Black Label [EN]: Chapter 219

Tick, tock—.

Over the past few days, I’d been living a hectic life, feeling like the sound of a clock was relentlessly chasing me.

Perhaps because I was catching short naps every day, the fatigue showed no signs of dissipating, and the piled-up work didn’t seem to be decreasing at all.

Maybe I’ve become quite accustomed to this routine now, as it doesn’t feel entirely difficult anymore.

I started to tackle the tasks piled up in front of me one by one.

As I silently processed the urgent matters at hand, many of the seemingly unsolvable issues actually resolved themselves.

First, if I were to highlight one of the biggest developments….

“This is incredible.”

Jaeseung gripped the steering wheel, his eyes glued to the watch on his wrist.

It was the first product sample of the Wall Flower watch line, recently produced by Swiss manufacturers in collaboration with Meister [Master Craftsman] Park Jin-man and his team.

The quality of the product?

It was so perfect that it defied description.

Jaeseung, Director Song, the design team staff, and the manufacturers were all extremely satisfied.

According to the manufacturers, it was produced using a method completely differentiated from existing watch brands.

It was equipped with an advanced mechanical movement system that far surpassed those of Swiss-made watches.

How did they come up with and develop such an innovative system? The answer is almost absurdly simple.

They succeeded in perfectly copying the structure of the Wall Flower watch that I had when I returned to the past.

Although they couldn’t uncover the underlying principle or theory, they succeeded in recreating it quite plausibly just by replicating the structure.

‘Is this it?’

The emergency stop lights of Director Song’s luxury SUV, which was driving directly in front of Jaeseung’s car, started flashing.

Soon, Jaeseung also reduced his speed and parked his car along the Cheongdam-dong boulevard, following Director Song.

After grabbing the coat he had casually tossed onto the passenger seat, he got out of the car. Director Song, who had already exited his vehicle, approached him and asked in a low voice.

“How is it? Still, this place seems quite usable, right?”

Director Song’s gaze was directed towards the upper floors of the eight-story building towering in front of them.

Perhaps this would become Wall Flower’s headquarters.

“Is this the one? Just looking at the exterior, it seems to be the best of the properties I’ve seen recently….”

For the past few days, the two had been traveling all over Seoul with the single-minded determination to find a suitable headquarters location.

They had looked at a total of fourteen buildings, but they were having a hard time finding a place that felt like ‘this is it!’

Soon, Director Song, who was standing there with a serious expression, stroked his chin and added his opinion in a low voice.

“Let’s take a look inside first. I thought the interior was pretty good, but in the end, it has to be to your liking.”

Not long after Director Song made a phone call, a middle-aged man in a neat suit bustled out and greeted the two with great enthusiasm.

He was none other than the real estate agent who had been helping them scout locations.

“You’ve arrived. Let’s take a look at the inside of the building first. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied this time.”

“I hope so, but as you know, our CEO has very high standards.”

The real estate agent laughed heartily at Director Song’s words and patted his chest, making a confident promise.

“I’m really sure this time. It’s been about five years since the building was completed, so it’s a bit old to call it new, but if you only look at the visible parts, it’s in excellent condition. Moreover, once the insurance company currently occupying the building leaves, Wall Flower will be the second major tenant.”

Soon, the two listened to the real estate agent’s explanation and entered the lobby of the 8-story building.

It was crowded with visitors and employees because the insurance company that had been occupying it hadn’t yet moved out.

The three began to carefully check various parts of the building.

About two hours passed.

The three people, who had reached the rooftop of the building, took out cigarettes and lit them simultaneously, as if they had made an appointment.

Perhaps because they had been constantly walking around and thoroughly examining the entire 8-story building, all three of them looked exhausted.

Soon, Director Song massaged the back of his neck and carefully asked.

“Hey, how is it? Do you like this place?”

Jaeseung nodded his head lightly a few times in response to Director Song’s question, whose complexion had noticeably deteriorated in the past few hours, and replied.

“Yes. It’s good. I don’t see any problems, the location is good, and the price range is just right.”

“Really? I’m a little disappointed with the size of the building. I think it’s too big for only about a hundred employees to use.”

“I think this size is just right. I want to increase the number of employees in each department by about three times over time. In particular, I think we need to strengthen the CS [Customer Service] department and create an offline store management department.”

“Well, in the end, your decision is the most important, so think carefully and let me know after you’ve made a decision.”

“I don’t think we need to drag it out unnecessarily. I think we can sign the contract right away and proceed with the procedures.”

Joy and sorrow crossed paths at Jaeseung’s words. The real estate agent looked delighted, and Director Song seemed unable to hide his surprise.

“Are you deciding too hastily? Why don’t you take some more time and look around slowly?”

“If we hesitate and miss this property, we’ll have to wander around for a long time. Moreover, we need to do some interior work on the building, and some parts will require fairly large-scale construction. After all the troublesome things are done, we’ll have to move. This week is the deadline to proceed without disrupting our work.”

“You’re right. Considering the back-end schedules, it’s much better to finish as soon as possible….”

Director Song, who was about to continue speaking, smiled and said to the real estate agent.

“I think he’s already made up his mind. Let’s proceed according to the procedure. Whether it’s God or Buddha, no one can change our CEO’s mind once he’s set on something.”

While the real estate agent was excitedly rattling off various explanations, Jaeseung was only focused on looking at the city of Seoul below.

“The air is good.”

Starting from an office of about ten *pyeong* [approximately 33 square meters], they reached one floor of a large office building in Madu Station.

And now, they have succeeded in planting a flag on the top of an 8-story building in Cheongdam-dong, which is considered a prime location in Seoul.

Both the first office and the current office have rooftops. But this rooftop feels different.

What should I say?

It’s like a place where the fresh, incredibly refreshing air makes you feel a sweet taste in your breath.

Soon, Jaeseung looked up at the sky and reached out his hand.

You can call it pathetic arrogance or childish pride.

But at this moment, I had the funny thought that if I stretched out my hand, I might be able to touch the sky.

This is the place. A place where I will dream bigger dreams.

Now that the headquarters relocation issue is over, the next is….

* * *

While Director Song was handling the real estate contract, Jaeseung drove to a nearby hotel.

If you take the employee-only elevator in the parking lot, it leads to the special room floor, where only hotel VIPs are allowed.

This special room was frequently selected as a meeting place for various important figures.

Jaeseung was planning to tackle all the piled-up interviews at once in a room on the special room floor of this hotel.

As soon as he entered the room, the foreign reporter and photographers who were waiting for him greeted Jaeseung politely.

“Lee, nice to meet you.”

They were members of the coverage team from the famous American magazine ‘Time’.

They had traveled all the way to Korea solely to interview Jaeseung.

Jaeseung started the interview right away without even looking at the cue sheet.

Perhaps because he had become quite accustomed to this kind of interview, Jaeseung fluently answered the given questions like a fish in water.

“Anyway, Wall Flower has no intention of imposing sanctions on the act of producing and distributing imitations of its products.”

When the reporter sitting in front of him asked, “Why?” Jaeseung smiled confidently and replied.

“Because I have the conviction and pride that the quality of our products can never be imitated. I guarantee that the most they can do is imitate the appearance of the genuine product.”

“That’s great confidence. But what if an imitation that is exactly the same is released? Like some French brands that are suffering from imitations.”

It seemed like he was specifically mentioning brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel, whose counterfeit quality had become excessively high due to the high demand for imitations.

Soon, Jaeseung replied, “That’s a good question,” and continued to speak.

“Then I will find the manufacturer who made the imitation and recruit them as a *Meister* [Master Craftsman] at Wall Flower. I’m not confident that they will pass the official recruitment process, but if you are confident in your skills, I think it would be a good idea to try to join the company in that way.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. Although I cannot reveal their identities, I have already recruited several manufacturers who have produced high-quality imitations as employees of my company.”

“That’s a surprisingly bold operating method.”

Judging from the reporter’s positive reaction, it seemed that quite favorable articles would be published.

Soon, the reporter exclaimed, “Ah!” and asked again.

“I was missing the most important question. Come to think of it, I heard that Wall Flower is currently preparing to establish a ‘watch line’.”

He was missing the most important question?

He must have been saving it.

The question he just asked was the real reason why they had traveled all the way to Korea.

I leaked information related to this watch line through ‘Paris Vogue’, and as soon as the rumors spread, the interview requests that had been quiet began to flood in again.

Soon, Jaeseung clasped his hands together and continued to speak in a serious tone.

“Yes. That’s right. It’s almost in the final stages now. If things go smoothly, I think we’ll be able to showcase some of the initial products along with the next season’s clothing products.”

“However, there are many concerns that you are expanding the product range too hastily. I would like to ask Lee what you think about this reaction.”

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have started it in the first place. Furthermore, I would like to remind you once again that all the concerns that have been directed towards me and my brand Wall Flower have been nothing more than unfounded fears. Can I give you the rest of the answer with the product?”

“Of course. Thank you for your kind words.”

With the interview with Time, foreign press reporters entered the special room in order.

Similar interviews were repeated a dozen times. Soon, Jaeseung left the hotel and started making a phone call.

A good product has been completed, and sequels are scheduled to be released one after another, right? He decided that it was time to focus on marketing.

– Yes, I was waiting for your call. Do you have something important to say?

“Yes. Chairman.”

The person on the phone was none other than Chairman Ardo. Soon, Jaeseung replied briefly and got into his car, which was parked in front of the hotel entrance, and continued to speak.

“I was wondering if I could make a suggestion.”

– Tell me.

“I would like you to arrange a meeting with the chairmen of Swiss-made luxury watch brand groups.”

– I think you said it was a suggestion, not a request?

“Yes. It’s a suggestion, not a request.”