Chapter 76

76 Sasasa, Yum Yum, Dodak's Leaves

Nam Ki-seok approached Cheon Dowoon with zombie-like steps.

His gaze was fixed on Dodak sitting on his palm.

"B, Big Bro. Could I possibly touch those leaves?"

"If Dodak allows it."

Cheon Dowoon offered Dodak to him. He had a pretty good idea of what the result would be.

Wasn't it Park Sa-jang (Mr. Park), the owner of the clothing store, who had tried the same thing and got hit by Rootlets?

The result would be similar.

Even so, he offered Dodak because Nam Ki-seok and Dodak were familiar with each other.

He had a sliver of hope.

"Then, excuse me."

Nam Ki-seok carefully reached out his hand. Dodak's eyes flashed as the hand came over his head.

-Hoo-oong!

How dare you! How dare you try to touch my leaves. Dodak struck Nam Ki-seok's finger with Rootlets.

-Hoo-oong, hoo-oong!

Not satisfied with one hit, he struck twice.

Nam Ki-seok withdrew his hand with a disappointed look at the pattering Rootlets.

"I guess it's not possible. It seems he doesn't allow anyone but Big Bro to touch him."

He wanted to tug on the leaves slightly to see if they had really grown.

Cheon Dowoon looked at Kim, the manager, at that longing gaze.

"You said the medicine you used on Dodak was the initial version, right?"

"Yes."

"I think you said you completed the medicine earlier. Did you bring the finished product with you?"

Kim, the manager, smiled confidently.

"Of course. What I sprayed just now was a so-called plant nutrient solution discovered while researching Mandragora Nutrient Solution. This is the version modified for humans."

Kim, the manager, took out two sprays from his bag.

"The blue can is a spray that revives dead pores. The yellow can is a spray that promotes hair growth."

He also took out a finger-sized ampoule from his pocket.

"To the hair growth spray... this is it. Depending on how much of this ampoule you add, you can also specify the length of the hair to be grown."

There was no need to wait months for the desired length.

Kim, the manager, had created a medicine that would fulfill the wishes of those suffering from hair loss in just a few seconds.

Nam Ki-seok, who had heard the explanation, had a complicated expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Agony and despair that had begun in his late teens. Effort, abandonment, acceptance.

The time had come to cut off that complex vortex of emotions.

"Kim, the manager..."

Was this really real? This person was light. Cheon Dowoon, who had connected him with such a person, was also light.

He wanted to use the medicine right away, but Nam Ki-seok hesitated.

He saw Yoo Ji-ah standing a little distance away.

It's human nature to want to show only the best side of yourself to the person you like.

He wanted to stand in front of Yoo Ji-ah with a complete head of long hair.

He didn't want to show her an awkward appearance with hair sprouting like grass.

"Um, Kim, the manager."

"I understand. Let's go behind the house."

Kim, the manager, whispered discreetly. Of course, the siblings and Cheon Dowoon could hear everything.

"Interesting. Will hair really grow?"

"It will grow. Kim, the manager, is competent. If he's so confident, he'll succeed."

As they were talking, small voices were exchanged behind the log house.

"I've brought a mirror here too. Hold it. I'll spray it for you."

"Is it okay if the medicine touches other places besides my head? Like if hair grows on my forehead or cheeks..."

"Don't worry, you can rest assured. How long do you want your hair to be?"

Kim, the manager, asked as he opened the ampoule.

'It'll be long hair.'

'It will be long hair.'

Cheon Dowoon and Yoo-beom thought.

"Please make it long hair."

The expected answer came from behind the log house.

"About waist-length... no, is that too long? A length that would be good for headbanging... around the middle of my back would be good."

"Middle of the back. I understand."

Kim, the manager, injected the ampoule into the spray bottle.

Soon after, the sound of spraying was heard. Cheon Dowoon and Yoo-beom focused on the sound, feeling like they were in the audience.

"Oh... oh! It's growing! Kim, the manager! It's growing! My, my scalp... it's getting prickly."

Nam Ki-seok's excited voice was heard.

"Wow, already a sports cut... no, a short cut feeling... no, a bob... ! Oh my god, down to my shoulders! Kim, the manager. Look at this. Wow... it's the best! This medicine is the best. You're a genius! This will definitely sell like crazy worldwide!"

Suppressed exclamations continued to burst out.

So, it was a success after all. Yoo-beom and Cheon Dowoon looked bored.

It was something to celebrate that his hair had grown. But they had expected something more interesting.

"It would have been fun if the hair only grew on the right side of the scalp."

"That's unique in its own way, isn't it?"

"Or I imagined the hair growing while soaring into the sky. About 3 meters high?"

Cheon Dowoon laughed at Yoo-beom's words. At that point, it had gone beyond the stage of individuality.

As they were exchanging silly words, the exclamations from behind the house changed.

"W-wait a minute. Kim, the manager?"

Nam Ki-seok's flustered voice. The sound of Kim, the manager, also panicking was heard.

"This isn't stopping... huh? How long is it going to grow...? K, Kim, the manager."

"T, that's strange. This is... huh? Uh-oh?"

A dark shadow was cast behind the log house.

It swelled and burst out at an explosive rate, as if it were multiplying.

Ebony hair poured out like a waterfall from behind the log house, as if ghosts and aliens would appear.

"Kim, the manager! Wait... uh-oop, where are you...? Kim, the manager?"

"Ugh, I'm buried in hair... Aah, I'm being swept away...!"

With a loud noise, Kim, the manager, whose lower body was buried in the hair, was pushed out from behind the house.

"That's right! This is it!"

Yoo-beom sat down holding his stomach and laughed. Cheon Dowoon also laughed as if he hadn't expected this.

His words that it would be fun if the hair soared 3 meters into the sky had come true.

Not 3 meters, but a length that seemed to exceed 3,000 meters poured out endlessly from behind the house.

"As expected of Kim, the manager. His hair grows really well."

"I know, right. It grows really well."

They retreated to avoid the hair flooding the yard. The hair loss medicine that Kim, the manager, made was effective.

Really effective.

* * *

Lee Baek-ho, the grandson of the Hunter Association's chairman.

Born in Gold City, he grew up like a young master. That was the same even after he became a Hunter.

Because he had a wide network of connections, he was always called by top teams whenever he went on subjugations, so he had never had a hard time.

He, who had been like that, was now covered in dirt and sweat, gasping for breath.

'N, no way, I didn't think the test would really be cutting down trees.'

He gritted his teeth as he dragged a huge log.

The guide, Guu, was walking in front. Kim Nari was next to him.

His expectation that protecting a child would be the real test was wrong.

There were no monsters in this area that would attack them because they smelled of Cheon Dowoon.

"L, little one. How much further until we arrive?"

"We're almost there, Mister. If you're tired, I can carry it for you."

"No. What would a little kid do?"

No matter how tired he was, he couldn't make a 7 or 8-year-old child suffer.

Lee Baek-ho dragged the log alone, worrying about things he didn't need to worry about.

After walking for 10 minutes, exhausted and only looking at the ground, he finally heard welcome news.

"Mister. We're here. That's our house."

Lee Baek-ho raised his head at the words that they had arrived.

He could rest now. He smiled at that joy, but that emotion disappeared the moment he saw the house.

He was so surprised that he dropped the log he was carrying.

"W, what is that?"

A bright green fluorescent house full of handprints. Black hair was crawling out from behind the house, which looked like aliens would pop out of it.

"Wh, what, what...!"

Goosebumps ran all over his body. The moment he took a step back, the hair rushed in at an explosive rate, as if it were multiplying.

"Aaaagh!"

Lee Baek-ho's legs gave way and he collapsed.

A hand suddenly popped out from the hair that came up to his chest. The hand began to crawl out, supporting itself on the ground.

Ah, I think I've seen something similar in a horror movie.

Lee Baek-ho thought with his eyes rolling back. What he saw before he fainted was a ghost dragging its hair and crawling on the ground.

"Ugh, my head is heavy."

Nam Ki-seok, who had unintentionally sent one person away, came out of his hair. He couldn't get up because his hair was pulling him down.

"B, Big Bro. Please help me. Please cut this off."

At Nam Ki-seok's request for help, Cheon Dowoon flicked his finger.

The thread that came out of his fingertip cut Nam Ki-seok's hair. The length reached the middle of his back, as he had initially hoped.

Someday, he would realize that Yoo Ji-ah's taste was his delusion and cut it short, but for now, he granted his wish for long hair.

"Thank you, Big Bro."

Nam Ki-seok stood up, sweeping his hair back.

His long, straight hair flowed smoothly. It was hair with such good texture that he could do a shampoo commercial.

Nam Ki-seok shuddered at the sensation.

It really grew. This is my hair. My hair that I parted with more than 10 years ago.

Nam Ki-seok turned to look at Kim, the manager.

Kim, the manager, was stuck in the hair that had risen to his chest.

'Don't worry about me, just go. Fighting.'

Kim, the manager, raised his thumb.

He had to correct and record the formula for the hair loss medicine, but that could be put off until later.

Right now, he was just cheering on the love of a young man.

Nam Ki-seok swallowed hard and looked at Yoo Ji-ah. Everyone's attention was focused on him. Yoo Ji-ah was also staring at Nam Ki-seok.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat slightly and walked towards Yoo Ji-ah.

He walked. He walked. He just walked past her.

Nam Ki-seok, who couldn't bring himself to talk to her, nonchalantly brushed past Yoo Ji-ah, his long, straight hair swaying.

Leaving only a subtle scent of shampoo, he disappeared beyond the bushes.

It was the result of being too nervous.

'What is he doing!'

Yoo-beom squatted down and laughed silently.

Cheon Dowoon covered his face with his hands as if he couldn't bear to watch. His shoulders were shaking slightly.

Nam Ki-seok, 27 years old. A guy who is fun to watch. The two looked at the place where Nam Ki-seok had disappeared with satisfied faces.

'Ah, today was fun too.'

After laughing for a while, they looked at Yoo Ji-ah.

They, who had monster cells mixed in, did not know the emotion called love.

They didn't know the emotion, but they knew the situation.

At this point, even if they were clueless, they couldn't help but know that Nam Ki-seok had feelings for her.

Yoo Ji-ah stared at the place where Nam Ki-seok had disappeared. Her expression could not be seen because she was wearing a bone helmet.

'I wonder what she's thinking.'

I'm curious, but let's not ask out of courtesy.

Cheon Dowoon shifted his thoughts and looked at Dodak, who was on his hand.

"I'm glad the leaves didn't grow like that with the initial version of the medicine."

-Hoo-oong?

"He's already having a hard time with this."

Cheon Dowoon stroked Dodak's afro-haired leaves with his hand.

A leaf fell fluttering with a crisp sound.

Cheon Dowoon, who caught it in the air, looked around Dodak's head.

There was nothing unusual where the leaf had fallen.

-Hoo-oong, hoo-oong.

Dodak scratched the area with Rootlets as if it were ticklish.

Crisp. Another leaf next to it fell. Cheon Dowoon, who also picked that up, smiled.

At this rate, it seemed like he would be back to normal in 3 days.

'Let's see. It's a waste to throw it away...'

Cheon Dowoon looked at the leaves in his hand and went to the garden.

He put a leaf in the mouth of Sasa, who was sleeping.

-Cheep….

Munch munch. Sasa mumbled in his sleep, chewing on what had entered his mouth.

Sasa, who was eating the Mandragora leaves he had so longed for, did not notice because he was sleeping.

"He eats well."

Cheon Dowoon put the remaining leaves in Sasa's mouth as well.

-Cheep, cheep…!

Ah, I think I'm having a happy dream right now. Sasa was diligently moving his mouth, dreaming of eating something delicious.

Sasa, who had eaten two Mandragora leaves in reality, fell fast asleep with a full face.

'There's quite a bit of strong Mana in the leaves too. It will help relieve the fatigue of molting.'

Cheon Dowoon got up and looked around the yard.

Half of the yard was covered in hair. Kim, the manager, was struggling inside, as if he were swimming.

"We should take this hair and donate it."

Kim, the manager, who had barely escaped, said, panting.

"It seems it was too early to sell it. I'm glad this is outdoors. If this had happened indoors, someone could have been buried and suffocated."

"Yeah. Adjust that part well on your own. By the way... why is that guy sleeping over there?"

Cheon Dowoon saw Lee Baek-ho passed out in one corner of the yard.

"This mister suddenly collapsed when he came home. He must have been tired."

Kim Nari answered, hovering around Lee Baek-ho. Was cutting down trees that hard?

Cheon Dowoon lifted Lee Baek-ho up. He laid him down on the pile of hair piled up next to the log house.

The hair sank in, acting as a mattress.

"Mister. Why are you laying him there?"

"If you sleep in a cold place, your mouth will turn crooked. The weather has gotten quite chilly."

"Ah. We have to keep him warm."

Kim Nari thought for a moment, then pulled the surrounding hair and covered it over Lee Baek-ho.

"I think this will keep him warm."

"That's right. He'll sleep well."

He looked tired, so let's leave him alone until he wakes up. Cheon Dowoon turned away, leaving Lee Baek-ho behind.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Lee Baek-ho, buried in the hair, groaned as if he was having a bad dream.

No one paid attention to that groan.