Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 1

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My self-esteem hit rock bottom, and as a result, I gradually became more withdrawn.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

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]

[You have chosen 0. Infancy.]  

[Please fill in the name of your character.]  

[Do you want to begin playing?]  

‘How can someone be this handsome?’