The Price of a Voice Heard Around the World
Yang Dong-seok opened the first page of the contract.
"First, let me lay out the broad structure of the deal."
His finger tapped the first item.
"This contract is a renewal after the success of Singing Bird. Starting with Season 3, we’ve separated it out into a separate right of first negotiation."
Shin A-young spoke up first.
"So just Season 2 as a standalone deal? Not a multi-season package?"
"Yes. We designed it that way on purpose."
Yang Dong-seok nodded.
"If we bundle everything into one blanket agreement, it weakens Kim Si-woo appraiser’s negotiating power down the line. If Season 2 is a success, the conditions for Season 3 will naturally rise."
Greg Peters let out a light chuckle and cut in.
"To be honest, it’s more advantageous for us to bundle multiple seasons. But because we want a long-term relationship, we chose a structure that benefits the appraiser."
"Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better to bundle it all at once and offer a big number?"
Shin A-young stepped in to support the negotiation.
"If you bundle Seasons 2 and 3 together, the number that hits the account right away may look bigger, but that would just mean selling Si-woo’s future value at a discount in advance."
Yang Dong-seok continued in a voice full of conviction.
"If you bundle it and offer a huge sum and he accepts, that’s not a bad outcome for us. But in that case, the future Kim Si-woo appraiser would simply be selling himself short. We’ve taken that into account and are planning to revisit Season 3 through a renegotiation after Season 2 ends. We’ve also clearly stated here that we won’t set any terms lower than those for Season 2. There’s no room for us to come out at a loss."
Shin A-young nodded as if she understood.
Yang Dong-seok turned to the next item.
"Now, the money."
He paused for a breath.
"The base contract amount for Season 2 is thirty million dollars."
The lounge went quiet.
Shin A-young’s pen stopped moving.
Slowly, she looked up.
"...Did you just say thirty million dollars?"
"Yes."
"For one season?"
"Yes."
Even Shin A-young, who always kept her composure, would have been rattled by a number like that.
She quickly smoothed her expression, but the shock hadn’t entirely faded.
Si-woo sat quietly too, while in his head the exchange rate was already turning over.
About 4.33 billion won for a single season.
The same amount Leonardo DiCaprio received for Netflix’s Don’t Look Up.
A living legend of Hollywood.
An Oscar winner.
They were offering that same amount to a documentary participant.
And when you considered the difference between a film and a documentary, the contrast was even more striking.
It wasn’t hard to imagine Nutflix would make a sufficiently generous offer.
Number one in 190 countries at once.
A first in Nutflix history for a documentary.
Content that had pushed the company’s market cap up by trillions of won.
With results like that, of course a huge sum would come out of it.
But this went far beyond expectation.
And honestly, Si-woo had one concern of his own.
Season 1 had the artifact called Singing Bird.
Joseph, Maria, and Anna.
The story of a family torn apart by war.
That story itself had moved the entire world to tears.
The center of the content wasn’t Kim Si-woo.
It was Anna’s family.
The weight of that story had been the key force that lifted Singing Bird to global number one.
Season 2 was different.
The process of finding and discovering artifacts.
Would people connect with that and follow it?
There was no dramatic narrative like Anna’s story.
Season 2 would have to focus less on the artifacts’ histories and more on Kim Si-woo himself, and on the process of discovering them.
Interesting, yes, but it wouldn’t be easy to surpass the impact of Season 1.
That was the honest assessment.
So why such an enormous figure?
Si-woo spoke.
"May I ask one thing?"
The eyes of Greg Peters and Yang Dong-seok turned toward him.
"The success of Season 1 was largely driven by Anna’s family story."
His voice stayed calm.
"To be blunt, there’s no guarantee Season 2 will generate the same level of attention. Singing Bird was special because of the narrative force inherent in the artifact itself. So why did you offer this amount for Season 2?"
Shin A-young looked at Si-woo with slightly widened eyes.
A man asking questions about favorable terms, even while the other side was ready to pay.
But when she remembered that this was Kim Si-woo, a smile spread across her face.
Greg Peters nodded.
"That’s a good question."
His expression turned serious.
"I asked myself the same thing."
He looked over at Yang Dong-seok.
Yang Dong-seok seemed to understand immediately and took a tablet from his bag, setting it on the table.
Charts and figures appeared on the screen.
"We analyzed the viewing data from Season 1."
Greg Peters pointed at the tablet display.
"There was one interesting point. Do you know which scene viewers rewound the most?"
Si-woo looked on quietly.
"Maybe Maria and Joseph’s heartbreaking deaths, or Anna’s final smile?"
Greg Peters replied,
"The number one most rewound scene was, naturally, Anna’s smile. The next most rewound scene was when Kim Si-woo appraiser stood in silence in front of Maria’s gravestone."
Yang Dong-seok added,
"The social media analysis showed the same pattern. Search results for Kim Si-woo appraiser came in second only to Anna."
Greg Peters looked straight at Si-woo.
"People cried over the story of the artifact."
He paused for a moment, then went on.
"But what captivated them was you, Kim Si-woo, the person who brought that story out and showed it to them."
Leaning forward slightly, Greg Peters said,
"We believe in Kim Si-woo appraiser. Even the footage we’ve already shot is compelling enough. We’re definitely going to release this to the world."
Shin A-young listened in silence, then said in a low voice,
"...If the data says that, then it’s persuasive."
Greg Peters nodded toward her.
"Nutflix doesn’t invest on instinct. We invest on data. And every bit of that data points to the same conclusion."
He looked back at Si-woo.
"The appraiser himself is the content. This amount isn’t an investment in a story. It’s an investment in Kim Si-woo as a person."
Si-woo said nothing, only looked back at Greg Peters.
It felt like he was seeing, right in front of him, the reason Nutflix had survived the content wars.
Yang Dong-seok turned the page and continued.
"In addition, we’re granting you an executive producer credit and the authority of a creative consultant. That includes review rights over episode composition, artifact selection, and the direction of the edit."
Shin A-young asked,
"Does that include the right to reject the final cut?"
"Not outright rejection. But any points the appraiser raises an objection to must go through mandatory consultation."
"So basically, a semi-veto."
Shin A-young muttered to herself.
Yang Dong-seok went on,
"And if you participate as executive producer, fifteen percent of the production budget will be paid separately as producer fee. Season 2’s production budget is about 60 billion won, so the producer fee alone comes to 8 billion."
Si-woo and Shin A-young met each other’s eyes.
Neither of them said it aloud, but the thought seemed to pass between them plainly enough.
433 billion won in base contract money and 8 billion in producer fees. This is no joke.
Greg Peters folded his hands neatly together.
"Of course, Kim Si-woo appraiser, you may feel it’s still not enough."
Si-woo nearly let out a dry laugh inside.
More than 50 billion won in actual earnings for one season, and he was worried it wasn’t enough?
Absolutely not.
He lifted the pen.
Then he looked to the lawyer on the left.
"Any poisonous clauses in here?"
The lawyer adjusted his glasses and answered.
"To be candid, it’s such a good contract that I don’t have much else to say. The exclusivity is limited to documentaries, and there are no restrictions on your other activities. It’s clean and favorable."
The lawyer looked at Si-woo.
"I’ll sign."
The pen came down over the signature line.
Kim Si-woo.
He wrote his name carefully in fountain pen.
The signature was done in one light motion.
Only then did Greg Peters let out a breath of relief.
A heavy stroke was carved into the paper.
Greg Peters extended his hand first.
"Thank you, Kim Si-woo appraiser."
Si-woo took it.
A firm handshake.
"I’m honored to be working with Nutflix again."
"Haha. We’ll make Season 2 worthy of Kim Si-woo appraiser’s name."
Greg Peters smiled with genuine feeling.
Yang Dong-seok rose too and offered his hand.
"Please take good care of us going forward."
"If it weren’t for Manager Yang, there wouldn’t have been a Season 1."
Yang Dong-seok laughed awkwardly.
"Heh. I only made the offer to Kim Si-woo appraiser. That’s all."
"Si-woo. You’ve also got dinner with Chairman Lee Jae-yong tonight, right?"
"Yes."
"You sign a Nutflix contract, and just a few hours later you’re having dinner with the chairman of the country’s top conglomerate."
Shin A-young shook her head, smiling.
"Things that most people never experience even once in a lifetime happen twice in a single day for Si-woo."
* * *
7 p.m.
A traditional Korean restaurant tucked deep in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul.
Pine branches hung over the wall, and beyond the gate a quiet garden spread out in calm layers.
Soft lights lined the stone path.
Si-woo got out of the car and handed it over to valet parking.
A staff member received the keys politely, and a guide in hanbok bowed at the entrance.
"Welcome, Kim Si-woo appraiser. Chairman Lee has already arrived."
Following the guide, he walked down the corridor.
Scroll paintings hung on both sides, and ceramic pieces rested in display cases.
One by one, they all looked anything but ordinary.
Maybe it was his occupational habit, but his eyes kept stopping.
That white porcelain... probably from Bunwon in the late Joseon period.
He let the thought go and kept walking.
This was not the time to admire artifacts.
The guide stopped in front of the innermost room.
The sliding door opened.
It was a spacious room.
An ink painting hung on one wall, and beyond the window the pine trees of the garden were visible.
There were two seats at a single table.
Chairman Lee Jae-yong was already seated.
"Welcome."
Lee Jae-yong stood and extended his hand.
"Thank you for inviting me like this."
They shook hands.
His first impression was so gentle it hardly seemed to belong to the chairman of the country’s top conglomerate.
"Let’s eat first. We can talk slowly."
Lee Jae-yong said with a smile.
A server came in and set the first table.
Appetizers were laid out.
Grilled deodeok, acorn jelly, seasonal greens on small plates.
Each dish was meticulously arranged.
"This is a place my mother used to love coming to. The food isn’t flashy, but she liked it because it was made with care."
"The food really is elegant."
"In the end, Korean royal-style dining comes down to ingredients and craftsmanship."
Light conversation flowed between them.
The weather.
How Seoul winters had become shorter than they used to be.
It felt awkward at first, but before long Si-woo was gradually getting used to Lee Jae-yong’s way of speaking.
The man knew how to read a room.
He didn’t rush.
He was softening the air with topics that didn’t weigh it down.
The second table came out.
Galbijjim with beef ribs and abalone juk.
As he lifted his spoon, Lee Jae-yong changed the subject naturally.
"Singing Bird was truly moving."
"Thank you."
"After I watched it last night, I sat still for quite a while. In the final episode... the scene where Grandma Anna smiles while holding the bird box. That stayed with me."
Lee Jae-yong’s voice was calm.
"When I have time, I plan to watch it again from the beginning. One viewing wasn’t enough to take it all in."
Si-woo lowered his head quietly.
Lee Jae-yong set down his spoon and looked at him.
"There are many people who appraise artifacts. But I’ve never seen anyone bring out the human story contained within an artifact and send that much emotion out into the world."
Having praise poured over him like lacquer, Si-woo didn’t quite know what to do with himself.
"I only conveyed the story the artifact was telling."
"That’s the hardest thing of all."
Lee Jae-yong gave a small laugh.
The meal continued.
The third table was brought out.
For dessert came sujeonggwa and yakgwa.
After taking a sip of the cinnamon punch, Lee Jae-yong slowly spoke.
"Kim Si-woo appraiser."
"Yes."
"May I tell you a little about my father?"
It was an unexpected turn in the conversation.
Si-woo nodded quietly.
Lee Jae-yong set down his glass of sujeonggwa and continued.
"My father always emphasized something when he was alive."
His eyes were fixed on some distant place.
"That scattered cultural relics had to be gathered together to raise the National Museum’s standing."
Si-woo listened in silence.
Lee Jae-yong’s father.
A legend of Korean business.
The scale of the cultural relics that Lee Kun-hee collected over his lifetime surpassed that of most museums, and it is widely known that he donated many of them to the state.
"My father believed there was meaning in collecting the artifacts themselves. He said each one was a fragment of our history. They couldn’t be left scattered overseas."
Lee Jae-yong looked at Si-woo.
"To be honest... I didn’t have my father’s level of passion."
It was a calm confession.
"As a history major, I was interested in them. But I never felt much urge to collect artifacts myself or throw myself into repatriation work."
Lee Jae-yong gave a wry smile.
"Because there was no money in it."
He continued speaking in the same even tone.
"Samjung Foundation was already supporting all kinds of projects, so I wondered why there was any need to separately buy and collect artifacts. That’s why I donated the many pieces my father had gathered back to the country. More people can see them at the National Museum than could ever see them in my possession. I thought that would have matched my father’s wishes, too."
Si-woo listened quietly to every word.
Where else could you ever sit across from the chairman of the country’s top conglomerate and hear him speak so frankly?
"But after watching Singing Bird, I changed my mind."
Lee Jae-yong’s voice shifted.
Gone was the calmness from before.
Now it was the voice of a man whose fire had been lit.
"The bird box Joseph sent to Anna. An artifact that returned to the family’s arms after more than eighty years. Watching that, I thought about this."
Lee Jae-yong looked straight at Si-woo.
"Shouldn’t our cultural relics be the same? The artifacts scattered overseas for decades, for centuries. They should return to where they truly belong."
Si-woo’s heart beat a little faster.
Lee Jae-yong continued.
"After watching Singing Bird, I spoke with several other conglomerate chairmen."
Si-woo was startled.
Several conglomerate chairmen.
The weight of that phrase was no small thing.
"They all thought the same."
Lee Jae-yong said,
"They want to help bring back the cultural relics scattered overseas."
He paused briefly, then went on.
"I heard that the Kim Hak-jun Public Interest Foundation is already working on artifact repatriation."
"...Yes, that’s right."
There had already been a few successful returns.
"We’d like to establish a separate foundation."
Lee Jae-yong took a document from his inner pocket and placed it on the table.
Si-woo’s eyes moved to it.
The title on the cover read:
- Proposal for the Establishment of the Korean Heritage Repatriation Foundation.
Lee Jae-yong slid the document toward Si-woo.
"The structure is simple."
His explanation was crisp.
"We’ll create a special fund dedicated solely to cultural relic repatriation. In addition to state support, Samjung Group and several other companies are prepared to contribute."
When Si-woo opened the document, a list of participating companies came into view.
Samjung Group, Daehyun Automotive Group, LC...
The names of major Korean corporations were lined up side by side.
Si-woo’s eyes widened.
"All these companies...?"
"Yes. They’ve all sent letters of intent to participate."
Lee Jae-yong nodded.
"The initial fund size is 500 billion won. Further contributions will be open as well."
500 billion.
For an initial fund, it was an absurd sum.
He felt the strength in the hand holding the document.
With 500 billion won, they could secure an enormous number of artifacts on the overseas auction market.
This was on a completely different scale from what the foundation had recovered with its own funds so far.
Lee Jae-yong continued.
"But the key isn’t the money."
"...If not the money?"
"People."
Lee Jae-yong looked at Si-woo.
"We’ve gathered the money. But we need someone who can identify the authenticity of the artifacts scattered overseas and appraise their value. No matter how much money you have, it’s useless if you end up buying fakes. And we need someone who can create a major public stir."
He paused for a moment.
"I thought the only person who could do that was Kim Si-woo appraiser."
Si-woo looked down at the document.
His heart was pounding fast.
Lee Jae-yong’s expression changed.
"But. We’re a company. This isn’t something we’re doing out of a simple sense of mission to serve the nation. There are benefits to us as well. His Excellency the President is very interested in repatriating cultural heritage."
The issue of cultural relic repatriation has long been an old point of contention in Korea-Japan relations.
He had seen news that, with the current administration in place, there was a more active stance toward recovering cultural relics taken to Japan.
Clearly, the movement of major corporations all at once couldn’t be explained by pure cultural passion alone.
The government’s will.
Corporate participation.
An expert capable of carrying it out.
The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together.
Lee Jae-yong must have read Si-woo’s expression, because he continued.
"It’s an issue the government is interested in as well. But if the government steps in directly, it becomes diplomatically sensitive. A structure led by the private sector and supported from behind by the government is the most realistic."
Si-woo nodded.
He understood.
If the government officially demanded the return of cultural property, diplomatic friction with the other country would be unavoidable.
But if a private foundation recovered them through legitimate auctions or negotiations, the diplomatic burden would be reduced.
And if Kim Si-woo’s name stood at the center of that private foundation.
If the appraiser who had gained worldwide recognition through Singing Bird took the lead in artifact repatriation.
That alone would become news, public opinion, and a source of international support.
This was not just a fund.
It was a vast design where politics, diplomacy, culture, and media all crossed paths.
A proposal to place him at the very center of it.
The purpose was good, but.
He had no intention of dancing around like a clown on a stage this large all by himself.
* * *