Black Label [EN]: Chapter 134

134. Music Video

No matter how good the ingredients are, the result varies greatly depending on which chef is in charge of the cooking.

In Leo’s words, ‘good material’ is a good ingredient, and the editor who handles the material is a ‘chef’ in charge of cooking.

“Hmm, I should pray that Leo is a competent chef.”

“Well?”

Leo, who briefly retorted, continued in a low voice with a faint smile.

“Among the excellent ingredients, aren’t there some that you can enjoy a great taste just by eating them raw? In my opinion, the behind-the-scenes story of Wallflower feels just like that.”

“I think that’s an overstatement, but I still feel good.”

Leo waved his hand once, stuffed his luggage into his crossbody bag, and began to speak again.

“Excessive modesty is poison. If a column written based on such great material is rejected by readers? I’d have to break my pen and open a hamburger shop on the outskirts of the city. It’d be clear evidence that I don’t have the qualifications as an editor.”

Jaeseung then offered a handshake and spoke quietly.

“Please take good care of me. I can only pray that the day Leo puts on an apron and grills hamburger patties never comes, for either of our sakes.”

“Haha! That will never happen, so just wait for the explosion of interest,” Leo replied confidently, grabbing Jaeseung’s outstretched hand tightly.

Just before Leo left the studio, Jaeseung urgently called out, “Ah, just a moment!” Leo turned slightly and stared at Jaeseung.

“It’s just that, about the photos to be included in the column….”

“Yes.”

“I would like you to use photos that include all the staff members, if possible.”

Leo nodded as if he expected it and readily replied.

“Of course, of course.”

After Leo replied briefly and left the studio with the cameraman, the staff members, who had been sitting quietly and listening to the conversation, began to shout in unison.

It wasn’t a famous magazine, but it felt like the pages of *Time* magazine were being devoted to their faces and stories.

Wouldn’t it be strange not to be happy?

Anyway, the interview, which they had diligently participated in, had come to an end, so all that was left was Leo’s responsibility.

Hoping for the ripple effect that this column would bring, it seemed like all that was left was to return to Korea.

* * *

The plane heading to Incheon Airport took off into the sky.

It was cruising at an altitude of 8,000 meters [approximately 26,000 feet], moving steadily forward.

Occasionally, the aircraft shook slightly when caught in turbulence, but that was all.

Clack.

Jaeseung closed the pages of the fashion magazine he was reading and closed his eyes.

He estimated that it would take at least six hours to arrive in Korea.

And once he arrived in Korea, he would have to fall back into the swamp of work again.

“Hoo….”

Jaeseung took a long breath, put earplugs in his ears, and covered his eyes with an eye mask.

As he was enveloped in silence, he naturally felt drowsy.

Once this moment of leisure was over, he would have to jump back into the fray.

* * *

Had it only been half a day since he set foot on Korean soil for the first time in a while?

As he had expected, Jaeseung had to move busily without even adjusting to the jet lag.

“Jaeseung, you’re here? How have you been?”

As soon as Jaeseung stepped into the spacious sound studio, Kwon Jihoon, the client for this music video project, greeted Jaeseung in an infinitely bright tone.

“Of course. How have you been, Jihoon?”

“Yes, I’ve been well too.”

After speaking, Kwon Jihoon pointed to the sofa on one side and said quietly, “Would you like to sit down first?”

While Kwon Jihoon was rummaging through the refrigerator to prepare a drink, Jaeseung was busy looking around the studio, constantly turning his head.

It was his first time visiting a famous idol singer’s personal studio, so he felt strangely excited.

It was obvious, but the studio was quite well decorated.

First of all, there was a large iMac PC and a keyboard on the spacious desk.

Perhaps he was still busy writing new songs, as a MIDI [Musical Instrument Digital Interface] program was displayed on the screen.

‘Jihoon is really working non-stop….’

Also, the desk was full of traces of worries and troubles.

The crumpled sheets of music paper that had been thrown away haphazardly and the cans of energy drinks that seemed to have been drunk up seemed to represent the time he had spent in this studio.

Anyway, the most noticeable thing among them was the ‘artwork’ hung on one wall.

It was none other than a pop art version of Kwon Jihoon’s own photo.

In addition, the soft orange light emanating from the lighting installed right under the frame further highlighted the artwork.

It was impossible not to catch the eye.

Just as Jaeseung was staring intently at the artwork in the frame hanging on the wall, Kwon Jihoon sat down next to Jaeseung, opened a can of energy drink, and said.

“Jaeseung, you came back today, right? You must be tired, have a drink.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Kwon Jihoon also opened the lid of his own can of energy drink, took a few sips, and continued.

“Ah, I’m losing my mind… Jaeseung, now that I think about it, you won the ‘New Designer of the Year’ award at this year’s 2013 CFDA [Council of Fashion Designers of America] Fashion Awards, right? Congratulations.”

Jaeseung replied with an extremely polite tone, “Thank you,” and Kwon Jihoon said again in a low voice.

“I should have prepared a congratulatory gift in advance, I’m really sorry.”

“No, no. It’s okay.”

“Anyway, you must be very tired, so I think it would be better to finish the work talk first.”

At Kwon Jihoon’s words, Jaeseung responded with a smile.

It seemed that his words were full of consideration.

That’s because Kwon Jihoon had also just come from a schedule until just now.

He was even running to the studio to work on songs and waiting for him without even removing his makeup.

“Jihoon, I think we should first address the issue of music video costumes.”

“Costumes?”

Jaeseung briefly replied, “Yes,” and began to speak fluently.

“You need to decide whether to adopt your favorite clothes from the existing released products as costumes, or to have them made separately in a special order format.”

“Ah… I would like to have them made in a special order format if possible, but I’m worried about whether you can meet the deadline.”

Jaeseung nodded a few times and replied.

“I think about six or so pieces would be the limit. There is a basic amount of time required for production, and I have to get confirmation from Jihoon.”

“What if the confirmation process is omitted?”

At Kwon Jihoon’s sudden question, Jaeseung couldn’t hide his surprise and asked back, “Yes?”

“If the confirmation process is omitted, can the number of specially made costumes increase by one or two?”

“Yes, that’s true, but….”

“Then let’s do that. I think it’s right to trust you completely since I’ve entrusted you with the work.”

Jaeseung silently looked at Kwon Jihoon for a moment and then gave a faint smile.

He seemed to be close to perfect even when all other factors were excluded and only scored as a client.

He had not only a passion for work, but also a deep consideration for his collaborators, and even the boldness to trust and entrust work completely.

“Thank you. If you simply summarize and send me the desired feeling and concept, I will start working right away.”

Kwon Jihoon stroked his chin and made a sound of humming, “Hmm….”, and then immediately replied.

“It’s the end of the year, so I think I’ll need about two days, is that okay?”

“Of course, of course.”

Jaeseung replied in a clear tone and continued to speak.

“And the next issue is the ‘budget’….”

“Yes.”

“Can I really work on the production without worrying about the financial aspect?”

“As long as the quality is guaranteed.”

Kwon Jihoon replied clearly, with a subtle smile on his lips, and continued.

“Even if the production process exceeds the budget set by the management, there’s no problem at all. I can just cover the excess amount with my own money.”

After speaking, Kwon Jihoon added in a playful tone, “Of course, exceeding the budget is not an easy task either.”

Anyway, after hearing the confirmation, he felt much lighter.

It seemed that a considerable amount of money would have to be invested in order to produce costumes and props with attention to detail according to the pre-established plan.

‘Good….’

Thanks to Kwon Jihoon’s straightforward answer, all the important agenda items were settled in just a few minutes.

If it had been a collaboration with another idol singer, this process alone would have taken more than a day.

In the first place, he would have had to have a meeting with the person in charge on the company side, not the person involved.

The person in charge would not have had the right to make decisions, so it would have taken a considerable amount of time for an answer to come back.

Jaeseung then began to explain the detailed plan with a light heart.

“First of all, all the props will be handmade after consultation with the professional product designer we will hire. I think it would be much better to proceed that way than to purchase the license for an already-made product and simply put Wallflower’s trademark on it.”

“Oh, that sounds like a pretty good idea?”

“And in scene 12 of the storyboard, there’s a scene where Jihoon flutters his coat and money rains down from the sky, right?”

“Ah, yes. I remember. And?”

“About the money that will be fluttering at that time, how about filling it with the currencies of the countries that were included in Jihoon’s world tour schedule last time? With Jihoon’s face on the part where the portrait of the person is printed. Since the demand from overseas fans is quite high, it could be a small element of fun….”

Jaeseung then began to list the various plans he had been thinking about.

He knew that there would be almost no opportunity to get direct confirmation and ask for opinions like this if it wasn’t now.

Jaeseung was busy looking through the treatment of this music video that he had prepared in advance and listing his plans. Kwon Jihoon was just looking at Jaeseung’s face.

‘He’s really amazing….’

It had only been less than a month since the collaboration was confirmed. Also, he must not have been able to concentrate on analyzing the storyboard properly due to his busy schedule.

However, Jaeseung seemed to have almost all the plans perfectly set up.

What should I say? It was like knowing exactly the number of materials needed to build a building before building it.

It was clear how Jaeseung was approaching this project.

Kwon Jihoon smiled and thought again to himself.

‘It was worth insisting on it.’

When Kwon Jihoon expressed his intention to hire Jaeseung as a prop director and fill all the costumes with Wallflower products, several people, including the head of the agency, strongly opposed it.

In the end, they couldn’t break Kwon Jihoon’s stubbornness and had no choice but to let him proceed as he wanted.

The more he listened to Jaeseung’s explanation, the more his expectations for this music video grew.

He was sure that the music video would definitely attract attention, even if he didn’t know whether the song would be successful or not.

Also, he just wanted to check out the completed music video as soon as possible.

If the result is satisfactory, he was planning to provide appropriate compensation.

Not just monetary compensation, but compensation in a slightly different way.