Conviction
Kim Sung-ho gazed at Sora's family home, lost in thought.
He could understand now why Sora craved money so desperately.
The walls were cracked, and a chill seeped through the gaps, brushing over every inch of his body. And considering the size of the place, it was a structure doomed to poverty from the start.
To Kim Sung-ho, who had worked in society for quite some time, the house looked too cramped for a family of three. It was barely under 100 square feet, with not a single room—just a lone bathroom. Houses like this were rare. He could see it for a single person living alone, but for a family, it left much to be desired.
Still, what needed to be done had to be done. Kim Sung-ho greeted Sora's parents politely.
"Hello. I'm Kim Sung-ho, section chief at Songi Media's genre novels team."
Kim Sung-ho pulled out a business card and handed it to Sora's father. Sora's father accepted it with a bow. Unlike Lee Tae-yoon, who looked quite young, Kim Sung-ho appeared a bit older.
"Ah... hello. I'm Lee Tae-yoon, Sora's father. Please, come in."
Kim Sung-ho strode confidently into the house. Yoo Da-som hurriedly pulled out a guest-use folding table and set it on the floor. Was it because they were poor? There wasn't even a proper dining table. They ate meals by spreading out a low dining mat. At least they didn't eat straight off the floor—that was something to be grateful for. Without that mat, they might have had to place bowls directly on the ground.
Yoo Da-som prepared hot water. She took out a coffee stick she'd brought from her part-time job at the mart and brewed some coffee, then handed it to Kim Sung-ho. She'd never heard of Songi Media, but she'd gotten the gist from Sora's phone call earlier. It was a company that wanted to publish Sora's book.
"Thank you."
"Sorry... We don't have much to offer..."
Yoo Da-som bowed her head. It was such a meager welcome for a guest. But Kim Sung-ho wasn't one to fuss over such things.
"No, it's fine. Could you spare me a little time, though?"
It was 7 p.m. For Lee Tae-yoon, who left for work early in the morning, it was practically bedtime. Day labor often started at 6 a.m., and factoring in commute time to the site, he had to wake up at least one or two hours earlier. The work was grueling, leaving him utterly exhausted by day's end.
But since it was about Sora, Lee Tae-yoon nodded.
"Sure. But what's this about suddenly wanting to publish? It's the first I've heard of it."
Lee Tae-yoon tilted his head quizzically at Kim Sung-ho. Publishing his daughter Sora's book? He'd never heard of such a thing, and it felt surreal that it was even coming up now. Kim Sung-ho glanced at Sora. She shook her head. She really hadn't told her parents. Kim Sung-ho cleared his throat and spoke.
"Before I get into the publishing details, let me say that your daughter, Lee Sora, is a genius."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
"Haven't you ever felt that Sora is smarter than other kids? Someone around you must have mentioned it..."
"Well, we've heard things like that before."
It was something Lee Tae-yoon often heard when he sent Sora to kindergarten. She was so mature, with not a single childish trait. She wasn't autistic or anything like that. One teacher had said it was like an adult trapped in a child's body. Since it was their first time raising a child, he and Yoo Da-som initially thought all kids were like Sora. But they weren't.
"We heard she should get gifted education... but Sora didn't want to, so we didn't push it. We don't force her to do anything she dislikes. We just want her to live doing what she loves."
"I see. So you've heard it before. And about the publishing..."
Kim Sung-ho figured it would be easiest to show them directly, so he pulled out his smartphone—one of the new models that had just come out.
"Take a look here. Sora has been writing a novel. Songi Media wants to turn this novel of hers into a book and sell it."
Kim Sung-ho showed them the screen on his Apple phone. They were transitioning from feature phones to the smartphone era. Unlike the clunky mobile internet of feature phones, this felt like real computer browsing. In that sense, he displayed the novel Sora was writing—and the reactions to it.
"The response is incredible. It's ranked #1 on a site called Daldongne. A ranking like this would have every publisher scrambling."
"Whoa..."
Lee Tae-yoon couldn't help but be stunned by the novel Kim Sung-ho showed him. He hadn't read the whole thing, but he had no idea Sora could write so crisply and concisely. He knew she was smart, but seeing it like this felt strangely off-putting.
Sora chimed in to back him up.
"I want to publish it as a book too, Mom, Dad."
"Really...?"
Lee Tae-yoon heard his daughter say she wanted it. Seeing his reaction, Kim Sung-ho decided to drive the point home.
"And Songi Media highly values Sora's talent—we'd like to offer even better contract terms."
"Contract?"
"Yes."
"We're not familiar with that world..."
"If you're really unsure, you can show the contract to a lawyer. We're not asking for money or anything. We just need your signature as her legal guardian. I'll leave a copy for your reference."
"Dad."
Seeing the look in Sora's eyes, Lee Tae-yoon had no choice but to nod.
His precious daughter, whom he wouldn't trade for the world, was asking for this. He couldn't just say no. Plus, publishing meant more money for Sora to earn. And they'd said there was no downside.
Kim Sung-ho, ever cautious, even gave us money just in case.
It was to consult a lawyer familiar with publishing contracts, show them the contract and tell them our story, and confirm there were no legal issues. He didn't specify any particular lawyer, to avoid suspicions of collusion.
And there was a generous amount inside. Lawyers charged tens of thousands per hour for consultations, after all.
"Sora... can Dad and Mom talk about this alone for a bit?"
"Okay."
Once Kim Sung-ho had left, Mom and Dad bombarded me with questions.
How did I start writing the book? Had anyone threatened or pressured me? All sorts of worried queries. I answered each one point by point. That seemed to ease them up, their moods lightening.
"And you two saved my life. So I want to help you back. Our family's poor because of me."
"No, Sora... it's not your fault."
"Sigh..."
I regretted my last words a little. Mom teared up, and Dad stepped out for a moment. Maybe it was too realistic and grown-up coming from a little kid like me.
"Sora... I'm sorry for putting you through such a painful birth... and for not being able to buy you tasty things..."
Mom sobbed as she hugged me tight. I felt a pang as I hugged her back. I hadn't meant anything by it... And we wouldn't stay poor forever. Once the book was out and I did more activities, the debts would get paid off.
My head was packed with the contents of tens of thousands of books.
If I couldn't make money with that, something would be seriously wrong.
Mom and Dad used the weekend to consult a nearby lawyer who knew publishing well. I went along.
The lawyer skimmed the contract Kim Sung-ho had given us and said,
"This is a really good deal. In all my years as a publishing lawyer, I've never seen a debut author get terms this favorable."
"Is there really no problem? No weird clauses hidden in there?"
"Yes. No toxic provisions at all—it's actually very author-friendly. There are penalties for breach, but that's standard across the industry."
"Thank you so much."
And with that, our family left the lawyer's office. I had told them just to sign without consulting, but Mom and Dad insisted on this extra step.
I would've preferred using that money to grill some meat instead.