The office of Yu Min-young, representative of W Tree Hannam.
The chief of the secretariat reports to Min-young, seated on the sofa.
The exhibition started at 10 a.m. Everything is going smoothly, and I personally checked it early this morning.
Min-young, sipping tea, asked,
What time is it now?
It's three in the afternoon.
Have the statistics for the visitors come in?
We're checking hourly. As of 2 p.m., a total of 867 people have entered.
Almost a thousand visitors, but its still early. The exhibition goes on until eight in the evening, so there's plenty of time left.
Since it's Friday, make sure to maximize our marketing efforts over the weekend.
All ticket sales sites contracted with us, from early bird sites to ticket booking sites, are currently selling tickets.
How many tickets have been sold?
A total of 20,000.
The exhibition tickets are priced at 15,000 won.
Excluding onsite ticketing, internet sales alone have brought in 300 million in revenue. Of course, this is not pure profit. Marketing costs for the exhibition have consumed nearly 200 million, and considering the facilities and preparations requested by the artists, along with manpower mobilization, its actually a loss.
But Min-young doesnt seem to mind as she nods and says,
Anyway, this exhibition wasn't about making money, so let's just ensure we don't incur losses.
Yes, ma'am.
W Tree Hannams hosting of this exhibition is to fill the gap between performances so that the theater is not forgotten by the public. Continuously drawing people to this place and keeping it busy ensures a large large audience for the next performance.
When will Mom arrive?
After checking his phone for a text message, the chief of the secretariat replied,
Shell be here in ten minutes.
Let's go out to meet her.
Yes, ma'am.
As Min-young descends to the first-floor lobby, numerous staff, having been informed earlier, follow her. Over twenty hotel employees gather in front of the lobby, and soon, a radio message is heard from the hotel entrance. It announces the arrival of Chairman Yoo and Madam Kang at the entrance.
Unlike the tense faces of the staff, Min-young, who sees her parents at the company every day, greets them with a beaming smile as she watches their car arrive.
The chauffeur steps out and opens the backseat door for Min-youngs parents, Chairman Yoo Chang-hyun and Madam Kang Yoo-jung.
Mom, Dad!
Unlike her brothers who have left the family home, Min-young, who lives with her parents, joyfully runs to her mother and grabs her hand, asking,
Mom, was there traffic?
Madam Kang, who rarely makes public appearances, gently pats her daughter's back with her gloved hand, saying,
It was a bit congested. But I had to come, its your first art exhibition.
Chairman Yoo, after waving to the greeting employees, laughs and says,
Shes been dressing and undressing since this morning, like a fashion show. If I hadnt rushed her, she wouldnt have left the house until tomorrow.
Ha ha.
Madam Kang gives her husband a stern look as if to say, Is that something to say in front of the employees? Chairman Yoo meekly closes his mouth, and Madam Kang, linking arms with her daughter, suggests,
Shall we take a look at our daughter's exhibition then?
But, you came to see Mr. Bans exhibition, didnt you?
Oh, what are you talking about? I came to see my daughter's first art exhibition.
Mom, really, lets go.
As the three of them move, the employees follow en masse.
Chairman Yoo signals for them to stop, and only a few bodyguards continue with them.
Finally, the large-scale movement that drew everyone's attention ends, and Min-young's family blends quietly among families who have come to the art gallery with their children.
**
Wow, so this is what an exhibition is like.
Now I understand what Jung-min was talking about earlier.
I thought it was just about attending to the visitors and guiding them.
I didn't expect to be so concerned about the expressions and comments of the visitors. At first, when there were few visitors, it was manageable, but after lunchtime, the number of visitors surged dramatically.
Is it fortunate that the exhibition is divided into sections because it's a joint exhibition? If I had been greedy to cover the entire vast exhibition, even ten bodies wouldn't have been enough.
"Brother! A child spilled ice cream near the exit! I need to go get a mop, please watch this area for me!"
"Brother! We're running out of stamp ink, Ill go get some and come back!"
"Jeong-hoon, a visitor over here is asking for an explanation of the artwork!"
"Brother, a light went out in section 34, who should I tell?"
Young-ju, Ji-yong, Ji-yeon, Yeon-jung.
I'm grateful to all my employees for their hard work. But right now, I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown, so just give me a moment. Even just one second would be good.
I sat down on a white plastic chair to take over the stamping duty that Ji-yong, who went to clean up the ice cream spilled by a child, left behind. Then, a child shorter than my sitting height places a postcard in front of me while eating an ice cream.
This is an event organized by W Tree, where visitors who view all six artists' exhibitions and collect six stamps get a souvenir at the information desk. I dont know why, but kids have always loved getting stamps.
How cute, how old are you?
Ten years old.
Wheres your mom?
Over there.
I was wondering why the child was wandering alone, but then I saw his mother, pointed out by the child. She had three boys. All of them boys.
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