Chapter 65:Money and Talent Pour In

          Chapter 65: The Named "Go-osu"

After finishing breakfast, I returned to my room and opened my laptop.

How far had I written?

To check the progress, I began to read my own work with deep focus.

**[Writing Muscle is activated.]**

Even though I already knew the story, the scenes began to connect and imprint themselves in my mind like vivid images. However, a few spots felt distorted. I could sense the deficiencies.

Ryu-seong immediately began revising and supplementing those parts. Sentences were erased, and new ones lined up. Scenes were deleted and replaced with smoother transitions.

After spending a significant amount of time, I looked over the completed Episode 11 once more. As I re-read it, I caught another awkward spot.

*Ah, here...!*

I jumped back into revisions instantly, repeating the process twice more until, finally, a satisfying image was formed.

"Not bad."

Even looking at it objectively, it was quite entertaining.

Yes, fun.

I could feel that most crucial element—fun—within this writing. I felt an urge to write more, faster, to fully immerse myself in this developing fictional world.

So, this is what writing feels like.

The sensation of creating a world.

It was fascinating. It reminded me of those childhood moments, holding my parents' hands on the way to an amusement park.

Now that the proofreading was done, I set the chapters up to Episode 7 for scheduled release and began writing Episode 8. Thanks to the 'Writing Muscle,' my concentration was at its peak, and the prose flowed out without a hitch.

The protagonist, having accepted his regression, continues his life as a manager while steadily growing his personal capital. Deep in his heart, he nurtures a burning desire for revenge, using his future knowledge to make advantageous choices.

The scene where he starts gaining attention despite being "just" a manager.

This part was critical.

It was a segment that had to convince the readers without any sense of incongruity or leaps in logic. This was where the true value of the 'Writing Muscle' talent shone.

By sharpening faint images, straightening distorted shapes, and putting displaced pieces back where they belonged...

"...Good."

A high-quality scene was completed to my satisfaction.

*Tap, tap-tap.*

Another period of intense focus followed. The rhythmic sound of the keyboard echoed clearly through the room.

How much time had passed?

"Phew...!"

Feeling my concentration finally breaking, I stretched my arms wide.

"Uuuuugh!"

I checked how much I had written today.

11,017 characters (including spaces).

I had written quite a lot. And in only three hours.

If I assumed I could write at this pace all day, I could easily churn out over 20,000 characters, but in reality, that was impossible. Once I hit a certain point, it felt like my brain would suffer an overload, making it impossible to focus on the text.

I needed a break.

Still, though.

I figured 10,000 characters a day was a fast enough pace. On the platform Munutopia, paid serializations usually required over 5,000 characters per episode. Anything less would automatically remain free. Since it’s hard to cut off the word count perfectly, if I aimed for 5,500 to 6,000 characters per episode, I could consistently produce two chapters a day.

Of course, things wouldn't always go according to plan.

There would be blocks, and there would be times I’d have to focus on other things.

Having organized my thoughts, I logged into Munutopia to take a break. My pen name, "NewFe," was the first thing I saw in my library. It stood for "New Face," though I hadn't put an incredible amount of thought into it. After all, readers only care about one thing: how fun the story is.

### <Management Embracing the Stars>

The title then caught my eye. It signified a place where countless top stars would reside.

I kept the synopsis short and punchy, but written to pique interest. Currently, four episodes were up, and the view count for Episode 1 had already reached 37.

Episode 5 was scheduled to go live soon.

After waiting a moment, the clock hit the scheduled time and the chapter was posted.

> **[You have published Episode 5 on Munutopia.]**

> **[You have earned 1 Good Deed Point.]**

> **[Special Linked Quest Updated.]**

> **[#3. Be promoted to General Serialization.]**

> 

The quest updated simultaneously.

Gaining a "Good Deed Point" felt like getting something for free, which put me in a great mood.

The nickname: **Go-osu**. He was a reader known as a "Named" user on Munutopia. At Level 99, his history of leaving comments on countless works had brought hope and dreams to many authors.

Today, like any other day, he was hunting for new works on the platform.

No matter how boring a story was, he had the temperament to read at least five chapters, and since he left comments on almost everything he read, many used his feedback to gauge the potential success of a new series. He was a man of that much influence.

"Let's see..."

After skimming through a few of today's new releases, he clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"Tsk."

Then, out of habit, he left a comment.

> **Go-osu:** Keep it up!

> 

The comment sounded positive, but the reality was quite the opposite. This was the comment he left when he didn't like the story. The furrow in his brow alone showed he wasn't pleased.

"Are you looking for new stories again?"

"Yeah, well. You know. It's my only hobby."

"I guess there's nothing interesting."

"Especially not today."

That didn't mean he would stop his search. Finding a hidden gem in the mud was naturally a difficult task.

"Just let me find one. Just one."

The process was tedious and exhausting, but the thrill of discovering a work he actually liked was beyond words. While most stories crumbled as the chapters piled up, there were always those that never lost their luster until the very end.

Those stories breathed life into his days. It was one of the few powerful energies a middle-aged man could still feel. He was addicted to that sensation, which was why he was still hunting for new releases.

"Hmm...?"

Then, a certain novel caught his eye.

### <Management Embracing the Stars>

Based on the title alone, he could more or less guess the plot. It was likely the growth

 story of a management CEO who would eventually command a galaxy of stars.

A progression that meets expectations is often far more enjoyable for a reader than one might think. When a story moves exactly as anticipated, the resulting satisfaction makes the internal logic convincing and allows for deeper immersion into the protagonist's journey.

In contrast, interest begins to wane the moment a story takes a bizarre turn for the sake of a "twist" in a situation where a straightforward path was expected.

Thus, he liked the fact that the narrative followed the promise of the title and its predictable development.

There was a certain flair to the writing as well.

The characters felt as though they were breathing; each one shone with a sense of life, as if they possessed souls of their own.

"Not bad. A solid start."

The protagonist had been the CEO of a management agency who crossed paths with K-Ent—an industry titan and a subsidiary of a major conglomerate—while trying to protect one of his actors. Enraged, K-Ent used every vicious tactic at their disposal to drag the protagonist into the abyss.

Left with nothing, the protagonist struggled for revenge, only to be murdered in the end.

But perhaps God had granted him a chance.

For reasons unknown, he had returned to the past.

Go-osu found himself completely absorbed in the story—simple yet undeniably immersive.

Naturally, he clicked on Episode 2.

It was just as fun.

The work was brimming with a sense of anticipation, and he liked the specific point in time the protagonist had returned to. While working as a manager at a small-to-mid-sized agency, the lead character also possessed the intelligence to leverage his future information to the fullest.

Through Episode 3, 4, and 5...

There wasn't a single flaw to be found.

The writing was clean and simple, yet strangely elegant.

The protagonist's thirst for revenge was portrayed consistently and steadily. Not even the smallest plan was treated carelessly. He set precise deadlines and met them exactly.

It provided a subtle sense of accomplishment.

Moreover, it felt as though the protagonist was clearly achieving everything he set out to do.

It was satisfying.

"...This is quite something."

Before he knew it, he had devoured every available chapter.

It was a shame.

The urge to read the next episode immediately took hold of him.

It was an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time.

When he finally snapped out of it, he realized his body felt flushed. It was the result of being so deeply immersed that he felt every emotion of the story as if he were the protagonist himself.

"Phew."

He wondered how long this feeling would last.

Usually, it lasted 20 episodes—50 at most. Even established authors often saw their writing crumble after crossing the 100-episode mark.

However, as for this story...

Hoping it wouldn't suffer the same fate, he left a comment.

> **Go-osu:** Looking forward to this! ^^

> 

He happily posted a comment that differed from his usual routine.

He hoped the next episode would be uploaded soon.

"Haha."

It had been a very long time since he had felt this kind of anticipation.

Ryu-seong dressed himself in a stylish outfit that gave off a sh

arp, casual-suit vibe.

September 31st.

Today was the day of the lyrics competition award ceremony, so he had styled himself in a look that was "effortlessly sharp"—polished enough to show he had put in effort, yet relaxed.

"Hmm, not bad."

He smiled with satisfaction at his reflection in the mirror.

*Time to head out.*

He made his way to the parking lot and climbed into his BMW 135i.

"Phew."

After entering the destination into the navigation, he started driving. He intentionally took the quietest routes possible; he wanted to enjoy the drive and pick up a little speed.

He rolled down the windows.

The rushing wind made him feel refreshed.

"The view is great, too."

While enjoying the drive, he soon arrived at his destination.

It was a magnificent luxury hotel. It seemed they had rented out a space to host the ceremony. He entered the parking garage, drove down to the basement to park, and headed back upstairs.

It was glamorous.

From the moment he hit the first-floor lobby, his eyes were darting everywhere.

"Welcome, sir."

"Ah, hello."

"May I help you with anything?"

"I heard the Dracula Studio award ceremony is being held here today."

"Ah, the ceremony. You can head up to the second floor. You’ll see it right in front of you as soon as you exit the elevator."

"Thank you."

He took the elevator to the second floor.

*Ding.*

His eyes widened slightly at the sight that greeted him when the doors opened. The scale of the ceremony was much larger than he had imagined. As he walked toward the entrance, two people stationed on either side greeted him warmly.

"Welcome. This is the venue for the Dracula Studio award ceremony. Are you a participant?"

"Yes."

"May I have your name?"

"My name is Ryu-seong."

The staff member’s expression changed slightly upon recognizing the name.

"Ah, Mr. Ryu-seong! Please, let me escort you."

"Thank you."

He was personally guided to his seat.

As he was glancing around his surroundings, another person appeared. It was a young woman with a bob-cut and yellow-dyed tips.

"Nice to meet you. You're one of the winners, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"I’m a winner, too. What’s your name?"

"I’m Ryu-seong."

"Oh, are you... the Excellence Award winner?"

"That's me."

At that, the woman introduced herself.

"I’m Yulia."

"Yulia...?"

That was the name written for the Grand Prize winner.

"Ah, congratulations on the Grand Prize."

"It’s nothing. Congratulations to you on the Excellence Award as well."

"Thank you."

After taking her seat, Yulia ordered a glass of whiskey and struck up a conversation with Ryu-seong naturally.

"Do you have any previous works?"

"Pardon?"

"Surely you aren't a rookie, right?"

Her tone was somewhat condescending, but since it was a bit ambiguous to call her out on her speech alone, he decided to give her a brief answer.

"I am a rookie."

"What? Really? Well, I'll be."

After that, Yulia didn't speak to Ryu-seong again. Ryu-seong found that more comfortable anyway, so he decided not to pay her any mind.

Instead, he engaged in pleasant conversation with the other winners who arrived afterward.

"Wow, that's amazing."

"Thank you."

Around that time, the host stepped up to the podium.

[Welcome to everyone who participated in the Dracula Studio Lyrics Competition. Since I know you’ve been bored waiting, we will proceed with the awards immediately. For today's ceremony, CEO Jang Geun-soo of Dracula Studio has joined us to present the awards personally. Please welcome him with a round of applause!]

Ryu-seong clapped heartily.

The CEO, Jang Geun-soo, made his entrance. He was a man who possessed both the dignity and the gravitas that comes with middle age.

[It is a pleasure to meet you. Today...]

After a brief speech, the awards presentation began.

Honorable Mentions, Runner-up Awards. The recipients each said a few words of thanks before stepping down.

[Next, our Excellence Award winner, lyricist Ryu-seong. Congratulations. Please come up to the stage.]

At those words, he rose from his seat and walked up to the podium.

"Congratulations. The lyrics were truly excellent."

"Thank you."

He shook hands with CEO Jang Geun-soo and accepted the award.

"I'd like to see you separately in the CEO's office after the ceremony. Would that be okay?"

"Ah, yes. Of course."

"Good, then I'll see you in a little while."

"Yes, sir."

Holding the plaque in his hand, 

Ryu-seong moved toward the microphone placed at the center of the stage.

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