The Mysterious Art Museum

Chapter 131 (2) - The Mysterious Art Museum

Surprisingly, he was Korean.

He had also worked on a mural project over three weeks in Roseto Valfortore, a southern village that faced the threat of disappearance due to a declining population, offering resettlement funds until January 2022. The murals, depicting the beautiful changing landscapes of the village, quickly spread through the fast-paced social media, becoming a hot topic and attracting more and more visitors.

The birth of such a powerful artist.

I dare say that in the past hundred years, I have not seen the birth of such an artist.

An artist who doesn't paint incomprehensible abstracts for the general public.

A painter who, rather than seeking novelty, captures the beauty of the past.

A rare find in the contemporary art scene.

His name is Ban Jeong-hoon, a Korean.

Valentina Becchali, Journalist [emailprotected]

I couldn't look anymore and closed the magazine.

Every photo of the mural was accompanied by words of praise, but if I looked any longer, I felt my face would burst. No matter how much it's called the land of art, being gilded like this is overwhelming.

Monica, who had quietly brought over coffee and was smiling broadly at my face, started the conversation.

"Ban."

"Huh, yes."

"You remember our original contract to design two stores, right?"

Of course, I remember.

But due to issues with fairness and store contracts, we had decided to return to Korea and then come back after four months to start the design.

"Yes, I remember."

"The store contract was settled yesterday."

"So we start right away?"

"Can you do that?"

"Well, that was the plan from the start."

"But Ban, can you do me one more favor?"

"What is it?"

Monica pushed the coffee cup towards me as she spoke.

"You've done so well already. You created a store far more beautiful than I imagined, and even before the launch, my brand is receiving the most attention in Italy. People are already lining up wanting to attend the launch event. Can you believe it? They're asking to come, not the other way around."

Knowing about the fashion industry helps. Wasn't it always like this?

"If I was of help, then that's great."

Monica smiled and said,

"I'm so grateful for the good job you've done."

Huh? Grateful, but? Shouldn't there be some incentive for this? What more does she want?

With a deep smile, Monica said,

"The problem is, you did too good of a job, Ban."

"......"

What does that mean?

As I sat there puzzled, Monica continued,

"If you agree to start working right away without returning to Korea, and if you accept one more condition of mine, I'll give you a stake in the Rossellini brand."

Huh? What's this?

"A stake?"

"0.8%. How about it?"

Wow. 0.8%.

Back in my street artist days, I didn't understand the significance of this small percentage.

But after negotiating a sales revenue deal with MG Electronics for refrigerators, I understood how significant this figure was.

Of course, the R/S was high at that time, but that was for the sales revenue of a single refrigerator. But now, Monica is talking about giving 0.8% of the entire brand's revenue.

I swallowed hard.

Monica's former brand, Alessandro Cucinelli, became a giant corporation in 2021 with a turnover of 712 million euros (approximately 950 billion Korean won).

What if Monica's brand even reaches half of that turnover?

Of course, it's turnover, not net profit, so operational costs such as raw material costs must be deducted.

But if the turnover reaches about 400 billion a year, the net profit will be more than a third of that. So, about 0.8% of 130 billion. That means more than 10 billion won would fall into my lap each year.

I came here for a one-time store design contract, but to get such an opportunity, could anything be better?

A significant portion of the Artist Company's operating expenses comes from MG Electronics. But electronic products will eventually be replaced by new series, and sales of the previous series will inevitably decrease.

If I can secure such a contract at this time, the Artist Company that I and Yeong-ju created will be a robust company that can easily survive 10, 20 years.

I tapped an imaginary calculator in my mind as I glanced at Monica.

Monica is someone who trusts me completely and offers me many opportunities, but she is also a savvy person who would never do anything detrimental to her interests.

Offering such a contract means she has quite a challenging request for me.

"Let's hear that condition first before I decide."

Monica smiles as if it's obvious.

"Of course."

Monica stands up and walks to the window.

Unlike the rural village, the city's view outside the window is completely blocked by buildings. Monica, looking out, says,

"The downgrade brand of Rossellini is Aqua Rossellini. The store is located in Via Monte Napoleone."

Aqua? Hmm, that’s a nice name. But I feel like I've heard about this store location before.

Monica winks and says,

"It's on the fashion street that stretches 500 meters connecting the subway stations I showed you on your first day in Milan. Right there."

Ah, I remember. I was surprised to learn that the entire 500-meter stretch was filled with clothing stores.

“So, what do you need me to do?”

Monica turns around, crosses her arms, and says,

“Live broadcast.”

What? A live broadcast? What does she mean by that?

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