I Have Too Many Money-Making Talents - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Too Many Talents That Make Money — Episode 110
King of Masked Singer waiting room.
I swallowed a mouthful of water, mask already removed.
It was less about quenching my thirst than catching my breath.
After wetting my throat and steadying my breathing, the first thing my hand reached for was my smartphone.
Notifications poured in the moment I turned on the screen.
Most of them were messages from Jung Soo-yeon, the executive director.
Jung Soo-yeon: In-ha Franchise Overview.pdf
Jung Soo-yeon: Red Eagle final contract. Please review it.
Jung Soo-yeon: I’ve received the manager application materials. Just need you to look them over.
Jung Soo-yeon: The production presentation schedule for Checkmate came out too. They’re going with the tentative title as is.
“……I’m completely scattered.”
Honestly, even if I’d kept the King of Masked Singer crown today, I’m not sure I could’ve properly prepared for the next stage.
Right now, I had far more everyday responsibilities to keep than stages to protect.
So I had no regrets.
I’d poured out every song I wanted to sing, in my own way.
This moment of standing as the singer Kim In-ha.
That alone was enough to make it special.
Knock knock.
I heard the knock on the door.
“We’re here for the interview shoot.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and PD Han Gyeong-il and writer Jeong Seong-hee entered with their camera.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“You two have worked hard as well.”
We exchanged the expected pleasantries, and PD Han Gyeong-il spoke with a smile.
“You did such a great job with the interview during filming. We were thinking of releasing this waiting room interview as behind-the-scenes footage rather than on the main broadcast. Would that be alright?”
“Of course. That’s fine.”
Once the camera was set up, writer Jeong Seong-hee asked as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“You became the first King of Masked Singer who wasn’t a singer by profession. How did that feel?”
“That made it all the more of an honor.”
“Just one vote difference…… I was really sorry to see that.”
“I think it was the heaviest single vote difference there could be.”
“You’re remarkably composed about it. Usually people tend to show more regret.”
I let out a quiet laugh.
“From the moment I stepped on that stage, it was already enough.”
A brief silence fell, and PD Han Gyeong-il posed his final question.
“Then now, taking off the Checkmate mask…… where will Kim In-ha be heading?”
“Closer. Much closer to more viewers, more people.”
I paused before continuing.
“I want to keep moving closer until more people come to love the things I love.”
Baduk.
Archery.
And now Chess too.
Worlds that most people don’t know.
But truly wonderful worlds.
I wanted to show them that.
PD Han Gyeong-il gestured to wrap up the shoot.
“Thank you for those meaningful words. Really, you’ve worked hard.”
“I should be thanking you.”
The camera was turned off, and the production crew quietly left the waiting room.
I was about to take off my stage outfit when there came another knock.
“Excuse me.”
A familiar voice.
I turned around to find Cha Tae-ho, the panel member with a background in music production, standing there.
He was holding two drinks in his hands.
“You worked hard today. Personally, I’m sorry we won’t get to hear you sing again.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
I laughed awkwardly.
I’d thought of it as a fleeting connection that had ended in an instant.
I hadn’t expected him to seek me out in the waiting room, let alone offer words of comfort.
“This is my business card.”
Bressing Sound.
A production company specializing in original soundtracks, albums, advertisements, and content audio.
Director Cha Tae-ho.
I studied the card for a long moment before looking up.
“Do you have any plans to release an album or pursue a career as a singer?”
“Not at the moment, no.”
I spoke with firmness, but gently.
He nodded slowly.
“I thought as much. You’re remarkably talented across so many disciplines.”
He continued, a faint smile lingering on his face.
“That said, I’d like to make you a proposal. Or rather—a request, I suppose.”
“A request?”
At my question, he nodded.
“Do you know of Park Ji-woo, the screenwriter? The one who wrote the drama ?”
“Ah, I’ve heard of it.”
Park Ji-woo.
One of South Korea’s biggest screenwriters.
Though I don’t watch dramas often, was popular enough to cause a sensation at the time.
“Park Ji-woo mentioned that your voice and emotional delivery from last week’s broadcast would be perfect for the main male lead’s theme song in her next project.”
“Me?”
“Yes. So she asked if I could please reach out to you about featuring in this drama’s OST.”
It was an unexpected offer.
A drama.
An OST.
I’d never imagined those keywords could apply to me.
“Of course, there’s no need to decide immediately. But it’s a good opportunity, and…”
Cha Tae-ho chose his words carefully, speaking his sincere thoughts with deliberate gentleness.
“I think it’s a shame to let a voice like yours go unused.”
He added quietly.
“You may not have the means for a formal album release or a career as a professional singer, but if we could share your voice with people this way, I think that would be something truly worthwhile.”
It wasn’t persuasion—it was the genuine voice of someone who understood music.
And that sincerity moved me before any argument could.
“Thank you for the kind offer. I’ll give it careful thought.”
Though it wasn’t a decision yet, that one phrase conveyed enough.
Cha Tae-ho nodded with a smile.
“You worked very hard today.”
He left the waiting room quietly.
I remained sitting there for a while.
An OST.
A direction I hadn’t foreseen.
But.
‘It’s not bad at all.’
There was no reason it had to be the King of Masked Singer.
It didn’t have to be a singer’s path.
If I could share my voice this way, that would be enough.

* * *
Incheon International Airport.
Jung Soo-yeon’s domestic mid-size sedan.
I sat in the passenger seat, reading an article that had taken the portal homepage by storm on my tablet.
[Kim In-ha Seals Partnership with Red Eagle… ‘Injecting Energy into the Silent Genius.’]
A table bearing a Go board, a chess board, and a compound bow arranged together.
A Red Eagle beverage positioned to one side.
At the center stood me, wearing a cap emblazoned with the Red Eagle logo.
“…There’s definitely something unbalanced about it.”
Red Eagle’s brand philosophy centers on extremes, adventure, and energy.
Baduk.
Chess.
Archery.
Given my field of activity, it was a departure from the usual.
“That difference is precisely why Red Eagle sponsors you,” Jung Soo-yeon said.
I nodded quietly at the headquarters director’s words.
Extreme sport and absolute stillness.
An unlikely pairing on the surface, yet somehow it carried tension rather than conflict.
Quiet immersion and focus.
Within that silence, fierce competition holding its breath.
That was why Red Eagle had chosen me.
Jung Soo-yeon glanced at me in the rearview mirror and offered a casual comment.
“The hoodie suits you better than I expected.”
A hoodie with the Red Eagle logo emblazoned across it.
More flamboyant than my taste, but the design was undeniably trendy.
According to the contract terms, I would wear Red Eagle apparel on a regular basis.
She continued.
“By the way, most international chess tournaments have a regulation requiring formal dress. Red Eagle is designing a casual formal jacket with that in mind.”
“Already? That was fast.”
“Why do you think we’re a global brand?”
As we exchanged pleasantries, Incheon International Airport came into view in the distance.
‘First time coming here.’
Even though this was a departure, not a holiday, a strange excitement washed over me.
After pulling the car to a stop and unloading my luggage, Jung Soo-yeon spoke from beyond the passenger window.
“I’ll buy victory wine and wait for you.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
I smiled and entered Incheon International Airport.
That was when I felt eyes on me.
Several people looked my way with uncertain expressions.
I’d grown somewhat accustomed to it, but it still wasn’t entirely comfortable.
At the gate, Jeong Si-hu and a Korea Baduk Association staff member were waiting to depart for Japan with me.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Hello. I’m not late, am I?”
“Not at all. You’re right on time. Let’s get your ticket sorted immediately.”
After brief greetings, we went through the departure procedures.
We completed check-in and headed toward the boarding gate.
Our destination was Osaka.
The Nichirenhai draw ceremony was scheduled immediately upon arrival.
“Um… you are Kim In-ha, correct? I’m sorry to ask, but could we take a photo together?”
“Oh, of course.”
What began as one photo request continued—one after another, unending.
Quite a few people recognized me.
What was interesting was that most of them hadn’t recognized me as a professional Baduk player.
If they had, they surely would have noticed Jeong Si-hu.
Some talent.
Some sport.
But beyond that, people were beginning to remember me simply as ‘Kim In-ha’—the person.
It felt unfamiliar, yet equally pleasant.
Boarding time was approaching, and I made my way to my seat.
Window seat.
Jeong Si-hu sat in the same row as me.
The cabin announcement played, and the aircraft taxied down the runway before taking off.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from the window outside.
The plane climbed to altitude and leveled off into stable flight.
In that moment, I heard the quiet sound of a medication bottle opening beside me.
Jeong Si-hu took out a single pill and swallowed it with water.
“Are you unwell?”
“Ah, yes. There are some lingering effects from a traffic accident. Sometimes the headaches are quite severe.”
He smiled as if by habit.
But the fatigue behind that smile was unmistakable.
“It’s fine. It’s always like this.”
Sensing my concern, he brushed past it matter-of-factly.
That’s what troubled me most.
The Nichirenhai uses a drawing system for pairings.
No one knows who they’ll face until it’s announced.
If I ended up across from him, I wanted to fight at my absolute peak, with everything I had.
But.
‘He doesn’t look as good as I’d hoped.’
I glanced at him sideways.
His expression was composed, yet a thin veil of fatigue lingered in his eyes.
Then he spoke first.
“This is your first time competing in an international tournament, isn’t it?”
“Yes. My first time.”
“I don’t think In-ha would be rattled by something like this, but the atmosphere will be very different.”
As my gaze shifted to him, he continued quietly.
“The unfamiliarity of the place, the flow of the air, the sound of the timing clock, unaccustomed anxiety—very small things that subtly throw off your balance.”
“Is it like the difference between playing at home versus away?”
“Yes. Something like that.”
I understood.
Environment affects your performance.
You can see that even in mainstream sports.
And Jeong Si-hu, a 9-dan, was a veteran who’d traversed China and Japan countless times, competing at the highest level.
Advice born from such experience wasn’t worth ignoring.
“And be careful of Fujisaki, 9-dan.”
I remembered who that was.
Japan’s prodigy professional player.
Three tournament victories in Japan’s domestic championships last year alone.
He’d lost to Jeong Si-hu at the Ciel Bank Championship, but I’d heard his play was brilliant.
Among journalists, there was even talk that Fujisaki’s rise was the decisive reason Japan had revived the Nichirenhai.
A strong player already.
On his home soil.
On a stage built specifically for him.
Playing even better than usual—that was more threatening than it might seem.
But.
‘That actually sounds fun.’
I was different.
My first time traveling away.
My first international tournament.
I felt more anticipation than caution.
What kind of Baduk would I play in that unfamiliar air?
What kind of position could I create?
It was less fear than excitement.
“I want to feel it for myself.”
I felt Jeong Si-hu’s gaze from the seat beside me.
I spoke quietly, like a vow.
“The feeling of defeating Japan’s best player… in Japan.”
That would feel pretty incredible.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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