Black Label [EN]: Chapter 3

Black Label – Episode 2

Black Label Episode 2

3. Rewind (3)

“I’ll leave it at the door-!”

Until those words, which he had been simply waiting for, were heard, Jae-seung stood still in front of the iron gate, as if he had turned into a stone statue.

Soon, the sound of a mysterious visitor, who might or might not have been a delivery person, hurriedly climbing the stairs could be heard.

‘…I’m so nervous; I can’t live like this.’

The life of a sinner is exhausting. Every time a mysterious visitor knocks on the iron door of his studio, or every time an unsaved number appears on his phone screen, he has to worry.

He consciously took a deep breath. It was a sigh of relief. However, his heart was still pounding.

Soon, Jae-seung cautiously opened the iron door. The stiff door opened with a groan.

Jae-seung’s gaze naturally turned to the area in front of the door. A lone delivery box came into view.

‘What? Is it really a delivery?’

Jae-seung quickly picked up the delivery box and closed the iron door again. He didn’t forget to check beyond the stairs.

Not a trace of a presence could be felt. Jae-seung first checked the recipient section of the waybill [shipping document].

Lee Jae-seung.

His name was clearly written. So, it wasn’t a misdelivered package. Still, the doubt didn’t fade away. He had no reason to receive a delivery, and there was no one who would send him a delivery.

Soon, filled with suspicion, Jae-seung began to open the box with his *裁断* [said in Japanese, meaning tailoring] scissors.

And then.

“What is this?”

Jae-seung frowned deeply and began to check the contents one by one.

First, a pencil in a rather luxurious-looking case. At first glance, it was just an ordinary pencil.

Soon, Jae-seung picked up the pencil and began to examine it closely.

“Huh…?”

Soon, a shadow fell over Jae-seung’s face. It was because of the phrase engraved in cursive on one side of the pencil.

– Wall Flower

It was the name Jae-seung had chosen to use as his brand name when he launched it in the future.

Not many people know this name. No, other than himself, only CEO Song knows.

Momentarily, the question ‘Did CEO Song send the package?’ arose, but he quickly shook his head. If it was CEO Song, he would have no reason to send him a package.

“He comes by every other day anyway, so he wouldn’t bother sending a package….”

Soon, Jae-seung put the pencil back in its case and placed it on the workbench. It was time to look at the other contents. This time, Jae-seung picked up ‘glasses’.

“Hmm?”

They were black horn-rimmed glasses with an elegant curved frame.

The design of the glasses was quite similar to that of a premium brand that has been popular overseas recently.

On the side of the glasses frame, the same phrase as the one engraved on the side of the pencil was engraved.

– Wall Flower

As if it were glasses released by a non-existent brand, ‘Wall Flower’. Soon, Jae-seung tried on the glasses. Perhaps the lens power of the glasses matched his eyes quite well; he could see more clearly than without wearing glasses.

The suspicion was growing more and more. Soon, Jae-seung put the glasses on his forehead instead of his eyes and picked up the last item.

The last item was a magazine. No, it was actually a bundle of paper that was difficult to call a magazine.

“Hmm-?”

Because the material and specifications were the same as those of fashion magazines on the market, it was called a magazine.

In fact, it was just a well-coated bundle of paper, as all pages, including the cover, were blank. Just as he was about to put the magazine on his workbench, he found a watch case at the very bottom of the delivery box.

Jae-seung had reached the point where he could classify the grade of leather just by looking at it.

Jae-seung immediately began to examine the material of the watch case closely. He stared at it intently, caressed it with his hands, and smelled it.

The touch was fantastic, as if it were made of natural calfskin.

It was a perfect leather that felt smooth and firm.

It was clear that it was made of a material that he had rarely touched while working with a sewing machine for over ten years.

In the center of the watch case, the name ‘Wall Flower’ was engraved without fail.

Jae-seung took a slow, deep breath and carefully opened the case.

Inside the case, a watch with a very luxurious appearance was placed.

Perhaps it was treated with sapphire glass, a bluish light was formed above the dial.

Jae-seung looked inside carefully. Judging from the sturdy arrangement of the caliber [the movement of a watch] and the elegant finish, it seemed to be a high-end watch worth at least tens of millions of won [South Korean currency].

Surprisingly, the ‘Wall Flower’ logo was also engraved on the axis of the watch hands.

Gulp-

Jae-seung, who had forcibly swallowed the saliva that had filled his mouth, put the watch on his left wrist.

It was an action he took without thinking, as if he had been possessed by something.

After wearing it, he couldn’t help but admire the excellent grip once again.

Jae-seung immediately began to wind the spring on the side of the watch. It was to adjust the time, which was set to 10:10.

Click- Click-

The sound of the spring winding felt strangely eerie.

There was no reason in his eyes. Only an indescribable desire remained.

Jae-seung concentrated on winding the spring, holding his breath.

Click-

Click-

Click-

‘Huh…?’

The more he wound the spring, the more his mind seemed to become hazy. He felt like he was suffocating. It felt as if tissue paper soaked in water was rushing through his lungs instead of oxygen. He felt the blood rushing to his head.

The scene in front of him, which had originally looked hazy as if it were humid, began to darken.

But, what was going on?

The extreme pain, the source of which he didn’t even know, felt so comfortable.

Jae-seung entrusted his consciousness to the pain without resisting meaninglessly.

He really felt like he was completely possessed by something.

Standing in place with his eyes tightly closed now.

There were a few things Jae-seung could never know.

The fact that an intense flash of light, so clear that it felt sacred, was gushing out from the watch wrapped around his wrist.

The fact that the anchor [news presenter] on the square TV screen in one corner of the studio was not showing any movement and was maintaining a still pose.

The fact that all the hands of the wall clock hanging on the wall had stopped in place as if they had reached the end of their lifespan.

And then.

Everything began to ‘rewind’.

The anchor on the TV screen began to repeat the actions he had shown in reverse order, and the clock hands began to walk back the way they had come.

Ticking- Ticking-

Squeak-

A bizarre sound like a video tape stretching. An irregular chiming sound.

Noises that seemed like they had never been heard before were all lumped together, as if defining dissonance.

Like that.

The whole world was rewinding.