"Huh? What is it, Dong-sik?Did you come up with a good idea or something?"
"If we use this properly… our product could become famous overnight."
"…What?What is it? Tell me!"
Hearing that he'd thought of something promising, I couldn't hide my excitement and urged him to continue.
Dong-sik nodded slowly before answering.
"It's… influencers."
"…You mean asking people with lots of followers on platforms like Onsta or YouTube to promote it?"
Considering the dramatic way he'd spoken, the answer felt surprisingly ordinary.
I couldn't help feeling a little confused.
"That's too obvious. Anyone could think of that."
"Hm? Then what?"
True.If that was all he meant, Dong-sik wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it.
"Si-woo… that cream.Does it work on severe burn scars too?"
"Well… the burn scar you got as a kid disappeared completely, didn't it?"
Dong-sik nodded.
"It did.It was a pretty big scar, but it vanished so cleanly that even I was shocked.Seriously… how did you even make something like that?"
"Haha… let's stay on topic for now."
"Right. Then let me ask you this.Do you think it could heal burn scars so severe that the entire face looks like it melted?"
"…Burn scars that bad, huh."
I'd never tested it on anything that extreme.
The Skin Regeneration Agent hadn't existed for long, and I didn't know anyone personally who had suffered injuries of that magnitude.
But according to the Akashic Records, the agent completely regenerated both the epidermis and dermis.
If the damage extended deeper than the skin, it wouldn't restore internal tissue—
But restoring appearance alone?
That seemed entirely possible.
After all, the scar on Dong-sik's calf—once twisted and deformed—had regenerated as if new flesh had grown over it.
"For now, this cream only affects the skin.If the burn damaged internal tissue, it won't heal that."
"…I figured."
"But appearance-wise, it should restore the skin almost perfectly.At least within the skin layer, its effect is overwhelming."
Dong-sik nodded, clearly convinced.
"Yeah…Modern medicine couldn't erase my scar at all, but this did.Then maybe… it really could work."
"Why are you suddenly asking about this, Dong-sik?"
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"A few years ago, there was an influencer who was insanely famous on social media."
"A few years ago?So not anymore?"
"Right.She appeared like a comet—and disappeared just as fast.You'll know her name, Si-woo.She gathered millions of followers overnight.Purely because of her looks."
"I'm not really into celebrities or social media…I might not know."
Dong-sik shook his head.
"No, you will.Even if you didn't know her as an influencer—She dominated the news for days at the end."
At that moment, a certain incident from a few years ago surfaced in my mind.
"…Wait. Don't tell me—?"
"Yeah.You know her. Everyone does.Min Seo-ah."
Headlines from the past flashed through my mind.
[Famous SNS Influencer Min Seo-ah Victim of Sulfuric Acid Attack by Stalker][Attacker Identified as Former Fan Delusional About Relationship][Victim Suffers Severe Burns to Face and Upper Body, Currently Hospitalized]
Right.
That incident.
Come to think of it, that case was the reason sulfuric acid had become nearly impossible to purchase freely.
"Now that you mention it…That really was a tragic incident."
Dong-sik looked at me gravely.
"You get what I'm saying now, right?"
"…You want to treat Min Seo-ah with our cream?"
"It won't be easy.Even contacting her will be difficult."
It definitely wouldn't be easy.
I'd never tested the agent on burn scars that severe.
But one thing was clear.
If this succeeded—
Everything would change.
Our struggling small business, barely shipping a few boxes a day, would instantly become a nationally recognized company.
And for Min Seo-ah herself—
It would mean being given a new life.
From a business standpoint.From a moral standpoint.
It was almost a perfect scenario.
I asked,
"I'm not good with social media…How would we even contact her?"
"Hm… realistically, only through DM.But rumor has it she doesn't read them at all anymore.And even if she does… would she agree to meet us?"
Dong-sik lowered his head, deep in thought.
I spoke calmly.
"Alright.I'll think of a way too.Let's head home for today and figure it out."
"Yeah. No point leaving the lights on in an empty warehouse anyway."
After parting with Dong-sik, I returned home and stood in front of the quantum computer.
Elsewhere
"Director, we think we've found the trail of the hackers who attacked Hyun Si-woo's computer."
"Oh?That was faster than expected."
"Because the Ministry of Defense and the NIS were both attacked, the U.S. government is taking this very seriously.The CIA and State Department are actively assisting us."
"…How embarrassing.Still—American intelligence really is frightening."
"The hackers were sloppier than expected.They used methods similar to ordinary ransomware attacks.The CIA traced the cryptocurrency wallet address shown in the ransom note."
"…So they dared to toy with our government despite being this careless.Arrogant bastards."
"But something feels odd."
"What is it?"
"On the surface, it looks like a typical ransomware attack—encrypt files, demand money.Are we sure these people caused the cyberterror incident?"
The director chuckled.
"You're still inexperienced.In cyber intelligence, it's common for massive operations to be planned absurdly poorly.Or perhaps they believed this was some clever misdirection."
"…Misdirection?"
"Disguise the attack as ordinary ransomware, hijack a PC, and use it as a relay point.They probably thought we wouldn't notice."
"…That does make sense."
"When can we catch them?"
"They're believed to be in Southeast Asia.With CIA assistance and cooperation from local governments, we should pinpoint their location within one to two weeks."
"Good.Interrogate them thoroughly once they're caught.Find out their motives—and whether they were just pawns."
"Yes, sir."
"This is overseas.No need to hold back.Use water, electricity—whatever it takes.As long as they don't die."
"…Understood."
Min Seo-ah
Once, she had been the object of countless people's admiration.
From childhood, she'd been told she was pretty, cute—so often it became background noise.
The world had always felt bright and kind to her.
People smiled at her.They treated her gently.They made space for her.
She lived like the protagonist of a story.
On a whim, she created a social media account with friends.
She uploaded a few photos.
That was all it took.
People flooded in.
Without doing anything, thousands followed her—worshipping her like a goddess.
Before she knew it, ten thousand followers became a hundred thousand.A hundred thousand became a million.
Foreign languages began appearing in her comments.
Advertisements followed.TV appearances.Then dramas.
The industry celebrated.
A star worth nurturing has finally appeared.
It felt as if the world itself existed for her sake.
But—
Just as Icarus's wings melted when he flew too close to the sun—
Her fall came suddenly.
One day, as she stepped out of her car, a man rushed at her.
He threw a liquid from a plastic container onto her face.
After that, she remembered only pain.
Unimaginable pain.
Her skin melting. Peeling away.
She survived.
Her eyesight was saved.
But her wings—
Were destroyed.
From that day on, she learned the truth.
The world is not beautiful.
People no longer smiled at her.
They avoided her gaze.
Some looked away in discomfort.
Others stared with fear—or disgust.
And sometimes—
With pity.
A twisted pity filled with relief.
At least it didn't happen to me.
She felt it all.
The day ended.
And night came.
A night she'd never prepared for.
Now she hid in a dark room, wrapped in blankets.
Years passed without stepping outside.
She wished—
That tomorrow would never come.
That afternoon, as faint sunlight slipped through the blinds, her phone vibrated.
"…What?I put it on silent…"
A notification.
A DM.
From an app she hated.
A name she didn't recognize.
[Hyun Si-woo]
She had blocked all DMs long ago.
After receiving messages mocking that incident, she'd never opened them again.
And yet—
This one came through.
She opened it.
And her world shook.
[Hello, Ms. Min Seo-ah.The company I am currently affiliated with has developed a technology capable of completely removing severe burn scars and restoring the skin to its original state.If you are interested, please contact me.]