Urbantex (1)
I’m translating the chapter into the required HTML structure and keeping the chapter title line separate, then I’ll verify the output is fully English and contains no stray Korean.CHAPTER_TITLE: Urbantex (1)
Mirae Department Store’s product planning office.
Director Lee Seo-yeon was carefully examining the various concept images laid out on her desk.
She was in the middle of thinking through an event booth concept ahead of the launch of the GyeolBit bedding brand.
Design team staff were gathered around the table, and the walls were covered with a variety of mood boards and concept sketches.
“What’s the concept?”
Team Leader Jang Mi-yeon, head of the product planning team, answered.
“Because the bedding’s feel and image are distinctly Eastern, I was thinking we could lean into that and make the booth feel like the Joseon royal court. Or if we make it look like a hanok-style booth...”
“Ah... wouldn’t that be too old-fashioned?”
“But the bedding itself does give off a strong old-yangban-household feel from the Joseon era...”
It was certainly an attractive line of bedding, but Director Lee Seo-yeon couldn’t shake the feeling that something about it was awkward.
How much would it really sell, practically speaking?
With each set priced close to five million won, the customer base was naturally limited, and she couldn’t be sure how those buyers would actually respond.
She was deep in thought when the door opened and one employee came in carrying a large box.
“Director, a new sample has arrived from Haesol Textile.”
Director Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes lit up.
“A sample? Did Haesol Textile mention a new concept?”
Of course, her gaze immediately shifted to Cha Hee-ju.
Since Cha Hee-ju had heard a few days earlier, when Seung-hyun came to visit her home, that he was working on a new bedding concept, she answered quickly.
“He did say they were developing a concept different from the export line.”
“Really? Open it up first.”
As the employee carefully opened the box, a neatly folded bedding set with a new pattern lay inside.
Director Lee Seo-yeon took it out and spread it across the table, and in that instant everyone in the room held their breath.
“Wow...”
Exclamations broke out naturally from those seated in the conference room.
Lying on the bedding was a luxurious sheet of paper labeled Harmony, and the new pattern had been applied to match it.
The pattern, rendered in a soft beige base with faint blue lines, was a delicate fusion of the lines found in traditional Korean motifs and Western minimalist design philosophy.
Evoking moonlight through a window, the shadow of tree branches, and the look of raindrops, the pattern carried an Eastern sensibility without feeling overly foreign, and seemed as though it would suit modern interiors beautifully.
“Did they deliberately make it less overtly Eastern so it wouldn’t feel too heavy?”
Director Lee Seo-yeon ran her hand over the fabric.
The difference in softness was immediate, the sort of high-end texture that ordinary bedding simply could not match, and it filled her palm all at once.
“Wow, the texture alone is on a different level.”
The design team leader checked the enclosed note and explained.
“They say it’s a French linen blend. Apparently they used a new fabric specially developed for Davide Sochi.”
Director Lee Seo-yeon looked over the bedding once more.
The French linen blend had a soft yet substantial feel, and its subtle sheen added another layer of luxury.
Even she, who had long since stopped feeling much of anything after seeing ordinary luxury goods, found herself wanting to buy this one personally for her own home.
“Cha Hee-ju, I’ll give you that.”
At her brief evaluation, Hee-ju’s face brightened.
Just bringing in something of this caliber meant her eye for quality had been acknowledged.
One by one, the design team members came closer, touching the bedding and marveling at it.
“Let’s rebuild the launch booth concept around this Harmony pattern. How about creating a modern space that brings out the muted blue and beige tones?”
Director Lee Seo-yeon made the decision at once.
She was certain this new pattern and fabric would be the key to making the domestic launch of the GyeolBit brand a success.
“Redo the concept images right now. I’m reporting this to the president immediately.”
“Understood.”
The design team immediately began working on the new concept, and by the time work ended, they were able to place the finished result on Director Lee Seo-yeon’s desk.
“Okay. Hee-ju, let’s go.”
Director Lee Seo-yeon picked up the launch promotion report containing the new concept images, and Hee-ju carried the freshly pressed bedding as the two of them headed up to the president’s office.
“This is it?”
President Jin regarded the bedding in her daughter’s hands with careful interest.
“Yes. We were adjusting the event booth concept, and they happened to send over a new bedding sample. This is the launch promotion report applying the new concept.”
President Jin Sung-im first spread the bedding out on the table and examined it closely.
Even at a glance, it radiated luxury.
When she brushed her hand across it, the warm, soft feel of the fabric gave her a fresh shock.
“This really came from Haesol Textile?”
There was surprise in President Jin Sung-im’s voice.
She had never imagined that bedding of this quality could be produced in Korea.
“Yes. They said President Jung Seung-hyun developed the new pattern and fabric specifically for the domestic launch.”
Cha Hee-ju answered with confidence.
President Jin Sung-im looked over the bedding in detail once more before slowly nodding.
“Hmph. Now I understand why you pushed so hard for the Haesol Textile launch. It was worth it.”
A smile spread across Cha Hee-ju’s face.
It wasn’t easy to win her mother’s approval.
“Director Lee, how much sales are you expecting from this bedding?”
Director Lee Seo-yeon took out the materials she had prepared and explained.
“We won’t know for sure until the launch, but during the initial three-month promotion period, we’re projecting sales of over two billion won. In particular, the response from VIP customers is expected to be very positive. We’ve already confirmed high levels of interest because it’s a brand that previously collaborated with ProMemoria, and I’m certain this new pattern and fabric will exceed those expectations.”
President Jin Sung-im thought for a moment, then spoke in a decisive voice.
“Good. Cha Hee-ju.”
“Yes?”
“Director Lee says twenty billion won over three months, but your monthly guarantee was seven hundred million anyway.”
“Yes.”
“If you bring in more than that, I’ll promote you.”
Cha Hee-ju clenched both fists hard and cheered inwardly.
“Thank you! I’ll work hard.”
“Not just hard. You need to do well.”
“I’ll do well too.”
President Jin Sung-im smiled and nodded.
“Director Lee, don’t spare any support needed for the launch preparations. We need to keep pushing forward after ProMemoria.”
“Yes, President. I’ll do my best.”
“I heard Cha Hee-ju may be placed on the promotion list.”
Vice President Cha Kwang-jin stood by the window, drinking coffee as he fell into thought.
That was because his secretary, Chief of Staff Seong Jae-ho, had delivered a deeply irritating piece of information.
At first, he hadn’t paid much attention even when his younger sister joined the company.
She had never been very interested in corporate management to begin with, and had always been the type who liked to go out, have fun, and meet people.
But after she entered the company, her natural sociability began to feel annoyingly conspicuous.
“That blanket of hers left a bad taste in my mouth.”
“The president seemed very pleased with it.”
“Hmph! If Grandpa liked it and Mom made no effort to hide that she didn’t, then just think what kind of talk would start spreading later.”
Vice President Cha Kwang-jin’s lips twisted.
“What should we do?”
There were plenty of ways to handle it.
They could stage a stronger, more eye-catching event, or quietly arrange for some unfavorable rumors to circulate.
But Vice President Cha Kwang-jin had no desire to take that kind of risk right now.
“Forget it. Leave it alone.”
“Understood.”
A guaranteed monthly sales figure of seven hundred million won.
For a top-class luxury brand, seven hundred million a month might be easy money, but for an ordinary department store, seven hundred million in monthly sales was by no means simple.
Besides, bedding?
At more than five million won per set?
He did not think it would be easy at all.
Vice President Cha Kwang-jin sank into the plush chair and propped his feet up on the desk.
Then, closing his eyes, he said, “I’m tired, so wake me up in an hour.”
“Yes.”
After Chief of Staff Seong Jae-ho bowed and left, the corners of Cha Kwang-jin’s mouth, still hidden beneath closed eyes, twisted once more before settling back into place.
After a while, even breathing filled the vice president’s office.
At that same time, Seung-hyun was looking over a variety of fabric samples spread out on the table.
It was because Hanil Global’s WindRover line had requested the development of a new functional fabric.
Haesol Textile had already developed, and even patented, quite a few fabrics.
Art Fabric, French linen, Dual-Tex, and more...
So developing a fabric for WindRover wasn’t much of a burden.
If anything, it was fun.
That was why, even after pouring himself into WindRover fabric development for more than a month, he wasn’t irritated or stressed. He was actually enjoying it quite a bit.
“The inner layer is the problem...”
He muttered to himself as he tested different fabric combinations.
The outer layer had already been developed with a Cordura blend, giving it outstanding durability and water resistance, but the inner layer needed a material that could maximize mobility and comfort.
He had already brought in more than a hundred inner lining fabrics, but none of them felt quite right.
On top of that, if he wanted a patent and steady royalty income, he needed something truly innovative, something no one had seen before.
Then he reached for polyester and spandex, also known as elastane.
At first glance it was a familiar combination, but perhaps he could add something a little newer than what was already out there.
“What if I try it like this...?”
He entered various ratios into the weaving program and ran simulations: 90 percent polyester and 10 percent spandex, 85 percent polyester and 10 percent spandex, 5 percent cotton, and several other combinations.
From among the many samples produced that way, he grabbed four at once, hoping the optimal result would emerge.
At that moment, a familiar status window appeared.
Weave Pattern = Grid-like Stretch Structure
Ideal Optimization Ratio = Polyester 83.1%, Spandex 9.5%, Cotton 7.4%
Temperature = 30.5°C
Humidity = 43%
“This is it!”
At last, he had found the optimal fabric he had been looking for.
A grid-like stretch structure pattern, along with the ideal optimized ratio.
Seung-hyun immediately entered the yarn ratio into the weaving program and began reconstructing it.
Then he activated the factory equipment and, after checking the temperature and humidity, began producing the fabric.
Whirrr!
With the smooth hum of machinery, the yarn blended at the optimal ratio and the fibers began interlacing exactly as the program had instructed.
“Give me something incredible. Hurry up.”
Watching the machines run hard, Seung-hyun muttered those words with desperate anticipation.
After a long while, the warm, freshly made fabric at last emerged.
Seung-hyun carefully picked it up and checked its properties.
Durability = 95.2%
Breathability = 90.3%
Stretchability = A+ Grade
Product Value = 94.7%
The stretchability had reached an A+ grade.
“Wow... A+ existed?”
At this point, it was practically done.
He laminated the finished Cordura outer layer with a TPU, or thermoplastic polyurethane, film, preserving the fabric’s stretch and breathability while reinforcing its waterproof and windproof functions.
After securing breathability through micro-perforation and joining the outer and inner layers, Seung-hyun found himself smiling with quiet satisfaction.
“It’s finally a success!”
He had been wearing a lightweight windproof jacket made by combining a black outer shell and a white inner lining. Flapping his arms like a sparrow at how light and flexible it felt, he then smoothed the jacket down with a satisfied expression and muttered, “From now on, your name is Urbantex.”
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