Black Label [EN]: Chapter 270

Black Label Extra Story 21

A few days had passed since then.

“Chairman.”

The door to Chairman Daytona’s office burst open, interrupting his frantic search for the ‘For the Mom Edition,’ Wallflower’s early premium handbag.

“We found someone who not only purchased the For the Mom Edition back then but still owns it.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, it turns out it was purchased by an ’employee’ of an online multi-shop in Korea where Wallflower was located at the time.”

Chairman Daytona nodded, muttering to himself.

“I made a proper investment.”

He was certain that buying the bag back then would lead to a large sum of money, far beyond what they could have earned as a salaried worker.

If….

If they didn’t want to sell, he was determined to acquire it, regardless of the cost.

“No….”

He muttered again.

“Then I might be able to get it for a cheaper price than expected.”

Then he added, “Contact them immediately.”

“The available budget is….”

“Available budget, you say.”

He muttered to himself.

“If I can sweet-talk them….”

He continued, “I might be able to get it for a cheap price.”

“Then…?”

“It would be better for me to step in personally.”

After a moment of silence, he said, “If I start with tens of thousands of dollars, I think I can successfully conclude the negotiation at around a few hundred thousand dollars.”

The female secretary replied, “Yes, then I will contact them first.”

Soon, he asked, “But how did you find them?”

Silence filled the room again….

“We scouted a columnist who publishes a weekly column in Forbes Magazine.”

“I see.”

“We also inquired through various other magazines and contacted the platform where the sale took place at the time.”

Then she added, “And we were able to obtain the buyer’s contact information and brief information in exchange for paying a certain fee.”

Chairman Daytona nodded.

“Okay, I understand.”

Then he added again, “I have a good feeling about this.”

He just had a feeling that he could get the For the Mom Edition for a much cheaper price than he had expected.

* * *

Barely a few days later.

An article was published in Forbes, a famous American magazine.

The article detailed the unprecedented product unveiled at Paris Fashion Week.

It was an article detailing Wallflower’s ‘Devil Bag’.

It was covered over several pages as it was a column by a highly respected columnist.

– The most expensive handbag in the world was born during Paris Fashion Week.

– As a product of the high-end handbag line ambitiously prepared by the premium brand ‘Wallflower’….

– The main texture of the product is the finest Epsom leather, and all subsidiary materials are replaced with gold and diamonds.

– Originally, the dedicated atelier [workshop or studio] produces all processes by hand and is responsible for all subsequent aftercare….

– ‘Saddle Stitch’ and ‘Puzzle Matching’, as well as ‘Edge Polishing’, and ‘Dyeing’ and ‘Luster’….

– Craftsmen put their heart and soul into each process, requiring a whopping 30,000 hand stitches….

The early part of the column described the ‘Devil Bag’ in great detail.

– In particular, the first Devil Bag unveiled at this Paris Fashion Week went through all the processes listed by Lee, the brand’s owner designer….

– That is, the Meister [master craftsman] responsible for the aftercare of the product is also Lee, and thanks to the above facts, a premium is added….

– Recalling the memory of attending the auction at the time, the heat was endlessly overheated, and the auction price repeatedly soared….

– In the end, the person who won the first Devil Bag was Ardo, the tycoon of the fashion world who leads the LVMH Group….

– In the end, the Devil Bag was sold for a whopping 16.1 million dollars, giving it the title of the most expensive handbag in the world….

Soon, a man in his 30s, who was skimming through the column on his office computer, exclaimed and took his hand off the mouse he was holding.

“Wow….”

It was Kim Min-hyuk, who works at ‘KooBaaKooBaa Store’, the largest online 편집shop [curated multi-brand store] in Korea.

“Who knew those kids would become like that back then….”

He was also the one who happened to discover Jae-seung and Young-guk in front of A-Land in Myeongdong’s main street during his high school days and took a ‘snapshot’.

While asking Young-guk, a general public model, about the brand of the new product information and the clothes he was wearing for posting purposes, he learned that it was a self-produced clothing item….

In fact, he was the one who bridged the gap between Jae-seung, a high school designer with promising prospects, and KooBaaKooBaa Store, which boasted a fairly large scale.

Several years have passed since then.

Young-guk, who was in charge of the snapshot model at the time, has grown into a world-renowned artist and is putting all of his songs on the Billboard Hip-Hop chart….

Jae-seung has grown Wallflower, a one-person company that he was developing mainly with street clothing at the time, into one of the world’s leading brands.

Thanks to this, the snapshot post that Kim Min-hyuk took at the time was selected as a famous pilgrimage site among netizens [online users]….

[Wow, so Son Young-guk wore the clothes made by designer Lee Jae-seung…. ]

[I wonder if the reporter knew that both of them would promote national prestige like this…. ]

[I think the reporter who took this snapshot is legendary.]

[That’s right, I heard that they entered the KooBaaKooBaa Store thanks to the snapshot shooting.]

[The reporter who took the snapshot must have been promoted a lot by now.]

He smacked his lips as he recalled the comments under his snapshot post.

First of all….

He didn’t know that the two of them would accomplish such great things.

“Gee….”

As many netizens jokingly speculated, he was able to get promoted several times thanks to that one snapshot….

“My salary has also increased a lot….”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that his entire life had changed completely due to a photo he took by chance.

“Gee.”

Soon, he continued to look at the contents of the column that he had not yet finished reading.

– Meanwhile, Daytona, a famous figure on Wall Street who had a fierce bidding competition with Chairman Ardo on the day of the auction, revealed that he was searching for the handbag product ‘For the Mom Edition’, which Lee (Lee) was known to have made by hand a long time ago, with some regret….

– He expressed his intention to buy it at all costs if he could get in touch with the person who owns it, no matter how much he paid….

Soon, Kim Min-hyuk, who had read all the contents of the column, muttered in a slightly trembling voice.

“I’ll pay anything….”

Then he swallowed hard.

“Oh my god….”

In the case of ‘For the Mom Edition’, which was released with exactly three products at the time, it was released at a fairly expensive price compared to the brand’s awareness.

Could it be because of that reason?

Despite being a product with quite certain product value, For the Mom Edition remained unsold for quite a long time….

“Why did I want to buy it?”

Kim Min-hyuk bought the handbag without realizing it, as if he had been possessed by a ghost.

How much was the release price?

Seventy? Eighty? One million won [approximately $500-$750 USD]?

The first thing that comes to mind is….

“I bought it on installment and regretted it….”

He had 無理して [forced himself] purchased a bag that was virtually useless to him, as he had no chance to carry it around.

I don’t know why.

Just….

I just wanted to buy it for some reason.

He was living a reporter’s life with a meager salary, so he was tightening his belt with all his might.

“Was it a 6-month installment plan….”

It was a time when he was just afraid of the utility bill and the monthly rent day that came as soon as he came to his senses.

Thanks to this, Kim Min-hyuk’s consumption was 맞춰져 [adjusted] to rationality, but he closed his eyes and bought it.

And now.

Thanks to that day’s choice, his life was about to change completely again.

The handbag that he had been carefully managing with the assumption that it might be sold at a high price someday….

A 거부(巨富) [tycoon] on Wall Street has expressed his intention to buy it at all costs, no matter how much money he pays.

“Oh my god….”

It must have been a divine revelation.

If not….

The explanation itself was impossible.

Gulp-.

How much will it sell for?

Maybe….

My life might change.

It was then.

Suddenly, the notification of the email application installed on his mobile phone rang….

“Huh…?”

His eyes widened as he received an email filled with English.

He had not yet looked at the contents of the email, but at the very bottom of the email….

The person of interest who was searching for the Wallflower For the Mom Edition.

‘Daytona.’

The logo of the company he runs was largely engraved on it.

Soon, Kim Min-hyuk interpreted the contents of the email with a trembling heart.

To summarize briefly….

If you tell us the desired amount, we will prepare it immediately and visit ‘Korea’, which is no exaggeration to say is across the sea.

“Oh my god….”

It just seemed like his life, which was just a fairly successful salaried worker, would change completely.

It was truly the Wallflower effect.

It was then.

The email notification rang again….

“Huh?”

This time it was an email from Wallflower.

The chairman of the Korean branch sent the email directly….

“Huh?”

His eyes widened as he checked the contents.

No different….

If you are willing to sell For the Mom Edition.

“We will help you to be accompanied by our company’s dedicated lawyer?”

* * *

“No, when you think about it, it’s just a customer reselling it, so why are you doing this so much?”

Jae-seung, who would be on the other end of the phone, replied briefly to Song’s question.

– They’re bound to try to buy it at a low price anyway, right?

“What’s wrong with that that you’re even sending a lawyer….”

– Isn’t it a problem that is directly related to brand value?

Jae-seung added briefly.

– We need to set the resale price well to protect the value of our products.

“Huh….”

– If there is a history of being sold at a low price, the market price will be formed there, right?

At those words, President Song shook his head.

“Anyway, our CEO is above our heads.”

It just seemed like he was going to send a lawyer to help him sell it at a reasonable price and then report the fact to attract attention.

“Then I’ll send a lawyer first.”

– Yes, thank you.

President Song muttered after finishing the call.

“I can’t turn this person into an enemy no matter what….”

Now, Jae-seung’s insight was only felt to be frightening.