Black Label [EN]: Chapter 262

Black Label Extra Story 13

After the release of 『Look, Rolls Royce, Lee, Win』, a diss track aimed at critics, topped the Billboard Hip-Hop chart, online forums buzzed:

[Wow, I knew they were close for a long time, but this is real support.]

└> [Yeah, what if Lee presents a terrible lineup, just like the critics predicted?]

└> [Looking at the interviews, it seems like he’s already checked out Wallflower’s clothes for this season?]

└> [So, did he really buy him a Rolls Royce? That’s a car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!]

└> [According to something I read before, Lee helped him a lot.]

└> [He supported him with ultra-expensive equipment, a studio, and even living expenses when he was unknown?]

└> [Wow, so friends succeeded in their respective fields like that? That’s an amazing story.]

└> [He received that much support, so he readily bought him a Rolls Royce. It seems like he can buy him anything.]

└> [Actually, if you look at the lyrics of his songs, there’s always a verse about Lee in every song, right?]

└> [Anyway, he released a song to support his friend and made it number one on the Billboard Hip-Hop chart.]

└> [Right, and the song is really amazing, isn’t it? It’s so addictive! Look, Rolls Royce, Lee, Win!]

Swish-.

Swish-.

Swish-.

Jae-seung swiped down the phone screen, checking the online reactions, and smiled.

“Amazing.”

He already realized that Yeong-guk had built a tremendous presence in the American mainstream music market.

“I didn’t know he would put a diss track aimed at critics at number one on the Billboard Hip-Hop chart….”

The ‘ripple effect’ created by Yeong-guk seemed to be far beyond what he had imagined.

Having received this much help, Jae-seung felt a strong desire to present an innovative new product lineup and impress everyone.

“I have to repay him.”

Of course, he couldn’t repay this favor with just the success of this season.

Click-.

Jae-seung started calling his dedicated tax accountant who managed his assets.

“It’s me.”

He immediately got to the point.

“I want to buy a ‘sports car’ that I can receive as soon as possible.”

The tax accountant asked back, seemingly puzzled.

– Lee, weren’t you originally not interested in cars?

“Yes, but I want to repay a gift I received recently.”

The dedicated tax accountant then understood the whole situation and briefly murmured, “Ah.”

– You’ve thought it through. Lee spends too little. I keep telling you that you need to pay more attention to spending than income, right?

“Yes, you did.”

– To create a fairly large fixed expenditure every month, I think a limited edition model of the Lamborghini Aventador would be good.

He fluently added an explanation.

– The Aventador Super Veloce Jota model would suit the person receiving the gift quite well. It’s also very tax-efficient.

The tax accountant, who fluently added an explanation that it was a very tax-efficient vehicle, continued to explain the car’s specifications.

‘Difficult.’

Jae-seung, who had little interest in cars, could only hear it as gibberish.

“Okay, I understand.”

He just wanted to repay the expensive car he received with an expensive car as well.

* * *

Several days had already passed since Yeong-guk’s song topped the Billboard Hip-Hop chart.

In the meantime.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Jae-seung had completed all sorts of preparations for this season.

He re-examined the clothing line and focused on producing the newly released handbag line.

He spent more than half of the day in front of the sewing machine to help the atelier’s [a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer] masters.

Thanks to this, the production of several premium handbags to be released this season was almost finished.

“I’m Lee, the owner designer of Wallflower.”

Today, he visited the Paris Fashion Week stage.

Paris Fashion Week is the last of the four major fashion weeks [New York, London, Milan, and Paris].

It could be seen as a formality that starts only after the New York, London, and Milan fashion weeks are all over.

“This way, please.”

The place Wallflower chose for this Fashion Week stage was a shabby abandoned factory building located on the outskirts of Paris.

“The space is spacious.”

It was definitely wide.

However….

That was all.

“What kind of stage are you planning?”

The stages of the shows that Lee had prepared so far had all been highly praised for their production.

For example.

Through flash mob performances that seemed to have stopped time, or through productions using the sunset at Diom’s birthplace.

A groundbreaking show had to be presented.

Jae-seung immediately looked around the spacious abandoned factory building.

‘This is a big canvas.’

Now that he had the basis for drawing a picture in his hand, he had to come up with a plan.

What should he draw?

If he couldn’t present an extraordinary show, he would surely get a lukewarm response.

He couldn’t just do as much as others.

He had to show a show that was several times better than others because he had already shown something.

“There are no competitors.”

It was a sudden thought.

There are no competitors now.

The only competitor left is….

“I have to beat the past me.”

It was no exaggeration to say that he had to surpass the performances and skills that he had shown to the world before his retirement.

“Shall we draw?”

Jae-seung took out the notebook and pen he had brought and immediately started writing something on it.

The starting point is a blank sheet.

Didn’t the things he created that could be called miracles all start on a blank sheet?

Point, line, surface.

In his imagination, he installed a runway stage on one side of the spacious abandoned factory.

Wasn’t this season’s concept ‘beauty melting into nature’?

He repeatedly pondered and pondered how to incorporate various materials.

“Good.”

Jae-seung’s hands moved faster.

Like that….

He stayed in his seat until the sun went down.

Rustle, rustle-.

He just planned and planned.

* * *

An unbelievable rumor was circulating within the Wallflower brand house atelier.

“I saw it, I tell you.”

It was a rumor about Lee, who could be said to be the brand’s owner designer.

“His sewing skills are top-notch, I tell you.”

This situation was because most of the masters who had been working as masters before Jae-seung’s retirement had retired from the front lines and were distributed to various branches.

That was the reason why only rumors about Lee’s sewing skills remained.

“No matter how good the owner designer’s sewing is, it can’t be compared to us who have been eating thread all our lives [a Korean expression meaning ‘doing this for a very long time’].”

When a gray-haired master said that, another person shook his head and replied.

“Oh, come on, he sews like a possessed person, I tell you? I think it’s safe to say that he’s at least a master with decades of experience.”

The person who was passionately talking about Jae-seung’s sewing skills was the one who actually witnessed Jae-seung’s sewing process while working overtime a few days ago.

“There were only a few pieces of leather on the table, and the frame was all set up in just a few hours, I tell you?”

“It takes me, who has been eating thread all my life, several days to set up the frame, do you want me to believe that?”

It was then.

Creak-.

The door of the atelier opened and Jae-seung entered.

“Hello?”

The place became silent.

“I’m just here to work, so don’t mind me. Can everyone continue with what they were doing?”

After speaking, Jae-seung immediately took one of the empty seats in the atelier and began testing whether the sewing machine was working.

Then….

He immediately picked up the frame of the product he was making and brought some subsidiary materials.

“Okay, watch carefully.”

The master who had been passionately talking about Jae-seung’s sewing skills earlier declared to everyone and licked his lower lip once.

“What’s wrong?”

At that time, Jae-seung, conscious of everyone’s attention, looked around at the masters and asked back, and one master replied.

“No, this friend is praising the owner designer’s sewing skills so much.”

“Ah….”

“If it’s not rude, can we watch for a while? We’ll take a break at the same time.”

Jae-seung nodded and replied.

“Of course, as much as you want.”

Then, he lightly placed his foot on the pedal of the sewing machine.

“Of course, compared to the masters, my skills are embarrassing, so I don’t know if it’s worth watching.”

After speaking, Jae-seung immediately started sewing….

Drrrrrrrrrrr!

Everyone held their breath and began to watch the process.

When he was living his life before the regression, he spent his whole life in front of the sewing machine.

Drrrrrrrrrrr!

It was to make imitations that looked more genuine than the real thing.

He tried hard.

He never did anything carelessly, so he was evaluated as the pinnacle of the underworld.

“What a waste of talent….”

In fact, there were many cases where he supplemented the shortcomings of genuine handbags through techniques he directly improved in the process.

Tudududududu!

He created products that were indistinguishable to anyone through not only simple machines but also extremely delicate handwork.

Tak-.

Jae-seung, who took his foot off the sewing machine pedal, picked up the needle and thread….

He started working on the outskirts that could not be sewn by machine.

Just as the strong can gauge each other’s capabilities by looking at their standing posture.

Those who have been eating thread for a long time know just by looking at the posture of holding their hands.

“Perfect….”

Jae-seung’s posture was perfect….

“It’s really amazing….”

The skill and speed of continuing to sew also seemed as skillful as any master.

In fact….

The reputation of Jae-seung in the atelier was inevitably not very good.

This was because he had been constantly giving unreasonable deadlines and forcing unreasonable work.

“I just thought he was giving impossible schedules….”

They began to think that if he proceeded at that speed, there might be time left over.

It could be said that the physicality of most of the masters had decreased a lot due to aging.

The eyes became dim, and the hands became noticeably slower than when they were younger.

However, they had an amount of experience and skill that could not be compared to anyone else….

Jae-seung had everything.

Not only the skill from experience, but also the physicality including the unstoppable working speed.

It could be said that all of this was a benefit from his previous life of making and selling imitations.

“Huff.”

Jae-seung, who had been immersed in sewing for a full hour without changing his posture, took a long breath….

“Let’s work….”

The masters also returned to their seats one by one.

They had wasted a lot of time watching as if possessed.

In fact, their motivation had been hitting the bottom lately.

This was because unreasonable tasks were constantly being added.

However….

After watching Jae-seung’s sewing skills, they became enthusiastic.

“We have to work to meet the deadline.”

“Then….”

“We can complete it if we do this.”

They were convinced that if Jae-seung helped, they would be able to complete all the tasks within the deadline.

Tududududu-!

The sound of sewing machines echoed late into the workshop.

Like that….

Paris Fashion Week was just around the corner.