Chapter 71:Money and Talent Pour In

                     Chapter 71: 6.4 Billion

The gestures of the staff member seemed intoxicated with joy. Being welcomed so warmly felt good. The employee who had disappeared shortly returned with a middle-aged man.

“You’re the author, ‘Newpe,’ right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Ho Hyun-seok, the CEO of S-Books.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Please, come inside.”

“Thank you.”

I followed him into the CEO’s office. It was neat and professional. As I sat on the sofa in the center, the CEO personally prepared and brought over some tea.

“It’s oolong tea.”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

I took a sip; the cool yet nutty flavor cleansed my palate.

“First of all, I really enjoyed reading your current series,” he began.

“Thank you.”

“Do you happen to have any backlog chapters?”

“Yes. I’ve written up to chapter 40.”

At those words, Ho Hyun-seok smiled and nodded.

“That’s excellent. Then, could you give me a brief overview of the story?”

“Of course. Well...”

Ryu-seong explained the core plot threads leading up to the conclusion in considerable detail. As the CEO listened, a deep smile spread across his lips.

“...and that’s the gist of it.”

“This exceeds my expectations. Well, I am certain this work will be a huge success. I want to sign a contract with you immediately. As you might know from talking to other publishers, there is what we call an ‘industry standard.’”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

“What I want to say is this: the standard is just a standard. Isn’t it only natural for an exceptional work to receive more than that?”

The atmosphere was positive.

“If you sign with us, we will provide the best treatment possible. No further explanation is needed. I’ll speak in numbers.”

I could feel his momentum—and his composure.

“For Moontopia, a 90/10 split. For all other platforms, we can offer 80/20. Additionally, we will guarantee a webtoon adaptation. We will explicitly state this in the contract.”

The conditions were so good it was almost confusing.

“Uh, I... didn't mishear you, did I?”

“Not at all. You heard everything correctly.”

Refusing this would have been peak stupidity.

“I never imagined I’d make such an offer to a rookie writer, but I’m showing my sincerity because I believe this story is a guaranteed hit. The decision, of course, is yours.”

My heart was already set. *It’s perfect, isn’t it?*

I was so surprised I needed a moment to compose myself. Perhaps mistaking my silence for hesitation, or perhaps having planned to say it all along, the CEO made one more proposal.

“If you wish, we can also publish physical books for bookstores. They might not sell a lot, but it could be a nice memento. We’ll put that in the contract as well.”

That sealed the deal.

Not a rental shop edition, but a bookstore release. In today’s web novel market, bookstore publishing was structurally destined for a loss because they simply didn't sell. As a reader himself, Ryu-seong knew this better than anyone. While "exceptions" appeared occasionally, he couldn't bank on that kind of luck for this project.

“Just know this one thing: I truly want to place this work at the very top.”

The man knew how to move a writer's heart.

“Director.”

“Yes.”

“Please give me the contract.”

That day, the contract was signed.

A call came from the Sky Orphanage.

 * *“I’ve had enough time to talk with the children.”*

“I see.”

 * *“They all... had such diverse dreams. It makes me sad that I lived without knowing that, but I’m glad I know now.”*

“Of course. Knowing is where it all begins.”

 * *“Then, about what you mentioned before...”*

“I’ll drop by within a few days. Oh, and if possible, I’d like the children from the Arumdeuri and Himchan orphanages—the ones you recommended—to be there as well. Would that be possible?”

That way, he could check for talents all at once.

 * *“It’s for a good cause, so it shouldn't be difficult. I’ll let them know in advance.”*

“Thank you.”

After hanging up, Ryu-seong used his 'Writing Muscle' talent to work on *'Byul-Poom-Mae.'* Thanks to writing 13,000 characters in just three hours, he had produced over two chapters' worth of content.

“This should be enough.”

Now, all he had to do was eat dinner and wait for the US stock market to open. Today was October 17th, the day he had to sell SQQQ and buy TQQQ.

“Oppa! Mom says come eat!”

Right then, Ryu-hyeon-a swung the door open. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the laptop screen filled with text.

“What’s this? You said you were writing, is that it?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Can I see?”

“No, you can't.”

“Aw, why not?!”

It felt a bit embarrassing to show his family. Ryu-seong closed the laptop and stood up. Ryu-hyeon-a narrowed her eyes.

“Would it kill you to let me see it?!”

“Yeah, it might.”

“Hmph! Fine! I’ll just read it on Moontopia! You think I don't know where you're serializ

ing? Hehehehe!”

“...”

Only then did he realize she was teasing him.

“Don’t even think about it. If you do, you’re not getting a single cent of allowance for the rest of your life.”

“...Fine! I won’t look! Happy?!”

“Good. Now that’s my good little sister.”

“Ugh! I swear, I need to start making my own money soon!”

“Yeah, please do. Be my guest.”

“Grrr...!”

Ryu-hyeon-a trembled with indignation.

“Kid.”

Leaving his sister behind with a mocking smirk, Ryu-seong stepped out of his room to find the dining table laden with food.

“Whoa. The table’s practically groaning under the weight today.”

Was it because he’d been giving his parents allowance lately? Or was it thanks to the Stamina Potions and Age Reversal Potions they’d taken? He wasn't sure of the exact reason, but the meals lately had been luxuriously hearty every single day.

“Hurry up and sit down.”

The food was so good he didn't even think about eating out anymore. Even Ryu-hwan, who used to be the last one to show up for meals, was now the first one seated and waiting.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Thanks for the food!”

It was a wonderful sight.

“You should eat plenty, too, dear.”

“Ahem, I suppose I should.”

The relationship between his parents seemed to have improved significantly as well.

“This is so delicious!”

“Mmm, mhh!”

Ryu-hwan and Ryu-hyeon-a began devouring the food like wild animals. Ryu-seong reached out with his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of the braised back ribs with aged kimchi from the center of the table. He took a spoonful of rice and draped a bit of the torn kimchi over it—the taste alone was incredible.

“Mmm.”

And when he followed it up with a bite of the tender back rib...

*Man, this is the best.*

It was a fantastic pairing that naturally drew out a sigh of admiration.

Besides that, the table was packed with various side dishes: grilled mackerel, cabbage kimchi, diced radish kimchi, seasoned spinach, stir-fried shredded potatoes, grilled sausages, seasoned bean sprouts, perilla leaves, grilled short rib patties, and grilled deodeok.

He polished off a bowl of rice in an instant. Not satisfied, he went back for a second bowl, savoring it with the various side dishes.

“Phew, I’m stuffed.”

It was a truly satisfying meal.

Before logging into his brokerage account, Ryu-seong posted on his YouTube community board first.

> [I don't have much to show you today, so I’m replacing the stream with this post. It looks like the decline will stall for a bit, and I expect the market to rise slightly with a short-term bounce. That doesn’t mean the downtrend is over. I believe it will drop further eventually. For now, once the market opens, I plan to sell SQQQ and hold TQQQ for about a week. This is strictly my personal investment and I’m just showing the process, so please use it only as a reference. Hope you all get rich, and I’ll see you in the next live stream.]

> 

Soon, it was 10:30 PM. He logged into the brokerage app immediately.

 * **Ticker:** SQQQ

 * **Shares Held:** 357,953

 * **Purchase Amount:** $3,392,857

 * **Return:** 64.1%

 * **Unrealized Gain/Loss:** $2,174,821

 * **Total Valuation:** $5,567,678

He had invested 3.8 billion won and achieved a 64% return.

“5.56 million dollars...”

That was his current total valuation. As the dollar rose due to the Second US-China Trade War, the exchange rate had reached 1,170 won per dollar. In Korean won, that amount was approximately **6.5 billion won**.

*The net profit is about 2.7 billion?*

The sheer scale of the profit made his head spin.

“Whew.”

First, he executed the sell order.

[Sell order filled.]

[Sell order filled.]

He now had 6.5 billion won in his account. This wasn't a dream or a fantasy; it was reality. It was a cash asset he could transfer to his linked bank account in just three days if he wanted to.

“Just how much money is this...?”

It was a fortune one could only amass by winning the first prize in the lottery about six times. With trembling hands, he went "all-in," putting the entire 6.4 billion won into TQQQ.

[Buy order filled.]

[Buy order fill—]

He felt that watching it further would only mess with his mental state. He was certain that if he just left it alone, it would rise steadily for the next five days and bring him another round of profits.

The time to sell was October 22nd.

Until then, all he had to do was wait.

As the serialization continued, the response grew even more fervent.

> [**#19. Achieve 20,000 Favorites.**]

> [**Achieved 3rd place on the Daily Best Chart.**]

> [**Acquired Karma Points (2).**]

> [**Special Chain Quest updated.**]

> 

By Chapter 26, he had reached 20,000 favorites.

> [**#20. Achieve 1st place on the Daily Best Chart.**]

> [**Achieved 1st place on the Daily Best Chart.**]

> [**Acq

uired Karma Points (3).**]

> [**Special Chain Quest updated.**]> 

He climbed to 1st place on the Daily Best Chart with Chapter 27.

> [**#21. Proceed with Monetization.**]

> 

Monetization was now right around the corner.

└ The more I read, the more I get sucked in... crazy.

└ Wow, today's chapter was legendary!

└ Wait, Author? How can you cut it off there?!

└ The ultimate cliffhanger master... ㅠㅠ

└ Next chapter! Hurry, next chapter!!!

└ Please, mass release!

└ Just go paid already and drop a chapter bomb on us ㅠㅠ

└ Ha, the wait is agonizing...!

By Chapter 28, the "Favorites" count had surged to 29,556.

The view count for Chapter 1 was 107,311.

Even more impressive, the views for the chapter posted just yesterday were already at 41,209.

These were record-breaking numbers in the history of Moontopia. What made it even more promising was the high retention rate—most of the readers were following the story without dropping off.

The momentum showed no signs of slowing down.

120,000... 125,000...

Finally, on the day he posted Chapter 31, the first chapter surpassed 130,000 views. Just as he noticed the upward trend beginning to stabilize, a phone call came in.

 * "Author, I think it's about time we transitioned to paid service."

It was the CEO of S-Books.

"I was thinking the same thing. Let's keep it free until Chapter 34 and start the paid service from Chapter 35."

 * "Understood. That makes it four days from now."

"Yes."

 * "I’m excited to see what the numbers will look like..."

"I’m trying not to count my chickens before they hatch."

 * "Haha, that’s a good mindset. I'll be in touch again soon."

"Alright, take care."

After hanging up, he immediately posted a notice.

**<Notice Paid Service Transitioning to –>**

**[Content: We are finally moving to paid serialization. This is all thanks to the overwhelming love you’ve shown. For the paid chapters, I will work even harder and post at least 7 times a week. Below is the list of those who provided donations...]**

Below that, he listed the IDs of the readers who had donated and expressed his gratitude to each one. Once he hit "Post," the notice went live. As the view count climbed rapidly, comments began to pour in.

└ Finally, monetization!!

└ You know a 3-chapter mass release on the first day is a basic virtue, right?

└ The 3-chapter rule is law!

└ Let's go for 5 chapters!!!

└ I'm fine with paying, just please upload a lot ㅠ

└ At least 7 times a week! Whoooo!!!!

└ The keyword here is 'at least'!

└ Author, I’m trusting you and diving in ㅋㅋ

└ Even if you dropped 100 chapters at once, I’d buy them all!

└ Looking forward to a legendary work! ^^

└ I've been following since Chapter 3, look how much it's grown... I feel so proud ㅎㅎ

Ryu-seong chuckled as he read through the comments.

"There sure are a lot of funny people here."

He wanted to live up to those expectations. With that in mind, he needed to write today as well, but he found himself hitting a bit of a wall.

"Hmm."

After a moment of thought, he decided to change his surroundings for the first time in a while.

*Maybe I should head to a cafe.*

Packing his laptop, he headed to a franchise cafe, ordered an iced Americano, and tucked himself into a corner seat. He didn't come often, but every time he did, he felt the same thing: corner seats provided a sense of stability. A spot where no one would mind him—and where he could mind them even less.

He flipped open his laptop.

*Alright, shall we?*

Perhaps it was the change in environment, but the writing felt different than it did at home.

"Pfft, I told you so."

"Oh, honestly..."

The occasional chatter of people was distracting at first, but soon he reached a state where he no longer perceived it. He focused entirely on the act of writing itself.

*Click, clack-clack.*

The sound of his typing echoed for a long while.

"Whew."

When he finally snapped out of it, he had completed exactly two chapters. With a satisfied expression, he closed his laptop and enjoyed the rest of his coffee.

*Vrrr, vrrrr.*

Just then, the call he had been waiting for arrived. It was the director of the Sky Orphanage.

"Yes, I was just about to head out. No problem at all, I'll see you in

 a bit."

It was time to put 'Talent Observer' to use.</Notice>

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