Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 25

Woo-jin enjoyed the Understanding Global Culture class even more than he expected. He sat in the back row, chatted with Hellboy (the nickname Woo-jin had given Jayden), and before he knew it, class was over. He felt no guilt about not paying attention.

This was because there were no exams, and only attendance mattered for grades. They even said they would ignore his past absences, since it was during the course change period. From now on, he just needed to attend class to get two credits easily.

“I’ll definitely repay this kindness, Hellboy.”

“What?”

“No, never mind. Thanks anyway.”

It was funny that Woo-jin talked to Jayden more in this class than in any other. It was more like a chat session than a class. Because of this, Woo-jin got to know Jayden a little better.

“Woo-jin, how about a club tonight?”

“We’re busy, remember?”

“Oh, shit. Did that mean we have to start right from today?”

“That’s right.”

“Please don’t speak English with that weird accent, Woo-jin.”

“You’re one to talk. It’s similar to how you speak Korean.”

“Damn, is my Korean pronunciation that shit? Should I just speak in English from now on?”

“Hmm… Actually, it’s not that bad.”

Jayden clearly loved having fun. Looking at his playful face, it was almost surprising to think he could be a star designer. Jayden, or Hellboy as Woo-jin called him, loved to throw parties at his house with his friends.

“My mom and dad are in England right now. My house is big and completely empty.”

The funny thing was that, surprisingly, he hated alcohol.

“You’re throwing a party without alcohol?”

“I only eat delicious things, bro.”

“Huh?”

“Alcohol is bitter and tastes bad.”

Woo-jin couldn’t imagine exactly what kind of party it would be, but at least Jayden seemed to have a lot of fun at it. His eyes sparkled as he described his parties.

“I’m moving to a really nice house next year, you know? I’ll invite you then, Woo-jin.”

“Not next month, but next year?”

“Well, I can invite you before that if you want.”

“I’ll pass.”

Woo-jin shook his head. He still wasn’t sure what to expect, but he didn’t particularly want to be invited to a party that seemed to revolve around pizza, chicken, or chocolate.

So, instead of being invited to Jayden’s party, Woo-jin invited him to his studio.

“Alright, today’s just a warm-up. Let’s just do three hours and call it a day.”

“Warming-up? You’re talking about the same warm-up I know, right?”

“If you keep complaining, I won’t let you work on the model with me from next week.”

“Holy shit. Okay, okay. Just let me have a glass of water first. I’ll start.”

Jayden kept grumbling and talking until just before they started working. But once the work began, Jayden was very serious. He seemed to have developed some interest in model making.

“Oh, did you cut these out expecting them to fit together like this?”

“Of course. Design is the most important part of model making.”

“You nice.”

After class, Seok-hyun arrived at the studio, as usual ready to work. Woo-jin turned to him, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Seok-gu, meet our new recruit.”

Seok-hyun blinked, looking from Woo-jin to Jayden. “New… recruit?” he repeated, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Say hello to Hellboy,” Woo-jin continued, then corrected himself, “No, Jayden.”

Jayden grinned and waved. “Hey.”

Seok-hyun’s curious gaze lingered on Jayden. “Who is he?” he asked Woo-jin, still a little confused.

“He’s a partner I’m working with,” Woo-jin explained simply. Jayden gave Seok-hyun a casual nod. Seok-hyun nodded back, still observing Jayden with interest. With a new person joining their team, the WJ Studio suddenly felt even more energetic.

Days blurred into weeks. With Jayden now part of the team, WJ Studio was a hive of activity, lights burning late into the night as they raced against the deadline. The new recruit, ‘Hellboy,’ adapted to the studio work faster than Woo-jin had thought he would. Surprisingly, Seok-gu and Hellboy got along very well.

“Seok-hyun, let’s demand that the evil boss order us chicken right now.”

“Good, Jayden. If he doesn’t order it, we should threaten to call the labor board.”

“You guys are something else.”

What was most obvious about Jayden, now that he was part of the project, was his curiosity about the work. Being a design student himself, and with ambitions to be a star designer, he was naturally drawn to architectural model making. But as time passed, Jayden’s initial curiosity blossomed into genuine enjoyment. He was completely fascinated by the model-making skills and knowledge that Woo-jin and Seok-hyun shared with him.

“For metal frames, it’s good to use mirror sheets to add a point.”

“Mirror sheets? What’s that?”

“It’s a finishing sheet that completely reflects light like a mirror. If you cut it thinly and attach it to the frame, you can really bring out the metal feel.”

“Oho.”

Just like drawing had its own set of techniques and secrets, so did model making. Woo-jin’s expertise lay in the systematic approach, making models efficiently and logically. Seok-hyun, on the other hand, was a master of detail, his skills focused on the finer points like painting and finishing, elevating the model’s quality. Jayden was very good with his hands, so he quickly learned the techniques from both of them.

“When inserting parts like windows, always use tweezers. Fingerprints will lower the quality.”

“We’re going to prime with a spray and then finish with a brush, so let’s gather the assembled models in that room for now.”

“Jayden, bring a fine brush and paint this part thinly with dark gray.”

“What’s a fine brush, Seok-hyun?”

“It means a thin brush.”

“Okay.”

As the three of them worked together, their teamwork became stronger and stronger, and they worked much faster than Woo-jin had expected. ‘At this rate, we might actually finish on time,’ Woo-jin thought, surprised. He had been ready to ask So-yeon or Hye-jin, two of his closest classmates, for help if they fell behind. But with Seok-hyun and now Jayden, and with everyone improving their skills, their work was going much faster – almost twice as fast as the first week. By the end of March, they were already over 70% done with the project.

“Let’s try to finish it by the second week of April, Woo-jin. From the second half of April, I need to study for the midterm exams.”

“Midterm exams? Why don’t you drop out of engineering and transfer to our school?”

“Do you want me to get beaten to death by my parents?”

However, Woo-jin wasn’t only focused on the model work. He was also working hard in his classes, especially the ones he thought were important for design. Because of this, his skills in design software like Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3D Max were improving quickly.

‘When this model is done, I need to focus more on learning design software,’ Woo-jin thought. ‘And after this semester, I should start entering design contests.’ For designers, especially students who can’t easily get real design jobs, contests were a great way to become known in the field. It was almost the only way for young designers to build their reputation. So, Woo-jin started looking for information about design contests. He remembered participating in big contests in his country in his past life, and he knew a lot about them. But he couldn’t recall the exact dates for each contest.

Clicking softly on the keyboard, Woo-jin stayed in the studio after Seok-hyun and Jayden left around 11 p.m. Alone in the quiet space, he searched through different contest websites. Then, a line of text caught his attention: ‘Seoul Public Design Contest (SPDC).’ His eyes widened slightly as he read it.

Seon-bin was truly busy these days. His classmates sometimes teased him for acting important, but he couldn’t help it. Seon-bin knew this chance was very special, especially for a freshman like him.

“It’ll be hard to beat the seniors, but… I’ll somehow win at least a special selection.”

Just entering the contest wasn’t really the opportunity. The SPDC was open to all design students in Seoul universities. The real advantage for Seon-bin was that he had been chosen by his professor, Park Jun-min, to participate. This gave him a head start compared to other students.

It wasn’t about unfair judging. The judges for the SPDC were chosen by the Seoul Design Foundation after all entries were submitted, so it was a fair process. The real difference was the information and support Seon-bin was getting from his professor.

“The aesthetics of the designed building are important, but this contest is a design contest for buildings that will actually be built, Seon-bin.”

“It has to have beautiful aesthetics, be realistic, practical, and… even the public interest must be clearly considered to win an award.”

“I’ll regularly confirm the parts about the building code for you. So, start with the research and prepare thoroughly.”

Professor Park Jun-min’s help was incredibly valuable to Seon-bin, especially as a freshman. The professor, who had previously led a real architecture company, was guiding him on the practical aspects of design that Seon-bin was still learning. It was rare for a freshman to get this much support from a professor at K University’s prestigious Design Department, not just at any university.

‘I can’t let him down,’ Seon-bin thought. ‘I have to show him what I can do.’ His professor had also said that doing well in this contest could help him get into AA School, a famous architecture school overseas, which was Seon-bin’s dream. “AA School doesn’t usually care much about contest wins,” the professor had explained, “but SPDC is different. They will definitely be impressed by this one.” So, Seon-bin dedicated almost all his time to preparing for the contest.

The contest, set for June, hadn’t announced its theme yet. Seon-bin spent hours studying past winning designs, learning everything he could about good design. He was determined to improve his skills. He was so motivated that he even started going to his father’s construction company office to learn about the practical side of building.

And with each day of preparation, Seon-bin’s confidence grew. ‘Yes. If I keep working like this…’ He imagined winning. Not just a special mention, but an award of excellence. No, even better – the grand prize. The exciting thought that a building he designed might actually be built in Seoul filled Seon-bin with hope.

But Seon-bin didn’t know one crucial thing. He didn’t know that… Meanwhile, back at WJ Studio, Woo-jin was thinking, “Hmm, SPDC… I remember that contest. What design won in 2010?” Unbeknownst to Seon-bin, someone who knew the future – someone who knew not just past winners, but also what kind of design would win *this year* – was now also interested in the same contest.