Chapter 45:Money and Talent Pour In

 Chapter 45: Talent Observer (1)

The movie I invested in, *Seoul War*, was released on August 25th.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much.

I didn’t think it would give me the same thrilling sensation I felt from *Darkness Descends*.

Still, since I had poured 50 million won into it, I couldn’t skip watching it. I also needed to verify how accurate my scenario judgment really was.

It was still early in the day.

After eating breakfast, I headed to the movie theater on time.

“Welcome! How can I help you?”

“One person set, please.”

“Would you like a large or regular drink? And what flavor for the popcorn?”

“Large drink, and caramel popcorn, please.”

I handed over my phone, and the payment went through.

*Beep.*

After getting my phone back, I waited a moment before my drink and popcorn arrived. I carefully carried them and headed to Theater 7.

An unexpected sight greeted me.

Even though it was a weekday morning, there were quite a lot of people.

The line was long enough that I had to wait.

“*Seoul War*, confirmed!”

After a short wait, I entered the theater. Once again, my seat was in the center. But unlike last time, I couldn’t walk through easily—someone was sitting in the aisle seat.

Not just there, but overall, empty seats were hard to find.

There are more people than I thought.

They must have promoted it properly.

With that, my expectations rose again.

*Just please be entertaining.*

Soon, the advertisements began.

I turned off my phone.

In the quiet darkness, the first scene I had read in the script appeared on screen.

[You bastard…!]

[It starts with you. I’ll begin… with you.]

The prelude to revenge.

Whoa…!

The dialogue had changed slightly, but it suited the visuals much better. The appropriate tension that followed, the started fight, and the various sneaky moves hitting the opponent from behind.

The brutal yet realistic action caught my eyes, and the characters’ behaviors branching from it moved with surprising plausibility.

*This is actually fun…?*

It was better than when I read the script.

That much was certain.

When the movie ended, small exclamations from the audience around me hit my ears.

“Wow, that was pretty damn good.”

“The action was solid.”

“Movies these days are actually entertaining.”

“Nothing beats *Darkness Descends*, though.”

“I’ll give you that.”

“Still, it was worth watching.”

“Movies like this actually pull in more audiences.”

The corners of my mouth twitched upward.

It felt good.

Since it was a scenario I had judged with the quest-given talent, I never really doubted it. But seeing the actual reactions in person gave me real confidence in movie investment.

“If the profit is decent…”

Once the talent becomes usable again, I can keep investing right away.

[Talent: Eye for Scenarios]

[Can be used once every 90 days and lasts for 24 hours. Allows analysis of a scenario’s plausibility, immersion, artistic quality, and box office potential.]

[Currently unavailable.]

[Time until reuse: 41 days]

There was still quite a bit of time left.

For now, there was nothing to worry about.

*

Even as I left the theater, I kept my ears open to the people around me.

“Man, the action was insane.”

“Shit, that was awesome.”

Most of the conversations I overheard were positive. It seemed that the parts that were lacking in the original script had been properly supplemented, bringing it much closer to a big hit.

“The weather’s nice too.”

Even after leaving the theater, it wasn’t that hot. The sweltering heat had finally retreated, and early autumn was clearly in the air.

I was walking home in a good mood.

*Hmm?*

In the mini soccer field set up in one corner of the park, I spotted a familiar little kid.

“Here! Pass it here!”

“Give it to me too!”

“Hurry up and block him!”

A group of children was running around with great passion. But among them, one small boy was just standing there watching. It was the very kid who had given me my first quest failure.

“Hey.”

“Ah, hello!”

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes…”

“Did you enjoy the chicken?”

“Yes, my younger siblings really liked it. Thank you.”

“No need. It was a while ago, no big deal.”

Come to think of it, I got curious.

“Have you been eating chicken well since then?”

“Ah, yes. Whenever I pass by, the uncle sometimes gives me some.”

“Wow, that must’ve been nice.”

The child smiled bashfully and scratched the back of his head. I watched him for a moment before turning my gaze forward. The other kids were passionately running after the soccer ball.

“But why are you only watching?”

“Ah, well…”

“What is it?”

“I… don’t have soccer cleats.”

For a second, I didn’t understand what he meant. I turned my head and checked the shoes of the kids playing soccer. Some were wearing proper cleats, but others were just wearing regular sneakers.

Then why?

Could he be getting bullied?

“Do they not want to play soccer with you?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that. They keep asking me to join, but I told them I’m fine.”

“…?”

When I looked at him puzzled, the child lowered his head.

“If I run around in regular sneakers, they’ll get ruined quickly. Then I’d have to buy new ones…”

At the unexpected reason, Ryu Seong’s face hardened.

*Ah, he’s worried about ruining his sneakers.*

That’s why he was only watching.

He had grown up far too quickly.

This kid was living a completely different kind of life.

The moment I realized that, I couldn’t even bring myself to speak carelessly. If it weren’t for the ‘Composure’ talent, it would have taken me quite a while to steady my shaken heart.

“So that’s why?”

“Yes…”

I casually reached out and patted the child’s head.

“It wasn’t anything serious. Last time you followed me and something good happened, right? Today will be the same, so come with me.”

“Uh, but…”

“It’ll only take 3 minutes.”

I started walking ahead, and after hesitating for a moment, the child slowly followed.

“Hurry up.”

The quest was also pushing Ryu Seong forward.

[Quest Activated!]

[Soccer requires soccer cleats!]

[There is a child who cannot play soccer because he’s worried about ruining his sneakers. Immediately gift this child soccer cleats and various other soccer equipment!]

[Time Remaining: 60 minutes.]

[Success Reward: Random Card, Good Deed Points.]

[Quest Failure: You will be hit by a soccer ball.]

I knew exactly where everything was in the neighborhood.

If I walked for just 3 minutes, there was a sports goods store. Since that was my original destination anyway, I didn’t even need to change direction.

However.

Just as we arrived near the store.

“…Why exactly…”

The child suddenly stopped in his tracks. Ryu Seong turned around, and the boy was looking up at him with an expression of complete incomprehension.

“Why… are you doing all this for me…?”

“Hm?”

“You bought me chicken before, and now you’re trying to buy me something again…”

Ryu Seong looked straight into the child’s eyes.

There, he sensed a deep, wide shadow of darkness.

“If it’s because you feel sorry for me…”

The feeling wasn’t good.

His hesitation was brief.

Ryu Seong spoke with a firm, resolute tone.

“You’ll have to pay me back later.”

“…Huh?”

“Pay it all back later. You weren’t planning to just take it for free, were you?”

“Ah…”

“I’m going to take everything back. Got it?”

When he strongly emphasized that he would take it back, the dark emotion clouding the child’s face faded a little. Instead, something like a strong determination appeared in his eyes.

“You’ll really take it back, right?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“…I’ll definitely pay you back.”

It was as if he had found a goal.

Maybe because he was still young.

There was a pure innocence in believing an adult’s words exactly as they were. If that helped the situation flow in a good direction, there was nothing wrong with it.

“Then shall we go in?”

“…Yes.”

The shopping went smoothly.

“First, two pairs of soccer cleats and one pair of sneakers.”

On top of that, he bought soccer uniforms, soccer socks, various protective gear, and even a soccer ball—basically everything that seemed necessary.

“Please calculate it like this.”

“Yes, understood.”

After paying, he handed over all the items to the child.

“…Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I’m going to take it all back anyway.”

“Still… thank you.”

“Yeah, well. I’ve got to go now. Have fun playing soccer with your friends, and let’s meet again sometime.”

After giving a light farewell, I turned to leave.

“Wait…!”

The child called out to Ryu Seong.

When I turned my head, I met the boy’s determined gaze.

“Please give me your contact information.”

“Hm?”

“You said I have to pay you back.”

I was completely cornered.

There was no way I could refuse.

“Alright, I’ll write it down.”

I went back into the store, borrowed a pen and paper, and wrote down my number. The child folded the paper carefully as if it were something precious and put it in his pocket.

“Thank you.”

“Sure. Now go have fun.”

After receiving his greeting, I turned around and a hologram appeared.

[Quest Cleared!]

[Calculating results…]

[Calculation complete.]

[Lowest-grade Random Card has been issued.]

[You have earned 1 Good Deed Point.]

I used the random card immediately.

The card spun endlessly.

The usual sight of countless question marks filled my vision. Without high expectations, I picked one.

*Whoosh—*

The card emitted a bright light and expanded before seeping into my forehead.

[You have selected the Lowest-grade ‘Talent’.]

[As a reward, you have acquired ‘Talent Observer (3 uses)’.]

A rather unique talent had appeared.

[Talent: Talent Observer (3 uses)]

It evaluates the potential of talents possessed by others. Whether it’s singing, acting, sports, etc.—it allows you to determine what field a person is most suited for. Can be used for 1 minute, but impossible on people in photos or videos. Must meet them in person. There is no limit to the number of people that can be analyzed during the maintenance time.

Talent observation, huh.

Even if it had been a dud, it wouldn’t have ruined my current good mood. After seeing the young boy’s spirited attitude, Ryu Seong was already feeling many things.

Yeah, well.

Just that alone would have been enough, yet it even gave me a new talent.

It was truly the best gift.

Of course, I still didn’t know exactly where to use this talent.

*

By the end of August, just as the ‘Economic Market Information’ had predicted, the bio company’s stock price seemed to have hit its peak. To anyone who hadn’t bought the stock, the upward trend looked excessively overheated.

“Time to sell.”

I decided to sell the stocks and take the profit.

It was enough.

I was already earning more money than I needed, so there was no real regret. Most importantly, I needed the cash from selling the bio stocks to buy new information rights. I had to sell in order to secure money to use.

*Swish.*

I put on my mask and started the live broadcast.

[‘Altang’ has entered.]

Almost as soon as it started, one viewer joined.

“Hello, Altang-nim. You’re here right as the broadcast started again today.”

Altang: Hehehe, always number one!

Jjakbal: I came the moment I saw it…

CoinOnly: I’m here too!

“Aigoo, thank you Jjakbal-nim. CoinOnly-nim, welcome.”

These viewers were becoming more and more endearing.

“So, what do you think? I definitely told you bio stocks would rise, right?”

Somehow, the smile on the Hahoe mask felt even deeper. Of course, I was actually smiling behind the mask, but the viewers would never see that.

“Do you still think bio isn’t the move?”

Altang: It’s totally bio!

RisingUp: It’s the era of bio now^^

Sorry: Wow, damn. I can’t believe bio really rose this much…!

Kid: As expected of the Informant lol

StockNewbie: Lmao bio is god-tier!

“Everyone’s opinions have changed a lot. But now, I’m going to sell this great bio stock.”

Chats expressing confusion flooded in.

Ryu Seong answered them one by one.

“Why sell already? I bought at the knee and want to sell at the shoulder. Of course, some like Altang-nim might think it’s too early, but I feel the heat is excessive right now. This seems like the right time. Thank you for your support, Jjakbal-nim. Honestly, I came here to take profit, so there’s no reason to drag it out. I’ll check the returns and proceed with the sale right away.”

He enlarged the profit status in the center of the screen.

Stock Name: Jinsang Science

Shares Held: 6,945

Purchase Amount: 150,012,000 won

Return Rate: 87%

Unrealized Profit/Loss: 130,510,440 won

Total Valuation: 280,522,440 won

Jinsang Science’s return rate had already reached 87%.

Unrealized profit.

That meant pure profit was a whopping 130 million won.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

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