The Hefty Deal
Eterna Gallery’s reception room.
Yang Dong-seok set his briefcase down beneath the desk and took a seat.
They had arranged to meet here after the preservation-room shoot, to discuss the contract.
Yang Dong-seok, the Asia-Pacific head of Nutflix.
Wherever he went, there was no shortage of people eager to curry favor with him.
Top actors were desperate to meet him.
Agencies of every kind, along with production companies, all tried to worm their way in somehow.
And yet Yang Dong-seok knew better.
Korean content had proven it could hit not only the Asian market but the global one as well.
Still, if they stopped there and settled for what they had, there would be no real growth ahead.
And in that case, Yang Dong-seok’s own position would become precarious too.
In that sense, Kim Si-woo was a card he absolutely could not afford to lose.
What he had accomplished in such a short time was beyond impressive.
And he was still young.
When Yang Dong-seok thought about what Si-woo could do in the years ahead, even “limitless” felt insufficient.
We have to lock him down, no matter what.
No one knew how far the great tree named Kim Si-woo would spread its branches.
If it succeeded, Nutflix would have IP unlike anything else in the world.
For that reason, Yang Dong-seok was willing to throw away pride and etiquette alike.
“Ahem.”
He cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
Si-woo and Shin A-young sat opposite him.
Yang Dong-seok let out a booming laugh.
“Haha. It was truly an amazing shoot. I’m looking forward to what comes next.”
Then he got to the point.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss regarding the contract.”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
Yang Dong-seok took a thick contract from his briefcase and placed it on the desk.
“This is the agreement I mentioned before.”
Si-woo and Shin A-young’s eyes moved to the contract.
Yang Dong-seok tapped the top of the page with the tip of his pen.
“First, we’ll pay you an immediate minimum guarantee of 1 billion won. This is pure contract money, paid to Mr. Kim Si-woo regardless of the documentary’s future performance.”
1 billion won.
It was no different from having lottery winnings dropped right in front of him.
Si-woo clenched and unclenched his fist, trying not to let his shock show.
The tip of Yang Dong-seok’s pen moved lower on the contract.
“And this section below is the additional payment condition. In-house, we call it a ‘milestone bonus.’ This is not something you should disclose casually to outsiders.”
“Of course.”
Yang Dong-seok pointed to one densely written clause.
“If the documentary reaches number one in non-English-speaking countries after release, we’ll pay Mr. Kim Si-woo an additional 1 billion won.”
“……”
Si-woo was too stunned to speak.
“To be honest, headquarters set the condition at a global top ten ranking. But I pushed back. Frankly, I thought expecting a documentary to fight its way into the global rankings was too harsh. I put in some effort on your behalf.”
Yang Dong-seok sounded utterly confident.
He was certain no one would refuse an offer like this.
“As previously discussed, your appearance fee is 200 million won per episode.”
“Then how many episodes are you expecting in a season?”
Shin A-young asked.
“For Season 1, I’m thinking at least six episodes. After that, we’ll need to prepare for the next season. If the documentary succeeds, we can revisit the appearance fee and negotiate a renewal then.”
“That’s a good deal.”
Shin A-young was clearly pleased.
Si-woo felt the same way.
Yang Dong-seok summed it up.
“A 1 billion won signing bonus, 200 million won per episode, and another 1 billion if it hits number one in non-English-speaking countries.”
It was extraordinary.
For a documentary, it was an enormous contract.
But the reason such a deal was possible was because Si-woo owned the IP to his own story.
Without the relics Si-woo had discovered in the first place, this shoot would never have been possible.
The signing bonus and appearance fees guaranteed at least 2.2 billion won.
With money coming in like this, taxes are suddenly the scariest thing of all.
Si-woo gave a wry smile inwardly.
It felt like only yesterday he’d been worrying about how he was supposed to make a living after leaving the company.
Before he knew it, sums in the hundred-millions had stopped feeling strange.
“Haha. It took me some time to persuade headquarters.”
There was sincerity in Yang Dong-seok’s voice.
He genuinely wanted to make the deal happen.
This project could not move without Si-woo.
They went this far for me. There’s no way I can refuse.
Just by looking at the dark circles beneath Yang Dong-seok’s eyes, Si-woo could tell how hard he had worked to win headquarters over.
More than anything, the promotional effect of appearing on Nutflix would be enormous.
Si-woo looked at Shin A-young.
Their eyes met at the same time.
“Very well. I’ll accept the offer.”
A bright smile spread across Yang Dong-seok’s face.
“Haha! Thank you, Mr. Kim Si-woo!”
So delighted that he sprang to his feet, he grabbed Si-woo’s hand firmly.
“That’s a truly wise decision. We’ll pay the 1 billion won signing bonus immediately once the contract is signed.”
“Thank you, General Manager Yang Dong-seok.”
Yang Dong-seok gave one more hearty laugh and gathered up the contract.
“I’ll send you the final version by tomorrow. Please have your lawyer review it, and if everything’s in order, sign it then.”
After Yang Dong-seok left, Shin A-young turned to Si-woo.
“You did well. If you’d gotten greedier, this could have damaged the relationship.”
She looked thoroughly satisfied.
The more famous Si-woo became, the more attention Eterna Gallery would receive alongside him.
Besides, the gallery already held a large number of the relics Si-woo had uncovered.
It was inevitable that the gallery would be exposed throughout the documentary shoot.
“If things go well, we’ll be able to get even better terms when we negotiate Season 2.”
“You think it’ll do well?”
It still felt too early to talk about success.
“Of course.”
Shin A-young answered with complete confidence.
* * *
Now it was time to discuss the plaque.
“I’ve brought the power of attorney for the disposition of the plaque from Wongaksa Daeungjeon.”
Jeong Hae-won wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“The owner transferred disposal authority to you, Si-woo?”
“Yes. He said he didn’t know much about this field, so he handed the rights over to me.”
“Good heavens... You must have built up quite a lot of trust.”
Jeong Hae-won seriously wondered whether Si-woo had learned hypnosis.
Handing over the authority to dispose of something so expensive?
Any human being would be tempted by treasure.
What kind of ordinary relic was this?
At the very least, it was an artifact worth hundreds of billions of won.
He was left speechless by the sight of Si-woo acting as if it were nothing even after receiving the right to dispose of it.
“Then how would you like to handle it, Si-woo?”
“For now, I’d like to proceed the way we did with Jun-hyuk’s case, through a trust.”
Shin A-young already knew the full story, so she nodded in agreement.
With only an old grandfather and a granddaughter in her twenties left in the family, that seemed like the best approach.
“If you’re okay with it, Si-woo, I’d like to buy the Wongaksa Daeungjeon plaque.”
Shin A-young made an offer.
Si-woo asked back, startled, “Really?”
There was no need to ask about Shin A-young’s wealth.
Even so, she had recently purchased a work by Shin Yun-bok for an enormous sum.
No matter how rich she was, could she really afford to spend another fortune so soon?
Shin A-young’s gaze shifted to Jeong Hae-won.
“Advisor Jeong Hae-won. What do you think the plaque is worth?”
Jeong Hae-won folded his arms and thought it over.
“Representative, in terms of value, it is impossible to assign a figure. It is a national-treasure-class relic. But the problem is that the moment it goes to auction, the state will designate it as a national treasure. Once that happens, export overseas is prohibited, and wealthy foreign buyers won’t even bid in the first place. Well, that’s only natural. We have to protect our own cultural heritage.”
He drew a breath and went on.
“In the end, only buyers within Korea would compete for it, and in that case the price may not rise as high as one might expect. And beyond that, if a private individual were to own such a precious cultural asset, the public reaction would not sit still. There would be pressure to donate it to the National Museum. That said, museums themselves cannot easily spend hundreds of billions of won. The National Museum of Korea would hesitate because of budget constraints, and in the end it would have to compete with private institutions like the Gansong Art Museum, where it would be difficult to secure the relic’s true value.”
“Then what do you think, Si-woo?”
“I think the artifact is worth more than 20 billion won. But I completely agree with Mr. Jeong Hae-won’s opinion.”
It was a relic no one could easily buy.
If Eterna Gallery bought it, that would be the best-case scenario.
“I’d like to propose purchasing it for 15 billion won.”
The value shown by the status window was at least 20 billion.
But given reality, it was a perfectly reasonable figure.
If they sold it to Eterna Gallery, there would be no enormous auction fees to eat away at the price.
More than anything, the fact that the deal was being handled by someone trustworthy was the greatest advantage.
Si-woo answered readily.
“That’s a reasonable offer. Let’s make the deal for 15 billion won.”
* * *
“...15 billion won?”
That was Han Eun-hye’s reaction when she first took the call.
When she had heard that Mr. Kim Si-woo thought the relic was worth 20 billion, she honestly hadn’t believed it.
Who would have imagined that a wooden plaque left neglected at home for so long had that kind of value?
Her mind went blank so completely that she almost forgot she was even on the phone.
- Are you all right?
“Ah, yes. I’m fine. It’s just that my bank account doesn’t even have 10 million won in it, and hearing about 15 billion is making all of this feel unreal.”
Han Eun-hye let out a self-mocking laugh.
“Do I need to do anything separately...?”
- There’s nothing you need to do. Though...
Si-woo explained why he was making the deal through Eterna Gallery.
He explained the basis for the 15 billion won price, the trust arrangement, and related matters.
- Do you understand?
“Yes. I understand completely. I think that’s the best way to do it too.”
- Good. We’ll proceed through the trust route. However, because of preservation procedures, it will take some time to have the relic officially recognized. Please understand that. There’s something I need to tell you in advance, though.
“What is it?”
- I’m talking about the fee I’ll be taking.
At Si-woo’s words, Han Eun-hye felt relieved.
She had thought something serious might have happened, but it was nothing.
“Of course you should take a fee. I’m already grateful you came all this way to appraise it. If it hadn’t been for Mr. Kim Si-woo, this would’ve just been thrown away. My grandfather also said he should pay a proper price.”
At that, Si-woo said carefully, “I’m thinking of taking 10 percent of the amount. What do you think?”
“What do I think? I don’t have any problem with that at all, but... would that be enough for you, appraiser-nim? I’d feel far too sorry otherwise.”
To Han Eun-hye, it sounded too small.
All she had done was send the photos by DM.
Kim Si-woo had done everything else.
That was why 10 percent felt far too little.
“Yes. That’s more than enough.”
1.5 billion won.
More than enough, in fact so much that it felt almost excessive.
* * *
Incheon International Airport cargo terminal.
A few cameras clung to Si-woo’s side like shadows.
It was the Nutflix documentary crew.
He might have gotten used to it by now, but it still felt awkward to have so many lenses pointed at him.
Airport staff and travelers passing by kept throwing curious looks his way, as if asking, “Who is that person, and why is he being filmed?”
Every time he felt those stares, it seemed like the back of his head prickled.
“Mr. Kim Si-woo, just act naturally, the way you always do. Pretend we’re not here.”
Director Choi Min-ho, who was in charge of the main direction of this documentary, coached him in a low voice from beside him.
His eyes missed none of the slightest changes in Si-woo’s expression through the viewfinder.
Pretend they’re not here? The camera is that big. How am I supposed to pretend no one’s there?
Si-woo swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.
But he quickly settled his expression.
Today was a very important day.
This was the day the Qing Qianlong-era Nine-Dragon Pattern vase, bought on eBay for 300 million won, would set foot on Korean soil.
Representative Shin A-young and Advisor Jeong Hae-won walked over from the security area.
Eterna Gallery’s specialist transport team was standing by as well.
“You’re nervous, aren’t you, Si-woo?”
Shin A-young approached and spoke to him.
“Yes, a little. It’s the real thing I’ve only seen in photos until now.”
“The customs review should already be finished, since the documents and appraisal report sent by Crosier Fine Art were all in order, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
During that time, the employees of Eterna Gallery had been extremely busy.
The official appraisal report from Crosier Fine Art, the documentation proving the year of production, and even the U.S. export permit from customs.
The gallery’s legal team and a customs specialist had worked together to prepare everything.
It would have been terrifying to bring this in on his own.
Fortunately, after pre-review it had been classified under HS Code 9706 as an antiquity over 100 years old, and thus exempt from customs duties.
A moment later, the heavy steel doors of the security area opened, and a forklift carefully carried out a massive wooden crate.
The surface of the crate bore various warning labels, along with the logo of Crosier Fine Art clearly visible on it.
At Director Choi Min-ho’s hand signal, the camera crew moved to positions that would not get in the way.
They were there to capture the charged moment of anticipation.
A customs officer approached, holding a stack of documents.
“I’ll be confirming the imported item. This is the ‘Qing Qianlong-era Nine-Dragon Pattern Vase,’ correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The customs officer checked the pre-review records on a tablet PC.
“The Crosier Fine Art appraisal report and the documentation proving the year of production that you submitted in advance have been reviewed. It has been confirmed as HS Code 9706, an antiquity more than 100 years old since production.”
Director Choi signaled the camera operator to move in for a close-up of Si-woo’s face.
“Under customs law, no duty applies. Also, works of art and antiquities are exempt from value-added tax.”
The customs officer stamped the clearance paperwork and handed it over.
“Clearing is complete.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Now it was time for the inspection.
Specialists brought in their tools.
The sound of a drill rang out, and the sturdy wooden security crate began to be dismantled.
Once the box was opened and the layers of protective absorbent material were peeled away, it finally revealed itself.
“Ah...!”
A gasp escaped everyone present at once.
It was magnificent. There was no other way to describe it.
The image of nine dragons, symbols of the emperor, surging through the clouds and ascending into the sky was rendered with startling vividness.
The brilliant colors of the famille rose palette seemed to glow on their own even beneath the airport’s dim light.
Director Choi Min-ho’s hands were trembling.
“This shot! We have to make this work no matter what! Close-up! Tighter, even tighter!”
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