Chapter 74:Money and Talent Pour In

 Chapter 74: Establishing a Foundation (1)

Two consecutive chapters were published at 10:00 AM.

The readers went wild.

> └ *Whoaaa, Author?! Have you lost your mind?*

> └ *Omg, aren't you overdoing it?*

> └ *Ah, two chapters! I mean, I absolutely love it but… I’m terrified you’re going to go on hiatus at this rate ㅠㅠ*

> └ *Please keep going without any hiatuses ㅠㅠ*

> └ *But seriously, this is so good…!*

> └ *Whoa, goosebumps…!*

> └ *Ugh, give us the next chapter, please!*

> └ *This is insane, seriously haha*

> └ *Please don't push yourself too hard!*

> 

So many readers were worried that his pacing was too reckless.

"……Remarkable."

He was truly grateful for their concern, even if it felt a little awkward.

At any rate, it wasn't a strain at all, so he wanted to let them know. Since quite a few readers tended to skip official notices, he decided to just mention it in the Author's Note.

With that in mind, he uploaded one more chapter and penned a brief message.

**[Author's Note]**

Thank you all for your concern. However, I consistently write over 10,000 characters a day and have a pretty generous stockpile of chapters, so you don't need to worry. I will run all the way to the finale without a single hiatus. Thank you.

> └ *Wait, ANOTHER chapter?*

> └ *Thank you for the food! Om nom nom!*

> └ *What a relief, now I can enjoy the ride without worrying about a hiatus ^^_

> └ *A true God-tier author…!*

> └ *Mmm, tastes like honey!*

> └ *The writing is so delicious… haha*

> └ *Ohhh, a massive stockpile, this level of quality, and 10,000 characters a day… You write incredibly fast. That's amazing ㄷㄷ*

> └ *I'll enjoy the read!*

> └ *This is seriously so good ㅠㅠ*

> 

Ryu Sung spent some time reading through the comments, soaking in the healing moment. The readers' responses were overwhelmingly positive.

*Is this the thrill that keeps so many authors writing?*

Ah, of course. The mind-boggling revenue was undoubtedly another massive driving force behind it.

Speaking of which, he decided to check his settlement details.

### Settlement Details – October

 * **Work:** Management Embraced by the Stars

 * **Total Purchases:** 271,093

 * **Cancellations:** 0

 * **Gross Sales:** 27,109,300 KRW

 * **Settlement Amount:** 17,078,859 KRW

In just a single day, his payout had surpassed 17 million won.

*Man, this is getting addictive.*

He smiled warmly before shaking his head.

"Whew, got to snap out of it."

It was time to write again. He closed the Moontopia app and locked his eyes onto the laptop screen.

This was a critical scene. It was the moment the protagonist finally crossed paths with the target of his revenge for the very first time.

> **[The talent 'Writing Muscle' has been activated.]**

> 

In an instant, he was pulled deep into a world of intense focus.

*Clack, clack-clack.*

The sound of fingers tapping against the keyboard echoed through the room as the screen rapidly filled with text. Soon, words formed sentences, and sentences wove into a vivid scene.

An image began to construct itself in his mind.

However, at a certain point, the imagery grew faint and began to warp. His hands froze.

"Hmm……."

After a moment of deliberation, he rewrote the text. The faint image grew sharper, but the distortion only worsened.

Again, again, and again.

After deleting and rewriting the section multiple times, he finally managed to capture the exact imagery he wanted. No part of it was warped, nor was it faint.

"……Perfect."

It felt like he had pulled off a solid scene.

Finally, the foundation was officially established. For now, the capital was set at the bare minimum of 300 million won. He figured he could just increase the capital later once he turned a profit on the leveraged ETFs he was currently investing in.

"Thank you so much for your help."

—*Don't mention it. See you at the gym next time.*

"Yes, take care."

He had truly benefited from the connection with that government official. Thinking that he could now properly sponsor people, he focused his eyes on a YouTube video.

> **[Your help could save…….]**

> 

The hardships faced by young children living as heads of their households filled the screen. Even though he had watched the video several times already, his heart ached every single time. Now that he was operating as a corporate entity rather than a lone individual, the logistics of providing sponsorship had become incredibly smooth. It also made it much easier to coordinate with City Hall or District Offices.

"First things first……."

Resolving to help the young breadwinners first, he immediately dialed a number.

—*Yes, Chairman.*

"Ah, is that what you're going to call me now?"

—*Of course. I need to get used to it too.*

"Mm, sounds good. Well then, Vice Chairman. It looks like you'll need to get to work in earnest starting today."

—*Does that mean……?*

"Yes, the foundation has been establis

hed."

—*Ah……!*

"Time to start for real. Could you come over to the office?"

“Of course. I’ll head over right now.”

“I need to head out too. Let’s meet at the office in thirty minutes.”

—*Got it. See you then.*

After hanging up, he got ready to go out. Still, he made sure to put on a reasonably neat outfit before stepping out of the house.

Since the office wasn’t that far away, he decided to take a leisurely stroll. As he walked, he mentally prioritized a few things on his to-do list.

He had been walking for a little while when he spotted a child hovering hesitantly in front of a dumpling shop.

*Ah……!*

Having gone through this a few times by now, his intuition kicked in. The kid clearly needed help.

The child looked to be around the upper grades of elementary school, but Ryu Sung figured it could just as easily be a middle schooler. It wasn’t uncommon for kids to look small for their age when they weren’t getting enough to eat.

*Step.*

It happened the exact moment he started approaching the child.

> **[Quest Triggered!]**

> **[For the Young Breadwinners!]**

> You don't have to look far; there are already far more child-headed households around you than you might think. The child standing before your eyes is no exception. This young breadwinner is growing up with two younger siblings under the care of an elderly grandfather who has severe mobility issues. Surviving an entire month on basic government welfare for a family of four is an incredibly grueling struggle. Help these children who live on steadfastly despite such a harsh environment!

> * **Objective:** 0 / 30

> * **Time Remaining:** 30 Days

> * **Success Reward:** Random Card, Virtue Points

> * **Failure Penalty:** You will come down with a severe body ache.

> 

He had already intended to help anyway, so having a quest tied to it made it all the better.

The objective was thirty households. Since he was already planning on helping even more places than that, it wasn't an issue at all. However, the quest title specifically mentioning "young breadwinners" left him a bit curious.

Well, for now, he'd focus on this kid.

Reaching the spot, he carefully leaned down to match the child's eye level.

"Hey there. What are you doing here?"

"Huh? Oh…… nothing."

"Can mister help you with something?"

The boy immediately shook his head with absolute certainty.

"No, I'm fine."

"You look hungry. Do you want some dumplings?"

"I said I'm fine, mister."

With that, the boy spun around and stormed off.

It was a pretty frosty reception.

Ryu Sung was caught off guard since this was a first for him, but it wasn't like he couldn't understand where the kid was coming from.

An unexpected helping hand—how many times had the boy already experienced that in his short life? And from those encounters, how many times had he been left deeply disappointed?

"Kid's got some spine," Ryu Sung murmured with a light chuckle as he followed behind him.

He at least needed to find out where the boy lived. Even though the foundation would officially begin its sponsorships soon, it was always good to be sure.

"Mister, why are you following me? Are you like, a kidnapper or something?"

"Nope. We just happen to be walking in the same direction. Besides, I'm not a 'mister,' I'm a 'big bro.'"

"You're a mister to me. Whatever, just go on ahead."

The kid was definitely a bit more mature than he initially looked. Was it fair to call him audacious, or just fiercely decisive in drawing boundaries? Either way, Ryu Sung actually liked it.

"You know, I'm actually scheduled to start some volunteer work around here soon, working together with the district office."

"……So?"

"I was just wondering if I'd run into you then."

The boy glared sharply at Ryu Sung.

"What are you trying to say? That I obviously look poor or something?"

*Why does he have to take it the wrong way?*

"Do you really think that's what I mean?" Ryu Sung asked bluntly, locking eyes with him.

The boy avoided his gaze and couldn't find an answer.

"I just thought it'd be nice if we could get closer starting now."

"Che, whatever. Do you think you're the first person like this I've ever seen?"

"Sounds like you've met a lot of strange people."

"Most people who come to volunteer just grimace the whole time before leaving. Or they just loosely kill time until it's over."

How was he supposed to win over a kid like this? Actually, was winning him over even possible?

In times like this, it felt like it would be much better to just show his true int

entions directly, without filtering anything out.

“I’m a bit different.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’m already sponsoring three orphanages right now. Oh, and I also support an elementary, middle, and high school.”

The boy flinched slightly and turned his head away.

“So what?”

“And recently, I even established a foundation. Though I don’t suppose you know what a foundation is?”

“I know what it is!”

“Oh? You know?”

After a brief hesitation, the kid opened his mouth.

“Because… we receive a lot of help.”

“Oho. Well, I set up something similar to help people too. Here, take this for now.”

Ryu Sung handed him a business card he had made in advance.

**[RS Foundation]**

It was a simple name, using the initials of Ryu Sung’s name.

“I don’t want it.”

“Just tuck it away, you never know. Man, you’re stubborn as a mule.”

He forced the card into the kid's pocket. As expected, the boy didn't go out of his way to pull the card out and throw it away. He seemed prickly, but he still maintained a basic level of manners.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“We’ll probably see each other again, so it’s good to know. I’m Ryu Sung. The ‘RS’ on that card is named after me.”

“That’s childish.”

“Well, let’s say it is. Now that I’ve introduced myself, it’s only polite for you to give me your name too, right?”

“……Hong Min-ki.”

Despite his attitude, he answered rather readily. He was a pretty cute kid.

Then, as if realizing the situation, Min-ki knit his brows and quickened his pace again.

“Seriously, stop following me now. Before I report you.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright.”

Even as he said that, Ryu Sung kept a safe distance and trailed behind him.

It didn't take long to arrive at the destination. After confirming the house—tucked deep inside an alley and looking like it could collapse at any second—he turned around.

“I need to hurry up.”

He felt like he needed to start the sponsorship even a minute, a second faster.

The moment he arrived at the office, he organized the documents and checked off a few items. Then, remembering something, he called his former schools one after another.

“Yes, from now on, the sponsorship funds will be delivered through the RS Foundation. Yes, yes, thank you. The paperwork? If needed, I’ll fill it out again. Yes, I’ll come visit sometime. Have a great day.”

He figured he would need to hire a few employees too. Fortunately, the office was spacious, so space wouldn't be an issue. Come to think of it, he also had to clear the Artist Quest.

There was a lot on his plate in one way or another.

*Tring.*

Just then, he saw Director Han Ae-ra walking in.

“You’re here?”

“Yes. Wow, the office is much bigger than I expected.”

“Right?”

“The monthly rent must be quite substantial.”

“The most important thing for me was that it had to be close to my home and the orphanage. While focusing on that and looking for a clean place, this is what I ended up with.”

“I suppose…… that makes sense.”

“Well, and it’s not like it’s draining a massive amount of money, so you don’t have to worry.”

This level of monthly rent was truly no burden to him at all.

“Have a seat first, Director.”

“Ah, shall I?”

Sitting across from each other, the two drank coffee and dove into serious business talk.

“We should have at least one accounting clerk, one employee to handle miscellaneous tasks, and at least one professional marketing person.”

“Three people in total.”

“Yes. For now, that should be enough.”

“Let’s go with that.”

Vice Chairman Han Ae-ra was much sharper than he had anticipated.

“I’ll post the job openings and handle the interviews.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Of course, you’ll need to participate too, Chairman.”

“Understood.”

“And you mentioned sponsoring child-headed households?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’ll contact City Hall and the District Office regarding that part to look into it properly. Oh, and additionally, how about we take the lead on this as much as possible? So that the true meaning of the sponsorship doesn’t get diluted by random entities interfering. It’s better to focus, even if the scope is small. We can expand it gradually.”

This was exactly what Ryu Sung had been thinking as well. Keep it narrow but definitive, and then slowly expand afterward.

“We are on the exact same page.”

“I’m glad. In that case, I’ll handle the meal coupon issue as our top priority. We’ll connect with the local government so that, at least in this neighborhood alone, there won’t be any issues using the meal coupons.”

This was something he hadn't even thought of.

*Wow, she’s seriously amazing.*

Seeing her handle th

ings so smoothly and systematically made her incredibly reliable.