Black Label [EN]: Chapter 160

Black Label 160

160. The Party Where Destiny Changes

“Since we don’t have much time, I’ll get straight to the point.”

With those words, Karl Lagerfeld removed his trademark large sunglasses and placed them on the table.

The moment his eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses, were revealed, Jaesung took a breath and cautiously asked.

“Could it be…?”

“Yes.”

His bluish pupils were… how should I put it? They looked murky, as if covered in hazy dark clouds.

Another person might have overlooked it, but Jaesung’s expression remained serious.

“Are you gradually losing your sight?”

“Bingo-”

Karl Lagerfeld, responding in a surprisingly cheerful tone, slightly raised the corners of his mouth as if amused, and continued to speak in an indifferent manner.

“When I first realized I was losing my sight, I felt like I had lost the whole world, but not anymore. How should I put it? I feel like I’ve become a great person. I had such a genius that defied God’s will, so this disaster might have happened. Just like ‘Beethoven’.”

He expressed his feelings as if he were talking about someone else, and even burst into hearty laughter.

As Jaesung gazed at him with eyes full of concern, Karl Lagerfeld said, “No. No,” and shook his head a few times.

“I’m not revealing a secret that should never be known to the world yet, just to receive your pitying gaze.”

Jaesung was lost in thought for a moment.

The memories of when he was gradually losing his sight, those gloomy and dark memories that had been sleeping deep beneath the surface of his mind, were slowly resurfacing.

After letting out a “Hoo…” of old breath, Jaesung tilted his head slightly and replied.

“Then what kind of reaction did you want? I’m not a doctor. Other than looking at you like this, there’s nothing else I can really do.”

It was an answer he had managed to come up with after trying to answer as nonchalantly as possible.

After staring intently at Jaesung for a moment, Karl opened his mouth with “Lee,” and carefully continued with his words, his eyes filled with sorrow.

“As I said, I don’t care what happens to my eyesight. God gave me an extreme punishment, and I fell into despair, but I overcame it.”

“Are you really okay?”

“The works I’ve left behind are still praised even now, and the name ‘Karl Lagerfeld’ has become another brand. Looking back and thinking about it, I realized that I’ve just been looking ahead for a really long time. I just think it’s time to put an end to my life as Karl Lagerfeld’s designer.”

After a moment of silence, Karl Lagerfeld forced a smile and brought up the main point.

“But I have one task that I must complete before I retire.”

“A task?”

“It’s none other than inheriting Coco Chanel’s will and finding a successor to lead Chanel. Finding a talent who will become Coco Chanel’s successor and my successor.”

The moment his words ended, Jaesung frowned slightly and asked back with a slightly doubtful tone.

“Wait a minute, Karl. You’re not thinking of appointing me as the next director of Chanel, are you?”

“That’s right. The more I see you, the more I think you’re the right person. The ‘king’ who rules the brand is not the old men who hold the management rights. It’s the directors who oversee all the practical work of the brand.”

After finishing speaking, Karl Lagerfeld lightly rubbed his palms together and continued.

“Whenever I have time, I imagine the new king of the Chanel kingdom. Among the designers active in the *mainstream scene*, I try to seat those who fit well with Chanel on the throne, and then pull them back down.”

“And?”

“There’s no one as suitable as you. Some seem like they don’t quite fit with haute couture [high fashion], and others are too old. Some are already busy managing their own brands, while others don’t have enough achievements to seize the throne.”

Karl Lagerfeld, who had been rattling on about this and that, leaned his face in slightly and added again.

“A king should know how to maintain formality and respect, but sometimes, when necessary, shouldn’t he also be able to rule like a tyrannical tyrant? The courage to take bold measures without being intimidated by the fame or power of foreign kings is also an essential virtue.”

“Karl, but I…”

“If you’re going to say you’re not ready yet, keep it to yourself. You’re also one of the influential designers in the mainstream, and among those who are active in the mainstream, there’s not a single one who deserves to be called a ‘genius’.”

Jaesung smiled bitterly and replied.

“I wasn’t going to say I wasn’t ready. I was just going to tell you that just as you have the task of finding a successor to Coco Chanel, I also have the task of raising my own brand, ‘Wallflower,’ to the ranks of the world’s top brands.”

Was it because it was a clear refusal?

Karl Lagerfeld ran his large hands over his face a few times and let out a deep sigh, “Haa…”

“Lee, I’m sure. Chanel is an attractive place with all the glory you can imagine.”

“I know. But making Wallflower a more attractive brand than Chanel will be the most glorious of the glorious things I pursue.”

The reason he had marked Lee as the next director of Chanel was quite simple.

He thought Lee was a director who could only think purely about ‘beauty’.

He had gotten a similar feeling from his remarks at the press conference and from the process of preparing Christian Dior’s haute couture.

Karl Lagerfeld bit his lower lip tightly and nodded his head a few times.

It was certainly a shame that he couldn’t pass on the baton to Lee, but if he took his time and searched with his eyes wide open, he would be able to find the right person.

Although it would be a very difficult task.

“Okay, I understand. If you ever change your mind…”

“I’m sorry, but that won’t happen.”

“Okay. Anyway, thank you for brightening up the party.”

Just as Karl Lagerfeld, who seemed to have resigned himself, was about to leave the reception room, he suddenly turned around and asked Jaesung again with a slightly trembling voice.

“It’s a very pathetic request, but could you help me for just one season?”

“Pardon?”

“I have a feeling that this season will be my last. The last season of designer Karl Lagerfeld has finally arrived. If possible, I want to leave behind a legacy worthy of my reputation, but I don’t think I can do it alone.”

“…”

“I’ll meet any conditions. I just want you to take on the position of sub-director for just one season.”

The venue was suddenly filled with silence. Karl was biting his thumb, ‘click. click,’ as if he couldn’t stand the silence, and Jaesung was just looking down without saying anything, reminiscing about his memories of his past life.

Come to think of it, he remembered that Karl Lagerfeld’s sudden retirement had caused a stir in the industry when he was working in Dongdaemun [a large commercial district in Seoul, South Korea].

However, even at that time, no one had predicted that such a hidden story was hidden.

Karl Lagerfeld was an old veteran who had achieved so much that it wouldn’t have been strange if he had retired at any time.

Suddenly, he felt that so much had changed.

Unlike his previous life, when he was regretting Karl’s retirement from the outskirts of the secret, he was now in the center of it, able to look closely at the inside story.

“I’m filled with mixed emotions.”

“Me too.”

How should I put it? It was as if he had eaten a lot of greasy food on an empty stomach, and his stomach was just feeling bloated.

The forgotten miserable feelings come to mind in a chain reaction.

Every morning when I open my eyes, I am overwhelmed by the uneasy thought that maybe today is the last day I can see.

After thinking for a long time, Jaesung shook his head a few times as if he couldn’t win and replied.

“Karl, this season is very important. It’s a crucial season for Wallflower’s premium brand. It’s not a refusal… I mean, I can’t give you too much help.”

“Then?”

“My main job is still Wallflower. I can’t just be tied to the Chanel house, so there will be many days when I’ll be away. But I’m confident that I can play the role of a competent sub-director who does much more work than ordinary sub-directors. If that’s okay with you…”

Just as Jaesung was about to continue speaking, Karl Lagerfeld nodded his head once and replied.

“I think that’s more than enough help.”

Where did I see it? I once read a passage that an old man is like a burning library.

Karl’s library is on fire. For him, this season of Chanel is the work of writing a book that summarizes all the books stored in it.

And I am the co-author of that book.

* * *

At the time when the party was in full swing, Jaesung was busy talking on the phone with Director Song inside the banquet hall.

-What? So you’re going to be Karl Lagerfeld’s sub-director? What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

“There won’t be any disruption to Wallflower’s this season, so you don’t have to worry.”

-There won’t be any disruption? You know how important this season is, don’t you? You should be focusing on this season alone, aren’t you taking the premium brand too lightly?

“Director. Please trust me just one more time. I’ve definitely drawn a line…”

While Jaesung was continuing to speak, he saw Yeongguk walking across the banquet hall in the distance, and said, “I’ll call you back in a minute,” and hung up the phone.

Then he started walking towards Yeongguk through the crowd.

Even from a distance, Yeongguk’s expression didn’t look very good.

‘Did he get some harsh words from Wizdom Khalifa…?’

He is now a ‘Rapstar’ who roams the mainstream market, but considering his background, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had said some high-level harsh words full of swear words.

Before long, Jaesung barely reached right behind Yeongguk, put his hand on his wide shoulders, and opened his mouth.

“Yeongguk.”

“Jae, Jaesung… I’ve been looking for you.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

When I faced him up close, I could feel that his complexion was much worse than when I saw him from afar.

As Jaesung was looking at Yeongguk with a worried expression.

“It’s all over now.”

After asking, “What’s over?” once, Jaesung frowned and continued.

“Son Yeongguk, you didn’t just hear a few harsh words…”

Then, Yeongguk shook his head once and suddenly hugged Jaesung tightly and shouted.

“The hard work is over!”