Black Label [EN]: Chapter 49

Black Label 48

49. Filming Complete, and….

Even breathing makes your breath visible in the cold. And it’s a weekday morning during rush hour. Still, a crowd was starting to form.

“Wow, what are they filming?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should we watch for a bit?”

The reaction was more enthusiastic than I’d expected. I figured we’d get a decent crowd since it was a street shoot, but this was bigger than I imagined.

‘There’s a reason everyone talks about Ryu Seung-ho. His influence is really something.’

Jaeseung was staring blankly at the growing crowd when Lee Kangjun cautiously spoke.

“Um, Mr. CEO….”

Was it the cold? Or was he feeling the pressure? His voice was a little shaky.

“Yes?”

“The lookbook photos are supposed to be pre-released to FTV Magazine, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If someone in the crowd leaks the product photos online….”

Before Lee Kangjun could finish, Jaeseung nodded.

“That would be a problem. It’s a breach of business ethics.”

It was an agreement with FTV Magazine, who had gone out of their way to help him. Jaeseung didn’t want to cause any unnecessary problems.

Lee Kangjun went on.

“Right now, we can ask a few people not to film and ask for their understanding… but this is the crowd in Yeonnam-dong [a trendy neighborhood in Seoul] during rush hour. What about the Hongdae [another popular district] shoot at lunch and the Myeongdong [a major shopping area] shoot in the evening?”

He had a point. Jaeseung hummed and silently watched the crowd.

It was a tricky situation, but he really didn’t want to scrap the plan.

What if some people in the crowd posted good reviews on social media, including ‘Famous Book’ [likely referring to Facebook or a similar platform]?

And what if those posts went viral?

Even if they didn’t specifically mention Wallflower, it would be more effective than most ads.

‘There has to be a solution….’

The best thing to do was find a way for everyone to win.

To go ahead with the shoot and come up with a plan that wouldn’t make FTV Magazine feel slighted, even if some of the products were leaked.

But was that even possible?

Looking at Lee Kangjun’s face, he looked like he was about to bungee jump.

He seemed even more nervous than Lee So-myeong, who was chosen as the first model for the shoot alongside Ryu Seung-ho.

Jaeseung, who had been stroking his chin, suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” A good idea had just popped into his head.

“Kangjun, hold on. I think this might work.”

“Yes? How?”

“Well….”

Jaeseung started explaining his plan. It wasn’t a brilliant solution, just a simple idea.

“We can go ahead with the shoot, but hide some of the key products.”

“Hide some of the key products?”

“We can’t ditch the ‘Street’ concept, which is the whole point of this lookbook, just because we’re worried about leaks. That’s like not making soy sauce because you’re afraid of maggots [a Korean proverb meaning to avoid something essential due to a minor fear].”

“That’s true, but….”

“Let’s shoot the regular products as planned. We’ll shoot the key products for this season in a quieter location to prevent leaks. That way, we’ll have a reason to tell FTV Magazine.”

“Ah….”

Lee Kangjun nodded.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

What if FTV Magazine complained about the leaked product designs?

We had a much bigger crowd than expected, but we couldn’t abandon the main concept, so we went ahead with the shoot.

Some of the designs for the new S/S [Spring/Summer] season were leaked, but we secretly filmed the key products to reveal them through FTV Magazine.

If we explained this and added, ‘We are truly sorry and hope you will understand,’ FTV Magazine would understand.

After all, we tried our best to maintain our integrity.

“Mr. CEO, where should we shoot the key products? Do you have a place in mind?”

“Hmm? There are plenty of quiet places….”

Jaeseung trailed off, thinking.

Where would be good? To avoid disrupting things, it should be close by.

Then.

“Oh? What about the Donggyo-dong residential area?”

“Donggyo-dong residential area?”

“Yes. It’s only about 5 or 10 minutes away by car….”

It seemed like a good place. It was an area with older buildings, not yet redeveloped. It was also sparsely populated and had a slightly eerie feel. With good editing, it could look edgy.

“That’s good. I’ll tell the models, so Kangjun, tell the photography team.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Lee Kangjun ran towards the photographer.

Right. Things have been going too smoothly lately. This sense of urgency is good too.

Jaeseung nodded and went to Ryu Seung-ho and Lee So-myeong, who were talking about the shoot.

“Models, let’s have a quick briefing and then start shooting.”

“Ah, yes.”

“There have been a few changes. Nothing major….”

He explained that they’d added a shooting location, the Donggyo-dong residential area, about 5 minutes away. Also, the order of the outfits had been changed.

It was a minor change, so they both agreed.

Lee So-myeong was trembling like an aspen.

She was wearing a thick padded coat, but the clothes underneath were from the S/S season, so she must have been cold.

After finishing his explanation, Jaeseung quietly asked Lee So-myeong.

“So-myeong, are you cold?”

“No, I’m okay.”

He was worried the cold might affect the shoot.

Once she took off her coat, the wind would feel even sharper. And the evening shoot would be even colder.

Then.

“I’m confident I can handle it.”

Lee So-myeong said seriously, smiled, and added.

“I’m really good at enduring things. I can’t let the weather ruin this opportunity.”

Her words sounded sad. Jaeseung felt sorry and gave an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

After briefing the models, Jaeseung looked around.

The sound of camera shutters was constant.

‘It’s quite *b 부담스럽네 [burdensome/awkward]*.’

The photographer from the company came up and said quietly.

“We’re all set up. Can we start shooting?”

“Ah, yes. Let’s do that.”

The S/S season lookbook shoot was about to begin.

There was one thing Jaeseung didn’t know.

Posts about today’s shoot were already being uploaded to ‘Famous Book’ accounts by passersby.

* * *

Contrary to expectations, the shoot went smoothly.

Ryu Seung-ho and Lee So-myeong were professional, despite the cold.

They kept shooting, warming up with the heater in between. Despite the harsh conditions, it was a successful shoot.

The shoots in Yeonnam-dong, near Hongdae, the secret shoot in Donggyo-dong, and the final shoot in front of A-Land in Myeongdong were all great.

Finally.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work!”

Around 9 p.m., the S/S season lookbook shoot was done.

The biggest crowd was in Myeongdong. While the staff were packing up.

Jaeseung, Ryu Seung-ho, and Lee So-myeong were chatting in front of the heater.

“Everyone worked really hard. I was watching, and it looked really good.”

Ryu Seung-ho smiled.

“Thank you. Designer Lee Jaeseung, you worked hard. So-myeong, you too.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you!”

As Lee So-myeong replied, Jaeseung looked at her.

‘She’s amazing.’

She would tremble in front of the heater, but when she started shooting, she acted like nothing was wrong.

Her enthusiastic words before the shoot were also impressive.

He decided to cast Lee So-myeong if she ever walked in a fashion show.

“So-myeong.”

“Yes?”

“Please help me out often.”

“Yes….”

“We have a lot of product fitting photo shoots.”

“Ah, thank you! Thank you so much!”

Ryu Seung-ho smiled.

“Everyone worked hard today, should we take a selfie?”

“Sounds good. So-myeong, let’s take it together.”

Soon, the three of them smiled brightly.

Their cheeks were red from the cold, but they looked happy.

Click-.

The lookbook shoot was finally over.

* * *

After cleaning up, they went to a Korean beef restaurant.

He was going to treat Ryu Seung-ho, Lee So-myeong, and Lee Kangjun to dinner.

As soon as Jaeseung got into the car, his phone rang.

It was his younger sister, Seung-hee.

“Oh, Seung-hee. What’s wrong?”

– Oppa, Oppa. Where are you?

She sounded agitated. Jaeseung asked, confused.

“Me? I’m in Myeongdong for work, why?”

– Oppa, why didn’t you tell me?

“Huh? What?”

– Ryu Seung-ho!

He hadn’t been in touch with his family lately, let alone told them about his life.

So, he hadn’t mentioned his connection with Ryu Seung-ho.

“How did you find out?”

There was silence. Then, Seung-hee’s shaky voice came from the phone.

– Oppa, you’re totally a Facebook star now.