Black Label [EN]: Chapter 79

Black Label 78

79. Opportunity Creates Opportunity

Korea, after a full month, seemed unchanged.

If I had to pinpoint a difference, it would be the bleaker, sharper weather.

I stared blankly out the taxi window the entire ride home.

Before leaving Paris, I felt only regret, but returning to Korea immersed me in a strange familiarity.

Suddenly, it hit me.

The time had come to return to the daily life I had momentarily forgotten.

No, I had successfully returned to daily life.

“I’m home!”

Jaeseung, stepping into the house after a long time, spoke brightly.

Both parents would be at work, and his younger sister, Seunghee, would be absorbed in studying at school.

Although no one seemed to be around, he spoke loudly to create the feeling of being back.

Home.

It wasn’t a particularly large space, but what can I say?

It felt excessively large to be alone.

For a moment, the wall clock’s ticking echoed quietly through the silent house. To dispel the silence, I immediately turned on the TV.

– Next news. This morning, a fire broke out in a residential area in Yeonhui-dong, resulting in….

Listening attentively to the anchor’s clear voice, I started to organize my luggage.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much to unpack. Near the end of my trip in Paris, I had sent most of it home in batches.

While busily organizing, Jaeseung exclaimed, “Ah!” and immediately connected his smartphone to the charger.

Because the battery had completely died, he hadn’t even been able to send a single text message to let people know he had arrived safely.

As Jaeseung was engrossed in unpacking, he slowly raised his head and began to watch the TV screen.

It was the anchor’s narration that caught his attention.

– Next news. Are you familiar with ‘Seoul Fashion Week,’ which started in 1997 with the aim of solidifying the image of ‘Fashion Korea’ and establishing Seoul as a fashion capital like London and Milan? Thanks to these efforts, Korea seems to be gradually emerging as a fashion powerhouse.

Jaeseung eventually stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at the TV. Since it was a report related to his field, he couldn’t help but focus.

– Very good news. South Korea’s position in the global fashion scene is becoming increasingly solid. Another emerging designer has succeeded in proving his skills on the world stage. None other than 19-year-old fashion designer ‘Lee Jaeseung’ is the subject of this report.

Jaeseung widened his eyes and unconsciously muttered, “What… what is this?”

How could he not be surprised when the TV screen he turned on without a thought, even on ‘public broadcast news,’ was reporting something about him?

– According to information released this morning by the famous American fashion magazine ‘Ella’ [a well-known fashion publication], Lee has been appointed as the ‘Creative Director’ of the global fashion brand ‘Alexander King.’ ‘Ella’ stated that both parties have already finalized the contract through mutual agreement….

At that moment, the smartphone connected to the charger began to vibrate.

Because the power had just been turned on, the messages Jaeseung hadn’t been able to check were pouring in all at once.

Buzzzzz.

Buzzzzz.

Buzzzzz.

Then, the news screen switched again, and an interview with ‘Professor Kang Hyungrok,’ who had helped Jaeseung prepare for studying abroad, began to play.

– Professor Kang Hyungrok (Hongshin University, Department of Fashion Design): It’s a very special case. Despite not graduating from a prestigious fashion school, it’s never easy to be recognized by famous fashion magazines such as Paris Vogue or active designers… In any case, I’m watching to see if Lee’s actions will further solidify the position of the Korean fashion industry.

His head was filled with confusion, but the smartphone continued to vibrate incessantly.

Jaeseung immediately picked up his smartphone and began to check the messages that had arrived while the power was off.

– 76 missed calls.

The calls from Director Song and the employees alone amounted to 76. The congratulatory messages from fellow designers and related parties numbered nearly 300.

Jaeseung took a deep breath and immediately called Director Song.

After a moment of ringing.

Finally.

– What the heck is going on? You should have told me in advance so I could have prepared a response!

As soon as the call connected, an urgent voice came from the other end.

Jaeseung ran a hand over his forehead, his voice slightly trembling.

“Director, just a moment. I’m also very flustered right now. I just got home and turned on the TV, and I was on the news!”

After speaking, Jaeseung let out a long sigh, and Director Song chuckled on the other end before asking again in a cheerful tone.

– What? So you didn’t receive any information about this at all?

“No, not at all.”

Jaeseung replied briefly and immediately got up from his seat.

“I’ll change my clothes and head to the office right away.”

Judging from the bustling noise on the other end, he couldn’t afford to sit leisurely at home.

– Okay, I understand. You must be tired, but it seems unavoidable today. With reporters and fashion magazines calling, I’m worried the office phone will catch fire.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I have fire insurance.”

– Wow, impressive? You even have time to joke around. Anyway, let’s hold off on interview requests for now. The employees are going to collapse, so it would be best if you came as soon as possible.

“Huh? Why the employees?”

Director Song hesitated for a moment before answering urgently.

– Well, what if another call comes in now? Let’s talk about the details when you get here.

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

Jaeseung turned his gaze and began to slowly look at the subtitles scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen.

– 19-year-old emerging designer Lee Jaeseung, appointed as ‘Creative Director’ of famous brand Alexander King. Expert says, “Contribution to the growth of the Korean fashion industry. This is a highly unusual event….”

It was a subtitle foreshadowing that he would once again be swept into a whirlwind of work.

* * *

6th floor of the commercial building where the Wallflower office was located.

As soon as Jaeseung got off the elevator, the employees sitting on the hallway floor, busy packing boxes, greeted him.

“Ah, hello?!”

“Hello!”

All of them had faces he had never seen before.

They looked like new recruits, displaying a military-like discipline.

It seemed they were the new employees he had heard about.

“Yes, hello.”

He wanted to offer a word of encouragement, but he didn’t have time, so he hurried on.

Soon, Jaeseung stepped into the office.

Director Song, busy on the phone, noticed Jaeseung and mouthed, “You’re here?”

Looking around the office, the design team employees’ seats were empty.

‘Huh? Where did everyone go?’

They wouldn’t have gone on a group business trip. The most likely possibility was that they were organizing the newly arrived stock in the warehouse.

No matter how slow things were, everyone would be involved in organizing when goods arrived.

Anyway, he assumed that Director Song had given appropriate instructions and quickly dismissed the thought.

Jaeseung naturally took a seat on the sofa in the center of the office.

After staring blankly out the window for a while.

Director Song, who had finished the call, took a seat opposite Jaeseung and handed over a stack of documents.

“Check this out first.”

“What is this?”

“What else? This week’s schedule.”

He started to check the contents.

Starting tomorrow, the next four days were filled with interviews and filming schedules.

According to the schedule, he had to conduct interviews with a minimum of four and a maximum of six media outlets per day.

“Wait a minute. Why is there so much?”

Even the clients were diverse. Fashion magazine interview offers and internet news interviews felt manageable.

There were also plenty of unfamiliar tasks, such as panel appearances on beauty programs broadcast on cable channels and solo appearances on educational programs.

Jaeseung frowned and asked, and Director Song shrugged and replied.

“I accepted all the offers that came in, unless they were completely unreasonable.”

“Huh? All of them?”

“Yeah. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity and move forward. You only have to suffer for a few days, right? It’s not often that you get the chance to promote while getting paid.”

After speaking, Director Song asked again, “Right?”

Although he was somewhat worried about the hectic schedule, what he said made sense.

How much would it cost to purchase the promotional effect that could be gained from this opportunity? Even if he didn’t know exactly, it was clear that it wouldn’t be an amount he could afford.

Furthermore, the time he could stay in Korea was limited.

Wouldn’t he naturally have to reject all the interview requests that would come in after he left for studying abroad?

It was better to run around as much as possible while the conditions allowed.

‘Okay, let’s suffer a little longer for now.’

Jaeseung tilted his head slightly, curious, and asked again.

“By the way, where did all the design team employees go? Did something arrive today?”

“What? What do you mean, something arrived…? They’re busy taking things out.”

“Huh?”

“I put them all in charge of packaging and organizing for now.”

“The entire design team?”

Director Song frowned and asked back.

“It was unavoidable. Ah, did I not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Jaeseung asked back, and Director Song clasped his hands together and continued.

“Do you remember me saying that people care more about what kind of evaluations you received from famous people than what kind of clothes you make?”

“Ah, yes. You did.”

“I’m deeply sympathizing with that statement right now.”

“What…?”

Director Song smiled and replied.

“All products were sold out by noon today. Even outdated products and bad stock.”