Black Label [EN]: Chapter 90

89. Predicting Success

“Lee? What’s wrong?”

Jae-seung, who had been lost in thought for a while, carefully broached the subject.

“It’s nothing. By the way, you seem to keep up with most fashion magazines? I think I saw a Korean magazine there….”

“Yes, I tend to keep up with most of the major magazines.”

After finishing his sentence, Kyle hesitated, “Actually, the Korean magazines…,” and then added after a moment,

“I only looked at the issues Lee was in. I’ve been interested since last season when Wall Flower put on a show with a theme of minimalism.”

“Oh my gosh, really?”

“Of course. Back then, *Vogue’s* Geraldine Saglio wrote a column about it, right? I’m sure many people besides me are interested and keeping an eye on it.”

Jae-seung smiled brightly and replied, “I’m just grateful that you say so.”

It was a sincere remark. It was truly something to be thankful for that someone on the other side of the world was interested in Wall Flower.

“Anyway, when I first saw Lee at the atelier, it was really amazing. I never expected that the day would come when I would actually meet Lee.”

“Kyle, do you admire designers?”

“Of course. I think they are all amazing people. You can buy a magazine for just a few dollars, but to be featured in a magazine, you have to put in an effort that is beyond monetary value.”

“Do you perhaps want to become a designer?”

Kyle seemed taken aback and waved his hands, replying,

“No, how could I dare….”

“It seems like you want to be one.”

Jae-seung replied briefly, stood up from his seat, and took out a few books that were lined up on one side of the bookshelf. Most of them were books related to design theory.

“I just look at them as a hobby.”

“Are the design sketches also just a hobby?”

“Huh…?”

When Kyle looked startled, Jae-seung put his hand on his shoulder and said,

“I picked up a design sketch from the trash can in the atelier hallway. Kyle’s name was on one corner of the sketch.”

“Ah, that’s also just….”

“You’re not going to tell me that’s just a hobby too, are you? It’s too outstanding a skill to be just a hobby.”

After a moment of silence, Jae-seung slowly began to speak in a gentle tone.

“Kyle, do you remember when I asked you if you wanted to become a designer, and you replied, ‘How could I dare….’?”

“Yes.”

“There are no qualifications needed to dream. The same goes for any grand dream.”

Even if he only looked back at himself, just before he embraced his regression and dreamed of becoming a designer, he was just a delinquent student that could be found in every class.

The same went for Yeong-guk, who was spending his days fiercely pursuing his dream. He was just a friend who belonged to the same group and hung out together.

So, what about now?

People are usually like that. They rarely change, but they are bound to face a big change overnight.

And most of those big changes are usually caused by dreams or goals.

Jae-seung began to look at Kyle. He couldn’t readily give an answer and was just hesitating.

“Kyle, I’ll get straight to the point. I want to recruit you to Wall Flower. Not as a tailor, but as a designer in the design department. You can refuse if you really don’t want to. And if you need time to think, I can wait as long as you need.”

“Oh my gosh….”

“Anyway, it will be a very attractive offer. First, I’ll send you the contract today. Review it, and if you think there are any shortcomings, you can make new demands as much as you want.”

As soon as Jae-seung finished speaking, Kyle covered his face with both hands and replied,

“Lee, it’s a really kind offer, but… I’m not someone who has that much value.”

Not someone who has that much value?

Unfortunately, that’s completely wrong.

The ‘Kyle Andrew’ he saw in his past life was a ‘fashion power blogger’ who had so much influence that he could easily disregard most columnists or critics.

He even received new products as gifts every season from several brands under the guise of sponsorship, and in the near future, he was scheduled to sign an exclusive contract with the fast fashion brand ‘Tara’ after being recognized for his outstanding sense and be recruited as the chief designer.

Such a person is not worth pre-empting [recruiting before others]?

He was so frustrated that he just wanted to tell him, ‘Kyle, I’m sorry, but I saw your future. So I know everything,’ to his heart’s content.

After maintaining silence for a while, Jae-seung began to speak in a soft voice.

“Kyle, but do you know what?”

“Tell me.”

“I have never, at least as far as ‘business’ is concerned….”

Silence filled the room for a moment.

“…made a wrong choice.”

A sincere tone filled with sincerity. Kyle’s blue eyes began to tremble slightly.

Although it was only a story limited to after the regression, the statement ‘I have never made a wrong choice’ was also a clear fact.

Originally, the power of the words that come out of a person’s mouth changes depending on the position and situation of the person who uttered them, right?

In Kyle’s eyes, he would be seen as a genius designer who had achieved some success in his early 20s.

It was a statement made to remind him of that fact once again.

“I’ve been analyzing Kyle’s design sketches for several days. It’s not refined yet, but it’s attractive enough on its own.”

“Lee….”

“I’m not just saying this. There are so many designers in Korea who want to join Wall Flower’s design department. If Kyle’s talent was just so-so or ambiguous, I wouldn’t have brought up this story in the first place.”

Looking at Kyle again, he just seemed to be hesitating and unable to speak easily.

Jae-seung shrugged his shoulders once and said.

“Kyle, there’s a special reason, isn’t there? It’s okay, tell me comfortably.”

After staring at Jae-seung for a long time, Kyle said, “Actually…,” and continued in a low voice.

“It was Michelle who took me in when I was wandering the streets. If it wasn’t for Michelle, I would still be selling ‘*weed*’ [marijuana] or begging on the streets.”

“Oh, I see.”

“It was all thanks to Michelle that I got into Alexander King’s atelier. When I came back from work, she taught me sewing techniques for several hours every day. Really, not a single day was missed.”

Jae-seung replied in an infinitely serious tone, “That’s really amazing.”

That’s because the Meister [master craftsman] of the atelier is not in a position to be able to spare a few hours a day.

During the season preparation period, they would have to go to work at the crack of dawn and only be able to leave close to midnight.

The same goes for the ateliers of any other brand.

The Meister has to do the most difficult sewing and is responsible for finishing all the sewing of all products within the deadline.

It’s not just the end when they finish their own work, but they also have to help with the work of other tailors and finish it perfectly.

“So I worked harder to learn sewing techniques. Actually, at that time, I didn’t know how great a tailor Michelle was, or how hard it was for her to take the time to educate me every day. I only found out after joining the atelier.”

Kyle added in a tearful voice.

“What she did was not something anyone could do. No, it was something no one could do. Lee, think about it. Would you not only take a kid wandering the streets into your home, but also take the time to educate them about design for several years, cutting down on sleep? I don’t know about other people, but I definitely can’t.”

“Me neither. I didn’t know Michelle was such a great person. I’ve come to respect her.”

“The day I received the acceptance notice from Alexander King’s atelier, Michelle cried so sadly. So did I. She wants me to become a great Meister. I just want to live up to her expectations.”

Only then did he think he knew why he had secretly drawn the design sketches without Michelle knowing.

At that time, Michelle’s voice was heard from beyond the door. It seemed that dinner was ready.

Jae-seung lightly patted Kyle’s shoulder a few times and said in a very serious tone.

“Kyle, I understand for now. But think about it carefully. And Michelle probably doesn’t just want Kyle to become a great Meister.”

“Yes? Then…?”

Just as Kyle was asking quietly, Jae-seung grabbed the doorknob and replied.

“She probably just wants Kyle to be happy.”

* * *

After finishing his meal, Jae-seung moved to his studio in Manhattan instead of his apartment.

Click-!

As soon as he turned on the light switch, the interior of the studio was thoroughly revealed.

Thanks to Alexander’s consideration, it was well-equipped enough to start working right away.

“Good….”

For now, there was nothing to do with the sewing machine today. He hadn’t even drawn the design sketches yet.

Since the full-scale season preparation period was just around the corner, he was planning to take the time in advance to draw the design sketches step by step.

First, before starting work, he called Director Song.

“Director, is everything okay?”

– Of course.

“What about Wall Flower’s new street line design? Hasn’t it come out yet?”

– Yeah, I just sent it to you by email.

First of all, it seemed that he had to check the new season products of Wall Flower that Lee Kang-joon and other employees had designed.

Jae-seung turned on the iMac PC on the studio desk and continued to speak.

“Actually, I met a designer named Kyle Andrew and I want to bring him to Wall Flower’s design department.”

– Kyle Andrew? I’ve never heard of him, is he a rookie?

“Yes. Well, something like that… First, could you send me the exclusive designer contract form to my email address?”

He was planning to offer the same conditions as Lee Kang-joon, Nam Gwang-min, and Choo Ji-hoon, who are currently in the design team.

The conditions they contracted with were good enough to be compared to any domestic industry [Korean industry, in this context].

The situation was not much different overseas.

It would be more convenient if Director Song sent the email directly to Kyle, but he couldn’t do that because of the translation problem, so he asked him to send it to him.

After a while of back and forth conversation.

“I’ll review the street line design first and contact you right away.”

– Okay. Please take care of it.

After finishing the call, he made a cup of coffee from the coffee machine. First, he savored the aroma and reviewed the employees’ designs.

As a result of checking the designs, it seemed that the employees’ skills had grown beyond recognition in the past few months.

Some designs were at a level where they could start making samples right away without any separate modifications.

If there was one disappointing thing, it would be that the number of ‘species’ [unique designs] was a bit lacking.

There was nothing particularly wrong with it.

If it was the number of species, he could just add a few more.

“Good taste….”

Jae-seung took a sip of coffee, put the mug on the workbench, and immediately took out a pencil case from his bag.

It was a pencil case containing various work tools.

And then.

“Have you been well?”

Jae-seung muttered, looking at the pencil in his hand.

It was a luxurious-looking pencil with the name ‘Wall Flower’ engraved on the side.

That pencil that had returned to the past with him.

Jae-seung began to move the pencil in his hand smoothly.

Swish- Swish-.

First of all, he was planning to draw a few products to be released as Wall Flower’s street line and one or two products to be released under the name of Alexander King with the help of the pencil.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy task.

It was true that the pencil helped to draw the design sketches, but it didn’t create something from nothing.

It just made it easier and clearer to show the designs that were abstractly in Jae-seung’s head.

Jae-seung began to look at the lines stretching out onto the drawing paper with eyes full of interest.

Small dots were gathering on the white drawing paper. Small dots gathered to become lines, and when the lines gathered, the design sketches gradually took shape.

Was it because it was his first time working in a while? Just drawing the design sketches made his heart beat wildly.

* * *

The next morning, Wall Flower’s office. Director Song yawned with his mouth wide open and turned on the computer.

“Ugh, it’s cold. Ji-hoon, turn on the heating.”

“Yes!”

As soon as the computer was turned on, Director Song began to check his inbox.

It was the start of a normal day.

After a moment of ‘click, click’ sounds, Director Song unknowingly muttered to himself.

“What…?”

It was because of the email that had arrived from Jae-seung.

It was only about 24 hours ago that he had sent it asking for a review, but he had separately attached not only the revised version but also eight new designs.

Director Song frowned deeply and asked the employees in a low voice.

“Is your boss originally like this?”

Lee Kang-joon asked back as if he was puzzled.

“Yes?”

After a moment of silence, Director Song let out a hollow laugh and continued to speak.

“He just churns out designs like a machine… Is he originally such an inhuman person?”

* * *

Meanwhile, Alexander was also unable to hide his surprise.

“Lee, wait a minute. You’ve already designed two species [unique designs]?”

– Yes, I sent you an email.

“Oh my gosh, you know that quality is more important than quantity, right?”

– Of course.

“I’m sorry. But, I can’t help but be skeptical….”

Alexander, wearing a bathrobe, immediately sat in front of his iMac PC.

Not only had the season preparation just begun, but it had only been a few days since Lee had arrived in the United States and finished his preparations.

But he had already completed two design sketches? It was a situation where he couldn’t help but be skeptical.

And then.

Click-.

Two design sketches attached by Jae-seung appeared on the monitor screen.

After staring blankly at the design sketches for a moment, Alexander King said in a slightly trembling voice.

“This season is probably….”

– Yes?

“It looks like it will be a guaranteed success.”