Chapter 631
The short but intense show came to an end. The entire time, none of it had felt real.
The models walking down the dazzling runway. The white smoke surrounding the area. And the European billionaire sitting beside me.
I had been so tense that I barely even noticed the weight of the necklace around my neck. I could feel the nepo babies and fashion magazine editors sitting across from me staring straight at me.
Then came the finale everyone had been waiting for. The head designer walked out and was greeted with applause.
I applauded him as well. The sensation of my palms striking each other felt strange. It was as though I were floating.
“If you ever come to Paris, contact me. I’ll treat you to a proper espresso.”
Erno rose from his seat with a smile, as though he had no need for an answer from me.
And without speaking to anyone else, he leisurely left the venue. His guards followed, protecting him on both sides as well as from the front and rear.
“Let’s go.”
I had to move right away too.
An armed security guard from T-fany approached. Following their guidance, I headed to a private VIP room behind the venue.
Murmuring voices could be heard outside. Even amid the chaotic atmosphere, T-fany’s guards remained solemn.
“We’ll retrieve it now.”
A jewelry specialist wearing white gloves removed the pink diamond from my neck. Once the weight pressing down on my collarbone disappeared, I felt strangely empty.
“At New York Fashion Week, you’ll have become Cinderella.”
Just as Erno had said. It felt like the clock had struck twelve and the magic had worn off.
The necklace was placed inside a velvet case, and the case was secured with chains.
“And this is Erno’s gift for the after-party.”
“What?”
Then I was handed a new box.
The jewelry specialist in white gloves opened it and showed me what was inside.
There was a diamond necklace made up of connected leaf-shaped pieces, along with a bracelet, ring, and earrings.
The silver-glittering jewelry wasn’t quite on the level of the pink diamond that had just been hanging around my neck, but it was still more than beautiful enough.
The jewelry specialist fastened the new necklace around my neck, then, with precise movements, put on the bracelet and ring, followed by the earrings.
“Then, we’ll be going.”
T-fany’s armed guards took the box containing the pink diamond. Team 1 went out ahead and began securing the surroundings. I asked one of the Team 2 guards who had ridden in the same car as me.
“What time do I need to return these?”
Since they were taking the pink diamond back with them, was I supposed to return these separately? The Team 2 guard adjusted his sunglasses before answering.
“You don’t need to return them. As we told you, they are Erno’s gift.”
Team 2, carrying the velvet case, left the VIP room according to Team 1’s instructions. On his way out, the guard said to me,
“I hope you leave New York with nothing but wonderful memories.”
I ran my hand over the necklace now resting around my neck again.
* * *
Holding her heavy camera, Dok Gomin checked the memory card.
“Mm-hmm. I really am a genius....”
She had taken flawless photographs of Han Yeoreum without a single blurred shot. Coming all the way to New York had been worth it.
Everyone around Dok Gomin was still talking about Han Yeoreum. Once Erno had left and Han Yeoreum had quickly disappeared as well, they began chatting freely.
By now, everyone in this place had Han Yeoreum’s existence firmly engraved in their minds.
“But I heard she still wasn’t invited to the Part 1 private dinner?”
“Well, obviously. She’s not at that level yet!”
“But did you see those nepo babies staring holes through that T-fany necklace?”
“They’re definitely going home tonight and going, ‘Mommy. Nobody paid attention to me because I didn’t have that necklace.... Waaaaah. Buy it for me!’ And then they’ll definitely hear, ‘Oh, my darling baby. Mommy will get it for you no matter what.’”
To them, Han Yeoreum was both a rising star who had appeared out of nowhere and the ultimate cathartic counterattack against the nepo babies who had disrupted the ecosystem without any ability of their own.
Letting the name Han Yeoreum drift past her ears as editors and reporters continued talking, Dok Gomin headed toward the VIP room.
Just then, Han Yeoreum emerged wearing a new necklace, accompanied by her manager and stylist.
“I’m here!”
Dok Gomin was already small, and there were far too many huge people around her today, so she bounced up and down in place while waving her hand.
The Air-Walking Technique she had learned from Gal Daeguk on the set of proved extremely useful. Han Yeoreum immediately spotted Dok Gomin.
“Unni? Gomin unni?”
“Yep. The genius Dok Gomin has arrived.”
“How did you get all the way here? No, when did you get here?”
“That’s not important right now! Look at this.”
Dok Gomin turned on her camera and showed her the photographs she had taken. Han Yeoreum’s eyes filled with emotion.
“Unniii....”
“Gomin? Why are you here? No, wait. This isn’t the time for this. We have to get ready for the after-party.”
Dok Gogyeol grabbed Dok Gomin by the back of her neck and strode off. Half-lifted off the ground, Dok Gomin thrashed around.
“Let go of me!”
“Gomin, listen carefully....”
Dok Gogyeol’s eyes were half-crazed.
“We got this much attention on the runway because of the perfect styling, but what if the reaction at the after-party is weaker...? Then everyone will think it wasn’t Dok Gogyeol’s touch that mattered, just the T-fany necklace...?”
Still holding Dok Gomin up with one hand, Dok Gogyeol stared intently at her.
“And then what happens? Our salon’s prestige drops? We lose customers? Sales fall? Even if we reveal the products Han Yeoreum wore at New York Fashion Week on Intube, the views don’t meet expectations? Ad rates go down?”
“....”
“But did I really get that much attention? What was the reaction like?”
In the middle of all this, Han Yeoreum’s eyes seemed to have gone just as crazy at the thought of monitoring the reactions.
‘No!’
She still hadn’t shown her all the pictures she had taken. Dok Gomin shouted,
“Just move, quickly!”
“Right. That’s what matters.”
Dok Gogyeol and the rest of Han Yeoreum’s team immediately headed toward the waiting car.
Everyone nearby stopped whatever they were doing and whatever conversations they were having to look only at Han Yeoreum.
“Wait. Why don’t we walk just a little slower....”
Han Yeoreum wanted to enjoy the attention, but Dok Gomin and Dok Gogyeol each grabbed one of her arms and hurried her along.
The social stage of the American entertainment industry.
To the after-party.
* * *
After the runway show for M Jacobs, the main show of New York Fashion Week, came the closing party.
Only a tiny fraction of New York Fashion Week participants were allowed into the Part 1 VIP dinner hosted by Chairman Erno.
A couple of the world’s top editors, senior partners and executive directors from major Hollywood agencies, film studio executives, and the leadership of luxury houses.
A handful of jewelry and watch brand advertising models and ambassadors, as well as official models for fashion brands, had also been selected.
From Korea, only an advertising model and two ambassadors for a Swiss high-end watch brand had been invited: Ji Haebeom, indisputably one of Korea’s biggest stars, and Eastwood’s chosen one.
Ji Haebeom, who had appeared on the runway for R Floren, the brand behind the opening day’s main show, wore a Purple Label suit and this [N O V E L I G H T] season’s watch.
On his way to the party venue, a converted nineteenth-century mansion, Ji Haebeom checked the Korean media.
[ Shows No Sign of Cooling Down... Triumphantly Surpasses 12 Million Admissions]
[Just as Fun the Second Time~ Sets All-Time Record for Repeat Viewers]
[Projected Audience: 15 Million... Remains as Popular as Ever]
There were only two kinds of trending stories on Korean portal sites.
Those involving Han Yeoreum, and those that didn’t.
Naturally, the latter had miserable view counts. So the reporters were all writing and uploading articles about Han Yeoreum instead.
[Share]
Ji Haebeom tapped the link to the last article and sent it to someone.
[Eom Gyun]
Clank.
The mansion’s iron gate opened with a heavy sound. Only after the car had driven for quite some distance from the main gate did the actual entrance appear.
The door of Ji Haebeom’s car opened, and after straightening his clothes, he stepped out of the chauffeured vehicle.
A deep navy velvet runner had been laid along the path into the mansion. Cocktail hour was in full swing in the lavishly decorated garden.
Classical music flowed from outdoor speakers, while a custom fragrance that could only be experienced here permeated the air.
It truly was a world from which every inconvenience had been removed.
Everything the eye could see, everything the hand could touch, everything one could experience was comfortable beyond any reasonable standard. Even the servants in tailored tuxedos looked as though they had been created solely for this evening.
Ji Haebeom took a glass of champagne from a server’s tray, lightly wet his throat, and exchanged greetings with the people around him.
Then he spotted a familiar face.
Myeong Jeha, who had been casually conversing among the guests, met Ji Haebeom’s eyes.
“Long time no see.”
“Hello, sunbae.”
“Yeah. Been doing well?”
“Thanks to you.”
This had to be his first time at an event like this, yet strangely enough, he showed no sign of nervousness. Myeong Jeha leisurely declined a chocolate offered by a passing server, then exchanged a nod with someone in the distance.
He had only been in the United States for about a month, yet he already seemed to have established connections with some major figures.
“Did you see the Boston Consulting report? The media value attached to Korean content is rising far faster than Netholics’ stock price.”
“At this rate, half the luxury houses’ marketing budgets this quarter will flow into Asia.”
“Would they really make decisions that could damage their value so easily?”
Some people nearby were deliberately speaking quickly, seemingly mocking the two of them. With such heavy French accents making them difficult to understand, their intentions were obvious.
‘Looks like he understands them, though?’
Myeong Jeha listened to their conversation with the corner of his mouth raised.
“Thanks to all that passionate interest you’ve shown us... it seems Erno has started paying attention to Korea.”
He addressed them in English with an equally strong French accent.
Erno, the host of this gathering, had created LMVH’s shocking spectacle today, so arguing with Myeong Jeha now would be no different from insulting Erno himself.
“Ah, sorry if that offended you.”
“We’re not racists or anything. Please don’t misunderstand. My best friend is Asian, you know.”
Myeong Jeha didn’t bother replying that it was fine or that he understood their explanations. He merely gave them a slight nod.
Ji Haebeom burst out laughing.
“You’re meaner than I thought.”
“I’m more sensitive than I look. I was afraid I might get hurt if I kept listening.”
Their conversation couldn’t continue for long. Several people who recognized Ji Haebeom asked him for photographs.
Anyone stupid enough not to document the fact that they had been invited to Erno’s VIP dinner was an idiot. It was an honor worth broadcasting as widely as possible through SNS.
After greeting the people he knew and taking pictures with those he didn’t, Ji Haebeom ran into the same men from earlier around the end of cocktail hour.
Apparently the only person they had wanted to sneer at was Eastwood’s chosen one, because they suddenly became much friendlier toward Ji Haebeom.
“Nice to meet you. The commercial you filmed was really interesting.”
“Is that the product shining on your wrist today? Oh. Looking closer, I see it isn’t. Take a picture with us wearing that gorgeous watch.”
Ji Haebeom smiled.
“Your names?”
“I’m Andy from AND Agency.”
“I’m Matthew.”
“Ah, great names. Andy, Matthew. Would you mind waiting for me for a moment? It’ll only be a moment. Make sure you wait. I remember your names.”
Then he turned his back on them and entered the building. The main-course dinner would begin soon. All he had to do was leave those idiots waiting and make them late.
Ji Haebeom found his assigned seat. Myeong Jeha was seated beside him.
“How long are you staying in America? You seem to have adapted pretty well, so I doubt you’re planning to come straight back after filming ends.”
“Haha. What good would staying in America for a long time do me? I’m planning to return as soon as possible.”
Ji Haebeom mulled over the quiet answer and remembered the two-shot of Myeong Jeha and Han Yeoreum that had appeared on the portal sites.
“What does Yeoreum like? I don’t really know what people your age are into these days.”
“Hmm... She likes working.”
It was a rather sophisticated way of saying, Why are you curious about that?
Ji Haebeom thought this worked out nicely.
“That’s a relief. If she likes working, then I guess I won’t have anything to worry about for a while. Right?”
Ji Haebeom looked at Myeong Jeha, whose eyes had lowered halfway, and continued.
“People working together get upset when issues unrelated to work come up, in all sorts of ways.”
After a brief silence, Myeong Jeha replied,
“Issues unrelated to work.... In that case, you should be worrying about Director Eom first. Haha.”
Ji Haebeom immediately understood what his young junior meant.
=Why are you worrying about Han Yeoreum when the project has a director who specializes in personality scandals? lol
Ji Haebeom readily nodded.
“That’s true, but....”
One by one, the people who had been out in the garden entered and filled their seats. The only place still empty was the central main table.
“You’re not saying there definitely won’t be any dating rumors until the end, though?”
Behind the silent Myeong Jeha, the host of tonight’s VIP dinner entered.