Only Young, Korea’s flagship beauty store.

Hehe, who’s going to show up today?

Yoo Hana, a part-time worker at Only Young, was wiping the shelves and frequently glancing at the store’s entrance, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

She had been working here for a month.

Starting this job as soon as she turned twenty, she had recently found the work surprisingly fun.

The reason?

The store often saw its fair share of stunningly handsome men and gorgeous women.

Located in the upscale Gangnam district of Seoul, the store was surrounded by entertainment companies, making it a hotspot for celebrities and influencers.

Thanks to that, her days were filled with visual delights.

People she had only seen on her phone while growing up now appeared before her eyes, walking, talking, and interacting with her.

It had been overwhelming at first, with so much to learn and remember. But the thrill of spotting a celebrity or influencer at least once or twice a day made it exciting and enjoyable.

Her coworkers, seasoned with time, had told her she’d grow indifferent to it eventually.

But for now, it was what made her work so enjoyable.

And honestly, why were there so many attractive people in this country?

Even among ordinary customers, there were many with stunning appearances.

I hope a really handsome guy shows up today. Maybe even Han Sungbin, the face genius!

While organizing products on display with giddy anticipation, Yoo Hana suddenly heard the bell over the door jingle.

Ding-a-ling—!

“Welcome to Only Young!” she greeted cheerfully, her voice full of excitement.

But then—

“……!”

The moment she turned toward the entrance, she froze.

“Haah, haah… I need to buy… everything!”

The man who entered looked nothing like what she had been hoping for.

Oh… he’s incredibly ugly…!

A broad, flat face with small, slanted eyes stretched unnaturally to the sides.

A wide, flat nose and a protruding jaw completed a face that was the pinnacle of disharmony.

And to top it off:

His shaggy hair and unkempt beard, which covered his cheeks, chin, and upper lip, looked like they hadn’t been trimmed in ages, leaving her at a loss for words.

Yoo Hana couldn’t bring herself to meet the man’s eyes as he entered.

On the other hand, the subject of her intense disdain, Kang Hyunsoo, was completely unbothered.

His focus was solely on one thing:

[Sub-Quest for Handsomeness 4]
[Achieve Appearance Power 2 (1/2)]

I need to get more handsome! If I improve my face, my Appearance Power will definitely increase!

Ever since experiencing the overwhelming power of Bloom, Hyunsoo’s thoughts had been fixated on one thing: raising his Appearance Power at all costs.

After trying on every piece of clothing in his wardrobe and barely reaching an Appearance Power of 1, he realized he needed to find other ways to raise it.

As soon as Hyunsoo entered the Only Young store, his intense gaze swept across the shelves.

It looked as if he was ready to buy everything in sight.

But—

What should I buy…?

His fiery determination wavered the moment he saw the products on display.

Despite confidently entering the store, Hyunsoo had no idea what to purchase.

In truth, this was his first time in a beauty store.

In his previous life, he’d never cared about cosmetics.

To him, focusing on swordsmanship and leveling up had always seemed far more practical than worrying about appearances.

Hyunsoo had rarely, if ever, used even basic skincare products like lotion.

Which meant:

Toner? Serum? What do these even mean? They look like lotion, but…

He wandered aimlessly around the store, unable to decide what to buy.

Frustrated, he suddenly smacked his chest and turned to the flying Swallow hovering near his head.

“Hey, do you know what I should buy to get more handsome?”

“I’m not sure, Master.”

“What? You’re supposed to be my handsomeness helper!”

“As I’ve mentioned before, Master, my knowledge is based on your memories and experiences. I know the language of this country because of you, but if it’s not something you’ve encountered, I won’t know either. I’ll gain more knowledge over time, but I currently have no information about this store or beauty products.”

“…You’re useless.”

Shaking his head in disappointment, Hyunsoo resumed wandering through the store.

From Yoo Hana’s perspective, it was a terrifying sight.

During the quiet morning hours, a rough-looking man had stormed into the store, pacing around angrily and muttering to himself.

In reality, Swallow was invisible to others thanks to its stealth skill, so to Hana, it looked like Hyunsoo was talking to thin air.

Understandably, she was growing more nervous by the second.

Still, she followed her training.

“Do… do you need any help?”

Her voice trembled, barely audible.

Despite her fear, she knew staying calm and professional was the best way to avoid provoking the strange man.

Given his rough appearance, she guessed he’d buy some travel-sized toiletries or snacks.

Her plan was to assist him quickly and get him out of the store.

But her voice was so soft that Hyunsoo didn’t even hear her.

Oh no, he didn’t hear me! Should I speak louder? What if he gets angry and yells at me?

Panicking, Yoo Hana fidgeted with the neatly arranged products, rearranging them yet again to calm her nerves.

Then, the unexpected happened.

“Screw it. I’ll just buy everything.”

With a resigned shake of his head, the rough-looking man grabbed a basket.

And then—

Clink! Clatter! Plunk! Thud!

He began piling products into the basket—one of each kind—before heading toward the checkout counter.

“I’ll take all of these.”

“A-all of these…?”

Yoo Hana was taken aback.

Not only was this entirely unexpected, but she had never seen a customer buy so much before.

At first, she wondered if he was joking, but his serious expression said otherwise.

Hyunsoo looked genuinely determined—grave, even.

To an outsider, he might have seemed furious.

“Let me ring that up for you.”

Feeling a little intimidated, Yoo Hana quickly moved to the register and began scanning the items in his basket.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

As the total climbed higher and higher, Hana couldn’t help but glance at Hyunsoo’s face.

Up close, it was even rougher than she had imagined.

His features weren’t just asymmetrical—they were downright chaotic. His skin was riddled with acne scars, pockmarks, and even a few blade scars that added to his menacing appearance.

Why… why is he buying all this?

Her hands continued scanning item after item while her mind buzzed with questions.

Most of the products were women’s cosmetics, including makeup rarely used by men, like eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks.

By this point, curiosity got the better of her.

Hana bit her lip and cautiously asked:

“…Are these for a gift?”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s just that most of these are women’s products, so I thought maybe they were for someone else. Hehe.”

Fearing she might offend him, Hana forced a bright smile as she spoke.

Judging by the items he chose, she assumed he was buying them as gifts for his girlfriend or mother.

Perhaps his earlier muttering had been a phone call through wireless earbuds.

I shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. Shame on me, Yoo Hana!

She silently scolded herself for her prejudice, feeling a bit guilty.

But then Hyunsoo’s response shattered her expectations.

His answer completely overturned everything she thought she knew.

“No, they’re for me.”

***

Despair, regret, remorse.

People often say,

"If I could go back to the past, I would live a different life."

Even though their current life might be filled with disappointments, they believe that returning to the past with the knowledge they now possess would allow them to achieve a different, better outcome.

Regression.

The act of returning to the past while retaining all the memories of one’s previous life.

After the Great Cataclysm, when the world transformed into something akin to a game and countless skills emerged, regression remained something no one had ever encountered.

But in the moment I stood at death’s door, an opportunity found its way to me.

Betrayed by my lover and best friend, teetering on the brink of death, regression activated, and I returned to seven years ago.

Revenge, retribution, punishment.

The moment I returned, I swore to exact vengeance upon Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun.

Even though their betrayal had occurred in my previous life, the deception that started it all was happening at this very moment in this timeline.

I needed power. The strength to overwhelm the two of them, who were both stronger than me.

As much as I wanted to rush at them and retaliate immediately, the difference in our levels made it clear that I needed to grow stronger first.

Victory was within reach.

Having regressed seven years, I possessed knowledge and experience that could allow me to surpass them far more quickly this time.

And yet, here I was now, doing something completely unexpected.

Tap, tap—tap tap tap—

“Oooh, nice. My skin’s looking whiter already.”

I was standing in front of a mirror… applying makeup.