Black Label [EN]: Chapter 74

74. Of course, we need to bring him to our atelier right away!

Meanwhile, inside the Wall Flower office, everyone was engrossed in their work when a guest visited after a long time.

“Has everyone been doing well?”

It was Kim Min-hyuk, the person in charge of the Kuba Kuba Store. Soon, employees who knew him began to greet him one by one.

Lee Kang-jun was the same. He had developed a relationship where he could chat with him without any hesitation. Lee Kang-jun asked in a friendly tone,

“Oh? What brings you here?”

As Lee Kang-jun greeted him with a bright smile, Kim Min-hyuk replied with a faint smile.

“I was just passing by and came to see Kang-jun.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Just kidding. I have something to discuss with Director Song.”

Director Song, who was busy organizing the piles of documents scattered on the side table, smiled brightly and said to him,

“You must have had a long journey. Please, have a seat first.”

“Ah, yes.”

Soon, Kim Min-hyuk sat down on the sofa in the center of the office and spoke again.

“By the way, your sales have increased so much, but you haven’t hired any new employees?”

“Don’t even mention it. We’ve only just become a little less busy, so I posted a job advertisement this morning.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Then the design team employees will be able to sleep at home now, right?”

Kim Min-hyuk asked jokingly, chuckled once, and then immediately got to the point.

“Actually, as I mentioned on the phone, I came because of the ‘offline 편집 shop’ [a curated retail store] that will be opening soon.”

Kuba Kuba, which started as an internet ‘webzine’ [online magazine], has now gone through an online store and is about to open its own offline 편집 shop.

This was something Jae-seung had already discussed once before.

Jae-seung had expressed his desire to be in the 편집 shop no matter what.

Director Song nodded and asked, “Yes, and?”

“As you know, we plan to give priority *ipjeom* [entry/placement] opportunities to brands that have achieved a certain level of sales in the Kuba Kuba online store for the offline 편집 shop.”

“I see.”

“Yes. Wall Flower is perfect in terms of sales and brand recognition, but… there is a slight concern.”

“Yes? A concern?”

“Actually, there is an opinion within the company that the ‘identity’ of the Wall Flower brand has become somewhat ambiguous.”

Director Song let out a sigh, “Ah…,” and then nodded and replied,

“Yes, that’s definitely the feeling.”

This was probably due to the somewhat static minimalism clothing that was introduced last F/W (Fall/Winter) season.

Wall Flower, which had consistently maintained a ‘street brand’ image, suddenly introduced different types of clothing, so there was bound to be talk.

“As you know, the most important condition for *ipjeom* [entry/placement] in our offline 편집 shop is the identity of a street brand.”

Kim Min-hyuk finished speaking and added in a serious tone, “Kuba Kuba was originally a street web magazine from the beginning.”

Director Song, who had been lost in thought for a moment, smiled and asked,

“Well, but you don’t seem to have come to reject the *ipjeom* [entry/placement] application?”

“Yes. I came to get a definite answer. The loss that would occur if we missed Wall Flower would definitely not be small.”

“What kind of definite answer are you talking about?”

“I want to hear a definite answer about the direction the Wall Flower brand will take in the future.”

Director Song nodded and said politely, “Ah, yes. I understand what you mean.”

They had benefited greatly from the minimalism clothing released last season.

Starting with the connection with Paris Pogue, there was a significant change in the position of the Wall Flower brand within the fashion industry itself.

But thanks to that, the Kuba Kuba offline 편집 shop *ipjeom* [entry/placement] was about to fall through.

No matter how close Kuba Kuba and Jae-seung were, it was irrelevant.

In the business world, friendship does not exist unless there is profit.

This is a perfectly natural principle.

‘There is always a loss if there is a gain, but this is too good of an opportunity to miss….’

Director Song slowly began to calculate in her head. What was the reason she was sitting in the Wall Flower office in the first place?

Wasn’t it to maximize ‘gain’ and minimize ‘loss’?

Soon.

Director Song, having finished her calculations, began to speak in a very gentle tone.

“I understand completely. There was a lack of communication between us, and the delivery of information was delayed, so it’s not unreasonable for you to be worried. I should apologize first.”

Kim Min-hyuk asked in surprise, “Yes…?”

“First of all, you don’t have to worry about the direction at all. We are already building Wall Flower’s ‘street line.’”

“Ah! A separate street line…?”

Soon, other employees who were engrossed in their work began to glance at Director Song in surprise. This was a story they had never heard before.

That’s because Director Song made this decision independently at this moment.

In other words, it was an ‘improvised response.’

“First, for smooth production and distribution, we have purchased a production factory called ‘Taeyangsa’ in Dongdaemun [a fashion district in Seoul]. Did you know that?”

The employees who were watching with interest smiled faintly and turned their heads again.

They noticed that Director Song’s words were full of ‘exaggeration.’

On the other hand, Kim Min-hyuk, who didn’t know the truth at all, looked very surprised.

“Ah, no. I’m hearing it for the first time.”

Since there had been little contact with Jae-seung, he had not heard anything separately other than information he had gathered through rumors or the internet.

There was no way he could know such specific internal situations.

‘The brand has definitely grown….’

Kim Min-hyuk smiled contentedly. The brand that Jae-seung, who was eighteen years old, started with ‘nothing,’ had grown this much.

That fact felt great on the one hand, and even made him feel proud on the other hand.

Soon, Director Song continued to speak.

“We are now planning to replenish the design team personnel and divide them into two groups.”

“Then is the street line formed in that process?”

“Yes. It seems like it will be settled in about a month.”

“I feel like I’ve relieved a little bit….”

Kim Min-hyuk was lost in thought for a moment. Even if the design team is divided into two and the street line is replenished, not all problems will be solved.

First of all, the probability of producing products of the same quality as before was clearly reduced.

It was like dividing the effort that was originally poured into one place into two places.

“Okay, I understand for now. I’ll report it once I see it and contact you right away.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Then I’ll go now.”

After more pleasantries were exchanged, Kim Min-hyuk left the office again.

Soon, Lee Kang-jun carefully asked Director Song.

“Director, are you really planning to establish a ‘street line’?”

“Yeah, it just happened.”

“Yes? Just now…?”

Director Song narrowed her brows and continued to speak fluently.

“Then what should I do? Our designer is such an unpredictable person that it’s impossible to guess, so I can’t easily answer you. Should I just give up *ipjeom* [entry/placement]?”

“That’s not it….”

Just as Lee Kang-jun was about to continue speaking, Director Song raised her palm as if to stop him.

It was because the cell phone she had put in her pocket suddenly started vibrating.

Director Song, who checked the caller, muttered, “Can’t even be a gentleman?” and immediately answered the phone.

“Who is this? Isn’t this our busy president?”

– What is it? Out of the blue….

“How is the foreign water? Does it taste a little different?”

– It’s just so-so. Is everyone doing well?

“Of course. We’re doing amazingly well. By the way, I was going to call you anyway.”

– What’s wrong?

Soon, Director Song began to explain the decision she had made impulsively, even the decision she had just made.

In short, from the next season, they would secure a separate ‘street line’ in the mid-to-low price range and release products.

Jae-seung, who heard the explanation of the reason for coming up with this idea, burst out laughing and asked.

– Oh my god, you’re creating work for me. I’ll be a little busier, but I think it’s a pretty good idea, but how is Kuba Kuba’s reaction?

Was it because Jae-seung’s words gave her strength? Director Song replied in a more excited tone than before.

“What power does Kim Min-hyuk have? The decision of the higher-ups is what’s important. He said he would report the story once, so I said I understood.”

– Is that so? Anyway, I’m relieved that you handled it well. Can I just leave all the troublesome things to you, Director, and just live here?

Jae-seung’s voice seemed brighter. For a moment, she was worried that Director Song might be managing the company in a passive manner, but it was a relief that she didn’t seem to be like that.

“Anyway, watch your words….”

– Actually, I called you because I have something important to tell you.

“What is it?”

Soon.

“What…? Is that… is that true?”

Director Song’s voice echoed loudly into the Wall Flower office.

Soon, the employees who were engrossed in their respective tasks began to glance at Director Song.

She seemed to be talking to Jae-seung, but she looked so surprised as if she had heard something great, so everyone felt a sense of unease for no reason.

“Haa, okay. I understand for now.”

Director Song, who exchanged a few more words with Jae-seung over the phone, said in a slightly trembling voice, “Okay. Finish it well first, and then call me again.”

Soon, the moment he put his smartphone on the desk for work after finishing the call.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Lee Kang-jun carefully asked. Director Song, who asked back, “Problem?” smiled and continued to speak in a nonchalant tone.

“It’s a problem if it’s a problem. No, what on earth did you do in France….”

As soon as Director Song trailed off, silence began to flow into the office.

This time, Choo Ji-hoon swallowed the saliva that had filled his mouth and urged an answer.

“What’s wrong? Did something bad happen to the president?”

“No.”

Director Song, who answered briefly, rubbed the bridge of her nose with her hand and continued to speak in a somewhat excited tone.

“Our president received an offer to be the ‘creative director’ for Alexander King’s next season! It’s practically confirmed, but the details are still being negotiated, so it’s still under discussion.”

Soon, everyone except Director Song began to blink their eyes.

Silence flowed into the office again for a while. Nam Gwang-min grabbed Choo Ji-hoon’s arm tightly and asked.

“Alexander King? *The* Alexander King? Ji-hoon, did I hear wrong?”

On the other hand, Choo Ji-hoon didn’t seem to have the ability to answer that question. He was busy pinching his cheek for no reason.

“I… I don’t think it’s a dream….”

Everyone didn’t seem to be just happy. As exciting as the news was, they couldn’t shake off the question of ‘how on earth?’

Soon.

“Waaaaaaa-!”

Starting with Lee Kang-jun’s cheers, everyone seemed to regain their senses and began to scream together.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time, inside the café ‘Les Deux Magots’ near the ‘Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church’ in Paris, France.

A long-haired Asian man was sitting in a quiet corner, engrossed in reading a book.

It was ‘Alexander King’ himself, the owner and designer of the premium brand ‘Alexander King.’

At that time.

“Alexander King, it’s been a long time.”

A man approached the area where he was sitting and spoke in a very friendly tone.

It was none other than ‘John Gailado,’ the current chief designer of ‘Christian Diom.’

The two men, who can be said to be leading the current fashion world, gathered in one place.

“I know. It seems like it’s been exactly a year?”

“That’s probably right. This is the first time since I saw you in Milan last year.”

As soon as John Gailado finished ordering a drink, Alexander King swept his side hair behind his ear and handed over the shopping bag he had prepared.

“Take it. It’s a gift.”

[ Christian Diom ]

Above the shopping bag, the logo of Christian Diom, where John Gailado works, was engraved in neat handwriting.

“Wait a minute, Alexander. Are you giving me a Diom product as a gift?”

“It’s not an ordinary Diom.”

“Yes…?”

“I asked our creative director to prepare a special gift.”

John Gailado, who let out a hollow laugh, opened the shopping bag and asked, “Is the creative director joining this season? Who is it?”

He clearly expected that the shopping bag would contain products from other brands.

There was no way he would give himself a gift of the product he made.

Soon.

John Gailado frowned and continued.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s really a Diom bag… I even remember vividly drawing the diagram just a few months ago.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It was the most popular product last season. See here, the inside finish? I paid special attention to this part. Even if I look at it again now, I feel dizzy.”

Alexander King, who let out a laugh, said with an excited face.

“Gailado, wait a minute. Don’t just look at it, take a closer look.”

Alexander King, who spoke briefly, shrugged his shoulders once and immediately added.

“Actually, that bag is not a genuine product.”

“Yes…?”

Above John Gailado’s eyebrows, who asked back in embarrassment, a deep shadow quickly fell.

John Gailado, who was about to tear the bag apart, laughed hollowly and asked.

“Really? Is this bag really not genuine?”

“Of course.”

“Oh my god. Where is he?”

“Huh?”

“I’m talking about the ‘Meister’ [master craftsman] who made this bag. I have to meet him right away.”

“What after you meet him?”

“Deal! I have to take him to Christian Diom’s atelier right away!”