Chapter 52: The Grade C Wish Ticket

Set a new record.

The average viewership of Ma Boksoon, which has aired up to episode 7 so far, finally surpassed 20%.

It started with an unprecedented 15.2%, and since the highest rating had already hit 20% in the early episodes, it was expected that  would easily cross the 20% mark.

But now that the number has actually broken through 20%, it felt different.

Im Seonghee and Jeong Taemi, who heard the news that the ratings had surpassed 20%, were even more thrilled than me, as if it was their own achievement.

"Congratulations, Writer! Isn't this the first time in almost four years something broke 20%?"

"Damn! Is it Jeonghyeok again? All hail the great writer Lee Jeonghyeok!"

It wasn't just the two of them—word seemed to have spread among the people in the industry, and congratulations were pouring in from all sides through my phone.

Of course, I was happy, but just replying to all the messages from people in the business world, who were lavishing me with praise as if I'd won the Baeksang Arts Awards, was draining.

After I managed to send greetings even to a certain studio head whose name I could barely remember, I was finally able to catch my breath.

Leaving Im Seonghee and Jeong Taemi still grinning as they checked reactions on various online communities, I quietly slipped into my room and closed the door without a sound.

Well, there was something I wanted to check as soon as I was alone.

I sat at my desk, turned on my laptop, and logged into Godflix.

With a cheerful “ding” notification sound I hadn’t heard in a while, the Godflix notification window popped up right away.

♤♣♧♥ Congratulations ♥♧♣♤

You have achieved a 20% viewership rating!

[Silver Quest (#1)]

Success conditions

have been met!

-Reward: 500 million won in cash / 1 Wish Ticket (Grade C)

Without hesitation, I clicked ‘Yes’ to the message asking, ‘Would you like to claim your reward?’

Bundles of bills worth 500 million won poured down like rain.

Before anyone could see, I quickly stuffed them into a duffel bag.

‘The money is great, but this time I’m even more curious about something else.’

I turned my attention back to the Godflix window.

A new notification had appeared on My Page. I clicked the alert.

[Wish Ticket in possession: 1 (Grade C)]

There it was, the familiar Wish Ticket.

‘A Wish Ticket… How exactly do they grant wishes, anyway…?’

Fortunately, there was a newly added guide at the bottom of My Page that gave a brief explanation of how to use the Wish Ticket.

-After saying “Use Wish Ticket,” speak your wish out loud. A final confirmation window will appear, and the Wish Ticket will be used as soon as you accept it.

-Depending on the grade, if the wish can be realized, it will be granted immediately. If not, you will see a message saying, “Wish cannot be granted.”

-Used Wish Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged.

First, I needed to figure out what exactly the grade differences in wishes meant.

‘A Grade C Wish Ticket is worth 1 billion won. So I should think of it as being able to grant a wish worth up to 1 billion won?’

I opened a new tab and went to a search portal, typing in “apartment sale price.”

In the nearby Mokdong area, the average sale price for an apartment in Mokdong Central Park Town ranged from 950 million to 1.15 billion won.

I decided to test it with a unit priced exactly at 990 million won.

Since it only proceeded if I accepted the final confirmation window, I figured there’d be no problem if I canceled beforehand.

"Use Wish Ticket. Buy Mokdong Central Park Town, Building 103, Unit 207 for me."

This wish can be granted.

Would you like to use 1 Wish Ticket (Grade C) to fulfill this wish?

As soon as I saw the “wish can be granted” window, I answered, “No,” and the notification disappeared right away.

Then I immediately tried to use the Wish Ticket to buy a listing in the same apartment complex priced at 1.1 billion won.

This wish cannot be granted.

A window popped up with the message that it was impossible, just as before.

So, I confirmed that material wishes are determined by price according to the grade of the Wish Ticket.

‘If I can use a Wish Ticket for a material wish valued at exactly 1 billion won, then what about abstract wishes?’

I tried making a rather far-fetched wish.

"Use Wish Ticket. I want to become president."

This wish cannot be granted.

As expected, a wish of that size was impossible.

"Use Wish Ticket. Make sure I never get kidney stones for the rest of my life."

This wish cannot be granted.

"Use Wish Ticket. Make sure I never go bald for the rest of my life."

This wish cannot be granted.

Was it because the Wish Ticket was Grade C, or was it because these were things modern medicine couldn’t fix?

I tried several more wishes, but most were denied.

Occasionally, there were minor wishes that were accepted, but using up something worth a billion won on those felt wasteful.

Just to be sure, I decided to try one last thing.

"Use Wish Ticket…"

This wish cannot be granted.

"Make CL Group go bankrupt."

This wish cannot be granted.

I had expected it wouldn’t work, but hitting a wall like this even here made me lose some of my excitement for the Wish Ticket.

Of course, just being able to buy an apartment worth a billion won was already an amazing benefit.

But since I had hoped to grant other, less material wishes, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down.

Putting aside how I’d use the Wish Ticket for now, I decided to visit Minguk Bank for the first time in a while to deposit the cash I received as a reward.

After all, who could feel at ease leaving a 500 million won check lying around at home with no safe?

Leaving my room, I told the still-excited Im Seonghee and Jeong Taemi that I was stepping out for a bit, then opened the front door.

---

The after-school road at Ira Elementary School.

Today, Areum dragged her shoulders as she climbed into the car that had come to pick her up.

"Hello…"

"Hm? Areum, is something wrong today?"

Yoon Jeongsoo, who sometimes drove for Jeon Minjeong’s personal schedule as well as Areum’s school commutes, carefully asked after hearing the unusual tone in Areum’s voice.

"It’s nothing…"

"Oh dear, it looks like our Areum is upset about something."

He already knew from one of the house staff, Han Myungja, that Jeon Minjeong had recently lost her temper with Areum.

Wanting to be considerate of the young Areum, Yoon Jeongsoo watched her closely.

"Uncle, do you think Mom hates me too?"

"There’s no one in the world who could hate our Areum! Director—no, your mom—loves you too."

"But Mom never plays with me, never takes me anywhere fun, and doesn’t even eat meals with me."

"Oh my, so that’s why you’ve been so down lately."

Knowing well that Jeon Minjeong was not suited to the role of mother above all else, Yoon Jeongsoo could only bite his lip, unable to agree or disagree.

"Dad always ate with me, took me to amusement parks, and played with me all the time."

"Do you miss your dad, Areum?"

"Yes, I miss him a lot. It’s already been a whole year since I’ve seen him. But Mom won’t even let me call him, so I’m upset."

"Heh heh…"

As he searched for a way to lift Areum’s spirits, it suddenly occurred to Yoon Jeongsoo that her birthday was coming up.

"Areum, your birthday is next week, right? Is there anything you want? If it’s something you want, Uncle will buy you anything."

"Then, I want to see my dad on my birthday. Can you take me to where Dad is?"

No matter what Areum wanted, the expenses would be handled by Jeon Minjeong, so he could buy her anything—except for one thing.

Knowing that meeting her father, Lee Jeonghyeok, was absolutely impossible, Yoon Jeongsoo made an awkward face and tried to tempt her with something else.

"Areum, you like Hachuping, right? This time, there’s a limited-edition Premium Floral Louis Vuitton Hachuping from a Louis Vuitton collaboration. Should I get it for you?"

"Not that, I just want to see my dad."

"How about the Hachuping musical? You’ll get to see Hachuping sing and dance from the front row."

"…Really?"

Luckily, the mention of seeing her favorite character, Hachuping, live seemed to catch Areum’s interest.

"Not just Hachuping—Baroping, Ajooping, and Chachaping will all be there, too."

"Will you take me there, Uncle?"

"Of course. It’s the weekend, so there’s no school. I’ll take you early in the morning. How about it?"

"Hehe, I like that. I’m excited. It’s a promise. Promise!"

Thanks to the magic of Hachuping, Yoon Jeongsoo was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alright, Uncle promises."

---

Meanwhile, after stopping by Minguk Bank to deposit the additional 500 million won into his fund account, Lee Jeonghyeok decided to rest at a nearby café.

After ordering an iced Americano, he sat leisurely by the window, sipping the cool drink as he gazed out at the street.

Countless passersby were walking in front of the café.

Among them, what caught Lee Jeonghyeok’s eye was a family—dressed lightly, carrying lots of luggage.

The couple, holding hands with their daughter, looked so adorable that even passersby smiled warmly at the sight.

"They must be going on a trip."

Noticing that the bus stop sign read “Airport Bus to Gimpo Airport,” Lee Jeonghyeok muttered to himself.

Whenever it was Areum’s birthday, he too would pack up and take her to beautiful tourist spots or places she liked.

Of course, Jeon Minjeong never joined those family trips, always claiming to be too busy, but that only made Lee Jeonghyeok take even better care of Areum.

And the things he did for Areum made him happy, too.

It had only been a year or so, but now those days felt so distant, like a faraway past.

When he realized he hadn’t seen Areum even once in the past year, a deep, aching longing stabbed at Lee Jeonghyeok’s heart.

Draining the rest of his coffee in one go, Lee Jeonghyeok, feeling the lingering heat in his chest, suddenly realized what his true wish was.

He logged into Godflix, brought his phone to his mouth, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Use Wish Ticket."

Please state your wish.

"Let me meet Areum."

This wish can be granted.

Would you like to use 1 Wish Ticket (Grade C) to fulfill this wish?

"Yes."

A moment later, Godflix accepted Lee Jeonghyeok’s request.

You have used 1 Wish Ticket!