Fame (4)
"This is absurd.
In the end, I couldn't even tour the museum.
I don't know when I'll ever get to come here again in my life. What a waste.
And what's this? They said they were sending security, so I thought maybe two people, but six showed up. With these big guys drawing more attention, is this really okay?
To put it bluntly, my trip was suspended for safety reasons. I'm now in Milan.
Upon arriving at Milan Airport, I saw a few reporters. Those who tried to approach me, surrounded by bodyguards, were blocked by them.
I could hear the bodyguards and reporters talking, but since it was in Italian, I couldn't understand. It seemed to mean that without a prior appointment, interviews were impossible.
After getting past the reporters to the parking lot, I saw Marco, whom I hadn't seen in a while, standing in front of a car, waving his hand.
"Ban!"
"Marco."
"Hurry up, the boss is waiting."
"What's all this about?"
"That's my question. You really are something, aren't you? You were even on TV yesterday."
Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
After getting into the car, I asked Marco, who was getting into the driver's seat.
"What are you talking about?"
"Yesterday, RAI Channel 5 covered the Milan store. They broadcasted that you painted the picture, and even the murals you painted in the village were aired. It's a huge topic of conversation, you!"
"......"
"I may not have an eye for art, but I could tell your paintings were something special. But I never thought you were someone who could stir up all of Italy. Sorry I didn't recognize it, Ban."
"What?"
"Let's go, the boss is waiting."
"......"
Marco turned the car towards the main store of Rosellini.
The main store has a shop on the first floor, employees on the second, and Monica uses the third. It's a building of about 200 pyeong.
They use the entire building, but it's still in the early stages, so it's small. As the number of employees increases and the company grows, they'll probably build a headquarters.
Arriving in front of the main store, as if to prove it's the talk of the town on TV and SNS, many people are seen taking photos with their phones in front of the store.
Parking the car a little away, I felt like a celebrity who had committed adultery and was escaping as I walked up the stairs next to the store with my head down.
Entering Monica's office on the third floor, she approached with a smile, seeing me after a long time.
"Did you enjoy your trip, Ban?"
I let out a hollow laugh.
"It was fun until it wasn't, but I made it back anyway. But what's all this about?"
Monica shrugged her shoulders.
"I didn't release any articles, and I haven't even started marketing. All of this is because of what you did. I'm not at fault."
"......"
"I commissioned you for the design of this store. It's in the center of Milan, a place open to many, so it was expected to be a topic of conversation. But I didn't expect the murals in the village of Roseto Valfortore to receive attention too."
Monica handed me a magazine.
"Want to check out the article?"
The magazine Monica handed me.
It's labeled Domus on the cover, and the murals of the village of Roseto Valfortore are featured on the cover.
"This is new to me."
"It's not the magazine that interviewed you, but one that covered the store and the village separately. It's a prestigious magazine specializing in architectural art, quite famous in Italy."
"Huh."
I flipped through the magazine and found the article about the murals.
It's over five pages long. Most of it is photos of the murals, but there's a familiar face. The villagers are smiling in front of the mural.
Lea's face isn't visible, but these are people I've met while going around the village or while painting the murals.
Monica looks at the people and smiles.
"They all look happy, don't they?"
"......"
"Got a call yesterday. More and more travelers are coming to the village. Augusto's restaurant is about to burst. Lea's mother, Sophia, decided to work there."
Oh, that's good news.
If both of Lea's parents work, the family's economic situation might improve.
Lea will be alone, but since the restaurant is in the village square, her mother can run to her whenever needed.
"That's great."
"Check out the article, want coffee?"
"That would be nice."
Monica went to make coffee, and I was left alone to carefully check the article. But my face turned red with embarrassment the moment I saw the article title.
"Take off your hats, a real genius has appeared."
There's a store in Milan that's stirring up the citizens these days.
It is the store of Monica Rosellini’s personal brand ‘Rosellini’, a seasoned designer formerly the head designer for Alessandro Cucinelli.
Located in the heart of the Quadrilatero with the highest foot traffic and the priciest building rates in Milan, this store has been swamped with a surge of people recently.
Is it because of the brand’s popularity?
No. Her brand hasn’t even launched yet.
This store, which hasn't even had its launch, started to draw more and more visitors as numerous influencers on social media began talking about it.
The reason for Rosellini’s store’s popularity lies in its exceedingly beautiful design.
They have created a huge pond in the middle of Milan, adorned with beautiful water lilies. Those who see it enter this beautiful place to look around and unanimously agree:
"It feels like being in the midst of nature. Just being here brings peace of mind and happiness."
People began to take notice.
Who is this designer, emerging like a comet in the modern art world, where beauty has been lost?
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