#069 Millionaires
a house in central Paris, France
The old man opened his mouth.
The old man shined his eyes as he pushed up his glasses, which had been hanging obliquely over his nose.
In the meantime, I have spent a lot of time interacting with Kangbyeol. You must know better than anyone that you hate childish pranks.
So it was more interesting. There must be a reason why she sent a fairy tale with such confidence.
[Bring it here.]Whoo!
Taking over the book from his secretary, he gleamed his eyes as he looked at the cover. This is because the illustrator’s skills were quite excellent.
In addition to the use of various colors, the expression of the fox, which is considered the main character, was lively.
Of course, I would have paid more attention to the mass production type because it was a sample sent to me, but it would have been a print.
‘I’m curious about the next chapter.’
The old man turned over the book after fully appreciating the cover, and he quickly fell into the story.
Falling down. Falling down.
As the page went over, the old man’s eyes opened wider and wider, and his waist, which was leaning on the chair, began to stand upright.
At the sight of the old man, who was rarely seen, the secretary, who was watching from the side, was also curious about the contents of the fairy tale book.
[…What?]The old man barely caught his breath after continuously passing the last page. From the middle, I was so immersed that I forgot to even breathe.
The old man, who was weak all over, leaned back on the chair. It was the first time in a long time that I felt a sense of weakness.
[How was it?]]In the end, the secretary, who couldn’t stand it, opened his mouth first. Nevertheless, the old man only tasted the rising emotions with his eyes closed.
How long has it been?
said the old man, who slowly opened his eyes.
The old man lit a cigarette with a big mouth. Every time he exhaled, a thick cloud of smoke rose.
[I also forgot about it] But the moment I read this fairy tale book, it reminded me of that time more than 70 years ago. The memories of my mother holding me in her arms and telling me a fairy tale.][… Is it that bad?][No, it’s not that bad]]Whoo-hoo-
The old man paused, unable to forget his words. The secretary, who was increasingly impatient, barely spoke just before he rushed him.
The secretary opened her eyes wide. He has been sitting next to the old man for decades, but I’ve never seen him smile as loudly as he does now.
That made me even more impatient. As if the old man knew the fact, he nodded and continued to speak again.
[This isn’t just a children’s story] It’s a magical book that finds childhood innocence even for an old man who lives in the world like me.][Magic book?]][I only talked about things like floating clouds] To tell you an expert story, it’s a work with both literary and artistic qualities.]Since then, the old man generously praised the fairy tale book. There was a rave reviews of the illustrations, and the story alone lasted almost 10 minutes.
In the meantime, the secretary was able to read fairy tale books. He, too, fell into a similar emotion to the old man and began to have a pleasant discussion.
[But what’s really amazing is the composition of the story] At first, the ridiculous quality of the illustrations caught our eyes, but in fact, the story is the only thing that makes us immersed.][I didn’t know for sure until I heard it, but the writer’s skill is amazing] [Expressive power within the category of fairy tales][Yes, it would have been nothing more than a good picture if it had been illustrated] But this central story connects everything. Not too much, not too little. I don’t want to waste the title “Maestro.”][I agree]]The two continued to express admiration as they looked into the fairy tale book, and after reading Kangbyeol’s letter that was contained with the fairy tale book, they burst into laughter.
[Really? Those who are not even 20 years old drew this?] [One of them is a kindergarten student?][…You’re joking too much.][But if it’s true]]Both eyes shone at the same time.
Finally, the old man rose from his chair, and the secretary who read his mind also packed his clothes.
The old man smiled bitterly at the secretary’s words. He said, shaking his head from side to side.
[Their positions have changed] Now I have to beg you to put my name in. If you want to engrave a name in a new history, you should.][You’re going to take me with you, right?]][…Try hard.]The secretary cried at the words of the old man, Patrick Medonoa. If it is impossible due to his influence as a Nobel laureate in literature, the field trip is practically out of the question.
Something similar was happening all over the world. This is because most of the people who received the fairy tale book from Kangbyeol showed similar reactions to Patrick.
[Buy tickets to Korea first]][We have to get the distribution rights somehow]][Bidan] This isn’t the only problem. Considering the writer’s age, this may be a simple beginning.]Masters from all over the world gathered in Korea. At the center was Kim Ha Neul.
* * *
“…How many countries?”
Thirty European countries, including France, Germany, and Greece, ended their contracts immediately. In addition, the United States, Japan, and Australia were also approved.”
Kangbyeol’s explanation made Kang Ba Da’s mouth open. I was confident that it would work to some extent, but I didn’t know it would go so smoothly.
“First of all, since it’s a fairy tale book, the picture stands out first. It doesn’t take much time to translate.”
“It’s amazing, though.”
“This is nothing. There is already a rumor among the customers. Spreading throughout the Anglo-American world would be an instant. I’m also translating it into various other languages.”
“Thank you, sister!”
Kang Byul smiled slightly at Kang Ba Da’s honest reaction. She took a leisurely sip of her coffee and went on again.
“You should thank Kim Seo-bang.”
“What?”
“To be honest, I was only looking at Ye Na’s illustrations. But I realized it wasn’t the case when I read the reviews in the mailbox. My vision was too narrow.”
“How was the book review?”
Kang Ba Da leaned over with an interesting expression, and Kang Byul shrugged her shoulders and continued to talk.
“A flawless plot and composition. A clear, easy-to-understand, yet thought-provoking sentence.” They call Kim Seo-bang the Andersen of Korea.”
“Well, that’s what the translator did well.”
“The translator said the same thing”.
“Ha Neul ssi, you’re amazing!”
(Laughing)
I laughed awkwardly because I didn’t know what to react to because he openly gold-painted my face. Then Kang Byul continued with a smile.
“Anyway, the local response was so hot, so we decided to do a hot print in line with it.”
“How much is it?”
Chuck…
Instead of answering, Kang Byul spread her five fingers. Me and Kang Ba Da, who understood the meaning without difficulty, opened their mouths wide.
“500,000 copies?”
“Hey, isn’t that too much?” “I thought 100,000 copies of the first edition were a lot…”
“What are you guys talking about?”
“What?”
A stupid sound came out without realizing it. Kang Byul drinks coffee again as if she is enjoying watching him.
In the meantime, me and Kang Ba Da exchanged glances after paying the bill and smiled absurdly. Because I couldn’t understand it with my head at all.
“You’re going to release 5 million copies in the first edition?”
“Yes.”
“… Will it sell that much?”
“You won’t know that until you try it.”
Although he answered like that, seeing Kang Byul’s calm expression, he seemed to be somewhat convinced. Otherwise, there is no way we can make such a bold investment.
5 million for the first edition.’
Of course, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” has sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release. Isn’t that a series?
People in the world don’t know the name “Ye Na” at all, and it’s hard to promote it because there’s no famous work before.
Kang Ba Da also asked a lot of questions related to whether he had similar concerns with me, and Kang Byul answered calmly as if she had expected it.
“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s already spreading through SNS. In fact, every time a pre-order purchase was opened, it was sold out repeatedly and came all the way here.”
“Don’t tell me that…”
“It means at least 4 million copies have already been sold.”
I quickly ran the calculator in my head. Considering the cost of fairy tale books, the profit ratio, etc., the profit that falls to me.
“Kim Seo-bang’s confirmed share is about 10 billion won. It will be added depending on the sales volume in the future.”
“Haha.”
The amount far beyond the scale naturally made me laugh. The figure is still below the target set by Kangsan, but it is clear that it has taken a big step forward.
Kangbyeol gave the industry the best distribution of profits, and the local side also called for a ratio that was almost free of charge due to the “right to invite exhibitions.”
“The amount of money I’m getting is great enough, but…
Our eyes turned naturally. There stood Ye Na, who was walking around the room and appreciating the painting on the wall.
“Ye Na, you don’t have a problem, do you?”
“Well, it’s not that there’s no problem. I managed to keep the director as my guardian. Ye Na’s share will go back.”
“That’s a relief.”
Ye Na is looking at the painting with an innocent expression as if she knew nothing.
When producing fairy tale books, Ye Na’s ratio was set the highest. It started out as a gift for her in the first place.
As a result.
Ye Na became a millionaire at the age of seven.
“…Ye Na is richer than me.”
(Laughs)
The two burst into laughter at the whining that came out without realizing it.
I laughed along because I had nothing to say. It’s not like I’m feeling down, I just thought I should live harder in the future.
“Come to think of it, I forgot to say this. Customers seem to be interested in Kim Seo-bang’s other works.”
“If you say it’s a different work…?”
“The web novel.”
As soon as I heard Kangbyeol’s words, a ray of hope rose in my mind. A much bigger opportunity has come than I originally expected.