Black Label [EN]: Chapter 191

191. Time for Focus and Choice (4)

Yeongguk’s explanation continued for quite a while. Although it was lengthy, the key points were simple to summarize.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to ‘diss’—publicly criticize and humiliate, a term from hip-hop subculture—all the department store brands that colluded this time?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I really appreciate the thought, and it seems like it would definitely have an impact, but…”

Jaeseung trailed off, and Yeongguk tilted his head slightly. “But what?” he asked. A moment of silence passed.

Gathering his thoughts, Jaeseung slowly began to voice his concerns in a gentle tone.

“I was planning to publicize this incident through a few famous overseas media outlets as well. But the problem is the responsibility for handling the aftermath. After such an international embarrassment, they won’t just sit there, right? They’ll definitely retaliate…”

“I know. But even if they do, what can they do besides hire a well-known law firm to file a lawsuit? The chances of me losing are high. Even if I present the facts, there’s still room for defamation charges.”

“Right. That’s the problem. There’s no reason for you to get involved in this kind of messy fight…”

Just as Jaeseung was about to continue, Yeongguk cut him off, his voice low.

“Hey. Why do you say there’s no reason?”

“Huh?”

“We’re friends.”

Jaeseung, looking blank, couldn’t easily respond. Yeongguk picked up another can of beer and continued.

“If that’s what happens while helping you, I don’t care if I lose everything I’m enjoying right now. After all, I got it all because of you, so what does it matter?”

Yeongguk finished nonchalantly and grinned, a smile as fresh as summer weeds.

Jaeseung couldn’t help but smile faintly as well. Yeongguk’s words completely resolved the anxiety that had been lingering in his heart.

Yeongguk, with slightly unfocused eyes, glanced at the clock on the studio wall and said,

“Jaeseung, should we head out soon?”

“Yeah. You look really tired.”

“Just a moment.”

Yeongguk said briefly, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a car key, handing it over.

Jaeseung, puzzled, tilted his head. “What’s this?”

“It’s a car key.”

“I mean, what…”

“It’s yours.”

Yeongguk replied with a bright smile. “I parked it in the parking lot. It’s a shame, but postpone driving it until tomorrow. I’ll call a driver for you, so just wait a moment.”

“What…?”

“You know I have to keep my word no matter what, right? Or have you already forgotten the lyrics of my first official song?”

Jaeseung stared at Yeongguk, dumbfounded, as if he’d been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

Forget the lyrics? How could he ever forget? It was his friend’s first official work that he had been eagerly waiting for.

He had listened to it and hummed it so much that now, when he was just spacing out, the lyrics would pop into his head.

After standing there blankly for a while, Jaeseung began to stare at the car key in his hand.

It was a Maserati key, for a car that starts at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As he had said in his first song, ‘Money Dream,’ Yeongguk handed over the key with the trident logo engraved on it.

And so suddenly…

As Jaeseung stared blankly at the car key, Yeongguk smiled and said,

“We somehow made it all the way here, didn’t we?”

“Yeah. Somehow, really…”

* * *

In the early dawn, Jaeseung couldn’t help but open his eyes. Partly because he had gone to bed a bit early the night before, but his usual lifestyle seemed to have had a significant impact as well.

After a quick preparation, he immediately headed to the Wall Flower office near Madu Station.

Of course, his transportation was the Maserati Quattroporte he had received from Yeongguk the day before. The intense exhaust sound that roared every time he stepped on the pedal seemed to punctuate the quiet dawn.

Just as he finished parking and got out of the driver’s seat,

“Oh! What’s this? Hey, CEO! How did you change your car while being so swamped with work…?”

Director Song, who seemed to have just arrived at the office building parking lot as well, approached with a takeout coffee cup, making a big fuss.

Jaeseung shrugged. “I know, right? I’m still not sure if it’s real, but I somehow received it as a gift.”

“What? This car? Who would give such a car as a gift so generously…”

Director Song stopped speaking, sighed, “Huh…,” and then asked, “Did Yeongguk give it to you by any chance?”

“Bingo.”

Director Song stuck close to the driver’s side window, examining the interior that was faintly visible. “How can you have such a friend? No, should I ask Yeongguk? Give me the key. Let me at least sit in the seat once.”

As Jaeseung handed over the key, he asked gently, “By the way, did you get a good rest yesterday?” Director Song opened the driver’s side door and replied brightly,

“Don’t even mention it. At first, my head was so full I didn’t think I could sleep, but after a hearty dinner, I fell asleep so easily. I slept straight through and woke up at four in the morning, so I got ready and came out.”

“I’m glad you rested well. Shall we go up first? I have a bit of an outline of how we should respond.”

Jaeseung gave a confident smile, and Director Song muttered, “Oh, already…?” and immediately got out of the car.

Jaeseung walked side by side with Director Song, beginning to list the plans he had made the night before.

The more Jaeseung spoke, the brighter Director Song’s expression became.

* * *

A middle-aged man with sparse white hair combed back sat in his seat with a deep frown.

The middle-aged man was Choi Yuhoon, the head of ‘Segae Department Store,’ a major brand competing for the top spots in the domestic rankings.

After letting out a “Haa-” Choi Yuhoon stood up from his plush chair and asked the young man standing before him with his head bowed.

“What’s going on with the Wall Flower case? Why haven’t I heard any news…?”

The young man in a neat suit, looking only at his shoes as if he had committed a serious crime, began to answer with a faint tremor in his voice.

“I’m sorry. We have been continuously trying to make contact, but…”

“But what?”

“The person in charge at Wall Flower is avoiding contact.”

“The person in charge? Who is it? Director Song, are you talking about that person?”

As soon as the young man replied, “Yes, that’s right,” Choi Yuhoon began to speak again.

“Tsk, you son of a bitch, are you going to keep working carelessly like this? Did you receive the Wall Flower-related materials? Or didn’t you?”

“I received them.”

“Is your head just for decoration? Think about it. Just because a guy who used to make knockoffs in Dongdaemun [a famous fashion district in Seoul] suddenly gets a badge, does that mean he’ll become smart?”

Choi Yuhoon, frustrated, knocked on his chest and took off his rimless glasses, placing them on his desk, and continued.

“Are you going to keep ignoring my words? Are you going to keep bothering me with such trivial matters? How many times have I told you that Director Song is just a figurehead?”

“I’m sorry. I will try to contact designer Lee Jaeseung directly today and…”

“You should have done that from the start. Lee Jaeseung is going to handle all the practical work anyway. What would a guy like Director Song, who just crawled up from the bottom, know? They’re the kind of people who have no reason and only have stubbornness. Does such a guy even know how important the domestic department store distribution route is?”

The young man in the neat suit bowed his head again and said,

“I will finish contacting them as quickly as possible and report back.”

“Alright. Get out.”

As soon as the young man left the office, Choi Yuhoon swept his hair back and muttered curses.

He was furious because he felt that there wasn’t a single person who could handle things to his liking.

He took out a cigarette from the inside pocket of his suit jacket hanging on the hanger and put it in his mouth, then immediately lit it.

Chee-eek-

His gaze was fixed on the document titled ‘Wall Flower’ placed on the desk.

From various places, opinions were emerging that ‘Wall Flower,’ a recently rising fashion brand, was a brand that needed to be tamed.

That’s why he had even proceeded with collusion with competing major department store brands.

Of course, he didn’t forget to thoroughly investigate and collect data related to Wall Flower before the collusion.

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated…”

No matter how promising a brand is, isn’t it just an emerging brand that considers entering a department store as a ‘dream’?

It was necessary to understand their movements in advance and tame them. That way, even if he gradually adjusted the conditions according to the progress, he could profit for a long time.

Choi Yuhoon gave a bitter smile and muttered softly,

“Tsk, why does taming just one brand take so much time?”

Just as Choi Yuhoon was about to sit back in his seat to handle the pending tasks,

Ring-ring-ring-

The phone on his office desk began to ring loudly.

Choi Yuhoon picked up the receiver and brought it to his ear, saying in a very annoyed tone, “Yeah, what is it?”

-This is a call from Team Leader Im Dongbin. Is it okay to connect you right away?

“Yeah.”

Team Leader Im Dongbin.

It was the young man who had just left his private office.

Choi Yuhoon sighed again and replied softly, “Connect me.”

Only a few seconds passed.

-This is Team Leader Im Dongbin.

“I know. Tell me what you need.”

-That’s, well…

“What again?”

A moment of silence passed. Team Leader Im Dongbin on the other end of the line carefully began to speak in a low voice.

-I just contacted Wall Flower again and said that I would like to meet designer Lee Jaeseung in person, but…

“But what? Stop stalling and speak clearly.”

-I did talk to designer Lee Jaeseung directly, but he said that he doesn’t want to be bothered anymore…

Again, a dark shadow fell over Choi Yuhoon’s face. It was a reaction he had not expected at all.

Choi Yuhoon, lost in thought for a moment, began to speak again.

“That’s strange. How could a brand grow so much when it’s a bunch of stupid guys gathered together?”

-…….

“Alright, call Lee Jaeseung again. And tell him that if he just sets the time and place, I will move myself.”

-Yes, I understand.

After hanging up the phone, Choi Yuhoon began to laugh in vain. He felt it was ridiculous that those who would bow their heads when their feet were on fire were trying to protect their petty pride and acting without discernment.

Just as Choi Yuhoon was chuckling,

Ring-ring-ring-

The phone began to ring again.

“Yeah, speak.”

-I conveyed it exactly as the president instructed, but…

“But what?”

-He said that even if the president of Segae Department Store, not the president of the country, came, he wouldn’t have time to meet, so please don’t bother him…

Choi Yuhoon couldn’t contain his anger and picked up the phone, throwing it violently to the floor.

Even after that, he couldn’t relieve his anger and began to stomp on the already half-destroyed phone.

Crack-!

Thud-!

Crack-!

“How dare this impudent bastard! Even if you’re going to act up, you should look at your opponent before you do-!”

His hands were shaking and his heart was pounding because of the surge of anger.

He intended to make sure that the young designer would be held responsible for what he had said, no matter what it took.

Domestic department store brand? He was going to make it so that he couldn’t display his clothes even in outlets, hypermarkets, or even street stalls in the neighborhood market, let alone department stores.