When Lee Hyun-woo’s rather long speech ended, Kim Na-yoon nodded with a completely convinced expression.
On the other hand, the faces of the other two unnies showed a look of perplexity.
Let’s briefly use the imagination of these two people:
Kim Na-yoon begs her father for a digital camera. Even if not, there are countless ways for the youngest daughter of a chaebol to get one.
She takes selfies herself. Of course, the clothes would be ones that Lee Hyun-woo procured from his father’s company’s distribution.
If Lee Hyun-woo’s words attract attention, the clothes sell well. However, it might suffocate the already tense household atmosphere.
In the end, the two finish with this conclusion:
“If Dad finds out about this, it’s going to be a disaster.”
“How do we stop Na-yoon?”
“It’s hard to stop because Hyun-woo is involved.”
“It’s hard to stop because brother-in-law is involved.”
So, it was like, “Let it be whatever it will be.”
After that, the conversation continued between Lee Hyun-woo and Kim Na-yoon, and after dinner ended, on the way home, the two unnies tried to persuade and even threaten Kim Na-yoon.
“If I get stressed out like this, I might die. Will you be responsible for that?”
She pouts with words that make them frown.
Eventually,
“Sigh… How can we stop you?”
“I knew this would happen someday. Dad spoiled you too much because you’re the youngest.”
The two declared complete surrender.
“Unnies, you relieve stress while running your business, but I don’t. Just close your eyes this once. Honestly, there’s no guarantee that things will go as Hyun-woo oppa says. I probably won’t attract that much attention. Just think of it as a hobby.”
They could only shake their heads at the youngest sister’s words.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-woo was really proactive.
The speed at which he planned and pushed things forward was no joke originally.
As soon as he got home that day, he looked for his father.
“Father, how many clothes have you secured?”
“Huh? You told me to hurry, so I gathered a lot from here and there. I even hired staff and part-timers.”
Starting a new business always requires money.
Especially for the clothing business, a warehouse and people were essential.
“They’ve been sorting them for two days now.”
“What kinds of clothes?”
“Just as you said, I gathered clothes that young people like these days. And when I secured a new warehouse in Dongdaemun, everything came together all at once.”
From planning and production to wholesale and retail distribution.
Dongdaemun’s one-stop system is unique in the world.
Later, when it becomes more open, Dongdaemun will be a mecca for massive clothing tourism, but Lee Hyun-woo had already told them to prepare a warehouse there.
“You did well. Then I’ll send someone later, so please send some clothes.”
“Huh? When?”
“After I contact my friend.”
The friend he referred to here was Choi Sun-hwa.
It had to be clothes recommended by a fashion expert, not just any clothes.
After finishing his conversation with his father, he immediately contacted Choi Sun-hwa.
(Hello?)
“Hey, it’s me.”
(You’ve been contacting me a lot lately. What’s up?)
“Can you introduce me to someone in the fashion field?”
(What?)
“Oh, did I make it too broad? Let me be specific. Just introduce me to one fashion expert who is well-versed in trends from late teens to late twenties. Someone from your company is fine, or even better if they’re external.”
(…….)
Choi Sun-hwa, seemingly at a loss for words due to Lee Hyun-woo’s sudden request, fell silent.
However, after a brief pause, she gave an answer.
(Well, okay. I’ll look into it. By when?)
“As soon as possible?”
(Is it okay if I ask the purpose?)
“No problem.”
A characteristic of Lee Hyun-woo’s business style is his honesty.
He has no secrets.
As if he doesn’t care if someone steals his idea.
So, he revealed the conversation he had just had.
(Wow… You’re really something, and Na-yoon is really unstoppable. But it will definitely become a hot topic.)
“Of course. The influence of a famous blogger exceeds that of a celebrity. No, Na-yoon isn’t just famous; she’s special. She’s the youngest daughter of a chaebol. Anyone would think that if they see a chaebol’s youngest daughter wearing clothes distributed from Dongdaemun, they too can showcase good fashion sense at an affordable price.”
(That’s right. It’s as if they can embody the image of a chaebol’s daughter. Hmm… Should I try it too?)
“Have you been maintaining your blog? It seemed like you only had a few posts. Na-yoon has been consistently managing hers.”
(What if I hastily put one together?)
“Then give it a try.”
Unlike Kim Na-yoon, the effect would be halved.
Still, it felt good that, unlike Kim Ah-young and Kim Ah-jin’s thoughts, she was open-minded about this part.
Naturally, this led to advice.
“In my opinion, you should target professional women in their late twenties to early thirties. So, you should also get advice from a fashion expert, start wearing your company’s products, and gradually post them on your blog. Then, become blog friends with Na-yoon.”
(Ah, that’s a good idea. If I become friends with Na-yoon, my blog will start getting noticed too.)
“Of course. I guarantee it; Na-yoon will become a famous fashion blogger. As she becomes well-known, more friends interested in fashion will visit Na-yoon’s blog, and our company’s blog system will guide those people to you.”
Lee Hyun-woo was certain that the effect of hyperlinks would show here.
But then,
‘The Guseong family will definitely hate me for this.’
He realized that he was doing something that Chairman Kim Sung-moo and the Guseong family would not like.
Well, it didn’t matter.
He was progressing with a win-win strategy for everyone.
‘Especially, I hope Na-yoon can reduce her stress level in this life.’
In his previous life, he had witnessed Kim Na-yoon’s tragedy through the media.
He couldn’t let her young life end like that, so he decided to help reduce her stress from now on.
So that one day, she could trust and rely on him.
At the very least, he wanted to be someone who could sense when depression affected her daily life.
Things proceeded smoothly.
First, the online shopping collaboration between Jungle and Aejeong Apparel began.
Naturally, it was a success.
Usually, products launched for less than a year are discounted by about 30%, but they sold them at half price, 50% off, and set a record by selling out specific products in just two days.
Encouraged by this, Choi Sun-hwa visited on the third morning.
“At this rate, we can deplete 15% of our domestic supply.”
“Don’t expect it to continue as it is now.”
“I’m satisfied already. Oh, the fashion expert you requested will visit you this afternoon.”
“Really? Who is it?”
“It’s a secret.”
“What?”
“You’ll see for yourself later.”
She kept things secret.
When Lee Hyun-woo blinked his eyes downward, she laughed.
“If I can give a hint, it’s a newcomer, but very promising. Not famous yet.”
“That’s good. It’s less burden if they’re not famous.”
“They’ll become famous. They’re young and have a fresh sense.”
“Well, anyway, that’s good. Actually, Na-yoon contacted me last night.”
“To ask if the clothes were ready?”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
“That kid is really eager. The household must be strongly opposed.”
“They don’t know yet. But when it starts becoming a hot topic, it’ll be a big deal.”
“Then you’re the one causing the trouble.”
“Right. So if I see signs of trouble, I’ll visit and take the blame.”
“That’s cool! Taking responsibility?”
She lightly tossed the words, but she genuinely thought Lee Hyun-woo was amazing.
‘Isn’t he afraid of Chairman Kim Sung-moo?’
Though he appeared gentle outwardly, Kim Sung-moo was known for handling matters sternly when angered.
Several years ago, there was an incident where he discarded an entire batch of mobile phones because they didn’t meet his standards, which led to the creation of Guseong’s current mobile phones.
Moreover, Lee Hyun-woo was dating Kim Ah-young.
Kim Sung-moo surely knew this but still openly did things that he disliked.
‘Is he maybe trying to tame Ah-young’s father?’
Choi Sun-hwa chuckled at the thought.
“Anyway, good luck.”
To Lee Hyun-woo, this phrase oddly didn’t seem to fit.
He wasn’t someone who luck came to; he was someone who created his own luck.
‘It’s not luck but skill at that level.’
However, this time, it wasn’t luck but immense misfortune that came to Lee Hyun-woo.
The fashion designer introduced by Choi Sun-hwa was Lee Hwan.
Lee Hyun-woo was stunned when he saw Lee Hwan.
‘Oh, no…’
Lee Hwan was the designer he first met when launching the fast fashion brand at Deokseong in his previous life.
Although introduced, they never formed a connection.
To be precise, they didn’t form a connection.
Even though Lee Hwan was successful at that time, Lee Hyun-woo recognized that he couldn’t handle the young sense.
So, Lee Hyun-woo was introduced to another designer, and the proud and high-nosed Lee Hwan moved to a rival company…
‘He was someone who ended because of me.’
Lee Hwan walked the path of downfall as a designer.
The brand targeting the same audience as Deokseong Woolen failed miserably.
Unaware of this, Lee Hwan greeted him with a cheerful voice.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m designer Lee Hwan.”
“Ah, yes… I’ve heard a lot about you too.”
“About me?”
“Yes, if my memory serves me right, your graduation project at Korea University was a hot topic. You received rave reviews from senior designers for your bold crossover coordination at the time, and the media attention was no joke…”
“How do you know that…”
“If you’re interested, you can’t help but know.”
Of course, he learned these facts in his past life while investigating this person’s past.
Unaware of this, a smile bloomed on Lee Hwan’s pale face.
“This… It’s an honor that a famous person like you recognizes me. But did Manager Choi tell you?”
“Not at all. She kept it as a secret, making me very curious. But it’s strange not knowing. I graduated the same year.”
“Ah… Yes… I knew you were an alumnus. But you were a star at school, and I was someone who received a small amount of attention and have now been forgotten… Currently, I have a small office in Dongdaemun and am taking on occasional work.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes widened.
Something seemed off in the conversation.
‘This person was definitely successful from the beginning, right?’
Moreover, his current situation was different from his past life.
After graduation, this person pursued studies in Italy.
It was the same school Kim Ah-jin attended, and the fashion works he conducted alongside his studies gained prominence at Milan Fashion Week.
Later, Kim Ah-jin personally brought him, leading to Guseong’s golden era before he moved to another company.
‘What is this? Does my return to the past change the lives of people unrelated to me?’
If so, what kind of chemistry would Lee Hyun-woo and this person develop in this life?
Lee Hyun-woo suddenly became curious about it.
