Chaebol

"I have the rights."

"What do you mean…?"

"It's exactly as I said. The secondary rights belong to me."

At my words, Akira's eyes widened in surprise.

A look that demanded further explanation.

Right then, the quick-witted editor stepped in.

"During the process when the publisher was receiving investment… (omitted)… However, only the authority of the publisher was transferred, while the author's rights were still fully protected. So, there's no need for any concern…"

Akira looked quite shocked.

He seemed to be trying to grasp how a 14-year-old was involved in business, but the part about the 5 billion yen investment seemed harder for him to process.

"Just one question."

"…?"

"With such a large amount of funds, why would someone like you be interested in this market…?"

"I just love manga."

What more explanation was needed?

I continued speaking slowly.

"I've read all of your previous works. I also enjoy your ongoing series in Weekly Manga, like Fly High, Wings, Yubi's Mysterious Adventure, and Legend of the Holy Warrior."

I didn't stop there and started to share my thoughts on the manga in detail.

Since they were works I had genuinely read in my childhood, blending my impressions with their plot wasn't difficult.

By that point, even Akira had no choice but to recognize my sincerity.

"Well, if you've taken notice of the background characters and even suggested the serialization, it's not just ordinary passion."

A life lived as a manga enthusiast.

It's finally paying off here!

Surely, I had managed to raise his opinion of me.

Seizing the opportunity, I decided to drive the point home.

"I think you now have a rough idea of why I want your illustrations. Now, I'd like to talk about the benefits you'd gain."

Akira is a superstar author with countless hits.

Though he lives modestly, he must have more than enough money by now.

Perhaps that's why.

At the word "benefits," his expression turned uninterested.

I was expecting that and had prepared a custom-made gift.

Without hesitation, I continued speaking.

"I noticed that you seem to have a particular interest in machines. Am I right?"

"Machines?"

"Yes. In the early chapters of Dragon Ball, there are a lot of different mechanical devices. While covering them up would have made drawing easier, you went as far as to meticulously depict each wire…"

"Ah, if you mean that, yes, I'm deeply interested."

His voice raised a notch.

The indifferent look in his eyes disappeared for a moment.

"Imagining and designing future devices is one of my great joys."

"That's why you drew them so meticulously?"

"Yes, something like that. My childhood dream was to be an engineer, but… I had to give up because math held me back. I opted for industrial design as a second choice, but…"

The story of how he entered a manga contest for some pocket money and unexpectedly won, leading to his sudden debut as a manga artist, is quite famous.

"And so, I ended up drifting away from my dream and now I find myself constantly chasing deadlines every week."

But that reaction lasted only a moment.

"Maybe because it's a topic I enjoy, I've been rambling on."

Akira awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Wait, why did this topic even come up?"

"I was trying to explain the benefits that would come to you, but…"

"Ah, that's right. But what's the connection between my interest in machines and the benefits I'd receive?"

Perhaps because we were talking about machines, his expression was noticeably different from earlier.

Thanks to that, I was able to speak even more confidently.

"If you were to create illustrations for me, I would donate a portion of the profits to the mechanical engineering department at the University of Tokyo as a scholarship."

"The University of Tokyo… mechanical engineering?"

Akira would be doing the illustrations, yet the benefit would go to students at the University of Tokyo. 

It was a condition that no one but me would propose.

But.

Akira immediately leaned in towards me and asked,

"With a portion of the profits… could a significant amount be gathered?"

"If not, I'd dip into my own funds."

"Ha!"

Akira looked at me in astonishment.

"Why go through all this trouble just to get a card with my illustrations on it?"

By the time the Alien Battle arc ends, you will have cemented your place as one of the greatest manga artists of all time.

So if I could establish a connection with you by donating some scholarships?

"To me, it's a win-win situation."

Moreover, that scholarship…

"I could use it as a stepping stone to bring talent from the University of Tokyo into Hyungang."

As a semiconductor shareholder, it's literally a no-risk deal for me!

But how could Akira know any of that?

He just kept expressing admiration.

"Speaking of the University of Tokyo… in my childhood, my ambitions were quite lofty too. I was too embarrassed to admit it, so I'd say my goal was just to get into a national university, claiming that my family's financial situation didn't leave me with much choice…"

"..."

"I was doing reasonably well academically, but as I mentioned earlier, math held me back. If only I had been more mathematically inclined, by now…"

It was later revealed in an interview that Akira had once dreamed of attending the University of Tokyo's mechanical engineering department.

And that he even established a scholarship foundation to fulfill his unachieved dream.

"So, when you mentioned donating a portion of the profits as a scholarship, I found it quite an intriguing idea. I hadn't considered that before…"

A grin.

"If it's alright with you, I'd not only draw the illustrations, but I'd like to contribute some money as well."

"Really?"

"Of course. It's not like I can take that money with me when I die…"

No, not the money.

The illustrations! Are you serious about drawing them for me?

Sensing my thoughts, Akira confidently spoke.

"You're not asking me to design original characters, and you're fine with using Dragon Ball as it is, so of course, I'll do it."

Okay!

"Is there any specific character you'd like to include in the illustration?"

Without hesitation, I gave him my answer.

***

That night, at a hotel in Tokyo.

After settling into my room, I immediately called my older brother.

Perhaps because he knew I was in Japan for a business trip, he answered the phone right away.

(Ji-hoon, you're in Japan, right?)

I kept the explanation as simple as possible.

I told him we were planning to make physical cards, and that Akira had agreed to draw the Joker card.

Before he had time to express his surprise, I continued speaking.

"I want to release an expansion pack soon."

(Expansion pack?)

"We'll create additional new cards."

(That makes sense. If people keep playing with the same limited deck, the game could get monotonous…)

"Do you think it's possible?"

(Of course, we can do it.)

He responded so calmly.

(After all, it'll make the game even more fun.)

Though he said it like that, it wasn't going to be an easy task.

Not only would he have to ensure compatibility with the existing card pack, but he'd also need to consider new interactions.

It would require almost as much effort as redesigning the game from scratch.

(When do you need it done by?)

"Within a month at the latest."

(Then I'll finish it in three weeks.)

"What?"

(That way, the artist can have enough time to work on the illustrations too, don't you think?)

Was it because he wanted to earn our grandfather's approval?

Or was it the joy of working on something he loved?

My brother had become a completely different person through this process.

'Ha!'

Looking back, my brother had done far more than expected.

His debut as a game developer had earned him praise as a genius, along with critical acclaim… and not to mention, he had sold over a million copies, achieving huge commercial success.

All of that at the age of just 16.

Yet, instead of resting on his laurels, he was taking on another challenge.

"..."

Did he sense my silence?

(Anyone would think I'm the only one working hard here.)

My brother spoke nonchalantly.

(You flew all the way to Japan to try and sell more of my game, didn't you?)

He didn't stop there.

(And if we release an expansion pack, there'll be additional revenue, right? This is something that benefits us all. It wouldn't be cool if I were the only one complaining, right?)

"You might be cool, but aren't you going to be completely drained after a month of hard work?"

(Playing it cool always comes with a price…)

We both burst into laughter at the same time.

Fine, let's just go all the way.

Getting out of the succession race at Hyungang Group.

The long journey was now well past its midpoint.

***

Three weeks later, in Park Yong-hak's office.

Park Yong-hak stared down at the package sitting in front of his desk.

They said it would sell for 10,000 won, but the quality was impressive.

They made this in just three weeks?

Even if they only had to produce physical versions of the completed game, managing production in just two weeks and distributing it all across North America through their unique supply chain was still an achievement he could understand.

But then.

"You're telling me this is being sold in stationery stores?"

"Yes, sir."

The secretary cautiously answered the chairman's question.

"Why are they selling this in stationery stores when there are perfectly good game shops?"

"Well, that's… apparently a direct order from the young master."

"Ji-hoon?"

"Yes. Even in the U.S., there aren't that many game shops, it seems. Moreover, since it's classified as a board game, it appears he judged that there wouldn't be any issue selling it in stationery stores, toy stores, or even bookstores."

"Can they really supply everything they want to?"

Even if they've locked down North American distribution, that's just for games. Stationery stores and bookstores are another matter entirely.

Surely, there would be some resistance in those sectors.

And yet, they managed to spread the product so widely in such a short time?

"Well, since the young master was the one who introduced Weekly Manga to the U.S. market, there's definitely a favorable attitude toward him in bookstores."

"Then why stationery stores?"

"Ah, that's because… as Japanese manga grows in popularity, so does the demand for toys…"

"Are you saying they can't even make toys without his permission?"

"Yes. Since the young master holds the secondary rights, none of the bookstores, stationery stores, or toy stores have any reason to go against him in this situation…"

"So, how much have they sold so far?"