Black Label [EN]: Chapter 210

210. The Aftermath of the Storm

As Ashlynn, a famous model at the height of her career and the final model for this year’s Wall Flower Collection, left the runway and headed backstage, a low murmur rippled through the audience.

“I think I understand the reason for the aggressive marketing…”

“It was a fantastic collection in many ways.”

“The buzz around this collection will last for a while.”

How long had it been? The models who had appeared in the show returned to the now-empty runway, beginning a well-ordered walk.

The finale commenced in quick succession.

The VIPs began to applaud in unison, as if they had planned it beforehand.

Just as dozens of models filled the runway.

“Lee!”

The shout echoed from one side of the audience, and the reporters stationed throughout the venue began snapping photos diligently.

Flashes of light burst from everywhere.

It was the aftermath of the appearance of the rookie designer, ‘Lee,’ the true star of this collection, on the runway.

As Lee stepped onto the stage, the models moved in perfect order, clearing a path.

It was a scene reminiscent of the ‘Miracle of Moses’ [the parting of the Red Sea as described in the Bible].

The applause grew louder, soon turning into a massive roar that threatened to overwhelm the venue.

Dressed in a neat suit, Lee maintained a relaxed expression and gestures, consistently acknowledging the audience’s cheers.

It was the moment he successfully completed his ‘debut’ at Paris Fashion Week.

* * *

As an ordinary person with no particular connection to the fashion industry, obtaining tickets to Paris Fashion Week is virtually impossible.

Not to mention collection tickets for prestigious premium brands.

In most cases, all seats are reserved for celebrities and influential buyers from around the world.

Even if one is willing to pay a fortune, there’s really no reliable way to get a ticket.

There are two main ways for ordinary people to experience Paris Fashion Week.

The first is to purchase and watch the ‘official DVD’ released by the organizers.

This allows you to watch the entire collection stage of your desired brand, but you have to wait nearly a month for the official DVD to be released.

The second way is to watch the short ‘Highlight Reel’ released by the organizers.

However, these highlight reels are often heavily edited to shorten the video’s runtime and filled with various effects, making it difficult to appreciate the overall flow of the collection.

Furthermore, the Highlight Reel is also released on the official website a few days later, so it cannot be viewed on the day of the collection.

For the general public, the only way to immediately gauge the success of the collection is to read the articles written by fashion critics.

As a result, on the first day of the world’s four major fashion weeks, including Paris Fashion Week, traffic to famous fashion-related websites often exceeds capacity, causing the sites to crash. Today was no different.

No, today it seemed particularly severe.

I could access the main screen without any problems, but that was it.

No matter how many times I clicked on the links to articles with sensational headlines, the page wouldn’t load.

The more this happened, the more impatient and curious the public became, and the resulting excessive access attempts only worsened the situation.

“President, look at this.”

Director Song asked, holding out his smartphone with a blank white screen.

“What is it?”

“The site is completely down.”

“That happens all the time.”

Director Song replied briefly, then smiled wryly and continued.

“I heard that even though it’s almost the end of the first day, it’s the first time the site has crashed this quickly? Thanks to this site crash, it’s even been given the embarrassing name ‘Wall Flower Down.'”

“That’s a good sign.”

“Seriously, I can never figure you out. Hey, President. Are you pretending to be calm? Or are you really not feeling anything? A good sign? We’re about to make a fortune…”

After speaking, Director Song began to examine the expensive gifts piled up in the waiting room.

From luxury champagnes costing over ten million won [approximately $7,500 USD] per bottle to luxury watches that cost ‘hundreds of millions’ of won [tens of thousands of US dollars].

These were blatant gifts from major department store brands around the world and influential buyers with a knack for sales, all trying to curry favor.

On the other hand, Jae Seung didn’t even glance at the gifts, but sat down on a folding chair and took a long breath.

“Hooa-”

Numerous figures could be seen beyond the tent of the makeshift waiting room.

It was clear that they were buyers eager to secure contracts and reporters waiting to get a story, even a small one.

However, Jae Seung leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as if he had no intention of responding to them, causing Director Song to raise an eyebrow and ask cautiously.

“President, are you really going to turn them all away? Shouldn’t we at least say a few words out of courtesy…”

“No. At least until the end of today’s Paris Fashion Week schedule, I have no intention of discussing anything related to work.”

“If you’re tired, I can respond on your behalf. After all, I’m in charge of all the practical aspects of sales…”

However, Jae Seung shook his head and continued in a firm tone.

“Everyone standing outside the waiting room right now is an audience member who has been assigned a seat at today’s Fashion Week show, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“How would the other designers feel if there were empty seats in the audience because of us?”

Director Song let out a low exclamation, “Ah…,” and smiled pleasantly.

For the designers of competing brands, the Wall Flower Collection was nothing short of a ‘natural disaster.’

Since they were already deeply disheartened, he thought that not responding to any guests until the end of today’s schedule, as Jae Seung said, would be the least he could do.

“Okay, I understand what you mean.”

He could tell just by looking at the expensive gifts piled up in the waiting room.

The day when Wall Flower’s exclusive stores would be opened in high-end select shops and major department stores around the world was not far off.

It was also very clear that today would mark the beginning of its rise as one of the recognized premium brands.

There was no need to be impatient.

They had won, and the rewards were as good as guaranteed.

Director Song, who had a pleasant smile on his face, muttered, “Huh…?” and chuckled to himself without realizing it.

Jae Seung, who had been leaning back in his folding chair, had fallen asleep in just over ten seconds, with his mouth slightly open.

He had tried not to show it, but he must have been under a lot of tension. As soon as the collection ended and he returned to the waiting room, a wave of weariness must have washed over him.

Director Song picked up a thin blanket and carefully placed it over Jae Seung’s knees.

“Jeez, you could fit a fist in his mouth…”

Director Song muttered softly and left the makeshift waiting room with a light heart.

It was to send the buyers and reporters stationed in front of the waiting room back to their places, as Jae Seung had instructed.

* * *

“Lee, it’s been a long time!”

As soon as Jae Seung appeared in the audience of the Tuileries Garden outdoor stage, Professor Edin Thomas greeted him with a very welcoming tone.

Jae Seung glanced at the stage where another brand’s collection was in full swing and replied in a slightly excited but hushed voice.

“Professor, I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you more often.”

“Haha! It’s alright. I feel like I know your schedule without even looking…”

He had fallen asleep in the waiting room and had already missed the collection stages of several brands.

Jae Seung sat down next to Professor Edin Thomas and began to watch the collection stage of the premium brand ‘Raviola,’ which was in progress.

However, it was difficult to maintain deep concentration.

He could sense that since he had appeared in the venue, countless eyes were fixed on him rather than the runway.

“Congratulations on becoming the star of the year.”

“Thank you.”

Vivian Westwood, a veteran designer sitting right next to him, also added quietly.

“Thank you for showing us an inspiring show.”

“No, you flatter me.”

“By the way, you’re definitely going to pay the royalties for the ‘Dreamer Jacket,’ right?”

Jae Seung nodded at Vivian’s playful question and replied.

“Of course. I apologize for using the photos without prior consent. It was an unavoidable choice to prevent the design from being leaked in advance, so I hope you will understand…”

“No, no. I was just joking. Rather, I’m happy to have my face featured on the core design product of a rookie designer who is considered a super rookie. I think the other veteran designers feel the same way.”

Jae Seung responded with a bright smile.

The number of veteran designers whose childhood photos were featured on the back of the Dreamer Jacket was ten in total.

However, Jae Seung did not seek prior consent from any of the ten veteran designers.

As he explained to Vivian and Professor Edin Thomas, it was to prevent even the slightest leak of the design.

If anyone raised an issue later, he was willing to pay them as much as they wanted.

At that moment, Professor Edin Thomas added with a satisfied smile.

“I don’t think anyone will object. As Vivian said, they will all think it’s an honor. But you should be prepared to endure the glares you will receive from some veteran designers.”

“Glares?”

“Yes. I can already imagine some narrow-minded old folks grumbling about why you didn’t make a jacket with their childhood photos printed on it.”

After speaking, Professor Edin Thomas laughed heartily and added again.

“If there are any problems with this, I will do my best to help you, so don’t worry about it.”

It seemed that his only concern had been completely resolved.

Jae Seung replied, “Thank you,” once again and began to look at the runway again.

Jae Seung was just eagerly waiting for today’s Paris Fashion Week schedule to end.

He just wanted to finish all the work related to store openings and sales, and then gather with those who contributed to this collection at a pub on the outskirts of the city for a small get-together.

A great storm had passed.

In the wake of the storm, only silence, tranquility, and a subtle sense of anticipation remained.