Black Label [EN]: Chapter 97

Black Label 96

97. As Expected, It’s ‘Lee’….

Screech-.

A heavy, black sedan stopped in front of the abandoned church in Pound Ridge, Westchester County, chosen as the venue for the ‘2012 Alexander King F/W Season Show.’ It was none other than the sedan that Alexander King had gifted Jaesung.

Soon after the car stopped, Jaesung, dressed neatly, got out from the driver’s seat.

He was dressed as he was for the previous Wall Flower Show: neatly combed-back hair with pomade, a wrinkle-free white dress shirt, and slim-fit black slacks.

Although not particularly flashy, it was an outfit perfectly suitable for greeting the distinguished guests who had come to see his show.

Just as Jaesung, who had just stepped out of the car, paused for a moment to dust off his pants,

“Lee, you’ve arrived?”

The manager, ‘Theo,’ who had been waiting at the entrance for Jaesung, greeted him warmly.

“Yes, Theo. It’s a wonderfully good morning.”

As he walked towards the church entrance, Theo reported on the progress in detail. “The models are currently getting their makeup done. Alexander is helping the models with their fittings after makeup. Once the models are ready, we can check the internal facilities and proceed with the rehearsal.”

Just as Jaesung was about to enter the church, Theo exclaimed, “Ah!” and continued, “And about Lee’s family… they are scheduled to arrive at the venue in time for the show. As you know, they arrived yesterday morning and spent the day touring around Manhattan with a guide.”

He had heard briefly from ‘Elisa,’ who had been his executive assistant during the season preparation period, so he knew the general details.

The Alexander King board had rented a luxurious limousine for the convenience of Jaesung’s family, hired a personal driver, and provided a capable guide for smooth sightseeing.

And that wasn’t all.

The family’s accommodation was in a top-class hotel, and meals were only at restaurants with ‘Michelin Two Stars’ or higher, which even Jaesung had never experienced.

They even hired a dedicated photographer for ‘commemorative photos,’ and all expenses incurred in this process were covered by Alexander King.

This was another instance where the company’s consideration and affection were keenly felt.

“Thank you so much for your consideration.”

“Yes. I did pay special attention….”

Theo trailed off for a moment before continuing in a serious tone, “Compared to the effort Lee has put into Alexander King, it’s nothing. Besides, they are Lee’s family, aren’t they? I can confidently say that they are the most precious guests visiting the venue today.”

As they talked, they had already reached the entrance of the venue.

As soon as the two stopped in front of the church door, the guards who were waiting opened the door for them.

Soon, the interior of the venue was fully revealed.

“Wow.”

Jaesung wore a bright smile and let out a word of admiration.

Unlike when he had visited a few days ago, the church was crowded with people.

The ‘engineers’ in charge of the venue’s internal facilities and the staff busily moving around.

The brand’s board members were sitting in their assigned seats, talking in low voices.

And the models, who had finished preparing to walk the runway, were looking around the venue.

With the silence inside completely gone, the interior space seemed even more special.

Unlike the previous visit, the internal facilities were now fully equipped.

Colorful lighting equipment was hanging along the ‘battens’ [horizontal bars used to suspend lights] installed in the ceiling, and bright LED lights were densely packed along the runway stage in the center of the chapel.

To maximize modernity and add a ‘urban sensibility,’ the entire interior of the building had been repainted in a light gray tone with a monochrome feel.

‘At this level, it wouldn’t be lacking even compared to the venues of prestigious collections.’

Wasn’t it an abandoned church just a few months ago?

Watching the tremendous transformation of the abandoned church, he could keenly feel the power of ‘money.’

As Jaesung was engrossed in looking around the interior, Theo spoke again. “It would be best to go to the dressing room first and check on the progress.”

Jaesung nodded and immediately started up the stairs on one side of the church.

After reaching the second-floor hallway, he stood in front of the railing and looked down at the runway stage.

Looking down from above, it felt different from when he had seen it on the first floor.

The dressing room was an empty room at the end of the second-floor hallway. The space, originally used as accommodation, had been remodeled, with some parts transformed into showrooms and others into dressing rooms.

“Here it is.”

Just as Theo opened the door to the dressing room,

Alexander clapped his hands once and began to speak in a loud voice. “Everyone, the star of today has finally arrived! The wonderful maestro who led this season, ‘Lee.’”

At the same time, thunderous applause began to echo throughout the dressing room.

“Ah….”

A thrilling sensation swept through his entire body in an instant.

Although they were all acquaintances he had met through prior rehearsals, wasn’t this the melody created by nearly dozens of famous models?

After standing blankly for a moment, Jaesung barely regained his composure and continued with the words he had prepared in advance. “I am truly honored to be able to plan the runway stage with such talented models. I look forward to working with you.”

The applause that had subsided echoed again in the room for a moment.

Alexander, who had neatly tied back his long hair, which had grown unruly, began to speak in a serious tone. “Lee, as you can see, the preparation itself is progressing smoothly. It seems that the rehearsal will be finished in about an hour at most. And by the way, interviews and press conferences are scheduled before and after the show.”

Jaesung raised an eyebrow and asked, as if puzzled. “I understand the interviews, but what’s with the press conferences… ?”

Alexander smiled and began to explain as if he had been waiting for the question. “Most of them are fashion channel reporters from local broadcasting stations, but there are also many reporters from famous media outlets such as NBC and FOX. By the way, this is the first time the brand has received so much attention since it announced its brand launch by participating in ‘New York Fashion Week’ for the first time.”

Theo, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, added a brief explanation.

According to him, the ‘tremendous public interest’ that the brand Alexander King was receiving this season was the result of a combination of factors, including aggressive marketing, the help of some major investors, the unprecedented choice of appointing a rookie designer as creative director, and finally, the conflict with a famous critic.

Just as Theo’s explanation was about to end, Alexander brightened his eyes and continued in a slightly trembling voice. “Lee, I guarantee this show will change your destiny. That is, if it manages to elicit a successful response.”

“Yes? What do you mean… ?”

“Think about it. Among the designers currently working in the New York fashion scene, is there even one who has had such a splendid debut stage as this?”

After speaking, Alexander asked back, “Isn’t that right?”

He was right. If successful, he would gain glory that could not be compared to anything before.

However, there is no such thing as a challenge without risk, is there?

The risk of failure is also significant.

Some critics and magazines have tremendous power that can influence the brand itself.

The critic ‘Eddie Dana,’ who had suddenly become Jaesung’s enemy, and the few magazines stationed by her side were the same.

If he were to experience a crushing defeat at this show, he would have to endure harsh reviews from her and other critics every season.

In fact, there were already many people online predicting the failure of Jaesung and Alexander King.

No, it might not be an exaggeration to say that there were people who wished for their failure.

Jaesung forced a nonchalant smile and turned his gaze to the clock on the dressing room wall.

AM 11:00

With less than 4 hours left until the start of the show.

“I’m sure we can get good results. Until the rehearsal is over, I’ll be checking the facilities with the engineers based on the cue sheet.”

After speaking, Jaesung immediately left the dressing room.

From basic equipment such as lighting and sound to checking some special equipment. There was a mountain of work to be done.

Wasn’t time still flowing?

Not a single second could be wasted.

Jaesung took a deep breath and began to move busily to prepare for the final stages.

He didn’t think there was any need to be seized by anxiety.

Either way, the result is one of two things.

Success or failure.

* * *

PM 3:30

It was three o’clock in the afternoon, with only about 30 minutes left until the scheduled start of the show.

The distinguished guests who had come to the show began to enter the church one by one.

From influential designers who were friends with Alexander King, to faculty from Parsons School of Design [a prestigious art and design college], editors and critics from various magazines, reporters, overseas buyers, investors, and famous celebrities….

Soon, Jaesung’s family also appeared.

“Wow, amazing….”

Jaesung’s younger sister, Lee Seunghee, exclaimed and began to look around the venue blankly. Her mother, Kim Eunhyung, and father, Lee Kangsoo, were the same.

Wasn’t their son someone who didn’t give them separate explanations regarding his work?

They had seen it several times in domestic media and magazines, but it was only after coming to the United States that they were able to truly realize their son’s success.

They had been surprised several times thanks to the brand’s extreme hospitality.

Limousines, luxury hotels, restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide [a prestigious rating system for fine dining], all of these things were like stories from another world to them.

But after witnessing the venue directly, everything they had experienced before felt insignificant.

Kim Eunhyung let out a sigh and struggled to hold back tears that seemed about to burst out, continuing with difficulty. “Our son, it seems he has really succeeded now.”

Lee Kangsoo was also unable to hide his surprise.

“Huh….”

Expensive cameras installed right in front of the runway stage, and cameramen and reporters guarding them.

Seats filling up quickly, even though only a few minutes had passed since the start of admission.

As the family was engrossed in looking around the venue,

The manager, Theo, approached them.

“You must be Lee’s family? I’m Theo, the manager of Alexander King. It’s a great honor to meet you.”

As soon as the interpreter translated his words, Kim Eunhyung and Lee Kangsoo responded with utmost politeness.

“Ah, hello?”

“Hello?”

Theo smiled brightly and began to speak in a gentle tone. “First, I will guide you to your seats. We have prepared special VVIP seats.”

After walking behind Theo for a moment, Lee Kangsoo paused and spoke in an extremely cautious tone. “I’m sorry, but we’re fine with standing. How about putting other people in the VVIP seats… ?”

Before Lee Kangsoo could finish speaking, Theo tilted his head slightly as if puzzled and asked back. “Yes? What do you mean… ?”

Lee Kangsoo looked around and slowly began to speak. “It seems like there are other precious guests standing. I thought it would be better to put them there.”

He was speaking out of consideration for some of the distinguished guests who had to stand because there were not enough seats.

Looking at them, he couldn’t help but wonder if they were becoming a burden to their son.

Of course, if you looked at it that way, it wasn’t wrong. If the three seats were empty, they could have invited three more distinguished guests, including buyers, who were directly related to sales.

But.

Theo shook his head and replied in a tone that was extremely firm, “No-! That’s not possible. Those seats are reserved only for Lee’s family. No one can take your seats.”

“Still, what are we….”

The moment the interpreter conveyed the words Lee Kangsoo had uttered in a subdued tone, Theo smiled faintly and continued fluently. “Do you perhaps feel burdened by our hospitality?”

“Ah, yes. It’s just that it’s the first time we’ve received such treatment….”

“Then you will have to work hard to adapt.”

Theo replied briefly and elaborated fluently.

“There is no brand that would treat Lee’s family worse than this. You don’t know how happy the board was when you said Lee’s family would be visiting. It’s like they got a golden opportunity to gain Lee’s ‘favor.'”

“Ah….”

“By the way, your son is a living, breathing company. Although it is not very large yet, well? In just a few years, it will grow into a company with astronomical value. It may sound a bit much to say this, but… all the treatment directed towards the family is also a kind of ‘strategic investment’ in a company with guaranteed success.”

After speaking, Theo smiled warmly and added again. “Of course, there is also respect for the two of you at the base of it. As a parent of a child myself, I cannot help but respect the two of you who raised ‘Lee’ into a genius.”

Theo added, “I hope you have a pleasant viewing,” and sat down next to them.

The venue was simply bustling, but Jaesung’s family was simply lost in thought.

It seemed that it would take a considerable amount of time to accurately realize the scale of success that their son, and their brother, had achieved.

* * *

PM 3:30

Despite the scheduled start time of the show, the venue remained quiet.

Soon, murmuring began to echo again from various places.

The columnist ‘Eddie Dana,’ who had been sharpening her knife at Jaesung, was the same.

As if she had found water, she began to list Jaesung’s faults to those sitting around her.

“I knew there would be a delay. Most shows by unprepared designers are like this. After the show, Lee will have to work hard to take responsibility for his rash remarks.”

Then, someone sitting near her said quietly, “Chatter, chatter, so noisy….”

At the same time, Eddie Dana looked around and asked in a rather irritable tone. “Who was that just now… ?”

Of course, there was no answer. Eddie Dana snorted once and began to stare ahead again with an unpleasant expression.

The owner of the voice was none other than Jaesung’s lover, ‘Ashlyn.’

Ashlyn was simply looking at the empty runway stage with her arms crossed, as if nothing had happened.

Then, Geraldine Saglio, the editor of Paris Vogue [a renowned fashion magazine], who was sitting next to her, chuckled once and said, “Ashlyn, aren’t you being too sensitive?”

“I’m holding back from wanting to grab her by the hair right now.”

At that moment, suddenly all the lights in the venue went out. At the same time, there was a stir inside the venue.

It was only natural, as Alexander King’s show, which had been the subject of countless rumors, was about to begin.

Soon, ‘The Way’ by ‘Fastball,’ which had been selected as the walking music, began to play from the speakers installed throughout the venue.

The show had started right away. It was an abrupt start with no announcements, no hosting, and no preamble.

Some were dissatisfied with the fact, frowning and expressing their dissatisfaction in low voices.

“How confident is he to act like this?”

“What? Is he starting right away without a word?”

Just as the prelude to the song was about to end, the first model appeared on the runway.

At that moment, Geraldine Saglio smiled brightly and muttered softly.

“As expected, it’s Lee….”