Chapter 54:Money and Talent Pour In

Chapter 54: The World as a Poet Sees It (1)

Around lunchtime, a message came in from Lee Shin-woo.

*(We're changing the sign today — finally!)*

"That's today?"

*(Yeah, dummy! So hurry up and get over here. The shop's closed for business today, so let's have some chicken and beer together. And obviously it'll be the new menu.)*

"Ooh, new menu — I'm in. You know I'm basically the tongue of the chicken gods. I'll judge it with brutal honesty, so don't be disappointed. You know I'll say it straight if it's bad, right?"

*(Just get over here already. Every single one of the new items is a hit, I'm telling you. You'll be blown away the moment you taste them.)*

"On my way, heh heh."

He ended the call and headed to the parking lot.

His car was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, right."

He vaguely remembered seeing a message from his younger sibling that morning saying they were taking the car, but he'd forgotten all about it. It wasn't that far anyway, and he was planning to drink, so he decided to just walk.

The weather was nice and a cool breeze was blowing.

The air was fresh, too.

He strolled along enjoying the walk, and before long, Lee Shin-woo's chicken place came into view.

"Wow."

Two workers were up on the upper exterior wall of the building, replacing the sign. It was a clean, stylish sign with an elegant, refined beauty to it.

He walked over slowly.

Naturally, he took out his smartphone and opened the payment app.

"Excuse me."

"Oh, yes. Can I help you?"

"Has the full payment for this sign been made yet?"

"Why do you ask...?"

"I'm a friend of the chicken shop owner. I wanted to give him a gift."

"A gift?"

"Yeah, I'd like to cover the payment."

The worker's expression shifted to one of admiration at that.

"Wow, that's some real friendship right there."

"It's nothing, really."

He fumbled over his words, feeling a little awkward.

The worker smiled.

"The deposit's been paid, but the remaining balance hasn't been settled yet."

"Oh perfect, I'll take care of that."

"Understood."

Just then, a quest notification popped up.

What luck.

Ryu Seong smiled and skimmed through the quest details, then held out his phone.

"Can I pay with the app?"

"Of course."

"Then let's do that, please."

"Certainly, just a moment."

The payment went through.

*[Quest Clear!]*

*[You have obtained a Lowest-Grade Random Card.]*

*[You have earned 2 Virtue Points.]*

The reward was a lowest-grade card and 2 virtue points. The remaining balance had been a fair amount, so the decent sum he'd spent paid off.

"Heh heh."

It was a good deal for Ryu Seong.

That made 40 points.

He was accumulating virtue points at a rapid pace.

"Thanks, take care with the rest of it."

"Leave it to us."

He said his goodbyes and headed inside the chicken shop.

"Hey, you made it?"

"Yeah. Looks like they're almost done with the sign, by the way."

"Really? Then I should go settle the payment."

"Go ahead."

Ryu Seong sat down and played dumb. Meanwhile, Lee Shin-woo stopped frying chicken and stepped outside. He came back in shortly after and looked at Ryu Seong with a smirk.

"You idiot, why'd you go and throw your money around like that?"

"I didn't throw it around."

"Anyway — thanks."

"You're starting fresh, so think of it as a gift."

"I should be the one giving you a gift, dummy."

"What for?"

"Because of the stock tips you gave me, I got started way faster than I'd planned. Especially those biotech companies — they were no joke. My hands were shaking when I sold."

"Oh, is that right? Then treat me to something good next time."

"Deal. Look forward to it. Let me get the new menu ready for you, so sit tight. Oh, and I called my wife over too — that's okay, right?"

"Of course, I'd love to see Ha-min and Ha-bin too."

Before long, Kim Min-hee arrived with Lee Ha-bin and Lee Ha-min.

"Ryu Seong, it's been a while."

"It has — you doing well?"

"Of course."

"Hey Ha-bin, Ha-min."

"Hellooo!"

"Uncle! It's uncle!"

"Hey there, it's me."

He gave them each a gentle pat on the head and the two kids immediately latched onto him. They seemed thrilled to see him after so long. Last time at the Korean restaurant they'd seemed a bit shy, but in a familiar place, their old affection came right back out.

"Hehe, I love uncle!"

"I love him more!"

He watched their adorable little squabble with a warm smile, then looked up at Kim Min-hee. She'd been struggling through a franchise arrangement all this time, and now that the contract was finally over, she was starting out on her own. This moment deserved a proper congratulation first.

"Congratulations on the fresh start."

"Thank you. Here's hoping it goes well."

"It will."

As they chatted, the smell of fried chicken filled the air. Then the new menu items began arriving on the table. There were two whole chickens, each with four different sauce options.

"We can skip the original and spicy since you've had those before. I developed four new sauces — give them a try and tell me what you think."

"Okay, let's taste these then."

Ryu Seong started with the mayonnaise-sauced piece first. He actually wasn't a big fan of mayo, which was precisely why he picked it first. He took a bite with mild apprehension, but the greasy taste he'd expected from mayonnaise wasn't there.

"Oh...?"

Instead, a subtly sweet flavor blended naturally with a slight kick of spice. The sauce itself had a moist quality, but the chicken was crispy on the outside and tender inside.

"What is this."

"Why? Is something off?"

"No, it's just..."

Ryu Seong trailed off mid-sentence and took another bite.

It was good.

Something about it was unlike any chicken he'd tasted before — strangely addictive. Only after eating several pieces without pause did he finally nod.

"Wow, damn. You know I don't like mayo, right?"

"I know."

"And yet this is actually good."

"Heh heh heh, yeah?"

"Yeah. This one's a winner."

Lee Shin-woo then turned to look at Kim Min-hee.

"What about you?"

"Amazing. Absolutely delicious!"

Kim Min-hee gave a thumbs up several times over.

"Daddy, it's yummy!"

"Is it now?"

"Yes!"

He moved on and assessed the other sauces with equal objectivity.

No, seriously — what is this.

The more he ate, the more certain he became.

"These are guaranteed hits, all of them."

"Yeah?"

"If these don't sell, every chicken place in the country might as well shut down."

"That serious?"

He kept nodding — and kept eating.

He knocked back a glass of beer too.

"Ahh, this is the life."

It was flawless. The perfect chicken-and-beer combo.

---

It was just beer, so he didn't get particularly drunk.

Just very full.

He'd eaten plenty of chicken too, so when he got home he went straight to the shower.

"Lucky."

*Meow.*

He scooped Lucky into his arms and lay down on the bed.

Time to open the card.

It was time to check the reward he'd gotten from completing today's quest. He wasn't expecting much since it was lowest-grade, but you never knew.

"Do me a favor, alright?"

He decided to have Lucky's good fortune on his side again today.

*Purr.*

Lucky pressed down on the card with both front paws.

The card blazed with intense light before shooting toward him as if zooming in.

*[You have selected a Lowest-Grade 'Talent'.]*

*[You have obtained 'The World as a Poet Sees It (Consumable)' as your reward.]*

*[You can review it by calling the talent to mind.]*

*[The Shop has been refreshed.]*

*[This talent has been added to the Shop.]*

He'd gotten what looked like a pretty solid talent — and on top of that, it had been added to the shop too.

Two birds, one stone.

He settled himself a little and took a closer look at the talent.

**[The World as a Poet Sees It (Consumable)]**

*[For one hour, the sensitivity of a poet erupts within you. No matter what you see or hear, literary inspiration is drawn from all of it. However, the moment a single work is deemed complete, the talent immediately disappears.]*

*[Would you like to use it?]*

*[Yes / No]*

A talent that makes a poet's sensibility explode, huh.

Maybe he should publish a poetry collection.

But it wasn't like he could put out a whole collection from just one poem.

"Hmm."

He pondered what to do with it and started browsing online. As he scrolled, a few blog titles caught his eye.

*[Song lyrics so good they read like poetry...]*

*[Good songs, good feelings, and the words that carry them]*

*[Living as both a poet and a lyricist...]*

A lyricist.

A field where the ability of a poet could clearly shine.

"That could actually work."

Who in the world hates music, after all?

Ryu Seong certainly didn't.

Music had a kind of magic to it — something that wrapped itself around a person's heart.

Lyrics, huh. Lyrics.

A few older songs came to mind. When he looked up just the lyrics separately, it genuinely felt like reading poetry.

Overwhelming.

He felt a desire to write something with that same quality.

He searched to see if there were any competitions going on.

Several came up.

There were more active contests than he'd expected.

*This one's good. That one too.*

He was quietly going through them one by one when —

"Oh...?"

A lyric-writing competition was open for a drama OST that hadn't aired yet. And not just any drama — one set to premiere on Appflix.

He wanted to know more.

A drama OST. Now that's interesting.

After thorough research, he found that the drama was about three months away from airing.

The story sounded decent too.

It seemed like the perfect fit for writing lyrics.

And above all —!

The prize money was unprecedented. First place paid a staggering 100 million won, far exceeding any other competition he'd seen. Copyright for the lyrics would naturally remain with the lyricist, and the submission deadline was only two days away.

The singer had already been chosen.

It was Maiyu — one of his personal favorites.

The timing, everything — it was all perfect.

"Alright, let's enter this one."

Even if he didn't make it, that was fine.

Burning through the consumable talent was a shame, but things couldn't always lead to the best possible outcome. The act of trying itself would mean something.

First, he carefully read through the contest guidelines posted on the site. He went over the drama's themes and story synopsis several times.

*[There is a woman who has lived a wretched life in a society where money is everything. She scraped by doing all manner of work just to survive, and in the midst of that, she gets hired as a part-timer at a quiet little café.]*

*[The café owner, sensing the rough shape of her life, begins quietly looking out for her. Having never received pure, unconditional kindness before, she finds herself confused by his behavior...]*

*[The goodwill of one man with no ulterior motive helps her stand tall as a complete and whole human being.]*

It had the feel of a prestige drama — restrained, understated, without cheap thrills.

He liked that.

Especially in a world as cold as today's.

Next, it was time to listen to the guide track.

♪♩♩♬♪

He hit play and the melody came through.

Calm, yet heavy.

A rich melody that stirred something deep in the emotions.

Once more.

He listened for a long while, losing himself in the song.

Even without lyrics, it was beautiful.

That was enough to go on.

Now it was time to use the talent.

**[The World as a Poet Sees It (Consumable)]**

*[Would you like to use this talent?]*

*[Yes / No]*

The moment he hit yes, a flash of inspiration struck straight into his mind.

The drama synopsis he'd read in the guidelines. The heavy, resonant melody and deep emotional texture of the guide track. Perhaps because all of it already existed somewhere in his head — the poet's sensibility that suddenly erupted immediately began shaping itself into words soaked in feeling.

*Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.*

He opened his laptop and transferred the words unfolding in his mind onto the screen.

The lyrics flowed out — quiet, aching lines about a woman catching her own reflection after an exhausting day, feeling invisible, as though no one in the world could see her.

His hands paused for a moment.

His emotions had settled.

*Hmm.*

He played the guide track again and drew the poet's sensibility back up. Inspiration exploded once more, and lyrics perfectly matched to the melody began filling the screen.

"Phew..."

It was done in just twenty minutes — nowhere near the full hour.

*[The talent disappears.]*

It was a beautiful poem.

That poem had become lyrics, and merged with the song into one.

"That's good."

Even with the talent gone, that's how it felt.

The song was genuinely good.

The judging period began in earnest.

"The CEO has high expectations for this one."

Dracula Studio, the production company behind the upcoming Appflix drama, had brought in a large number of renowned composers and professional judges.

"We absolutely cannot afford to miss any promising entries."

"Of course."

"At least 20% need to pass the first round. If something feels borderline, just classify it as a pass. If something is truly exceptional, send it straight to the finals."

"Understood."

"You all know this already, but I wanted to say it just in case. No offense intended. Now then — let's get started."

Determining whether a set of lyrics suited the guide track wasn't particularly difficult. Lyrics weren't that long to begin with.

You could almost tell from the very first line.

Anything borderline was passed through, of course. What seemed ambiguous from one perspective might read as promising from another's.

It was Dracula Studio's firm policy never to miss even the smallest hint of potential. That was also why the judging period was so lengthy.

The review continued in quiet focus.

Among the judges was Jeon Eun-a, the composer who had written the guide track herself. She furrowed her brow.

*Doesn't fit at all.*

She clicked her tongue inwardly and eliminated the entry.

It wasn't even borderline — it was just not good.

The next one too.

And the one after that.

"Well, this one's passable."

This set of lyrics was at least not bad.

Squarely average.

She passed it through to the first round — barely qualified to hear what others thought. After that, a long stretch of below-standard entries followed again.

Her eyes were growing tired.

She took a brief break, then began reading the next submission.

"Oh...?"

Finally — a set of lyrics with something unmistakably different about them caught her eye.

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