Issue Focus

Horror Novel Fans Camp Overnight for Kakao’s Immersive Exhibition Experience

This case shows how a web novel IP can be expanded into offline immersive exhibitions

and merchandise sales, proving the growing potential of fandom-driven consumption models for

Korean digital storytelling exports.

♦  Exhibition Creates Unprecedented Fan Frenzy

      • “Records of Survivors” exhibition at Hyundai Department Store Sinchon drew fans camping overnight

        with tents from 8 PM the previous day

      • Early bird tickets sold out in 10 minutes Sept 11, general tickets within 1 hour, with 250+ fans lined up

         including international visitors in cosplay

♦  Immersive Storytelling Recreates Novel Settings

      • 12F exhibition features dark corridors, Sadness Station subway set, investigation office with

         surveillance monitors, interactive convenience store

      • Live actors shouting, “Run away!” and atmospheric lighting create spine-chilling immersion matching

         the horror novel’s atmosphere

♦  Direct Fandom-to-Sales Conversion Model

      • Ground floor pop-up store with 20-person entry limits still generated long queues for figures,

         plush toys, badges, and keyrings

      • Previous “Daydream Company Entry Kit” sold 10,000 sets for KRW 500 million revenue, proving strong

         monetization potential

♦  Record-Breaking IP Performance Powers Strategy

      • “Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work” hit 1 million pages in 5 days, fastest in KakaoPage

        history, now at 240M views and 432K comments

      • Exhibition timed with Part 2 serialization launch to amplify fanbase engagement and community

        domination across social media platforms

Source

Chosun Biz. (2025. 9. 26)

https://biz.chosun.com/it-science/ict/2025/09/26/KKNB34F6NNFN7HHKKTE46SPG54/ (Korean version only)