I was ugly.  

 

You might wonder how ugly?  

 

“Hey. Sorry. But can you not come any closer?”  

 

At daycare, I first heard this when I was five.  

 

“I don’t want to be partners with Dong-hoo!”  

 

In kindergarten, a girl cried because she didn’t want to sit next to me when I was six.

 

“Get the hell away from me before I really kill you.”  

 

In first grade, I was threatened for merely getting close.  

 

In middle school, a girl cried just because our eyes met.  

 

In high school, I naturally became isolated and didn’t blend in with any group.  

 

College? 

 

Don’t even mention it.  

 

‘I get it.’

 

Even I found my appearance utterly hideous.  

 

They say even a hedgehog loves its own baby, but that wasn’t the case for me.  

 

My self-esteem hit rock bottom, and as a result, I gradually became more withdrawn.  

 

Not that I just gave up and did nothing.  

 

I exercised to not lose myself and picked up various hobbies.  

 

‘But what’s the point?’

 

In the end, the most important thing in a first impression is the face.  

 

My repulsive features were not something anyone could take kindly.  

 

Still, I didn’t give up.  

 

I finally realized.

 

‘My looks are really beyond help.’

 

Jokes about being ugly? You have to be endearingly ugly for that to work.  

 

If someone feels disgusted just by looking at you, how are you supposed to make them laugh?  

 

Have you ever had someone furrow their brow the moment they saw you?  

 

I have.

 

Every moment, I started off with a deduction because of my looks.  

 

The outcome always spiraled into an unimaginable worst-case scenario.  

 

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

 

I let out a sigh.  

 

What’s the problem? 

 

With that thought in mind, I turned on the internet again today.  

 

The only space where I didn’t have to reveal my face.  

 

A safe world where I could express myself solely in front of the keyboard.  

 

Clack. Clack. Whirr.

 

As soon as the game loaded, the screen went black for a moment.  

 

In that brief instant, I saw my reflection.  

 

The words ‘love yourself’ didn’t even come to mind.  

 

I had considered plastic surgery, but the estimated cost was absurd.  

 

How could someone in their 20s gather billions of won?  

 

Besides, reshaping my entire face—  

 

‘That’s just too scary.’

 

At times like this, playing a game was the right choice.  

 

‘Maybe I should try leveling up a new character.’

 

The game I usually played was set in a modern world with customizable characters.  

 

Because here, I could become the ideal ‘me’ that I dreamed of.  

 

In that regard, ‘Sims – Real Life’ was the best game.  

 

It was especially great because you could customize everything from the protagonist’s appearance to their background.  

 

If you add up the time I’ve played, it amounted to 50,000 hours.  

 

‘Sims – Real Life’ was practically my life.  

 

‘What kind of life should I live today?’

 

On the screen, I saw the image of a newborn baby.  

 

And beneath it, four choices appeared.  

 

[1. The luxurious life of a third-generation chaebol]  

 

[2. A moderately privileged silver-spoon life]  

 

[3. A life with nothing but no negatives either]  

 

[4. A life of extreme poverty with nothing but hardship]

 

Normally, I would always choose option 1.  

 

It was like playing the game in cheat mode.  

 

But today, I wanted to do something different.  

 

Option 3.  

 

A family background most similar to my current situation.  

 

As soon as I chose that, the customization screen appeared.  

 

After setting the background, the next thing to decide was the appearance.  

 

The range of talents one could choose depended on this.  

 

“Make it the best. No matter what.”  

 

Tall, long arms and legs, perfect proportions, and muscle definition.  

 

Needless to say, flawless facial features, a body that doesn’t gain weight easily, and no hair loss.  

 

An appearance that would be admired by both Western and Eastern standards.  

 

With my endlessly honed customization skills, my character appeared as if it was sculpted by gods themselves.  

 

And on top of that. 

 

[Charm is set to the maximum.]  

 

[Physical abilities are set to the maximum.]  

 

[You’ve acquired the perk ‘Thousand Faces.’ To anyone who sees you, your appearance will resemble their ideal type.]  

 

[You’ve acquired the perk ‘Thousand Talents.’ Everything you do is easy and you pick up skills effortlessly.]  

 

[You’ve acquired the perk ‘Smooth Sailing.’ Life unfolds easily for you.]  

 

I could even leech off the top-tier perks that could otherwise be enjoyed by only the seasoned players!  

 

This wasn’t something I usually did.  

 

After all, it was already an advantage to have a good background, and adding perks on top of that was just too overpowered.  

 

But today, for some reason, I was even more engrossed in the game.  

 

I couldn’t help but wish that somehow, this character could turn into my reality.

 

As soon as the customization and perk selection were completed, the next screen appeared.  

 

[The child born into an ordinary family was anything but ordinary.]  

 

[The title of prodigy was just the beginning; he was always a talent that amazed everyone.]  

 

[However, such talent couldn’t fully blossom due to the ordinary family background.]  

 

[But your talent is always ready to bloom fully.]  

 

[When would you like this talent to flourish?]  

 

[0. Infancy]  

 

[1. Childhood]  

 

[2. Adolescence]  

 

[3. Youth]  

 

[4. Middle Age]  

 

[5. Old Age]

 

This was the point where the real game began.  

 

The game start point varied depending on the stage one chose.  

 

The later stages would replace the earlier parts of the story with options like this.  

 

Normally, to skip the bothersome parts, I would have chosen ‘Youth’—  

 

“But today, I want to start from the very beginning.”  

 

[You have chosen 0. Infancy.]  

 

I felt a strong urge to play this character from the earliest stage of the game.  

 

[Please fill in the name of your character.]  

 

The name, of course, was Kim Dong-hoo.  

 

My own name.  

 

Something I had never tried before.  

 

Because then it would feel like my life. And not someone else’s.  

 

“I want to live like this just once.”  

 

[Do you want to begin playing?]  

 

Without hesitation, I pressed the start button.  

 

———-

 

I fidgeted nervously.  

 

At the age of five. 

 

On the verge of graduation from kindergarten.  

 

The kindergarten was warm with the heater running to fend off the late cold wave.  

 

“Hey. Sorry. But can you move a little closer?”  

 

“Why? We’re already close enough.”  

 

“Oh. No. It’s just… It’s nice and warm when we stay close together.”  

 

“Really? I don’t like being warm.”  

 

“… Alright. But at least don’t move farther away.”  

 

“Okay. Sure.”  

 

A girl appeared dejected after failing to get closer to the boy.  

 

At the same time, she strangely wore a pouty expression and revealed a hint of pride even at her young age.

 

“I’m a child actor, you know. Can’t you at least try to be nice to me?”  

 

“Why should I?”  

 

“… Ugh… Ugh… Waaah!”  

 

After trying again out of anger and being flatly rejected, the girl finally burst into tears.  

 

“Oh. Dong-hoo, stop making the girls cry already.”  

 

The kindergarten teacher appeared exasperated. She hugged the girl and tried to comfort her.  

 

“How can you already make girls cry like this?”  

 

“She’s asking for something unreasonable.”  

 

“That’s true. However, Su-jin isn’t usually like this… Geez.”  

 

The kindergarten teacher looked at the boy called Dong-hoo with a complicated expression.  

 

‘How can someone be this handsome?’  

 

In all her years as a kindergarten teacher, she had never seen a child this good-looking.  

 

To put it bluntly, he could outshine any active child actor.  

 

There was a reason why even the high-and-mighty child actor, Kim Su-jin, was struggling with him.  

 

And that wasn’t the only issue.  

 

“Hey, stop crying. You’re noisy.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“I’ll hold your hand, so stop whining.”  

 

“… Sniff. Sniff… Okay… Teacher, please put me down. I want to hold Dong-hoo’s hand.”  

 

“R-Really?”  

 

Such a strong masculine instinct for a six-year-old.  

 

His way of mixing both the carrot and the stick in his words was unbelievable.  

 

{TN:- The phrase ‘mixing both the carrot and the stick’ refers to a strategy that uses both rewards (the carrot) and punishments (the stick) to influence someone’s behavior.}

 

Even now, Su-jin had stopped crying and started smiling just because he agreed to hold her hand.  

 

If he were just moderately handsome, it would have been a situation that could be easily brushed off.  

 

But the instincts of those who had lived longer in life were flashing red warning signals.  

 

‘What is this boy going to become when he grows up?’  

 

With that face, communication skills, and seemingly universal talents.  

 

It felt like something extraordinary was going to emerge from Rainbow Kindergarten.  

 

The thought struck the teacher suddenly.  

 

———-

 

My life had been reset.  

 

‘Does this even make sense?’  

 

It wasn’t just a reset; it was a reset based on ‘Sims – Real Life.’

 

Everything was the same. Except for one thing.  

 

‘My face.’  

 

The character I had painstakingly customized with all those perks was now reflected in reality.  

 

And it wasn’t just the face.  

 

My appearance and the aura around me had changed 180 degrees.  

 

As a result, the attitude of those around me also changed.  

 

The kindergarten teacher, who had never been on my side, was still not exactly on my side, but her demeanor had changed significantly.  

 

‘What is going on?’  

 

Why did it turn out this way?  

 

If you get another chance at life, what should you do first? Buy land? Invest in Bitcoin? Stocks?  

 

Many thoughts crossed my mind, but there wasn’t much a five-year-old could do.  

 

The only thing I could manage was. 

 

“Dad, in the upcoming World Cup, I think Korea will make it to the semifinals.”  

 

It was about suggesting to my dad to bet on the World Cup miracle as soon as I got home.  

 

The key was not to say it just once but to keep mentioning it until he actually did it.  

 

By planting the idea well before the World Cup started, the chances of him listening to me would increase.  

 

‘It’s best to make a bit of a fortune with this.’

 

I didn’t have the talent to earn billions like other protagonists who go back in time.  

 

Those people were prepared, while I just reset without any preparation.  

 

‘Still, I can change my life.’

 

From daycare to the point when I used to play the game.  

 

The one thing I lacked despite all my countless efforts was my appearance.  

 

If that was filled in, how far could I go?  

 

I was looking forward to the days to come to find that out.  

 

And the first step for that was.

 

“… Can you hold my hand again later?”  

 

“Why should I?”  

 

To establish a strong bond with child actor Kim Su-jin.