Ch.543Chapter 21. Blood Pack (3)

The human will do anything for money.

Especially in this world, Haeguneul is the embodiment of capitalism, people who easily ignore ethics if it means making money.

The proof is right in front of me.

“Wherever I go, I see Do Ji-hwan.”

As soon as we entered a Starbucks in Gangnam, Hyun Se-rin playfully laughed while pointing around and then at me.

“There’s Kim Ji-hwan, there’s Park Ji-hwan, and here is Do Ji-hwan.”

“Listen, Ms. Hyun Se-rin.”

“Oh, was it Dok Ji-hwan? Or maybe Dong Ji-hwan?”

“Is it right to treat someone like a different person just because they have a mole on their face?”

“Would you rather be treated as the real one? Hehehe.”

Hyun Se-rin placed her hand on the mole on my face.

That mole was identical to the real Do Ji-hwan’s, but it was the only flaw that made me 99.99% similar rather than 100% identical.

“The real Do Ji-hwan is probably busy with prenatal care in Busan. Isn’t the person in front of me just someone imitating Do Ji-hwan?”

“Not just imitating, but a scoundrel who copies everything from fashion and behavior to voice and speech patterns.”

Yoon Hye-ra, carrying drinks on a tray, chimed in as she returned to her seat.

“Here you go, plastic surgery pretty boy.”

“I didn’t have surgery.”

“But everyone else thinks you’re a plastic surgery pretty boy, right? People who came here, people looking at the person sitting over there.”

Yoon Hye-ra pointed to the same place Hyun Se-rin had indicated.

There were people similar to me—Kim Ji-hwan, Park Ji-hwan, Choi Ji-hwan types—each drinking tea with their companions.

“Why do you think they’re all drinking with women? Even though they’re plastic surgery pretty boys, they still pass as masks, so they get picked up and set up on blind dates.”

“Using my face to meet women. Should I be happy about this?”

“Think positively. You’ve become a celebrity. You’re a beacon of hope for non-ability users? An icon of positivity and hope.”

“Give me a break.”

I expected this, but seeing it with my own eyes made it even more absurd.

“How does people’s logic even work?”

“They just want to form good relationships with beautiful women.”

“You mean beautiful ability users?”

“Isn’t that the same thing? The word ‘ability user’ already includes beauty.”

Hyun Se-rin pulled on Yoon Hye-ra’s shoulder and made a V-sign under her chin.

“Right?”

“Of course.”

Maybe it’s because they’re only a year apart in age.

Or perhaps they’ve always been close.

Or maybe they’re just genuinely committed to teasing me.

“Consider it an honor to have tea with such beauties. Hmm?”

“Sure. These beauties aren’t just drinking tea, they’re drinking other things too. Right?”

“I told you to avoid making lewd jokes in public places.”

They both stuck their tongues out at me simultaneously.

The fact that they get along so well despite not being sisters must be because of the matching platinum bridges in their hair.

“We’re not drinking someone else’s stuff, it’s yours, so what’s the problem?”

“Right. Are we the only ones drinking? You’re drinking too.”

“Just drink your coffee.”

“It’s lemonade! Oh, lemonade?”

“For ability users, it’s not yellow but transparent—ah, okay. I’ll stop.”

Only when I frowned did they finally raise their hands and stop joking.

“This Do Ji-hwan is quite timid.”

“I know. All the other Do Ji-hwans in this café are in heat, trying to rub up against women somehow. Oh! Are you actually hiding something?”

“You two, if you weren’t ability users, many people here would have thrown coffee at you for talking like that.”

“We’re talking so freely because others can’t hear us, right?”

Hyun Se-rin lightly twirled her finger in the air.

“We’ve put up a barrier with our abilities, so even though these beauties are talking with one man, no one can approach us.”

“……”

“If they were Korean ability users, they’d approach immediately, drooling and asking, ‘Can I have your number?'”

Indeed.

We’re sitting in a fairly secluded corner of the café, but looking at the entire café, people are seated in concentric circles around us.

Mostly men, plastic surgery pretty boys who look like Do Ji-hwan, sitting around us.

They’re trying to eavesdrop on our conversation, but Yoon Hye-ra and Hyun Se-rin are openly exerting magical pressure to keep them away.

“Mr. Do Ji-hwan. Who do you think is to blame? Isn’t it the person who gave confidence to insecure men that they too could appeal to Baek Seol-hee with that face?”

“It’s my fault? Isn’t it precisely those guys’ fault?”

I pointed to the building beyond our window, covered from the first floor to the top with densely packed signs.

“Isn’t it Haeguneul Plastic Surgery’s fault? Do Ji-hwan just had a good relationship with Baek Seol-hee, but Haeguneul is wrong for encouraging people to get plastic surgery with that face.”

In this world, in this country, whenever something strange happens, if you point to Haeguneul, they’re always the culprit, directly or indirectly.

The Gangnam pretty boy Do Ji-hwan situation is no exception.

“Just because he seduced Baek Seol-hee doesn’t mean she was seduced by Do Ji-hwan’s face.”

“But his face did help get his foot in the door, right? Right, sis?”

“Agreed. If someone has an ugly face when you kiss them, your feelings drop instantly, but if they’re handsome and make your heart flutter when kissing, how would that feel?”

“I’ll admit that.”

Everyone acknowledges that if you’re going to kiss someone, it’s much better if they’re attractive.

I can fully understand getting plastic surgery to become that person.

Plastic surgery is a personal choice, and enhancing one’s appearance is essential for forming good relationships with the opposite sex.

However.

“Then since they’re making tons of money with that handsome face, shouldn’t they be paying modeling fees?”

“Oh.”

“If a plastic surgery clinic tried to sell your faces as models, you’d be extremely upset.”

“…Ah, hahaha.”

If they paid me to use my face, that would be one thing, but Haeguneul, as always, is making enormous profits from Do Ji-hwan without giving him a single penny.

“I can understand when people consult with plastic surgeons and say ‘Make me look like Do Ji-hwan.’ Being used as a handsome template might even be an honor. But this isn’t right.”

I took out a document from my briefcase, keeping it hidden from others.

“There’s a clear difference between consumers asking to look like someone and plastic surgery clinics actively using a template for business.”

-You too can become the pillar husband of an S-class ability user!

This is internal material.

It’s evidence compiled from notes taken by some male Syndicate agents who went for plastic surgery consultations and saw these materials with their own eyes.

Although they claim these aren’t distributed externally, what would people seeking plastic surgery to become handsome think when they see this?

“After getting plastic surgery to look like Do Ji-hwan, a C-class ability user regrets rejecting me, a B-class ability user becomes devastated because I won’t date them, and an A-class ability user becomes obsessed with meeting me just once.”

“What’s with that fictional setting?”

“It’s happening frequently in reality now. And it’s working well.”

Is this a wrong phenomenon?

Well.

This world is capitalist, and the market moves according to capitalist logic.

“Choosing a profitable path in capitalism isn’t a big problem. The problem is those who… exploit it.”

I glanced around cautiously and pulled out another handwritten document.

“The cost to get plastic surgery to look like Do Ji-hwan is 300 million won.”

“…Are they crazy?”

“That’s just the initial estimate. Once they start working on jaw surgery or whatever else, the cost increases exponentially.”

No matter how much someone wants to become beautiful, few people have the financial resources to spend 300 million won just on plastic surgery.

So then.

What’s the easiest and fastest way for these people to raise money?

How can they secure funds for plastic surgery?

“Some people think it’s no big deal to sell their bodies instead of money to become handsome, for that future.”

* * *

A dark underground parking lot.

In the hospital basement with almost no light, people wearing white protective clothing are loading something onto carts and moving them.

The carts are about the size of room service carts that hotel employees push in movies.

What’s unusual is that the red cloth covering the carts is thick enough that you can’t see anything underneath.

Splash, splash.

And whenever the cart wheels bump over a threshold, something liquid-like sloshes inside the cart.

Screech.

A black van enters the parking lot.

Without even turning on its headlights, the van stops in front of the cart, as if very familiar with the routine.

“How much?”

“200.”

“Why so much? Did you kill someone?”

“We have a lot of customers.”

The driver and the cart pushers snickered as they opened the trunk.

Inside the trunk was an empty ice box painted black.

“Why is everyone getting their blood drawn like this?”

“It’s the World Cup. They’re hoping S-class women from overseas might mistake them for Do Ji-hwan and approach them, trying to catch them that way.”

“What nonsense… Haha, well, we make our living thanks to those people… Huh?”

Step, step.

Footsteps.

The sound of high heels that shouldn’t be heard.

“…What’s that?”

“Is that…!”

[Yes, it is.]

The dark figure appearing from the shadows.

[Just a passing Seonnabi.]

“Hwalbindang!!!”

It’s the Goblin of The Syndicate.