I think people of a certain age will be more forgiving of the black box the MC is wearing if they remember a popular movie from their youth.
Remember how Mark Hamill changed appearance between
A New Hope and
The Empire Strikes Back?
I think the MC in this story suffered the same fate. He obviously had an unfortunate shaving accident, and the only way to save him was to graft a large black box onto his face.
We're all fortunate the MC survived the accident, although it raises some questions about how he performs oral sex now...