That night.
I called Jo So-deok to check the paintings engraved on the building.
"How is it?"
"If it were me, I'd want to save it, too."
"Right?"
"Yes. While we're at it, we could set up the interior to match the mural."
For example, if there's a young man throwing a bouquet drawn outside the store,
inside, we could place a mannequin with arms outstretched, waiting for the bouquet.
The idea is to create witty concepts where the artwork and the interior resonate.
"Can you do it?"
"Me? M-me?"
"Who else would do it?"
"Usually, this is handled by a professional company…"
"But we have someone more exceptional than a company right here."
"Haha, as always, your generous praise… It's truly encouraging…"
"I'm counting on you, so please do your best."
"Yes, yes. Just leave it to me. Haha."
"Would a week be enough?"
"…?"
"There's also the interior construction schedule to consider."
"Ample time! With ull, a day feels like 40 hours. Haha."
Even though he said that, I'd assign as many experts as he needed to get the job done.
Anyway.
If Jo So-deok handles the artistic part, there's no room for doubt.
'In the meantime, I can focus solely on the promotions.'
***
Meanwhile.
On Park Yong-hak's first day back at Hyungang after a long business trip, he called for a full meeting with the management team.
Everyone's faces tensed up, wondering what topic he would raise this time.
"Have you all eaten?"
It wasn't directed at anyone in particular.
"…"
Nobody could respond and stood awkwardly.
"You shouldn't come here without eating just because you were called early."
When the chairman looked around, his secretary gave a signal.
Shortly after, several employees came in carrying large boxes.
"We're doing this to make a living, so let's eat first."
Having a meal during a meeting?
This had never happened in the company's history.
Still, the atmosphere didn't seem too bad, and the executives appeared slightly relieved.
They were waiting, expecting something simple like sushi to eat.
But wait?
What the staff handed out was bread wrapped in transparent bags.
Horned Creature's Soboro Bread.
Cheesecake shaped like a capsule.
Rocket Friends' Choco Roll.
A somewhat cutesy meal for executives nearing their sixties…
But regardless.
"You know these breads are so popular nowadays that they're hard to get, right?"
The look on their faces seemed to say, "Only Hyungang executives can casually eat Capsulemon bread, three or four at a time, in the morning!"
Soon, even Red Bull drinks were brought in to wash it down.
"You must be tired from coming in early. Let's drink this and start."
Click. Gulp, gulp.
"Eat while you listen."
With just those words, the executives began picking up the bread one by one.
"What's the point of creating products if they're not promoted properly? They collapse even before they hit the shelves."
"…"
"In comparison, how about this bread? Sticking a sticker in here—how hard could that be? But!"
His voice suddenly grew louder.
"Capsulemon, the cartoon itself, is about collecting monsters, isn't it?"
"That's correct."
"Then how should the marketing be done? It has to be related to collecting, doesn't it?"
Simply put, the sales strategy for the bread was designed to align with the sticker collection aspect of the story about gathering monsters.
"Some brainless guys said, 'Stickers sell well, so let's do something similar.' Surely, there aren't such people at Hyungang, right?"
Gulp—
The executives swallowed dryly, as if on cue.
"Don't just blindly try to follow the number one. Analyze why they reached the top in the first place."
"…"
"Imitating the results is plagiarism, but emulating the thought process is benchmarking."
Chairman Park's stern scolding didn't stop there.
"From today, it's the beginning of Hyungang 2.0."
"…?"
"Relying on the success formulas we've built up until now? You could never create bread like this, not in a million years."
It was a call to re-evaluate the structure of their thinking.
"Change everything except your wife, kids, and grandkids. Got it?"
At Chairman Park Yong-hak's declaration, the executives all bowed their heads in unison.
***
Henri Vuitton was watching Park Ji-hoon's exclusive interview on the BBC.
Normally, he wasn't the type to appear on broadcasts.
So why did he accept the BBC interview?
With the reopening of Oxford Street just around the corner, it was probably for promotional purposes.
What stood out was the fact that he answered the reporter's questions in Korean.
"I've heard you're opening a street specializing in luxury goods. Is there a concept you're trying to emphasize, Mr. Park?"
"I want that street to be perceived as a kind of gallery."
"A gallery?"
"I believe that the products created by so-called luxury brands are no different from artworks of this era."
In other words, luxury stores are essentially the art museums of our time.
After the interpretation ended, Park Ji-hoon continued speaking.
"I hope people don't feel intimidated by luxury goods. Some say they feel burdened just stepping into a store…"
"I feel the same way. If I'm not buying anything, it feels awkward to just go in and browse," the host replied.
With a pleasant smile, Park Ji-hoon asked,
"You don't necessarily have to buy a painting just because you visit an art museum, right?"
"Well, that's true, but…"
"Even when I assure people it's fine, there are still parts where the discomfort isn't fully resolved. So, we've come up with a solution."
"What kind of solution?"
"We're planning not to sell any products at all on Sundays."
"Excuse me?"
"To allow everyone to enjoy the experience without pressure, we're thinking of banning sales entirely on Sundays."
"Well, that would certainly eliminate any awkwardness."
"Exactly."
Park Ji-hoon smiled again.
"I believe more people should encounter and enjoy luxury goods."
If they are shrouded in mystery and held on a pedestal, distorted desires inevitably emerge.
That's when people begin to divide themselves by whether they own luxury items, evaluating others based on what they possess.
This was precisely the issue Park Ji-hoon was wary of.
"There's no need to own a piece of art. Visiting an art museum, enjoying the moment, and appreciating it is enough."
"Are you saying luxury goods should be approached the same way?"
"Exactly."
"What if your sales plummet, and the business fails?"
"I can't justify forcing distorted desires onto others just so I can live comfortably."
The interview wrapped up around that point.
"Democratization of luxury."
Park Ji-hoon was once again advocating for the same idea.
"Hm."
Henri Vuitton immediately picked up the phone.
"Connect me to Mr. Luke Jacobs, please."
***
Louis Vuitton's "3-second bag" was selling at an incredible pace.
It was by no means cheap.
However, since it was made of synthetic leather, it wasn't prohibitively expensive either.
It was the perfect entry-level item for those in Asia unfamiliar with luxury brands.
As a result, Japan, in the midst of its economic bubble, experienced an unexpected Louis Vuitton craze.
Perhaps that's why.
When he was first briefed on the weekly sales trend,
"..."
Luke found the numbers hard to believe.
So he immediately boarded a flight to Tokyo.
He felt he had to see it with his own eyes to believe it.
'Should we proceed as is?'
'Of course.'
'Without any modifications?'
'Yes. This is good enough.'
When Luke brought the initial design draft, Park Ji-hoon coolly nodded in approval.
Despite saying they would run the factory 24/7,
he didn't interfere by suggesting changes here or there.
An investor who just provided money without meddling…
It was every designer's dream scenario.
'Is… is this really okay?'
When it became a reality, Luke couldn't help but feel uneasy.
But to his surprise, he quickly understood why Park Ji-hoon had been so confident the moment he landed at the airport.
The corridors leading to the duty-free shops were lined with Louis Vuitton advertisements.
In the ads, the model's hand always carried a monogram bag.
Bustling crowds.
At the center of the duty-free area, the Louis Vuitton store had an unbelievably long line.
Oddly enough, the line moved quickly, only to be replenished just as fast.
Shoppers leaving the store all carried the same-sized shopping bags.
It was as if everyone was buying the same item.
Conveniently, they all had blissful smiles on their faces as if on cue.
Downtown Tokyo was even more impressive.
Most middle-aged women were carrying Louis Vuitton bags.
If you stood on the street for just an hour, you'd see Luke's bag to your heart's content.
"Ha!"
The statement about running the factory 24/7.
To think it was actually true.
On his way back to the hotel, Luke was in utter disbelief.
Curious about the day's sales figures, he called the headquarters.
(The chairman wishes to speak with you.)
An unexpected reply came through.
(I'll connect you now.)
Moments later, a familiar voice came through the line.
(This is Henri Vuitton. I've been waiting to speak with you because I have a proposal.)
A proposal.
Given the stellar sales, perhaps they were offering him a more prominent role.
(A fun idea came to mind, and I was hoping you could bring it to life.)
"...?"
(What do you think about incorporating Capsulemon characters into our bags?)
"Excuse me?"
At first, Luke couldn't believe his ears.
"You want to put animated characters on a luxury brand?"
(It doesn't have to sell. If young students visit our stores and smile when they see it, that's enough for me.)
If that's the case, creating it wouldn't be particularly difficult.
"Are you really okay with this?"
(Perhaps you haven't heard yet.)
"…?"
(Luxury stores are going to become the art museums of our era.)
***
The next day.
I received an early morning call from Henri Vuitton.
He asked if I could spare some time.
(I'll come to London.)
There was no reason to stop him if he wanted to come.
As a result, that evening, we had dinner together at a restaurant in England.
"Thanks to you, our stock price has doubled."
"If I'd known this would happen, I should've bought some shares myself."
At my joke, Henri Vuitton gave a pleasant smile.
It was the generous kind of laughter that only well-educated people seem to have.
Henri Vuitton had a natural charm that made people feel good.
"Thanks to you, I've regained the overwhelming support of the shareholders and am leading Louis Vuitton once again. It's all thanks to you."
"What a shame. On such a wonderful day, you have to drink your celebratory wine alone."
"Couldn't you share a sip for my sake?"
"Sorry, but I'd like my first drink to be with my grandfather."
"I'm sure your grandfather will be very proud."
Henri Vuitton took a sip of his wine with a satisfied expression.
"As expected, the board of directors unanimously agreed to issue new shares. As early as this week, you'll officially become part of Louis Vuitton."
I grinned.
"Looks like I'll need to start attending board meetings, then."
"Of course."
Henri Vuitton gave his most cheerful laugh of the evening.
"Officially, I may hold the chairman position, but I'm more than willing to adopt your management philosophy, Mr. Park."
It wasn't just polite words.
It was clearly genuine.
"That's why I'd like to propose something…"
But I hadn't anticipated how earnest he would truly be.
"How about we launch a Capsulemon collaboration product at Louis Vuitton?"
"Excuse me?"
"I looked into it, and it seems the evolution concept exists. If we engraved stages 1, 2, and 3 of evolution on wallets, handbags, and luggage, respectively, wouldn't that be fun?"
Back in the 2020s, a certain luxury brand had sold out with a similar concept.
But to attempt such a thing in this era took guts.
'The more I see him, the more I like him.'
And so, I replied with a grin.
"Sure, let's give it a shot."