Black Label [EN]: Chapter 108

Black Label 107

108. Lee X Mark Jacob

“…I’ll enjoy the meal.”

Jae-seung muttered softly, then took a large bite of the Philly cheesesteak sandwich he held.

When working alone, he usually just grabbed a quick bite to stave off his hunger.

Tonight’s dinner was a $5 sandwich from a street vendor near the Making Center.

Jae-seung chewed, glancing at the clock on the wall.

The filming, which had started around lunchtime, was still going on, nearing midnight.

The competition was only a month or two away.

Moreover, unlike the other contestants, he was preparing for the competition alone, wasn’t he?

Because of that, Jae-seung had no choice but to push himself hard, and the CNN STYLE staff, who had to follow him around 24/7 for close coverage, were in the same boat.

Just as Jae-seung was about to take another bite of his sandwich,

Creak-.

The entrance door of the Making Center suddenly opened, and everyone in the room turned to look as naturally and quickly as iron filings drawn to a magnet.

Tommy, who had been dozing with his back against the chair, was no exception.

Tommy squinted, trying to figure out who the mysterious guest was who had just stepped into the Making Center.

“Huh…?”

Tommy muttered, rubbing his eyes as if he were seeing things.

The other staff members were the same. They couldn’t hide their surprise and were whispering to each other.

Mark Jacob.

The mysterious guest was none other than Mark Jacob.

He, who couldn’t be persuaded by any words, had returned to the Making Center as naturally as if nothing had happened.

Unlike the staff, who were staring blankly, Jae-seung remained perfectly calm.

“Have you had dinner?”

“No.”

As soon as Mark Jacob replied curtly, Jae-seung shook the bag he had placed on the table and said,

“Would you like a sandwich?”

“Sure.”

“It’s an extra I bought for breakfast.”

“Then I’ll have to buy breakfast.”

It was a casual conversation, as if the previous conflict had never happened. Mark Jacob unwrapped the sandwich and slowly began to speak.

“I saw the schematics of the haute couture [high fashion] outfits you designed.”

Jae-seung was sure that Professor Edin Thomas had shown them.

The only person who had his schematic files, which weren’t even finished yet, was Professor Edin Thomas, who had asked for the files a few days ago.

“How were they? Were they okay?”

“If they weren’t good, I wouldn’t have come back.”

“Well, I’m glad it was enough to make Mark change his mind.”

“Yeah….”

Mark replied quietly, then immediately turned his head and stared at Jae-seung’s face.

Finally.

“To be honest, they were amazing.”

“Pardon?”

“I came to apologize.”

“How about eating the sandwich first?”

Jae-seung replied curtly, adding softly, “Before it gets cold.”

Then he took a big bite of the sandwich in his hand.

Mark Jacob did the same. He silently watched Jae-seung for a moment, then began to focus on eating the sandwich with a nonchalant expression.

He began to think about how to apologize after he finished the sandwich.

How much time had passed?

Mark Jacob, who had already finished his sandwich, wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked,

“Lee, did you expect me to come back?”

“No.”

“I see. You’re taking it pretty calmly.”

After a moment of awkwardness, Mark Jacob cleared his throat a few times and carefully began to speak.

“As I said before, I came to apologize.”

“I see.”

“I’m sorry.”

After speaking, Mark Jacob rubbed the bridge of his nose and added in a nonchalant tone,

“I can say for sure that realizing I was wrong is one of the most painful things. It feels even more painful to someone like me, whose self-esteem is sky-high, and to people like you.”

“And?”

“I think what’s even harder than that is admitting that you’re wrong. Admitting that I was wrong without any rationalization, whether outwardly or inwardly.”

Mark Jacob took a breath, shrugged his shoulders, and slowly began to speak.

“But there’s one thing that’s much harder and more difficult than admitting it, but much more important. It’s apologizing to the person who was worried because of my arrogance and asking for forgiveness.”

Mark Jacob reached out his hand to Jae-seung, asking for a handshake, and continued.

“I sincerely apologize. It was clearly my mistake and fault that I opposed it without even looking at a single schematic.”

Even if he liked his schematics, it must have been very difficult for him to apologize to a young designer for his attitude.

Especially for a designer like Mark Jacob, whose fame and pride are sky-high.

If it had been another designer, he would not have chosen to lower his pride and apologize.

Jae-seung grabbed Mark’s hand tightly and replied quietly,

“It’s okay, and I was sorry then too. I was very excited too.”

After speaking, Jae-seung raised his eyebrows and asked in a playful tone,

“Mark, you’re back, right?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you for coming back.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“But I still have all the decision-making power.”

“Damn it, go ahead and do whatever you want.”

Only then did the staff, who had been watching the scene, smile brightly.

It was the glorious moment when the ‘Lee & Mark’ team, which had been completely dissolved, was reunited.

* * *

“Mark, but can I ask what was the decisive factor that made you change your mind?”

Tommy asked, carrying a 6mm camera on his shoulder, and Mark Jacob frowned and retorted in a rather irritable tone.

“Instead of asking such cliché and trashy questions, don’t you have any more practical questions to ask?”

“I’d appreciate it if you could tell me briefly. I’m sure many people will be curious.”

Mark Jacob took out a few neatly folded A4 sheets of paper from his back pocket and continued.

“Geez, damn it. It was because of Lee’s ‘haute couture’ schematics, okay? You were there the day I apologized to Lee, weren’t you?”

“But the situation was a bit ambiguous. So, is it simply because Lee’s design was excellent?”

“Isn’t it natural for a designer to create excellent designs? The reason I changed my mind was because Lee’s schematics had something more than that.”

Tommy carefully asked, “Mark, could you be a little more specific?”

After a moment of silence,

Mark took a long breath and began to speak fluently.

“The schematics I saw that day were unfinished. A few lines drawn on a blank sheet of paper had the shape of an elegant dress, but that was all. The material, the texture, the subsidiary materials, and even the color of the product weren’t determined yet.”

“Yes, and?”

“It’s paradoxical, but it seemed to shine even more because it was unfinished. Lee’s schematics were… I guess you could say they stimulated the imagination. For example, they made me think, ‘What color will Lee put on this design?’, or ‘What kind of fabric will he use to implement what kind of texture?’ etc….”

Mark Jacob smiled and answered.

“Although I don’t know much about haute couture, I think I know exactly how to match ‘harmony’ at least. I wanted to give some help in matching that harmony.”

After speaking, Mark Jacob added in a low voice, “So… I wanted to work with him again.”

“I see.”

Mark Jacob nodded and continued in a nonchalant tone.

“Some of the viewers who are using their precious time to watch this documentary must admire this industry, or have a desire to step into it, even if only a little.”

“Well, maybe?”

“I’ve survived in this industry for a long time. I stepped into the New York fashion scene before Lee was even born, and I’ve been doing well ever since. I’ve even written a few books detailing the ‘survival methods’ that you must know to survive in this industry.”

After speaking, he added, “I put a wrapper called autobiography on it and sold it as much as I wanted.”

“If I were to give you one piece of advice… you should know that any designer who falls behind the times will be left behind. We must always be wary of our own arrogance, stubbornness, and dogmatism. The reason why I had a hard time apologizing to Lee is the same.”

“Ah….”

“The conflict between Lee and me was caused by my dogmatism. And if you feel like you’re just a moron who’s not good at anything, it might be a much wiser choice to try to become a ‘moron who’s good at apologizing.’ Anyone can make mistakes, but not everyone can apologize.”

Mark Jacob spoke fluently, then grabbed the doorknob of the Making Center and said with conviction,

“Well, anyway….”

After slurring the end of his words, he opened the door of the Making Center and said with conviction.

“Now that the work has progressed to some extent, there is one thing I can say for sure. The clothes that our Lee & Mark team will be exhibiting will be extremely commercial and artistic.”

“You seem confident.”

“Of course. Because they are clothes made by two geniuses putting their heads together and drawing on each other’s strengths. We even promised to release them with the tag ‘Lee X Mark Jacob’ as soon as the competition is over. After this schedule is over, we will definitely make a lot of money….”

After a moment of silence, Mark Jacob made a mischievous expression and said,

“…Lee will go to Dior [French luxury fashion house].”