Chapter 133. What Is the Value of Hair to You?
Chapter 133. What Is the Value of Hair to You?
"They're here again?"
"Hero, they keep coming?"
"Yeah, I hear they've been camping out in the lobby asking to meet me just once..."
Prominent figures—people whose names alone would make you recognize them—kept showing up at our house. But amidst all this commotion, we were sitting quietly in the research lab's conference room.
On the other side of the glass pane, the viewers we had personally selected were waiting.
- My crown has been thinning since I was in high school... I haven't taken my hat off in ten years...
- Every time I dry my hair the shower drain gets clogged. Please, brother, think of it as saving a man's life...
- Everyone else takes pictures to preserve memories... but for me, the very act of being photographed is so deeply shameful.
Recalling their tear-jerking stories, I muttered under my breath.
"...Since high school, really?"
In my hands were the photos and personal stories of the applicants. Their crowns were gleaming, with only thin patches of hair left at the sides and back.
"The contracts have been finalized, right?"
"Yes, the specialists have already thoroughly explained all the precautionary details."
Before them, medical equipment was set up to record various bio-signals. And along one wall, respected specialists in the relevant treatment field and researchers stood by with composed expressions.
"Well, since you all probably know by now, I won't belabor the point..."
"..."
Their faces were filled with tension.
"...Actually, I'm nervous too. We still don't know precisely why this sea anemone works or what the exact mechanism is—nothing at all."
Even so, my viewers' eyes were full of hope.
"Laila can block any adverse effects, but the real issue is... there's a chance nothing will happen at all."
I was worried I might have given them false hope. But they simply smiled and replied as if it didn't matter.
"Haha, it's really been a long time since I've felt something like hope. Besides, just participating in a project like this is an experience in itself."
"On top of that, Hero, you're even giving us an allowance as part of a clinical trial. We'll just think of it as a part-time job."
"Exactly. And the pay is several times better than the hourly rate of a part-time job, too."
Everyone laughed.
"Then..."
At my gesture, a staff member carefully brought over a tray bearing the trimmed sea anemone. The creature was still emitting a mysterious light.
"...We're really supposed to eat this, right?"
"The visual is a bit... something, yeah."
Though hesitant, one by one they placed the sea anemone into their mouths. The first person's eyes went wide as soon as their lips parted.
"Why... is it delicious?"
"I know, right... The appearance is totally..."
"Even if it doesn't treat hair loss, selling this purely as a dessert would be a massive hit, don't you think?"
The researchers all began to record simultaneously, and the doctors started nodding as they checked the body's response metrics.
After every participant had swallowed the sea anemone, the medical and research teams quietly moved to the observation room adjacent to the waiting area.
"How long will this take..."
We had already informed the viewers that they would be living here for a week. This was not something that would be over in a day or two.
"Everyone, go have a meal. We don't know how long it'll take, so..."
Even as I said that to them, the researchers' and specialists' eyes remained fixed on the monitors. The participants' scalps were being analyzed in real-time by high-resolution skin scanners and Folliscope-type diagnostic equipment.
"Whoa, Hunter...!"
And then, when about an hour had passed. One of the researchers called out urgently. At his urgent cry, everyone rushed in front of the monitor.
"This spot was definitely... dead...!"
"It's in anagen phase! The cells in the hair follicles are dividing rapidly right now! This rate is at least twenty times faster than normal!"
"Ridiculous... check again!"
"No, it's right. We thought the follicle was dead, but it's being reactivated...!"
Honestly, I had no idea what they were talking about. But judging by their reaction, it didn't mean the situation was negative.
"Look! It's a Ki-67 positive reaction!"
"Th-this... how..."
The heart rate monitors and skin conductance measurement devices were all stable as well. Not a single person had an inflammatory reaction or any signs of side effects.
Another doctor swallowed hard.
"...This is a recovery speed that cannot be explained medically. It's on a completely different level from any existing growth factor, minoxidil, finasteride, or stem cell therapy!"
"Everyone, please calm down for a moment... Can you explain in a way I can understand?"
At my question, their eyes all turned to me. Every single one of them wore faces filled with excitement.
"Tha-that... right now, this person's scalp is...!"
One specialist gestured wildly and passionately explained, spittle flying.
"It appears to be reverting to the state it was in before hair loss began! It's not just a simple treatment... it's like turning back time!"
"Anyway, so it's working well?"
"W-well, of course we need to monitor the progress a bit, but even just this much right now is a tremendous discovery!"
"Ah, okay..."
---
Before we knew it, a week had flown by.
"They're still here...?"
I had heard that most of them had gone back to stay in the 'villas' they had purchased as time passed. Yet a few were still eating and sleeping in the lobby, supposedly waiting for me.
"Now I don't have to..."
"Be made fun of anymore...!"
A day and then two passed, and the participants rejoiced at the successful news. And as a full week went by...
"I can feel hair!"
"Ah... this prickly texture..."
"Ahh... so this is what hair is."
As if they were farmers witnessing the miracle of rain falling upon barren soil, they savored this miracle to their hearts' content.
"Typically, the hair cycle's anagen phase rotates in an average unit of three to four years... but for all of you, you've entered the anagen phase at an abnormally fast rate. From now on, within two weeks, at most one month, visible hair growth will begin that you can see with the naked eye."
The participants' faces flushed red. Some clasped their hands together, and others bowed their heads as if dreaming.
'This actually works?'
But I didn't say that out loud. I had no intention of throwing cold water on the situation...
"This is just the beginning. Right now, at a speed invisible to the eye, it's growing slowly, but it's definitely growing. A day, two days... a few weeks from now, you'll feel the 'miracle' every time you look in the mirror."
"Ahh... my Queen..."
"Serenia Goddess...!!!"
"Goddess has saved us..."
'These crazy people...'
Seeing them choking up with tears, crying out to Serenia, felt strangely surreal.
"Anyway, everyone go home now, and don't forget to record your progress daily at set time intervals."
"Yes!"
"I'll write 5,700 characters every single day!"
"Thank you..."
"And if any side effects appear, contact us right away."
Once the agreed-upon contract period ended, the participants returned one by one. Yet their return home was anything but ordinary. They were people who had experienced a hope that some might never grasp in a lifetime.
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[ Title: The One Chosen by God ]
[ Content: (Before and after crown photos) I will pray to Serenia, Queen three times a day from now on. ]
└ Whoa lol hahahahahaha
└ It looked like you scattered some seeds on the field lol hahahahahaha
└ OP: The beginning was humble, but the end shall be great.
└ It got to that point in just a week?
└ OP: Yeah, no side effects at all, just ate it and it grew.
└ You didn't feel any pain or anything?
└ OP: Nothing like that at all, I could only call it a miracle.
A few of them posted their before-and-after photos. Where the crown used to feel cold from just a breeze, downy hair now cast a faint shadow. Some mocked, some disbelieved, but millions of people suffering from hair loss scrolled through these posts with trembling hands.
"...Is this real?"
"That person has been writing on their blog for years now."
"I have nothing to say..."
And back at home, Song Hoon, Laila, and Serenia thought to themselves.
"Now... we can't put it off any longer, can we?"
Those people who had bought a house in Korea and were waiting just to meet Song Hoon. We decided to meet them.
---
"A pleasure to meet you."
A renowned European tycoon. A mixed-race heir of an Italian industrial conglomerate and French financial nobility, and a man said to rank among the world's top 100 wealthiest individuals.
"I heard the news that you've completed the verification... my sincere congratulations."
Song Hoon lightly grasped the hand the man extended for a handshake and gave just a slight nod. As soon as they were seated, the other man spoke with polite directness.
"Since you seem to dislike beating around the bush, I'll get straight to the point."
He looked at Song Hoon with a steady gaze that was hard to believe belonged to a middle-aged man.
"How much is that hair loss treatment? If you wish, I can open up European distribution channels for you. And in that process, I can give all profits—minus the commission fees—directly to you, Hunter."
I smirked, looking at the man who was offering to hand over all commercial rights.
"Let me ask you directly as well. What value does your hair hold for you?"
In that moment, the space between his eyebrows twitched slightly.
'A deal, huh...'
And he looked back at Song Hoon, thinking to himself.
'Someone who counters with a deal against me... it's been a long time since I've seen one.'
Song Hoon tapped the table with a relaxed expression.
'Was this his confidence as the Unknown Hunter...?'
"Very well. For me, hair... is worth its weight in gold."
"I see."
"It is something that people like us, who have everything, cannot buy even with money."
"..."
"Each year, our foundation invests over 50 million euros into stem cell, skin tissue, and genetics research. It's been thirty years of dedicating myself to this. There are three research labs under my own name, and the costs spent on clinical drugs are incalculable."
Having said that, he added with a chuckle.
"Of course... if I openly said it was hair loss research, I'd be a laughingstock to the public, so I just dressed it up that way..."
Song Hoon, lost in thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
"Alright. Then let's do this."