Black Label [EN]: Chapter 282

Black Label Episode 33

“What do you think about inserting scenes like this into the documentary?”

Tommy’s impromptu idea was met with praise from several employees.

“That’s a great idea!”

“They’ll definitely like it.”

“It’s cute, first of all, right?”

At that moment, another employee cautiously raised an objection.

“But will Lee agree to it?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t that Lee’s daughter?”

At those words, Tommy asked again.

“Yeah, isn’t that the whole point?”

Of course, the purpose of the documentary currently being planned was to showcase the preparation process for the new brand, Cardo, which was about to be launched.

“What do you think the purpose of this documentary is, anyway?”

Tommy’s question was answered by an employee.

“Well, it’s to build an image and create familiarity among the public by showing the preparation process for the new brand, Cardo….”

Tommy cut him off, saying, “Exactly.”

“It’s for commercial promotion, right?”

“Yes, well….”

“What sources can we use?”

The employee, who muttered “Sources?” quietly, scratched his chin and continued.

“Well, there are tons.”

The fact that the LVMH Group [a French multinational corporation specializing in luxury goods] was combining the strengths of all the brands under its umbrella to create a new brand was already a hot topic.

Even….

The fact that Lee was rolling up his sleeves and taking command to create such a huge brand was definitely a surprising issue.

‘Probably….’

Even if we only focus on this fact, the documentary would be more than averagely successful.

“There are tons of sources, right?”

“Yes….”

“It’ll sell well even if we film it roughly, right?”

“Yes….”

“Does Lee look like a philanthropist?”

“Excuse me?”

Tommy looked around at the employees.

“It’s a documentary with such great topicality that anyone could make it and achieve above-average success, right?”

“Yes….”

“But if we’ve received this much investment despite that, we need to create a documentary that will be talked about for years to come.”

He continued.

“It’s not a matter of responsibility, but a matter of the production company’s pride.”

“Still, will Lee agree to have his child appear?”

“I’ll persuade Lee somehow, so don’t worry.”

He added again.

“Actually, we don’t even need to cover such a large-scale project. I guarantee that even if we just compile and sell Lee’s daily life as a ‘diary,’ it would be a bestseller.”

“Well….”

“In fact, the public is much more curious about how Lee’s daily life is structured than the Cardo brand he’s newly preparing.”

He added again.

“You all know how extreme the public’s ‘personal worship phenomenon’ for Lee is, right?”

“Yes, then… ?”

“First, let’s use Lee’s daily life as bait to attract a large number of documentary viewers, and then….”

A moment of silence passed.

“Let’s tell the story of Cardo.”

He added once again.

“Step by step.”

He was a practical person.

“Lee is an ‘artist,’ but he’s also a businessman. I have no doubt that he’ll understand this.”

He added again.

“Moreover, if we produce mediocre results, it’s clear that he won’t outsource to Power Film again, regardless of the investment.”

At those words, an employee muttered, “Huh? Hey…,” and then quietly asked back.

“How much money did you spend just to acquire our Power Film this time? Furthermore, if you add up the amount spent on replacing equipment….”

At those words, Tommy shook his head.

“You’re so stupid.”

They did spend a lot of money.

But.

It was only a lot of money to them.

“Do you think Lee would miss that money?”

“The richer they are….”

“It’s money spent because their time is too precious.”

Tommy added again.

“It’s just money spent because they don’t want to waste time calculating cost-effectiveness and worrying, you know?”

“Then….”

“If we produce mediocre results even after being given such a good opportunity, it’s over!”

He shouted again.

“We have to achieve amazing results that will make people faint, no matter what it takes!”

He was definitely a practical person.

* * *

The next morning.

“Turn off the camera for a second.”

At Tommy’s words, the staff took out the tape that was being recorded.

“Do you have something to say?”

Jaeseung, who had just arrived at work with a few sandwiches he had bought from a street vendor in Paris, asked back with a puzzled look….

“Yes, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s actually about your daughter.”

As soon as the word ‘daughter’ was mentioned, Jaeseung’s expression hardened.

“Are you talking about Yul?”

“Yes.”

“Go on.”

Tommy unknowingly swallowed hard and added with difficulty.

“Actually, many cute videos of your daughter have been filmed on the cameras installed in the penthouse where you’re staying….”

Tommy had already heard everything from Lee’s exclusive tax accountant about how much he cherished his daughter.

He had invested an astronomical amount of money to create a zoo for the welfare and facilities of the daycare his daughter attended, right?

As expected, as soon as the story about his daughter was mentioned, the tone of his voice changed completely.

“So?”

Even if he didn’t know, he wouldn’t have taken out the camera tape just to praise Yul.

“Can I use it for the documentary….”

At those words, Jaeseung’s eyes narrowed.

“Yul?”

“Yes….”

“How?”

Tommy immediately opened his laptop and continued.

“Would you like to see it?”

Yul’s videos, filmed by the camera, were played on Tommy’s laptop screen.

– This is my friend, teddy bear.

– Daddy bought it for me.

– Yul always sweeps and sleeps with it.

She showed off her teddy bear….

– Shh….

Yul, who had sneaked into the room, continued.

– Mommy is angry now.

– Because I have to eat rice….

– Yul doesn’t want to eat, so I hid.

Ashlynn’s voice calling, “Yul? Yul!” could be heard in the distance.

“This is….”

Jaeseung rubbed his forehead….

“There are a lot of videos like this.”

“You want to use these videos?”

“I’m thinking of putting them in between.”

Tommy said with difficulty.

“If you allow me to, that is.”

A moment of silence passed.

“Well, not necessarily….”

As Jaeseung showed a negative reaction, Tommy eagerly tried to persuade him again.

“If you put it in between the documentaries, you can refresh the atmosphere.”

“Is that so….”

“Furthermore, I think it will be of great help to the success of the documentary.”

He swallowed hard.

“In fact, there hasn’t been any consumption of the image so far, right? You haven’t shown your face on TV often, and most of the interviews have been about public matters….”

“Get to the point.”

“There are tons of people who are curious about Lee’s personal life. If we include even a little bit of his private life, wouldn’t the success of the documentary be guaranteed?”

He thought it made sense.

However….

There was something bothering him.

“If it was just about showing my private life, I would have accepted it without hesitation.”

“Yes….”

“It’s not like I’m living a life that’s so great that I have to hide it, and business comes first anyway….”

The problem was his family.

“I’m already worried about the fact that there are cameras running 24 hours a day inside the penthouse.”

“Yes, I understand….”

“However, I’m a little hesitant about whether it’s necessary to expose my daughter to the media so blatantly.”

Tommy asked again.

“Then, shouldn’t you discuss it with them?”

“Discuss?”

“Yes, even once with your wife and child….”

Jaeseung reluctantly replied.

“Yes, I understand.”

However, the decision was not entirely in his hands.

“It’s hard for me to say what will happen with the results.”

It was up to Ashlynn and Yul to decide.

* * *

That night, in the evening.

“Well, I’m a little worried.”

Ashlynn took a sip of her coffee and continued.

“Actually, I thought it would be helpful to you, so I agreed to install cameras that run 24 hours a day in the house, but….”

She trailed off and added.

“I’m not sure if this will ultimately be helpful to Yul.”

Ashlynn debuted as a model when she was very young and achieved great success at a young age.

She had signed a contract with Victoria’s Secret at the youngest age ever and had been on a roll ever since.

Ironically, she often described her success at a young age as ‘poisonous.’

“You know how painful it is to have your face known to everyone, right?”

She glanced over and scanned the cameras installed throughout the residence.

“It’s hard enough to think that a camera is following me for just a month, but a life where people are watching like a camera 365 days a year is really terrible, right?”

What if this documentary is successful and Yul’s ‘face’ and ‘name’ become known as a result?

Yul would definitely have a hard time someday due to the recognition she gained unintentionally.

She would probably be called Lee’s daughter or Ashlynn’s daughter rather than by her own name wherever she went.

“So I want to oppose it even if Yul wants to do it.”

The constant weight loss every year, the public’s gaze scanning her.

Or the paparazzi who chased her day and night….

She had left the industry because she was fed up with all of it.

Thanks to this, Jaeseung guessed that she would express a somewhat biased opinion.

“Okay, then as you wish….”

Just as he was about to end the conversation.

“I want to do it.”

The couple’s eyes turned downward at Yul’s words, her lower lip pouting.

“I want to be on TV too.”

Yul grumbled again.

“Mommy does it and Daddy does it.”

Then she drove a wedge into it.

“Yul wants to do it too….”

I guess blood is thicker than water?

“I’ll have to postpone the reply….”

Jaeseung, who trailed off, immediately sent a text message to Tommy.

It said that he needed more time to decide on Yul’s appearance.

A reply came back immediately saying that he would wait as long as necessary….

“Yul, this isn’t something you can think about so easily.”

Ashlynn said, and Yul retorted.

“But Yul wants to do it!”

“You might regret it later….”

“But Aetna’s mom did it too!”

“Good heavens, help me!”

A family meeting seemed very urgent.