Episode 134: Cooperation
As the coffee continued to pile up on the table, Kang Lim and his team members finished their sketches.
Their notebooks contained designs for costumes, lighting, and space for the performance.
Baudouin rubbed his eyes as he looked at Kang Lim’s drawings.
‘If you’re going to do everything by yourself like this, you wouldn’t need to steal ideas from others…’
He always thought that a person with good exhibition planning skills would also be good at space design.
But the problem was something else. It’s fashion illustration, which is hard to learn anywhere.
‘Just as an architect draws blueprints, a fashion designer also draws clothes. Most students usually just make slight alterations to standardized clothing, but he drew them like a brand designer…’
Baudouin glanced at Kang Lim while flipping through his sketchbook.
He was someone who deviated far from the common background knowledge.
“Kang Lim, do you also do fashion design? Have you ever learned it?”
Kang Lim quickly shook his head in response to Baudouin’s question.
His expression indicated that it was nonsense.
“No? I once went shopping with a friend, but I didn’t know much, so I just read some books. I practiced drawing silhouettes, even if I can’t sew the clothes myself.”
“…It’s impressive that you can memorize it all and study quickly. I envy you.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m making them directly, it’s just sketches.”
Baudouin meticulously checked the clothes Kang Lim had drawn.
Although it resembled a dress, the distinct seams at the shoulders, waist, and legs gave it a protective suit-like feel.
The overall fabric used was rayon, which drapes well like silk.
The subtly glossy fiber flowed along the body.
“The slight wrinkles at the transition areas of the arms and legs are impressive. It kind of looks like dried coral…”
Kang Lim’s sketches were detailed.
He used human poses that highlighted the distinctive parts of the clothes and noted the fabric materials meticulously.
He accurately depicted the cutting lines and functional lines.
“The dye technique that looks like watercolor spreading is also nice. Printing is faster than creating a 3D patterned garment.”
Printing on natural fibers like cotton is tricky.
This is because it’s hard to control the amount of ink.
Kang Lim designed with this in mind as well.
“You used synthetic fibers on purpose because of the printing, right? The explosion-like pattern on the torso looks cool. It would be beautiful to add lace with thin nylon here.”
Baudouin added fish fin-like fibers to the shoulder and waist areas.
Because the space Kang Lim proposed was an underwater city, it could stimulate much richer imagination.
“But why is the lower part of the calves and the entire arms made of PVC? The outfit suddenly becomes transparent.”
Kang Lim found Baudouin, who was pouring out words alone, fascinating.
His costume critique was very specific.
“Ah… those parts need to show skin. Because I’ll be doing the makeup.”
“Indeed, the skin color of the illustrated person is unique. Are you going to make it like a fish-like human?”
“Yes. I want to make it an organic being, not a robot, which is a bit cliché. Like an alien.”
“Excellent. It’s good that the arms and legs are not entirely transparent but have stripes here and there. Sometimes seeing bits and pieces is more mysterious. Like blinds.”
Although Kang Lim’s futuristic clothing design was intriguing, Shin Taemin was more surprised by Baudouin’s fluent transformation.
“What the… how do you know so much?”
“That’s what I’m saying… Baudouin, are you sure you’re not doing fashion design? My sketches look much better after you tweaked them a bit.”
As Baudouin flinched, Melissa burst into laughter.
She patted Baudouin’s shoulder with a knowing look.
“Hey. At this point, just spill the beans. You’re going to graduate soon and get a job in the fashion industry anyway.”
“Ahem, I was planning to keep it a secret until I secured a job.”
Kang Lim and Shin Taemin stared at Baudouin with wide eyes.
It seemed like he had some secrets since he had known Melissa for a long time.
Unable to ignore their gazes, Baudouin finally opened up, albeit reluctantly.
To talk about how he started fashion design, he had to reflect on his life.
“Actually, I was a figure skater. My parents were pair skaters, and they wanted me to fulfill their dream as a single skater. I had been training continuously since junior days.”
Shin Taemin’s jaw dropped at those words.
“…You were a figure skater?”
He unconsciously scanned Baudouin with a shocked expression.
He didn’t seem like someone who had anything to do with sports.
“Taemin! You shouldn’t say that. Just because Baudouin is chubby and smelly doesn’t mean you should be that surprised!”
Melissa retorted sharply.
‘No, you seem like the worst one here…’
Kang Lim squinted his eyes at Melissa.
He couldn’t tell if she was being honest or just clueless.
Baudouin had a sad expression amidst all this.
He sighed and said,
“It’s okay. It’s understandable. I wanted to quit on purpose, so I gained weight. After the senior level, my body changed, and it became tough. So I thought it was a good opportunity to quit.
But once I actually stopped, I felt depressed. Having done it my whole life, I felt like I lost myself. So I ate more and became lazier.”
Baudouin pulled out several notebooks from his bag.
They were filled with designs for athletes’ costumes, not just for figure skating but also for rhythmic gymnastics and dance sports.
“Still, I found a hobby. I hated figure skating, but I liked looking at and wearing the costumes. During my break, I started drawing them one by one, and after entering college, I seriously studied 3D patterns.”
As Kang Lim listened to his story, memories came rushing back.
Now that he thought about it, Baudouin was exceptional in drawing classes.
He could sketch simplified human forms in 2-3 minutes.
All were poses suitable for drawing clothes.
Even in woodworking, he was excessively meticulous.
He carved wood as if quilting thread by thread.
‘I always thought he was skillful, but I never imagined he had such dreams.’
“Since I had hands-on experience, I knew which designs would maximize the athletes’ expressiveness. While making sportswear, I often dealt with light fabrics and flashy beads, which was very educational for making dresses too.”
Shin Taemin, still looking incredulous, asked Baudouin another question.
“But why did you keep it a secret?”
“If people knew I made costumes for athletes, they’d think I still had regrets about figure skating. I planned to reveal it proudly after succeeding.”
“Ah… Then why didn’t you go to the fashion design department? Why come to fine arts? It’s hard to learn separately. Although it’s impressive.”
Melissa smiled at Shin Taemin.
She asked rhetorically if he didn’t know what kind of school they were in.
“Givenchy graduated from our same Paris Beaux-Arts. Does that matter? Rather, experiencing various things while doing fine arts leads to better designs, don’t you think?”
“Hm… Is that so? Anyway, it’s impressive. Then let’s see Baudouin’s sketches too. For the future outfits.”
As Shin Taemin reached out towards Baudouin’s notebook, Baudouin quickly hid it in his bag.
“No! I’ll just refine Kang Lim’s sketches and make them. Since the four of us will be wearing them, take our measurements later.”
“Why are you hiding it? I’m curious.”
“Forget it. I’m more curious about your design. Show it!”
“There’s nothing much. Since I couldn’t think of anything, I just drew something from an SF robot movie. It’s a scene of people living in a space station. I just used cold colors.”
Kang Lim checked the costume Shin Taemin had drawn.
Front, back, side. Although it wasn’t detailed, it had many experimental attempts.
The color scheme, especially a mix of punk and noir, was impressive.
“Hey, the outfit and hair color are nice. It’s vivid but gives off a dark and sad feeling. I’ll keep it in mind for the makeup.”
Melissa also liked Shin Taemin’s drawing.
The harmony of fluorescent colors and cold metallic light was appealing.
“Wow. While Kang Lim’s underwater city is amazing, it certainly feels more futuristic with a metallic vibe. Even though it’s clichéd, people think of robots when they think of the future. It’s just that we can’t get these materials ourselves…”
“Even if we could get them, making such rigid clothes in a short time is impossible! It’s almost like assembling. It’s engineering… And rather than straight-up robots, it’s more fun when you’re unsure if it’s human or robot.”
Baudouin immediately shut down Shin Taemin’s idea.
It was because it was impractical to realize.
“Hmm… Melissa, you’re right. We do need a rigid and cold image, right?”
Kang Lim thought of an article he read on the internet while looking at Shin Taemin’s sketches.
It was about a road billboard in China.
“Oh! I have a good idea.”
Kang Lim drew a mask in his sketchbook.
It was a mask that exposed only one of the four parts: eyes, nose, mouth, or ears.
“What do you think about making masks for the four of us? We can mold them from plastic and coat them with a metallic texture. It’s hard to use metal materials for the outfits.”
Kang Lim created a mask with a distorted shape.
He randomly dotted and connected lines to complete it.
He mixed curves and straight lines without any particular order.
“Wow… You drew something alien-like in an instant. Great idea.”
Melissa admired the masked figure.
With only one feature visible, even the underwater city background seemed cold and eerie.
“Unique. Since only one feature is visible, each of us will have different roles in the performance. It sounds more interesting.”
“Indeed. It seems to show controlled humans well. But how did you come up with masks?”
Kang Lim explained the news article to Shin Taemin.
It was about a road billboard in China that displayed the faces of people caught jaywalking.
Their faces would be displayed for an entire month if caught.
“After the advancement of facial recognition technology, they were able to quickly capture the faces of people crossing the road illegally. Netizens were divided, with some supporting the stricter road rules and others opposing it due to privacy concerns.”
“…It’s harsh to display someone’s face for a month, even if it’s not a celebrity.”
“Exactly. Even now, it’s like this. In the future, tracking individuals might become so easy that people might live wearing masks to hide their faces. So I thought of a featureless mask to hide oneself.”
“True. There are warnings nowadays not to take photos with a peace sign because if someone wants to, they can steal your fingerprint and personal information.”
Melissa clapped her hands and cheered.
“Much better! It fits well with the performance keyword ‘the flood of information’ and ‘datafied humans’!”
“Yeah. Glad to hear that. So, where should we set up the space?”
“The multipurpose room next to the studio is the cleanest! It’s originally for making canvas frames, but since no one paints these days, it’s empty. It would be perfect to decorate!”
“Then let’s list the materials we need and divide the roles.”
Kang Lim made a list of necessary materials while looking at his sketches.
It varied from an inkjet printer for printing phone photos, hologram stickers for the floor, fabrics for the outfits, to lights for creating a deep-sea effect.
Melissa checked the list and planned the performance sequence.
But as she thought deeply, she realized something important was missing.
“Oh no! If all four of us are performing, who will film it? Are we not recording it at all? It’s a shame to waste the decorated space just for a live performance!”
“Oh. I have something planned for the filming.”
Kang Lim smiled at Melissa.
The day before the end of the semester.
Kang Lim and Shin Taemin were painting a large window together.
To convey the feel of an underwater city, the outside view was crucial.
The two had spent weeks meticulously completing the painting.
The goal was to make it so realistic that it created the illusion of being underwater.
It had to be unimaginable that it was a canvas attached to the wall.
They referred to the underwater hotel planned in Dubai for their resources.
Due to the immense water pressure, the buildings were mostly low and streamlined.
“Wow! You have great descriptive skills.”
Kang Lim stepped back to identify the final areas to touch up.
The scene was filled with colorful marine plants and sleek fish.
The soft shadows around the living creatures made them seem truly alive.
“Who’s complimenting whom… Let’s just darken the part going deeper into the sea a bit. If it looks too light, it reminds of The Little Mermaid.”
“Right, we don’t want an Under the Sea vibe.”
Kang Lim squeezed indigo onto his palette.
He mixed it with ultramarine to create a gradient effect in the sea.
The peacock color became brighter towards the surface, creating a fantastic effect.
“Wow! This is really cool. I hope many people come tomorrow. I can’t wait to put on the makeup! Hehe.”
Melissa purchased and set up the materials Kang Lim had listed.
She installed rotating cycling lights on the ceiling and hung nets.
As the lights rotated, they created a shimmering wave effect as if under the water’s surface.
She laid puzzle mats from a daycare on the floor and stuck hologram stickers on them.
They looked shiny and smooth but felt soft underfoot.
“Kang Lim, it’s hilarious how you expressed new materials like this. Anyone entering here won’t even guess what it’s made of.”
“I’m glad it turned out as planned. Everyone, great job.”
The three were satisfied with the created space.
As soon as the setup was done, they lay on the floor.
Kang Lim quietly exhaled.
Looking at the ceiling with wave patterns flowing, he felt a peculiar sensation.
“Whew… Now all that’s left is for Baudouin to deliver the outfits.”
At that moment, the door swung open with hurried footsteps.
The person who walked in with both hands full of stuff was smiling brightly.
