‘This is definitely going to blow up!’
He had felt it from the moment he read the first line.
Park Sangwon, CEO of Haim Books, read the piece through twice in one sitting.
There was no fat in the prose.
A simple essay with no excessive ornamentation, no forced sentiment.
And yet it drew you in. Miyeong’s writing had the power to hold a reader in place.
“What do you think?”
Uhyeon asked, watching CEO Park’s reaction.
A manuscript printed on A4 paper.
As if displeased by that, Sangwon frowned.
“To be honest, it’s a little unexpected. Since it was written by Yu Seoha’s mother, I assumed it would be about something like how to raise a gifted child.”
“I was surprised when I read it too.
It seems, unfortunately, that it doesn’t suit your tastes. In that case, I’ll take this somewhere else.”
Uhyeon picked up the manuscript and began to rise.
Startled, Sangwon quickly snatched the manuscript away.
“Now, now! Who said it wasn’t to my taste? I’m saying that’s exactly why it’s good.”
“Pardon?”
“The market for parenting books is limited. No matter how famous Seoha is, there’s an upper limit to how many copies one can sell. But this book isn’t like that.
What the narrator wants to talk about is not success, but relationships. These days, everyone only wants to teach. The market is flooded with books like that.”
Uhyeon nodded.
“That’s certainly true.”
“That’s why this is new.
It isn’t advice, but humanism and comfort—the very emotions modern people are lacking, wouldn’t you say?
Readers who open this book will witness the moment one family’s everyday life transforms into a moving narrative.”
Watching him speak so passionately, Uhyeon smiled.
“There is just one thing I’ll need to do.”
“What would that be?”
“The title. We need to make it clear that this is not a parenting book while exposing it to as many readers as possible.”
On that point, Sangwon trusted his instincts.
After all, he was not only the CEO of a publishing house, but also a successful author himself.
* * *
The editorial office of Haim Books.
When CEO Park opened the door and entered, the employees stopped what they were doing.
“CEO Park, you’re here?”
The CEO, who was usually out on business and almost never came to the office, had appeared. Tension settled over the editorial office.
Sangwon set the folder in his hand down on the desk with a smack.
“I’ve brought in a new project. Let’s make this our top priority.”
The editor-in-chief widened his eyes.
“You’ve already decided? We haven’t even heard what kind of book it is yet…”
“Read it later. This project is guaranteed to work, so please do as I say. As for the manuscript… I’ll handle it myself.”
Tap, tap.
Sangwon tapped the folder with his index finger.
“For the cover illustration, get Seiren. Tell her to read the book first and draw it in a fairy-tale style.”
Every employee was shocked.
“Seiren? That artist hasn’t accepted work in over a year…”
“She’s probably backed up with work even now.”
It was an incomprehensible instruction for a book that wasn’t even by a bestselling author.
“Making that happen is your job, isn’t it? Don’t call her—go to her house and knock on her door first. Now!”
The editor-in-chief approached with a worried expression.
“CEO Park, her rates are high as it is, and if it’s a rush job, we don’t know how much we’ll have to pay.”
Sangwon waved a hand lightly.
“The budget isn’t a problem. This work will bring us far more than that.”
CEO Park pictured the completed book in his mind.
“Let’s make the cover linen. Soft to the touch, and dignified when placed on a desk.”
The employee in charge of paper took notes and asked,
“What should we use for the inner pages?”
“The highest-grade cream paper.
It should resist discoloration, and even the sound it makes when the pages turn should feel luxurious. The book we’re making is the kind of object anyone would want to keep on their shelf. A book whose very ownership becomes a joy.”
The editor-in-chief murmured in admiration.
“CEO Park, you really must have liked that book.”
He gave a hearty laugh.
“A product with buzz deserves a dignity to match. Let’s make this book the calling card of Haim Books!”
The atmosphere in the editorial office changed.
A major project that might come once a year, if that.
The employees nodded with firm expressions.
* * *
On an afternoon when rain fell in a fine drizzle,
Sangwon put on a black coat and headed to a large bookstore in Gwanghwamun.
Today was the publication day of the book he had been waiting for.
He had always done this.
On the day a book he had made entered the market, he always went to a bookstore to see readers’ faces for himself.
Did they hesitate when picking up the book? What were their expressions like? Were there people buying multiple copies? These were indicators one could not grasp without going to the scene in person.
Murmur, murmur.
‘There are quite a lot of people.’
A long line stretched out at the checkout counter.
Considering that it was a rainy Monday afternoon, it was an extremely unusual situation.
Sangwon slowly walked toward the display table, looking around.
The closer he got, the clearer it became where people were gathering.
Thump, thump.
The books his company had published recently had not performed well.
More painful than the visible numbers was the fact that they had failed to publish a book that would remain in people’s memories.
For a publishing house, this mattered more than anything. Readers remembered publishers through their books.
‘Ah, of course!’
His heart pounded.
In the very center of the display table,
in the spot every customer had to pass at least once.
Miyeong’s book lay there.
“I Never Meant to Raise a Genius”
The linen cover caught the light and glowed softly.
‘It was right to invest in the cover.’
She had more than earned her fee.
Seiren’s signature soft colors—pale lilac and milky cream tones. Beneath them, a gentle spread of pastel blue.
It wasn’t provocative, yet it drew people’s eyes.
A son poking a piece of broccoli with his finger, and a mother watching him fondly.
The fairy-tale-like illustration delivered the message in a metaphorical way.
‘This is a warm story.’
Above all, the title was good.
Anyone who saw it would not be able to simply pass by.
“Ahem!”
He praised his own sense, which was not yet dead.
A crowd of women who looked like parents rushed over and headed straight for this spot.
There were also quite a few students in school uniforms.
“Hey! I heard this is Yu Seoha’s book?”
“No, it’s a book written by his mom.”
“What’s with the title? Total clickbait.”
“The book looks super classy, though.”
Students chattered as they held the book.
To them as well, Seoha was an object of admiration and curiosity.
Dozens of copies were stacked in front of the display.
But they quickly revealed the bottom.
‘It’s done!’
With a satisfied expression, he stepped out of the bookstore.
* * *
[Review of the New Release “I Never Meant to Raise a Genius”]
-First, I will say that I am a parent.
I am a mother of two children: one in third grade of elementary school, and one in the first year of middle school.
Parenting books? I’ve read countless ones over the years. Books with titles like “Raising Your Child to Be Gifted.”
So when I first saw the title of this book, I felt a surge of irritation.
Isn’t that understandable?
It felt like hearing the hidden meaning of “Our child was just born a genius, hohoho!” in Kyoto-style indirect speech.
Part of the reason I bought the book was because I had a crooked little thought of, “Fine, let’s hear you brag about that amazing son of yours.” Of course, the rest was pure curiosity.
(omitted)
To state the conclusion, this book is indeed bragging.
However, the reason I did not feel annoyed while reading it was likely because of the author’s honest, plainspoken narration.
Like a minimalist essay, the writing is warm and restrained, and within it, the author calmly lays out the growth story of one family.
Just as the title says, she did not do anything particularly special.
And yet, why does she feel so remarkable to me?
She did not force excessive study on her son.
She merely tried not to miss the signals the child sent her. That is by no means as easy as it sounds. Especially when one’s child shows exceptional talent.
As a fellow mother, I applaud her for not being swallowed up by her child’s talent and for preserving a harmonious family.
└Thank you for the good review. I had similar thoughts while reading the book. “If it were me, could I have raised him that way?”
└Honestly, wasn’t the environment a big factor? If he’d been born in Gangnam, he might have gone straight into a pre-med prep class at age four.
└I’m telling you, it’s not the environment, it’s the person.
└First of all, the book itself is so luxurious. Great for gifting.
└The scene where the child secretly put his favorite snack into his dad’s pants moved me.
└Sometimes poverty can be a blessing. Maybe being born into that house was a blessing for Seoha.
└I really hate Seoul people. They think everyone living outside the capital is poor.
└My kid read this too. He smiled so brightly and said, “Mom! Maybe I wasn’t lacking effort after all!” and I ended up laughing with him.
└Why am I so envious of the part where he took care of his younger sibling and was responsible for her education too?
└Many people may not notice, but this book contains a lot of useful information. How to prepare for the IMO, tips for skipping the middle school curriculum, explanations about gifted high schools, and even getting into MIT. I’m planning to raise my child along a similar route.
└I thought the same thing lol
Miyeong’s book shot onto the bestseller list in an instant.
[Sold Out Within a Week of Publication - I Never Meant to Raise a Genius]
[Parents and Students Enthralled Alike - Nationwide Syndrome Over Essay by Yu Seoha’s Mother]
[“I Want to Go to MIT Too” - MIT Over Harvard Now? Recent Survey Shows MIT as Top Preferred University Among Middle and High School Students]
[Will Competition Rates for Gifted and Science High Schools Soar? Signs Emerge That the Rush Toward Medical School May Ease]
* * *
“Huh?”
Miyeong checked her bank account and covered her mouth with her hand.
The number was so large that it did not feel real at all.
“Honey, what is it?”
Cheolho came over and asked. Then he saw the screen and nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Holy—!”
Bzzzt—
Park Sangwon’s name appeared on her phone screen.
Miyeong hurriedly answered the call.
“H-hello?”
-Ma’am… no, Author Yun! Congratulations. We’ve hit the jackpot!
The usually composed CEO’s voice was filled with excitement.
-Do you know what’s happening right now? Korea is in an uproar. The first printing sold out ages ago, and the entire batch we’re printing now has already been taken by preorders. Before the books have even come out!
“…”
-Are you listening?
“Yes…”
-The bookstores are flooding us with calls asking when it will be restocked. For now, I’ve sent you the first settlement payment today. All that’s left now is for you to become rich.
Hahahaha! I look forward to working with you from now on.
Click.
Perhaps because he was busy, he poured out only what he had to say and hung up.
She had heard the response was good, but she had never imagined it would be to this extent.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
Seoeun peeked out from the staircase.
Startled by the loud voices, Seoha also came down to the first floor.
“You two!”
Cheolho put on a solemn expression.
“Yes!”
“What?”
“Your mother—no, Author Yun Miyeong’s book has become a bestseller in Korea. Everyone, applause for the author!”
Clap, clap, clap!
The three members of the family gave Miyeong enthusiastic applause.
Embarrassed, Miyeong pinched her husband’s side.
“Ow! Honey, sit over here.”
Before she knew it, Cheolho had seated Miyeong in a chair and begun massaging her shoulders.
“It must have been hard writing all that time, wasn’t it? Does that feel good?”
“Good grief!”
She glared sideways at Cheolho.
“Mom, are you an author now?”
“Congratulations, Mom! Are you going to keep writing books from now on?”
Seoha and Seoeun each grabbed one of Miyeong’s arms and showered her with questions.
Miyeong looked troubled, but she did not dislike the feeling.
“I’ll have to think about that a little.”
‘Author Yun Miyeong?’
The moment she heard those words, her heart began to pound.
Not a wife, not a mother—just herself.
She had wondered what she could do on her own, but now she had gained the composure to face everything.
The children cheering, and her husband even happier than they were.
Financial freedom tasted far sweeter than she had imagined.