Black Label [EN]: Chapter 159

159. Overlapping Futures

Soon, Jaesung’s eyes widened as he stared blankly into the air.

‘Wasn’t I and Karl Lagerfeld in a situation where we had to consistently participate in fashion events?’ he thought.

He had only guessed that he would awkwardly exchange glances with him after a chance encounter at an official event in the near future.

At least, he had never expected Karl Lagerfeld to take the initiative to suggest a meeting like this.

In any case, there was no reason to refuse.

Karl Lagerfeld was a hero he had admired since childhood, and his conflict with him had already subsided.

Jaesung took a deep breath and asked.

“It’s a great honor, but may I know why you want to see me?”

-Reason? Why? Do you think I still harbor ill feelings? You don’t have to worry about that at all. Overheated competition in the paper war is a common occurrence.

After speaking in a rather cool tone, Karl Lagerfeld chuckled and added, “Of course, you were the first to resist Karl Lagerfeld so fiercely.”

The fact that he used the word ‘resistance’ instead of ‘counterattack’ showed how strong his pride in his life and career must be.

“I’m grateful that you understand with such generosity. Then, would you please decide on a time and place and leave me a message? I will adjust my schedule to suit your time.”

-Come to the Chanel House by six o’clock tomorrow evening. You can bring anyone you want. I’ll send you a message again, but there’s a set dress code, so a tailored suit would be appropriate.

Jaesung frowned without realizing it. He couldn’t understand why he was being asked to come to the Chanel House in a suit, holding his friend’s hand.

“Wait, just a minute. Weren’t you just going to meet quietly and have a conversation?”

-Tomorrow is Chanel’s monthly house party. It’s a bothersome event full of vanity and ostentation, but it’s also a place where rookie designers like you can find connections that will definitely be helpful someday.

“I don’t know if there will be enough time to have a proper conversation at such an event.”

-There will be plenty of time even if you start talking near the end of the party. Because it’s a monthly party, it ends earlier than you think.

Jaesung fell into thought.

Rather, the question of ‘Why would he bother inviting me to the Chanel House party?’ arose.

It didn’t take long to come up with the answer.

Karl would want to prove that their relationship had already eased in a public setting where as many people as possible were gathered.

There were plenty of fans who were showing their disappointment because he hadn’t taken follow-up measures.

What if he showed his face at the house party tomorrow? And if he posted a few pictures of himself standing side by side with Karl, smiling, on social media?

The public would give Karl a new image again.

For example, a pretty plausible image of ‘a generous fashion legend who understands the recklessness of a young designer’.

In any case, it was a proposal that he had no reason to refuse.

Officially announcing the reconciliation was necessary not only for Karl but also for Jaesung himself.

It would prevent some magazines with a lack of awareness from failing to grasp the situation and taking an awkward position in advance.

“Okay. The timing seems to be right. A close friend of mine happens to be in Paris.”

-Thank you for accepting the invitation. It will definitely be a beneficial time for each other.

“No, I’m grateful for the invitation.”

After a few more words were exchanged, the first call with Karl Lagerfeld came to an end.

Geraldine, who had been staring at Jaesung with a curious face, carefully asked.

“Lee, it seemed like an important call. If it’s not a secret, may I ask who called?”

“It’s Karl Lagerfeld. It turns out I’ll be attending Chanel’s house party tomorrow.”

Geraldine, who asked back with a very excited tone, “Yes…?” began to look at Jaesung with a blank face.

She didn’t ask directly, but her face seemed to be demanding an explanation of what had happened.

Jaesung let out a chuckle and continued in a low voice.

“Uh, um… I don’t really know what happened either.”

* * *

Around noon the next day, Jaesung visited a modest suit shop located on the outskirts of Paris, along with England.

It was to buy a neat suit for England to wear at the Chanel House party that day.

He was quite worried because there was not enough time to order a custom-tailored suit, but fortunately, he was able to find a suit that fit perfectly without much difficulty.

It was thanks to England’s physique, which had been toned through exercise, being somewhat Westernized.

The problem was England’s ‘taste’. He couldn’t give up on buying a dark green suit.

After purchasing the clothes, they waited for the time to come at a cafe near the Chanel House, chatting with England.

Perhaps because it was England’s first time attending such an event, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

“So, famous people come too? Like in the movies, do strangers toast each other and chat…?”

“Just think of it casually. You’ll only be disappointed if you expect too much. It’s not that special.”

“Yeah, that’s true for people like you, but for ordinary people like me, it’s an amazing experience that I might only have once in my life.”

Jaesung smiled at England’s excited words, snapped his fingers, and continued.

“Still, if I had to pick one special thing, if you’re lucky, you might be able to meet a few famous singers.”

“Famous singers…?”

“Yeah. If it were a collection after-party, there would be quite a few people, but… well, since it’s a monthly house party, only a few people will come.”

“For example, who?”

“Among Korean singers, I remember Kwon Jihoon being invited to every after-party, and I know that singers who are listed on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart [a music industry standard popularity chart] are also invited.”

England muttered, “Oh my god,” without realizing it, and covered his face tightly with his large hands.

Jaesung lightly patted England’s shoulder and said in a gentle tone.

“Hey, straighten your shoulders. You’re a singer with some recognition in Korea, too. It’s just a slight difference between ‘Billboard’ and ‘domestic music charts’.”

“Thanks for the words, but that difference is as big as the difference between heaven and earth. I feel like my heart is going to explode, what should I do? Do they sell calming pills at the pharmacy here too?”

“What are you lacking compared to those people? Maybe just the fact that you’re wearing a green suit that ‘Mask Men’ [a Korean singing competition show where performers wear masks] might wear? Let’s get up now. If we move now, we can arrive just in time.”

England, with a pale face, followed Jaesung and got up from his seat.

Jaesung, who was walking a few steps ahead, turned slightly and glanced at England.

‘To think that the day would come when he would attend Chanel’s house party with him,’ he mused. The feeling was so new that the sensation of the ground felt unreal beneath his feet.

Still, he felt relieved. He was able to give England, who had taken the time out of his busy schedule to fly to France, an unforgettable experience.

* * *

The moment he took his first step inside the Chanel House after passing through the guards’ inspection, England exclaimed, “Wow…” without realizing it.

Jaesung, who was walking side by side, carefully asked in a low voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s crazy.”

“What is?”

“The atmosphere is amazing…”

The chandeliers shining even more brilliantly in the light, the classical music flowing softly, people dressed in neat suits or dresses, roaming around the hall, and even the antique-style Gothic interior that didn’t feel out of place at all.

Well, Jaesung himself couldn’t help but admire it when he was first invited to such a party, right? He seemed to understand England’s feelings thoroughly.

Then, England brought his mouth to Jaesung’s ear and whispered.

“Hey, Jaesung. That person over there…”

“Why? Do you know him?”

Jaesung, who asked back carefully, began to look at the skinny black man standing far away.

Was it because he matched a short-sleeved shirt with black suit pants? Or was it because his arms, with their skin exposed, were covered in tattoos?

Even from a distance, he seemed to be a very free-spirited person. England pounded his chest a few times as if he couldn’t bear the excitement and added an explanation in a trembling tone.

“You don’t know who he is…? It’s Wiz Khalifa!”

“Is he famous?”

“His last album immediately ranked second on Billboard, and he sold a whopping 130,000 copies in just one week. He’s one of the few black rappers who has achieved tremendous success in the American ‘mainstream market’.”

After speaking, England brought his face close and asked again, “You really don’t know Wiz Khalifa?”

Jaesung shrugged his shoulders and said in an indifferent tone.

“That’s good. Let’s strike up a conversation this time.”

“What? Me, me?”

“No, wait.”

Jaesung, who finished speaking briefly, immediately began to walk towards the black rapper, Wiz Khalifa, who was standing far away.

Then, he immediately said, “Nice to meet you,” and reached out his hand to shake it.

“I never imagined I would meet you here. It’s a great honor.”

Wiz Khalifa, with a relaxed smile, shook Jaesung’s hand tightly and replied.

“Bro, nice to meet you. Are you a designer from Chanel?”

“No. I’m not a designer from Chanel.”

“Then?”

“I’m Lee, the owner and designer of Wall Flower.”

Wiz Khalifa, who repeated “Lee, Lee…” several times, exclaimed and asked.

“Ah, I remember! You’re the rookie designer who gave Karl Lagerfeld water [referring to a past incident], right?”

“I don’t know if it’s an appropriate description, but I can’t deny it.”

“It’s really nice to meet you. I really wanted to see you.”

Wiz Khalifa smiled broadly after speaking. Was it thanks to his dark skin? His teeth seemed particularly white.

Jaesung pointed to England, who was standing timidly behind him, and reopened his mouth.

“Actually, my friend is also a hip-hop artist with quite a bit of recognition in Korea. Of course, he’s also a long-time fan of yours. He’s active under the rap name ‘JUES. KUS’.”

Wiz Khalifa, who let out a short exclamation of “Oh,” turned to England.

England, without realizing it, answered in clumsy English with a very stiff posture.

“N, nice to meet you. It’s a great honor to meet you.”

“Instead of standing here like this, let’s have a toast first.”

Wiz Khalifa winked at a waiter who was walking around the banquet hall with a tray full of champagne and picked up two glasses.

Then, he immediately handed a glass of champagne to Jaesung and England and said.

“I can see that this friend is a bit shy. First, take a shot, and then after taking a few puffs of ‘Weed’ [slang for marijuana], we’ll be best friends.”

England fiddled with the champagne glass he had received and answered with difficulty.

“Ah, well… I don’t think I’m quite ready yet. Anyway, thank you for the drink.”

“First, let me hear some of your work. What’s the point of talking all day? If I listen to a song, I can tell if we can be good friends or not, right?”

“Ah! Yes! Just a moment!”

England hurriedly took out his smartphone and searched for his music video posted on a video streaming site and played it.

It was the music video for the title track of his recently released full-length album.

Wiz Khalifa narrowed his brow slightly and began to stare intently at the smartphone screen.

At the same time, England’s expression froze instantly, and Jaesung also bit his lower lip nervously and began to examine Wiz Khalifa’s reaction.

After 3 minutes that felt like 3 years, just as Wiz Khalifa was about to give his review.

“There you are. Thank you for coming.”

Karl Lagerfeld, who suddenly appeared, put his hand on Jaesung’s shoulder and said.

Jaesung smiled awkwardly and replied in an indifferent tone.

“Karl Lagerfeld, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“It would be good to move for a while.”

Jaesung, who started walking after Karl Lagerfeld, turned his head slightly and began to look at England and Wiz Khalifa, who were engrossed in conversation.

Wiz Khalifa.

Wasn’t he a talented artist who made it onto the Billboard charts every time he released a song?

He couldn’t suppress his curiosity about what kind of review such an artist would give after listening to his best friend’s song.

As Jaesung was walking slowly, glancing back from time to time, Karl Lagerfeld said, “Lee,” and smiled before adding.

“There’s one thing I want to ask you.”

“A favor?”

Karl Lagerfeld nodded in response and immediately opened the door to the reception room.