Episode 29: The Qualities of a Leader
To have more to say about a perfect display…
The children stared at Kang Lim with curious eyes.
“We tried to convey the message from the brand through this display. Let me turn off the lights and show you on the screen.”
Yoon Jangmi turned off the lights, and Lee Hyunseong displayed the materials.
“What words come to your mind when you think of fragrance?”
Words like memory, recollection, and love came from the children’s mouths.
“That’s right. The same goes for this Coriel Fresh. Fragrance is associated with memories. We want to create good products for our customers to be remembered forever. We aimed to express that.”
At Kang Lim’s words, there was a commotion around.
It was hard to imagine how to visually show such an abstract idea of ‘remaining as an eternal memory.’
Kang Lim waited until the commotion settled down a bit before speaking again.
“Didn’t someone mention earlier that the flowers we made have a fragrance?”
“……?”
“The screen you are looking at now is the initial projection when it was installed in the store. And as time goes by…”
As the presentation screen slowly changed, the flowers installed in the display began to wilt one by one.
“What the…! Were those real flowers?”
“They made it sound like they created them.”
Kang Lim chuckled as he saw the children murmuring.
“We did make some. They were so detailed that you couldn’t tell the difference from real flowers.”
“What, what did you say?”
As the screen continued to change…
The flowers wilted slowly in order of their fragrance.
And the only flower that remained in the children’s eyes was the one they crafted.
It was still fresh and sparkling.
Just like memories that become clearer as time passes.
“We arranged it so that only the flowers closest to the product wouldn’t change, visually expressing that the memory of the fragrance remains forever.”
There was a moment of silence after Kang Lim finished speaking.
Then,
Everyone paused for a moment before suddenly cheering.
“Wow…! Amazing. Incredible!”
“Insane! Really.”
“How did you manage the order in which the flowers wilt? There are various flowers that wilt quickly and slowly…”
Kang Lim answered with a smile.
“Hyunseong, who is showing the PPT, went around the flower markets at Gangnam Terminal and Dongdaemun early in the morning to buy flowers with different dates. We had to find flowers with the colors and shapes we wanted, so it was really tough.”
Lee Hyunseong scratched his head awkwardly at the sudden praise.
“Well, I just bought the types Kang Lim ordered…”
Seeing the hidden twist in the assignment, Professor Han Jungpil got goosebumps.
To think of creating such an effect by calculating the blooming and wilting times of the flowers… it was unbelievable.
‘If it were a company, they would just decide on the types of flowers and purchase dates, but students had to go around… Considering the flower markets only open from dawn to morning and have different flowers every time, they must have gone back and forth dozens of times.’
Having been a professor for a long time, he could tell from the expressions of the team members who planned the project, who played a crucial role, and who disappeared like air.
What are the qualities of a good leader?
Individual ability?
No. The most important ability is to place each person in the right position and maximize efficiency.
‘To have the seemingly least useful member express the most important brand message. A perfect leader.’
While elevating the capabilities of a member who seemed likely to become air, they bought time to create a sophisticated piece.
‘Turning the worst conditions into the best…’
Han Jungpil admired Kang Lim’s planning ability as he spoke.
“In all my years of teaching, I’ve never seen students express the message the brand wants to convey. This team is truly perfect. The vibrant composition that makes the package stand out, the ideas that highlight the functionality of the product, everything is impeccable.”
Moreover, product displays usually remain unchanged for one to two months after launch.
Sometimes people find it boring, but these kids broke that boredom by adding a temporal element to their piece.
They visualized time.
Isn’t this close to art?
“This concludes our presentation.”
“Ah, wait a moment!”
Even after the presentation ended, the children raised their hands one by one.
At this point, it wasn’t even jealousy; they were eager to clear their questions.
“This display was particularly impressive because you couldn’t tell the difference between real and artificial flowers. What did you use to make them look so real?”
Kang Lim looked at Yoon Jangmi this time and spoke.
“The one who turned off the lights, Yoon Jangmi unnie, is very skilled in crafts. These flowers were made of a material called polymer. It’s a clay based on starch. By adding a bit of wood glue and spreading it thinly, you can create delicate petals. Even if you roll it out as thin as paper, it doesn’t tear and maintains its shape because of the glue.”
“Wow. That’s truly amazing.”
“Insane.”
Yoon Jangmi shrugged her shoulders at the sudden praise.
“…Well, I didn’t do it alone. Kang Lim helped, and this kind of flower craft is already quite common among Ukrainian craft artists, so it’s nothing special.”
Seeing Yoon Jangmi answer nonchalantly after creating such impressive work, Han Jungpil burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. What an interesting team. Every member participated well. It’s really surprising how the presenter planned and distributed the tasks. This is why I assign group projects.”
An artist with leadership and collaboration skills…
Han Jungpil rested his chin on his hand and looked at Kang Lim.
‘Maybe this kid… It might be possible.’
He had heard from Professor Gu Haeyeong in the past that this kid worked on projects that read people’s minds.
It was clear that this mindset reflected in his design work.
Perceiving everything…
“Today’s class ends here. Kang Lim, please stay behind for a bit.”
Kang Lim, who entered Han Jungpil’s office, was surprised to see pots of plants everywhere.
Professor Gu Haeyeong’s office was clean with nothing, but this place was like a botanical garden.
‘They must really value air purification. There are Sansevierias everywhere.’
Han Jungpil smiled as if reading Kang Lim’s mind and spoke.
“These are for use in displays.”
“Oh, the pots?”
“Yes.”
Professors usually have separate studios outside their offices, so it was unexpected to think these plants were for work.
“I had a display project that required plants, just like you did. So, today’s presentation was a pleasant surprise.”
“Oh, I see…”
“Of course, I didn’t know you could capture time in that way.”
“No, not at all.”
Kang Lim waved his hand, but Han Jungpil suddenly became serious and asked.
“You said you wanted to create work that communicates with the public.”
Though he didn’t know why words spoken during class were already circulating among professors, Kang Lim decided to answer.
“Yes. Even if it’s my worldview, the work is ultimately shown to someone and enjoyed together. I think communication is important in fine arts too. If no one can understand it, why hold an exhibition?”
“If you want to convey your message to many people, isn’t design more suitable? Why are you in the sculptural arts department? Your talents are extraordinary.”
“Well, design is a bit…”
In his previous life, design for Kang Lim was all about looking at statistics, analyzing them, and finding the most effective solution.
He thought high-fashion design might be more liberating, but product design or advertising design felt somewhat stifling.
“How about transferring to the design department?”
What is this professor doing? Thank you, but no thanks…
As Kang Lim rolled his eyes, unsure of what to say, Han Jungpil suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha. I’m just joking. I can’t take Professor Gu Haeyeong’s favorite student.”
“……”
“No, your work was really good. Even compared to Son Chaewon’s, it was outstanding. No, it was even better.”
“Um, wasn’t Son Chaewon’s work better? For selling to people, I mean.”
“Haha. Selling a lot is good, but you have to consider the costs. If the advertising impact is the same, isn’t it better for the company to spend less money? Chaewon’s work ultimately required a celebrity for the display. We can’t actually sell the faces of Seoyeon and Shintae Min. But your idea was complete in itself. There’s quite a difference there.”
True. It’s a bit wasteful to use a celebrity for a display shoot when it’s not a commercial.
Compared to TV commercials, the effect is minimal, yet it’s very expensive.
So, in such cases, general models are usually hired.
‘If ordinary models have less advertising impact than Seoyeon, our team might be better.’
Besides, this was a contest for university students. Ideas were more important.
“Well, the reason I called you here is this.”
Han Jungpil got to the point and handed over a poster.
“We are creating a sculptural work with the support of the Seoul city government. My agency was selected for it.”
Looking at the poster, it described an event to install a sculpture in the street in front of Hongdae.
A street art exhibition, abbreviated as ‘Spider Exhibition.’
It was a contest where established artists formed teams and competed.
“City support projects help with building a career. Moreover, this event reflects 50% of the public vote in the evaluation. The work is installed only during the festival period and then removed.”
“Oh. That sounds fun.”
“Haha. I thought you’d like it. So, I wanted to recommend it to you.”
“Wow, but isn’t this only for experienced artists?”
“If your skills are at the level of experienced artists, it doesn’t matter. I’ll put you in the design team of my agency, so try working together. Designers and fine artists working together usually create great synergy.”
“Well, I’m in. It’s vacation time.”
“There’s a contact number on the poster, so give them a call and arrange a meeting.”
“Thank you!”
Seeing Kang Lim’s brightened expression after looking grim when he was suggested to transfer to the design department, Han Jungpil laughed.
He could see that the student was clear about what he wanted to do.
Just like Gu Haeyeong.
The nameplate at the entrance read ‘Art Magazine K.’
From inside, the sound of continuous typing could be heard.
The staff were constantly writing and editing articles.
They needed to appreciate the work and convey it to those who missed the exhibition, so they meticulously crafted their writing.
Especially, Art Magazine K’s chief editor, Jung, was putting great effort into writing an article.
“Wow, the chief was really surprised by the student’s work. He’s working so hard.”
Despite the colleague’s teasing, Chief Jung remained focused.
Art Magazine K’s prized section was the ‘Rising Stars’ column.
Usually, they wouldn’t select an artist with no exhibition history, who only participated in a group exhibition.
Typically, the spotlight would go to artists who debuted with solo exhibitions after winning corporate contests.
But this month’s Art Magazine K was different.
To feature this article, to change the editor’s mind…
So much effort went into preparing for the meeting.
All because of a single exhibition in Insadong…
‘Having racked my brain, I must do it right.’
Though the article was already written, he kept editing it.
Deciding where to place the pictures, determining the length…
Checking for strange sentences or typos meticulously.
“Chief, we must send it to print today. It has to be delivered to the magazine office and then to the bookstores…”
Seeing the chief still arranging the pages, the colleague shook their head.
But Chief Jung’s mind was still vivid with that day.
That peculiar moment when the small gallery buzzed like a marketplace.
What exhibition ever had such an impact?
This artist was undoubtedly destined for greatness.
It was a gut feeling honed over decades as a journalist.
“Alright. It’s done.”
