Black Label [EN]: Chapter 104

Black Label 103

104. A Battle Over History

“So, you’re saying he’ll be in Korea by mid-next month at the latest? It’s my first time with a foreign employee, so I’m a bit nervous…”

Jae Seung nodded in response to Director Song’s words over the phone.

“I think it will be a positive experience for everyone involved.”

This morning, he had successfully received confirmation from Kyle.

Kyle had already informed Alexander King’s atelier of his intention to resign and would be on a flight to Korea as soon as the various handover-related issues were resolved.

In a month at most, ‘Kyle,’ who could be considered their first foreign employee, would be joining Wall Flower’s design team.

“Right. It will definitely be helpful. Especially since communication is essential in the design team, it will be a great help in terms of ‘language’…”

“The employees’ design ‘spectrum’ will also broaden significantly. Building relationships with people who grew up in entirely different cultures is one of the most beneficial things for an artist.”

“Right. Kyle, was it? Since he was with Alexander King’s atelier, his sewing skills are undoubtedly top-notch, and our CEO personally scouted him, so his design sense must be exceptional…”

Director Song trailed off for a moment before continuing in a much brighter tone.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll consider the next season as an adjustment period and help him settle in by gradually introducing him to everything.”

Although he wasn’t sure if Kyle would adapt well to the office atmosphere, he was confident that he would quickly adjust to the practical aspects of the job, including design.

Kyle Andrews.

In his previous life, he was a famous fashion blogger and even served as the director of the fast-fashion brand, Tara.

Moreover, the decision to recruit Kyle as a member of the design team was made before he realized that he was ‘Kyle Andrews.’

He had only seen one design sketch, but it contained so much.

For example, a clear potential….

“So, let’s move on from the new employee issue. You said you’ll be focusing on your studies for the time being, right?”

“Yes. I think I’ll be swamped with catching up on missed classes until this summer vacation.”

Of course, it was due to his schedule that he had no choice but to be absent, but he could count the number of times he had attended school since enrolling on one hand.

He intended to attend diligently for the time being and catch up on the progress he had missed due to his absences.

He was currently rushing towards 13th 5th Avenue, where Parsons School of Design was located, for class.

“Okay. We got through this F/W [Fall/Winter] season well, so all that’s left is sales and marketing, right? I’m already running around like crazy… no, not crazy. I’m working hard, so don’t worry about Wall Flower at all and just focus on your school life.”

After finishing her sentence, Director Song added, “Don’t get on the bad side of your classmates and get ostracized. How upset would the employees be if the CEO was bullied at school?”

“I’m doing fine on my own, so don’t worry.”

Although he replied in a nonchalant tone, his heart ached a little.

What should he say? It felt like he had been punched with a fist-shaped lump of facts.

Of course, it was because he hadn’t been able to attend regularly, but he hadn’t made a single friend at school even though it had been quite some time since he enrolled.

It was his first time experiencing college life in both of his lives, but he had become a complete ‘outsider.’

“Really? You sound defensive. Maybe you sit alone in a secluded spot during lectures and eat alone….”

“Director Song, I have to go into school now. I’ll hang up and call you again in the evening.”

“Oh? Okay, okay. I understand. If anyone bullies you at school….”

Jae Seung curtly said, “I’m hanging up,” and immediately pressed the end call button.

* * *

Today’s first class, ‘Fashion Digital,’ was held in a spacious classroom with iMac PCs at every seat.

It was a class where they learned how to create design sketches using ‘Kaledo,’ a design software used by most active designers.

‘Difficult, difficult….’

He had expected it to some extent, but he hadn’t anticipated that he would understand so little of the class content.

He was fiddling with the tool according to the professor’s explanation on the podium, but that was it.

Was he doing it right? Who was he? Where was he?

Just as he was blankly sitting and fiddling with the innocent tablet pen, a classmate sitting right next to him cautiously spoke to him.

“Lee, can I help you?”

As Jae Seung looked at him, the curly-haired male student waved his hands and started rambling in a low voice without giving him a chance to answer.

“It’s not that I mean anything by it, but if, really if, you need help….”

Eventually, he trailed off and scratched the back of his head, adding one more thing.

“Oh, um. I’m sorry. If you feel offended, I apologize.”

“Huh? What exactly….”

What exactly was he sorry for, and why should he have felt offended?

Jae Seung carefully chose his next words, unable to hide his embarrassment. He spoke again in a soft tone.

“Since Lee is a famous designer currently working in the New York fashion industry, there’s no way he wouldn’t know how to use design tools….”

Jae Seung shook his head once and replied in a firm tone.

“No, no. You saw it right. I really don’t know anything.”

The curly-haired classmate widened his eyes and asked, “Yes…?” Jae Seung continued to speak.

“Actually, I have almost no experience drawing design sketches using design tools, and I haven’t been able to attend the Fashion Digital class properly, so it’s no exaggeration to say that I have no prior knowledge.”

“…….”

“I tried a few times while preparing for this season’s products, but as the schedule became tighter, I ended up doing it by hand. Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you could help me.”

After finishing his sentence, Jae Seung extended his hand to him and said.

“Anyway, we’re just classmates taking Parsons Level 1 classes in the same classroom right now. My name is ‘Lee Jae Seung.’ As you know, most people call me Lee.”

“Ah, I’m Alex. It’s an honor to talk to Lee.”

Every time he walked inside the school, he had to endure countless stares.

It was like that even before Alexander King’s show ended, but now that the show was over, he could clearly feel that the attention had increased even more.

It seemed that most of his classmates thought of him not as a classmate, but as an ‘industry senior’ or ‘someone to overcome.’

“Alex, can you help me with something? I didn’t understand anything in today’s class.”

“Ah, yes. So….”

Alex began to explain, fiddling with the ‘design tool’ on Jae Seung’s iMac PC screen.

“If you select the ‘Draping Studio’ function here, you can arbitrarily adjust the colors, fabrics, and textures of the product that Lee drew using the tool. It’s a kind of simulation function. It’s a really useful function, so it’s best to memorize it.”

After listening to Alex’s explanation, he seemed to understand it right away.

What should he say?

It felt like he had listened to a famous star instructor’s pinpoint lecture.

Jae Seung nodded his head once and replied with a bright smile.

“Alex, thank you so much. I’ll buy you a meal next time.”

“A meal with Lee, it’s really an honor.”

“How about today?”

Jae Seung quietly asked and handed Alex his smartphone.

It was an implicit expression to exchange phone numbers.

Alex entered his number into Jae Seung’s smartphone, which he had just received, and replied in a slightly trembling voice.

“It’s a meal with Lee, right? I have to make time even if I don’t have it.”

* * *

Starting with the first class, Fashion Digital, Jae Seung had to attend several classes in a row, moving around Parsons building, such as Color Theory and Critical Reading and Writing.

Parsons’ ‘Level 1 course’ does not have separate departments, and all freshmen are required to take it.

Thanks to this, he was able to move and take classes with Alex, whom he had become acquainted with, and they were able to have various conversations.

“Alex, today’s last class is ‘Sewing,’ right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Alex replied briefly and continued to speak with a slight frown.

“It’s one of the subjects that has progressed quite a bit while Lee was not at school. We’ve already made an ‘H-Line’ skirt [a skirt that falls straight from the hips]. Now we’re making a basic dress shirt.”

“Um, I see.”

“The classes and assignments are too difficult. So, it seems to be the least favorite subject in the Level 1 course. Of course, it may be quite easy for Lee.”

Jae Seung nodded a few times, replacing his answer.

To put it a little exaggeratedly, he now felt like the sewing machine was part of his body.

He was confident that he could make the H-Line skirt or the basic dress shirt that his classmates were making with his eyes closed.

As Jae Seung was walking along the hallway with Alex, having various conversations, a very clear voice was heard from behind.

“Lee…?”

Jae Seung stopped walking and began to look at the owner of the voice.

It was ‘Rachel,’ who had given him guidance and advice during the final interview before entering the school.

“Rachel? It’s been a while.”

“You remember me?”

“Of course.”

Jae Seung replied briefly and immediately asked a question.

“Are you on your way to take a lecture?”

Judging from the textbook she was holding in one hand, Rachel seemed to be completing the Level 3 course.

Rachel shook her head once and replied in a gentle tone.

“No, I was looking for Lee.”

“Yes? Me?”

“Yes. Professor Edin is looking for you.”

Jae Seung narrowed his brows slightly and asked again.

“Now? But I have to go to sewing class now….”

Before Jae Seung could finish his sentence, Rachel firmly replied, “No,” and continued to speak.

“Professor Edin said… ‘If Lee makes the excuse of taking the sewing class, tell him that he can get a passing grade in the sewing subject by submitting the assignment without taking the class directly.'”

Rachel, who even imitated Professor Edin Thomas, pointed to the end of the hallway and said.

“If you take that elevator and get off on the 5th floor, you’ll see the ‘Faculty Conference Room’ right in front of you. Go there. It seems like he has urgent business.”

Jae Seung nodded his head once and then looked at Alex and said.

“Alex, can you call me after class? I’ll be waiting near the school.”

“Yes, I will.”

As Alex began to walk towards the classroom again, he looked at Rachel this time and said.

“Rachel, thank you.”

“No, you’re welcome.”

“I’ll be going now.”

Jae Seung greeted her with a faint smile, and Rachel nodded her head in response.

Soon, when Jae Seung reached the elevator at the end of the hallway.

Rachel shook her head a few times to collect her mind and muttered in a low voice.

“…As expected, the feeling of an active professional is completely different.”

Rachel, who had been standing blankly in her place for a while, imitated Jae Seung’s words, “I’ll be going now,” a few times before starting to walk again.

* * *

As Jae Seung opened the door to the faculty conference room on the 5th floor of the building and entered.

“You’ve come.”

Edin Thomas, who was sitting in the seat of honor, greeted Jae Seung with a smile.

“Professor, how have you been?”

“Of course. I called you because I have something important to tell you.”

“Something important to tell me?”

As Jae Seung asked again, the door of the conference room opened, and several students began to enter in a row.

But, what should he say? It seemed that everyone was very nervous.

Professor Edin Thomas stood up from his seat and began to speak.

“Now that everyone is here, I should start talking about the business. The reason I called you all is because of the upcoming competition with F.I.T [Fashion Institute of Technology] this year.”

Competition?

Jae Seung took out his smartphone and checked the date on the screen.

According to what he had heard in advance, the competition was usually held in September or October.

At least for now, it was not the time for the story to come out.

Moreover, the method of selecting students to participate in the competition was also based on the grades up to the summer vacation.

Edin Thomas smiled faintly and continued to speak.

“Anyway, it would be good to get to know each other’s faces first. All of you gathered here are the top students who will be participating in this competition.”

As soon as his words were finished, everyone began to glance at each other’s faces.

Professor Edin Thomas sat on the wide table and asked Jae Seung a question.

“Lee, is there a brand that you would like to work as a creative director for someday?”

After thinking for a while, Jae Seung nodded his head once and replied.

“Yes. I want to work at Christian Dior.”

It had already been decades since the founder, Dior, had passed away.

Nevertheless, Dior’s haute couture [high-end fashion design and creation] is presenting works with the same will.

He also wanted to challenge the new genre of ‘*Haute Couture*,’ and he also wanted to experience a historic brand whose will was being passed down even after the founder’s death.

“I see.”

Edin Thomas began to ask the same questions to the other students in order.

The students’ answers varied. Several brands were mentioned, starting with ‘Louis Vuitton,’ Chanel, and Versace.

When the last student who received the question answered in a very confident tone, Jae Seung could not help but feel disappointed.

“I want to work for your brand, Vermon.”

‘Damn it, that’s how you should live in society….’

Soon, Professor Edin Thomas began to speak again.

“Okay, first of all, to put it in conclusion, the people from the brands you mentioned will all be attending this competition. Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Vermon as well.”

He put special emphasis on ‘Vermon’ and looked at Jae Seung and said again.

“Lee, thanks to you, the scale of the competition has become too large.”

“Yes?”

“I met with Professor ‘Christopher Joe’ of F.I.T a while ago.”

When the name ‘Christopher Joe’ was mentioned, some students exclaimed, “Wow….”

He was also a person who had established himself as a legend in the fashion world, so it was a natural step.

“That damn old man seemed to not want to lose so badly. He was making a fuss, saying that if Lee was going to be in this competition, it would be fair for F.I.T students to get help from graduates.”

Graduates meant nothing more than bringing in a large number of prominent active designers.

Edin Thomas continued to speak in a very excited tone.

“The old man was so blinded by the game that he went senile. So, if that’s the case, I said that our Parsons would also bring in graduates. As I said, the scale has become too large. If you get good results, you may get a chance to work with the brand you want. It will also be a good experience. Famous active designers from Parsons such as ‘Mark Jacobs’, ‘Tom Ford’, and ‘Alexander King’ have agreed to cooperate with us.”

Some students began to swallow dry saliva.

Although it was a competition that had always been an issue, what had been noticed was only the ‘result’, not the ‘process’.

Most people were just curious about which school won this year, that was all.

Moreover, the people from premium brands who visited to attend the competition were only brands founded by designers from Parsons School of Design or F.I.T.

At least, it was no exaggeration to say that there was no chance that people from the brands listed above, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Versace, would attend.

Only then did he seem to know why the school had selected and selected participating students faster than usual.

It’s a fight that has too much to lose if you lose. It was necessary to form a team as quickly as possible and move quickly.

This competition seemed to have become not a competition between Parsons students and F.I.T students.

It seemed to have become a ‘battlefield’ where each school fought with its history and tradition at stake.

A moment of silence flowed.

“Moreover, the preparation process and results of this competition will be produced in the form of a documentary. And that documentary will be broadcast on the ‘CNN STYLE’ channel.”

Jae Seung and some other students widened their eyes.

‘CNN STYLE’.

When it comes to fashion specialty channels, isn’t it one of the top five global fashion specialty channels?

Everyone seemed to be able to properly realize how big this competition had become.

“If, but there’s no way that will happen, our Parsons loses….”

Edin Thomas trailed off for a moment and continued to speak in a slightly trembling voice.

“I’ll probably be tormented by that old man until I die. The moment of defeat will be reported all over the world, and it will be preserved until I die.”

After finishing his sentence, he shuddered all over his body. As if he didn’t even want to imagine it.