I Have Too Many Money-Making Talents - Chapter 44

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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 Profitable Talents — Episode 44
Ciel Bank Brand Strategy Team.
According to the branch manager, it was the core division responsible for the bank’s external image — publicity, advertising, marketing, branding, all of it.
So they’d come looking for me at a place like that.
Honestly, I couldn’t focus on my work.
‘The branch manager said it would be something good……’
I thought so too.
I just couldn’t picture what they’d want from me.
Then.
The automatic doors slid open and a woman in business attire walked in.
A neat, businesslike bob cut.
A sophisticated suit.
Eyes sharp and brimming with confidence.
I could tell at a glance.
She was a head office employee of the Ciel Bank Brand Strategy Team.
“You’re Kim In-ha, correct?”
Her tone was composed, her voice hushed and measured.
She extended her hand.
“Jung Su-yeon. Marketing Team Lead at the Ciel Bank Brand Strategy Team.”
“Hello, I’m Kim In-ha.”
I accepted the handshake.
Her fingertips were as cold as the atmosphere around her.
The branch manager stepped out right on cue, as if he’d been waiting, and greeted her.
“Kim Jae-young, branch manager of the Samil Branch. I came out to say hello since you mentioned having business with one of our staff.”
“Yes, I’m Jung Su-yeon from headquarters.”
Jung Su-yeon exchanged handshakes with him.
The branch manager glanced at me, then spoke with unmistakable enthusiasm.
“You probably know already, but Kim here is our branch’s pride these days.”
“I’ve heard about it. That you’ve been taking good care of Kim In-ha and giving him strong support.”
“……Really? How did you know that?”
The branch manager’s eyes widened in surprise.
I was just as baffled.
I’d filled out the Amateur selection tournament application with a brief personal history.
‘I just wrote “company”.’
There was no reason to elaborate, and no one had asked me to.
But how on earth did she find out?
Just then, a young man standing behind Jung Su-yeon stepped forward.
“Ahn Ho-jun, Marketing Associate. Jung Su-ho, an associate at the Seongdong District branch, is my peer. I heard about it through him.”
“Ah, that friend the district manager brought around.”
I remembered now.
The guy who lost to me in the Waterside Go semifinals.
The pieces clicked into place.
Jung Su-yeon smiled lightly.
“Thanks to that, we learned you work for our bank and were able to come visit like this.”
I nodded.
“We have a lot of customers around……let’s move to the VIP Room instead.”
The branch manager gestured with a smile and led us deeper inside.
The VIP Room.
A space I’d never set foot in during normal days.
But today, I found myself seated like I owned the place.
Jung Su-yeon took a seat across from me with an unruffled expression.
Ahn Ho-jun was connecting his laptop to a large monitor.
When the branch manager gestured, one of the chiefs brought coffee in, barely concealing his displeasure.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
Not VIP myself, but the star of this VIP Room today — that was the feeling.
I was starting to understand why adults kept saying success was everything.
Once the preparations were complete, Jung Su-yeon picked up the remote and advanced the screen.
“We’ve been focusing on your story, Kim In-ha.”
A PowerPoint presentation filled the screen.
Game photos, news articles, professional player evaluations, and even “Anonymous’s” accomplishments.
The slides flowed past as smoothly as a single continuous film.
“This isn’t a story about a professional defeating another professional.”
Team Lead Kang So-yeon spoke in a measured yet forceful voice.
“It’s the story of an ordinary office worker—a bank security guard, no less—making it to the main tournament of a world championship. That itself is a success story.”
Jung Su-yeon advanced to the next slide.
“To be frank, our Ciel Bank tournament follows the same pattern every year. Same players, same results. The nature of Go as a genre means we’re only reinforcing an image that appeals to seniors, and that’s the reality we face.”
I found myself marveling inwardly.
The way she explained everything through numbers and graphs alone.
And somehow, it carried real conviction.
Beep.
Next slide.
A bank that invests in people.
People-centered.
Growth-centered.
Customer-centered.
The statement filled the large monitor.
“A prime example of how a people-centered value system actually translates into results.”
Her tone was quiet but resolute.
“This year, we want to deliver a new message. And Kim In-ha is precisely the person who embodies that message.”
The branch manager sitting beside me let out a small murmur of appreciation.
His eyes said: this has to happen.
“Of course, it might not work out. Public reaction is difficult to predict. But despite that uncertainty, I believe Kim In-ha is more than worth developing as the figure in our Brand Narrative.”
After that came the marketing plan.
YouTube video production.
Media interviews.
Content direction and image management.
They even promised to minimize internal coordination and shooting schedules to ensure no disruption to his routine.
The final slide.
Kim In-ha Brand Content Proposal
The familiar Ciel Bank logo was embedded at the bottom.
“Let’s review this together.”
Jung Su-yeon slid the contract across the table.
I unfolded the document slowly and scanned through it.
Various clauses, party designations, and legal terminology filled the pages densely.
“I’ll walk you through the key points.”
Ahn Ho-jun, the assistant beside me, began highlighting the main items.
“This section covers the payment terms.”
Four character-focused videos, roughly ten minutes each.
Five interviews.
The total model fee to be paid was twenty million won.
Given that I was a private citizen, it didn’t seem like a small sum.
“This part covers additional clauses.”
Ahn Ho-jun turned the page.
Five million won per additional shoot.
If a commercial were produced, an additional model fee of thirty million won would be paid.
In short, it was structured as performance-based bonuses.
If the response was positive, they’d expand its use, and compensation would grow accordingly.
Jung Su-yeon added softly, with quiet confidence.
“We’ve matched the industry’s highest standard for in-house employee model contracts.”
At that moment.
A single word in the contract caught my eye.
‘In-house employee.’
That one phrase stood out distinctly.
Only then did the true meaning of this contract become clear.
‘These people don’t see me as…’
The strongest amateur.
A Kim In-ha likely to enter professional ranks.
Simply.
A security guard at Ciel Bank’s Samil Branch.
I existed within the frame of ‘bank employee’—positioned there on this contract as someone trapped in that category.
A product to be packaged.
A person given a price tag.
And nowhere in those terms was there any mention of Kim In-ha, the Baduk player.
They chased novelty alone, overlooking my latent potential entirely.
I lowered my head quietly and closed the contract.
“Thank you for the generous offer.”
Jung Su-yeon’s eyes dimmed slightly.
She seemed to catch the subtle undertone in my words.
“I’m sorry, but I must decline this contract.”
Brief. Quiet.
A heavy silence fell over the VIP Room.
The branch manager looked bewildered, unsure how to respond.
Jung Su-yeon’s expression flickered with momentary surprise.
“May I ask the reason?”
She recovered her composed smile quickly and posed the question.
“I want to focus entirely on Go.”
“We can certainly work around any inconvenience…….”
I shook my head.
Our eyes met.
She still smiled, but I could see a faint tremor beneath it.
“And I’m not a bank employee. I’m a temporary contract employee.
“That may be true, but…….”
“I have a sense of belonging to the bank. Corporate loyalty? No. I don’t have that.”
I finished speaking and pushed the contract away.
I’d softened my words somewhat.
But the truth was simple: I held no goodwill toward Ciel Bank.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s the right time yet to put my story on display for others.”
The numbers written on the contract, the clauses, the brand logos—none of it.
They failed to capture my true value under the guise of being a company employee.
And beyond that.
I felt no faith that I would advance past the main tournament.
“I’ll keep winning and proving myself. When my value rises…… I hope we’ll have the chance to talk again then.”
I left the door open with that condition.
The bare minimum courtesy.
Though I had no idea if we’d ever truly meet again.
Until then, I just had to focus on Go. Results would follow naturally.
Jung Su-yeon lowered her gaze quietly.
Had she sensed that my resolve couldn’t be swayed?
Or had she glimpsed something else entirely?
She closed her laptop and drew a short breath.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
She rose from her seat.
Her movements were polite, but more cautious than before.
After collecting the contract, she turned to me one last time.
“I’ll support you sincerely. And I hope we’ll meet again soon.”
Jung Su-yeon bowed and opened the door.
Ahn Ho-jun hurried out behind her.
‘Meet again soon?’
The words lingered in my mind.
But I didn’t dwell on them.
“Kim.”
The branch manager looked at me with a smile.
“It’s not my call to make…… but I respect your judgment.”
He chuckled lightly and gave my shoulder a tap.
He didn’t elaborate or lecture.
“I’ll tell you this much—you’ll reach the top. When you do, you can get proper recognition and sign an even better deal.”
I found myself smiling.
Someone who believed in me more than anyone else.
His words settled heavily in my chest.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Why are you making such a fuss over this? Should I get up?”
I nodded and rose from my chair.
Just as I was about to leave the VIP Room behind the branch manager.
—Ding!
A notification chimed.
Simultaneously, a system window materialized.
[Congratulations! You who recognize your own worth have partially satisfied the system usage conditions.]
[Upon completion of all conditions, an additional Talent Roulette Ticket will be granted.]
I stopped walking.
A faint smile crossed my face.
“What’s wrong, Kim?”
The branch manager glanced back.
“No, it’s just… I’m feeling good.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get back to work.”
The branch manager shrugged and walked ahead.
I quietly made my way back to my desk.
‘My worth.’
Yes, this is how it will be from now on.
Proving myself through the path I chose.
The direction my own compass was pointing.

* * *
The next day.
I had just returned to the branch after sharing lunch with the branch manager at an upscale sushi restaurant.
But then.
“Do you have a moment?”
A woman in an elegant suit rose from the customer waiting area.
It was Jung Su-yeon, the director of the Brand Strategy Team.
“Didn’t we wrap things up yesterday?”
I asked, taken aback.
She smiled softly.
“I did say I’d see you again soon.”
“Well, yes, but…”
Here she was again, just one day later.
Wasn’t this awfully fast, no matter how you looked at it?
The branch manager quickly caught the drift and interjected with a grin.
“Looks like our director has taken quite a shine to you, Kim. Let’s step inside and talk.”
We moved to the VIP Room.
The same space, the same seats.
Yet in the span of a day, the atmosphere had subtly shifted.
“Let me start by apologizing, Kim In-ha.”
Jung Su-yeon lowered her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“I have to admit, I’m a bit flustered by this.”
“Yesterday, we were too hasty.”
She raised her head and met my eyes.
“We failed to give sufficient consideration to your feelings and position.”
She withdrew a document envelope bearing the Ciel Bank logo from her bag and placed it on the table.
“I’m well aware that as a temporary contract employee, you don’t harbor warm feelings toward this company.”
She paused for a moment.
She pushed the envelope across the table with the tip of her finger.
Whoosh.
The paper slid across the desk with a soft, whispering sound.
“We cannot change your feelings. That’s not a domain where the company can intervene.”
Her voice had lost its businesslike tone.
It was precise.
Clear.
And persuasive.
“But we can properly acknowledge your worth.”
Jung Su-yeon spoke quietly.
“Not as a security guard at Ciel Bank, but as Professional Baduk Player Kim In-ha.”
Her hand withdrew slowly from the envelope.
“This is the new contract that reflects your true value.”

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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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