Black Label [EN]: Chapter 62

Black Label 61

62. Keep Living That Way

The magazine hosting today’s interview is called ‘Magazine-Z.’

Although not quite a major publication, it’s one that a fairly niche audience and industry insiders consistently follow.

That’s because the topics it covers are quite spicy.

Should I say it mainly deals with heartwarming anecdotes circulating among industry insiders, or behind-the-scenes stories that make people frown?

I’ve received similar questions in interviews with other magazines, but the reason I didn’t reveal the ins and outs and kept them to myself was simple.

The editors of ‘Magazine-Z’ are experts at packaging these gossip items in a provocative way.

Ask the pharmacist for medicine, and the doctor for treatment. Whatever it is, isn’t it best to leave it to the experts?

“We had a few days left before the show, and the contract was unilaterally canceled.”

“The reason?”

“I don’t know the reason. I was notified of the contract cancellation via text message.”

“What? Just a text? That’s so rude…”

At those words, the reporter’s already dark expression turned even darker.

It was a natural reaction. Gallery TT’s behavior was inconsiderate to anyone who saw it.

“Ah, just a moment.”

Jaeseung said quietly, rummaging through his pockets, “The text message I received at that time, it shouldn’t be deleted yet.”

He tapped his smartphone screen a few times, waiting for a moment.

“Excuse me, Reporter.”

“Yes?”

Before the ‘friendly fire’ that was about to unfold, I thought it was time to put on the sheep’s clothing.

I took a breath and continued speaking in a gentle voice with the most innocent expression possible.

“About the gallery rental issue, I wasn’t really going to reveal it.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve received similar questions in previous interviews, but I didn’t have the courage to bring it up.”

In a situation where I had to play the victim, it felt incredibly easy to immerse myself.

When you think about it, I was actually the victim.

“Now that everything is over, what good would it do to publicize it and get caught up in gossip? It’s a thing of the past, it’s been resolved, and thanks to it, we’ve even achieved good results, so I didn’t think there was any need to do that. Don’t you think so?”

“Hmm, well? It depends on how you look at it. But?”

“So I was just going to keep my mouth shut and move on. But then something started bubbling up inside me, you know? I couldn’t stand the injustice.”

In this industry, the act of trampling on dreams just because someone isn’t a graduate from abroad is being understood with words like ‘custom’ or ‘bad habit.’

Defeat is not a sin, and we are not living to be punished, but everyone seems to accept it and move on.

But someone has to publicize it. And someone has to fight it.

Otherwise, there will be second and third victims.

“Reporter, what do you think is the reason why our rental contract was canceled?”

“Um, well…”

There were plenty of reasons to guess, but he seemed hesitant to answer because it was ambiguous to say anything rash. Soon, Jaeseung continued in a somewhat self-deprecating tone.

“This is actually a very obvious situation, you know? I only have suspicions, but… another artist who studied abroad probably inquired about renting the space during the period that Wall Flower was supposed to rent.”

At Jaeseung’s words, the reporter began to nod in agreement. He didn’t say it out loud, but he was also guessing the same thing.

“Whether there was mutual agreement or the gallery director decided arbitrarily, I don’t know. Anyway, Wall Flower was deprived of its place simply because the owner-designer didn’t study abroad.”

Silence flowed for a moment.

“Not allowed because they didn’t study abroad? It’s not like someone didn’t go because they didn’t want to. How frustrating is that? Don’t you think?”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

“I complained about my frustration everywhere, and everyone told me to understand. They said it’s quite common in this industry, so just understand. It’s a bad habit, a custom, and it’s over, so just bear with it.”

Soon, Jaeseung began to stare at the reporter with eyes full of venom.

“The older generation is judging the success or failure of domestic designers’ life-risking challenges just because they are more educated and have more money, and they want me to just understand that? I can’t.”

The reporter, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, nodded once and asked back.

“So, designer Lee Jaeseung, you’re saying you want us to poke at it together, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Good thinking.”

He replied briefly, then added again with a mischievous expression like a rascal.

“Poking, exposing, fighting, does it sound too harsh to say it like this…? Anyway, that’s what we specialize in.”

After hearing those words, the reporter sitting in front of me seemed quite reliable.

“The industry is originally a dirty place. It seems like it’ll be over once you become a designer, but as designer Lee Jaeseung knows, that’s not the end, right? Power struggles never end, they look at your education, your school ties, your regional ties, your connections, your background…”

The reporter chuckled once, then handed over his business card and continued.

“When you look at it, there’s really no end to the gossip. Every week, there’s a crazy incident that could be a column topic. Well, it’s a relief that there’s no chance of running out of material, but on the other hand, it’s a shame, you know?”

Just as Jaeseung was about to accept the business card, he added again.

“Flowers bloom even in the mud, but they don’t necessarily only bloom in the mud, right? Don’t you think?”

Soon, Jaeseung checked the three letters written on the business card and gave a satisfied smile.

[Reporter belonging to Magazine-Z: Choi Yuhoon]

Later, when ‘FTV Magazine’ grew in size, he would be recruited as a columnist and editor for FTV Magazine, becoming famous as a harsh critic who pointed out all kinds of corruption in the fashion industry.

I only knew the name and didn’t know the face, so I hadn’t recognized him.

“Then, first, could you show me the text message you received from the gallery?”

“Yes, here it is.”

The reporter, ‘Choi Yuhoon,’ who was examining the contents of the phone message Jaeseung had handed him, raised his eyebrows once and continued in a chilling tone.

“Let’s prepare step by step and thoroughly mess them up.”

Jaeseung chuckled, and he asked back, “Did I say it too vulgarly?”

The show was over, and a lot had changed.

The biggest change was the position of the brand Wall Flower.

Now, my words have a different ‘power’ than before. The reason I decided to point out the corruption was actually because of that.

“No, I like it.”

I said briefly, then added again.

“Let’s thoroughly mess them up.”

I hope that through this conflict, all the wrong things will be put back in their place, even if only a little.

* * *

The director of ‘Gallery TT,’ Joo Inhye, asked the person on the other end of the phone with a forced smile.

“What do you mean? Why are you suddenly canceling the rental like this…?”

Until a few hours ago, it was a perfectly ordinary day.

Until a few calls came in one after another canceling the scheduled rental contracts.

Also, until the middle-aged designer sitting across from her, glaring at her as if to kill her, came to the gallery.

– Do I have to tell you the reason? The penalty has been deposited. I have nothing more to say, so I’ll hang up now.

Click.

“Hello? Hello…?”

Confirming that the call had ended, she put her hand on her forehead and took a deep breath.

“Haa….”

Her gaze naturally turned to the rental schedule for this month. In just a few hours, all scheduled rentals had been canceled.

All of them without exception.

Soon, the middle-aged designer who had been sitting in his seat, glaring at her, narrowed his brows and asked back.

“Do you understand the situation a little now?”

“No, what are you talking about? Coming here out of nowhere, being rude….”

He was a designer who had held a show at his own gallery just a few days ago.

It was a successful show, and I remember the reaction was not bad either.

But suddenly he came and glared at her as if to kill her.

From Joo Inhye’s point of view, she couldn’t understand the reason at all.

“What? Rude…?”

The middle-aged designer, who asked back as if he was dumbfounded, threw a magazine onto the reception table and continued.

“Thanks to you, my reputation in the industry has been ruined! I’ve become a shameless senior who stole a junior designer’s show!”

“Yes…?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that there was already a rental reservation during the period I inquired about? Thanks to you, we had to put an apology notice on our brand’s website main page instead of a new product promotion banner!”

She asked back in a conventional tone, then began to stare blankly at the magazine on the table.

It was the current issue of a magazine called ‘Magazine-Z.’

Soon, the middle-aged designer, who had straightened his clothes once, continued in a slightly trembling tone.

“You’ll have plenty of time, so take a look. From now on, it will be difficult to find a designer to work with TT in this industry. No, there won’t be any at all. Even if there are any left, I will use all means and methods to make sure they disappear.”

“N, no, that’s not….”

She trailed off, then turned her gaze to the cover of the magazine. The headline of this issue, written in large letters, immediately caught her eye.

[Special Column: Behind-the-scenes talks with five emerging designers. Pointing out all kinds of corruption in the fashion industry.]

At that time.

“Anyway, I will be filing a lawsuit for damages related to this matter. Please be aware of that.”

After finishing speaking, the middle-aged designer immediately left the reception room.

“Designer! Designer!”

Joo Inhye, who was desperately calling him, then picked up the magazine with trembling lips.

Rustle- Rustle-.

Before she could turn many pages, a page with a familiar face was unfolded.

It was the young owner-designer of a certain brand who had visited the gallery a while ago and signed a rental contract.

Of course, not only him, but it seemed to be an interview conducted in the form of a conversation between five emerging designers, including him.

“Haa….”

As soon as the outrageous things she had said to him flashed through her mind, her heart began to pound. Soon, she began to slowly read the interview.

* * *

Reporter: By the way, Wall Flower became even more of a hot topic because the show was held in a commercial building, not a gallery, right? Did you have any inspiration?

Designer Lee Jaeseung: Originally, we were planning to hold the show in an antique-feeling gallery located in Cheongdam-dong [a wealthy district in Seoul known for its upscale shops and galleries]. But a few days before the show, the contract was unilaterally canceled. While hurriedly looking for another gallery, our ‘VMD’ [Visual Merchandiser] suggested holding the show in a commercial building, and it was adopted as is.

Designer Go Yongtae: An antique-feeling gallery located in Cheongdam-dong… As far as I know, there’s only one place like that, right? I think I know where it is. I had the same thing happen to me there. By the way, what was the reason for suddenly canceling the rental?

Designer Lee Jaeseung: The gallery director seemed to dislike us. I received a series of rude questions such as, “If you don’t have an offline store, isn’t it basically an online shopping mall?” or “Haven’t you studied abroad?” I’m just guessing, but maybe it was canceled because I didn’t study abroad? (laughs)

Designer Lee Haneul: Anyway, the show was successful, right? I remember that ‘Paris Fog’ and ‘Ryu Seungho’ and the emerging designers who attended the show that day all gave rave reviews.

Designer Lee Jaeseung: Yes. It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but I think we achieved not bad results.

Reporter: Taking this opportunity, what would you like to say to the gallery owner who canceled the rental contract just because you didn’t study abroad?

Designer Lee Jaeseung: Can I be honest? Do I need to adjust the level?

Reporter: Please just do it coolly.

Designer Lee Jaeseung: Um, I hope the gallery prospers…. She seems to have a great pride in being a S.A.T [Samsung Art & Design Institute] graduate, so if you come, I will make you a t-shirt with the phrase ‘S.A.T graduate’ printed on it. Anyway, keep living that way. (laughs)