Black Label [EN]: Chapter 228

Black Label 227

228. A New Goal

Among those gathered in the room, weren’t more than half practically ticking time bombs?

And yet, what was it?

The ticking sound, usually so familiar, felt unusually sharp and piercing today.

Soon.

The watch tycoons, having made their decisions, began to voice their intentions one by one.

* * *

“Wow, this is beyond my expectations.”

Jaeseung muttered quietly, then began to survey the spacious room.

From this moment on, this would be his workspace.

The space Jaeseung was diligently examining was none other than the president’s office in the new headquarters.

“Well, the staff suffered a bit while the president was away in Switzerland.”

At Director Song’s words, Jaeseung nodded in agreement.

Black and white.

A modern interior space decorated with a simple combination of the two colors.

The floor was covered with an elegant carpet, and beyond the wide window, the complex cityscape of Cheongdam-dong [a wealthy neighborhood in Seoul] unfolded at a glance.

Soon, Jaeseung, as if he were a child receiving a toy, wore a beaming smile and began to examine every corner of the interior even more diligently.

He ran his hand over the wide executive desk, which seemed to be made of dark brown wood.

On the desk were a globe, a nameplate, a PC and peripherals, and even a high-end tablet used for design work.

Jaeseung turned his head and looked at Director Song, saying,

“Everything is great, but I think I like the study the most.”

“Who do you think I am? I know you better than you know yourself, so of course I prepared everything meticulously.”

Various kinds of books were neatly arranged on the bookshelf that filled one wall.

Magazines that Jaeseung usually enjoyed reading or that were widely known. Books written by famous designers or textbooks from various fashion schools. Even concept books by artists from other fields.

Since all the things he enjoyed seeing were there, he even felt like coming to the president’s office during his vacation to rummage through the study.

Soon, Jaeseung naturally took a seat in front of his executive desk, and Director Song sat down on a sofa a little distance away and asked.

“Anyway, you like the new president’s office, right?”

“Of course, I do.”

He felt like the walls were a little empty, but he could fill them in little by little.

He was thinking of setting up shelves and displaying the awards he had received.

He planned to fill the remaining empty space with framed photos of glorious moments.

Soon, Director Song gently stroked his chin and carefully asked again.

“That’s a relief. By the way, how did the Swiss schedule go?”

“Of course. It was as enjoyable as a vacation.”

After speaking, Jaeseung unconsciously began to chuckle.

It was because the faces of the watch tycoons, who were pale and watching him carefully, came to mind again.

“What was so enjoyable? Tell me about it.”

“The Swiss watch tycoons will promote Wall Flower watches for the next two years.”

“Promote? In what way?”

“In the same way as Chairman Ardo. Of course, they won’t be as actively involved in promotion as Chairman Ardo.”

Soon, Director Song’s eyes widened instantly.

“What? Wait a minute. I didn’t misunderstand, did I?”

Jaeseung replied bluntly, “I probably didn’t,” and Director Song let out a hollow laugh and asked again.

“No, it doesn’t make sense logically. Why would they? What kind of magic did you work this time?”

“It was more like ‘intimidation’ than ‘magic’.”

Jaeseung replied briefly and began to reveal the details.

The moment the content of the proposal Jaeseung had given them came out, Director Song narrowed his brow and asked back in a testy tone.

“What? Then what are you going to do in two years? Are you really going to hand over the license?”

“I have to.”

“You have to calculate the potential losses first! It’s not like we have to see all the results in just a year or two. Why would you do that….”

Soon, Jaeseung shook his head and replied.

“I guarantee that if you hold onto it to save it, it’s just going to be a piece of crap.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Director, please tell me just one car brand that you think is the safest.”

Although the topic suddenly changed, Director Song answered without hesitation, as if he were used to Jaeseung’s way of speaking.

“Well? These days, all cars are good, but if I had to pick one, it would be ‘Volvo’.”

“Bingo-.”

After speaking, Jaeseung jumped up from his seat and continued to speak.

“Why has Volvo become synonymous with safety? Is it because it gets the highest score in the current safety tests every time?”

“It’s probably thanks to the ‘seat belt’. Volvo was the first to develop the three-point seat belt….”

“Yes, that’s right. In addition, Volvo developed the side airbag, the pedestrian airbag, and even the draft of the car seat ISOFIX [International Standards Organisation FIX].”

Director Song, who seemed interested, asked back, “Really?” and then tilted his head and asked again.

“By the way, why Volvo?”

“It’s simple.”

Jaeseung replied briefly and stared at Director Song, adding the last words.

“Is Volvo monopolizing those technologies?”

“No, it’s not. All modern cars have three-point seat belts….”

Director Song trailed off and took a long breath before speaking again.

“But this is a little different. The manufacturing method is the same as the brand’s identity, right?”

“In about eight years, everyone will dig into our technology, improve it, put a plausible name on it, and start using it. Can we secure the image of ‘the best watch’ in that time?”

It was a point that he couldn’t dare to assert. Director Song seemed to know that fact as well, and he just kept silent.

“But, what if the world’s top ten watch tycoons wear our watches?”

“Yes. I know what you mean. The story will be a little different. It will be like becoming a watch chosen by the people who make the most expensive and best watches in the world….”

Soon, Director Song had a troubled expression and fell into deep thought.

It was to find the root of the emotion he was feeling.

Despite the fact that Jaeseung’s choice was quite plausible, why did it feel so unreasonable?

‘It must be because I’m not used to it….’

There is not a single brand that has carried out this kind of marketing. Isn’t that fact the root of the uneasy feeling?

When his thoughts reached that point, Jaeseung added in a confident tone.

“It’s not just once or twice, it’s two years. If they wear it every time a sequel is released for two years, the image of ‘the best watch’ will naturally become ours.”

“Well….”

“So, I think we should start preparing for the next hit.”

Soon, Director Song raised an eyebrow and asked back.

“Hey, President. Let me go home, too. The watch line isn’t even finished yet, and you’re already throwing work at me….”

“Didn’t you say that you’re paying a lot of money to use me anyway, so don’t worry and roll me as much as you want?”

“That was then. People’s thoughts change several times from morning to night.”

Jaeseung shook his head a few times as if he couldn’t win, and Director Song carefully asked.

“So, what’s the name of this project?”

“Wall Flower Life.”

Jaeseung replied briefly, gave a bitter smile, and added.

“I think it would be good to prepare to completely penetrate the daily lives of the public.”

“For example?”

“Glasses, fountain pens, handkerchiefs, cushion covers, bedspreads, carpets, and other things….”

It was a project with content that some premium brands were already pursuing.

This was also a good way to further solidify the loyalty of the ‘mania layer’ [core fan base] that is deeply immersed in the brand itself.

It’s not just a matter of hiring a few product designers to create a few things, like when Kwon Jihoon’s music video was being filmed.

In a way, it was a project of such a large scale that it could be compared to the large-scale projects that have been carried out so far.

Director Song, who let out a deep sigh, replied in a gentle tone.

“It won’t be easy, but it seems like it will be a really fun job.”

Jaeseung, who was looking at Director Song, smiled.

He only complains every day, but when you look at the reality, he is a true ‘workaholic’.

“Please take good care of me.”

“Okay.”

* * *

It seemed that Director Song was not the only one who received the ‘work bomb’ prepared by Jaeseung.

“Do you like the new headquarters?”

At Jaeseung’s question, several designers smiled and answered.

“The workspace is perfect, but I really like the rest facilities.”

“President, have you tried eating at the employee cafeteria? It’s really delicious.”

The first thing he considered when considering moving the office was ’employee welfare’.

He tried to create the feeling of a workplace where he wanted to go to work every day, and he spent a considerable amount of money.

If he collected the opinions of the employees, it seemed that the results were not bad.

Soon, Jaeseung nodded and stood in front of the whiteboard in front of the conference room and continued.

“Okay, let’s start the first design meeting at the new headquarters.”

First of all, the overall wood board creation [mood board] was completed in the design meeting process that had been repeated several times.

Based on the accurate DB [database] and Jaeseung’s past memories, he had finished the work of identifying the materials, silhouettes, and patterns that would be popular this season.

Of course, there is no guarantee that it is the correct answer, but since the wood board creation is complete, there is no absolute withdrawal.

From this point on, it could be said that everyone starts designing according to the contents of the completed wood board.

“As I mentioned in the previous meeting, this season will be a season to further solidify the brand’s identity.”

For example, a season to define what ‘Wall Flower-like’, ‘Wall Flower-esque’, or ‘Wall Flower-down’ feels like.

He had great success at the first Paris Fashion Week.

In order to maintain this success for a long time and lead the current glory, it was necessary to perfectly define the brand’s identity.

It is an undisputed argument that a deeply rooted tree does not shake easily.

Just as all the design team employees were listening to Jaeseung, Jaeseung lightly tapped the whiteboard and said.

“But we won’t be pouring out as many species or as much quantity of products as last time.”

Soon, joy and sorrow crossed the faces of the design team employees. The current reaction is unlikely to cool down easily.

Even if they only showed clothes that were no different from rags for several seasons, they had achieved such a solid success that he thought the heat would not go away at once.

In fact, now, even if he had to reduce his sleep, he had to produce as many species of products as possible, even if it was only one more piece.

In such a situation, they could not easily understand the words that the number of products and the quantity to be released in the next season would be reduced.

As the design team employees looked at Jaeseung with dark expressions,

“We will be holding one more collection between this season and the next season.”

“So, you’re saying that you’re going to release products three times a year instead of two times, F/W [Fall/Winter] and S/S [Spring/Summer]?”

“Yes. That’s right. And the name of the collection that will go in between those two seasons is….”

Soon, Jaeseung opened the cap of the marker pen he was holding and began to write on the whiteboard in elegant handwriting.

Squeak, squeak, squeak-.

Soon, Jaeseung, who was standing halfway covering the whiteboard, moved slightly, and the writing on it was fully revealed.

– ‘Wall Flower Black Label Edition’.