Chapter 48:Money and Talent Pour In

 Chapter 48: The Studies I Want to Do (1)

As soon as he saw Ryu Seong, the man extended his hand.

He must have already received a report on his way here.

“I’m Park Hyun-ho, the head of administration.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

Ryu Seong stood up and shook hands with him.

“I’m Ryu Seong, an alumnus of this school.”

“I’ve heard about you. You’re here to make a donation?”

“Yes. It’s nothing much, but…”

“The amount doesn’t matter. Just having this kind of interest is already a great help.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“I’m not just being polite. In this day and age, even small acts of attention like this are rare.”

“That makes sense.”

“Indeed. Well, please take a seat.”

“Yes.”

They sat down and had a detailed discussion about regular sponsorship. The surprisingly thorough and meticulous explanation made Ryu Seong nod involuntarily.

“…Some donors insist on checking every single use of the sponsorship money for the students. That’s fine, but there are people who want to meet the students in person to evaluate their character or family background. Unfortunately, we firmly refuse those requests. It’s simply not fair to the students.”

Ryu Seong thought it was quite something that people would go that far.

“I have no intention of interfering like that. This is my old school, and I have my own experiences from back then. Still, I’d appreciate it if you could send me a basic report on how the funds are used.”

“Of course.”

“That should be enough.”

“You’re very straightforward.”

After cleanly filling out the paperwork, Ryu Seong transferred the sponsorship money.

3 million won.

When he considered his other sponsorships, he might end up spending tens of millions every month.

It was a significant amount, but when he thought about the money he would earn from coin information, it didn’t feel burdensome at all. In fact, he didn’t even need to count on future coin profits. Just the current emoticon sales and movie investment returns were more than enough to cover it.

He decided to stop worrying.

After all, the money he would earn in the future was enormous.

“You’re sponsoring this amount every month?”

“Yes, for now.”

“Wow… You’ve achieved a lot at such a young age.”

Ryu Seong simply smiled.

And with that, his sponsorship for his elementary school alma mater was complete.

Next was middle school.

He decided to sponsor 3 million won there as well.

The same for high school.

[Linked Quest ‘First Time Doing Regular Sponsorship, Huh?’ has been updated.]

[Total Regular Sponsorship Amount: 9 million won]

With this, he was now donating 9 million won per month just to his elementary, middle, and high schools.

“I heard the news. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright. It’s a really big decision.”

After finishing the paperwork in the administration office, Ryu Seong had dinner with Teacher Kim Chang-ho. They also shared a few glasses of soju, which left him feeling strangely elated.

Drinking with his old teacher.

For some reason, he fell into old memories.

“Teacher, do you remember that time?”

“Which one?”

“When you bought me shoes.”

“Ah, yes. I got you a pair of sneakers.”

Ryu Seong looked at Teacher Kim Chang-ho intently.

“Thank you for that. Really.”

It had been such a huge help back then.

“Haha, I remember you just standing there blankly when you received them.”

“Yeah. I was really flustered.”

“That’s understandable.”

“I’m a bit late with my thanks, aren’t I? You also bought me a tracksuit.”

“It’s fine. And it wasn’t just you I bought things for. So don’t feel too indebted.”

“Still…”

After that incident, he had studied incredibly hard.

It had been a turning point in his life.

As he recalled his school days, there were so many things he wanted to say.

“Those were the days.”

“Exactly, I remember now.”

“You were quite the handful sometimes.”

“Me? Was I?”

“Of course.”

A laugh escaped him naturally.

He felt really good.

Because of that, time flew by.

“It’s already this late. Dinner’s on me today, so let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes. Thank you for the meal, sir.”

“Take care.”

“You too, Teacher. Get home safely.”

After parting with his teacher and walking home, Ryu Seong looked up.

“Pretty…”

The stars scattered across the night sky were shining especially brightly. As he stared at them absentmindedly, he thought of the other places he regularly sponsored. They were probably still living lives dedicated to service.

It was a little early, but since he had already started, he decided to finish it properly. He transferred the September sponsorship money in advance.

Animal shelter.

Two individuals and one YouTuber.

And the Sky Orphanage.

He also slightly increased the donation amounts.

[Linked Quest ‘First Time Doing Regular Sponsorship, Huh?’ has been updated.]

[Total Regular Sponsorship Amount: 25 million won]

At this rate, he should be able to reach the limit and acquire the points.

He waited for the end of September.

Do Yu-jong was once again immersed in his studies, just like any other day.

The sound of his pen scratching across paper and pages turning filled the quiet room.

*Scratch. Scratch.*

Then a problem stumped him, and his concentration broke for a brief moment.

“Ha…”

When he was fully absorbed in studying, no other thoughts entered his mind.

That was why he clung to it so desperately.

Because if he didn’t, he had no other means to take control of his life. Even in these short moments when his focus broke, countless thoughts flooded in. Most of them were anxieties about the future.

The vague fear of being thrown into society after leaving the orphanage. The terror of having to fight the world with nothing but his bare hands. The dread of becoming someone who could achieve nothing.

He hated those distracting thoughts.

Perhaps he simply hated the future that was approaching.

“Tsk.”

Frowning, he gripped his pen tightly again.

*Just study.*

It was the only thing he could do right now.

“Hyung! Yu-jong hyung!”

At that moment, his younger sibling burst through the door.

“I’m studying right now.”

“Let’s play, just for a little bit!”

He tried to ignore the boy and refocus on the problem, but his little brother started sniffling. Every time this happened, Yu-jong’s mind grew complicated. Studying was important. The future was important. But the crying child in front of him was precious too. He couldn’t throw any of them away.

“…Alright, stop crying.”

“Sniff!”

“What are the others doing?”

“We’re playing hide and seek!”

“Okay, then hide here with hyung.”

“Yeah!”

And so, while pretending to play, he continued studying without fully stopping. For Do Yu-jong, this was his best effort to take care of both things at once.

It only lasted a short while.

The seeker entered the room, and his concentration was completely shattered.

“Found youuuu!”

“Ah, we got caught!”

“*Sigh.*”

Although he let out a sigh, a small smile had formed on Do Yu-jong’s lips.

He liked it here.

Living in this moment, right now, felt incredibly happy. He loved his younger siblings, and he loved the orphanage director like a mother. That was why he wished the day he graduated high school would never come.

“Alright, let’s all play together.”

But time flowed on relentlessly.

Before he knew it, he was already a high school student.

In just two more years, he would turn 18 and have to leave this place.

He would have to part ways with his family.

That was why…

He wanted to cherish every remaining moment he had here. He wanted to study hard while also creating as many memories as possible with his siblings.

That was all he could do.

And because of that, he felt sad.

And because of that, he was afraid.

“This time, hyung will be the seeker. Let’s go downstairs.”

“Yeah! Okay!”

“Hehe.”

“You little rascals.”

He played energetically with them for about thirty minutes. As he watched the now slightly calmer kids, someone held out a hand to him.

“Yu-jong oppa.”

“Hm?”

It was Ye Ji-eun, a high school student like him, but one year younger.

“I got a text message… It’s kind of strange.”

“A text?

“Yeah, I think oppa got one too.”

Wondering what she meant, Do Yu-jong was about to ask for details when his own phone suddenly rang loudly.

“Looks like it just arrived.”

“What is it?”

His finger was already tapping open the message inbox.

The content appeared on the screen.

[NH Bank Deposit 600,000 won

09/01 17:23

Balance 900,000 won]

It was a deposit notification from the sponsorship account.

The issue was that the amount had doubled compared to before.

“Uh… why is this…?”

“Weird, right?”

“Yeah, it is. We should tell the director right away.”

The two of them hurried toward the director’s office.

As they approached,

They could hear the director speaking on the phone inside.

“Yes, I was calling because I thought the amount might have been deposited by mistake. Pardon? Ah…!”

The voice stopped for a moment.

Do Yu-jong and Ye Ji-eun glanced at each other and waited without knocking on the door.

They were too curious.

When the director’s voice resumed, it was slightly trembling, unlike before.

“Thank you… truly…”

Then the door suddenly burst open, and they came face to face with the director, whose eyes looked a little red. Do Yu-jong and Ye Ji-eun were both startled.

“Uh, that is…”

The director looked at the two flustered children and smiled warmly.

“You came at the perfect time. I had something to tell you. Ah, you must have already received the text, right?”

“Yes. The deposited amount seemed strange, so we came to report it.”

“Me too!”

“Yes, I found it suspicious too, so I called to check. They said they’ve decided to increase the sponsorship amount.”

“What? Even more than before?”

Both of them were genuinely shocked.

It was already a huge amount.

300,000 won every month.

That was 3.6 million won a year. When they considered that the government support after leaving the orphanage was only 3 million won, they could imagine just how much help this would be. Although the amount decreased the younger you were, it was still more than one person could easily handle.

They had two years left.

The total money they would receive during that time would exceed 7 million won, so they had already felt deeply grateful.

But now…

That large amount had doubled?

“I-Is that… really true?”

“Yes, it’s real.”

That would mean roughly 14 million won in total.

With that much money…!

He might be able to attend a better university even without a scholarship.

And even one near the orphanage.

It was a bit of a climb, but by bicycle it was only about 10 minutes to the subway station. From there, there were easily more than ten “in-Seoul” universities within an hour’s commute.

It was definitely doable.

If that happened…!

He could apply for extended protection while attending a university nearby. He could continue living here, eating and sleeping at the orphanage, spending even more time with the director and his younger siblings.

Originally, he had planned to rely on a scholarship, so universities near the orphanage had never been an option. Seoul was completely out of reach, and he had been considering schools in the provinces.

“Really…”

It felt like a lifeline had descended from the sky. If he also worked part-time, he probably wouldn’t even need to take out student loans. A small beam of hope had finally appeared in the future that once felt completely hopeless.

“Is it really… true that they’re sponsoring this much every month?”

“Yes. At least until you graduate high school.”

The corners of Do Yu-jong’s eyes trembled.

“Then… can I go to a better university without applying for a scholarship?”

“Of course.”

“Really? Really? Can I stay here longer while studying what I want?”

“Yes, of course you can.”

His breath caught in his throat.

Not from sadness — from overwhelming joy.

His eyes grew red with emotion.

He couldn’t lift his head.

Right now, he could only pray over and over again.

*Please.*

*Let this not be a dream.*

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