Black Label [EN]: Chapter 89

Black Label 88

89. A Forgotten Name

‘It’s quite chilly….’

Stepping out of his apartment, Jae Seung tightened the collar of his coat.

The weather, fluctuating between below and above freezing, made the wind feel even sharper.

After a solid 15-minute walk from his apartment entrance, Jae Seung arrived on 5th Avenue in Manhattan and stopped in front of a building on 13th 5th Ave.

This building, with its extraordinary appearance, was the ‘Parsons University Center’.

Perhaps due to the expensive land prices in Manhattan, Parsons’ buildings were scattered throughout the city like this.

Some might see the lack of a traditional campus as a disadvantage, but others considered it an advantage.

Because it made the entire city of Manhattan feel like a campus.

In any case, he was here today to take the final interview at the University Center building.

After entering the building and going through a simple identification process, he immediately headed towards the interview room.

Ding-!

As the elevator doors opened, the interior of the 3rd floor, where the interview room was located, came into full view.

The unique and stylish interior, with all the walls painted blue except for the ceiling and floor, was striking.

He had heard in advance that the inside of the ‘UC (University Center)’ building was painted in one color like this.

For example, the 2nd floor was red, the 3rd floor was blue, the 4th floor was yellow, and so on.

And on the long sofa in the hallway, there were many freshmen waiting for their interviews.

Some freshmen, who had arrived late and couldn’t find a seat, were aimlessly wandering around the hallway, looking around the facilities.

But there was one surprising thing.

‘Wow, most of them are Asians….’

He had heard that more than half of Parsons’ students were Asian.

But he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent. There were definitely a significant number of Koreans as well.

Some freshmen glanced at him, but fortunately, no one seemed to recognize him.

As Jae Seung stepped out of the elevator and took a few steps.

“Welcome, are you here for the interview today?”

A young woman in a suit, who was waiting near the elevator, asked in a very friendly tone.

Jae Seung nodded once and replied.

“Yes, I am.”

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Jae Seung.”

“Um, just a moment.”

The woman glanced at the chart for a moment, then exclaimed, “Wow!” and asked back.

“Oh my! Lee, you’re the talk of the freshmen, aren’t you?”

“Excuse me? The talk of the freshmen?”

“Yes. A member of the RA [Resident Advisor] crew, and Alexander King’s….”

As she was about to continue, Jae Seung quickly put his index finger to his lips and said urgently.

“I think that’s right, so you don’t have to say anymore. I don’t really enjoy being the center of attention.”

Looking around, he could see that some freshmen were already looking at him with curious eyes.

It was as if they were all sending him ominous looks, asking, ‘So, you’re the guy from the rumors?’

Only then did she realize the attention she was drawing, and she said carefully with a distressed look.

“Oh, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to make things difficult….”

“It’s okay.”

“Let me help you with the 안내 [information/orientation] first.”

Her explanation began to flow smoothly.

According to her explanation, the final interview was an opportunity to have a brief meeting with the faculty before the start of the spring semester and the orientation.

She also didn’t forget to advise that leaving a good impression during the final interview would be helpful in many ways during school life, so it was best to answer the faculty’s questions as sincerely as possible.

As she continued to speak, focusing on the chart in her hand, Jae Seung glanced at her face.

Was it because she was wearing thick-rimmed glasses with large lenses?

She had a kind and somewhat naive face.

Jae Seung glanced at the name tag attached to her chest.

‘Rachel?’

She seemed to be a student in the fashion department, assigned to help with the smooth running of the interview.

Then, Rachel, who had finished her explanation, handed him a paper with a waiting number and said.

“Please come in when Lee’s number is called. Fortunately, you’re in the front, so you’ll only have to wait about 30 minutes.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As Jae Seung was about to leave, Rachel suddenly put her palms together as if praying and said.

“Wait, just a moment!”

“Yes?”

“If you don’t mind….”

She trailed off cautiously, then continued in a barely audible voice.

“Could I get your autograph?”

“An autograph?”

This was his second autograph in his life, after giving one to a Brit earlier.

Although it was unfamiliar, it wasn’t difficult.

Jae Seung nodded and replied, “Of course,” and she brightened up and began to chatter.

“Most of the students are curious about what kind of person Lee is. Although some are hostile.”

Jae Seung, who had just received a pen and paper, frowned slightly and asked back.

“Excuse me? Hostile?”

She shrugged once and began to speak in a nonchalant tone.

“Isn’t jealousy and envy like shadows that follow success? There are many who say that you’re nothing special when they actually meet you.”

Jae Seung nodded a few times, and Rachel added with a bright smile.

“Anyway, most of the students are fond of you. Lee is already working as a designer in the New York fashion scene, so he’s a senior in the industry, right? Moreover, with the current ‘hot rookie’ of the fashion world entering Parsons as a freshman, Parsons will win this year’s ‘competition’.”

Rachel finished speaking and added, “We’ve been in second place for years, so we’re losing face.”

The competition.

It seemed to be a competition held every year with the ‘New York Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)’, a design school located nearby.

In other words, it was similar to the Korea-Yonsei rivalry (or the Korea-Korea rivalry) [a famous inter-university sports rivalry in South Korea].

Parsons and FIT.

Both schools were prestigious schools that could be called the ‘two mountains’ of New York design schools, weren’t they?

Since the two schools were located so close to each other, it was inevitable that this kind of culture would arise.

First, each school selects 5 designers, produces a total of 30 outfits, and puts on a show.

After the show, the winner of the school competition is announced through voting, and then individual students who have submitted excellent designs are ranked and awarded prizes and merchandise in an annual special event.

This was an event that not only ‘Alexander’ but also many famous designers had gone through.

Thanks to this, it has now become a large-scale event attended by many industry professionals.

Although it is a student event, it is an opportunity to meet and contact designers who will become stars in advance.

“Well, if I have the chance, I’d definitely like to attend.”

Swish, swish, swish-.

As Jae Seung began to draw his signature on the paper, Rachel immediately spoke up.

“Oh, that’s right. My name is….”

“Rachel?”

Rachel widened her eyes and asked back.

“Oh? How did you know…?”

“It’s written on your name tag?”

Jae Seung asked back with a sly look, and Rachel blushed slightly and answered quietly.

“That’s right. Well, I’ll keep it safe.”

“You’re welcome. It was nice meeting you, Rachel.”

Jae Seung replied briefly, bowed his head once, and slowly began to walk towards the interview room.

Rachel, who was watching Jae Seung’s receding figure, muttered in a small voice.

“Well, the feeling of a professional is different….”

Meanwhile, Jae Seung’s expression as he walked towards the interview room was also very bright.

He wouldn’t be able to fully immerse himself in school life due to various schedules, but he had a feeling that it would be a fun and rewarding time.

* * *

The air inside the interview room was extremely heavy.

Four professors sitting side by side at a long conference table. And Jae Seung sitting in a chair in front of the table.

There were a total of five people in the interview room, but it was completely silent.

Finally.

“Jae Seung, welcome.”

The first to speak was an old professor with gray hair.

There’s a saying that men gain style, not age, right? The old professor seemed to be the epitome of that saying.

Jae Seung, who made eye contact with the old professor, replied in as confident a tone as possible.

“It’s an honor to meet you all.”

On the other hand, his heart was pounding heavily. All the professors sitting across from him were quite famous.

In particular, the old professor who had just spoken to him was none other than ‘Edin Thomas’, a living legend in the current fashion world, wasn’t he?

He had heard that he was a professor at Parsons, but he hadn’t expected to meet him so easily.

The old professor looked at Jae Seung and said in a relaxed tone.

“I was really impressed with the portfolio you submitted. I think Lee is probably the first to submit a brand he’s directly running as a portfolio.”

It wouldn’t be the first time ever. According to what he had found, there had been precedents.

But at least there had never been a portfolio submitted by a brand with sales similar in scale to ‘Wall Flower’.

“Well, I had one question. ‘Was there a reason to choose to go to college?’ I heard that Jae Seung was recently selected as the next creative director of the premium brand Alexander King. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“In fact, it’s safe to say that you’ve already proven your skills. No matter how excellent a student at Parsons is, there are hardly any cases where they are selected as the creative director of a premium brand upon graduation.”

Even Alexander, who is currently one of the world’s leading designers, was like that.

He had already received the spotlight during his college life, but that was it.

After graduating from Parsons, he went through internships in various places, and it took him many years to launch his own brand.

Edin Thomas took off his rimless glasses and began to stare at Jae Seung.

“I’m curious. Perhaps the choice of going to college could be ‘poison’ for Jae Seung?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“If I were targeting the Korean market, that would be the case. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have decided to go to college and would have focused only on practical work.”

There was a moment of silence. Jae Seung, who said, “But,” continued to speak.

“My goal is the global market. I will make the brand ‘Wall Flower’, which I am currently leading, a solid brand that can stand above any premium brand.”

Jae Seung finished speaking and looked at Edin Thomas, adding, “Of course, Bermondo is no exception.”

Was it because his brand was mentioned? Edin Thomas, who seemed interested, smiled and asked again.

“Linked industry-academic cooperation organizations, various campaigns, educational curriculum, and a clear educational philosophy… Studying abroad will definitely be helpful. But, well, I’m not sure in Jae Seung’s case.”

“May I ask why?”

“From the owner designer to the creative director, and finally to a student at Parsons… In short, you have to play three roles. Most people have a hard time living with just one role.”

Jae Seung nodded once and replied.

“I can do it. I will prove it through my future life.”

It wasn’t unfounded confidence. He just needed to divide and divide his time.

If that wasn’t enough, he could borrow the power of a pencil [referring to his ability to rewind time].

He had decided to study abroad because he was confident that he could do it somehow.

Even if Wall Flower’s stock price fell, he was confident that he could overcome it somehow.

“I hope so. By the way, this kind of convenience will only be provided until the first year, which is accompanied by basic education.”

It seemed to be an explanation about the agreement to recognize attendance during the period of commuting to Alexander King’s headquarters.

Edin Thomas’s explanation continued.

“We may be able to consider it to some extent in the second and third years, but it may be difficult to graduate. If you think you can buy Parsons’ diploma with money and time, you’re very wrong.”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

“Okay. You can leave now. Then, let’s meet again on the OT [Orientation] day.”

As Jae Seung stood up and reached the front of the exit, Edin Thomas called Jae Seung back again.

“Wait, Jae Seung. You said you would put Wall Flower in the ranks of the world’s top brands, right?”

“Yes.”

“I hope you can show me that you are a promising talent who has the potential to do so in the near future.”

Edin Thomas finished speaking, gave a kind smile, and added again.

“In fact, I’m closer to a businessman than an artist.”

It was a subtle way of conveying that if he proved his skills, he would be given a reasonable opportunity.

Jae Seung, who understood the meaning of those words, smiled faintly and replied briefly.

“Yes, thank you.”

After all, he couldn’t prove his worth with words. He thought that everything would be solved by time.

If he lived more fiercely than anyone else.

As he stepped back into the hallway, he saw his future classmates sitting with tense expressions.

Jae Seung left them behind and immediately got on the elevator.

Jae Seung had an important task ahead of him as important as today’s final interview. He had received an invitation to dinner from Michelle.

She had agreed to his request to let him talk to Kyle.

Jae Seung, who left the Parsons UC building, began to walk vigorously again.

* * *

That evening, Jae Seung stepped into an apartment located on the outskirts of Manhattan.

It was none other than Michelle and Kyle’s home, and it seemed to be a similar size to the apartment Jae Seung was using alone.

“Come on in.”

Michelle said, peeking her face through the slightly opened front door.

Jae Seung nodded once and immediately stepped inside.

It wasn’t unique, but it was a well-organized house. Michelle’s neat and meticulous character seemed to be revealed without filtration.

“Michelle, thank you for inviting me. By the way, where’s Kyle?”

“He’s in his room.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Lee, would you like to wait in Kyle’s room first? I haven’t finished preparing dinner yet.”

Michelle finished speaking and added with a faint smile, “You can also have a conversation.”

Jae Seung immediately headed to Kyle’s room. When there was no response even after knocking, Michelle carefully opened the door herself.

Kyle was sitting at his desk, wearing earphones and absorbed in drawing something.

Jae Seung lightly tapped on Kyle’s desk. ‘Knock-.’ Only then did Kyle feel the presence and turn around.

“Oh my gosh, Lee! What’s going on…?”

“I received a dinner invitation.”

Jae Seung sat on Kyle’s bed and slowly began to look around the room. It was a cute and well-decorated room.

Finally, the moment Jae Seung’s gaze reached Kyle’s bookshelf.

‘Huh…?’

Jae Seung’s expression changed strangely. It was because of the magazines that were full of bookshelves.

Fashion magazines from various countries were neatly arranged and full of them.

Even some of them included Korean fashion magazines.

One thing in common was that they were all issues that contained his interview.

Jae Seung, who was staring blankly at the air, regained his mind thanks to Kyle’s call.

“Lee? What’s wrong?”

Jae Seung, who was staring blankly at Kyle, frowned and carefully continued.

“…Could it be, Kyle Andrew?”

Kyle nodded once to Jae Seung’s quiet question and asked back as if wondering.

“Oh, how did you know?”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s the name before I met Michelle….”

Kyle Andrew, a fashion power blogger and chief designer of the fast fashion brand Tara.

The name that had been sunk deep in the bottom of his past life’s memories suddenly surfaced.