Black Label [EN]: Chapter 162

Black Label 162

162. An Intern Did This?

It had been a few days since I returned to Korea. My body seemed to have fully adjusted to the new routine.

The fact that I was living a regular life was proof enough. As always, I woke up around eight in the morning.

My father, mother, and younger sister, Seung-hee, were all away for work, so the house was quiet.

I watched the TV news while eating toast with milk. After a simple meal, I started getting ready for work.

I applied Hermes shaving foam under my chin and shaved, then sprayed Versace cologne.

After neatly combing my hair back, I carefully examined the closet filled with expensive clothes, meticulously choosing my outfit for the day.

Just before leaving the house, I grabbed the car key with the ‘Porsche’ logo prominently displayed.

It was the key to my newly purchased vehicle, acquired to increase convenience and reduce taxes.

Instead of heading to the Wall Flower office, I drove to a cafe in a secluded area on the outskirts of Ilsan Siksa-dong.

“Good morning.”

As Jae-seung entered the cafe and greeted him, Director Song, who was ordering a drink at the counter, quietly responded.

“I was just ordering. What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have an iced Americano.”

“Okay. Go find a seat.”

Jae-seung replied, “Yes,” and sat by the cafe window.

Soon, Director Song approached with two cups of coffee on a tray.

“By the way, why did you ask me to meet you at a cafe so early instead of the office?”

“There’s no particular reason… I have something important to talk about, and I also wanted some fresh air.”

Director Song smiled and added gently, “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I spend more than half the year in the office, right? Please understand that I’m just getting old.”

Jae-seung took the takeaway cup of Americano and asked, “What’s the important thing you wanted to talk about? Good news or bad news?”

“It’s both. I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

After a pause, Jae-seung spoke again.

“I think I’d prefer the good news first.”

“We received a reply from the Paris Fashion Week organizers.”

Jae-seung was startled and asked, “And…?”

Some time ago, I sent an email to the Paris Fashion Week organizers stating that Wall Flower wanted to formally participate, highlighting this season’s products.

After a moment of hesitation, Director Song finally smiled and replied brightly, “They said Lee’s brand is always welcome.”

“Yes? Then…?”

“Wall Flower’s debut stage is set.”

Jae-seung stared blankly at Director Song and let out a hollow laugh.

Paris Fashion Week wasn’t the most demanding of the world’s four major fashion weeks in terms of the screening process, was it?

I had expected that if we went through the rigorous screening process and communicated the brand’s strengths, we would somehow be able to put on a show.

But I never expected to receive approval so easily.

“There will be a formal review, but that’s all it will be. They questioned why an already proven designer would need additional verification.”

“Now, all that’s left is to focus on preparing for the season…”

Jae-seung, his voice slightly trembling, couldn’t contain his excitement and covered his face with both hands.

There were countless instances where things he had only imagined became reality.

Even shaving with Hermes shaving foam every morning, buying a Porsche for tax benefits, or spending millions of won annually on teeth whitening were all things he had only imagined at one time.

However, Wall Flower’s confirmation to participate in Paris Fashion Week was a completely different matter.

A faded dream that I had clearly written down in my mental notebook had become a reality, and now I was able to stand on the global stage of Paris Fashion Week.

Director Song smiled and said.

“This was entirely due to the name value of ‘Lee.’ You’ve worked really hard to raise your stock price.”

“No. I was just doing what I had to do.”

“If Wall Flower successfully completes this season, you’ll be on a smooth road.”

Director Song was right.

If the products were exhibited at Paris Fashion Week and received a positive response?

There would be no need to worry about breaking into department store distribution. Rather, the department stores would be eager to make supply proposals.

As the excitement gradually subsided, anxiety arose. It was because of the ‘bad news’ I hadn’t heard yet.

“By the way, what’s the bad news?”

“Well, that’s…”

Director Song hesitated before continuing.

“It’s not directly related to Wall Flower, but it’s related to ‘Lee Kang-jun.'”

“What happened?”

“It seems Lee Kang-jun’s negotiations with the Saint Laurent board of directors have broken down. The recruitment of the creative director has been completely canceled.”

In fact, the contract was practically signed, but it was suddenly canceled? That was unexpected.

Jae-seung licked his lower lip and asked urgently, “Yes? What’s the reason…?”

“I heard he had a car accident. It’s not a serious accident, but it seems he can’t immediately jump into the front lines. Give him a call. He must be very disappointed to have missed such a great opportunity that could have changed his life.”

‘Saint Laurent,’ which had decided to recruit Lee Kang-jun as director, was a brand in no way inferior to other premium brands.

At least, it was an influential brand that a rookie designer with only a few lines of career experience like Lee Kang-jun could not usually command.

He missed a huge job that could have completely changed his life.

It was literally a moment of mixed emotions. Wall Flower was confirmed to go to Paris, but on the other hand, Lee Kang-jun no longer had a reason to stay in Paris.

“Okay. I’ll give him a call.”

The conversation about Lee Kang-jun, a designer who left Wall Flower, ended there.

Director Song kept talking about Wall Flower’s plans for this season, and Jae-seung nodded as if listening.

Of course, his mind was focused on Lee Kang-jun, who was lying in a hospital in a foreign country across the sea.

* * *

As soon as I arrived at the office and sat on the sofa in the president’s office, I called Lee Kang-jun.

After a few rings, a bright voice was heard from the other end.

-Yes, President. No, no… Should I call you Designer now?

“You can call me whatever you want, Kang-jun.”

Jae-seung replied calmly and immediately asked, “Are you feeling okay?”

Lee Kang-jun chuckled and replied cheerfully.

-As you can see, I’m well enough to make a phone call from my bed.

“I heard the news. I’m sorry to hear that.”

-Well… there’s nothing I can do. At first, I thought I was unlucky, but when I thought about it, I felt a little bad to complain about being unlucky. In fact, I’ve been extremely lucky until just before the accident, right?

Despite the loss of a great opportunity, he didn’t seem too disappointed.

-You don’t have to worry about me. It was actually a minor accident. After leaving the sandwich shop, I was about to cross the crosswalk, like a scene in a drama…

Lee Kang-jun trailed off and said “Bang!” playfully, then continued to explain.

-It was my fault for not checking the car coming from the side. Actually, I was so focused on talking to a Saint Laurent board member at the time. I also think that the accident happened at the right time when I needed a break and a checkup.

“For now, you’ll have to focus on treatment… What are your future plans?”

-Several agencies have offered to work with me, so I’m reviewing the documents. I’m looking for a good agency that I don’t mind giving a portion of my income to.

“What are your plans after signing with an agency?”

-I don’t know. I’m going to travel around and gather inspiration until the agency finds me a new job. Of course, that’s after I’ve recovered enough to walk around on my own with crutches.

I exchanged a few more words with Lee Kang-jun and ended the call.

I also didn’t forget to tell him that he was welcome to return to Wall Flower at any time if things didn’t work out as planned.

Although the business with Saint Laurent fell through, there are still several brands interested in Lee Kang-jun.

If he meets a competent agency, he will surely be able to find a new nest even with the condition of ‘after recovery.’

Still, was it because he looked brighter than I expected? I felt much lighter than before the call.

Jae-seung put the smartphone he was holding on the side table and was about to focus on work again.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the president’s office, and Director Song peeked his face through the slightly opened door.

“Can I come in for a moment?”

“Of course.”

“Our president is so lucky, he’s got so much work.”

Director Song said briefly and shook the bundle of A4 papers in his hand.

When I focused with drowsy eyes, I could see the large letters written on the front page.

-List of media requesting interviews and appearances.

Jae-seung couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. It was as if his head was already throbbing.

“As soon as I leaked the news that we were confirmed to participate in Paris Fashion Week, everyone rushed in.”

“Really? That’s so touching.”

“You really appreciate it, right? Anyway, this time, it would be good to respond to as many domestic media interviews as possible. We need to solidify our domestic market share.”

Director Song finished speaking and asked, “Don’t you think so?” Jae-seung nodded and replied calmly.

“Well, considering there are only 24 hours in a day, it seems quite unrealistic.”

“Oh, and there was a pretty interesting invitation included?”

“What is it?”

“It’s a designer audition program on a cable channel, and they want to invite you as a judge.”

Jae-seung began to carefully scan the list written in tiny letters.

Around the middle, I found the invitation request that Director Song had mentioned. It was a very new feeling.

Now, they have expressed their intention to invite me as a judge, but when I was about to enter Parsons [a prestigious art and design school], a cable TV program had offered me to participate as a contestant.

In just two years, my status has greatly elevated from contestant to judge.

“I see. It’s an interesting offer.”

“Yeah, rejected.”

* * *

After Wall Flower’s participation in Paris Fashion Week was confirmed, my daily life became even more packed.

While preparing for this season’s products, I was busy informing the media and magazines about Wall Flower’s confirmation to participate in Paris Fashion Week.

Time passed quickly, and Jae-seung had to move diligently to keep up with the pace.

Today was no different.

Jae-seung finished his makeup at a beauty salon in Cheongdam-dong [an affluent district in Seoul known for its beauty and fashion businesses] early in the morning and immediately moved to a studio in Yeoksam-dong [another commercial district in Seoul].

It was to conduct an interview with the magazine, and the main topic was, of course, Wall Flower’s confirmation to participate in Paris Fashion Week.

After the interview, I immediately returned to the Carnival [a type of minivan] parked in the underground parking lot.

Director Song, who had volunteered to be my day manager, was sitting in the driver’s seat, nodding off with his mouth wide open.

“Director?”

“Uh…”

Director Song wiped the saliva from his mouth and asked drowsily.

“The interview? Is it over?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

In the past week, I have conducted more than twenty interviews in total. It was a remarkable achievement that I was able to achieve thanks to conducting three to four interviews a day.

Because the time to work was so reduced due to external schedules, I made the most of the travel time and drew diagrams on the tablet in the car. Thanks to this, I have already drawn several diagrams.

As the Carnival was leaving the underground parking lot, Director Song glanced through the rearview mirror and continued.

“Oh, right. I put a few draft diagrams selected by the design team staff in the back seat. Take a look at them whenever you have time.”

“Really? Just a moment. I’ll take a look right now.”

“Since this season’s main theme is , most of them have a moderate atmosphere. But when I glanced at it, it seemed like there were a few good diagrams mixed in.”

Inside the black file folder, there were a lot of diagrams selected by the design team staff.

To summarize the key theme of this season that I announced to the design team in one line, it was ‘clothes that anyone can wear and anyone can become beautiful in.’

However, I emphasized that they should not pursue ordinariness. It was clear that there would not be many customers who would buy ordinary clothes for tens or hundreds of millions of won just because they had the Wall Flower tag attached.

In that case, it would be much more desirable to buy dozens or hundreds of clothes from fast fashion brands such as Uniqlo, H&M, Zara, and Diodano.

I thought the key was to find an area that exists in the middle of splendor and popularity.

Of course, it would be a difficult task that requires a lot of time, but if we find an area that exists in the middle and create clothes that meet it, we will surely receive good reviews.

I was sure that there would be no designs among the initial diagrams that met the above conditions.

So, without much expectation, I started looking at the diagram at the very front of the file folder.

“Uh…?”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes because of the T-shirt diagram on the first page.

It was a T-shirt diagram that reflected the feeling I had in mind.

A design that is moderately positioned in the middle ground between splendor and popularity. Patterns designed to emphasize the wearer’s body curves.

What should I say? As soon as I saw it, I thought, ‘This is it!’

Director Song, unable to contain his curiosity that had soared because of Jae-seung’s reaction, kept asking, “Why? Why?”

On the other hand, Jae-seung seemed to have no intention of answering and was just looking at the words written at the top of the A4 paper with his brows furrowed.

-Diagram Submission Designer: Lee Sang-yoon

-Type: 1 type of men’s T-shirt and 1 type of women’s T-shirt.

-Features: A design that incorporates ‘Wall Flower Muscle Fit (for men)’ and ‘Wall Flower Super Skinny Fit (for women)’ that emphasize the wearer’s body curves.

Jae-seung stared blankly at the A4 paper for a moment and looked at Director Song and asked.

“Who is Lee Sang-yoon?”

After repeating the name “Lee Sang-yoon, Lee Sang-yoon…” a few times, Director Song snapped his fingers and replied.

“Ah, yes. I remember. The design team intern who came in this time. But why him?”

What? An intern?