Most people killed time on their phones when insomnia hit. Seong Min, however, had discovered something worse: an ad that refused to go away.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have been selected to take the Ultimate Potential Test™.
"Right. And next you'll tell me I've been dropped into a shōnen manga," he muttered, sprawled on his narrow bed in the cheap apartment he rented alone.
The ad wouldn't close, no matter how much he swiped. With a sigh, he tapped it.
A sleek survey appeared.
Do you prefer to observe or act?Would you rather command loyalty or desire?Do you see the world as pieces or as a whole?
He answered lazily, half sarcastic.
Observe. Acting is overrated.Desire. People chase it more desperately than loyalty.Pieces. The board is always there—you just move the right ones.
Then came the kicker:
What color do your eyes burn with?
"…Purple. Because why not."
The survey bar hit 100%.
PROCESSING… AWAKENING PROTOCOL INITIATED.
The phone vibrated violently, flooding the room with blinding light.
"Whoa—what the hell? I didn't order fireworks!"
A sudden sting lanced through his right eye. Seong Min hissed, clutching his face. When the glow faded, everything looked sharper. The scratches on his desk, the faint creak of a pipe upstairs, even the flutter of wings outside his window—all crystal clear.
Stumbling to the mirror, he stared. Same lean frame. Same unimpressed face. But his irises—just for a second—glimmered violet, like some hidden lens clicking into place.
"…No way," he whispered.
The phone buzzed again. One final message appeared on the black screen:
Congratulations, Seong Min.The Eye of Insight has Awakened.
And then it vanished.
Seong Min exhaled, leaning against the wall. Eye of Insight. Great. What's next, superpowers on subscription?
But deep down, he knew better. Because he wasn't just any kid.
He remembered Earth. The real Earth.
The world he lived in now—the one with brutal gangs, legendary fighters, and schools where hierarchy was decided with fists—wasn't supposed to exist.
It was a story.A manhwa.Lookism.
And in that story, the pieces on the board weren't just people. They were monsters.
Gun Park—one of the strongest monsters of all.
And somewhere in that same bloodline… was him. The forgotten twin Seong Min Park.
Seong Min's lips curved into a thin smile. "Perfect. I got thrown into Lookism without plot armor. But with this—" he tapped the faint glow in his eye "—I might not need it."
Tomorrow, school would begin. And so would the game.
The world was a chessboard. And for the first time, Seong Min wasn't just a piece.
He was ready to become the player.
End of Prologue
(lookism AU)