The Warmth Of Spring

Model

The Haute Couture Fashion House, Balmain, suffered a severe crisis when their top model was caught in a huge and damaging scandal involving illicit drugs and tax fraud.

The scandal threw Balmain's parent company, Kim Corporation into a disarray, completely affecting their image. Some investors wanted to withdraw their money from Kim Corporation, which owns a large chain of shopping malls as well as Balmain.

Several meetings were held in which Kim Jaejoong, Balmain's young CEO, tried to convince the shareholders to be more patient and to trust him. Finally given the chance, he was determined to solve the problem even though it wasn't particularly his fault.

Jaejoong returned to his office and called his secretary. "Call the US headquarter to terminate Anne's contract now". Just then, his father - CEO of Kim Corporation – arrived at his office, prepared to discuss the present issue with his son.

That evening, Jaejoong didn't leave the office. He pulled an all-nighter instead, exploring ideas and searching for a clever solution to fix Balmain's reputation. The next morning, he asked his secretary to bring him clean clothes so he could look presentable for the day's meetings.

The next meeting was with the Marketing and Financial Team, the Designers, Public Relations Managers, and his father. The Marketing Team presented their proposals, which included who should be the new face of Balmain for the upcoming Summer collection.

"Our new collection for women is classy, yet casual. We have dresses, printed pants, and blazers designed to fit any event. Even businesswomen can wear them and look hip and elegant! I think since Suzy has become quite the rage now, she would be perfect for us! She can pull off the cute, yet serious aura." Mr Jung finished his presentation then returned to his seat. His teammates also presented their ideas.

But Jaejoong didn't seem pleased at all. He stood up, took off his blazer, rolled up his sleeves, and walked up to the large screen, seemingly frustrated.

"Balmain is not just a Korean or Asian brand. It's an international brand. We have to maintain our image. I know that Suzy, Sistar, and all the idols you mentioned have potential, but we want someone who will make the whole world forget about the scandal, someone who will make our image stronger, make everyone talk about the new collection, surprise everyone."

The whole meeting room broke into chattering, some muttering that maybe Jaejoong was asking for too much.

"I thought of a new strategy that needs to be discussed." Jaejoong cleared his throat and continued.

"We now need to consider a global strategy. It will cost a lot but the budget we allocate to it won't be as much as when we use different models and have shoots for each country. So my idea is, the same advertisement and the same model for all our subsidiaries, even in the US and Europe."

Everyone looked puzzled, even his father.

"Why hasn't anyone proposed model Lee Su Jin? She's the nation's pride. She has never modeled for any Asian clothing brand. She has only modeled for Cosmetic products in Korea, so it would be a first. She is well-known on every continent."

Jaejoong looked at all the staff present in the room for approval. Everyone smiled, proceeding to discuss the idea and its many perspectives. The manager facilitating the meeting proposed they vote, though suspecting a probable agreement. Everyone voted for Jae Joong's idea. However, he was still not fully content.

"I am not 100% content," Jaejoong continued. "Lee Su Jin is really busy. She has so many engagements, here and overseas."

He turned to the Public Relations manager and asked. "Please find her agency's contact, ask for her schedule and see if she is in Korea."