Kim Bora went to the lab with a few hair samples she had obtained from her struggle with Hana.
She had already conducted human experiments on herself to reveal the effects, but there were still many things left undiscovered. After a week, she gathered the effects and various reactions of the hair and brought them to the research department head.
Kim Jaeman, the department head, couldn’t help but mutter as he read the documents Kim Bora had brought.
“Fatigue recovery, relief from indigestion, mental clarity, instant vision recovery, hangover relief…”
The effects listed in the document were all over the place. If it were a medicine, shouldn’t the effects be somewhat concentrated? But the document Kim Bora brought stated that the effects were widespread.
“Bora, is this really accurate?”
Kim Jaeman asked in a tone that clearly showed he couldn’t understand. There was no health functional food that had effects like this.
Kim Bora was pushing for this to be classified as a health functional food rather than a medicine. If it were classified as a medicine, they would have to go through clinical trials and massive regulations. At least this way, it wasn’t a bad proposal.
But Kim Jaeman’s fundamental question was this:
“Is this really effective?”
Even if it were some otherworldly creature, could hair-infused water really have this level of effect? Was it possible that the endless overtime had messed with his head?
“It’s really accurate. I brought samples here because I thought you might not believe me.”
Kim Bora, expecting disbelief, pulled out a few more strands of hair, even though it meant Hana’s favorability might drop.
The image of Hana crying and protesting lingered in her mind… but it was the kind of anger that could be resolved with a single piece of candy.
If Hana were truly angry, she would turn her back and refuse to speak, as Kim Bora had learned over the past few days. She even thought about writing a book detailing Hana’s every behavior someday.
Kim Bora handed Kim Jaeman the water infused with Hana’s hair. Kim Jaeman took it and examined it closely with a frown.
“The color isn’t bad… and the smell is nice…”
It was a different reaction from before. Kim Bora also thought the color of the hair-infused water was quite pretty, and the smell was like clean, fresh air you’d find deep in a forest. It was always pleasant to smell.
“Is it really okay to drink this?”
Kim Jaeman asked, still skeptical until the end, but when Kim Bora nodded enthusiastically, he started drinking it. If it were deadly, Kim Bora wouldn’t still be around.
Kim Jaeman sipped the tea as if savoring a famous coffee brand. He planned to analyze every detail, from the first sip to the last. Every little thing mattered if they were going to sell this to the world.
As he held the teacup, Kim Bora noticed the subtle trembling of Kim Jaeman’s pinky finger.
That slight tremor gradually spread. Starting from his wrist, then to his shoulder, and soon, Kim Jaeman’s entire body was shaking.
After a while, Kim Jaeman regained his composure and set the empty cup down. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste of the tea, and then opened them to look at Kim Bora.
“This… is a masterpiece.”
“Right? Right?”
Kim Bora was confident that Kim Jaeman had experienced the same thing she had. Having a shared experience made it easier to talk about.
“This could take over the global green tea market… no, even beyond tea, it could dominate the entire beverage market…”
It smelled great, tasted good, was addictive, and even improved health? Investors would come running with bundles of cash, begging to invest. But there was one fatal flaw in selling this.
The supply was insufficient.
How much hair could grow, anyway? Humans typically have between 80,000 to 120,000 strands of hair, and since this creature was humanoid, it probably had a similar amount.
And they couldn’t shave Hana bald, so they had to maintain a certain length. Hair played a big role in appearance, so it would be foolish to cut it all off.
“Should we go for a premium strategy?”
“That’s the best approach, according to our research team’s findings.”
Kim Bora pulled out another document and showed it to Kim Jaeman. It detailed how to sell it at a high price and establish a brand.
Distribution was a concern…
There was no need to decide. The Starlight Guild had infiltrated every corner of the neighborhood to the point where there was a mart in every alley. In fact, even without going that far, it was obvious that the rare items would disappear somewhere along the distribution process.
It was clear that the distributors would be sneaky among themselves. Selling a limited-edition brand like this was much more profitable elsewhere, like a department store.
“Good job, go ahead.”
“Yes!”
As Kim Bora left, Manager Kim Jaeman’s thoughts grew deeper.
—
I was in a room that wasn’t called an isolation room but was named my room, snuggled in Kim Bora’s arms, watching TV. Last time, some people came and added a TV and various daily necessities to this space, which previously only had a bed.
Even now, the TV was showing a video of some comedian doing funny things.
“Hana? Isn’t it fun?”
Kim Bora, while hugging me, was rambling about this and that. This morning’s food was tasteless, she wanted to slap her superior, and so on—just useless chatter. I was expressionlessly watching the TV.
Maybe because I’m no longer human, even though the scenes on TV were funny, my facial expression didn’t show it. To others, I probably looked bored.
Snuggled in Kim Bora’s arms, I was happily eating the candy she gave me.
Bora really knows the candies I like.
I felt Kim Bora gently shaking my body. It felt comforting, and sleepiness slowly crept in. Strangely, being in Kim Bora’s arms felt like a human sleeping pill. I was gradually falling asleep.
“Uh… huh?”
I woke up to a rustling sound behind me. Bora, who was behind me, seemed flustered by my sudden movement. Feeling something cold and metallic touch my neck, I quickly escaped from her arms.
“Eeeeeek!”
Kim Bora was holding a pair of scissors, cutting my hair.
How could this be! I trusted Bora!!! I trusted her!!!
Last time, she plucked my hair strand by strand, and now she was outright cutting it with scissors.
And she was carefully placing my cut hair into some box. I didn’t like the feeling of my hair being cut, so I ran away.
When I was human, having my hair cut didn’t bother me, but now my instincts were screaming that my hair shouldn’t be cut. Trusting my instincts, I bolted away from Kim Bora.
“Hana… I’ll give you candy, won’t you come?”
Kim Bora and I were facing each other with a bed between us, like cowboys in a standoff in the wild. She slowly moved, trying to lure me with grape-flavored candy. I was confident I wouldn’t fall for such a cheap trick. Considering my age, it would be weird to be swayed by a piece of candy.
Kim Bora seemed flustered when I didn’t move as she wanted.
Hehe… I’m not a kid who’ll fall for candy.
But then, Kim Bora’s next move left me stunned.
She pulled out not one, but three candies from her pocket! And they were my favorites—strawberry, grape, and melon flavors.
Seeing those candies, I was drawn into her arms like a magnet. She was a human black hole, capable of pulling in everything alive.
Snuggled in Kim Bora’s arms, I happily ate the candy and giggled. My hair would grow back anyway, so getting candy from Bora was a much better deal.
