Black Label [EN]: Chapter 9

Black Label 8

9. The Secret of the Pencil

That evening, as soon as Jaeseung returned home, he took out all the clothes in his closet and laid them out on the floor.

“Let’s see….”

He was eager to start some simple sewing right away.

He had four yards of muslin fabric piled up for trial tailoring, and he had bought various materials needed for remodeling, so he was ready to begin immediately.

However, it was currently 10 p.m.

The room wasn’t soundproof, and the sewing machine didn’t have a silent motor.

If he ran the sewing machine, he’d be inviting complaints from his family and neighbors.

‘…This won’t do. Once I have some income, I need to set up a workshop first.’

The weekend was a little different, but on weekdays, he could only work for three or four hours a day at most.

Even if he rushed home as soon as he finished school, he couldn’t get home before five o’clock.

The ‘workspace’ constraint was hindering his passion. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“Sigh-.”

Jaeseung sighed and then turned his gaze back to the clothes scattered on the floor.

Since his working hours were limited, there were things he had to do that night.

Sorting through the clothes he currently owned.

Jaeseung carefully examined the clothes he had and began to sort them according to his criteria.

First, he picked out the clothes he would wear for the time being.

It was good to remodel and sell them, but he needed to keep a few clothes to wear himself.

‘I have more clothes to wear than I thought…?’

Experts have slightly different opinions on the fashion cycle, but they usually estimate it at 12 to 20 years.

That felt true to him in that moment.

There were more neat-looking clothes that he could wear right away than he had expected.

“Good.”

Jaeseung muttered to himself and immediately started the second classification.

The clothes that Jaeseung started to classify this time were the clothes that had to be discarded.

‘How could I have worn something like this…?’

He recalled the days when he wore rags that looked like they should go straight to the clothing donation bin, packaged as ‘Street’ or ‘Vintage,’ and his face flushed.

‘Radical attempts are good, but this is too much….’

With just two classifications, all the clothes were sorted.

Jaeseung pushed the clothes to be thrown away towards the door and immediately started the third and final classification.

“Hmm….”

The last classification was the task of selecting clothes that would be popular if they were remodeled and sold.

Although they would be sold through his personal blog and fashion-related web communities, they were still clothes that would be sold under the name of ‘Wall Flower’.

Jaeseung carefully began to select the clothes in the best condition from the clothes he had set aside to wear.

How long had it been?

A smile appeared on Jaeseung’s face, who had been concentrating on sorting.

‘Right. That’s right. I enjoyed wearing this outfit around this time.’

Each item was filled with memories. Some of them were clothes from famous street brands, but most of them were ‘No Brand’ clothes purchased at low prices.

Usually, no-brand clothes are considered to have been worn well if they have been worn for a whole season.

Isn’t there a saying that you get what you pay for?

Brand clothes that enter department stores must go through quite strict inspections.

From ‘KC mark certification’ [Korean Certification mark, indicating product safety] to passing several inspections including ‘washing fastness’ are required to be sold in the store.

On the other hand, no-brand clothes are a little different.

Since there is no need to go through such inspections in the first place, they are often made without considering the quality.

Only the cheapest fabrics are used to make trendy clothes as if they were being mass-produced.

Also, the maximum amount is produced using the minimum amount of materials.

Therefore, there are quite a few problems that can occur.

Typically, the problems include the color running after washing it once, the size shrinking, or a lot of lint.

However, most of Jaeseung’s clothes were in the same condition as new.

‘Come to think of it, I really cherished them.’

Around this time, Jaeseung sincerely cherished his clothes.

Although it was not the time when he had a dream of becoming a fashion designer, he loved buying and wearing clothes.

That’s why he couldn’t throw away the clothes that he should have thrown away long ago.

Looking at the clothes that were so well sorted, the memories that had been diluted over time seemed to resurface.

The pure heart of the time when he was wondering how he could make ‘what I love’ a job.

A soft yet solid concept called ‘beginner’s mind’.

It was contained in the closet he used 13 years ago.

* * *

The classroom during lunch was quiet.

After the students who couldn’t control their energy rushed out to the playground after a quick meal, only some students who used lunch time as a self-study time remained in the classroom.

Occasionally, laughter or thumping footsteps could be heard from the hallway outside the classroom, but that was all.

Jaeseung was also sitting in his seat.

He would have been looking at a vocabulary book as usual, but not today.

As Jaeseung opened a blank notebook, Youngguk asked quietly.

“Are you going to study again?”

“Not today.”

“Then?”

“I’m going to do some sketching.”

He was planning to start remodeling right away and start selling properly within three days at the latest.

However, since he could only work for three or four hours after school, he had to take time to sketch designs even during lunch like now to proceed as planned.

‘Let’s see, the pencil….’

Not long after Jaeseung opened his pencil case, he frowned slightly. It was full of pens, and there was only one pencil.

It was even a pencil with the words ‘Wall Flower’ engraved on it, which he brought back with him when he returned to the past.

Jaeseung looked at Youngguk and asked.

“Youngguk, do you have a pencil?”

“Do I look like I have a pencil?”

“A gun? What are you talking about when I ask if you have a pencil?”

When Jaeseung asked with a slightly annoyed tone, Youngguk shrugged his shoulders and replied.

“I’m just saying it’s unlikely I have one. Hey, think about it. I don’t even have a bag, so would I have a pencil?”

Jaeseung sighed and started looking around at the other students left in the classroom.

Everyone was focused on their studies with earphones plugged in.

Jaeseung thought about asking them, but soon gave up.

‘Never mind.’

These were the people he had been tormenting so much until just a few days ago. No, they probably didn’t think of Jaeseung as a friend.

They would lend it to him if he asked, but he didn’t feel like it.

Jaeseung picked up a utility knife and started sharpening his pencil.

The pencil with the words Wall Flower engraved on the side.

Scribble- Scribble-.

‘It’s a waste, but it’s just a pencil….’

The pencil he was sharpening, the glasses he wore every day, and even the well-kept watch and magazines. After his thoughts were organized, he looked at them whenever he had time.

Since they were mysterious objects that came back with him to the past, he couldn’t neglect them.

However, Jaeseung still hadn’t found anything special.

At this point, the expectation that there was something special hidden had disappeared.

‘Still, it’s a meaningful object, so let’s use it sparingly.’

After sharpening the pencil, Jaeseung blew on the lead a few times and held it firmly in his hand.

‘Shall we start?’

He had roughly planned how to remodel the clothes while sorting them yesterday, so he felt like he could draw without any hesitation.

Soon.

The moment the lead of the pencil Jaeseung was holding touched the paper.

Jaeseung’s eyes widened in an instant.

“Uh-?!”