“Luxury goods...”
A rapidly developed economy.
A heightened cultural standing.
As if Korea’s sudden growth had left stretch marks,
negative aspects began slowly surfacing, one by one.
One of them was the rate of luxury consumption.
[Morgan Stanley: “Korea Ranks No. 1 in the World for Luxury Spending Per Capita”]
Why had people’s luxury consumption rate skyrocketed?
There were plenty of reasons one could tack on.
The 2020s.
The emergence of “new luxury” amid the diversification of luxury houses.
The open-run phenomenon and excessive price hikes.
The resale culture that took advantage of luxury goods’ scarcity, and so on.
But if I had to name the fundamental reason, I thought it lay in the very nature of luxury goods themselves.
They gave satisfaction on a psychological level rather than through functional practicality.
In East Asian cultures, where people lived more as part of a collective “us” than as an individual “me.”
And among them, Korea in particular, with its small landmass.
Members of society couldn’t help but be conscious of others’ gazes.
At the same time, materialistic and vain tendencies accelerated.
And in the midst of all that, famous celebrities—people easily admired by others through all kinds of curated images—were even promoted as ambassadors.
In Korea, where the self presented to others mattered so much, perhaps ranking first in luxury consumption had been inevitable.
Even so, I didn’t want to hop on board just because it had already happened.
Because I didn’t want to see my elementary school and middle school fans pestering their parents to buy them luxury goods.
However.
─Still, I should do it... right?
─Why? You don’t want to?
─No, I should...
I couldn’t say I wouldn’t.
If I said I was against it, the team leader would probably consider it, but as someone who belonged to the company, I had to consider the company too.
That was how much meaning there was in becoming an ambassador for a luxury brand.
In truth, there wasn’t much to gain from the contract itself.
At most, a small contract fee and sponsorships and vouchers from Cartier.
Rira had received an enormous contract fee because she was a world star.
That situation had nothing to do with me.
Even so, the reason I had to sign the ambassador contract was clear.
Because the ripple effect of the title alone was huge.
The brand image of being a luxury ambassador could raise my value by one level just by signing the contract.
Other advertisers also took into account what that celebrity was currently endorsing.
And if it was a high-end line like Cartier, there was no need to say anything more.
Of course, even without a contract like this, my value would have continued to trend upward.
“Because it’s me.”
But this also wasn’t an issue limited simply to me and the company.
It would affect the members of the team I was going to debut with.
If I accepted it, the members’ value would rise along with mine.
If I opened the way, the unnies could naturally sign contracts too.
─This time, let’s just do this Cartier ambassador thing. There’s image consumption to consider too. We’ll accept fashion and beauty brands later if good ones come in. Got it?
─Yes, I’ll do that.
─Good. You’re admirable, Dohee.
So, though it was a bit much to call it the bare minimum of conscience,
I rejected several brands that were called “new luxury” and accepted only Cartier, a high-class line.
“How sad...”
At the company building entrance, I walked forward into the sudden drizzle and looked up at the sky.
Then I muttered self-deprecatingly.
“What matters is not one’s attire... but the person...”
One could tell just by looking at my outfit.
Baggy school gym clothes and loose slippers one size too big.
And yet, could they hide this elegance, this dignified inner self?
“Ua, what’s she doing?”
“Who knows?”
Kim Seoyun didn’t know.
This anguish I had to suffer because of my innate elegance, because I had to accept a luxury brand advertisement.
“How sad...”
“Ugh, why do you keep acting so pitiful?”
“What did you talk about with the team leader?”
I glanced at Kim Seoyun, shook my head, and let out a sigh.
“Ah, seriously. She’s doing that on purpose again.”
“She’s cute enough, unnie. Let it slide.”
“You think she’s cute when she’s been like that for six years?”
“Why not? She’s a baby.”
“She’s over five centimeters taller than me. What baby?”
“She’s shorter than me, though?”
“Right. What would Kim Seoyun know? Cartier, you have to put up with it.”
“Dohee, you should use an umbrella. You’ll catch a cold like that.”
“Okay.”
Yes, kindness like this, looking after the person first like Naeun unnie did.
The inside, the person, was what mattered.
“Now, is Chiyo there?”
“Yes, yes, I am...!”
“Chiyo, come and hold the umbrella over me.”
“Yes, yes, understood...!”
“Hold it properly. My shoulder is getting wet!”
“Yes, yesh...!”
The inside, the person, was what mattered.
* * *
[Seoyun: Ugh, Lee Dohee’s way of talking has been pissing me off so much lately]
[Seoyun: Every time anything happens she goes, “Cartier, you have to put up with it”]
[Seoyun: Honestly it’s funny so it pisses me off even more fr lol]
[Chaerin: Whew, thank god she’s not next to me]
[Chaerin: Imagine if she were my roommate like during Seven, ugh]
[Harang unnie: lolololol Gong Chaerin, you’re so damn harsh]
[Yeeun: lolololol]
[Our maknae♡: @Yeeun Is it funny?]
[Yeeun: (crying duck emoticon) Why are you always only like this to me...]
[Our maknae♡: Hah... Cartier, you have to put up with it]
[Our maknae♡: Fine, I get it]
[Hana unnie: lol You’re so excited]
[Seoyun: Seriously, she does this every day]
[Seoyun: Earlier she was like, “Rira, Jaehyun, Lee Dohee, Cartier, let’s go” or something]
[Harang unnie: lololol Is she Dorahee or what]
[Yeeun: (dog emoticon laughing while reading the room)]
“Me too...”
I wanted to attend Fashion Week with the same brand and take photos together.
I wanted to sit beside her and chat quietly for the first time in ages.
I wanted to hold her hand and attend the after-party together, eat finger food, and have a modest little conversation.
[Sera: Congratulations...]
Looking at the group chat, Sera was filled with sorrow.
“Girls, practice time~”
Hana unnie, who had been typing in the chat just a moment ago, had already gotten up from her seat.
“Sera unnie, they say we’re practicing...!”
“Yeah...”
Sera clung to frail Yeeun’s shoulders.
She was dragged all the way to the practice room like that, wiping away her tears.
* * *
A few weeks later, after the news of Dohee’s selection as ambassador was revealed, K-pop communities were quickly filled with talk about Dohee.
[Former Seven Member Lee Dohee, Cartier’s New Face (Official)]
─(Photo)
=Photo provided by Cartier
Former Seven member Lee Dohee has joined Cartier as an ambassador and become the new face of the Panthère de Cartier campaign.
Cartier stated its reason for selecting Lee Dohee, saying, “By blending culture, music and art projects, style, and social expression, Cartier gives a greater voice, and only Cartier can deliver such expression.”
-Whoa, all of a sudden? Dohee’s seriously doing so well
-She’s filming ads nonstop, huh
-Wow, she’s doing Cartier...
-Didn’t she never even do a pictorial with Cartier before?
└Her recent one must’ve been seriously huge
└Yeah, overseas Western fans went crazy too. If you look at the performance YouTube video, there are tons of English comments
-This is seriously amazing
-Cartier lineup Rira, Jaehyun, Dohee ㄷㄷ
-Dorahee is doing Cartier?
└Ahem, please don’t use that nickname
└Right, when she’s working, she’s Dohee lol
[Cartier has always used pianists as ambassadors and stuff]
[W Korea Lee Dohee Cartier Pictorial Teaser Video]
And as if competing, news of Sera becoming an ambassador followed right after.
[Former Seven Member Eun Sera Selected as Givenchy Ambassador]
Naturally, such news could only be welcome to Seven fans.
─If Dohee does something, Sera following after her is still the same lolol
└lolol Our roomie pair ㅠ
─It hasn’t been long since they disbanded, but it’s so nice seeing them all working hard in their own places
─Seeing news come out one by one, I wonder if they’re slowly going to start filming broadcasts again
But topics like these were only enough to be mentioned to a certain extent on major communities.
They weren’t shocking news that would become a hot topic even among the general public.
That news was revealed a week later through JS’s official announcement.
[Kwon Hana and Park Yeeun Join JS Lineup... Share Thoughts via SNS (MD Video)]
[The Second Seven, at JS... Eun Sera, Kwon Hana, Park Yeeun]
[Former Seven Member Park Yeeun’s Profile Disappears from Former Agency Website]
[Kwon Hana’s Strong Loyalty with Pudding Ent., What Was the Cost of the JS Label Deal?]
* * *
Hana unnie’s transfer had been finalized not long ago.
Apparently, the CEO of her previous agency had let Hana unnie go first.
Of course, they must have received a lot of money.
Thanks to that, Harang unnie was busy whining in Seven’s group chat.
[Harang unnie: Why are only Chaerin and I alone?]
[Harang unnie: Hey Gong Chaerin, do you want to combine with me too?]
[Chaerin unnie: No?]
[Chaerin unnie: I really don’t want to]
[Harang unnie: Hurt...]
[Me: Come to Top East then lol]
[Seoyun unnie: Come then lol]
[Chaerin unnie: Go then lol]
[Harang unnie: Don’t make fun of me... I’m sad...]
In any case, the fact that JS had released an official article meant they had also begun preparing in earnest for their girl group debut.
And the same was true for our Top East.
“Girls, you’re here?”
As we entered the conference room, CEO Kim Widong was waving his hand.
All of us bowed at the waist and greeted him politely.
“Hello, CEO!”
“Yeah, how’s practice going these days?”
I feel like I’m dying, though.
“Yes, CEO!”
Stop making us work out so much.
I lost three kilograms.
What if my chest disappears at this rate...
“Dohee, your expression says otherwise.”
“No, it doesn’t...”
“You’re sure it doesn’t? If you’re having a hard time, tell someone, anyone.”
“Yes...”
“Sohyeon, are you making sure all of them get psychological counseling?”
“Yes, they’re receiving it once a month.”
“Good, good. Well done. Ah, girls, don’t stand there. Sit down first.”
After the slightly chaotic atmosphere settled, the CEO opened his mouth again.
“Director Jeong, tell them now.”
“Director? Team leader, you became a director?”
“Ah, you girls didn’t know? Sohyeon is stepping down from her A&R team leader position now, and as a director and producer, she’ll be exclusively in charge of producing you.”
“Really?”
“Whoa, amazing.”
“I didn’t know.”
Team Leader Sohyeon nodded.
“That’s right. From now on, as your director, I’ll be taking care of only you, wholeheartedly.”
Team Leader Sohyeon’s expression didn’t change easily, but seeing her smile brightly, she seemed to be in a good mood.
“You all expected it, right?”
The reason Team Leader Sohyeon was probably in such a good mood
was likely not because she had become a producer or a director.
“You waited so long without even hearing your group name. You’ve worked hard.”
It was because she could tell us about our debut and congratulate us.