Black Label [EN]: Chapter 171

Black Label 170

171. In the Middle of the Jungle

The filming went much smoother than expected. After a few repetitions of the zero-gravity state, the staff adapted quickly and began to move more freely.

Was it because ‘zero gravity’ itself is such a unique experience, one that many might only have once in their lives?

The staff were filming with much brighter expressions than during other shoots.

“Move a little more smoothly and gracefully! Like a fish!”

Whenever the inside of the Boeing 747 entered a zero-gravity state and bodies floated into the air, everyone moved with confidence.

Even though they were floating at least 1.5 meters [approximately 5 feet] above the floor, the photographers diligently clicked their shutters, and the models expertly posed, conscious of the camera lenses.

An even more amusing sight unfolded as the approximately twenty or thirty seconds of zero gravity began to end.

As if everyone was counting down the time in their heads, they braced themselves.

This was to prevent being violently shaken and hitting the floor or walls when gravity returned.

The director of the filming team, who was shooting the cookie and trailer videos, couldn’t stop exclaiming in admiration.

“Damn it! This shoot will definitely be remembered as a ‘masterpiece.’ It will be the most brilliant of my career, a masterpiece that people will talk about for years to come!”

Emotions are contagious. As if agreeing with him, everyone passionately engaged in the filming with shining eyes.

Jaesung felt the same. His gaze was fixed on the staff and models floating in the air, but his mind was preoccupied with imagining the glory that today’s filming would bring.

Once again, the zero-gravity state ended, and the aircraft shook violently.

The groans and screams of those whose bodies collided hard with the walls, floor, or ceiling of the Boeing 747 echoed in succession. However, none of them looked upset.

No. Everyone had clear, fresh, and almost childlike faces, as if they were seven-year-old children playing on a trampoline.

* * *

That evening, a small party was held in the lounge on the lobby floor of the Line Hotel in central California.

To celebrate the successful completion of the lookbook shoot, all the staff who participated gathered in one place.

“Lee, this zero-gravity lookbook shoot will be the best marketing resource for the brand and for everyone who contributed to it.”

George, the middle-aged man in charge of directing the cookie and trailer video shoot, had drunk so much champagne that he was slurring his words, unable to contain his excitement.

Jaesung responded by holding up his wine glass.

Clink, clink, clink!

The classical music flowing from the speakers and the clear sound of the glasses clinking together resonated.

As the party neared its end, Director Song, his face flushed with alcohol, approached and whispered in a low voice.

“I have a great idea. Let’s drop a nuclear bomb before we go back to Korea. I’m too impatient to wait. The world will see the results of our challenge as early as tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.”

Jaesung didn’t answer, but nodded once to show he agreed.

He looked around the venue. Dozens of staff and models were laughing, chatting, and raising their glasses. Was it the alcohol he had been drinking? For a moment, he was swept up in a strange feeling.

The thought crossed his mind that this might be the most glamorous moment of his life, his ‘prime.’

He quickly shook his head. Now shouldn’t be his prime. He wanted to go higher, farther.

Isn’t that endless greed? Originally, greed is endless.

* * *

He woke up to the sound of the alarm clock. He squinted and pressed his throbbing forehead for a moment.

Listening carefully, he realized that someone was pounding on the door with their fist from beyond the room door, calling his name at the top of their lungs.

“Jaesung! Lee Jaesung!”

It was Director Song’s voice. Jaesung forced himself out of bed and replied, “Yes, I’m coming out now.”

Shuffle, shuffle. Before he had taken a few steps, he felt an indescribably uneasy premonition in his chest.

What should he say? Would it be good to say that he felt a bizarre feeling that sent chills down his spine for a moment?

Director Song’s voice, calling him from beyond the door, sounded so urgent and desperate.

He lightly pressed the home button on the phone in his hand, and the missed call records appeared. There were more than a dozen missed calls from Director Song and an unsaved number.

Jaesung, who had already reached the door, slightly opened it, and Director Song spoke in an extremely urgent tone.

“Have you been sleeping all this time?”

“Yes. I think I drank too much yesterday….”

“We received a call from the Chanel Group.”

“From Chanel? To you, Director Song?”

Wasn’t this creative contract solely between the Chanel Group and designer Lee?

It was completely separate from Wallflower, so there was no reason for them to contact Director Song, nor did they have the authority to do so.

The only two possibilities that came to mind were that the Chanel Group was much more inconsiderate than expected, or that something so urgent had happened that they couldn’t wait even a few hours to reach him.

Director Song, who had taken a breath, began to rub his eyes roughly.

Meanwhile, Jaesung’s head began to spin. He imagined both positive and negative scenarios.

Of course, as usual, he leaned towards negative thoughts, which were much more stimulating and intense than positive ones.

Soon, Director Song broke the long silence, speaking with difficulty.

“Karl Lagerfeld attempted suicide this morning.”

“Yes?”

He doubted his ears. Hadn’t Karl seemed relatively well just two days ago?

Moreover, this morning? Isn’t this much sooner than what he saw in Future magazine?

Director Song continued with a very gloomy expression.

“When he briefly regained consciousness, he said, ‘Bring Lee to me.’ And then he fell back into a coma. The Chanel Group wants you to return as soon as possible….”

It felt surreal. Director Song kept talking, but his voice seemed to fade away.

His rational thinking was completely paralyzed. It was as if someone had flipped a switch.

Wouldn’t this be the feeling if you were walking alone in a dark alley late at night and a thug hit you hard on the back of the head with a hammer?

He literally couldn’t think of anything.

Occasionally, the question ‘Why?’ arose, but it was quickly buried by the sound of his heartbeat.

After standing blankly for a while, he started moving blindly as soon as his mind came back to him.

He immediately returned to his room and began packing his suitcase. He heard Director Song’s shouts from behind, but his hands didn’t stop.

He packed his luggage and rushed out of the room with his suitcase.

* * *

“What are you going to do, going to the airport without even booking a ticket? Do you have a plane waiting for you there?”

Director Song, who had followed Jaesung to the airport, booked a ticket for the earliest flight to France and handed it over, grumbling.

Jaesung knew that he was saying it to relieve his tension, but he didn’t even have the energy to respond.

All he could do was sit on the hard airport chair with his upper body bent over, looking at his feet with an expression of utter despair.

A Chanel House official said that Karl was in critical condition.

Was he being too naive? Should he have paid more attention to Karl? Why did Karl suddenly make such an extreme decision? No, why did he bring forward a decision that should have been made much later?

Countless questions swirled around. It felt as if a hand reaching out from under the floor was tightly gripping his ankle and pulling him down.

Damn it, damn it, damn it…….

Time felt like it was flowing much slower than usual, but it flowed anyway, and it was time to go through the boarding process.

He shook his head a few times to clear his hazy mind and got up from his seat.

“Jaesung.”

Director Song called out in a worried voice. Jaesung didn’t even have the strength to ask “Yes?” and just stared at his face. Director Song continued in a low voice.

“The conference will proceed as scheduled tomorrow. The video will also be released tomorrow. The editing is about half finished, and from what I saw, it’s quite usable. It’s good enough to be released.”

“Anything is fine.”

“I know that you’ve grown fond of each other while working together, and that you have a particularly affectionate personality. That’s why I’m saying this out of concern….”

A silence fell.

“Unless Karl miraculously comes back to life, otherwise… well, if. Just if. If Karl dies, drop out of Chanel’s season.”

“Yes…?”

“The line itself will be incomplete, right? If you participate in a season that’s neither here nor there, you’ll inevitably face all sorts of criticism. To be honest, are there only one or two magazines that we’re on bad terms with? There aren’t, right? The number of critics who are lying in wait is more than the number of our employees, so you have to think rationally. Friendship is friendship, and business is business. You have to think about the countless people who are making a living off your name.”

Jaesung smiled bitterly and asked.

“It’s a bitter thing. It’s really, really bitter. If we have to prioritize interests even in the face of a friend’s death, it’s a heartbreaking thing.”

“It may sound cruel, but one of the reasons why I get paid about ten times more than ordinary employees is because I think I have a heavy obligation to give you only candid advice, so to be honest… if you maintain your current fame, your inevitable death will be the same. Everyone will prioritize looking more closely at the intertwined interests than worrying.”

It was a stark statement. Disillusionment washed over Jaesung. It wasn’t disillusionment aimed at Director Song.

His advice was excellent, and the option he mentioned was the most rational option within the limits of what he could accept.

It was disillusionment aimed at the jungle of the fashion world and himself standing in the middle of it.

Ah, now I finally realized! This place where I’m standing is the very center of damn capitalism.

What we need to worry about more than death is utilization and the success or failure of the business. That’s reality.