Black Label [EN]: Chapter 215

Black Label 214

215. VS Imitation (2)

How relative is time? It felt like the blink of an eye, and yet several days had already flown by.

I was indulging in uncharacteristic laziness, and every time I glanced at the clock, I was startled to see the hands were much further ahead than I expected.

Occasionally, when I grew tired of resting, I would pick up a pen and sketch a few diagrams.

Time here was… how should I put it? It felt like an ideal and perfect vacation.

I had secured a spot by the cabin window where I could see the sea, savoring the rich aroma of coffee as I sketched diagrams.

Ashlyn yawned widely and approached, asking softly,

“I didn’t think it would last this long.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your break.”

Ashlyn chuckled and added,

“Actually, I had a bet with Chairman Ardo. And I won, as you can see.”

“What bet?”

“It was about how many days it would take for Lee to start working again.”

“But this is just doodling.”

Jae-seung tilted his head slightly in protest, but Ashlyn nodded a few times and replied,

“True. But the public is enthusiastic about Lee’s doodles, and isn’t producing those doodles Lee’s main job?”

“Still, I’m holding back from calling Korea to handle business. I hope you appreciate that.”

“Lee, I know it’s hard, but why don’t you put it down a little? It’s a great resort, and who knows when you’ll get to come back? You’ll have plenty of work to do after the vacation anyway.”

Jae-seung replied, “I guess so,” and tossed the pen he was holding onto the table. Then, he got up and stretched.

The pen rolled and stopped precariously at the edge of the table.

For a moment, Jae-seung stared blankly at the sea gently rippling beyond the glass wall, and then, as if possessed, he opened his mouth with a dazed expression.

“It would be great if I could vacation in a place like this every year, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course, it would.”

“I don’t think I can help it.”

“Huh? What?”

“I have to buy one too.”

“What? Don’t tell me…?”

Jae-seung smiled and picked up his smartphone, then started making a call.

He was calling the representative from ‘Leader Smith,’ the company that manages his assets and handles complicated matters like taxes.

How long had it been? A somewhat exaggerated voice began to be heard from the receiver.

“– Lee, it’s been a while! I heard you went on vacation?”

“News travels fast.”

“– Of course. It’s information related to our VIP client.”

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Throughout Jae-seung’s conversation with the representative, ‘Paulo,’ in a calm tone, Ashlyn could only stare intently at Jae-seung with a hopeful heart.

“I want to buy an island, but it seems too much for me to handle alone. The location doesn’t matter much, but I’d prefer it to be near the Caribbean.”

Ashlyn muttered, “Oh my god,” and Paulo’s serious voice began to be heard from the receiver.

“– Hmm, that’s not a difficult task.”

“Is that so?”

Paulo said softly, “Well…,” and added in a smooth tone,

“– It’s about spending money, after all. It’s not as difficult as making money, at least.”

“That’s a relief.”

“– If you could organize the detailed conditions, it would be easier to process.”

“For example?”

“– Could you set simple conditions such as location and size?”

It was a somewhat absurd request, but Paulo never questioned its truth.

He knew Jae-seung’s financial situation and flow better than Jae-seung himself.

As it was a request from a VIP client with sufficient wealth to purchase it, he only began to think about how to process it more quickly and smoothly.

Soon, Jae-seung began to explain the desired conditions in a short period of about one minute.

“It would be nice to have a place full of oleander and eucalyptus scents. If possible, it should be near the Caribbean. It would be nice to have a great view. There may be times when I need to accommodate a large number of people, so it would be nice if it wasn’t too cramped. And so on….”

“– That seems sufficient. All right. I will organize and send you an email as soon as I find suitable properties.”

Jae-seung ended the call with the word “Thank you,” and Ashlyn frowned and asked carefully.

“Wait, wait a minute. I can’t believe it. Is the story already over?”

“Yeah. Maybe from next year, we can vacation on ‘our island.'”

“You’re really crazy….”

“What? In my experience, this kind of big spending never ends if you hesitate. It’s best to deal with it as quickly as possible when you think of it.”

“That makes sense, but I think you have more specific conversations when you’re looking for a short-term contract apartment in Manhattan, right?”

After speaking, Ashlyn shook her head several times.

It’s not a toy or other daily necessities, but an ‘island.’ Even if you just want to have it, it was clear that it was not an item that you could decide to buy right away.

As he was a designer on a successful path, she was convinced that he had wealth that ordinary people could not dream of.

However, because of the cool [carefree] shopping she had just glimpsed, she couldn’t even imagine the specific numbers.

‘How on earth….’

Unlike Ashlyn, who had a serious face, Jae-seung was just wearing a fresh and bright smile like a teenager.

“Next year’s vacation will be more fun, right?”

He had enjoyed luxurious vacations several times.

He had traveled through beautiful cities that everyone wants to visit, and he had spent several days in famous hotels where one night’s accommodation costs several months’ salary for office workers.

He had experienced blissful meals at restaurants such as Ivy or L’Avenue, a few steps away from celebrities such as ‘Tom Cruise’ and ‘Will Smith,’ and he had enjoyed hundreds of millions of won [hundreds of thousands of US dollars] worth of entertainment in one night with famous celebrities.

But, well?

He was convinced that it couldn’t even be compared to the vacation here.

A time to relax and show his true self without being conscious of his words or actions.

The sense of liberation that he could take off the mask of a celebrity was close to perfect, and even more so because it was full of scenery and romance.

Jae-seung’s head was just full of the thought of enjoying this perfect rest with his loved ones.

Family, friends, and even colleagues….

Soon, Jae-seung stared at the pen he had put down for a long time, and then asked as carefully as possible in a slightly trembling voice.

“Ashlyn, I don’t know if it’s because I’m about to make a big expense, but….”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Jae-seung replied in a bright tone, picked up his fountain pen again, and began to hum and sketch diagrams.

What could be more motivating than a big expense?

Unlike Jae-seung, who quickly regained his focus and was busy drawing diagrams, Ashlyn’s expression was just serious.

* * *

“This is where we part ways.”

Chairman Ardo said briefly, with a thick cigar in his mouth, and began to look at his ‘Boeing 747’ aircraft.

A similar-sized ‘Gulfstream’ aircraft was also parked not far away.

Chairman Ardo was scheduled to return to France on his plane, and Jae-seung and Ashlyn were scheduled to return to Korea on the Gulfstream, a private jet for guests.

As Chairman Ardo said, they had to say goodbye at this airfield.

“Will you give me a call when you arrive?”

“Of course. Thanks to you, I had a comfortable rest.”

“The pleasure was all mine.”

Chairman Ardo replied in a gentle tone, gave Ashlyn a light hug, and said.

“I sincerely wish you both happiness.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll leave first. Like you, I have a lot of work piled up thanks to the vacation.”

After speaking, Chairman Ardo began to board the Boeing 747 aircraft with a few escorts.

Soon, Chairman Ardo, who had climbed all the stairs, stopped in place for a moment and added a word in a meaningful tone.

“This year was our complete defeat, but next year? It won’t be easy to win glory.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Congratulations on another success. You’re recording amazing sales.”

Jae-seung bowed in response.

Thanks to the very successful end of Paris Fashion Week, he was just full of vague guesses that things were going well.

He had never looked at the sales figures or received related reports, so he couldn’t even guess the exact amount.

After Chairman Ardo disappeared, Jae-seung pointed to the Gulfstream aircraft with his chin and continued.

“Ashlyn, let’s get moving.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to go up first?”

“I will.”

After letting Ashlyn board first, Jae-seung took out the cigarette and smartphone he had put in his coat pocket.

After putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, he immediately pressed the screen of his smartphone and called Director Song, who was eagerly waiting for him.

Soon, just as the signal connection sound ended, Director Song’s voice was heard.

“Director, it’s me. I’m going back to Korea right now.”

Director Song replied, “That’s the best news I’ve heard,” and cleared his throat a few times before continuing carefully.

“– Really? Okay, then let’s finish the story we were going to tell before. If I didn’t dream it, surely marriage….”

“I’ll tell you about that when we meet. I think it’s better to deal with important things first, right?”

“– Honey. If you have a normal brain structure, wouldn’t you consider that issue to be the most important thing? What’s the important thing you’re thinking about?”

“I’d like you to gather a few smart employees and secure a few copies of each type of Wallflower imitation product that is currently on the market.”

Soon, Director Song muttered, “Huh?” and asked again.

“– I’ve felt this before, but why are you so obsessed with fakes? Are you really thinking of suing them as a group? It may be presumptuous to interfere, but let’s not be too harsh. After all, the level is not enough to affect sales….”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like that, so please do as I asked. I wish I could check it out as soon as I arrive in Korea.”

After receiving a confirmation from Director Song that said, “Okay, I understand,” he hung up the phone.

Why am I so obsessed with fakes?

It was because he wanted to show a bold move that no other brand has ever shown before.

Jae-seung smiled and immediately started walking towards the Gulfstream aircraft.

Was it because the time had come to return to the front lines? His heart was pounding.

He had rested enough, so it was time to start struggling again for greater glory. Jae-seung’s eyes sparkled with ambition.