Black Label [EN]: Chapter 175

175. In a Place Where You Are Not

There was no time to wallow in sorrow.

The limousine sped toward the scheduled location. Jaeseung had a duty to smoothly proceed with the arranged meeting.

An indescribable, unpleasant sadness threatened to overwhelm him whenever he lost focus, but he steeled himself, constantly considering what the best path for Karl would be.

“Lee, do you think that makes sense? That’s deceiving the public!” Vivian Ronda, one of the designers being considered for this project, voiced her strong opposition as soon as she heard Jaeseung’s plan.

It was practically a flat-out rejection, but Jaeseung’s reaction was lukewarm.

He simply retorted, “I guess it depends on your perspective,” and lightly swirled the glass in his hand.

Round and round.

Each time Jaeseung gently swirled the glass, the ice inside clinked, creating small, clear sounds.

He silently stared at the glass for a moment.

Then, Jaeseung raised his head slightly, looked at Vivian Ronda and Tom Brown alternately, and continued speaking. “Well? Deceiving the public, you say… Actually, the only real deception in this project is just one thing, isn’t it? That Karl Lagerfeld is not dead and is still alive.”

Tom Brown, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, lost in thought, spoke up. “Lee, I agree with Vivian’s opinion. It’s one thing to delay the obituary, but we have to act as if Karl is healthy and actively working, right?”

After another moment of silence, Jaeseung tilted his head slightly and replied in a rather sharp tone. “That’s right, I admit it. As Tom said, we all have to act as if Karl is alive. However, there’s one thing you need to keep in mind. Creating the framework and laying the groundwork is our job, but crafting the narrative, adding the details, and developing the various theories is the public’s job.”

After hesitating for a moment, Tom Brown nodded and cautiously asked, “Alright, Lee. If I were to join this project, could you tell me again exactly what role I would play?”

“It’s simple. Just create a design that blends Karl Lagerfeld’s identity with your own, Tom. Secretly and swiftly, like a member of the resistance.”

Vivian Ronda interjected, “Did you get Karl’s consent? If this project is being carried out in consultation with the Zanell Group [Likely a fictional fashion conglomerate, playing on Chanel] without Karl’s consent….”

Just as she was about to continue, Jaeseung nodded and cut her off, saying, “It would be nothing more than desecrating the deceased,” and continued. “Chairman Wertheimer of the Zanell Group has the contract and the recording of Karl’s voice. Karl, Karl’s exclusive lawyer, Chairman Wertheimer, and the Zanell Group’s lawyer. The four of them gathered in a VIP room in Paris with the prepared contract and recording. If you wish, I can show it to you today. Wouldn’t that be decisive evidence?”

Again, silence. For a moment, he was seized by the illusion that the air in the room had frozen.

Tom Brown sighed and then asked again. “Lee, just a few more questions. After hearing about this project, what was Karl’s reaction?”

“He was angry at first. It was probably the most eccentric he’s ever been. If he had the strength to throw things, he would have thrown something and told me to get lost.”

After finishing speaking, Jaeseung chuckled for a moment and then suddenly bit his lower lip.

Although the memories they could share together spanned only a few months, well… The memories he kept to himself were countless.

The young days dreaming while watching him on TV screens and in magazines. The surreal feeling of the day he actually met him, along with the brief memories of working passionately together.

In an instant, a flash of images went off in his head, and Karl’s living presence quickly flashed through his mind.

Meanwhile, perhaps because the explanation was cut off at an ambiguous point?

Vivian Ronda and Tom Brown were simultaneously distorting their facial expressions as if they had made a promise.

Soon, Jaeseung took a long breath and began to continue his story. “After hearing my intention to ensure his legacy, he readily agreed. He even thanked me. As you may know, it’s never easy to hear Karl say thank you. I should have bought a Euromillions [Europe’s largest lottery jackpot] ticket the next day….”

As Jaeseung trailed off in a playful tone, Tom Brown asked in a rather serious tone. “Lee, did you also tell Karl that Vivian and I would be joining?”

“Of course.”

“What did he say?”

Jaeseung took out his smartphone and played a pre-recorded audio file.

It was a file containing Karl’s voice, which he would never be able to hear again.

-Vivian Ronda and Tom Brown? Are things not going well for them these days? Are they so free that they can pour a lot of time into a project like this?

As soon as Karl Lagerfeld’s question filled with laughter ended, Jaeseung’s answer was heard.

-They’re famous Lagerfeld children, aren’t they? There are a few more, but the two of them are the most likely candidates. Does Karl know anything about them? If you don’t know….

-Why wouldn’t I know? I make sure to check if my name comes up in every interview. I’ve known Vivian’s name since she was about to graduate from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts, which is only famous in the countryside.

-So you’ve known her since before her official debut…?

-Yeah. Her haute couture [high fashion] in her graduation show was impressive. Think about it. Isn’t it amazing? A rookie who proved her worth with sexy and futuristic haute couture designs said she dreamed of becoming a designer after seeing me? I didn’t even know her face or name. Moreover, her house was hours away from my house by plane. She probably sat in front of the TV with pigtails, eating snacks like Skittles, and watched news related to my show.

-That must have been a special experience.

-Special? That’s not enough to describe it. You’ll know when you feel that feeling someday. It was a truly ecstatic experience. I also remember the first day she mentioned me in an interview. It was probably the day she first set foot in New York Fashion Week. That day… until I went to bed after reading that interview, I thought I had done well to become a designer at least ten thousand times.

As soon as Karl’s words ended, joy and sorrow crossed paths. Vivian’s face lit up and she perked up her ears even more, while Tom, on the other hand, looked tense as if he was taking a test.

Soon, Jaeseung in the audio file asked Karl again.

-What about Tom?

Gulp. Tom swallowed hard, leaned his upper body forward, and tilted his ear toward the phone on the table.

Soon, Karl’s voice began to flow out again.

-I’m sorry to Tom, but I don’t know what his college life was like. I only knew of his existence after he first appeared at New York Fashion Week. Maybe he was an Armani salesman before that? It’s a wonderful rags-to-riches story. Like Ralph Lauren, who started as a Brooks Brothers salesman and turned Paulno [Likely a typo for Polo] into a global brand. Heh heh.

Jaeseung glanced at Tom, and Tom replied, “That’s true.”

It was quite shocking that a star designer like Tom had not majored in design. Karl’s words continued.

-Anyway, I’ve been watching him since he first entered the New York fashion scene through New York Fashion Week. His debut stage was shocking. 7 years? 8 years? Anyway, it’s been a long time, but I remember everything. Tom’s first show mainly featured simple casual suits. Suits with three white lines embroidered on the left arm or thigh. Other than that, there wasn’t much of a point. He put those suits up for sale for at least $3,000 and up to $7,000. At first, I was worried, ‘Is this a suit made of silk spun by silkworms that have been raised on classic music and wine 24 hours a day?’

-Oh my god, so the products you exhibited at that time were…?

-That’s right. They are the three-line embroidery products that have become the signature of the brand ‘Tom Brown’ now. At first, I was surprised by his guts, but the more I looked at it, the better it got. And there’s actually one incident that no one knows about. Tom Brown probably doesn’t know either.

-What is it?

Tom Brown licked his parched lower lip and stared intently at Jaeseung’s phone, where Karl’s voice was coming from.

And then.

-Around 2007, Tom’s brand was in crisis. As you know, trends rotate quickly, right? The F/W [Fall/Winter] season and the S/S [Spring/Summer] season failed one after another. Stocks plummeted day by day, and most of the investors pulled out. To make matters worse, there were a few old fox-like capitalists who were trying to acquire the brand that a snot-nosed kid had worked so hard to build at a bargain price….

-And then?

-At that time, I invested quite a bit of money under a borrowed name. I couldn’t stand to see a junior with a bright future, especially one who had repeatedly said he respected me in interviews, fall apart after one or two missteps. In conclusion, it was a great investment. After all, at the 2013 US presidential inauguration, the US president appeared wearing a coat made by Tom.

Tom Brown sighed and then opened his mouth with difficulty. “That’s right. At the time, an investor named ‘Maurice’ invested about $8 billion [Likely a typo for 8 million, or an exaggeration]. It was a ray of hope. I asked for a meeting several times, but I was repeatedly rejected. Even after several years, he said he didn’t need any more profits and asked for the principal back. I stopped him because I was so confident about the next season, but he kept talking about recovering it. I just guessed that it was a large capitalist who didn’t like to show off, and that he was recovering his investment because things were not going well….”

Tom, who had trailed off, began to cover his face. Even in the midst of that, Karl’s voice continued to flow out.

But, what should I say?

It was a voice that was unlike Karl’s usual voice. Yes. It was as if he was sobbing, a voice filled with moist emotion.

-Anyway, it’s reassuring. If I think that those two people are writing the history that I couldn’t finish… damn it. Is it because I’m getting old? No. I wasn’t like this usually. As my body started to break down, my tear ducts seem to have broken down too. Aging is really shitty. You know what the Butterfly Effect is? The flapping of a butterfly’s wings can become a typhoon on the other side of the world….

-Yes. I know.

-Yeah. All the struggles I made to survive in this jungle became dreams for those kids who were growing up far away. It was an unintentional act. But they’re all grown up now. They’ve grown as big as real dinosaurs. While they were growing, I got old… and now they’re telling me they’ll protect my last dream. Don’t laugh, you idiot. Do you think you can hold back tears? Cough, cough… Anyway, if I were to live again, could I prepare for death more satisfactorily than now? I don’t know about you, but I’m not confident. I’m telling you without pretense. It’s really shitty and scary to have to die, but still, it was an overwhelmingly happy life.

After finishing speaking, Karl added again in a sobbing tone.

-I mean it.

Jaeseung lowered his head and picked up his smartphone on the table and put it in his suit jacket.

A solemn atmosphere filled the room. Vivian Ronda raised her head and stared intently at the innocent fluorescent lights, and Tom was still covering his face and sobbing quietly.

Soon, Tom raised one hand and said.

“I will join you. Damn it, damn it, if I had known this would happen, I would have mustered the courage to ask for a meeting… I ran into him several times, but all I did was stutter a greeting like an idiot. If he had even pretended to care….”

Jaeseung grabbed Tom’s hand tightly and replied. “Thank you, Tom.”

This time, Vivian Ronda spoke. “I think he’s qualified to be a legend. I’ll take responsibility for the haute couture line and organize it.”

She was trying to speak in a nonchalant manner, but her thin lips were trembling. She was trembling like an aspen tree in front of the wind that blew sharply like a knife in the middle of winter.

Soon, Jaeseung nodded and expressed his gratitude. “Thank you so much. Really, really.”

Like she said, Karl is qualified to be a legend.

Although he may not be mourned by many, the embers he left behind will burn without being extinguished even after a long time has passed since his death.

Less than half a day has passed since Karl passed away. All preparations to make him a legend have been completed.