He found her near a construction site, her back bent under the weight of discarded cardboard boxes. This was how his mother was paying for his new life in the city. While he was busy enjoying the popularity and snacks that came with his handsome second body, she was skipping meals and scrubbing floors to afford his tiny studio apartment.
Hyung-seok watched as a group of reckless teenagers nearly knocked her over, laughing at the "old lady" in her tattered clothes. The anger flared in his chest—not the explosive, violent anger he felt when he was being bullied, but a deep, suffocating guilt. He realized that while he had been granted a magical transformation, his mother was performing a miracle every day just by surviving for him. He found her near a construction site, her
He approached her, his eyes stinging. He didn't use his "handsome" voice or his "perfect" face. He just walked up in his old, familiar self and took the heavy load from her arms. "Mom," he whispered. Hyung-seok watched as a group of reckless teenagers
In that moment, Hyung-seok realized the true meaning of the "Lookism" he had been fighting. The world judged him by his shell, but his mother was the only one who had been looking at his soul all along. As they walked together, her small hand in his, the expensive clothes and "perfect" features of his other life felt like cheap plastic compared to the warmth of her worn, hardworking hands. He approached her, his eyes stinging