Black Label [EN]: Chapter 94

94. Seasoning Talk

Time flowed relentlessly, and before we knew it, we were in the second month of 2012.

Already, February.

At the tail end of winter, the temperature in New York was barely above freezing. At this moment, Jaesung was deep in thought, diligently walking the streets of Manhattan.

Unkempt stubble, like a bunch of broken pencil leads stuck in his face. Hollow eyes. Even his cheekbones seemed more prominent.

Jaesung’s disheveled appearance, not unlike that of a shut-in, seemed to reflect the grueling routine he had been repeating lately.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had slept comfortably in his Manhattan apartment.

Catnaps on his studio chair had become a daily occurrence, to the point where he occasionally wondered, ‘Was it really necessary to rent an apartment in Manhattan at such an expensive price?’

He would open his eyes and dedicate himself to design work until he collapsed from exhaustion.

Whether he was eating, washing, or even walking like now, it was the same.

He would even fall asleep with a notebook clutched in one hand, so as not to miss any inspiration he might get in his dreams.

He was acutely aware that the glamorous image of a designer on the runway was just one aspect of the job.

He was living a life of floundering in a swamp of worries to create glamorous clothes, yet his own attire was utterly shabby.

How contradictory was that?

‘I’m tired, so tired….’

When things weren’t going well, he would constantly engage in activities to accumulate inspiration, such as reading books, watching documentaries, movies, magazines, or appreciating art from other genres.

This was due to his personal belief that one must have high-quality fuel to start a big fire.

He usually resolved breakfast haphazardly at a brunch cafe, and dinner was often replaced with junk food or instant meals.

They say that all things in the world are caused by a single meal, but for Jaesung, the time he had to allocate to sleep and meals felt like a waste.

Of course, today was no different.

“Hi, Lee. Welcome,” the clerk greeted him with an infinitely welcoming tone as soon as he stepped into the brunch cafe near his personal studio.

Thanks to his diligent attendance every day, he had become quite close with the young owner of the dessert cafe.

The owner tapped the POS [Point of Sale] machine with his finger and asked again.

“Will you have the Butterfinger Pancakes again today?”

“Yes, and a cold coffee, please.”

“I’ll bring it to you soon.”

“Thank you.”

After placing his order, he immediately took a seat by the window.

He put down the backpack he was carrying and took out a few notebooks and a pencil case.

Perhaps it was due to impatience, but he now felt guilty if he wasted any time.

He intended to come up with designs even while having a quick ‘brunch’ to resolve his late breakfast.

Why go to such lengths?

He was walking through the heart of the life he had so desired.

The heart of a dreamlike life where he could have the title of designer and release clothes under his own name.

It would be strange if he didn’t try this hard.

And thanks to going this far, he was able to complete the preparations smoothly.

The products to be released under the Wallflower name for this F/W [Fall/Winter] season were already in production.

If he could just finish the preparations for the non-design aspects, he could release them right away.

The same was true for the products to be released under Alexander King’s ‘Tag’.

He was just a few more additions away from being able to release them without any difficulty.

It was thanks to the tailors at the atelier [a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer] who followed him well.

At first, they were intimidated by the diagrams, but they proved their skills by creating samples without much difficulty.

There was still quite a bit of work to be done, but it seemed like there would be no problem if he helped out once the overall design work was completed.

Having finished organizing his thoughts, Jaesung twirled the pencil in his hand and muttered quietly.

“Let’s see….”

The correlation between concentration and efficiency is a hot research topic that hasn’t cooled down even as times change.

As soon as the bluntly sharpened 4B pencil lead touched the paper, Jaesung’s eyes changed.

Jaesung was staring intently at the open notebook with eyes that looked like they could emit a beam of light.

Anyone who has truly concentrated will know.

When a person is extremely focused on something, they become unaware of anything other than the series of tasks in front of them.

Swish, swish.

At the same time as he started moving the pencil, everything around him, from the soft jazz music flowing from the speakers to the conversations of other customers and the exhaust sounds of cars speeding on the road beyond the glass door, seemed to turn into white noise.

While Jaesung was so engrossed in his work,

the brunch cafe staff were busy having a conversation about ‘Jaesung’.

“Max, do you know what that Asian customer does?” the brunch cafe owner ‘Max’, who had previously served Jaesung, asked in a relaxed tone while making coffee, “Lee? Why?”

“He comes at the same time every day, barely eats his brunch, and just draws. Some days, he doesn’t even touch the food and just leaves.”

“Well, yeah. I don’t know exactly, but I know he’s a pretty famous fashion designer.”

“Wow, a famous fashion designer?”

Max nodded a few times, then looked up at the air as if trying to remember and continued.

“I don’t know for sure, but he must be pretty famous. Some customers recognize Lee. They take pictures with him, get autographs….”

“That means he must be very famous?”

“Yeah. Once, a customer even asked me if I could get his autograph.”

After finishing his words, Max poured the coffee into a mug and added, “If you’re really curious, try Googling him. I heard he’s often featured in famous magazines.”

Then, the young clerk who had been nodding her head showed a troubled expression and continued.

“Oh? That’s a problem. I don’t think we can make Butterfinger Pancakes today.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re out of ingredients. I placed an order yesterday, so it should have arrived this morning….”

Max muttered, “Oh no…,” and the clerk shrugged and replied.

“I’ll ask the designer for his understanding and take another order.”

“No, I’ll go.”

Max picked up the mug of coffee and approached the table where Jaesung was sitting.

He was so focused that he was just drawing a picture that he couldn’t recognize, even though he was standing right next to him.

‘Hmm, what should I do…?’

Originally, he should tell him that the ingredients for the Butterfinger Pancakes were out, ask for his understanding, and then take a new order.

But Max was hesitating and couldn’t open his mouth.

He had a strong feeling that he shouldn’t disturb Jaesung’s concentration.

After hovering for a while, Max finally placed the cup as carefully as possible on the edge of Jaesung’s table and tiptoed back to the counter.

Of course, Jaesung was unaware that Max had been there or that his coffee had come out.

After being engrossed in his work for a long time, Jaesung regained his senses when his smartphone, which he had placed on the table, started vibrating.

Before the vibration rang a few times, Jaesung immediately answered the phone. It was a call from Alexander.

“What’s going on?”

– Bro, where are you right now?

“I’m at a cafe near the studio.”

– The Manhattan studio?

“Yes. Why?”

A series of anxieties surged for a moment. Whenever Alexander called out of the blue, it always meant that new work had been added.

For example, changing the material of a product that needed to be sampled immediately, or adding various items.

After a moment of silence, Alexander cleared his throat and began to speak fluently.

– Actually, I’m being interviewed by the fashion magazine Ella right now, and they asked if they could interview Lee together.

“Excuse me? Ella wants to interview me…?”

– Yes. After all, ‘Lee’ is the main character of this season. And it’s Ella, not another magazine. Wouldn’t it definitely help Lee’s career?

He had been conducting interviews with famous magazines almost every few days lately.

It was thanks to the brand’s strategic planning team, which was carrying out a very aggressive marketing campaign.

Thanks to this, he had been interviewed by eight magazines, including New York Vogue, but the imposing presence of the name ‘Ella’ seemed different.

Ella.

A mainstream magazine brand with as much power as ‘Paris Vogue’, where Geraldine Saglio belongs.

There was no reason to refuse the interview offer, no. It was a magazine that was like a dream to other designers.

However, Jaesung couldn’t answer right away and had to hesitate for a long time.

Eventually.

“Do I have to take pictures too? I’m a mess right now….”

He was worried that his shabby appearance would be included in his first interview with Ella.

Alexander laughed once and immediately continued to speak fluently.

– Excuse me? Of course, you don’t have to worry. Taking pictures is a problem that can be easily solved by asking for understanding, right? You can pass on the profile pictures you took in advance.

“That’s a relief. Ella was also one of the magazines I’ve always dreamed of. Where should I go?”

– No, we’ll move to where Lee is. If it’s near the studio, it’ll only take a few minutes. Can you tell me the address?

“Yes. I’ll send it to you right away.”

As soon as he finished the call, he immediately picked up the mug on the table.

It looked like it had been out for a long time at first glance. The ice inside had all melted, so the coffee was heavily diluted.

‘Oh, no. It’s completely bland.’

Jaesung took a few sips of the coffee and immediately started walking towards the counter.

It was to ask for the address of the cafe. As soon as Jaesung reached the vicinity of the counter, Max exclaimed, “Ah!” and carefully continued to speak.

“Lee, about the Butterfinger Pancakes….”

“Ah, right. They were really great.”

“Yes?”

Max widened his eyes and asked back, and Jaesung took out his wallet and continued to speak in a cheerful tone.

“They were moist, sweet, and the best. Can I have another coffee? Oh! And can I have the cafe address?”

Silence flowed for a moment.

Max, who was standing blankly in front of the POS machine, laughed once and said.

He was laughing so loudly that the attention of other customers was focused on the counter.

“Max? What’s wrong?”

Max began to explain the whole story. He was going to tell him that the pancake ingredients were out, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it because he thought he shouldn’t disturb him.

Realizing that he had praised a cake he hadn’t even tasted, his face felt hot.

Jaesung said, “Anyway, I was sincere when I said your pancakes were great,” and Max replied with a bright smile.

“Thank you. The address is ‘447 Hudson st, New York, NY 10014’. Should I write it down on a Post-it note for you?”

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

“I won’t charge you for the coffee. Instead, can you take a picture with me?”

“Excuse me? I can just take a picture for you….”

Jaesung trailed off, and Max waved his hand and replied.

“No, I didn’t even serve you the pancakes you ordered, right? Just think of it as an investment.”

“An investment?”

“Yes. I have a strong feeling that you’ll become the world’s best designer someday. When that happens, I’ll print it out and put it on the wall. If I can take a picture of a famous celebrity visiting with a cup of coffee, that’s a huge profit, right?”

After finishing his words in a cheerful tone, Max shrugged his shoulders and added, “I don’t know anything about design, but with that level of concentration, you can be the best at anything.”

After thinking for a while, Jaesung bowed his head once and replied.

“Then I’ll enjoy it.”

Max handed his smartphone to another clerk and said, “Take a good picture.”

After the shutter sound rang a few times in a row, Max checked the picture and said in a bright tone.

“I’ll bring the coffee to your seat.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Jaesung was about to go back to his seat, but he headed to the bathroom.

He thought that if he washed his face a few times, he might look a little better.

After washing his face with cold water a few times, his slovenliness seemed to have subsided a little.

However, there seemed to be no way to do anything about his greasy hair.

‘I never thought the day would come when I’d be interviewed by Ella in this state….’

While Jaesung was working hard for better designs, invisible efforts were being made in various places.

The tailors at the atelier also came to work earlier than usual and worked until late at night.

The brand’s strategic planning team also seemed to be working day and night for effective marketing.

Even though the product design was not yet complete, the mock-up of the lookbook catalog was completed, and interviews with famous magazines were scheduled every few days.

Was it thanks to this?

Standing in front of the camera and having conversations with editors was no longer awkward.

It was no exaggeration to say that he had completely forgotten the trembling and fear he had felt when he had his first interview with Paris Vogue.

Also, thanks to Alexander and Theo’s aggressive interviews, he was receiving a lot of attention.

Jaesung, who had been looking at himself in the mirror for a while, took a long breath and left the bathroom.

At that time.

‘Oh?’

“You’re talking about Lee, right? He’s my one and only best friend. Ask Lee. He’ll probably pick me as his best friend. By the way, our cafe name will be mentioned, right? Please introduce us well. The world-renowned designer Lee works at a great brunch cafe every day.”

Max’s voice, which seemed very excited, was ringing in Jaesung’s ears.

As soon as Jaesung appeared in the cafe, Max smiled brightly and asked back.

“Lee, why didn’t you tell me in advance? If I had known, I would have prepared food to serve to the VIPs….”

A young woman who seemed to be an editor from Ella was standing in front of the counter POS.

And next to her, CEO Theo and Alexander were standing side by side.

After exchanging greetings with them, he looked at Ella’s editor. She took out her business card and said quietly.

“Lee, nice to meet you. I’m ‘Wayne’, an editor from New York Ella Magazine. Before the formal interview, I was asking Lee’s close friend about what Lee is like in his daily life.”

“Me, a close friend…?”

“Yes. I mean Max.”

Max patted his chest once and continued to speak in a very triumphant tone.

“Of course. We’re the best of friends. Look. We took a picture together today.”

He held up the smartphone he was holding tightly in his hand.

Inside, the picture he had taken just before going to the bathroom was displayed.

Jaesung laughed in disbelief, and Max winked at Jaesung and conveyed his intentions with his lips.

‘Lee. Trust. Me.’

Somehow, he didn’t seem trustworthy at all.

Jaesung urgently said, “Max?” and Max whispered in Jaesung’s ear.

“Lee, how’s our cafe’s brunch?”

“Great.”

“What do you think is the secret?”

“Well, I don’t know…?”

“It’s seasoning.”

Did he think that his cafe would also have a chance?

Max, who said again, “Please trust me. I’m confident in adding seasoning. To food and conversations,” immediately began to tell Ella’s editor various anecdotes. Mixing ‘truth’ and ‘lies’ in the right proportions.

“Lee’s concentration is sky-high. One day, the ingredients for the pancakes Lee ordered were out, so I was going to tell him, but I couldn’t say anything because Lee was so focused.”

“Yes, and then?”

“But when he was about to leave, do you know what he said when he came to the counter? He said that the pancakes he ate today were the best. He said that they were really moist, soft, and sweet because they only used organic ingredients, and they melted as soon as he put them in his mouth! He was so focused that he didn’t even notice that the pancakes he ordered weren’t on the table!”

Wasn’t that what happened today? He didn’t even use such exaggerated expressions, and he didn’t even mention organic ingredients.

Jaesung shook his head a few times as if he couldn’t win, and Alexander asked in a whisper.

“Lee. About that story… is it true?”

“Yes, but….”

“That’s amazing.”

Alexander replied briefly, nodded his head a few times, and added, “Good designs don’t just happen for no reason.”

Ella’s editor Wayne also seemed to be impressed by the praise that Max was giving.

“I guess geniuses always have some eccentric aspects. Max, do you have any similar stories? Actually, the public is more enthusiastic about these trivial anecdotes than hot topics.”

Max began to speak in an even more triumphant tone.

“Well, it’s the same on a regular basis. He always orders pancakes, but he can’t eat them properly! He’s so engrossed in his work that he only eats a little when he’s about to leave and hurries out of the cafe. Oh, of course, it’s not that our pancakes don’t taste good. If that were the case, he would have gone to the brunch cafe next block.”

Max, who had finished speaking, took a breath and continued in an even more excited tone.

“I have no doubt that this concentration has given Lee the present! I really mean it-!”

Did he think that the situation had already spiraled out of control?

Jaesung, who seemed to have given up, took a long breath and covered his face with both hands.