Black Label [EN]: Chapter 46

46. SS Team

Help? A favor? If it were anyone else, maybe, but those words hardly seemed to fit Ryu Seung-ho.

What could he possibly need to ask of him? What help could he possibly need?

“I’m sorry, just a moment.”

Jae-seung replied curtly and stood up.

All the employees had paused their chopsticks, eagerly waiting for him to finish his call.

‘Eat first.’

He mouthed the words to the employees who were staring blankly at him, and even mimed eating with his hand.

Only then did the employees resume eating.

Soon.

Tak-.

As soon as he stepped out into the office hallway, Jae-seung spoke again.

“Did you wait long? Sorry. I had to move to a quieter location.”

– If it’s difficult to talk or anything, please feel free to say so. It’s not urgent…

“Yes. If that were the case, I would have told you in advance.”

Jae-seung then looked out the hallway window at the night view of Madu Station and continued.

“Anyway, what is it you wanted to ask? If it’s something I can help with, I’ll really do anything to help.”

He said it with one hundred percent sincerity. At least, if it was within his power to help, he would really do anything.

If he were to convert the help he received from Ryu Seung-ho today into a monetary value?

It was clear that it was worth at least tens of millions of won [Korean currency].

Usually, when trying to place an advertisement on the main banner of a large portal site like Never [a popular Korean search engine].

You have to pay about 1.5 million won per hour during the least busy times, and a whopping 31 million won per hour during the busiest times as advertising fees.

But today, Wall Flower was able to proudly reign in the top ranks of real-time popular search terms during the so-called golden time, with a ripple effect comparable to the main banner.

Even just looking at daily sales, it increased more than tenfold compared to usual.

Even that was limited because the stock was insufficient, so it stopped at this level because it was sold out in the middle.

Then what about awareness?

Less than twelve hours after the airport photos were released, posts related to Wall Flower were already popping up.

[Ryu Seung-ho’s choice, the emerging designer brand, Wall Flower.]

[Ryu Seung-ho’s jacket, which brand is it?]

[Introducing the affordable designer brand that captured the heart of trendsetter Ryu Seung-ho.]

All of this was a viral marketing effect that could be achieved without spending a penny, thanks to Ryu Seung-ho’s help.

Although Ryu Seung-ho himself may or may not be aware of it, he had received a great favor that deserved to be repaid.

– Hmm, it’s nothing much….

“Please, tell me.”

– I wanted to make some clothes. I was wondering if you could help.

“Yes? Is that all?”

He almost dropped the phone in his hand. He was so taken aback by Ryu Seung-ho’s words.

To be honest, he was a little scared, thinking, ‘Is he going to ask for something I can’t grant?’

He had really braced himself, but all he wanted was for him to make a piece of clothing….

– No, it’s just that I’m currently at a hotel near Peretola Airport [Florence Airport, Italy].

“Yes. And?”

– I was looking down at the night view with a glass of wine, and I suddenly had an amazing inspiration.

“Yes? Inspiration….”

He’s quite a unique character. He said he didn’t call to show off, and he really doesn’t. Inspiration out of the blue.

– The view here is really amazing, you know? Ha, I should have come here with designer Lee Jae-seung….

Ryu Seung-ho, who seemed a little regretful, continued in a somewhat excited tone.

– Looking at the night view, I suddenly thought, ‘What if I could make clothes that capture this night view as it is?’

“Hmm, clothes that capture the night view?”

– Yes. Not in a small embroidered way, but in a way that prints the night view on the entire garment.

“Oh….”

It’s an interesting idea. Considering that no brand has ever released such a garment.

– If possible, I’d like the item to be a jumper [a type of jacket]. Is it possible to print it densely without any blank space?

“Well? It depends on the material, but I think it’s possible….”

It’s quite difficult and tricky, but it’s not impossible.

“That sounds like a good idea. Do you want to release it as an official product?”

– No, no.

“Yes? Then?”

– I just thought it would be nice to have such a piece of clothing. If you work on it and designer Lee Jae-seung thinks it looks good, you can release it.”

Jae-seung let out a hollow laugh without realizing it. His passion and enthusiasm for fashion seemed to be no less than that of any other designer.

He hadn’t received formal education, so his expertise was a little lacking, but his sense of experience seemed to be far superior.

He was an attractive person in many ways. Not just because he had been kind to him, but because he felt that he had something in common with him.

“A special order?”

– Well, kind of.

“I think I can start preparing after I’ve roughly finished the S/S [Spring/Summer] season work….”

– You can take your time.

“I think I can squeeze it in between the next F/W [Fall/Winter] season. Let’s talk again when you get back to Korea.”

– Okay. Then I’ll send you a few pictures of the night view I took myself.”

As the call was coming to an end, Jae-seung carefully opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry, but can I ask you something?”

– Sure.

Jae-seung took a deep breath and asked in the softest tone possible.

“Why are you helping me so much? I’m really grateful, but I’m a little puzzled.”

What words had moved his heart so much?

To put it nicely, a new designer brand.

To put it a little coldly, no, to put it clearly, he volunteered to be an unpaid model for Wall Flower, which was virtually an unknown brand.

Also, to adopt the brand’s clothing as airport fashion.

What words had moved his heart so much?

– Jae-seung. Do you know what my favorite word is?

“Yes?”

– Challenge.

Ryu Seung-ho on the other end of the receiver began to continue.

– Overseas prestigious collections have too high a hurdle, but new brands sometimes come out at Seoul Fashion Week, right?

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

– My hobby is to visit new brand offices every year after Fashion Week ends.

“Ah….”

– I’ve met so many designers so far, and I’ve realized one thing.

“What is it?”

– Well, it’s not a big deal… The moment the owner designer is satisfied with his reality, that brand is over. Is that too obvious?

Jae-seung smiled faintly. Jae-seung also agreed with his words.

Ryu Seung-ho continued to speak fluently.

– At designer Lee Jae-seung’s age, with that level of fame and that level of income, I think it’s a figure that you can be satisfied with. But you’re actually expanding the scale of your business and preparing properly for the S/S season? You’re practically betting everything you’ve built up so far to take on a challenge. Aren’t you?

That’s not wrong. If he were to fail in the S/S season, which is unlikely, he would definitely falter greatly.

– The lookbook model was just a choice to support Jae-seung’s challenge.

“Ah….”

Challenge. It was the identity of the word that moved his heart.

– You don’t have to feel pressured at all. Instead of pressure, have pride.

“Yes?”

– If designer Lee Jae-seung’s clothes weren’t good, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to do this.

“Ah….”

– To be honest, I was so angry that you were being undervalued.

Jae-seung smiled faintly and replied sincerely.

“It’s a great help. Thank you so much.”

– Oh, and the airport photos are the same.

“Yes?”

– I know very well that I’m quite a powerful celebrity. I know that I’ll be the center of attention, so I spend dozens of minutes in front of my closet every day.

Silence flowed for a moment.

– But the fact that I wore Wall Flower clothes means that I sincerely liked designer Lee Jae-seung’s clothes. And first of all, if the clothes aren’t good? No matter how much I wear them, they’ll never take off.

“Ah….”

– Do you know how many comments I see every day telling me to stop sticking to futuristic fashion? The public’s eyes are surprisingly clear and cold. It was noticed because it was clothes that deserved attention. Not because of me.”

His mood was quite subtle. His heart was throbbing.

What should he say? Would it be appropriate to say that it felt like oil had been poured all over his burning heart?

Just as Jae-seung was rubbing the bridge of his nose.

– This is just my hunch, but I think we can be good friends.

“I think so too.”

– I’ll contact you again before I return to Korea. Is there anything you need as a souvenir? Don’t say you’re okay.

“Yes? A souvenir?”

– If there’s nothing you particularly need, I’ll just buy whatever I feel like.

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

– Okay. I’ll contact you again soon.”

After the call with Ryu Seung-ho ended, Jae-seung smiled pleasantly.

After putting his smartphone in his pants pocket, he began to stare at the night sky outside the window for a long time.

“Haa….”

Although he had received help from Ryu Seung-ho now, he decided that he would give him much greater help someday.

The method is simple.

Make Wall Flower the best brand in the world.

Make the career of filming Wall Flower’s first lookbook the most shining career among his countless careers.

It’s late at night.

He slept much less than usual, and started the day much earlier than usual.

Nevertheless, he seemed to be full of energy as if he had just woken up.

Jae-seung began to move his steps back into the office. He was going to start making samples of this S/S season’s products right away.

Before long, Jae-seung’s humming began to slowly fill the empty hallway.

* * *

After that, three more days passed. Jae-seung had hardly slept due to the recent surge in orders and sample work.

He was going to take a nap in the taxi, but he couldn’t.

It was because of a phone call he suddenly received from employee Chu Ji-hoon.

“Yes? You said my mother came to the office?”

– Yes. Just a moment. I’ll put her on the phone.

“Ah, okay.”

After hearing a rattling sound for a moment. Soon, a very familiar voice was heard.

– Oh, Jae-seung? It’s your mother.

As soon as he heard her voice, he felt a lump in his throat for no reason. He was even starting to feel homesick.

“Yes, Mother. What’s wrong? Why all of a sudden without telling me….”

– I brought some side dishes and stuff. I should have contacted you before coming.

For a while, his mother’s explanation continued fluently.

– I brought ginger tea. It’s pickled in honey, so even if you don’t like it, make sure to drink a cup every day. Kimchi [fermented cabbage], radish salad, your favorite beef braised in soy sauce. I put everything in the refrigerator, so don’t skip meals.

“Ah, thank you. You don’t have to take care of me anymore. I almost always buy or order food anyway….”

– What are you talking about? You’ll ruin your body. Don’t worry about your mother. You know that health is the top priority, right?

Was it because he hadn’t been home much except when he was changing clothes or taking a shower lately?

She seemed to have visited to see her son’s face for a while and to take care of him.

– Son, you seem to be doing well these days. Your father doesn’t show it, but he’s been bragging about you a lot these days.

“Really? Father?”

– Yes. Every time he gets off work, he always asks if Jae-seung hasn’t come today. Visit home soon.

“Yes. I understand.”

– Anyway, I’ll be going. I heard from the employee that you’re on your way to an important meeting.

He wanted to return to the office right away, but he couldn’t.

He was on his way to the model academy to select a female model to participate in this lookbook shoot.

It was a place arranged by Professor Kang Hyung-rok, so it was impossible to cancel.

“I’m sorry, Mother. As soon as I finish the urgent work, I’ll visit you in a few days.”

– Okay. Don’t feel pressured, just visit when you’re free.

“Yes. I understand. I’ll finish my business first and call you again.”

After finishing the call, Jae-seung stared blankly out the window for a long time.

No matter how good success is, he thought that if he didn’t pay attention to his family at all, it would be no different from his previous life.

‘Okay. I should make time to visit home soon….’

Before long, the taxi Jae-seung was in stopped in front of the SS Team model academy building.

A high-rise building located in the middle of the Sinsadong building forest. An academy and model entertainment company that has produced many top models such as Jung Yoon-joo, Suji, and Park Ye-jin.

Jae-seung got out of the taxi and began to walk towards the main gate of the building.

The samples are almost complete. Now it was time to find a good model suitable for good clothes.