Chapter 20:Money and Talent Pour In

Chapter 20: Purchase of Information Ticket (1)

The buffet food was tastier than expected.

Of course, the friends were great too.

Seeing the teacher after such a long time, as well as people he hadn’t been particularly close with, felt surprisingly nice just being here in this moment.

“Man, back then it really was like that.”

“It was freaking hilarious.”

“Ha, time passes so damn fast, doesn’t it? Thinking I already have to start preparing for employment feels depressing as hell.”

“Ugh, the stress is real.”

“I hear that morning and night every day. Employment, employment.”

“…Must be tough for you too.”

“It’s just daily life now, what can you do.”

Even in the middle of all that, Kim Mi-so was busily moving around. After chatting at the next table, she now approached Ryu Seong’s table.

“Hi?”

“Hey, hi.”

“You know about the fundraiser this time, right? I know it’s a burden, but I’d really appreciate it if you could help even a little. You can give whatever you’re comfortable with, but if it’s completely free-form, hardly anyone actually donates. Even a thousand won is fine. If you don’t have cash, I can receive transfers too.”

A thousand won really wasn’t a burdensome amount.

“Sure, here.”

But in reality, almost no one actually hands over just a thousand won.

They’d probably rather not give anything at all.

Lee Shin-woo, having already known about the fundraiser before coming, readily donated 50,000 won.

“Thank you.”

Kim Mi-so smiled brightly.

“It’ll really help the struggling juniors a lot.”

“Then that’s good.”

Choi Seong-chan took out his wallet, hesitated for a moment, then put in 20,000 won. Once again Kim Mi-so beamed, and Choi Seong-chan awkwardly cleared his throat, his face turning slightly red for no reason.

Well, everything was fine, but…

From Ryu Seong’s perspective, the quest came first.

“Can you help?”

At Kim Mi-so’s question, Ryu Seong lifted his head and looked at her.

“Before that, just one question.”

“What is it?”

“You can verify it with documents, right?”

“Documents?”

“Yeah. No matter how much it’s for charity, it’s still my money going to help juniors, so I’m a bit worried. Whether the school will actually use it properly and all. I could just trust you guys and hand it over, but it feels better to make sure everything’s clear.”

“Ah, that part…”

“That part?”

She seemed to have never thought about it.

After thinking for a moment, Kim Mi-so nodded as if she had come to her senses.

“I didn’t even consider that. I’ll talk to the school about it. The teacher is here right now anyway.”

“Then that works.”

“So… about the donation…?”

“You said bank transfer is okay too, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll send it by transfer.”

He transferred the money to the account number she gave him.

This amount should be more than enough.

Since this was the first quest that specifically said “donate a sufficient amount,” he decided to go all out and do it properly. If he could get at least 3 good deed points from this, he could immediately purchase the next information ticket—so it was definitely not a loss. Any extra points would make the following purchase that much easier, which was another gain.

“Sent.”

“Okay, checking…”

Kim Mi-so, who had been looking at her smartphone, suddenly opened her eyes as wide as physically possible.

“Uh, um, w-wait…?”

“What?”

“The—the amount seems wrong…?”

“I sent it correctly though.”

She showed him the phone screen.

10,000,000 won

The amount and the sender’s name were both correct.

“Looks like it went through fine.”

“Uh…?”

“And this might be a hassle, but please send me copies of the documents showing where the money is used too.”

With this kind of donation amount, he should easily qualify.

“Y-yeah. Of course.”

“Thanks.”

Afterward, they exchanged phone numbers.

She walked away to another table with a somewhat dazed expression.

“Yo, how much did you send to make her react like that?”

“A big one?”

“Wow… dude, seriously.”

He had said ten million, but who knows how much Lee Shin-woo actually understood by “a big one.”

He didn’t bother asking.

Still, at the word “one big bill,” Choi Seong-chan seemed startled. He glanced sideways at him and carefully leaned closer.

“Why are you suddenly like this? Buying chicken for the little kids was one thing, but aren’t you spending way too freely?”

“This much is fine.”

“How much did you make from crypto to be throwing money around like this?”

“Curious?”

“…Never mind, dude. Just asking.”

“Since the topic came up, I’ll tell you one secret.”

“What secret?”

“I think I’m about to get one more piece of information.”

“For real…?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Shin-woo’s pupils shook slightly.

“I’ll let you know after I hear it.”

“Ahem, I’d appreciate that.”

“Buy something nice for Habin and Hamin.”

“You buy it for them yourself.”

“Ah, should I? Sure, why not.”

It was an investment that absolutely could not fail. On top of that, he planned to turn the investment broadcast based on this information ticket into Nertube content anyway, so telling a friend about it was no problem at all.

There was just one thing.

The quest still hadn’t been cleared.

Apparently,

it seemed like it wouldn’t be complete until he received the document detailing the usage of the funds from the school—or at least received firm confirmation that it would be provided.

*

Kim Mi-so moved busily around.

She went from table to table collecting donations, but the person who left the strongest impression was undoubtedly Ryu Seong. Ten million won was an enormous sum for people still in their twenties. Not only had he donated it casually, but he had also pointed out an aspect she hadn’t even considered.

“Strange.”

She vaguely remembered seeing him back in high school in the film appreciation club, but the memory wasn’t clear. A quiet male student who hadn’t particularly stood out—that was Ryu Seong in Kim Mi-so’s mind.

“But today…”

The atmosphere was completely different from back then, giving her a strange yet refreshing feeling.

Thud.

Even while lost in thought, she steadily kept walking.

“Ah, Teacher.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I’ve gone around to every table, but there’s something I’d like to ask.”

She gathered herself and asked for Kim Chang-ho’s attention.

“The amount collected ended up being much larger than I expected, so… would it be possible to receive documentation from the school regarding how the funds will be used?”

“You mean a breakdown of expenditures?”

“Yes.”

Kim Chang-ho nodded readily.

“Of course it’s possible. I’ll let them know.”

“Thank you so much.”

“More importantly, that was a good idea. Yes, no matter how much it’s our alma mater, we should be thorough about these things. Absolutely.”

“Ah, actually… it wasn’t my idea.”

“Hm? Then whose?”

“Um… it was Ryu Seong who…”

“Hoo, really?”

Kim Chang-ho let out a hearty laugh.

“So how much was collected today?”

“Uh, it’s not exact, but roughly around 13 million won, I think.”

“What? 13 million?”

“Yes.”

“Huh… how in the world…”

There were roughly 100 people at the reunion. Even if each had donated 30,000 won, that would only be 3 million.

13 million per person on average? No way.

That meant someone had made a very large single donation.

In that instant, Kim Mi-so’s gaze landed on someone. Following her line of sight—

It was Ryu Seong.

Kim Chang-ho looked at him and asked,

“Looks like one person gave a lot, huh?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

It was easy to guess roughly how much.

And exactly who it was.

“Good. That’ll be a huge help.”

Seeing his former students grow up like this filled him with genuine pride.

“Well then, Teacher, I’ll head back to my seat now.”

“Sure, you must be hungry.”

“Yes. And I’ll come by the school again tomorrow.”

“Alright. Eat plenty.”

“Yep! You too, Teacher.”

“Haha, will do.”

Only then did Kim Mi-so fill her plate and satisfy her hunger.

A smile naturally formed on her lips.

She had felt so desperate to help when she saw juniors who couldn’t even afford proper workbooks because of money problems. Doing it alone had been difficult, which was why she had organized the fundraiser—and now she felt it had been the right decision.

“Delicious.”

It was a genuinely pleasant meal.

*

The next morning, Kim Mi-so visited her alma mater early, officially donated the collected funds, and received firm confirmation that she would be provided with a detailed record of how the money would be used.

At that very moment—

Ryu Seong, still half-asleep, opened his eyes.

[Quest Cleared!]

[The amount exceeds the standard threshold. Upper limit applied—additional bonus will be granted.]

[Settling…]

The ringing sound in his head was the reason.

[Settlement Complete.]

[Acquired Low-Grade Random Card.]

[Acquired 8 Good Deed Points.]

He had just woken up, so his mind was still foggy.

Like it was shrouded in mist.

But the moment he confirmed the 8 good deed points, that hazy mind cleared up as if it had never been foggy.

“8 points!”

He originally had 27 points, and with the new 8, the total became 35 points. Savoring the surging excitement, he opened the shop window.

The list appeared.

There was only one thing he needed to buy right now.

2. Random Stock & Coin Information

– You can acquire information related to domestic or overseas companies and coins, but the level of information is random.

Required Good Deed Points: 30

Without any hesitation, he immediately purchased item number 2.

[Purchase Complete]

[30 Good Deed Points have been deducted]

[Acquired ‘Stock Information Ticket’]

It was a stock information ticket, not a coin one.

Hmm.

A small sigh of disappointment leaked out.

“Stocks, huh…”

Stocks were good too, of course, but they couldn’t compare to the returns on coins. Coins could go up 10x in just a few hours, while stocks had a daily upper limit of 30%.

Still, whatever.

It was too early to judge since he didn’t yet know what the information was.

Please, let it be something good…!

He slowly reached out and touched the ‘Stock Information Ticket’ floating in the air. The card emitted light and unfurled like a document with a smooth rustle.

The words lined up below.

Ryu Seong took them in slowly, as if savoring each one.

[On July 10th, the stock of Power Edison Co., Ltd., which listed that day, hit the lower limit right on its first day. While many retail investors trembled with anxiety, one public disclosure was posted. It announced that Power Edison Co., Ltd. had established an electric vehicle collaboration with major conglomerate H Company. Investors cheered at the news, and starting the next day, that enthusiasm began to be reflected in the stock price. As if to prove it, on July 11th, Power Edison Co., Ltd. hit the upper limit. The following day, July 12th, it also recorded the upper limit. One can only wonder how long this intense heat will continue.]

That was the end of the content.

“…”

For now, it was certain that it would hit the upper limit for two consecutive days.

However, there was no further outcome specified.

Nothing about how high it would go or until which day it would keep rising.

The information was already in his hands.

Pushing aside the slight disappointment,

he first needed to accurately assess the situation.

Two consecutive upper limits were confirmed.

The question was what came after.

Should he safely take the profit from two upper limits and get out?

Or…

Should he keep holding and watch?

If he did that and, by any chance,

it started plunging or trending downward from July 13th onward, he would clearly suffer a loss for no reason. But if it really was a collaboration on electric vehicles with a major conglomerate like H Company, there was plenty of potential for it to keep rising afterward. No matter what anyone said, these days were the era of electric vehicles.

“Well, there’s no need to choose just one.”

The deliberation didn’t last long.

All he had to do was sell in stages.

First, he transferred money into his brokerage account.

Spare cash: 230 million won.

Only after seeing that amount did the true value of two upper limits really hit him.

From 230 million, a 30% upper limit would turn it into 299 million. Then another upper limit on top of that would add another 30% to 299 million, making it a whopping 388.7 million won.

In other words, just hitting two consecutive upper limits would yield a pure profit of 158.7 million won. The phrase “two upper limits” sounded far more powerful when seen as clear numbers. The feeling of acceptance changed completely once he grasped it numerically.

Goosebumps already prickled across his skin.

No—no.

He might even see profits beyond that.

Right. Sell off the U.S. stocks too.

There was still about a week left until July 10th. If he sold the U.S. stocks before then and converted the dollars back to won, he could probably add at least another 20 million won or more.

“Ah, and get an emergency loan too.”

Until that day arrived, he decided to scrape together as much money as possible.

To maximize the profit.

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