Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 309

Hyung, aren’t I cute? 309

The Trend of Plays, Photos, and Drawings.

I don’t know what pulled the trigger. Maybe both of them acted as the trigger.

The steadily uploaded Pixiv [Japanese online community for artists] and the sparse Siha Pepe channel.

The Siha Pepe pop-up book, known by word of mouth offline.

It seems some explosive reaction occurred, and sales soared.

“How much did you say?”

「The sales are almost 100 million won.」

“Wow……”

100 million won in sales.

Successful emoticon artists are said to earn hundreds of millions in net profit, not just sales, but I never expected it to be this much.

“40,000 purchases……”

「That’s right. That’s the total, including the previous emoticons.」

It was a so-called trickle-down effect.

Because the new animated emoticons are selling well, the previously released emoticons are also selling well.

Although, in this case, both seem to be selling similarly well.

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but be amazed.

Let’s see. Calculating it, each emoticon is 2,500 won [approximately $2 USD].

If sales are 100 million won, that means 40,000 were sold.

Calculating the net profit, after deducting a 30% payment fee, it’s 70 million won.

With the platform and the creator splitting it in half, that’s 35 million won in profit.

Even if next month’s sales drop by half, it’s still an enormous amount.

Still, I can’t deny it’s a significant amount.

Siha, you earn much more than Hyung [older brother or close male friend]……

Should Hyung receive a Children’s Day gift from you?

Such a frivolous thought crossed my mind.

“The money comes in two months, right?”

「Yes, that’s right. Anyway, congratulations. I’m really happy it turned out so well. Hahaha.」

“Thank you. I think several things helped.”

「Yes, that’s right. I’m not sure what made it take off like this either.」

“Well, yeah.”

In fact, it seems a combination of factors worked.

Gradually climbing in the rankings, it became more visible to people, and that led to purchases.

The popularity ranking of emoticons is very important.

When you casually browse what to buy, you end up looking at about 30.

“Anyway, thank you for contacting me like this.”

After ending the call, I looked at Siha.

“Siha, I heard that Pepe-ticons sold more than Siha-ticons?”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. It’s got eight zeros.”

“So many!!”

“Right?”

Come to think of it, the platforms take it all, don’t they?

What an enormous fee.

30% payment fee, 35% for the platform providing the emoticons.

If you make one, doesn’t that mean money comes in just by sitting there?!

It was true that distributors make the most money.

This was the first time I felt it so viscerally.

I’ve been getting emoticon revenue until now, but I didn’t really feel it, but now that it’s popular, I feel it.

Aren’t they taking too much?

If I pay comprehensive income tax next year, I don’t know if any money will be left.

‘Huh? Why are they taking so much?’

Well, whatever, it’s clear that special income has come in.

The money Siha will use in the future.

I won’t be using a single penny of it.

“Hyung. What about Red Hyung Pepe?”

“Huh?”

Right. That’s what’s important to you, Siha.

“Hyung will think about it.”

“Really?!”

Who should I consult with?

***

Gifts were always hard to choose.

Someone might need something, or they might not like it.

But Siha’s gift, well.

I should say it’s hard to find rather than hard to choose.

Still, I wanted to do it for her.

The reason is nothing special. I wanted to fill in, even a little, what her parents couldn’t do for her.

Even though I know I can’t fill that void, I still want her to feel it as little as possible.

“So, I came to consult with you.”

A toy store I visited after a long time.

It’s also the store where I came to fix toys before.

The reason I came here is because I need the skill of a craftsman, and maybe I can create a new toy.

“You come after a long time and ask for a consultation? Tsk.”

“Don’t do that and listen.”

“What, do you have a toy to fix?”

“No. I was wondering if you also make toys.”

“Huh?”

“You said you make parts when you fix them……”

“That doesn’t mean I make anything or anything.”

“Is that different from making it?”

“Ahem. Well, it’s not different. The plastic models on display there are also my work.”

“Really?!”

“Sometimes parts disappear, so I have to make them. That’s how my skills have improved.”

“Do you paint them too?”

“Of course. Painting is my pride.”

I had a feeling that what was on display would be incredibly expensive.

Well, that’s not important right now.

I took out the Red Hyung Pepe drawing on my phone and showed it to him.

“Can you make a Pepe toy like this?”

“Hmm. There’s nothing I can’t make.”

“Oh! But I need to make a lot of these? Several.”

“It would be hard to make them by hand? I think I’d have to make a mold and stamp them out…. Hmm. But with a character like this, I think I can make it quickly enough. It doesn’t need as many parts as a robot.”

“Wow! Then can you teach me how to paint too?”

“Huh? Are you going to make it like a plastic model?”

“Is that not okay?”

“It’s not that it’s not okay, but….”

The man looked around and nodded.

“I’ll leave it to someone I know. How many are you going to make?”

“Hmm. Shouldn’t there be about 100?”

“What…. That many?”

“Siha said she wants to recreate this drawing.”

“There aren’t 100 in the picture?”

“They’re hidden in the back, she says.”

“Heh heh. It’s going to be hard to paint.”

I think so too.

I don’t know if I can make it in time for Children’s Day [May 5th in South Korea].

Still, wouldn’t it work if we do it?

“We’ll finish the rest later if there are any left. Well.”

“Hmm. Well, that’ll work. Why don’t you just let Siha participate in the painting too?”

“Then it won’t be a Children’s Day gift.”

“Surprises are good, but this experience can also be a gift.”

Come to think of it, the man was right.

When else would I make and paint a plastic model like this?

Maybe Siha would like it even more.

“Come to think of it, that’s a good idea.”

“Right?”

“Then please contact me as soon as it’s made.”

“I will. It’ll be quick once I make the mold anyway.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, right. I’ll roughly estimate the cost and send it to you via text.”

“Yes! Thank you.”

***

Time passed, and I heard that the toy was out.

Siha and I went to see how well it turned out.

“Siha, where are we going now?”

“Where?”

“We’re going to the toy house. The place with the grandpa from before.”

“The toy doctor grandpa?”

He’s a doctor who fixes toys.

He’s a man to me, but he’s a grandfather to Siha.

“Yeah. Children’s Day is coming up, so I was wondering what to give as a gift. So, Hyung prepared something.”

“Siha likes it!”

“You haven’t seen it yet?”

“Siha likes everything Hyung gives!”

“Sob.”

Even if I hadn’t prepared Red Hyung Pepe, Siha would probably have liked it a lot.

The requirements were just requirements.

That’s Siha for you! But where did you learn those lines?

They don’t teach touching lines at daycare, do they?

“You’ll probably be surprised when you see it?”

We arrived at the toy store and went straight in.

It’s still a quiet store here.

Of course, there are many repair orders online, but there are still too few people.

Well, this man is doing it as a hobby, so there’s nothing to worry about.

“We’re here.”

“Oh? Really? You’re here?”

“Yes. Mister. Is it ready?”

“Yeah. I assembled one in advance.”

“Siha. He said it’s ready.”

“Huh?”

The man came with a box.

And he took out a toy from his pocket.

“This is Red Hyung Pepe.”

“!!!”

Siha’s eyes widened.

Of course, it wasn’t red yet because it hadn’t been painted, but the shape was definitely Pepe.

“Pepe! Pepe!”

She hit my leg with her hand in a rare excited manner.

You don’t have to do that, Hyung is watching, so I know.

“Siha. Do you like it?”

“Hyung. Is this Siha’s gift?”

“Yeah. This is the assembled form, and he put it in the box so Siha can assemble it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There are 100 of them.”

“So many!”

“Do you know how much 100 is?”

“Siha knows. One hundred won.”

It’s clear she doesn’t know how much 100 is.

Still, she knows it’s a lot.

Anyway, it’s a lot. Is that how she understood it?

“Shall we look inside the box?”

“Ah ah.”

There were parts inside, just like a real plastic model.

I think he deliberately made it white, but I don’t think I need to paint the belly part.

No, should I paint it?

“Do I combine this?”

“Yeah. You can take this off and combine it. This is called a plastic model. It’s made of plastic.”

I wonder if it’s possible to come out this fast.

Still, there weren’t many parts.

Front and back of the face, front and back of the upper body, front and back of the lower body, and finally the belly.

“Can you assemble it?”

“Siha can do it.”

“Shall we do it together, Hyung?”

“!!!”

Siha nodded her head because she was happy.

A happy smile spread across my face because it was so visible that she liked it.

The man’s mouth was the same.

“But, you know. Putting Hyung’s face inside was too small, so I couldn’t do it.”

“It’s okay. Siha has Hyung Pepe at home.”

“Oh~ really?”

He looked at me, wondering what this meant.

“I gave her a Pepe mascot costume for her birthday. I wore it.”

“I see. The same gift is less touching. Of course!”

Right. The Red Hyung Pepe mascot costume was postponed as a second option.

That is, if this plastic model didn’t work.

“Shall we assemble it then?”

“Ah ah!”

We each grabbed a Pepe.

Put on the face, put on the body, and finally put on the belly.

It’s a really simple task.

“Hyung. Pepe is done!”

“That’s right.”

It’s not a difficult process, so I don’t know if it can be called a plastic model, but the character is easy, so it must have been made easily.

The man said.

“Shall we paint it now?”

“Huh?”

“The current Pepe isn’t Red Hyung Pepe, is it?”

“!!!”

“So, we’re going to paint it. Would you like to do it with Siha?”

“Siha will do it! Siha is good at it! Siha got lots of hearts too!”

“???”

I told him that I upload Siha’s drawings on SNS and she gets a lot of hearts there.

The grandfather watched Siha with a very cute expression.

But mister. Siha is really good at drawing.

“Shall we do it then? I’ll show you first, so follow along with Hyung. It’s easy. Very easy.”

Why? Why does Bob Ross’s ‘Happy little trees’ come to mind?

“Actually, it would be cleaner with an airbrush, but we’re going to use a brush today. That way, there’s a feeling of working with your hands. And brushes have their own charm.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. Just like handwriting is charming.”

“Ah!”

I understand what it feels like because he gave me a rough analogy.

Siha grabbed the brush with sparkling eyes.

“First, we’re going to do a surfacer job with this spray.”

“Surfacer job?”

“Hmm. To put it simply, think of it as turning this plastic model into drawing paper.”

“Aha!”

Siha’s eyes widened.

“Hyung. Plastic model becomes drawing paper? Amazing. Does it get flat?”

“Huh? It’s not that, but think of it as a job that makes it easier to paint. Right now, it’s a white color with a gray tone? It’s a feeling, but we’re spraying to change this color well.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm. The color comes out pretty. It doesn’t mix well with the color on this plastic model.”

Did she understand this much?

“Siha understood. It becomes drawing paper!”

“Yeah. Okay.”

I’m grateful that she understood it that way.

We finished the surfacer job and looked at Pepe.

I felt that the tone itself had become very calm.

The man also sanded the plastic model, and I felt that the marks had disappeared.

The man put Pepe in the dryer.

“Dry it and then paint it.”

“Aha. Amazing.”

“Hyung. Amazing.”

Siha and I were really amazed because we never thought we would have this experience.

I wouldn’t have had this experience if I didn’t know the man.

“Then we have to make Red Pepe. The man prepared acrylic paint.”

Various colors of paint were arranged.

I don’t know what product it is, but there was only one red color.

“Actually, there are several paints, but you won’t know the colors even if you look at them. It’s red, but each product is different.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s as difficult as distinguishing women’s lipstick colors.”

“The analogy is a bit……”

“Why? Isn’t it the right thing to say? Should I just show you the red colors?”

The man brought a bunch of red paints and showed them one by one on a plastic spoon.

The colors were really different.

“Hyung. There’s grape color too. This one has blue, that one has gray, and, and, this one has gold color?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

I tilted my head, not knowing what it was.

Isn’t it just a slightly different red?

“What is this……”

The man slightly opened his mouth and looked at Siha.