Black Label [EN]: Chapter 234

234. Puzzle (2)

As they exited the group headquarters building, Chairman Ardo slipped his hands into his coat pockets and said in a gentle tone,

“The weather is quite nice. The destination isn’t too far, so how about we walk? Would that be alright with you?”

Jaeseung replied, “Of course, that would be great,” and Chairman Ardo, with a faint smile on his lips, began to walk ahead.

As they walked through the city, Jaeseung was suddenly reminded of the first time he had set foot in Paris.

What had once felt so foreign and awkward now felt quite familiar. It was truly a strange thing.

Jaeseung was lost in deep thought as he continued to walk, when Chairman Ardo gently rubbed the bridge of his nose and quietly spoke,

“We’re almost there.”

Soon after, Chairman Ardo stopped in front of a rather shabby-looking building and said again,

“Here it is. Let’s go in.”

Jaeseung began to examine the building with a blank expression.

*What should I say?* It felt strongly like a place that didn’t suit Chairman Ardo at all.

This building, to put it nicely, had a strong antique feel; to put it bluntly, it was quite old.

It felt like a French version of the underground studio in Dongdaemun [a district in Seoul known for its wholesale and retail markets] where he had lived just before his regression.

Without knowing for sure, it was clear that at least 30 years had passed since its completion.

As Jaeseung was looking at the building, Chairman Ardo began to descend the stairs, which were dimly lit by a rather dull light.

Jaeseung also grabbed the handrail and carefully followed behind him, step by step.

Soon, Chairman Ardo, who had reached the basement floor first, opened the tightly closed door.

A neatly dressed, elderly bartender standing behind the bar greeted Chairman Ardo warmly.

“Chairman, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, how have you been?”

“I’m doing well, thanks to you, Chairman.”

The elderly bartender, after glancing sideways at Jaeseung, added,

“You’ve brought a guest with you. Would you mind waiting a moment? I’ll prepare things as quickly as possible.”

Chairman Ardo nodded once in response and naturally took a seat at the bar.

He then took off his coat and muffler, draped them over an empty chair and the backrest, and began to roll up his sleeves, opening his mouth to speak.

“It’s a quiet and nice place. It also has a history of over half a century.”

“Hmm, do you have a deep connection to this place?”

Chairman Ardo filled his rocks glass with ice and replied,

“Indeed. It’s a place I’ve often visited since I first settled in Paris with the idea of cashing out all the real estate my father left me and jumping into the fashion business.”

Chairman Ardo’s eyes began to gleam.

He seemed to be reminiscing about his younger days, which were a long time ago.

Chairman Ardo smiled and added, looking at Jaeseung,

“Whenever I faced seemingly insurmountable difficulties, I would break down here. It’s a place that holds all the hardships of my youth.”

“By the way, is this place usually open for business?”

In response to Jaeseung’s question, the elderly bartender set a few bottles of liquor and some cheese slices on the bar and replied in a gentle tone,

“We open every day, but as you can see, we don’t have many customers. It doesn’t really appeal to young people these days, and it’s a difficult place to find unless you know about it.”

“I see.”

“Still, thanks to the Chairman’s support, I’m living a happy life, detached from numbers.”

Jaeseung looked at Chairman Ardo, as if questioning the meaning of his words.

“One day, this fellow suddenly said he was going to close the bar. But I couldn’t let a place filled with so many memories disappear. So I bought the building itself and hired him as a manager.”

“Hmm, to put it simply, it’s a ‘rather expensive time capsule’.”

Chairman Ardo let out a hearty laugh and replied, “That’s right, exactly.”

As the drinking session seemed about to begin, the bartender smiled contentedly and said,

“Chairman, would it be alright if I left for a while?”

It seemed he was offering to leave to give them some privacy.

Chairman Ardo nodded once and replied in an infinitely kind tone,

“Thank you.”

After the elderly bartender put on his coat and left the bar, Chairman Ardo spoke again.

“When I first met this fellow, he was about the same age as you are now. Come to think of it, his spirit of challenge was also remarkable. He was from a farming family in the south, and he came to Paris to open a bar with the money he had scraped together.”

“Hmm, so you’ve known each other for at least 30 years.”

“Yes. He’s a friend who knows all the failures and shameful things I’ve experienced in my life. Instead of a priest at a church, I used to confess to him.”

They emptied several glasses of alcohol, using various stories as appetizers.

Most of them were about Chairman Ardo’s own ‘failures’ and ‘overcoming’ them in his youth.

It was quite an interesting time. *What should I say?* It felt like listening to war stories at a drinking party with a hero who saved the world.

He had never expected that the man now called the emperor of the fashion world had faced so many crises and trials.

Eventually, after telling his war stories for a long time, Chairman Ardo said, “I must be getting old, seeing how much I enjoy rambling about the past without noticing.”

Jaeseung waved his hand and replied,

“No, it was really interesting.”

“I’m grateful that you say so.”

After finishing his words, Chairman Ardo carefully opened his mouth, fiddling with his glass.

“About the ‘gift’ I mentioned earlier…”

As Chairman Ardo seemed to be getting to the point, Jaeseung began to stare at him intently.

“I want to give you a building in downtown Paris.”

Not just renting a building under favorable conditions, but giving it as a gift?

It was an unprecedentedly shocking statement that made the listener doubt their ears.

Jaeseung frowned slightly and asked, “Excuse me…?” Chairman Ardo continued in a soft tone.

“Don’t feel burdened. Have you ever calculated the profits the group will make thanks to the ‘exclusive distribution rights for the Wall Flower watch products’ you gave us?”

“No, not yet…”

“Compared to the expected profits calculated by the group, it’s just a small token of appreciation. Of course, if the collaboration partner wasn’t you, we would have ended it thinking it was just a successful business.”

As Jaeseung was unable to choose his next words and had a blank expression, Chairman Ardo drove in the wedge by saying, “I’ve already made up my mind and made a decision, so I hope you’ll accept it for the sake of my sincerity.”

A building in downtown Paris, at a level that would be perfect as a brand house.

It was something he needed and something he was having trouble preparing.

The reason why it’s difficult to buy a building in Paris, especially in an area densely populated with famous fashion brands, is not just because of the ‘price’.

If it was a problem that could be solved with money, he would have somehow finished it a long time ago.

The flow of properties itself is almost non-existent.

Moreover, it’s even harder to find a building that can be used as a brand house with just a little bit of renovation.

Chairman Ardo added a brief explanation.

“It’s only a few minutes’ walk from the Louis Vuitton store. Originally, it was a place we had left unused with the intention of using it as a brand house for a brand we would acquire later.”

Jaeseung unknowingly let out an exclamation, “Huh….”

If it was located near the Louis Vuitton store, it was an area densely populated with brand houses of famous fashion brands.

It was exactly the area he had hoped to move into.

Moreover, if it was a building that was planned to be a brand house for a brand belonging to the LVMH Group [Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, a French multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods], there would be no need to worry about the building itself.

As Jaeseung expressed his gratitude again, Chairman Ardo shook his head and carefully spoke.

“I’ve been worried that I’m receiving too much in return for wearing a few good watches, including the jewelry partnership needed to create customized products, as well as exclusive distribution rights… It’s a good thing. Thanks to you, I’ve had the opportunity to repay you.”

After finishing his words, Chairman Ardo filled Jaeseung’s glass himself and spoke to Jaeseung, who still seemed to be hesitating.

“The public really likes to express you in connection with history. For example, adjectives such as the second Karl Lagerfeld, the second Dior, and the second Coco Chanel.”

“Those are all excessive adjectives for me.”

“No. You are just the first Lee. I dare to guarantee that everything you live, see, and do will be recorded in history. The generation is changing. You will be one of the maestros who stand at the center of it and command the mainstream market.”

After finishing his words, Chairman Ardo gave a deep smile and added.

“The brand house is a gift with my meticulous calculations, so please accept it comfortably. I just judged that this anecdote would have the potential to enhance the group’s value when you become the top commander of the mainstream market. It will definitely be great marketing that cannot be covered by the value of a decent building in Paris.”

Jaeseung replied, “Thank you,” and poured all the remaining alcohol in his glass into his mouth.

He was still in a state where he had not made a decision on the question of ‘Can I really accept it?’, but he said it because he thought that further refusal would be even more rude.

* * *

Without fully realizing that he had received a brand house as a gift, he had to spend hectic days.

The time he could spend with Ashlyn was only a few minutes a day.

It was because of the busy schedule of starting the day with Chairman Ardo around dawn and finishing the day only after midnight.

Together, they traveled all over France, touring department store brand branches with the most powerful money and repeatedly meeting with managers.

Was that all?

Every day, he had to review hundreds of pages of reports written by the planning team, and he had to move busily to seek advice from business figures who could be called close associates.

In that way, for nearly a week, he was swept up in work without even checking the actual building of the gifted brand house, and he had to be dragged around here and there.

And now.

Click.

An employee turned on the fluorescent light, indicating that the final presentation was over.

Inside the conference room, which had brightened up due to the fluorescent light, all the people involved in this ‘Wall Flower Watch Pre-sale Event’ were gathered.

Of course, Chairman Ardo was seated in the upper seat, and Jaeseung was seated right next to him.

The group’s staff were only busy watching the two of them, carefully controlling their breathing.

Eventually.

“It’s perfect.”

Jaeseung broke the silence that had settled in the hall with a bright tone.

The interface for each store implemented using 3D sketching program tools, the detailed event schedule and progress forecast, and even the list of VVIP-grade customers composed mainly of celebrities such as famous models, actors, film directors, and sports stars were all considered perfect.

Chairman Ardo nodded once, seemingly satisfied, and added in a nonchalant tone.

“I agree. Lee has also given the okay, so it seems like we can proceed as is.”

Only then did the staff let out a sigh of relief.

The preparation for the large-scale project that had been holding them back for several days was completed.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the event date to dawn and to pray that they would achieve good results on the day.

Jaeseung was also in the same state of being intoxicated with a sense of relief.

Chairman Ardo lightly patted Jaeseung on the shoulder and said,

“Finally, all the preparations are over. It will definitely be successful.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

In just two weeks, the ‘first sale’ of the Wall Flower watch will take place.

It was a situation where the results could not be asserted, but well?

At least, he didn’t feel even a speck of emotion similar to anxiety.

Chairman Ardo tilted his head slightly and asked back.

“Are you going back to Korea right away today?”

“No, I’m scheduled to leave tomorrow.”

After resting here for a day, it was his turn to tour various countries overseas to digest the awards ceremony schedule without even stopping by Korea.

Because all the awards ceremonies were already just around the corner.

“I see. Then how about we take a look at the building that will become the brand house today?”

“Today?”

“Yes. Anyway, you won’t be directly handling the related work, but you still need to know what kind of building it is. If it’s okay, it wouldn’t be bad to go with Ashlyn. With the intention of having dinner together if you have time.”

Jaeseung nodded once and replied, “That would be nice.”

Brand house….

He didn’t particularly show it, but his heart began to race like a locomotive because of the thought of checking the suddenly acquired historical site.

* * *

“We have arrived.”

At the driver’s words, Jaeseung took a deep breath.

He couldn’t see the outside properly because of the curtains covering the car window.

Thanks to that, the anticipation was even more amplified.

Soon, the moment Jaeseung got out of the vehicle.

“Damn it, it’s crazy….”

It was the word he unknowingly uttered, and it was the impression he had as soon as he checked the brand house that would become the base of Wall Flower in the future.