Following Ralph Rugerfeld, Mikel became the chief designer of Coco.
“Hmm?”
When he arrived at his office, he found a box on his desk.
“Is it from America?”
Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was from a student he had known through his mentor, Ralph, who he had hoped would pursue a career in design.
“I told them to contact me anytime, but I didn’t expect them to send a package.”
With a sense of anticipation, Mikel opened the box.
“Oh.”
It was a handbag.
It was indeed extraordinary. The design was classic yet unique, appealing to a wide range of consumers.
Above all, the quality was so high that it could be sold in a store immediately.
Mikel put on the bag and checked his reflection in the mirror.
“Very nice.”
Inside the bag, there was a postcard.
“…!”
It contained a very bold proposal along with a MiTube link.
Mikel immediately opened his laptop to watch the video.
He set aside the countless emails that had piled up overnight and watched the entire 16-minute video.
He had planned to skim through it, but there was no part worth skipping. It was very rare for him, as he usually lost interest quickly.
“Interesting.”
He enjoyed the lingering feeling the video gave him and then started busily sending messages on his phone.
A video was uploaded to Angela’s channel on the regular upload date.
[Just do it as a hobby. How many people really make a living out of it? It may seem romantic and cool now, but you’ll regret it when you get older. I’m telling you this for your own good.]
Views: 2.33 million, Comments: 70,000+
The video started in a workshop.
A middle-aged woman was meticulously working on leather and sewing.
The scenes transitioned in rhythm from various angles.
The process of making the bag looked very professional and even beautiful.
That’s what you call a master. They say most luxury bags are handmade like that.
That’s why they’re expensive. They use the best leather and lining and put in that much effort. It’s recognized as a work of art, not just a simple bag.
Wow. Isn’t that bag too pretty? Is it really for sale? Angela makes it look like a movie advertisement??
What?? Why is she throwing away such a precious thing? If you’re going to do that, give it to me!!
The beautiful bag was completed.
[…Again.]
But the woman carefully inspected it and discarded it.
If the stitching was even slightly off or there was a tiny flaw in the leather, she would remake it without hesitation.
She discarded 4-5 bags at the final stage. There were many more minor corrections.
[This is it.]
Finally, she seemed satisfied with the result and placed the bag on the table with a smile.
I wondered why she was throwing away such beautiful bags. She had a plan all along?
Wow. Angela definitely captures the angles well. The design is so good. You can trust and buy something made by such a master.
A young woman picked up the bag from the table.
Dressed in studio makeup and designer clothes, she examined the bag with a haughty gaze and then carried it with a satisfied look.
[Isn’t it a piece of art?]
She asked the Black photographer standing nearby.
With an unreadable expression, he silently took pictures.
[Please take good shots today.]
She smiled brightly and even winked… but he didn’t react at all.
He just focused on the angles.
Whoa. Is she an actress? A model? She’s so unrealistically beautiful that I wouldn’t dare approach her in person.
Is the man some kind of robot? How can he resist a wink right in front of him?
The woman then walked around the streets with the bag.
[Click]
She met friends at a café, attended school classes, enjoyed a cozy date in the evening, and returned home.
While changing clothes in the dressing room, she kissed the bag once and placed it on top of the wardrobe.
[Click]
The scene faded out.
Late that night.
The man developed the photos under a dim light.
He worked silently and calmly, developing each photo and hanging them on the wall.
A time-lapse sequence under an emotional atmosphere.
By morning, all the photos were dry.
One by one, the completed photos were shown in order.
Is this what they mean by “everyday life is a photoshoot”? It’s much cooler than a staged studio shoot.
Is this a model’s portfolio or a bag designer’s portfolio? I’m confused.
Who’s that Asian guy? Why is he dating a goddess while I’m bravely battling constipation in the bathroom?
Photographer dude! If she’s changing clothes, focus on that scene, not the bag!
Using a film camera in this day and age? Isn’t that just for show?
But he’s too professional and dedicated, even developing the photos himself. You can feel his love for photography.
So where’s the original photo? At least leave an Instagram address!!
The video could have ended there, and it would have been fine.
The cinematography was beautiful, and the artistic editing offered viewers plenty to enjoy.
But when the last photo was shown, the video suddenly paused and started to rewind.
Scenes flashed by in reverse order.
From developing the photos, taking the photos, making the bag… all the way back to their earlier moments.
It briefly showed the lives of the middle-aged woman before she started making bags, the background of the beautiful woman becoming a model, and the experiences of the quiet man before he picked up the camera.
Through short clips, Angela’s interview process with them was sequentially presented in voiceover.
The reaction to the video was explosive.
Is this really MiTube? That’s insane. While others are doing variety shows, Angela is creating art.
Am I the only one who cried? It was more touching because it was told so matter-of-factly.
I’m donating. I’m definitely donating!
Jesse went to work to attend a management class.
Meeting after meeting after meeting.
The fields and products were different, but it was all the same: they wanted investments because their startup was promising.
“Boring.”
She pretended to listen seriously with the executives, but her eyes quickly lost interest.
She didn’t even have the motivation to analyze the data.
Bzzz-
Her phone vibrated just in time.
[MyLove: Oh my, I’m in love♡]
[MyLove: How can I win a woman’s heart? What part of me won you over? Even though I’m a MiTuber, I have a fatal flaw of not knowing my own charm??]
Jesse laughed in disbelief.
After hearing nonsense for so long, she could easily see the point.
[Me: …Is it about that woman again?]
[MyLove: As expected, my darling knows my heart well. Help me figure out how to seduce her. I’ll introduce her to you too.]
[Me: Lucky you. You fall for anyone and quickly fall in love.]
[MyLove: Anyone??? Only for very special people! When I look into such a person’s soul, it feels like they are looking back at me too?]
[Me: …Nonsense. I’m busy. What’s your point?]
[MyLove: I knew it. I’m hurt. You haven’t watched my video yet, have you? Please turn on notifications…]
“Ah, come to think of it, was it time for that video to be uploaded?”
Jesse quickly got up and quietly left the room.
She was just an observer anyway.
She felt the sharp gaze of her father but didn’t care.
She returned to her booth and accessed Angela’s channel.
Sure enough, a new video had been uploaded.
“…”
She was quite surprised.
She had some expectations since Hyunsoo said he had planned the video, but this level far exceeded her imagination.
“The video’s engagement and structure are different.”
It maintained the free nature of MiTube while also showing a unique level of completion.
Especially when the video rewound and started telling the stories of the characters… even her supposedly cold heart was moved.
The stories were delivered plainly, making them more emotionally relatable.
First, the Black man spoke about how he became a photographer.
[It’s my father’s camera. Its resolution is lower than modern phones, and it’s film, so it’s outdated in many ways, but my father cherished it like a treasure.]
[He always said, “If you don’t capture it in a photo, the memory will eventually fade,” and bought the camera with a lot of money despite our poor circumstances. He often took family photos since I was young.]
[But when I became a teenager, I hated taking photos. I hated how I looked, and after going to juvie, the thought of my photos being anywhere was horrifying. No matter how much my father begged to create memories together, I probably laughed it off.]
[Now, I regret it a bit. I don’t have any photos with my father from my teenage years. I want to take them now, but I can’t anymore.]
His monotonous voice without any change in expression somehow made it even sadder.
[I’m definitely a bad guy, and I’m not doing this to atone. I just started photography to remember my father. I want to take photos for others so they don’t regret like I did.]
He worked various manual jobs to make a living… and spent all his free time taking photos for anyone who wanted them.
He didn’t miss small weddings at city hall, graduations, or children’s birthday parties.
If people couldn’t afford it, he would use his own money to frame a few A-grade photos for them.
“He’s got skills.”
The photos he showed one by one in the video were warm. Even though they were of other people laughing and crying, they had a way of touching the heart of a third party like Jesse.
It seemed he had a remarkable ability to capture memorable moments in everyday life.
“I hope he does well.”
She naturally felt a desire to support him.
[My name is Adriana.]
Next was the model’s story.
“So it’s this woman.”
She already knew her face from the photos. She had heard Angela’s description of her as a total fox, so she watched with some caution, but that quickly dissolved.
[I know. I’m pretty. I’ve heard it to death since I was young, so how could I not know? Think it’s nice? Not at all. Until I graduated high school, I purposely didn’t wear makeup and dressed in thick clothes to cover my whole body. I really hated it. On the streets, people would always stare creepily, and many would touch me casually. I even contemplated suicide multiple times because people I trusted tried to assault me.]
[But I couldn’t die. What about my mom and my two younger siblings? Who would take care of them and earn money? I had to work hard to protect my precious family.]
She spoke with determination, despite her lovely face.
[I still had my pride, so I didn’t want to make a living off this damned appearance. I had skills and worked hard, but people looked down on me, so I stubbornly avoided it. But… looking at the pay, the only thing I could do was modeling.]
[It’s fine. Everyone makes a living doing things they hate. I’m not selling my body, and I’m doing it to support my family. I rationalized it a lot. It was forced. I was a really poor model in terms of attitude and skill.]
[But my perspective has changed a bit now. Why? What am I afraid of that I have to discard my greatest weapon? I’m going to show how amazing and lovable I am. At first, people will be interested in my looks, but eventually, they’ll see what kind of person I am… and they won’t be able to get away.]
[I’m really grateful to that person. For helping me rediscover myself. I just wanted to be loved for who I am. I’m so thankful for giving me a chance to overcome my scars and rediscover what I’m truly good at. I’ll definitely repay the favor, somehow…]
“…”
Jesse paused the video and skipped ahead.
The last part was about Hyunsoo’s mother.
Angela asked,
- When did you start dreaming of becoming a designer?
