If You're an Executive, This Much Is Expected
Late at night.
Chae Seoyun was binge-watching one of her own starring roles when she received a call from Director Kim Gyeonguk.
"Seoyun, I'm at Director Cha's studio right now."
Studio?
"Director Cha painted an incredible piece with you as the model for this CF. He says he'll finish it today — come take a look."
"Me as the model? A painting?"
"Yeah. If you don't come see it, I'm positive you'll give me hell about it for the rest of my life."
Chae Seoyun didn't take her eyes off her own image on the screen as she answered in a dry voice.
"When have I ever given you hell about anything. So — is it pretty?"
"He painted it insanely well. I honestly thought it was a photograph."
"He must like hyperrealism. That guy."
"I don't know much about that stuff, but yeah, seems like it."
"Alright. If he painted me as the model, I should be there for the moment of completion."
Just as Chae Seoyun was about to switch off the TV and get up—
"Seoyun, hurry! Something's gone wrong! Get over here and stop Director Cha!"
Chae Seoyun chuckled as she prepared at her usual unhurried pace.
"Why? Is he saying he'll tear the painting up because it falls short of the real thing? That could happen. He's got that artist temperament."
"He's putting the Nike logo on it!"
"What's the problem? It's a CF theme anyway, isn't it?"
"No, that's not— (Director Cha, calm down. Aaaah!) Seoyun, just get here fast! Come stop him!"
It had been a long time since Director Kim Gyeonguk had been this frantic and unhinged.
Chae Seoyun hurried a little. Not that the leisure baked into her bones vanished, of course.
But when she arrived at her destination — and saw the other self inside the large canvas hanging in the brightly lit studio — Chae Seoyun froze as if struck by electricity, then strode forward.
"This isn't a finishing touch. It's a superfluous addition."
"That's a matter of perspective."
Cha Doyoung hadn't even noticed she'd arrived. With his back turned, he was explaining his artistic soul to the two men.
"To the two of you, this may be superfluous — because you already consider it complete. But to Nike, this painting isn't finished yet."
"It needs the logo to be complete?"
"It needs the logo to be complete, yes. A product without a logo is, from Nike's perspective, a lizard without legs."
"A l-lizard without legs…!"
"Is it a superfluous addition to a snake, or a legless lizard? Is it a speck of dust on a finished work, or the missing pupil of an incomplete one? It ultimately depends on what you consider the essence of the work."
Chae Seoyun paused briefly behind Cha Doyoung's back. He still hadn't noticed her presence.
Team Leader Jo Unseok and Director Kim Gyeonguk tried to speak, but Chae Seoyun silenced them with a fierce look. Let's hear how far he goes with this.
With that thought, she crossed her arms and waited right one meter behind his back.
"Then what exactly is that essence?"
"The viewer."
"…?"
"I approached this work thinking of Nike as the viewer. That's why, without the logo, it's currently an incomplete piece. It's not yet whole for Nike."
In that moment, Chae Seoyun's hand rose high without her realizing it. She almost instinctively smacked him across the back, then barely came to her senses.
Ah — what am I doing right now?
She startled and withdrew her hand. It was all because of those latissimus dorsi that seemed to twitch and beg to be hit.
"Director Cha."
"Huh? Seoyun-ssi, when did you get here?"
Cha Doyoung finally turned around in surprise.
Chae Seoyun double-checked the delicate sensory signals coming from her facial muscles.
Good. Her current expression was perfect.
"I'll buy it. This painting."
Holy crap.
When did she sneak up right behind me without a sound? No wonder people say she has cat-like features — even the way she moves is pure cat.
"I can just buy it, right? Can't I?"
"Uh, well."
"Have you already signed a contract to sell it to Nike?"
"No. Nike doesn't even know I'm working on this."
"Perfect. I'll buy it. You can leave the logo off, right?"
"Uh, that's a bit difficult."
"Why? Are you worried I'll beat you down on the price? Don't worry. I just shot a Nike CF, so I've got money."
Of course she'd specifically single out the Nike CF.
I glanced at the Team Leader and the Director — they were nodding furiously. Was that a desperate plea for me to do exactly that?
What a pity. They knew less about art than I did, and I'd never even been near an art academy, let alone fine arts college.
"How much would it take? How much do you need?"
"How much can you offer?"
"I can offer a lot. Whatever you need — as much as you want."
Disappointed by that answer, I covered my face with one hand. I expressed through silent action that this was not a satisfactory reply. The three of them should have understood well enough.
"You don't seem keen."
"I need to show it to Nike first."
"I said I'll buy it at whatever price you name."
"Money isn't everything in this world."
Chae Seoyun's eyes grew more intense.
"This is a work I created with Nike in mind. Selling it to someone else without even showing them would be far too cruel. Even if Seoyun-ssi offered one billion won—"
"I'll give you one billion."
"…Even if you offered five billion—"
"Five billion."
"E-even if you offered ten billion…"
"Is ten billion enough?"
"…"
"Go higher. I've got money."
"…"
"Show me how high this can go."
I felt like I was being swallowed by the atmosphere. The way she stood with her arms crossed, looking at me demurely, was suffocating.
She really was ridiculously beautiful.
Would the Chae Seoyun on the canvas also want to be sold to her original model? No doppelgänger self-loathing or anything like that?
I pulled out some cold water and drank it. All three waited in silence.
"The Mermaid and Sneakers CF might have been nothing more than a decently well-made commercial to Nike."
"It wasn't just decently well-made—"
Team Leader Jo Unseok cut off Director Kim Gyeonguk's muttered protest mid-sentence. Thankfully.
"But for me, it was the first major project I took on as a producer. That's how attached I am to it."
From Chae Seoyun, still watching with arms crossed, I couldn't even hear breathing. She was so quiet she seemed like a doll.
"A lot of people treat the Mermaid and Sneakers CF as a standalone work of art. There are plenty of comments like that on Nike's official YouTube channel."
"…"
"I painted this wanting to show it to Nike the advertiser, and to the countless fans around the world who love Nike's sneakers. So—"
"So you absolutely have to sell it to Nike?"
"No. I'm just going to show it to them."
"Wh-what?"
Team Leader Jo Unseok finally showed a dumbfounded reaction.
"I never planned to sell it in the first place. I don't even have the qualifications for that. I just painted it as a test of how far I could push myself."
"If this doesn't qualify, every art studio in the country should shut down."
Director Kim Gyeonguk muttered under his breath.
"Ah, so you painted it once just to show off your skills?"
"Not quite showing off…"
"I like that. An artist needs at least that much self-admiration."
Chae Seoyun finally smiled.
As expected, this woman looked far better smiling than expressionless. I felt a twinge of regret that I should have nagged the Future App to make the Chae Seoyun in the painting smile a little more brightly with a click.
"Then I'll finish up. Make yourselves comfortable and watch."
"What? You're still going to put the logo on?"
"The lake surface looks empty, so I was going to add some sunlight reflecting on it."
The three of them settled into their seats.
My skull felt like it was about to crack from embarrassment, but on the other hand, I felt good. Maybe I had a bit of an exhibitionist streak myself?
Premium Cut — add sunlight reflecting on the lake. Use the 312th version I selected earlier.
Printing image to canvas.
The Future App took control of my hands.
That sensation of hands that were mine and yet not mine — wondrous no matter how many times I experienced it. Like briefly sharing muscle with the soul of a master. A rather addictive feeling.
Swish. Swish-swish. Swish.
"Done."
When I set down the paints and turned around, Jo Unseok and Kim Gyeonguk were reacting with their whole bodies, mouths hanging open. Chae Seoyun, on the other hand, rested her chin on her hand and gazed steadily at it.
"What — how do you just swish-swish a painting that easily?"
"Director Kim. They say if something looks easy, it's proof you've reached that high a level."
"Actually, oil painting isn't that hard. Anyone can easily click— I mean, anyone can follow along."
That was true enough. With the Future App, anyone could do this much.
As I was staring blankly at Chae Seoyun, who was completely absorbed in her painted self, she suddenly turned her eyes. Our gazes met.
"Before you sell it to Nike, you have to negotiate the price with me first, okay?"
"I keep telling you I didn't paint it to sell."
"Whoever it is, negotiate with me before you sell."
"I'm not selling, but understood for now."
Then Jo Unseok snapped his fingers with a sharp crack.
"That's it! Director Cha, how about displaying this in our company lobby on the first floor?"
"The company lobby? On display?"
"We can naturally get the word out. Nike's Director Jenny Kim will probably visit our company once or twice going forward."
"Oh — that actually sounds like a great idea."
"Then that's what we'll do?"
I'd been unable to bring it up myself, but he knew to scratch the itch first. Team Leader Jo Unseok really was a good person.
"Yes. Then tomorrow we'll—"
Recommend waiting 7 days. Paint drying time required.
"…We'll move it in a week. The paint needs to dry."
"Then we can invite Nike headquarters naturally — framing it as a three-party meeting with T-Mind to give the final report that production prep is complete."
Jenny Kim.
The Overseas Marketing Director of Nike was on her way to the Pine Tree Entertainment headquarters building in Gangnam.
"It's a shame Actress Chae Seoyun won't be joining the advertising drama. It would have been really great if she'd appeared with that image from the Mermaid and Sneakers CF."
"Headquarters feels the same way."
"A shame. A very big one."
She didn't know the detailed circumstances. But the actress must have had her reasons. Otherwise there was no way she'd decline a media appearance for a three-hundred-million-dollar project planned by Nike.
"We've arrived."
Two sedans stopped at the building entrance. As Jenny Kim approached, the security guard quickly opened the main gate.
At the first-floor lobby entrance, CEO Im Haejin had come out to greet her, leading the executives.
"Director Jenny Kim, welcome to Pine Tree Entertainment."
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
Through an interpreter, they exchanged light small talk.
At that very moment, Jenny Kim felt a presence from the wall over there that pulled her in with force. The instant she turned her gaze, she froze as if nailed in place.
It was an image so vivid it seemed ready to suck her in. Chae Seoyun, seated against a backdrop of an ocean waterfall and a clear lake, gazing languidly toward the distant horizon.
"Is that a photoshoot from this CF? It's quite large."
"No. It's a painting."
"That's a painting?"
Jenny Kim approached as if entranced. No one stopped her. Everyone simply followed silently beside and behind her.
Oh my god. Good lord.
From a little closer, the gasps only grew. Who on earth had painted such a masterpiece?
The design of the sandals Chae Seoyun wore in the painting was unmistakably the very product released this time — the one that also appeared in the Nike CF. And that wasn't all. The surfboard, the pants — everything Chae Seoyun wore retained the design characteristics of the products perfectly.
It was a work that had fully captured the promotional spirit contained in the Mermaid and Sneakers CF.
"…!"
In that instant, Jenny Kim covered her mouth and took several steps to the side. A forty-five-degree side angle. Not a good position for viewing a painting.
The company people whispered silently among themselves, not understanding why she was doing that.
Jenny Kim, standing off to the side, gazed endlessly at the hazy sun reflected on the lake surface — then burst into cool laughter and applauded.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
That sun reflected in the water — it was our company logo!
From the front, it was merely sunlight reflected on water. But only when viewed from the side did its true form appear — the Nike logo. Visible only from a specific angle.
It had been an intentional optical illusion.
Third-floor corridor.
I leaned against the railing and watched Director Jenny Kim move to the side. The moment she laughed and clapped, I realized she'd spotted the easter egg I'd hidden.
"As expected."
I knew you'd notice it right away.
An executive position isn't something just anyone can land.