Episode 6

Every man has a fantasy that he has had at least once.

'If I were a handsome man, I would ~.'

This is the type of fantasy that usually unfolds, and the '~' usually contains something related to women.

For example, walking up to a woman you like and confidently asking for her number. Going to a club and getting all the attention of women with your overwhelming looks.

Since I was born a man, I often had such fantasies, but the content of my fantasies was a bit unusual.

"Whew…"

I'm now in Cheongdam-dong. And in front of a very famous hair salon.

This was my first time coming to a place like this. I've only been to neighborhood hair salons my whole life. Places where you go in and they shave your hair in a sporty or high-school style without asking any questions.

I took a deep breath, put my hands in my pockets, and went into the hair salon as if nothing had happened.

They say many celebrities come here, so it must have been so popular that the entrance steps were made of marble. I was overwhelmed by the grand and loyal atmosphere, but I endured it.

I was no longer a typical game-changer.

"Welcome~ Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes. 1 p.m. Kim Min-jun."

I opened the large door and went in, told the desk my name, and the staff checked the list and guided me to my seat.

"I'm really sorry, but please wait a moment. The designer will be here soon. I'm a little late for lunch today."

"Yes."

I sat down in the beauty chair and answered briefly.

I couldn't help but answer briefly because I was afraid that if I answered long, they'd find out that it was my first time here. I knew that no one would say anything even if they found out. But I couldn't help it. This was just a delusion of persecution. From the moment I started to care about my appearance, I was so scared of high-end beauty salons like this.

'Customer. Why on earth did you come to such a fancy beauty salon with such a shattered face? No matter how pretty your hair is, if your face is ugly, there's no point in dressing up. Ugh.'

That wasn't what I actually heard. But I was so scared that I would hear it that I never went to a place like that.

You could call it an appearance complex, or you could call it the inertia of 'not dressing up.' All of those things were just a struggle not to let go of the string of hope.

'It's because I don't dress up, wouldn't I be pretty if I did?'

Hopeful thoughts like that only last until I stop dressing up.

So when I really started dressing up, I had to face reality, not hope. If I didn't look good even after dressing up, then I really was not good.

So I lived my life holding on to the string of hope that I would be okay if I did.

But now I was going to let go of that string and face reality. Because my reality has changed a lot thanks to my appearance enhancement.

"Would you like a drink while you wait?"

"No, it's fine."

"Oh, yes."

The desk clerk returned to her seat in a dazed manner. The reason she didn't drink was because of her diet, but she didn't bother explaining it.

I started dieting because I was worried that my appearance enhancement wouldn't be effective even if I spent all my money on it.

I wasn't that fat, but I didn't exercise much and just sat in front of the computer playing games, so I had some belly fat. I also had some baby fat on my face.

When I had sex with Mihee, I was concerned about my belly fat jiggling a little, so my diet goal was to get rid of my belly fat and lose some facial fat until my facial features became sharp.

"Oh! You've been waiting a long time, right~?"

"No. I just got here a little while ago."

While I was thinking about this and that, a middle-aged woman who seemed to be my designer approached me, making a fuss.

She adjusted the height of the hairdressing chair with her skillful footwork and asked me.

"It looks like you've already washed your hair… You made a reservation for a haircut. Do you have a style you'd like?"

"Ah…"

I took my phone out of my pocket, thinking this was the moment. Then I showed the designer a profile picture of a famously handsome male actor that I had saved in my photo album.

"Please do it exactly like this picture."

"Ah~ Nam Kang-joon's hair? Yes, I'll do it."

The designer nodded confidently, as if she had heard this request many times before, and as I watched her, I felt something that had been holding me back being cut off.

Going back to the man's delusion, my long-time delusion was exactly this. This trivial request.

To confidently go to a high-end hair salon, show a picture of a male celebrity, and ask for the same style, without an ounce of shame.

It wasn't something that could be done only if you were handsome, but at least I felt like I had to do it. So I thought it was too difficult for me. But it wasn't.

At this moment, my delusions became reality, but I didn't feel anything special. I just felt pathetic and empty about myself for not being able to do even this.

Maybe I was tied up by the strings I thought I was holding onto.

'When I actually tried it, it was nothing… Why was I so nervous?'

Sex and spending money were both really nothing when I actually tried it.

Sex is sex and money is money.

It was the same with showing off pictures of male celebrities at the hair salon.

After doing it, I wondered why I had such difficulty with these things and even fantasized about them.

'This is why only those who have eaten meat can eat it.'

I thought about the words that suddenly came to mind.

If I had to pick and choose between those who eat well and those who don't, I was the most stupid person who had never had the courage to eat it. I was really very pathetic. And now, I began to feel the will to really change.

'Okay. Let's try everything from now on. Damn, don't be scared and do whatever you like. I'll try everything I like.'

Square. Square.

With the scissors cutting my hair into squares, something inside me changed again.

.........…

'Oh my!! Your hair really suits you! You could be an actor!!'

As I paid 60,000 won for my cut and left the salon, I thought about what the designer had said.

I know. It's lip service.

But lip service wasn't all the same. Just like a cocktail, depending on how much service and sincerity were mixed in, the taste of lip service changed drastically.

And the designer's lip service was really sweet to listen to because it was mixed with sincerity.

'It seemed like the ratio was about 5 to 5… Well, I was a little surprised when I looked in the mirror.'

With the help of a professional designer, I cut off my messy bangs that had fallen down to the corners of my eyes and made my hair look like a male actor's, so even I looked awkward.

I was already awkward because of my appearance enhancement, but with my hair styled nicely, it felt twice as awkward. Of course, in a good way.

But that didn't mean I completely believed that I could become an actor.

Even though I spent 20 million won, I was still just a pretty handsome guy, and I was only 173cm tall.

173cm is average, but Koreans tend to look down on average.

I was a 4th or 5th grader on the college entrance exam, and my monthly salary was a little over 200?

It's really hard to get a 4th or 5th grader on the college entrance exam or even 200 per month, but that's definitely average, but in Korea, you had to do much better and earn a lot more to be treated like a human being. Of course, I should have been much taller.

It was ugly, but I couldn't run out to Gwanghwamun and protest that the average should be respected. And when I thought about it, I didn't really have much to say.

'Well… if you look at Leore, the average tier is silver or gold. I don't treat silver or gold tiers like people either… I guess I'm the same. Is this how all humans are?'

While doing some painful self-reflection, I took a taxi and went into a cafe I had seen on my way to the hair salon.

As expected of a gamer, I didn't really like cafes, but today was special. My hair was doing well, so my confidence and sensitivity were exploding.

I wanted to enjoy that kind of atmosphere, sitting alone in a fancy Cheongdam-dong cafe, as if it were just everyday life, without any special plans, and leisurely enjoying an espresso.

I had nothing to say even if they called me a kimchi-nam or a doenjang-nam, but since I was originally a gamer, it wasn't a big deal if I became a kimchi-nam or a doenjang-nam.

'It's really fancy.'

I entered the cafe and slowly headed to the counter while looking at the interior.

I heard that these days, cafes with a unique and cute feel are popular, such as Outsta sensibility, but this cafe didn't seem to care about that at all.

It was really big, wide, and luxurious, let alone a baby. The cafe's main entrance was unusual, but the moment I entered the room, the whole place was shaking.

The overall concept was white and gold.

The chairs were white-toned leather chairs, and the tables were pure white marble tables. The table finish and chair legs were all gold-plated, and crystal chandeliers were generously placed all over the very high ceiling.

The white-colored exterior that gave off a marble-like feel reflected the splendid light from the chandeliers, creating an incredibly fantastic lighting experience.

I couldn't be sure because I hadn't been there, but it felt like I was in a Western-style palace.

'Wow.'

Well, as expected from a cafe that put a lot of effort into its interior, the staff members were also incredibly pretty.

At the counter, there were two female staff members dressed neatly in what seemed to be uniforms: a white blouse and a black skirt. The one on the left looked like a cat that looked a bit arrogant and prickly, and the one on the right looked like a puppy that you wanted to pet just by looking at.

The left staff member suited my taste better, but for some reason, my eyes kept drifting to the right.

The eyebrows were thick, but the corners of the eyes were droopy, and the overall facial features were round, so they were very cute even when I looked at them again.

The entire face was a cute point, but among them, the critical point that made my heart pound was the moist eyes that were so moist that they looked like they might cry at any moment, and the slightly upturned corners of the lips that were pursed tightly.

She was cute. She was really so cute. I wanted to take her home and raise her… but I can't, right?

"Welcome~ I'm Chanel Le Bella."

"Uh… Welcome. I'm Chanel Le… … Ah…"

Since a situation unfolded that I couldn't understand at all, my natural flow of thoughts was suddenly interrupted.

The dog on the right greeted me, following the cat on the left, but the greeting was a mess.

I opened my eyes wide without realizing it and stared at the dog on the right. How can you not even greet her properly after all those words?

Is it because she's a real dog that human language is difficult? The cat next to me speaks well…

"I'm sorry, sir. This employee is working for the first time today. There are many things I am not good at."

"I… I'm sorry…"

"No. That's not it. I just looked at you because you were so cute."

This. The puppy was bowing its head as if it was some kind of great sin for not greeting me, so I tried to comfort it, but the comment came out really cheesy like cheesecake. Since it became a habit to praise Mihee without hesitation, I didn't realize it… .

"Hip… Thank… No… I'm sorry…"

Well, it must have worked because the puppy raised its head a little bit while timidly timidly, and then glanced at me and greeted me with red cheeks.

There were a few tears in its eyes, and the nostrils that could be seen were cutely heart-shaped. Even the nostrils are cute.

Yes. It's okay. With such a murderous cuteness, I could tolerate it even if you splashed coffee on my face. Of course, I would subtly threaten you by saying that I would take good care of your food in return for your patience, so come and live at my house.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's like that at first, right? Can you take my order?"

"Yes…? Yes. Yes. Order… You can order."

"Just one iced Americano. I'll pay by card."

"… One iced Americano… and… card payment…"

Bam-.... Bam-....

When I said I was going to order, the puppy quickly stood in front of the POS machine and began to press the button very carefully.

I didn't add anything separately to make it easier to order, and I only ordered one iced Americano, but I wonder why he was being so careful, like someone who had already entered the wrong password for a public certificate four times, the puppy mumbled and relayed what he was pressing and moved his fingers very slowly.

Somehow, somehow, it worked out properly, and the puppy's expression brightened up.

It was such a shame that its tail and ears weren't hanging off. If they were, it would have been so happy that it would have stood up straight and twirled its tail around.

"That… card… card…"

"Yes. Can I put it in here?"

"… I can… put it in…"

"Then please put it in."

The puppy confidently asked me for the card, and I handed it to the puppy. The puppy politely accepted the card with both hands and inserted it into the reader. After the payment was complete, the puppy returned the card to me along with the receipt that came out, and there was a hint of confidence in the way his hands moved.

"If you sit at the table… I'll bring you a drink…"

"Yes. Thank you. And you did well even though it's your first day. You'll get used to it quickly."

I gave him a little bit of a compliment. From the moment I said 'cute' to the puppy, the cat next to me had a really bad expression, and I could tell what kind of relationship the puppy and the cat were forming by looking at it.

'If I do it well, I can seduce him quickly?'

Yes, this was a pretty good opportunity for me.