Chapter 25:Money and Talent Pour In

  Chapter 25: Emoticon Revenue (1)

Holding Lucky in his arms, the waiting time continued once again.

*Nyaaa~.*

While petting Lucky and waiting, with nothing particular to do, he decided to look around the animal hospital. He also checked to see if there were any snacks he could buy for Lucky.

But it was bigger than he had expected.

It even has a third floor?

Out of curiosity, he went upstairs. The deeper interior of the second floor turned out to be the operating room, while the outer area appeared to be run as a cat-only hotel.

“Wow…”

The third floor seemed to be a dog hotel. The entrance was carefully managed, and in the dedicated exercise area in the center, several dogs were out playing. Just then, his eyes met with a nurse who was feeding the dogs.

“I got bored waiting and came up… there are a lot of dogs, huh?”

“Ah, yes. Quite a few.”

“It looks like you run a hotel here too.”

At those words, the nurse shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. They’re all abandoned dogs or abandoned cats.”

“Oh… really?”

He had thought it was just a hotel.

But it wasn’t.

“We provide free treatment for abandoned dogs and cats as a form of volunteer work. Over time, the veterinarian ended up taking care of them to this extent. Of course, we’re working hard to find them new owners. But… it’s not easy.”

“Hmm.”

He genuinely thought it was amazing.

In the past, he would have just said, “That’s nice,” and that would have been the end of it.

But now it was different.

It felt like a stopped clock had started ticking again—he began wondering if there was something he could do to help.

[Quest Activated!]

[Now Is the Era of Companion Animals!]

[This local animal hospital provides free treatment for abandoned dogs and cats and cares for them until new owners appear. They are doing good deeds, as are many others in various places. Sponsor three or more such facilities! Exceeding the goal grants additional rewards.]

[Sponsorship Goal: 0/3]

[Remaining Time: 10 days]

[Success Reward: Random Card, Good Deed Points]

[Quest Failure Penalty: You will be hit by a bicycle.]

The quest that appeared—as if in reward— was a new type he had never seen before. It had a high difficulty level, requiring him to help **at least three** places.

He wasn’t worried, though.

He had made a huge amount of money from stocks this time, so providing help wasn’t a burden at all. Deciding that he should do it properly, he spoke up.

“You’re doing really good work here.”

“Our doctor is a bit like that, yeah.”

“Um… is there anything I can help with?”

“Huh?”

“Well… even a small donation or something…”

The nurse gave a gentle smile.

“Ahh, it’s okay. It doesn’t seem like the doctor is particularly looking for that kind of thing…”

Makes sense. This place probably earns plenty of money already.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Still, just in case, why don’t you ask the doctor once?”

“Sure, thank you.”

There was a high chance the doctor would refuse, as the nurse said, but he still planned to ask. The doctor was very likely to know other people doing similar good work, so he might be able to get some help in that regard.

“Then I’ll head back down.”

“Okay.”

He went back to the first floor and waited a bit longer until the results came out.

“Lucky’s guardian, please come in.”

“Yes! How did it go?”

The veterinarian smiled softly.

“Fortunately, it’s not the viral infection you were worried about. It looks like simple inflammation in the trachea, so if you give him medicine for a few days and let him rest, he should recover quickly.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes.”

“Phew… that’s such a relief. Thank you so much.”

Only now did the tension finally ease.

He had been really worried.

“No problem. Also, he’ll need his vaccinations soon.”

“Ah, right.”

“You can come back after the cold is fully gone.”

“I will.”

“You’ve worked hard. Go get the prescription at the counter.”

“Yes. Oh, and one more thing…”

“Yes?”

“Do you happen to know any people who take care of abandoned dogs or cats?”

The veterinarian tilted her head.

“Why do you ask about them?”

“I saw the kids on the second and third floors and wanted to help in some way. Actually, I wanted to donate to this place too, but the nurse said it was fine, so I thought I’d at least donate to others.”

“Ahh…”

“Is that not okay?”

After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.

“It should be fine. Still, just to be safe, I’ll ask them first.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Here’s my business card. Contact me tomorrow or the day after, and I’ll let you know.”

---

“Understood.”

After that, he said goodbye and left the examination room.

*

On the way back home.

“There are so many…”

He spotted several stray cats.

When he hadn’t paid attention before, he never noticed—but now that he was looking, he realized cats were surprisingly everywhere. Most of them didn’t look to be in very good condition.

“Sigh…”

A bitter feeling settled in a corner of his heart.

Meanwhile, he arrived home.

Ryu Seong first set Lucky down and observed his condition.

*Nyaaa~.*

He definitely seemed to have a bit more energy.

“Lucky, let’s have some food and medicine.”

He quickly prepared the formula milk.

He mixed in the powdered medicine too.

Perhaps his appetite had returned, because Lucky eagerly dove in.

*Nyaa…?*

But while drinking, the little one flinched.

“Heh heh, tastes a bit bitter, huh?”

He pulled away for a second, then went back to drinking, tilting his head in confusion but continuing anyway. Then he paused, making a face as if seriously considering something.

*Nyaaaa?*

He cautiously went back to the milk again. The sight was unbearably cute. Normally he would finish every last drop without leaving anything behind, but because of the medicine today, he left quite a bit.

“You still have to finish it all.”

In the end, Ryu Seong scraped up the remaining milk with the special spoon and force-fed him.

*Nya aaaang…!*

Seeing the little one resist actually made him feel relieved.

“You’ve got some strength.”

When he slowly stroked between his eyes, Lucky stopped resisting and rolled over to show his belly. He stretched out his front paws and tightly grabbed Ryu Seong’s hand. The sensation felt incredibly good.

A smile naturally formed on his face.

Ryu Seong left one hand caught like that, and with the other gently rubbed Lucky’s soft pink belly.

Right then, Lucky coughed.

*—Keh!*

But it wasn’t a weak, collapsed cough.

“Really… thank goodness.”

He thought he would have to pay even more attention from now on.

This really was his new family member.

Suddenly, the feeling he had when rushing to the hospital came flooding back.

He had been in such a complete panic.

He must have grown way more attached than he realized.

“Ugh.”

After washing the formula bottle, he went into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Only then did he feel how sore his entire body was.

Oof, my whole body aches.

Just that little bit of tension had drained him this much.

He stared blankly at the ceiling.

Lucky had settled into his dedicated cushion and was already falling asleep.

A quiet time.

The vibration of his smartphone interrupted his rest.

He slowly reached out.

By accident he swiped the call button and hurriedly brought the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

(Writer-nim! It’s been a while!)

“Mm…?”

He pulled the screen away to check the caller ID—it was the emoticon contract manager.

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

(You remember me, right? It’s Choi Yeon-su from the emoticon team.)

“Of course.”

(The thing is… the response to this emoticon set has been really good.)

“Oh, really?”

(Yes! Because of that, it’s been included in a pretty big event. I called to let you know.)

Honestly, he was dazed.

A big event, she said.

Even hearing that, he had no real sense of how big or good it actually was.

(Um… have you not checked the sales status yet?)

“No, I’ve been a bit busy.”

(Ah, I see. Hehe, when you have time, please take a look. Anyway, because it got picked up for a really nice event this time, sales are going to increase a lot.)

“I see. Thank you.”

(That said, please don’t get your hopes up too high. Honestly, emoticon sales are usually highest in the first month. After that they tend to drop off pretty quickly, so keep that in mind!)

“Got it.”

(Alright then, rest well and I’ll contact you again later!)

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Well… how good could it be that they called him directly?

Now he was a little curious.

After ending the call, he checked the old message he had received before.

“This is it.”

He tapped the link in the message and it connected to the site. The dedicated emoticon page opened. He entered his ID and password, logged in, and the main screen instantly displayed the real-time sales status in a smooth scroll.

It showed daily sales, net profit, and the amount withheld for tax.

“…Huh?”

The problem was that the numbers were far from ordinary.

This much?

The emoticon had only been released for 5 days.

Total sales so far: 12 million won.

The pure profit payable to Ryu Seong had already exceeded 5.8 million won.

“Wow… damn.”

If things continued at this rate for a full month, 20 million won seemed easily within reach.

He was honestly shocked.

He hadn’t even imagined this.

So that’s why they called him directly.

And now a new event on top of that.

They said sales would increase even more, so it was obvious the revenue would rise beyond what it was now.

This is insane.

Seriously, that was the only word that came to mind.

Of course, there would be a drop-off after the first month, but since it had already far exceeded his original expectations, that wasn’t really an issue. For now, he could just enjoy this joy.

*

That evening, while eating dinner with his family, Ryu Seong casually mentioned his visit to the hospital.

“What? Really?”

“Aigoo, our poor Lucky. You went through so much.”

Not just his mother and younger sister—even his father looked seriously worried.

“The vet said it’s just mild inflammation, nothing to worry about.”

“Thank goodness, thank goodness.”

“I’ll handle giving him the medicine, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Then thank you.”

Later, when most of the food was gone, he lightly brought up the emoticon sales status as well.

He figured it was right to let his family know at least this much. That way, it would be easier when he spent large amounts of money in the future. Plus, he really wanted to share this happiness with them.

“Dad.”

“Hm?”

“The emoticon has been out for about five days now.”

“Oh, right. You mentioned it before.”

“I found out you can check the real-time sales status.”

“Really? That’s interesting.”

“I looked today… and the amount was bigger than I thought.”

At those words, his father smiled as if to say “well done,” while Ryu Hyeon-ah, true to form, immediately overreacted.

“Ooooh! Emoticon! How much? How many sold? What, maybe around 500,000 won at most? Then how much does oppa get? Can I get some allowance?”

“…”

Ryu Hwan, at least, reacted normally.

“Hyung, congratulations.”

“Thanks, you little punk. I’ll give you allowance.”

“What about me?! Oppa!!”

“You’re fine.”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Ignoring Ryu Hyeon-ah’s outburst, Ryu Seong held out his smartphone to his parents.

“Here’s the sales status. Take a look.”

“Okay, let’s see.”

His father took the phone.

His mother, who had been drinking water nearby, leaned in to look at the screen too.

“Uh… hm?”

His mother’s expression turned to shock.

Her pupils shook.

His father’s reaction wasn’t much different.

“Uh… this… is this for real?”

“Yes. I even got a call from the person in charge.”

“This is just five days’ worth?”

“Yes.”

“Right, the dates are here too. Heh heh…”

“Oh my, oh my…!”

They didn’t say the number out loud.

But just from their expressions, it was clear they understood perfectly. Ryu Hyeon-ah jumped up from her seat and ran around behind her father.

“How much is it that you’re reacting like that? One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million…?”

She even reached the ten-million mark.

“12 million won? For real? Oppa, you totally hit the jackpot!”

“That’s the gross sales.”

“Huh? Then?”

“My share is 5.8 million won at the back.”

“Crazy! Still—huge jackpot!!”

She could be really annoying sometimes, but her reactions were always spot-on. Her over-the-top excitement made even Ryu Seong’s shoulders shake.

He felt proud.

Telling his family about the emoticon earnings had been the right decision. The happiness was doubled.

“Oppa, you’re seriously the best! Insane!!”

Amid Ryu Hyeon-ah’s endless fussing, Ryu Seong gave a gentle smile.

“Sigh, stop it. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Stop? No way! My oppa is the best! Totally number one!”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes it is! Oppa, it’s so handsome!!”

“Aigoo, so cringy.”

“You could be an actor, seriously!”

“Stop, this is embarrassing.”

Her ulterior motive was painfully obvious.

Still, the good mood was real, so he kept the gentle smile on his face.

“Oppa, why do you look so cool today? Hm? Hm? You’re the best, the absolute best!”

“Yeah, yeah, Hyeon-ah.”

“Yes, yes! Why’d you call me, oppa!”

“But there’s still no allowance. You know that, right?”

“You—!!”

Anyway, what’s gone is gone.

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