hair grow!"
"To be precise... it's not just the hair on your head, but also..."
"Ah, you can just shave all that!"
"...?"
I waved a hand in the air, launching into a fervent speech that bordered on a diplomatic briefing.
It was absolutely not because I, myself, was balding.
"This is what humanity has failed to create despite decades of research! People spend millions of won trying to stop their hair from falling out! They even get hair transplants! But if you eat this, it just grows! You get that? Just like that! Naturally! No side effects! How on earth is that a downside?"
"Ah, is... is that so?"
There's a reason the Bible tells a story about a bear mauling forty-two children for mocking a bald man...
At that moment, Laila, who had been quietly drinking water in the kitchen, approached.
She blinked and spoke carefully.
"...Hero, are you... perhaps... suffering from hair loss?"
I felt a surge of indignation.
"My hair is thick and full!"
I really wasn't.
Maybe in my early twenties, it was a concern, but as my level rose and my body optimized, all that disappeared.
Now... I wasn't.
At my indignant shout, Serenia giggled, and Laila nodded as if to say, 'Okay, I get it.'
But I was still looking down at the sea anemone as I spoke to them.
"Everyone, get dressed."
"Huh?"
"All of a sudden?"
"We need to get going with the diplomacy..."
They nodded slowly and headed off to change their clothes.
---
At the same time, the government of the Republic of Korea was thrown into a flurry of activity by a single message.
Immediately after Song Hoon contacted them about opening diplomatic talks, the Blue House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved into swift action.
Embassies for various nations were urgently contacted and their diplomats summoned, and in an instant, the large conference room in the government complex was filled with foreign diplomats.
However, the diplomats who arrived on the scene all wore uniformly baffled expressions.
"What on earth... is going on?"
"W-we were clearly... told this was about diplomacy with Queen Serenia."
"Well, expediency is welcome, but... this is rather flustering."
The ambassadors and diplomats whispered cautiously among themselves, gauging the atmosphere of the room.
But the moment the conference room door opened and Song Hoon's party entered, the air changed.
'That person was... Queen Serenia...'
'Were those her royal guards behind her?'
Serenia, wearing the dress she had on when she came to Earth and a subtle pearl hair ornament.
Behind her, the captain of the royal guard and the royal knights walked in perfect formation.
Once seated, Serenia straightened her back naturally and inclined her head with dignity.
"I am honored to meet you all. I am Queen Serenia."
The room fell silent at that single sentence.
Her tone, neither light nor casual, her dignified inflection, and her commanding presence.
Feeling an unspoken pressure, diplomats from across the globe corrected their postures and formally introduced themselves by name and affiliation.
"Our interests lie in the deep sea..."
"The kingdom's technological prowess and..."
"Regarding resource extraction..."
Serenia listened quietly to their proposals.
Once the initial flow of statements was complete, she smiled gently and gestured toward Song Hoon with her hand.
"I have delegated full authority... to this person."
The entire conference room fell silent once more at her words.
Song Hoon, completely unfazed, rested his hands on the table and continued.
"We won't make any unfair deals. We hope to reach a rational agreement where mutual benefits are clearly aligned."
Several diplomats held their breath.
The implication of Serenia's words was that she was not a mere mediator; the actual negotiating party was Song Hoon.
And then came the decisive statement.
Serenia added it naturally.
"I plan to conduct all future diplomacy through Korea."
In that moment, the corners of the Korean government officials' mouths twitched slightly upward.
Not quite a cheer, but clear smiles.
Because that statement meant Korea had just become the exclusive diplomatic channel to the kingdom.
And that immediately signified a rise in diplomatic credit and vested interests.
"Shall we begin determining the specific ratios, then?"
After that, the negotiations began in earnest.
Resource trade, guaranteeing the safety of maritime routes, cultural and technological exchange, and the partial opening of the deep-sea resources possessed by the underwater kingdom.
Song Hoon and Laila pinpointed the core issues, and the various nations held their breath as they compiled the information.
And so, the first phase of the negotiations concluded.
"I'd say this amounts to a satisfactory deal for all parties."
The diplomats nodded, wearing satisfied expressions.
Song Hoon quietly interlaced his fingers and rested his arms on the table.
A serious expression.
The look in his eyes had changed.
'...!'
That change alone was enough to make the diplomats' postures stiffen.
"I now intend to discuss the most important matter."
The diplomats also straightened up, all of them looking at Song Hoon.
"Are you aware... that countless people... suffer tremendous stress due to hair loss?"
The conference room fell into momentary silence at his words.
The stunned diplomats looked at each other with bewildered eyes.
Hair loss? Suddenly, in the middle of a diplomatic meeting?
"...Excuse me?"
"Hair... loss...?"
A murmur rippled through the room, and some tilted their heads in confusion.
But Song Hoon was serious.
Utterly serious, as he nodded and continued speaking.
"Among the food Serenia brought, there is a dish that causes hair to grow. No side effects. You just... eat it, and it grows. Hair."
The entire conference room froze.
Once they processed Song Hoon's words, after a few seconds of silence...
"W-what did you say!?"
"S-such a miraculous object exists!"
"C-can it be commercialized!?"
The owners of these voices all burst out at the same time, no one bothering to go first.
The glasses of one French ambassador were slightly askew. The American ambassador had half-risen from his seat before hurriedly sitting back down.
In an instant, the hushed conference hall was filled with murmurs and consternation.
"...My apologies. For displaying such an unseemly reaction..."
"P-please forgive my discourtesy..."
"I, I as well..."
They hurriedly corrected their postures and swept their hands over their heads, flustered.
But their eyes were already darting around without hesitation.
Something mattered more than dignity... hair.
Among them, one person carefully raised a hand.
"...Does, does such a miraculous food... truly... exist?"
"H-how much... to obtain this miracle?"
Song Hoon looked at them quietly.
His gaze held a hint of surprise.
And just a touch of pitying sympathy.
'Hmm...'
He closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
Their heads were full of evidence of worldly hardship.
Under the glittering lights, their struggles (?) were sparkling all the more brightly.
---
After all the meetings were over, we quietly returned home.
But one scene lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.
The gleam that had risen in their eyes.
'Well, to be precise, their scalps were gleaming more.'
Not at the talk of international resource agreements or diplomacy...
But only when that food, the possibility of a cure for hair loss, was mentioned.
They couldn't even control the pitch of their voices.
Men who represent their nations had forgotten their dignity, their eyes gleaming with hope.
"Is it... that desperate a wish?"
Serenia and Laila tilted their heads as if they couldn't understand.
"Hmm... do people here place such importance on body hair?"
"Specifically, the hair on their heads."
I guess you wouldn't know, since you were both born with such thick hair!
"Anyway..."
Serenia hadn't gone home.
I had accepted her request to stay at my house for a while longer.
Laila seemed slightly miffed, but I was a little relieved.
'Surely... she wouldn't work me to the bone even with Serenia around, right?'
"Hero, but... I think the impact of this is going to be enormous."
"Of course it will. It's a food that cures hair loss without any side effects."
"Will you hide it?"
"Not a chance."
Hide this incredible streaming content?
That's out of the question.
[ World's Strongest Hero : Hair Hair Grow Grow ]
[What is that title, seriously?]
[Are you trying to pick a fight?]
[That fucking title lmaoooo mass aggro lmao]
"Nice to see you all~"
[Not nice to see you, you son of a bitch]
[What? You drop a nuke like that and then 'hello'?]
[Uncountable hair lmao]
[Literally uncountable lmao, because there's none of it~]
"Whoa, why's everyone being so toxic?"
For an important announcement like this, you have to wind up the viewers first.
That's how you get the best reaction.
"What would you all do if your hair loss could be cured?"
As if they were truly imagining such a miracle, the firepower of the chat momentarily dimmed.
"Do you believe in miracles?"
Chuckling, I was busy having a WWE-style smackdown (?) with the viewers.
Then, a donation that tugged at my heartstrings arrived.
[ Overflowing Holy-Power Pouch has donated 500,000 Watts! ]
- I asked Santa for some hair, and when I woke up, there was a bunch on my pillow...
"Ah..."
A solemn silence fell over everyone.