A few days ago.
It happened after my trip to New York was confirmed.
I was having a conversation with an employee from a major corporation at a department store café. A well-known domestic electronics company had proposed sponsorship, aiming to capitalize on the effect of national pride marketing.
And then…
“….”
“….”
The employee, who had come to discuss the sponsorship, froze upon hearing what I said.
He had expected that, at most, I would ask for a couple of high-end computers or refrigerators as part of the sponsorship. But what came out of this so-called kid’s mouth was an outrageous proposal.
He cautiously asked again.
“…25 units?”
“Yes, 25 units.”
“50-inch large TVs?”
“Yes, 50-inch large TVs.”
“All of them, to the New York exhibition hall?”
“Yes, all of them, to the New York exhibition hall. I plan to exhibit an artwork using these electronic devices in the Korean exhibition space at the contemporary art fair.
I would like to discuss sponsorship for the necessary materials for the exhibition. This collaboration will surely be beneficial for your company’s marketing as well.”
“…”
The employee remained silent for a moment. Then, after running a hand over his face, he spoke desperately, as if hoping that some major misunderstanding was at play in this conversation.
“Oh, ah! Uh, perhaps… you don’t quite realize how big a 50-inch TV is…?”
I answered based on my research.
“Around 110 cm in width and 62 cm in height, right? Measured diagonally, 50 inches.”
“Yes, yes… That’s correct. Exactly right.”
I handed the employee my project proposal. It was dozens of A4 pages detailing the concept and design of the artwork.
“This is a brief proposal. It outlines the necessary materials, the expected layout, and the overall goal of the artwork.”
“…”
“As you know, as just a student, it’s difficult for me to handle the entire setup of this artwork on my own. But since this international art event is extremely significant, I really want to make it a success. And in order to install the artwork for the exhibition, I desperately need your company’s sponsorship.”
“…”
“…Please, I sincerely ask for your support.”
With that, I closed my mouth.
The employee flipped through the documents, swallowed hard, and repeatedly wiped his hands on his pants. His face clearly showed how troubled he was.
“…..”
“…..”
A long silence followed once again.
I let out a quiet sigh to myself.
Sigh…
I was the one who made the proposal, but judging by the employee’s reaction, it was obvious this wasn’t going to work.
“……”
An unconditional sponsorship from a domestic conglomerate such a rare opportunity. I had been so excited that I even prepared a full proposal.
But, of course, getting something for nothing was never that easy.
‘…Yeah, expecting to get 100 million won worth of TVs as a form of indirect marketing sponsorship was probably too much. I guess I’ll have to take out some of the money I left with the securities firm and buy them myself.’
In the end, I was back to Plan A.
It seemed like I had no choice but to go with the my-money-my-purchase route.
Letting out deep sighs internally, I tried to put on the most adorable expression possible as I prepared .
“Oh well, no big deal! Teehee~♡”
After all, no matter what, I wasn’t bold enough to snap at a corporate representative with a ‘If you’re not gonna do it, then get lost.’
But I didn’t get the chance to say it.
The employee suddenly lifted his head with a determined expression.
“…Would it be alright if I stepped away for a moment to make a call?”
“Oh..! Yes, of course.”
He took my project proposal and walked off to a quieter corner of the department store. He stayed there for quite some time, making a call. Throughout the conversation, he kept bowing slightly, as if he was explaining something in detail.
Since the area was so quiet, I could faintly catch bits of his voice from a distance.
“Yes… No, it’s just that… Yes, she’s still a student artist… Inquiry… Budget overage is a possibility… Yes… But the PR impact could be significant… New York International Expo… The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also… Yes…”
If they had intended to reject me outright, they could have done so immediately.
But they didn’t.
“!”
I could feel it—
Wait… Could it be…?
From afar, I saw the employee’s expression shift into something serious. It was the look of someone who had just been entrusted with a major mission.
“…Understood. Then…”
After ending the call, he walked back over to me and said,
“We’ll move forward with it.”
“!”
Later on, I found out the details—
It just so happened that, due to a failed World Cup marketing campaign, the company had an excess inventory of large TVs. A last-minute emergency meeting in the marketing department had led to a proposal for a new PR angle ‘TVs moving forward in unity with art.’
On top of that, there were already executives interested in the ‘genius girl national pride marketing’ approach, which made the sponsorship agreement proceed faster than ever.
It was a complete victory for the national pride meta.
Over the next few days, negotiations went back and forth over the finer details, but eventually, I was able to shake hands with the representative and finalize the sponsorship deal.
“We look forward to working with you, artist.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
*
I told Mizawa and Juri everything that had happened.
As they listened, their mouths slowly dropped open.
Meanwhile, Mari was peacefully napping in the back, her eyes covered with a sleep mask.
“…Well, that’s basically how it all went down. After that, someone higher up came in and we agreed on some minor details like making sure to include the TV model name in the artwork description but in the end, everything worked out fine.”
“…”
“…”
“So now, thanks to a major corporation’s sponsorship, I can prepare my next piece without any issues. Of course, I still need to coordinate things like paperwork and shipping with the school and the event organizers…”
“…”
“…”
Mizawa and Juri muttered in disbelief.
“Ha, I knew Hana-chan liked to go big, but… the way she manages to get all sorts of things from adults… No matter how I look at it, it just doesn’t feel real.”
“She’s really just an elementary schooler, yet where the heck did she learn all that…? I’m telling you, she’s a genius for a reason.”
I responded to Juri’s words.
“…It was easy because the country as a whole just needed an icon to call ‘me.’ Normally, no one would’ve agreed to sponsor a little kid just because she asked.”
“Isn’t that what makes it even more amazing…?”
“Well, if I had been born in the wrong era, I’d probably be rolling around on the ground crying, ‘Oppas, please help me!’”
“Fufu, I just can’t imagine the always-composed Hana doing that. I feel like you’d never throw away your pride, not even at the very end.”
“I use people when I have something to give in return, but when I can’t take the lead in returning the favor, I have to be careful since I might have to rely on them later.”
For example, terrifying contracts from agencies like Laohu, or advertisement requests from religious groups or government institutions. They’d probably be willing to give me a lot in exchange, but…
‘If it’s not my abilities they want, but me as collateral, then it’s way too dangerous… and way too easy to become dependent.’
“Well, that’s about it.”
“It’s complicated, but I think I kind of get it.”
Juri listened to me and smiled. She was still young, but having once been in the entertainment industry, she probably had her own philosophy about these things.
As we continued chatting, Mija casually skimmed through my project proposal and suddenly spoke up.
“But Hana-chan, what exactly is this new project of yours supposed to be?”
“Come to think of it, I’m curious too! I heard you’re doing media art again this time, but honestly, even when you say that, I don’t really get it…”
“Agreed, Juri-chan’s got a point. Hmm… Ah!”
Before I could even answer, Mija let out a sharp “Ha!” as if she had just realized something. Then, with a knowing smile, she said,
“Uhi-hihi, I know what it is.”
“Huh?”
“You’re gonna set up a bunch of TVs and play videos on them. I saw it in an art textbook before. Some super old artist did it… You’re planning something like that, aren’t you?”
“!?”
Oh wow, Mija.
I always believed in you.
‘She might not remember the exact name of Nam June Paik, but she actually recalled something from a textbook…!’
For the first time, I glimpsed a spark of intelligence in Mija. My heart swelled with emotion. This wild, chūnibyō, blonde primitive child had finally applied her knowledge.
‘She’s really grown since the workshop…’
Feeling deeply moved, I answered her.
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m planning to refine it more over the break, but in terms of form, it’s similar to what you saw.”
“Uhi-hihi, this great me is capable of growth too.”
Mija stretched proudly.
Thanks to growing nonstop throughout puberty, she had shot up to the point where she was now incomparably taller than me. It felt like just yesterday that we were both treated like a pair of little kids…
Watching her, I couldn’t help but feel a bit conflicted.
‘Maybe it’s because she’s about 50% white? She really does grow fast… Meanwhile, I’ve only grown 1cm this whole time. Don’t tell me all my Go Hun genes disappeared when I regressed…?’
As I was lost in thoughts about genetic differences, Juri tilted her head for a while before speaking.
“But Hana, is that really okay?”
“Huh? Well, yeah, but what can I do? Height is all about genetics. The difference between white and Asian people is just how it is… I guess even being mixed means she inherited the superior genes.”
“…What are you even talking about?”
“Then what do you mean?”
Juri looked flustered for a moment before speaking again, this time with a concerned expression.
“Mija said it too can you really just copy something that someone else already did? Even if it’s an old artist, isn’t it kind of… wrong to just replicate it?”
“!?”
Oh. So that’s what she meant.
I thought we were still talking about height.
“Ohh, that? It’s fine.”
“It is?”
“I’m not copying it exactly… It’s more of an homage, actually. I’d prefer if people recognized it as such.”
“Huh…”
“And more importantly, it’s about the message behind the work, so there’s no real issue.”
“What kind of message?”
“I’m going to play tons of 15-second clips. All different people, filming in different ways, showing different things. Probably hundreds of them.”
Juri and Mija both froze in shock.
“H-Hundreds?!”
“You wouldn’t even have enough time if you filmed all summer…?!”
I just shrugged.
“It’s fine. I’ll be filming a lot myself, sure, but I’m not doing all of it alone.”
“?”
“?”
“Remember when I got invited to that gaming event and they asked me to do a little reenactment of Saint Chris? I made a little request to the attendees while I was there.”
“Ohhh, that’s why you suddenly went back then?”
“What kind of request…?”
—I have a favor to ask. It doesn’t matter what the theme is please send me a 15-second video of something you want to show the world.
Juri and Mija tilted their heads again.
“…What kind of request is that?”
“I still have no idea what you’re trying to do. And… weren’t there weirdos who sent you messed-up stuff?”
I let out a dry chuckle. If I hadn’t been mentally hardened by 30 years of life experience, and was still just a delicate young girl, I might have developed a mild case of misanthropy from what I saw.
“There were definitely some creeps who tried to mess with a little kid… But most people actually sent me proper videos. Way more than I expected, even. I’ll be editing them all throughout summer break.”
“What do you mean by ‘proper’ videos?”
“Just… all sorts of things. Clips of people petting animals, dancing, reading letters, laughing… Just 15 seconds of different people’s lives, cut and put together.”
“?”
“?”
Mija and Juri still looked like they didn’t get it.
‘Well… of course they wouldn’t.
They still think of internet videos in terms of UCC (User Created Content).’
In the endlessly drowsy year of 2006,
who would have guessed that a little kid was trying to introduce the dopamine rush of short-form videos?