The sky hung low with clouds that morning, casting a grey hue over the quiet mountain village. A thin mist clung to the forest trails, wrapping the world in silence. Inside the modest wooden house he'd called home for the last several years, Jin stood before the cracked mirror above his sink. But the man staring back wasn't the Jin who had walked into the underground lab the night before.
His new reflection belonged to someone else entirely—Daniel Park, or at least the idealized form of him from the manhwa Lookism. Flawless skin, sharp jawline, intelligent yet playful eyes. He looked like someone who belonged on a billboard in Seoul, not in the foggy shadows of an unknown village.
Jin raised his hand and touched his face. The skin was smooth, warm, alive. Every movement of his muscles responded with perfect fluidity. No pain, no strain. Just control—total, absolute control.
His heart beat steadily, but his mind raced.
This body wasn't human. Not exactly.
He had spent the entire night exploring the depths of the underground lab. Most of the advanced machinery had been destroyed in the explosion that had killed the scientists. But the core chamber where the consciousness transfer system had been located—miraculously—remained mostly intact. The system had accepted him. There were security measures, codes, bio-locks, but the moment he sat in the seat, the machinery responded like it had been waiting for him all along.
There had been pain, for a few seconds—a disorienting, stomach-twisting blur of light and heat. Then darkness. Then...
Life.
He didn't just inherit the perfect body. The data inside it—the billions of dollars' worth of knowledge infused into neural layers—was now his to access. He could feel it, like unopened doors in his mind, waiting to be unlocked. Every language. Every academic discipline. Martial arts. Artistic mastery. Social charisma. Seduction.
But it wasn't like he instantly knew everything. No. It was deeper than that. It was potential. He would still have to practice, study, apply. But now, every single thing he tried—he would master at an inhuman pace. A kind of divine learning curve. And his appearance...
Jin turned toward the small table by his bed. On it, among the few things he had salvaged from the lab, was the black phone—the one tool left behind by the scientists. It wasn't a normal device. When he touched it, the screen lit up with his vitals, facial structure, and even customizable appearance presets.
He could change how he looked. Instantly. With a few taps.
He hadn't tried it yet. But he would.
---
Later that day, Jin sat on the grassy hill behind the lab ruins, wearing a black hoodie and jeans that now fit him differently. His old clothes had been loose, ragged on his skinny frame. Now, they hugged a body that was built like a model and an athlete combined.
He had wrapped up the destroyed facility's entrance with debris and camouflage. No one in the village ever came out this far anyway. It would remain hidden.
He took out a small notebook—his journal, really. He flipped open to a blank page.
Plans:
1. Leave the village without drawing attention.
2. Go to Seoul.
3. Create a new identity.
4. Learn. Everything.
5. Begin the climb—academics, business, media, politics.
6. Build power quietly.
7. Live life with no limits.
And maybe... just maybe, indulge in the kinds of pleasures he used to only read about.
He closed the notebook.
---
That evening, Jin returned to the village, careful not to bump into anyone. He still needed to act like himself, at least until he left.
At the corner store, the old woman who ran the place squinted at him. "Jin-ah? You look... different. Did you cut your hair? Lose weight?"
Jin smiled softly and bowed. "Just been exercising more. Thought I'd take better care of myself."
She chuckled. "Well, good for you. You're still young. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet a nice girl in the city after all."
He smiled again, politely. Inside, though, he was already miles ahead.
---
By midnight, he had packed a small bag. A few changes of clothes, some leftover cash, the black phone, and a USB drive he had recovered from the lab that may have more data.
He left a note for the landlord, thanking him. Nothing dramatic. Just like a young man leaving for work.
And just like that, he began walking down the empty road leading away from the village—the road he once arrived on, defeated, small, forgotten.
The sky was starless. The trees whispered in the wind. But Jin Park didn't look back.
Because the man who had once lived in that village no longer existed.
And the world had no idea what was coming.
---
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