Chapter 95

# Chapter 095

"Hmm."

Yui reacted with a big shudder to even the slightest sigh or simple movement from Hong Gyu-heon.

She didn't seem to realize how exaggerated her reactions were.

Even Seong Pil, who was sitting beside her, was constantly on edge, so how much more must Hong Gyu-heon, who was sitting across from Yui, be affected?

"Hmm."

However, Hong Gyu-heon paid no attention to Yui's frightened flinches and only flipped through the pages of the sketchbook.

When he looked at illustrations, he didn't do it carelessly.

He would gaze at one page for several minutes.

As this continued for about an hour, Yui's initially straight back gradually bent, and the sweat from her nervousness began to cool.

Just as Yui was starting to feel more than just nervous, but also bored.

"I've seen enough."

Hong Gyu-heon said, closing the sketchbook with a thud.

"Yes, yes, hehe!"

Yui, who had answered reflexively, bit her tongue.

She tried to look at Hong Gyu-heon despite the pain, suppressing a groan.

"Even though I don't know much about fashion, it must have taken a lot of time to draw these. They're all good."

Yui's face brightened.

"Good, huh?"

It darkened again.

Usually, after 'but' or 'though,' something negative follows.

"Also, I can see that you're very interested in our group, but you know you can't use these, right?"

"..."

"Because they were created without any consultation with us."

Yui interpreted Hong Gyu-heon's explanation as a prelude to rejection.

Soon, she thought, Hong Gyu-heon would say, "I'm sorry."

Her shoulders gradually sank as she thought this.

"This is... PR material, right? A bit over-the-top PR material. You only needed to show a few pages."

"PR material?"

"Yes. As material to advertise yourself to work with us, I took it that way. Do you call it a portfolio? So, my impression after seeing that portfolio is..."

Hong Gyu-heon's answer was the same as Seong Pil's.

"I think it would be good to entrust the costume design to you."

Yui's expression bloomed in a way she had never seen before.

She blinked, unable to hide her joy as she looked at Seong Pil.

Her eyes seemed to be asking him to share her happiness, but Seong Pil ignored her.

'Here, I can't say something like, "Well done."'

According to Hong Gyu-heon's words, this was a serious business negotiation.

He couldn't express joy with Yui. That's why Seong Pil sat like a stone, only looking at Hong Gyu-heon.

"Manager, you did it!"

Seemingly unaware of his feelings, Yui grabbed Seong Pil's shoulder and rejoiced freely.

"…Yes, congratulations."

Seong Pil had no choice but to go along with Yui's words.

Yui, filled with pride, looked at Hong Gyu-heon again.

In response, Hong Gyu-heon continued.

"But as you might already know, there's a problem."

"…Yes?"

* * *

After Yui left, Seong Pil and Hong Gyu-heon began their discussion.

"Kim Hyun-seon's team will have a conflict. It's not a guess; they will definitely be upset with each other."

The moment he said to Kim Hyun-seon, "I saw the illustrations Yui's assistant made, and they're good. I want to entrust the costume design to the assistant, what do you think?" the problem would be clear.

"It won't just be a matter of being upset; rumors will spread that we're a company that disregards industry practices and etiquette."

First, the fact that he met Yui in private and had a business-related conversation.

Second, not telling Kim Hyun-seon's team about the content of that conversation.

Third, discussing business with Yui directly, bypassing her superior, Kim Hyun-seon.

"When I first heard about Yui, I thought, 'What kind of person is this?' But what about others?"

In modern society, it's a given that people receive work and money based on their abilities.

However, there are clear procedures and rules.

Even if Garo Entertainment's reputation in the styling industry declines, it's not a big problem.

'It's not something outsiders would be greatly concerned about. It's not like stylists would boycott Garo Entertainment en masse.'

Even if there were a real boycott, there would be many more stylist teams eager to work with Garo Entertainment.

After all, the agency is in the position of the client.

"Another issue is that Son Hye-bin personally recruited this person."

Son Hye-bin used all her connections to bring in a capable team for collaboration.

She has been building relationships for a long time.

If we entrust the costume design to Yui, Kim Hyun-seon will be upset, and naturally, Son Hye-bin will be upset too.

"The last concern is Yui's ability. Even though she graduated from a French fashion school, she has no practical experience. It's strange to expect results based on illustrations alone. Kim Hyun-seon's team are veterans in the industry. Would the costumes they create be worse than Yui's designs?"

That's right.

The most important issue is Yui's ability.

If she were a designer whose abilities have been verified, Hong Gyu-heon would have chosen her without hesitation.

"These are the things I'm worried about. What do you think, Park Manager? Is there a solution?"

"Yes, maybe. A way for Yui to participate in the design while working in Kim Hyun-seon's team...?"

"…What, is it something so great that you're taking your time?"

"No. I'm afraid the CEO might be disappointed."

"What is it?"

"Just ask the CEO. Can Yui participate in the design? Of course, it should be brought up as if it came up by chance."

"Really disappointing."

* * *

Hong Gyu-heon and Seong Pil participated in this styling meeting.

Although Hong Gyu-heon is called the CEO, he is the overall producer.

Since her opinions and intentions are the first principle of production, she participated in the second meeting where the real discussion took place.

After reviewing all the reference materials provided by Kim Hyun-seon and taking a short break,

Seong Pil suddenly asked Kim Hyun-seon.

"Is there a school that teaches styling professionally? I don't think I've heard of one."

"There are now. There weren't when I was younger. But I don't think school is that important."

"Why not? Wouldn't it be better to learn from such a place?"

"Well… there's no standard path to becoming a stylist. Of course, people who graduate from school have a higher chance of becoming stylists, but they don't make up the majority."

Kim Hyun-seon started her career at a fashion magazine company.

Through her work there, she developed an eye for clothes and eventually entered the styling industry by chance.

"There are still many people who didn't go to a professional school."

Kim Hyun-seon subtly showed a dismissive attitude towards such schools.

School and the field are different.

Experience in the field is more helpful.

Although not directly, this was evident from her tone.

She herself is not a school graduate, and most people in the current industry did not learn styling professionally before entering the field.

"Wow, so there are more people who don't know about styling but become stylists?"

"That's right. Our industry is small, so it operates somewhat like an apprenticeship system. You have to learn for a few years under a senior to be considered competent."

While saying this, Kim Hyun-seon glanced at Yui, who was sitting next to her.

Yui, who was part of the team, was mocked with comments like, "You must be good because you studied abroad," due to her studies in France.

"Our management side is the same. There are management majors now, but you still have to learn in the industry for a few years. I don't even understand what it means to learn management from a book."

"Right? Really..."

Seong Pil and Kim Hyun-seon found common ground and continued the conversation on a similar topic for a few minutes.

Then, just as the conversation started, Seong Pil suddenly changed the direction of the conversation.

"What about Yui's assistant?"

"Oh, she…"

Kim Hyun-seon hesitated to answer.

"She went to school…"

"Oh, really? Where did she go?"

"Where did this assistant go?"

"Paris Fashion School (Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la couture Parisienne)."

"Paris? Paris, France?"

"Yes…"

Yui, trying not to stand out, answered in a subdued manner.

However, her intention seemed to fail.

Kim Hyun-seon, who seemed uninterested in Yui, found it hard to hide her displeasure.

Perhaps Kim Hyun-seon had some inferiority complex about academic credentials.

"You're a returnee from abroad."

"Haha, no, it's nothing special…"

"Paris Fashion School?"

Hong Gyu-heon, who had not been particularly interested in the conversation, suddenly perked up.

"Did you go there?"

"Yes, yes."

"Then you're a schoolmate of Yves Saint Laurent."

"Um, well, yes, but it's not to that extent… He's just a great designer…"

"Yves Saint Laurent? The brand Saint Laurent? That's a person's name?"

"Park Manager didn't know? He put his name on the brand, like Coco Chanel."

"I didn't know at all. I only knew it as a brand that sells a single T-shirt for a few million won."

The topic of conversation had shifted to the school Yui attended.

"This assistant must be from a wealthy family. The tuition for one year is about 70 million won."

"70 million?!"

Seong Pil looked at Yui as if she were from another world.

Yui, embarrassed, only bowed her head.

"But that's a school for training fashion designers, especially in haute couture. Why didn't you become a designer and instead became a stylist?"

The more the conversation focused on Yui, the more Kim Hyun-seon's resistance grew.

Kim Hyun-seon only knew that Yui had studied abroad, not that she had attended such a prestigious school.

She had never been interested, nor did she want to be.

Without Seong Pil's intention, this topic would never have come up.

"Wow, so we're getting costumes from a schoolmate of Yves Saint Laurent? That's amazing."

"No! I'm not involved in production…"

"Huh? Why not?"

Seong Pil looked at Kim Hyun-seon as if genuinely curious.

If they had recruited someone as talented as Yui, it would be natural to use her for production.

Thus, when Kim Hyun-seon received Seong Pil's innocent question, she was not only uncomfortable but also flustered.

"Oh… This assistant isn't capable of handling production yet. She's only in her first year."

"Is that so? Then this assistant only gives a little input during meetings."

Not really.

In her first year, she could barely recognize the names of clothing sponsors.

It was a time when she was still struggling to familiarize herself with samples and types of clothing. There was no reason to listen to the opinions of such a novice.

She should have said that, but the name "Paris Fashion School" stopped her.

A schoolmate of Yves Saint Laurent?

Graduated from such a prestigious school?

The deeply ingrained academic elitism in Koreans prevented Kim Hyun-seon from speaking the truth.

To think that she was making Yui deliver clothes, it was embarrassing to say.

"Yes, that's right. For now."

In the end, she had to lie, saying that they would take Yui's opinions during the styling and design process.

Kim Hyun-seon gave Yui a look, signaling her to agree. Naturally, Yui had no choice but to comply.

"Wow, you're impressive. Manager Kim must have a vision to bring Yui into the team."

"Haha…"

The more Kim Hyun-seon did not deny Seong Pil's words, the more Yui's value increased.

The silence that built up would ultimately strengthen Yui's position.

"This conversation has gone on too long. Shall we go to the kids?"

Today, they decided to end the meeting and take simple measurements of the children.

On the way to the practice room, Hong Gyu-heon, who was walking ahead, said casually.

"Assistant Yui."

"Yes?"

"You've seen our kids' photos, right? Do you have any fashion ideas that come to mind?"

"Um, a little… a bit?"

"Can you show me a quick sketch? If it takes too long, it's okay not to."

Yui sought permission from Kim Hyun-seon.

A reluctant permission was given.

Originally, as a man, Seong Pil could not enter while taking measurements, but he was allowed to enter to see Yui's illustrations.

"Me!"

Joa was the first to react to the offer to draw a costume.

Yui took out her sketchbook and pencil from her bag.

"Wow."

As she drew a line, exclamations of admiration erupted from all around.

Just one line, but it quickly became two. A few lines came together to form a shape.

Yui's hand, drawing people and clothes, moved without hesitation.

She seemed to have done this thousands, tens of thousands, even millions of times.

As the figure and clothing took shape, Yui suddenly jumped.

"Sorry! I'll redraw it! Oh, such a basic mistake… I must have been too nervous."

Yui laughed and turned to the next page of her sketchbook.

"Why? It looked good. Is it a mistake only a professional would notice?"

"I accidentally drew it in a 9-head proportion. I'm used to drawing model figures. Sorry. Observation is fundamental…"

Joa is not a 9-head proportion.

It was a natural truth.

Joa's expression showed confusion upon hearing this.

'I'm not a 9-head proportion, but it feels bad…'

The human figure in Yui's next illustration was clearly shorter in the limbs and had a larger head.

Joa felt a bit deflated.

Looking into Yui's eyes made it worse. Her transparent eyes seemed to see through everything about Joa.

It was as if she could see through the clothes to the naked body.

Joa felt embarrassed and slightly twisted her body.

"It's done."

A few minutes later, the costume sketch was complete.

Hong Gyu-heon let out a short exclamation upon seeing it. Yui, blushing, began to explain.

"I didn't create this originally. I borrowed the style of Yohji Yamamoto. When I heard the concept of the song 'Ani,' his designs came to mind first."

It was a fashion characterized by loose draping that covered the body completely.

The sketch, drawn quickly in a short time, was simple in coloring, shading, and lines.

However, it was enough to gauge Yui's ability.

"He said he wanted to dress women in armor-like clothes to face the world. The concept of the song is freedom and resistance. Resistance requires armor to protect the body…"

Hong Gyu-heon chuckled, perhaps out of joy, and whispered so no one could hear.

"Perfect."

After taking measurements of all the members,

"Manager Kim, can I have a word?"

Hong Gyu-heon had a private conversation with Kim Hyun-seon. Seong Pil watched the two disappear into the meeting room.

'The groundwork is all set. Now it's up to the CEO to persuade Manager Kim.'

A short time later, the two came out of the meeting room.

As soon as they saw them off, Seong Pil asked Hong Gyu-heon about the result of the conversation.

"Yui's assistant's opinions will be reflected in the costume design. At least they won't be ignored. I asked for that."

"Thank you."

"What for? She's clearly capable. I should be thanking you for bringing someone like Yui's assistant."

Hong Gyu-heon stretched, as if he had just finished some work.

"From now on, only report to me when the final version is ready. I'll leave the rest to Manager Park and PD Son. Good job."

Hong Gyu-heon patted Seong Pil's shoulder lightly and entered his office.

Although she was already gone, Seong Pil bowed belatedly.

The more he worked, the more respect he had for Hong Gyu-heon.

What kind of CEO listens to the opinions of subordinates so attentively?

This was true not only in the case of Yui but in all the matters he had handled so far.

It was a side of Hong Gyu-heon that Seong Pil wanted to emulate.

[Thank you, Manager!]

That night, Yui called. She kept saying how grateful she was.

Although she was scolded by Kim Hyun-seon when she returned, it was decided that she would participate in the costume design.

[It's all thanks to you, Manager. I'm really glad I mustered the courage to talk to you…]

Her voice was slightly choked with emotion, but Seong Pil pretended not to notice and only encouraged her.

"It's because you're capable, Yui."

[Thank you so much, really… I don't know how to repay this favor…]

It's not like it's a favor.

It's just work to earn a living.

Rationally, he understood this, but he didn't mind Yui's gratitude.

Seong Pil likes people with dreams.

Yui took a step closer to her dream today. Hearing her gratitude, he couldn't just treat her professionally.

[Later, I'll treat you to a meal. I really mean it!]

'How can I accept a meal from someone who earns 400,000 won a month?'

But it was a sincere offer, and rejecting it would embarrass Yui.

"Sure. Let's have