I Have Too Many Money-Making Talents - Chapter 69
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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 069
Public broadcast, 9 p.m. news.
The official logo appeared beneath grand orchestral music.
Two anchors bowed in tandem, and a refined voice emerged.
“Good evening. We begin tonight’s broadcast with news of Kim In-ha’s championship victory—a promising new face in Korean Baduk.”
The lead story of the main news, not the sports segment—politics, economics, incidents.
Kim In-ha was featured on the nation’s screen.
A story the nation watched. A story the nation cheered for. A story the nation expected.
Kim In-ha: I didn’t waver. I played my Baduk. I intended it, I calculated it, and I believed in myself.
An interview clip.
His voice was quiet and clear.
In his eyes burned the conviction of a path built stone by stone.
Anchor: Recently, his words have become a topic of discussion. Not mere victory, but an unwavering will never to surrender. His journey—from bank security guard to the pinnacle of the world—has become a beacon of hope to many.
The screen showed Kim In-ha placing a stone.
After the final move, his upward gaze cross-faded into the interview footage.
In-ha’s smile as he lifted the championship trophy.
A story the nation watched. A story the nation cheered for. A story the nation expected.
For someone struggling through another difficult day, Kim In-ha’s success arrived like a small flame of hope.
* * *
The nation’s largest community website.
Posts about Kim In-ha flooded every page of the best posts section.
[Kim In-ha Delivers Tough Lessons to China.]
[Collection of Kim In-ha’s Quotes.]
[Why the Chinese Baduk Association Overlooks Cheating (feat. Kim In-ha).]
[Why You Should Know Kim In-ha Is Great (Research Associate Background).]
Naturally, the comments were in chaos.
-This guy went to the bathroom in Game 1 to stop the Chinese player from cheating, then let him cheat in Game 2 and still won—that’s some next-level coolness ㄷㄷ
-The fact that he didn’t quit till he won means he had no doubt he’d win ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Baduk’s just talent play anyway, but this guy demolished it at 29—doesn’t add up
-You guys don’t know? Kim In-ha also destroyed online Baduk with the ID Moomyeong ㅋㅋ
-What, Kim In-ha again? Even knowing the facts, it feels overblown.
The community was ablaze with talk of Kim In-ha.
The hottest topic, the easiest way to drive views.
On any community site, you’d find it faster to spot posts without Kim In-ha’s name than ones with it.
* * *
Park Ji-man’s Baduk In YouTube channel.
Game 2 Finals, 30th Ciel Bank Cup—live broadcast replay.
Moments after Kim In-ha’s half-point victory, Park Ji-man’s expression burned with fervor.
“Everyone, didn’t I tell you?! If In-ha pulled this off, he’d become a world-class Baduk player. And he’s done it! He’s done it!”
Pure, uninhibited laughter burst out.
Poor investment compared to China, weak popularity, limited infrastructure.
Yet another player who shook the world had emerged from within—and the joy of that fact was overwhelming.
“Si-hu, you’d better watch yourself. I don’t think In-ha’s stopping here.”
An amateur-born challenger mounting an assault on Jung Si-hu, the world’s number one.
The very thought was breathtaking.
The chat scrolled furiously.
-I still think he’s ten years away.
-Are you saying Jung Si-hu doesn’t look good, Instructor?
-I’m not belittling Kim In-ha’s victory, but we can’t deny he had favorable pairings.
Varied opinions flooded in, yet Park Ji-man’s smile never wavered.
“Everyone, the point is we have In-ha. And he’s a China killer, right? He’s on our side, isn’t he? We can split the wins with Si-hu.”
He laughed and clicked the mouse to advance the screen.
Headlines from China’s largest Baduk media outlet.
-Lu Chuan’s shocking defeat as a 9-dan. Has a great nation become a backdrop for a small one?
-[Column] The Ugly Truth of China’s Elite Players, Outshone by a Korean Street Nobody.
-Baduk Player Kim In-ha Shows Animosity Toward China. We Must Crush Him for China’s Baduk to Survive.
“Hah! Everyone, looks like we won’t need soda with our chicken today. This is pure cider—sharp and fizzy.”
The day he reclaimed the Ciel Bank Cup title that Lu Chuan had stolen from a 9-dan last year.
The day a new sage of Baduk was born.
For Korean Baduk fans, it was a festival.
* * *
Jang Yu-na’s 2-dan live stream.
Under the lights, Jang Yu-na spread both arms wide.
Like a resurrected Jesus.
“You saw it, didn’t you? That’s Moomyeong. The Moomyeong we believed in! I never doubted. Never thought cheating would beat him! You all believed too, right?”
Cries emanating from beyond the monitor.
Praise so fervent and blind it invoked something almost religious.
-We believed, Moomen.
-We believed without a shadow of doubt.
-Lol, anyone who said they didn’t believe got kicked immediately anyway lmao
-Even got blacklisted lmaooo
“Take pride, everyone. Us, the viewers of this broadcast! Us, the guests on this show! Today we shook the world. We witnessed it, and we were part of it.”
Eyes glistening slightly.
A sense of kinship.
Belonging.
Thunderous applause reaching across the screen.
A broadcast that had grown alongside Moomyeong.
Kim In-ha’s success—of all things, this was the day that brought her the purest joy.
* * *
A lounge bar in the 5-star Hotel.
I sat on the sofa by the window, eyes fixed on my phone.
An endless stream of news feeds and notifications.
Shorts uploaded by Park Ji-man’s “Baduk in” channel and Jang Yu-na’s 2-dan channel.
I swiped through them absently, then lowered the phone quietly.
I couldn’t help but smile.
I hadn’t changed, yet the world around me had transformed.
Somehow, my chest felt tight with emotion.
The weight of everything I’d done, the reality of having reached this point.
It washed over me like ripples spreading gently, so very gently across still water.
Then I heard a familiar voice.
“Congratulations on the championship. You proved it and performed a miracle.”
I looked up to find Jung Soo-yeon standing there.
Her usual office attire, but today there was something softer in her smile.
She sat down across from me.
“How does it feel? To become the talk of the nation, watched by everyone?”
“Personally or professionally?”
“Personally.”
I laughed quietly.
“It’s killer.”
Jung Soo-yeon burst out laughing despite herself.
Her smile was even brighter than mine.
“Wow. Kim In-ha, I thought you were all composure… but you know how to talk like that too.”
She took a sip of her coffee and set the cup down gently.
“Thank you for keeping your promise. The promise not to lose.”
“You kept yours too. You believed in my worth and invested in me.”
We looked at each other and smiled quietly.
“You’ve been the best investment of my life.”
Words spoken with sincerity.
I answered with a smile instead.
“From here on, offers will pour in. More CF proposals beyond ours. Additional entertainment appearances besides ‘Hoof Today’. This momentum won’t fade easily.”
She laughed softly.
“Actually, I’m planning to visit the Korea Baduk Association later. I hear they usually manage things on their end.”
Most professional baduk players belong to the Korea Baduk Association.
Unlike other athletes or entertainers, the Korea Baduk Association often handles agency work itself.
Jung Soo-yeon opened her mouth carefully.
“The Korea Baduk Association isn’t bad, but I’d recommend you sign with a separate agency instead. You have star potential.”
I paused to think, then nodded.
“Yes, I’ll consider that.”
These were the words of an expert.
There was no reason not to take them seriously.
She seemed to remember something and opened her mouth.
“I saw the video about your mother. That ice cream tteokbokki was a huge hit…… In-ha, I didn’t know you had a talent for cooking. If I’d known, I would’ve helped you promote it.”
“I’d rather not pursue that.”
They both laughed naturally.
“You’ll be leaving the bank soon, then?”
I nodded quietly.
“Probably. It would be strange to stay any longer.”
“The Branch Manager will be sorry to see you go.”
“He’ll understand.”
The Branch Manager had believed in and supported my path toward becoming a professional Baduk player even before my parents did.
He would cheer me on—I was certain of it.
Jung Soo-yeon checked her phone and gathered her coat and bag.
“I’d like to talk more, but time won’t allow it.”
“I know you made time out of a busy schedule. Thank you for coming to congratulate me.”
She didn’t have to come, but she did.
I could feel the sincerity behind it.
She smiled faintly and turned to leave, then turned back again.
“When do you want to have a drink?”
An unexpected invitation.
It was all the more surprising because it came from her—the most businesslike person I knew.
“Is this personal or professional?”
Jung Soo-yeon tilted her head for a moment, then spoke playfully.
“……Well, how about we meet on professional terms and end things on a personal note?”
A peculiar answer.
If I said I wasn’t interested, I’d be lying.
“Mm. I’ll think about it.”
I left my answer deliberately vague, with a smile.
She laughed as if amused and turned to go, then slipped out of the lounge bar.
Alone again, I took a light breath and checked my phone.
I still had time before my appointment at the Korea Baduk Association for the Professional Promotion ceremony.
I opened the System window I’d folded away.
Main Occupation Exchange Voucher.
Talent Enhancement Voucher.
Enhanced Platinum Exchange Voucher.
Master Roulette Voucher.
I’d spent all last night wondering how to use these.
And I’d reached my own conclusions.
First.
‘The Talent Enhancement Voucher—I’ll hold off on that.’
There was a limitation: Talent Enhancement was impossible for anything A-tier and above.
If I forced it, I could bump the B-tier Cuisine Talent up to B+, but there seemed no point.
I’d set this aside for now.
Next.
‘Enhanced Platinum Exchange Voucher.’
A roulette voucher that guaranteed at least B+-tier Talent.
With good luck, I could even aim for S-tier Talent.
‘Personally, a financial acumen Talent would be nice too…….’
But it wasn’t necessary either.
I’d learned something while playing Baduk.
Even without a financial Talent, money follows naturally depending on how you cultivate your gifts.
I turned my gaze.
What I wanted most.
‘Main Occupation Exchange Voucher.’
And.
[You have satisfied the Talent Maintenance condition.]
[Upon selection, Talent Maintenance will be possible regardless of Primary Job.]
The dilemma that had troubled me most.
The condition for maintaining my Baduk Talent: a Primary Job.
That is, bank security guard.
Now it was a situation where I could choose by my own will.
Even if I didn’t remain a security guard, I could maintain my Baduk talent.
But the problem was.
‘Talent maintenance is only possible up to A-rank.’
A fact I’d only learned yesterday.
If I maintained my Baduk talent after it evolved to A+-rank, it would downgrade to A-rank.
‘……What the hell kind of system is this?’
Even thinking it over again, the absurdity was staggering.
I had a choice, but practically speaking, there was no choice to make.
Honestly, I was afraid.
All the intuition I’d built up until now, Move Reading, the calculated moves born from the fusion of instinct and data.
The fear of losing all of it.
And more than anything, I wanted to climb higher as a professional Baduk player.
‘Using the Main Occupation Exchange Voucher is the right call.’
There was no need to hesitate any longer.
I quietly selected the ‘Main Occupation Exchange Voucher’.
[You have used the Main Occupation Exchange Voucher.]
[Your current Primary Job is ‘Bank Security Guard’. The Primary Job that meets the exchange conditions is ‘Professional Baduk Player’.]
[Primary Job exchange to ‘Professional Baduk Player’ has been completed.]
[Talent ‘Baduk’ will be maintained at A+-rank.]
[Primary Job maintenance condition requires a minimum of 60 professional games per year.]
[Talent maintenance conditions have been updated.]
[You will receive bonus points when you fulfill achievements as a ‘Professional Baduk Player’.]
A minimum of 60 professional games per year.
The condition was there, but it didn’t matter.
And it seemed that only Primary Jobs meeting the conditions could be exchanged.
‘Isn’t that better than coming in five days a week?’
Compared to being a bank security guard, it was heaven and earth.
There was no reason to refuse.
Moreover, I liked that system bonus points would be calculated based on my Baduk performance.
My gaze turned to the final line of the system window.
[Master Roulette Voucher]
A roulette voucher that guaranteed a minimum S-rank talent.
Perhaps even higher — there was a possibility of an S+-rank talent appearing.
I took a slow breath.
As my Primary Job changed, the constraints that had bound me disappeared.
This was the moment I had to decide again on a new Side Job that would change my life.
All things considered, using the certain ‘Master Roulette Voucher’ seemed better than the ‘Enhanced Platinum Exchange Voucher’.
‘……Let’s go for it.’
A hint of excitement and anticipation.
[You have used the Master Roulette Voucher.]
A massive roulette wheel appeared.
Whirrrr.
The rim disc began spinning at high speed.
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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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