Chapter 56:Money and Talent Pour In

    Chapter 56: The Weight of Baggage (1)

Areumdri Orphanage and Hopeful Orphanage.

He had contacted both places.

"Oh, really… thank you so much."

"Not at all. I'm sorry for only speaking over the phone like this."

"Not at all."

"I'll make sure to visit in person next time."

"Yes, thank you!"

He decided to continue making regular donations of 2.5 million won to each place.

*[Linked quest 'Welcome, Is This Your First Regular Donation?' has been updated.]*

*[Regular Donation Amount: 30,000,000 won]*

Thanks to this, his regular donations had now reached 30 million won.

His current assets stood at 2 billion won, so it wasn't a particularly burdensome amount.

Just as he was wondering what to do next, he received a call from Choi Yeon-su, his emoticon coordinator, for the first time in a while.

"Author, it's been so long!"

"It really has. Have you been well?"

"Of course, doing great. How about you, Author?"

"Very much so."

"I'm glad! I have something important to tell you and I'd love to meet in person. Would today work for you?"

It seemed to be about the message she had sent before — the one where she said she'd reach out with good news.

"Yes, that works."

"Then I'll come to your neighborhood."

"Hmm, no. I'll come to you. There aren't many good restaurants around here."

"Oh, well I appreciate that…"

"What time should I be there?"

"It's 5 PM now, so how about we meet at 6?"

"That works."

"Then I'll make a reservation at a nice restaurant! I'll text you the location."

"Sounds good."

He ended the call and waited about five minutes before a text arrived with the address. It was about a 30-minute drive, so he took his time getting ready to head out.

He felt a little excited.

*Don't get your hopes up.*

Brushing off the idle thought, he headed down to the apartment's underground parking garage.

"Ohhh."

Even from a distance, the distinctive green-black color caught his eye.

"Still so cool."

Unable to hide his satisfaction, he climbed into the driver's seat of his BMW 135i, started the engine, and entered the address from the message into the navigation system.

*Vroooom.*

Thirty minutes later, he arrived at the destination. He parked in the restaurant's lot and walked in to find Choi Yeon-su already seated.

"Author, over here!"

"Ah, yes."

He sat across from her and they exchanged greetings.

"You've been busy lately, haven't you?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure."

Not particularly, really.

"I figured you'd be busy checking the sales figures every day."

"Ah, there's that. It's fun to watch the numbers go up every time I look."

"I knew it. You can't stop hitting refresh."

Even just light conversation was enjoyable. She was such a charming person. He could feel the glances from nearby men even now.

"It's probably better to talk before we eat, right?"

"Yes, that'd be easier."

Choi Yeon-su got to the point.

"Then I'll get straight to it. Um, first — you're aware that the emoticon sales have been holding up quite well, right?"

"More or less."

"To be honest, the emoticons are more popular than even you might think."

"That's surprising."

He did think he'd drawn them reasonably well, but he genuinely wondered whether they were popular enough to be *that* successful.

"Timing helped a lot too."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes — you know what they say about striking when the iron's hot? The timing was just right."

That made a bit more sense.

"So, I'd like to make a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"Yes — as you might have guessed, since the response has been so steady, I was thinking it might be worth exploring other forms of merchandise. For starters, I was thinking we could begin with stickers. What do you think?"

"Stickers…"

"They're very practical, so people tend to buy them readily."

There was no reason to object.

"I have no reason to say no."

"So can we go ahead?"

"Yes, please do."

"Since this is the first commercial product, I really wanted to tell you in person. Congratulations, Author."

That's when he understood why she'd called him out.

After all, it could have been handled over the phone — the terms for merchandising were already written into the contract.

"Thank you."

"Hehe, shall we eat until we're absolutely stuffed today?"

"Let's do it."

They spent the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying dinner together.

---

After a truly satisfying meal, he said goodbye to Choi Yeon-su. Ryu-seong briefly debated heading straight home, but since he was already here, he decided to take a short walk around the nearby shopping district.

It was his first time in this area, so who knew what new situations he might stumble into.

A small sense of anticipation welled up inside him.

*Crunch, crunch.*

How long had he been walking?

"Oh my…"

A weary sound drifted from the alley on the right, piercing his ears. He turned to look and spotted an elderly woman. Both hands loaded with bags, she was just stepping onto the bottom of a staircase that seemed to stretch endlessly upward.

He hurried over to her.

Taking the steps two at a time, Ryu-seong reached her side and called out gently.

"Ma'am, can I help you?"

"Hmm?"

"Please, let me take your bags."

"Oh, thank you, dear. But it's alright. There are just so many stairs here — it's a tough climb."

"I'll be fine. Or if you'd like, I have my car nearby — would you like a ride?"

The grandmother shook her head.

"It's already late, so that won't work. Going by car would take too long to go around."

"Then let me help you."

"Oh, but these are so heavy…"

Even though she was clearly the one struggling, her guilt kept making her refuse. In the end, Ryu-seong reached out and pulled both bags toward himself.

"Here, let me take them."

Only then did the grandmother reluctantly let go.

"Well… I'll take you up on that. Thank you, truly."

"This is nothing."

Despite his words, the veins in his forearms strained visibly.

*Why is this so heavy…?*

He composed his expression as though nothing was wrong, and took his first step.

*[Quest Triggered!]*

*[A small kindness makes someone smile.]*

*[An elderly woman is trying to climb the stairs carrying bags of considerable weight. She has arthritis, and every step brings significant pain. Even so, her promise to her grandchildren mattered more. She has resolved to endure the aching in her knees, telling herself she can't delay any longer. Help her.]*

*[Time remaining: 60 minutes.]*

*[Success reward: Random card, good deed points.]*

*[Quest failure: She falls on the stairs.]*

It had been a while since a daily quest like this had appeared.

But he couldn't bring himself to feel pleased about it.

The thought of this woman steeling herself to bear the pain hit him somewhere deep. He shook it off and focused on her.

"Ma'am, why are these bags so heavy?"

"Heavy, aren't they? It's all the kimchi I've got in there."

"Kimchi! That sounds delicious."

Just the thought of it made his mouth water. The crisp texture, the spice, and that distinctive tangy depth that lingered on the palate.

"I packed a lot to feed my grandchildren, but who knows if they'll even eat it."

"They will. When I was little, the kimchi my grandmother made was my absolute favorite. Even now, every holiday when I go visit her, I always come home with a huge batch."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. Come to think of it, Chuseok is just around the corner."

"That's right, Chuseok."

The day when the whole family gathered together.

Time really did fly.

Late September wasn't that far off.

*I wonder how everyone's doing.*

He missed his grandparents, and was curious about his younger cousins too. They kept in touch here and there with texts and calls, but it wasn't the same as seeing them face to face.

*Well, I'll find out when I get there.*

Just then, the grandmother came to a brief stop.

"Oh dear…"

Her knees were clearly hurting. Ryu-seong quickly shifted both bags to his right hand and used his left to steady her.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine. That's just what getting old is like."

"Let me support you."

The grandmother smiled softly.

"People like you — people who actually help — are so rare these days. It means more than you know."

"Thank you for saying that."

"Aren't you busy?"

"I'm fine. But why are you in such a hurry?"

He asked, even though he already knew.

"I made a promise to my grandchildren."

"You're in pain, though — wouldn't it be alright to take it a little slower? They'd understand."

"They're probably straining their necks waiting for me to arrive. How could I do that to them?"

"Ah…"

There was no arguing with that.

He couldn't urge her to hurry, nor could he tell her to slow down. All he could do was carry the bags with everything he had and keep her steady at his side.

"There really are… a lot of stairs here."

"That's just how this neighborhood is. Going back down will be tough for you too."

"Going down doesn't bother me much."

"Still, be careful. Descending can actually be harder on the knee joints."

"I'll keep that in mind."

They were at least halfway there now. The end was in sight.

At times she could have stopped to rest, but the grandmother never once slowed her pace.

At last, they conquered the staircase.

They had finally reached level ground.

"I'll carry these all the way to your door."

"Oh, they must be so heavy…"

"This is nothing, really."

Before long, they arrived at a blue gate.

"You've worked so hard — thank you, truly."

"Please, go on inside."

"Alright. Take care on your way back."

He handed over the bags and slowly made his way back down the long staircase. The gentle pat of the grandmother's hand on his shoulder, offered with quiet gratitude, stayed with him long after.

---

Back in his car, he used the reward card he'd received.

A world filled with question marks.

He had grown used to them by now. He gazed at them for a moment, then extended a finger.

*Tap.*

The chosen card flew toward him.

His senses sharpened.

Something that had not existed came into being. Before he knew it, a small glass bottle of unknown origin had materialized in his palm. The liquid inside was just as clear as the glass itself.

*[You have selected a lowest-grade 'Body' card.]*

*[Reward: 'Anti-Aging Recovery Potion (Lower Grade)']*

*[The shop has been updated.]*

*[This item has been added to the shop.]*

The moment he saw the reward, a memory surfaced — the physical enhancement potion from before. This seemed similar, but with different properties.

**[Anti-Aging Recovery Potion (Lower Grade)]**

*Aging is a natural process that accumulates with the passage of time. This potion gently sidesteps those years, reverting all things to a prior state. Even a single drop is enough to feel its effects. However, no more than one drop's worth of benefit can be gained from potions of the same grade.*

He read the description once, twice, three times.

At first he'd taken it for a straightforward anti-aging potion. But the more he read it, the more the phrases — *sidesteps the years* and *reverts all things to a prior state* — struck him as anything but ordinary.

*Does it even reverse conditions caused by aging?*

*If so, this potion would be absurd.*

Curiosity about its value hit him immediately, so he checked the shop. It had been newly added under miscellaneous items, number five.

**5. Anti-Aging Recovery Potion (Lower Grade)**

*Required good deed points: 200*

The price was higher than he'd expected. Two hundred points — not something he could buy even if he wanted to.

"In that case…"

Judging by the price alone, this was no ordinary potion. He stopped by a nearby discount store to pick up an eyedropper, then returned to the car. He drew the tiniest amount of liquid into the dropper and brought it to his lips.

*Drip. Drop.*

Exactly two drops fell onto his tongue.

A subtle change rippled through him — so faint he might have missed it entirely had he not been paying close attention.

He checked the rearview mirror.

His skin looked a little firmer, somehow. Brighter, maybe. There was a certain vitality to it that hadn't been there before.

The nagging lower back pain that had been bothering him lately seemed to have vanished too. He didn't fully understand the mechanics of it, but one thing was certain — this was no ordinary treasure. Ryu-seong stared at the glass bottle, his eyes bright with excitement.

"With this much left…"

There was more than enough for his entire family and relatives, with plenty to spare.

A treasure had fallen into his hands.

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