Black Label [EN]: Chapter 265

Black Label Extra Story 16

“It’s here.”

Jaeseung stopped in front of an abandoned factory.

On the outskirts of Paris….

A factory shut down due to environmental issues.

“You can enter through this door.”

At Jaeseung’s words, Bart and Sarah stared blankly at the factory’s firmly closed iron gate.

“Uh….”

As if untouched by human hands for a long time, rust had permeated the factory’s iron gate like stains.

‘This is the venue?’

‘There’s not a single person here?’

It was then.

“Wait a moment.”

Jaeseung knocked on the iron gate.

Opening the door from the inside….

An unpleasant noise echoed.

Creak-.

The inside slowly revealed itself through the crack in the factory door that had been tightly shut.

“Good heavens….”

Bart and Sarah widened their eyes simultaneously, as if they had made a promise.

“Do you think this makes sense…?”

Inside the spacious abandoned factory, a countless crowd had gathered.

Famous designers, influencers, celebrities, entrepreneurs, sports stars….

Soon, their gazes began to focus on the two.

“Bart, please act confidently.”

“Okay….”

“Straighten your back and broaden your shoulders.”

“Uh….”

Then Jaeseung added again.

“Enjoy the show.”

With those words, Jaeseung immediately started walking briskly towards the inside of the venue.

The two mumbled, looking around like newly arrived country mice [people unfamiliar with city life].

“Sarah, do you think this makes sense?”

“I know, it’s Wallflower’s show…?”

“This is just an abandoned factory….”

According to what was known, the main concept of the clothing that Wallflower would be presenting at this Paris Fashion Week was ‘nature.’

But, why?

The inside of the factory was much narrower than it looked from the outside, and it looked no different from a long-abandoned factory.

“Are you here to see the show?”

At that moment, a guard in a suit approached them….

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The guard handed them a ticket.

『100,000$』

It was the moment when the two were staring blankly at the ticket they had received.

“What is this…?”

Jaeseung’s face was printed on a non-existent hundred thousand dollar bill.

Also….

The Wallflower brand logo was printed instead of the US Mint’s seal.

“There will be an ‘auction’ at the end of today’s show, and you can think of it as currency that can be used then.”

“An auction?”

“If you don’t use it then, you won’t have another chance to use it, so you can think of it as a souvenir.”

After finishing speaking, the guard bowed his head again and continued.

“I hope you have a good time.”

Soon the two stepped inside the venue….

“Look over there!”

It wasn’t long before they were busy looking at the many celebrities filling the venue.

“He must have given up.”

At the words of a critic who spoke in a conceited tone, everyone’s attention was focused on him.

Not long ago.

He was the critic who was nominated by Jaeseung on Canal Plus’s TV show and forced to participate in the ‘donation bet.’

“To gather such precious people in a collapsed factory and be trembling in the backstage….”

He was busy spewing out venom without reservation, as if he was sure of his victory.

“I at least thought he would fight to the end without giving up.”

“…….”

“Although I am in a position to oppose him, I didn’t want him to back down.”

At those words, the atmosphere in the hall became endlessly heavy.

Although everyone didn’t show it, the venue was terrible.

A dilapidated, desolate abandoned factory is the venue?

Moreover, there was no stage equipment or runway inside the abandoned factory.

“Lee, why….”

At the words of an influencer, Lee Kang-joon, the designer of ‘Saint Laurent,’ who is called ‘Little Lee,’ replied.

“He must have something in mind.”

Even he had no idea what Jaeseung was thinking.

In a venue without any stage equipment, let alone a runway….

‘What kind of show are you going to present….’

Moreover, some columnists already seemed busy writing columns full of venom about Wallflower.

“It seems that all the appearances and talk on TV shows and media interviews were all actions stemming from anxiety.”

“He tried to prepare something, but I guess he didn’t have enough time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing a show in a place like this….”

“Lee will lose a lot due to the failure of this season. He will lose all the trust he has built up.”

“I guess the reason why he tried so hard to proceed privately compared to other brands was this!”

“He must have known that there would be no benefit in bringing a lot of spectators to a game he was going to lose!”

Countless people were acting as if Wallflower’s show, which hadn’t even started yet, had already failed completely.

“Sarah, wait a minute.”

At that time, Bart called Sarah in a low voice as if whispering….

“What’s wrong?”

When Sarah asked back, Bart tapped one wall of the factory with the back of his hand.

“This factory is weird.”

“What is?”

“Isn’t it too narrow?”

At those words, Sarah muttered lowly, “Is it?”

“When I looked at it from the outside, it looked like it was at least several hundred square feet, but when I actually stepped inside, don’t you think it’s strangely narrow?”

After thinking for a moment, Sarah replied.

“It seems like it….”

It was clear that the factory seen from the outside looked much more enormous and boasted a huge scale.

“Even this wall….”

Just as Bart was about to continue speaking.

“I’m going back!”

The critic who spoke first suddenly caused a commotion.

“What’s the point of watching such a terrible show? If I had known this would happen, I would have gotten a good night’s sleep for the brand that’s opening the show tomorrow!”

His plan was simple.

“Let’s all go back!”

He intended to incite the critics and columnists as they were, and extract a sensational headline.

– Terrible Wallflower show, columnists had no choice but to leave before the show even started.

– Thoughts on the Wallflower show that I left before it even started, feeling that it was a waste of time to watch.

– A lonely party of an owner designer who is only good at talking, a show of a premium brand that was held without a single audience.

In just a few seconds, several sensational headlines came to mind in succession.

‘Arrogant brat….’

Perhaps the world has only praised him, so he couldn’t even consider the possibility of defeat and acted arrogantly.

‘You chose the wrong opponent and the wrong time.’

He considered himself to be a venomous person who, unlike most critics or columnists, never let go of an opponent once targeted.

However.

Not only did he suffer a great humiliation through a TV show, but he even instigated his hip-hop artist friend to release a diss track [a song primarily intended to insult or attack another person]?

‘Moreover, that song even reached number one on the Billboard Hip-Hop chart….’

In the meantime, he had spent a time that was by no means insufficient to be called hardship.

‘You lost.’

However, now the results have been reversed.

His long-standing indigestion was relieved.

The fashion market is very cold.

‘It’s not such an easy place that a designer who has been resting for several years can come back just by making up his mind.’

His criticism had ‘grounds.’

‘Yes, there were grounds….’

Just as some critics and columnists who were caught up in his instigation were about to pack their bags and prepare to return.

– Thank you to everyone who has graced us with your presence.

– There are people I want to share all the glory of this moment with.

– First of all, thank you to the employees of Wallflower….

– The skilled and silent artists of the Wallflower Atelier [a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer].

– Of course, I thank my parents, friends, and all my siblings….

Jaeseung’s voice began to flow from the speakers and the lights went out.

Thud!

As darkness fell inside the factory, a commotion began to rise from various parts of the hall.

– I would like to thank my eternal teacher, Karl, again….

A moment of silence fell….

– I declare to everyone once again, borrowing this moment and this place, that I have returned to this fierce and cold fashion world.

At that moment.

– Lee.

A serious voice continued.

– I have returned to develop this place further.

At that moment, some critics screamed.

“That, that, that, arrogant!”

“Show us and then talk!”

“You’re still just talking!”

It was then.

Crack, crack, crack!

Suddenly, the sound of something cracking began to be heard from somewhere….

A crack appeared in the wall facing the front when viewed from the factory entrance.

How could they know that fact in the midst of the deep darkness?

Through the cracks that began to be drawn like spider webs on the wall….

Swishhhhhh-.

Perfectly bright light was seeping in.

Soon.

With a roar, the wall that had been blocking them collapsed….

– Welcome.

Wallflower’s real venue was revealed.

“Good heavens…!”

“Crazy….”

“How….”

Everyone exclaimed.

Beyond the thin wall.

The hidden scenery was revealed.

Nature.

The stage that perfectly matched Wallflower’s fashion week concept, which was known by word of mouth, was hiding behind a thin wall.

“Yes….”

Soon, Bart muttered with a possessed face and a face full of joy.

“No wonder the factory was so narrow….”

He muttered.

“Yeah, I knew it.”

He had a bright smile on his face.

“Everyone was fooled by Lee….”