Chapter 69:Money and Talent Pour In

       Chapter 69: Reinvesting in Movies

The next day.

Rumors about the "Information Broker" began to flood the online cafes dedicated to coins and stocks.

> **Subject: The Masked Man bought SQQQ yesterday?**

> **Subject: This is chilling... lol**

> **Subject: An article just dropped this morning saying the US-China trade war has started. Lmao.**

> **Subject: How is his timing like that? Haha.**

> **Subject: Whoa, NASDAQ futures are down 1.7% right now!**

> 

It was because as soon as Ryu-seong bought SQQQ, the US-China trade war broke out.

The Second Trade War.

Global stock markets reeled from the impact; they were all trending downward. As soon as the US market opened that evening, the NASDAQ index plummeted by over 3%. Conversely, SQQQ surged by 9%.

> **Subject: Anyone else buy SQQQ? Lol.**

> **Subject: So jealous. The Information Broker's investment capital seems insane...!**

> **Subject: Argh, I want to make money too!**

> **Subject: I told you to follow his lead, you idiots. Lol.**

> 

Of course, there were those who viewed it negatively.

> **Subject: Why is he encouraging people by buying inverses? Seriously.**

> **Subject: Corporate value remains the same. Don't be shaken!**

> **Subject: America won't collapse. Don't worry.**

> **Subject: This is the time to buy TQQQ for cheap, guys. Haha.**

> **Subject: Inverses are for experts only!**

> 

However, as time passed, even the positive energy began to fade. On October 5th, the NASDAQ dropped by more than 4% in a single day, and from then on, it began a daily downward spiral.

> **Subject: Ah, how long is it going to keep falling...?**

> **Subject: I'm losing my mind. T_T**

> **Subject: SQQQ went up 31% this week alone...?**

> **Subject: Holy crap. Is the Information Broker throwing a party right now? Lol.**

> **Subject: So envious... ha.**

> **Subject: NASDAQ dropped about 10% in one week... This is historic. T_T**

> **Subject: Where are all the guys who told us to buy the dip?**

> **Subject: Corporate value is the same, so why is this happening? T_T**

> 

The more the market crashed, the more people talked about the "Masked Man," despite him not even broadcasting.

> **Subject: So, if I search "Masked Man," does he come up?**

> **Subject: The Information Broker’s YouTube channel name is "Stock Overlord TV"!**

> **Subject: I better subscribe now...!**

> 

And so, the subscriber count for Ryu-seong’s YouTube channel began to surge once again.

The call he had been waiting for finally came.

— This is the judicial scrivener. The establishment of the one-person corporation has been completed. Could you stop by the office when you have some time?

"Sure. When should I come by?"

— Anytime during business hours is fine.

"Can I come right now?"

— Of course.

"I’ll get ready and be there within an hour."

— Understood. I’ll be waiting.

After a quick shower and changing into street clothes, he left the house. Since the office was located a bit away from his neighborhood, leaving now would put him there just in time.

*Vroooom.*

Enjoying the pleasant drive, he reached his destination quickly. He arrived a bit earlier than expected, but since it was business hours, it didn't really matter.

He parked in the basement and headed up to the third floor.

"Ah, you’re here. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you."

"First, as requested, the establishment of the one-person corporation is finished. I’ve handled all the tedious parts; you just need to pick up the business registration certificate. However, regarding the support organization you mentioned previously..."

"Ah, yes."

"Non-profit corporations are more complicated than you might think, so it will take much longer."

He was well aware of that.

"It can't be helped."

"At least it’s a foundation rather than an association, so it's slightly less difficult. Foundations are generally easier to manage than non-profit associations. However, you should look for an office."

"An office?"

"Yes. It's a requirement for establishing a non-profit foundation. There must be a clear physical address for the primary place of business. Some people try to register their residence as the business address, but that results in an automatic rejection."

"I see..."

"And you need at least 300 million won in capital. Well, putting the funding aside, the biggest problem is..."

The scrivener furrowed his brow.

"You need to obtain permission from the competent authorities, and man... that takes a long time and is more fastidious than you’d imagine."

"Who exactly is the competent authority?"

"For this matter, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Welfare."

"The Ministry of Health and Welfare..."

In that moment, a business card he had received in the past flashed through his mind.

*If this works out...*

Things might go much smoother than expected.

"I understand for now."

After handling a few more tasks, he returned home. Entering his room

, he pulled a business card out of the wallet he kept in his desk drawer.

**[Kim Il-young, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.]**

I decided to call the contact information written below.

After a few rings, a familiar voice answered.

— Yes, hello?

"This is Ryu-seong. We met at the gym..."

As soon as I explained who I was, Deputy Director Kim Il-young welcomed me warmly, recognizing me immediately.

— Oh, for you to call me, it seems you’ve run into something you need help with.

"Yes, that’s how it turned out."

— Don't feel pressured, go ahead and tell me.

"Well, the thing is..."

I gave him a rough explanation of the situation—that I had established a one-person corporation and intended to set up a support organization for donations.

— Ho-ho, so you're talking about a foundation?

"Yes. Would that be possible?"

— If we just verify a few things, there shouldn't be any major issues.

"Ah, thank you."

— First of all...

I tried to take diligent notes as he listed what needed to be done, but I didn't even need to. There were really only about two things I had to worry about.

It wasn't that difficult.

"I see. Will that be enough?"

— Yes, give me another call once those tasks are finished.

"Understood. Thank you very much."

— Not at all. I was the one who was more grateful back then.

A small favor had returned as a massive reward.

"Then I’ll be in touch again soon."

— Yes, I’ll be waiting.

It looked like I’d be able to establish the foundation much faster than expected.

With "Mar-Vell" releasing a blockbuster action film, *Shadows Looming* and *Seoul War* were pulled from theaters at almost the same time.

"Good timing."

Thanks to that, I was able to realize the profits from both works simultaneously. Since both had been massive hits, my expectations were quite high. Of course, I had to keep in mind that movie investments generally exist in a market with relatively low returns.

> **[Seoul War, Final Audience Exceeds 7 Million!]**

> **[Regrettably, it failed to break the 10 million mark, but among recent action films, the audience response is at the very top...]**

> **[Seoul War, Production Company Net Profit: A Whopping 19.5 Billion Won!]**

> **[Since the break-even point was somewhat high, the net profit is slightly underwhelming, but nonetheless...]**

> **[Shadows Looming, Final Audience: 6.85 Million!]**

> **[A feat achieved with a truly low production budget. It is estimated to have generated significant profit...]**

> **[Shadows Looming, Production Company Net Profit: 260 Billion Won!]**

> **[Rumor has it a massive celebration is underway following the incredible profits...]**

> 

Reading the articles put me in a good mood. Over the past six months, only three domestic films had succeeded in reaching over 5 million viewers. My "Eye for Scenarios" had proven its effectiveness. The comparisons from audiences and the reviews floating around the internet were similar.

Of course, there were things to consider.

The director’s capability.

*Seoul War* was better than expected because the director was exceptionally talented, whereas *Shadows Looming* performed exactly as expected.

What if the director lacked skill? There was a possibility that the results would fall short of expectations. For the next projects, I would simply have to include the director as a factor to consider.

The actors' performances would be important too. But all of that could be found with a simple search, so it wasn't a major problem.

"Mmm. Good."

I sat in front of my laptop, accessed the site, and logged in. When I entered the "Profit Status" section, a list appeared.

### **[Profit Status]**

**1. Seoul War**

 * **Investment Amount:** 50,000,000 KRW

 * **Break-even Point:** 2.32 Million Viewers

 * **Final Audience Count:** 7,312,531 Viewers

 * **Profit Amount:** 

53,800,000 KRW

 * **Settlement Request:** Available

**2. Shadows Looming**

 * **Investment Amount:** 100,000,000 KRW

 * **Break-even Point:** 1.63 Million Viewers

 * **Final Audience Count:** 6,852,777 Viewers

 * **Profit Amount:** 209,850,000 KRW

 * **Settlement Request:** Available

The actual profits were much higher than the previous estimates. This was a phenomenon caused by the audience count exceeding expectations.

Between 53.8 million won from *Seoul War* and approximately 210 million won from *Shadows Looming*, the total profit came to 263.65 million won.

"Not bad."

It had taken some time, but the return on investment was clearly high. If he reinvested the earned money entirely, it was certain to return as an even larger sum in the next settlement.

*Click.*

He applied for the settlement immediately.

> **[Would you like to settle?]**

> **[Yes / No]**

> 

Pressing the accept button once more, the settlement screen appeared. He entered the amount in the blank space and hit the complete button.

> **[Settlement complete.]**

> **[413,650,000 KRW will be deposited into the site account.]**

> **[Would you like to request a withdrawal?]**

> **[Yes / No]**

> 

He did not request a withdrawal.

Since the cooldown for his talent, "Eye for Scenarios," had reset, he planned to proceed with investing in other films this very day.

He checked the movie list first. He set aside all projects that were in the early stages of investment and would require a wait of six months to a year. Instead, he narrowed it down to films that had already finished filming and even had trailers out—movies where he could verify the actors, the director, and everything in between.

"Hmm."

There were nine works that met his criteria. Since "Eye for Scenarios" lasts for 24 hours, he figured he could start by reading the scripts for all nine projects.

> **[Using talent.]**

> 

He downloaded the scripts one by one.

A total of four scripts showed satisfactory scores.

The one he liked best was *Nameless*.

Set during the Japanese colonial period, it was a film about a fictional protagonist who never existed in history, and the script felt exceptionally well-written. To the point where, if filmed exactly as written, a massive hit seemed guaranteed.

There are many movies themed around the Japanese colonial era, but none were as gratifying as this one. Despite following a flow that didn't significantly distort history, the existence of "Nameless" provided a refreshing "cider" moment. It was the kind of story countless people had probably imagined at least once.

After finishing the script, he checked the director, the actors, and the production company. All had good reputations, the acting skills were solid, and the production company’s prestige was decent.

Next, he checked the trailers. One main trailer and two additional ones. After watching all three videos in succession, Ryu-seong wore a satisfied smile.

"This is definitely going to work."

The scores were just as high as those for *Shadows Looming*.

> **[Probability: 85 points]**

> **[Immersion: 93 points]**

> **[Artistic Merit: 89 points]**

> **[Box Office Potential: 93 points]**

> **[General Review: Probability, immersion, artistic merit, and box office potential. There is not a single area that is lacking. This is a script of remarkable quality.]**

> 

Nodding, Ryu-seong decided to invest. He clicked the investment application immediately.

> **[Target Funding Amount: 1,500,000,000 KRW]**

> **[Current Raised Amount: 523,350,000 KRW]**

> **[Investing 200,000,000 KRW.]**

> **[Investment complete.]**

> 

He now had 213,650,000 won remaining.

He looked over the remaining works. Two of them passed with flying colors in every category, but for one project, the director weighed on his mind. According to his internet search, the director's reputation was quite poor.

He decided not to overthink it. Three works were enough.

And so, out of the four works with satisfying scripts, he proceeded to invest in three of them.

 * **Nameless:** 200 million won.

 * **The World of the Chaebol:** 100 million won.

 * **Escape:** 110 million won.

Every single one was a movie he looked forward to.

*Snap.*

He closed his lapto

p, hoping they would return once again as massive profits.

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