Chapter 5: Money and Talent Pour In

 

            Chapter 5:Changing Hearts (3)

There was no time to wallow in lament.

1. “Alright, time to head out.”

The whole family had to leave the house together. Though things felt a bit chaotic, the shock had eased somewhat by the time they got in the car and started moving.

“The weather is disgustingly nice today.”

The breeze was cool and refreshing too.

As they drove along the road, the destination appeared in the distance. It was a bit out of the way, but the space was so vast and well-designed that the old-world outlet mall had everything one could need.

“Is everyone hungry?”

“Super hungry!”

Ryu Hyeon-ah rubbed her stomach with a pitiful expression. Her father let out a hollow laugh and continued.

“Then shall we grab a light lunch first?”

“Yes! There are tons of good places here!”

“What are you craving the most?”

“Dim sum!”

“Oh, dim sum sounds nice. Shall we go there?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

With that, their first destination was decided. They parked in the underground parking lot of the outlet and headed to a dim sum restaurant famous for being a must-try spot. The place was already almost completely full.

“If we’d come just a little later, we would’ve had to wait in line.”

“Good thing we came early.”

They found a table and checked the menu.

“Let’s get this, this, and that one…”

“Please check these off.”

“Ah, yes!”

Even though they ordered a variety of dishes, the wait wasn’t long. Less than five minutes later, all kinds of food were placed on the table.

“Wow, they come out fast.”

“Shall we dig in?”

Father and Mother were the first to put a juicy dumpling into their mouths. They closed their eyes gently, savoring the taste. Seeing their expressions, the younger siblings quickly started moving their chopsticks too.

“Mmm, as expected…”

“Ooh…!”

Ryu Seong also tried one.

Hmm, it’s good.

The juices weren’t fishy at all and carried a rich, savory flavor. The filling was perfectly packed with various vegetables and meat. The natural, understated taste that spread across the palate was pleasant.

This one’s nice too.

He inhaled the dim sum without pause.

“Ugh, I’m stuffed.”

Now that their stomachs were full, it was time for a cup of coffee. They stopped by the café right next door, and after drinking a cool iced Americano, their mouths felt refreshed.

“Alright then, shall we start looking around?”

The real shopping had begun.

A little while later.

After about an hour of buying the few things they actually wanted, time began to crawl at an agonizing pace.

“Ughhh…”

In truth, the three men had already finished their shopping.

The ones left were the two women.

But Mother and Ryu Hyeon-ah showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

“Mom! This one’s pretty too!”

“Oh my, shall we take a look?”

“Yes yes!”

How do they have so much energy? They went into every store they could see, trying on clothes, bags, and shoes while giggling nonstop.

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped Ryu Seong without him realizing.

For a moment, their eyes met.

The tired gazes of Ryu Seong, his father, and Ryu Hwan intertwined in midair.

They exchanged wordless, sympathetic looks of mutual consolation. At that exact moment, Ryu Hyeon-ah came out of the fitting room after changing, smiled brightly, and asked,

“Daddy, Daddy. Isn’t this pretty?”

“Our daughter looks pretty in anything.”

“Hehe, then should I get this one?”

“Shall we?”

For a brief second, Father gave a triumphant little smile.

However, Ryu Hyeon-ah was not so easily satisfied.

“Wait, hold on! I feel like I should look a bit more…”

“Hm? Really…?”

“Daddy, I’m gonna go try that one on too!”

“…Sure.”

“Hehe, this one’s pretty too! And this one!”

“…Yeah, they really are pretty.”

It seemed shopping wouldn’t be wrapping up anytime soon today either.

He was completely exhausted.

“Haa…”

Just when would this shopping trip ever end? The question turned into endless thoughts swirling in his mind, leaving him to zombie-like follow his family with a dazed gaze. It was around the time when one store looked just like another.

[Ding!]

The now-familiar notification sound snapped him back to attention.

This is…?

A hologram suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Quest Activated!]

[Donate a certain amount to the donation box in front of you.]

[Time Remaining: 1 minute]

[Success Reward: Random Card, Goodwill Points.]

[Quest Failure: Severe abdominal pain.]

He spotted the donation box in the middle of the walkway.

There were people nearby too.

Turning back after passing by would look suspicious, so he needed to act quickly. Plus, his position was perfect—he was at the very back of the family. No way was he letting this chance slip.

He glanced at his family once more and pulled out his wallet. He always carried cash just in case, so it was quite thick.

This should be enough.

He took out 300,000 won and headed naturally toward the donation box.

Step.

Getting caught by his family would be a bit embarrassing, so he felt oddly rushed.

Almost there…!

As he tried to insert the cash into the slot, his hand kept fumbling, but he managed to shove it in somehow.

[Quest Cleared!]

[Settling…]

It was the moment he turned away, eyes on the hologram.

Ding-a-ling.

The person next to the donation box shook a bell.

“Thank you for your donation!”

The near-90-degree bow and booming voice made the family ahead turn around.

“Hm…?”

“Huh?”

Father, Mother, and the two siblings stared wide-eyed at Ryu Seong.

For a long while.

By the time Ryu Seong’s face had turned beet red, Father approached with a pleased smile.

“You donated?”

“Yeah, well…”

At the affirmative response, Father smiled softly.

“That’s admirable. It’s a good cause—want to do it together?”

Father pulled out 100,000 won and donated.

It felt strange.

Watching him, the embarrassment faded away, replaced by a new emotion that bubbled up from somewhere deep inside.

Pride.

Mother and the two siblings, who had come over, grinned.

“Ahem…!”

Embarrassed again, he pretended not to notice and strode ahead. Behind him, Father and Mother exchanged satisfied smiles, while Ryu Hwan and Ryu Hyeon-ah hurried to catch up, deliberately staring at his face and giggling.

“Ugh, seriously!”

Finally unable to endure it, Ryu Seong yelled and ducked into a nearby clothing store like he was hiding.

*

After that, he couldn’t focus on shopping anymore.

His mind was entirely on the quests.

The 3 Goodwill Points from clearing the donation box quest brought his total to 10, enough for a random draw—but he didn’t have the bandwidth to think about that. His head was too tangled with worries about the direction the quests were pointing him in. Focusing on the quests themselves revealed a pattern.

The first: A hospital donation.

The second: Saving a dying kitten next to its mother cat.

The third: The street vendor grandma.

The fourth today: Street donation box.

The common thread in all of them: A helping hand for the powerless.

Helping.

Faced with that simple yet profound word, Ryu Seong briefly recalled old memories. He too had a grueling past that was hard to forget.

Around 12 years old, maybe.

Father’s business was faltering, shaking the family to its core. They kept begging for help from those around them, but no solution came. Debts piled up higher, and the house kept shrinking bit by bit.

What was the point of dwelling on that life?

It was a cliché story.

Living in a single-room shack, cockroaches crawling out everywhere.

Every bit of money earned went straight to debt, leaving just enough for bare survival. Sometimes the boiler would cut out. There were times without electricity too. And when that hit during winter, he’d wash his hair in freezing cold water. Days on end of trudging to school, teeth chattering from the chill.

Well, those were all things of the past now.

Fortunately.

At some point, the family’s circumstances gradually began to improve.

When he’d asked about it before, he was told that one of the business items the company had barely managed to keep alive suddenly gained popularity, finally allowing them to breathe. After that, the business slowly expanded, debts were paid off, and now they were living comfortably without shortage.

Those memories remained vivid.

Not because they were filled only with bad things. Paradoxically, it was also the time when he could truly feel the warmth of the people around him.

During his upper elementary school years, he received meal tickets every vacation period. In middle school, teachers gave him workbooks for free. And in high school, once his homeroom teacher learned about the family situation, he even bought him gym clothes and sneakers. Strangely, every time things got tough, a helping hand would appear right when he needed it most, gently patting his weary shoulders.

Relatives and his father’s acquaintances would often visit, giving pocket money or bringing various side dishes. It wasn’t a one-time thing—the kindness kept coming steadily.

The quests he had cleared so far were clearly…

Yes, they resembled exactly that.

The actions he had taken under the pretext of quests were precisely the things that delivered that same warmth.

It was a good thing.

And because of that, it also proved that the quests weren’t appearing completely at random. They only showed up when there was someone nearby who genuinely needed help. That meant he couldn’t just sit around waiting. He had to go out, look around, and actively encounter those in need if he wanted to increase the chances of receiving a quest.

Only now did he clearly realize that fact.

No—grasp it, perhaps.

Thanks to that realization, his mind felt neatly organized.

If this is what you want…

“Let’s do this properly.”

From now on, he felt he could carry on without any hesitation at all.

*TOCTOC*Previous