Van Gogh Reborn!

236

It Wasn’t There, But Now It Is (4)

Ko Hun discussed with the viewers and finished the poster and the slogan.

The clock was pointing at nine o’clock.

“Yawn.”

He had developed a habit of going to bed early during the nine weeks he stayed at Henri Marso’s mansion, so he felt sleepy as soon as it was nine at night.

Ko Hun blinked and checked the chat window.

└You must be sleepy lol. So cute.

└Go to bed soon.

“Yes. I think I should go to sleep. But when do you guys sleep? Don’t you have school or work today?”

Ko Hun checked the current time in Seoul on his computer.

It was five in the morning.

He had been broadcasting for two or three hours, which meant they had been watching him since three in the morning.

└You shouldn’t ask that.

└Sorry, mom ㅠㅠ

└I’m unemployed, so I’m fine.

└But isn’t it uncomfortable to work from home?

└I work at night.

Ko Hun lowered his head as he read the chat.

“Thank you very much. I appreciate you watching my broadcast and helping me find people.”

He saw a chat asking if it wasn’t uncomfortable to work from home.

“I bought a big house because I was reluctant to rent a separate studio. I don’t know about later, but it should be fine with two or three people.”

The viewers were puzzled.

Ko Hun wouldn’t have any trouble with the high real estate prices in Paris.

Even alone was traded at an enormous price, and the total value of the works that Henri Marso had bought, including , was close to 20 billion won in Korean currency.

The viewers recognized Ko Hun as a wealthy person, even though they didn’t know how much he paid in commissions and taxes.

Not to mention his grandfather Goh Sooyul, who was beyond words, and the inheritance he received from his parents, which must have been considerable, they couldn’t understand Ko Hun’s words.

“Oh, my grandfather bought the house. I could rent a studio if I wanted to, but I’m saving money to build a gallery. I entrusted my money to someone Marceau introduced me to, and I’m also investing in stocks and bonds.”

└How big do you want to build it?

└The construction cost shouldn’t be that much, right? It’s mostly the land price.

└Ko Hun, 12 years old: I’m saving money to build a gallery in Paris.

└What did I do when I was 12…

“I want to build something like Marceau Gallery, but the official land price is 150,000 euros per square meter. The actual transaction price is more expensive. Marceau told me that the construction cost was also considerable. So I’m saving money.”

└The official land price is 495,000 euros per pyeong?? Then the actual price is about 1 billion won per pyeong??

└You’re rich.

└1 billion won per pyeong lolololololol

└That’s insane.

“Yes. So I don’t have that kind of money right now. Yawn. I’m going to sleep. See you next week.”

Ko Hun waved his hand and ended the broadcast.

[The Fortress Breaks 10 Million Viewers! Fourth Highest Record Ever]

[The Fortress’s Huge Success Brings Joy to Theaters]

[World Design Takes Legal Action Against The Fortress, Illegally Leaked After a Preview in China]

[World Stars Keep Posting Their Tickets for The Fortress]

The movie by director Christine Norman announced a huge success from the first day of its release.

The servers of major theaters in each country were unstable due to the large number of visitors, and this was proven by the box office revenue announced at the point when the first week of its release had passed.

earned an opening score of 177 million dollars and ranked first in the US box office, and earned 485 million dollars worldwide in the first week of its release.

World Design Studio and Christine Norman Foundation continued their aggressive marketing as if they had been waiting for it.

The starring actors visited various countries and attended previews and events for the fans.

They also launched products related to Arsene Lupin, and cared for the fans to enjoy and Arsene Lupin more deeply and diversely.

The setting paintings by Ko Hun, who worked as a concept art manager, were also a major source of income.

art book was sold out in all bookstores around the world on the day of its publication and repeated reprinting.

The original painting exhibition attracted 10,000 visitors on the first day alone.

Ko Hun, who was invited to the concept art exhibition in Los Angeles, blinked in surprise.

“Mister.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I can do this.”

Ko Hun looked back and forth at the paint he had brought and the endless queue and said.

He had planned to draw sunflowers for everyone who came to the signing event he had done at the Whitney Biennale, but he felt like he would end up like Henri Marso back then.

“Ha ha. You just have to write your name. Like leaving a signature on a picture. I’ll like it even if it’s not a sunflower.”

Ko Hun hesitated at Bang Tae Ho’s words.

He felt uneasy about just writing his name for the grateful people who came from all over the US.

“How well did it go?”

“Amazingly. Really.”

Bang Tae Ho said with emphasis.

“I checked today and it was close to 800 million dollars.”

“800 million dollars?”

Ko Hun’s mouth dropped open.

“It’s unlikely, but it’s impressive even if you calculate it right now. The production cost was 200 million dollars and the marketing cost was 80 million dollars, so the profit was 520 million dollars. Usually, half of that goes to the theater.”

Ko Hun nodded.

“The other half. That is, the distribution company, the investment company, and the production company share 260 million dollars. In China, there’s a theater association called Wonseon that takes a bit too.”

Bang Tae Ho explained the movie revenue distribution ratio in detail, but it was hard to follow because it was an unfamiliar concept.

“What about me?”

“Your running guarantee rate was 0.5%. Oh, you have to calculate it after deducting the theater and Wonseon fees. Just a moment.”

Bang Tae Ho took out his smartphone and started calculating.

“It’ll be about 630,000 dollars.”

Ko Hun was a bit disappointed, hoping he could make enough money to open a gallery in Paris.

It was a lot of money, but he still had a long way to go.

“And you agreed to get 12% of the art book sales, and I heard that 310,000 copies have been sold so far.”

“Really?”

Ko Hun was surprised.

He and the concept art team had squeezed 300 pages of original paintings, but he didn’t expect much because they sold them at a high price of 65,000 won.

He didn’t know that the people who fell in love with Arsene Lupin’s charm wanted to know more about the world of .

“That’s about 2.4 billion won.”

“…”

“The movie is doing well, so it won’t stop here. And since you own the original, you can auction it later, or rent it out like a mask.”

As Bang Tae Ho said, was still on the rise in its third week of release.

No one could predict how much revenue it would generate in the future.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

Bang Tae Ho smiled.

“Yes.”

Ko Hun seemed to have found his way.

The goal of building a personal gallery in downtown Paris was vague.

He could secure funds in the near future if he sold his works as he had done so far, but he was skeptical of the overheated auction market.

His grandfather Go Soo Yeol and Bang Tae Ho reassured him that speculation and money laundering were not common, but Ko Hun wanted to reach more people.

He wanted to communicate with more people by holding exhibitions instead of selling one piece for hundreds of millions or billions of won.

But he thought it would be hard to make a lot of money that way.

The reason he worked hard on personal broadcasting, movies, and documentaries was to increase his income without relying on the auction market where only the rich could participate.

“Mr. Ko Hun, please enter.”

A staff member came over and announced the start of the signing event.

Ko Hun, who had been lost in thought, smiled brightly.

“I’ll be back.”

“Good luck!”

He was quite tired after signing for two hours.

He didn’t hurt his hand thanks to not overdoing it like last time, but he couldn’t draw sunflowers for them, so he tried to have a longer conversation with them and lost his energy.

He went back to the hotel and lay down on the bed without washing.

Strangely enough, his body was so tired, but his mind was full of hope.

He felt his heart pounding with a sense of satisfaction he had never felt before.

The people who came to the Whitney Biennale signing event came again this time.

Anthony White, Joshua Miller.

He couldn’t forget them, and they were overjoyed just by the fact that he remembered their names.

“Hoon, you have to wash and sleep.”

Grandfather came into the room and he jumped up.

“Grandpa.”

“Hmm?”

“The person who came from New York came again today.”

Grandfather smiled brightly.

“That’s a nice thing.”

“Yes. And I heard from Mr. Tae Ho how much I can make from The Fortress.”

“It must be a lot. How much did they say?”

“About three to three point one billion so far.”

“That much?”

Grandpa was also surprised.

I wondered if this was how my mother and father had amassed such a fortune at a young age.

“Selling paintings for a high price wasn’t the only answer.”

Grandpa glanced at me and ruffled my hair.

“You sound like your dad.”

“Did he say that too?”

He nodded.

“Probably. It wasn’t possible with just paintings. When there was a story attached, and the characters moved, people liked it more and wanted to know more, right?”

“That’s right. The power of stories. Hun, you like novels and dramas too, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Whether it’s painting or music. Or even a comprehensive art like movies. You need some kind of story to make people like it. That’s why works with a backstory are loved.”

I nodded.

I was shocked when the paintings I had drawn as Vincent sold for hundreds of billions of won.

It was only after time had passed that I understood how Vincent van Gogh’s life had influenced the price of his works.

The story contained in a single painting.

It could be the artist’s life or the process of creating the painting.

Who had it after it was completed, and how it became known, were also topics of interest.

People were fascinated by it.

“I don’t have to hope that rich people will buy it for a high price. I had a way to achieve my dream without that.”

Grandpa breathed a long sigh and smiled.

“Maybe it’s a much harder way than that. You have to tell your own story, but in a very interesting way.”

Grandpa was right.

If I painted what the public wanted, it would be no different from when I painted what the nobles wanted in the past.

I had to protect myself and make them want to hear my story.

That wouldn’t be easy.

“It’s okay.”

But if that was the path to my dream, I would gladly walk it.