The hottest brand I'd seen in my past life was undoubtedly 'Ultimate.'
The pinnacle of street fashion, a king of collaborations.
There couldn't have been more than 10 countries with Ultimate stores, probably.
If I could somehow contact the founder of Ultimate in advance and bring them to our first pop-up store…
That would make a significant contribution to establishing our image as the 'Hyungang of design'!
But, I couldn't tell that to Jo Soo-deok, could I?
"They're probably in New York right now."
"Probably…?"
"Yes, probably."
Jo Soo-deok scratched his head but soon picked up his pen again.
"Then, do you have any other information…?"
"I heard they admire skateboarding culture. Maybe you could find them in a park."
"I see."
"Yes."
"…?"
"That's all."
"Huh?"
"Oh, one more thing. There's a good chance they're running a clothing store."
New York.
Loves skateboarding.
Might be running a clothing store.
After saying all this, I felt a bit guilty…
But what could I do?
I idolized the brand Ultimate, but I couldn't know every detail of the founder's story!
"What if there are several similar people?"
"How about picking the one with the best sense?"
"Ah…."
"If it's too hard, you can give up."
"Gi-give up? As I said before, I only get motivated when I work…!"
Since I had assigned Jo Soo-deok such an important mission, it was only fair that I share the bigger picture of the business with him.
Could he read my mind?
Sure enough, Jo Soo-deok adjusted his posture.
"We're going to create a new commercial district. To do that, we need to attract young people…"
No matter how great the brand you bring in, what's the point if no customers come?
That's why I had a backup plan in mind.
"We're going to create limited-edition 'D.Q.' products and sell them only in this store. We'll also divert the 'Capsulemon' merchandise we're preparing to this location."
(TL/n - Capsulemon = Pokemon)
Both IPs were cultural ventures Hyungang personally unearthed.
And once people flock in, we'll sequentially showcase brands like 'Ultimate' and others carefully curated by Olivia!
"Not bad, right?"
"Of course."
"As always, the first step has to be done by you, Professor."
"No one else… could do it, right?"
I nodded.
"Then, I'll give it a shot."
With Jo Soo-deok's words,
I flashed a wide grin.
***
Meanwhile.
Ralph Warren and Olivia were heading toward the restaurant at the school.
As expected of a noble school, even for Western cuisine, they operated restaurants featuring British traditional dishes, French, Turkish, Italian, Greek, and more.
"How about French?"
"I eat everything, you know that."
"Okay."
They sat at an outdoor table.
Soon, an employee approached them.
"May I explain the menu?"
It was a very traditional and restrained type of service, something rarely seen even in New York.
Dining at this restaurant almost felt like part of the education process.
At that moment, Warren's lips curled into a smile.
"Since there's a guardian present, surely a little wine…?"
"We're sorry, but no alcohol is allowed on school grounds under any circumstances."
No alcohol, even with parents around?
It seemed overly strict at first, but Warren actually seemed somewhat relieved.
He glanced at Olivia and said,
"So, it's impossible to get into trouble here, huh?"
"Does stopping it really stop anything?"
"True."
As soon as they finished ordering, the waiter promptly brought out the appetizer.
"The first amuse-bouche is mashed potatoes with caviar."
Eating caviar without alcohol… This is pure torture.
Warren leaned back in his chair and said,
"You want to go to design school?"
"Yes."
"Why not study instead?"
Olivia's eyes widened, surprised.
It wasn't just that—it was the first time Warren had ever told her to study.
"What's gotten into you, Dad?"
"What do you mean? You can learn design from me…"
Well, there probably wasn't a professor with Ralph Warren's career even at the world's top design schools.
"It seemed like that friend from earlier was going to Oxford."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Just as Warren flashed a peculiar smile, the second appetizer arrived.
"Langoustine with fruit sauce."
As the waiter placed the dish and walked away, Warren spoke slowly.
"If you're going to go to university anyway, it wouldn't be bad to study and get an Oxford diploma."
"Do you think Oxford is easy? It's one of the top universities in the world…"
"I'll give you a grand entrance gift."
"I don't need a gift."
"Even if it's a Bugatti?"
"Bugatti…?"
"I heard you asked your brother about a 1938 Bugatti?"
"I was just curious, it's… fascinating."
Even though she said that, Olivia was fuming inside.
"Did my brother really go and tell Dad about that?"
Warren continued,
"I looked into it, and apparently, there are only four in the world. One of them belongs to that friend of yours."
"How do you know that?"
"When my daughter wants something, I have to find out."
"Even so, why go as far as investigating my friend's parents?"
"Parents?"
"The car. It obviously belongs to his father…"
"No, it doesn't."
"…?"
"From what I heard, Dazai, the chairman of a Japanese company, personally gifted it to Ji-hoon. He must have seen potential in the kid and invested in him."
"What are you talking about?"
"Hm?"
"Why would a Japanese chairman invest in a student?"
Warren seemed surprised by his daughter's question.
"I thought you knew and liked him for that."
"What do you mean 'like' him!"
Warren scratched his head, a bit baffled.
Olivia didn't know anything about Park Ji-hoon's background.
'How is that even possible?'
Aren't teenagers usually at the age where they exaggerate even the smallest achievement and brag about it?
Especially in front of the opposite sex.
But it seemed like Park Ji-hoon hadn't bothered to reveal any of it.
Hmm.
Warren was more impressed by Park Ji-hoon's character than his accomplishments.
"But why did he say it was his dad's car?"
"Isn't that better than boasting about being a Bugatti owner?"
"Hm."
Olivia's face turned into a pout.
More than that…
"Can you sit properly? How can a girl…?"
"I'm wearing pants."
"Even so…"
"If I liked someone, I'd sit demurely."
"I hope so."
No matter how much her father worried, Olivia was happily devouring her food.
***
After parting ways with Jo Soo-deok, I returned to the dorm and collapsed onto my bed.
Having run around and done leg exercises, it was only natural to fall asleep instantly.
When I woke up, it was already past 5 p.m.
I opened my eyes to the sound of rustling and saw Peter's back.
He was typing on his keyboard very cautiously, trying not to wake me up.
"You can relax."
"…!"
He turned around in surprise.
"You can type as loud as you want."
"But still…"
"I'm not a light sleeper."
Looking at the screen, it didn't seem like he was making a game.
Perhaps he was just organizing his thoughts.
He soon adjusted his chair and sat facing me.
"Olivia came by earlier."
"Huh?"
"She was looking for you, but when she saw you were asleep, she just nodded and left."
"Really?"
As I pictured Ralph Warren's face in my mind, Peter continued speaking.
"Can I ask you something personal?"
"Of course."
"Do you like soccer?"
I nodded.
"Playing it? Watching it?"
"Both."
"Which team… do you like?"
Why did he look so tense, like he was waiting for test results or something?
It was amusing how serious he was, so I decided to tease him a little.
"I think London-based teams are pretty cool."
"R-really?"
"I like the team that represents London…"
Thump, thump!
"Tottenham."
"Oh no…"
A sigh escaped his lips.
"I thought we could be good friends…"
I chuckled.
"Why? Can't you be friends with a Tottenham fan?"
"Well…"
Peter sighed deeply.
"We can be friends, sure. But we can't be brothers."
"Is that really such a big deal?"
"Yeah…"
Just as Peter hung his head with a disappointed look, I spoke up.
"Actually, I'm not a Tottenham fan."
"Then?"
"I'm a Manchester United fan."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, really."
"Then why did you say Tottenham…?"
"I knew you were a Gooner."
'The only violence in me is hoping Tottenham loses every weekend… Oh, but that's because I'm an Arsenal fan…'
The way he had said that so seriously!
I still couldn't help but laugh thinking about it.
Anyway, Peter looked completely relieved just knowing I wasn't a Tottenham fan.
"Is it that much of a relief?"
"Of course. I've poured more than half my life into soccer."
"If you love soccer that much, why don't you make a soccer game?"
"Huh?"
"Think about it. If your dream is to be a developer, and you love soccer the most… wouldn't you naturally be drawn to making soccer games?"
At this point, Peter hesitated, glancing at me nervously.
"Well, it's not like I haven't thought about it…"
"Really?"
"I once planned a game where you could commit fouls and get into fights during matches…"
That was so Peter, very Peter-like.
"But since it combined soccer with fighting, the development became really challenging."
At this point, he glanced at me again, maybe worried I'd find it too violent or unpleasant.
Seeing I wasn't bothered, he continued speaking.
"So now, I'm planning a simpler soccer game."
"What is it?"
"It's called 'Hooligan Beatdown'…"
"Peter."
"…?"
"You really like beating things up, huh?"
"W-well, it's a unique taste, isn't it?"
"It's interesting. Tell me more."
"Well…"
According to Peter, it was a very unusual game.
The protagonist is a stadium security guard.
You monitor the match score and prepare for hooligan riots.
If the team is losing, you automatically call the police.
If the loss is by a large margin, you equip yourself with a flamethrower.
In cases of utter humiliation by a rival, you set up electric fences to protect the city from zombified fans…
'This guy is nuts.'
Maybe it was because I'd only seen wholesome games from my brother or Hideo, but this kind of MSG-loaded game idea had a distinct flavor.
I quietly stared at Peter and then asked the boy with the sweetest face in the world.
"Are you seriously thinking about making this?"
"What's the point? Even if I make it, I can't sell it."
Hearing Peter's words, I changed my question.
"If there were a way to sell it, would you be willing to finish it?"
TL/n -
Hey everyone!
I'm thinking of switching things up a bit — instead of one chapter per day, I might start uploading seven chapters all at once each week.
That way, you'll have more to read at once and can enjoy the story in bigger chunks.
Let me know what you think, and as always, thank you for all your support! 💙
You can find everything at ko-fi.com/inkbound
.