I Have Too Many Money-Making Talents - Chapter 57

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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 057
[Talent: Chinese Language (Grade B)]
“……Chinese?”
It was a completely unexpected result.
From the moment the roulette stopped, I couldn’t tear my eyes away, staring at it for a long time.
“Should I be happy about this, or not?”
Obtaining a Grade B Talent by spinning the Gold Roulette Ticket was undoubtedly encouraging.
But.
I had no idea where to use it, or how to put it to use.
[System is updating the talent ‘Chinese Language’.]
In an instant, a strange sensation swept across my mind.
More than a thousand Chinese characters flooding automatically into my head.
Pronunciation, vocabulary, intonation, grammar structure——everything was being input in complete form.
[The talent ‘Chinese Language’ has finished updating.]
After standing dazed for a moment, I stepped in front of the mirror.
“Nǐ hǎo.”
A greeting even those who don’t know Chinese recognize.
And then came the next words.
“I can speak Chinese? Is this real?”
It was stunningly natural.
There was no awkwardness catching at the tip of my tongue.
It felt as familiar as speaking my native language, as natural as breathing.
I immediately grabbed the remote and switched to a Chinese satellite channel.
By coincidence, a wuxia drama was airing on Chinese TV.
“Master, please forgive Senior Brother!”
“That ungrateful bastard, how dare he!”
“I admire him. So…….”
The dialogue was serious and emotional.
But I heard it all.
Every meaning, every nuance, every sentence——I understood it without missing a word.
“……For real.”
This wasn’t just a simple acquisition of language.
It wasn’t simply that words made sense.
Rather, the way Chinese people think and feel, the very “grain” of the language itself had naturally woven into me.
I picked up my smartphone and found the link Jang Yu-na had sent me before, clicking it.
A Chinese news outlet.
Headlines I couldn’t have read before without a translation function now made perfect sense.
And more——I could now read not just the meaning, but the intention and emotion behind the words.
-Kim In-ha: “I don’t know who Liu Qing is as an 8-dan player. How would I know his Go?”
-Unknown account calls out Liu Qing? No, disrespecting China’s Go world.
-Luquanyi reaches 9-dan. Attains the realm of human AI.
-Korean media in frenzy over amateur Kim In-ha. “Will Lee Changho’s myth return?”
China was indignant. Korea was thrilled.
Sensational headlines amplified my remarks and intensified the controversy.
The comments were no different.
Rude and presumptuous.
Curses, mockery, sneers, contempt.
Chinese netizens’ criticism came flooding in like a tidal wave.
Yet I felt nothing.
No anger, no bewilderment.
Rather, now that I could see and understand their language directly.
This whole situation just seemed amusing.
“Looks like I struck a nerve.”
The sniper shot first came from Chinese articles.
The provocative question was asked by a Chinese journalist.
And now, the ones cursing me were Chinese as well.
Had I not known the reaction inside China, I might have simply let it pass.
But now I could see it all.
And I could hear it all.
There was no reason to pretend ignorance, no reason to overlook it.
I’d decided to answer them in the way they feared most.
‘Results.’
It might sound arrogant.
But in the end, that was the most precise and certain way.
“Come on, let’s see this through to the end.”

* * *
“In-ha, what kind of bathroom is better than our house?”
After checking in, Mother emerged from the lobby restroom with a stream of exclamations.
She went on and on about how flawless the marble floor was, how the subtle aroma was lovely, and how pretty the lighting was.
Father nodded in agreement, his head bobbing steadily.
“You’re right. I could sleep well in a place like this.”
“Oh, you’re exaggerating.”
I laughed, and Mother fixed me with a worried look.
“Dear, how much is one night here?”
“You’re in such a good mood—why talk about money?”
“I just don’t want you to burden yourself.”
I smiled briefly and shook my head.
“I made it to the quarterfinals, remember? The organizing committee covered everything—the room and dinner too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s the World Championship, after all. The hospitality is that good.”
Mother, who’d been skeptical at first, now broke into a reassured smile.
“Goodness… our son’s gotten us all these honors.”
Her face was full of pride and satisfaction.
“You’ve done well, our boy.”
Father patted my shoulder warmly.
‘It stings a little… but I suppose this much is fine.’
The truth was, every bit of it came from my own pocket.
But it was a white lie.
I just wanted them both to rest easy without worrying about money.
We headed toward the restaurant on the first floor of the Hotel.
I’d heard it was a place that had been featured in Michelin guides.
Normally it was difficult to book, but Main Tournament participants could use it once free of charge.
“Mr. Kim In-ha? I’ll show you to your table.”
We were seated at a quiet spot by the window, and I ordered the chef’s tasting course.
The first course was four small bites.
They were beautifully plated on delicate dishes.
“How do you eat this?”
“Just use the fork, and dip it in the sauce.”
Mother nodded and took a bite, then gasped.
“Wow… I’ve never tasted anything like this!”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever had a flavor like this.”
Father nodded in agreement.
I smiled quietly and took a bite myself.
A flavor as if the ocean itself had been captured.
Four harmonious tastes that awakened the palate with their brightness.
‘… The flavor… I can’t break it down.’
A taste so perfectly balanced, so complete.
I couldn’t begin to guess what ingredients had been used or how the flavors had been layered.
Whether it was because my talent was limited to Korean cuisine, or because I was still only Grade B, I couldn’t say.
‘Just as well, perhaps.’
Right now, I could enjoy the taste purely for its own sake.
As we were nearly finished with the main course—Hanwoo sirloin steak—I ventured carefully to speak.
“How’s the restaurant doing these days?”
Mother’s hand, lifting water to her lips, froze.
Father stopped cutting his meat.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
“… Oh, it’s getting by. It’s fine.”
Mother forced a smile.
But her expression was not bright.
‘……This isn’t good.’
A few days ago, a premium Korean snack shop called Tteok Mi-dang opened on the main street, owned by the landlady.
It wasn’t just instant tteokbokki—it was a premium establishment handling all manner of snack food.
I’d tried it myself, and the food was genuinely good.
That meant my store would take a hit.
Just then, the waiter brought out the next course.
On a white plate sat something shaped like tteok, with red sauce trickling delicately across it.
“It’s a dessert ice cream tteokbokki made with tteok purée and ice cream.”
“Tteok……bokki?”
Mom looked startled, and Dad’s eyes went wide.
I was surprised too.
Mom took a spoonful and tasted it.
“Oh my. What is this flavor? It’s so delicious.”
I lifted a spoonful of the tteok purée to my lips.
Cold, smooth texture.
The harmony of tteok and whipped cream.
A sweet-savory sauce that tied it all together.
‘Ah.’
In that moment, something sparked in my mind.
Beyond the taste itself, the very phrase “ice cream tteokbokki” lodged in me like a sudden flash of inspiration.
A combination that shattered convention.
The boundary between the familiar and the strange.
‘Perhaps……’
It was intuition.
A premonition that something new might be beginning.
But for now, I couldn’t speak of it aloud, so I swallowed the thought quietly.
That was when it happened.
A commotion arose from the restaurant entrance.
Chinese spoken in voices loud enough to command attention.
Familiar faces filing in together.
Professional Go players from China who’d made it into the main tournament.
Liu Qing, an 8-dan professional, was among them.
Several of them cast glances that said they’d already recognized me.
Following the waiter’s guidance, they passed by my table toward theirs, muttering to one another.
“That guy. The cocky Korean amateur.”
A familiar face.
The Chinese interpreter.
“Doesn’t know Liu Qing’s Go? Why do people from small nations have no manners?”
I quietly lifted my water glass and took a sip.
My expression remained unchanged.
Neither surprised nor displeased.
‘……I can understand it all now.’
The timing was impeccable—almost as if I’d acquired this talent just for this moment.
One of the professionals let out a snort of laughter.
Wu Xiaowei, 9-dan.
“Undefeated, huh. Beat a handful of pros through sheer luck, and some nobody amateur thinks he’s somebody.”
Zhou Xiwan, also 9-dan, nodded in agreement.
“Ever since the Five Immortals match, he’s been looking down on us. Put him in his place, Liu Qing. You know what I mean?”
Liu Qing answered with an easy smile.
“That’s exactly what I intend to do. Time to teach him some humility.”
Their chatter amongst themselves.
I turned my head and looked their way.
And smiled lightly.
“……!”
In that instant, the Chinese professionals’ eyes met mine and they flinched.
The playfulness drained from their faces all at once.
An odd silence fell.
In that quiet, one of the Chinese players murmured softly.
It was barely audible, but I heard it clearly.
“Something about that guy…… I find it unsettling.”
The Chinese players turned to look at him.
A face they recognized.
It was Xu Ranfei, a 5-dan rising star from China who had upset Japan’s Fujisaki 9-dan.
Liu Qing 8-dan turned and met his gaze.
“Why?”
Xu Ranfei 5-dan spoke carefully.
“I can’t predict his Go. I don’t want to play against Go like that.”
The table fell silent.
Liu Qing 8-dan snorted and spoke.
“Cowardice. That just means his Go is unpolished.”
His expression carried an easy confidence.
“He’ll be packing to leave tomorrow.”
“But, but…….”
Xu Ranfei 5-dan couldn’t find the words to continue.
He seemed to want to say more, but in front of his seniors, he simply fell silent.
In that moment.
I rose quietly from my seat.
“In-ha?”
“Please, go ahead and eat.”
After a brief word to Mom, I turned away.
As I moved, a ripple of tension ran through the Chinese players.
A subtle unease.
I passed Liu Qing’s group and stopped in front of Xu Ranfei 5-dan.
“Excuse me.”
Xu Ranfei 5-dan looked at me with startled eyes.
I smiled faintly and spoke in Korean, each word precise.
“Would you mind taking a photo together? I really admire your Go.”
He turned to look at the interpreter.
“Ah, Kim In-ha would like to take a photo with you. He says you’re a player he respects…….”
At those words, Xu Ranfei 5-dan’s eyes flickered.
Surprised, yet he nodded shortly after.
“……Yes, that’s fine.”
Click.
The interpreter took the photo with my smartphone.
I bowed lightly.
“Thank you.”
Xu Ranfei 5-dan smiled awkwardly.
Apart from us two.
The faces of the Chinese players sitting nearby had all gone rigid.
Though they appeared outwardly polite, their manner suggested they dismissed everyone else.
The fact that I’d taken a photo with only Xu Ranfei 5-dan clearly bothered them.
‘They must be unsettled.’
That feeling showed plainly across their faces.
And that was exactly the reaction I’d aimed for.
The interpreter, trying to smooth things over, laughed awkwardly and asked.
“Would you perhaps also like to take photos with the other players…….”
“No.”
I shook my head firmly, smile still in place.
“There’s no reason to take photos with people I don’t know.”
The interpreter’s face froze.
The Chinese players urged him with their eyes to translate, but he opened his mouth without sound, lips moving soundlessly.
Just then.
The appetizers for the Chinese team arrived on perfect cue.
I smiled lightly and added one final remark.
“Oh, and tell Liu Qing 8-dan to pack his bags early.”
“……!”
It wasn’t in Chinese.
It was in Korean.
All the way through.
I turned away quietly, leaving only those words behind.
‘I owe them a taste of their own medicine.’
They were the ones who started the gossip, after all.
And besides.
I intended to show them something far more decisive in tomorrow’s match.

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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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