Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 69

Think about your favorite coffee shop. What makes you choose it over all the others? Is it the taste of the coffee? The cozy chairs? The friendly baristas? All of these things, and more, make up a brand.

The word “brand” itself has an interesting history. Long ago, nomadic people used to burn a mark onto their animals with a hot iron. This “branding” helped them know which animals were theirs, so they wouldn’t get lost.

Today, when we talk about a brand, we mean the name or symbol of a product or company. But it’s more than just a name. It’s everything you think and feel when you see that name or symbol.

And “branding” is what businesses do to make their brand stronger, more valuable, and more appealing to you. It’s about building that feeling and image in your mind.

“What do you think branding is?”

Woojin asked. Seokjung looked intrigued and replied,

“Well, wouldn’t all actions taken to create a brand be branding?”

Woojin nodded.

“You’re right. But I’d like to think of branding as ‘tempering’ or ‘forging’.”

“Tempering, you say…”

Brands have images.

They evoke feelings in consumers’ minds the moment they think of a brand.

The image a brand has is everything that comes to mind when you think of it.

“Even if you just create a logo and name it, it can already be called a ‘brand’.”

“But to make this brand’s image luxurious and increase its value, a tempering process called branding is necessary.”

Woojin seemed to be speaking spontaneously, but this was an idea he had been thinking about for some time.

From the very beginning when he founded WJ Studio, he had been considering what kind of ‘brand’ he should make his company.

“Interesting. Could you tell me more?” Seokjung asked.

“Of course.”

Kang Seokjung showed interest, Woojin took a sip of water and continued. He enjoyed this situation.

“Tempering takes a long time. It’s not a process that’s completed by hammering a few times.”

“Branding is the same. Creating a lasting brand image in people’s minds is not something that happens overnight.”

Numerous thoughts passed through Woojin’s mind.

“We need to create opportunities for consumers to have positive experiences with the brand.”

“Making them feel good emotions such as trust, loyalty, and comfort through those experiences.”

Seokjung and Jintae were engrossed in Woojin’s story.

“I believe that creating a unique experience that only our brand has, and developing a real relationship with consumers through it, is branding.”

“So… all the preparations and efforts needed to build relationships with consumers would be part of branding.”

Woojin’s explanation was concise, but it contained what he truly thought branding was.

Kang Seokjung was also feeling it and was quite impressed.

He was gaining some insight from this young CEO.

‘Tempering, huh? That’s definitely a fitting analogy.’

The more Seokjung listened to Woojin’s words, the more curious he became about the conclusion of this story.

The reason Woojin brought up the story ultimately started with the ‘failure of Leon Bakery’.

The reason would come out at the end of this story.

And, as Kang Seokjung expected, Woojin began to talk about Leon Bakery.

“In that sense, Leon Bakery had many shortcomings.”

“From the ‘taste of bread,’ which is the essence of a bakery, to the menu, interior, and prices.”

“It’s not that all those things were bad. The problem, however, was that they were just okay.”

Woojin paused before bringing up the conclusion.

“A definite premium. Or a definite price advantage. A definitely special and delicious menu that no other bakery has. Or, a special interior that can stimulate customers’ emotions……”

Woojin and Seokjung’s eyes met, and Woojin finished his thought.

“Leon Bakery, which lacked those things, was a good bakery with a decent taste at a reasonable price, but it was not a good brand. Because it was a bakery where there were plenty of ‘alternatives’.”

Woojin, having finished his explanation, picked up the cup filled with cold water again.

As he spoke, the ideas in Woojin’s mind became clearer.

At the same time, he felt his head clearing.

Perhaps the stories Woojin had brought up were the ‘direction’ that WJ Studio should be heading towards.

Woojin’s story was over, but Kang Seokjung was silent for a moment.

He was waiting for Woojin to finish drinking his water.

Woojin put the cup down on the table and opened his mouth with an awkward expression.

“I feel a little embarrassed because it seems like I’ve been talking too much.”

Seokjung smiled pleasantly.

“Too much? Thanks to you, I heard a great story.”

Seokjung’s smile was genuine.

He understood Woojin’s stories and was grateful to him for sharing them.

Although not a direct descendant, there were not many people around Seokjung, who was no different from a third-generation chaebol, who could give him such straightforward advice.

‘I’ve thought a lot about the product itself… Looking back, I haven’t focused enough on design and marketing.’

In fact, the reason why Seokjung was not offended by Woojin’s direct suggestions was partly because he was open-minded, but above all, the biggest reason was financial ‘flexibility’.

If you give this kind of advice to someone who is completely ruined and has nothing but debt, it would only make things worse.

But Kang Seokjung could look at the advice objectively.

Woojin was able to speak because he knew Seokjung’s situation to some extent.

‘Fortunately, it seems to have worked well.’

Woojin saw Seokjung’s good expression and felt relieved.

In fact, Woojin’s passionate speech about branding was also unplanned.

But as a result, these stories had a positive impact on the meeting.

Thanks to this, it helped the meeting go in a good direction from the beginning.

“Anyway, shall we get to the main point now?”

“Let’s do that.”

Woojin showed the portfolios he had prepared and presented the design direction of ‘Cafe Fresco’.

Of course, the design was not done in advance.

However, using the image references he had found while thinking about Cafe Fresco, he showed the design direction he was thinking of.

Seokjung listened to Woojin’s proposals and participated in the meeting actively.

“Good. Excellent.”

“I am grateful that you like my proposal.”

When the meeting was over, Seokjung asked,

“Then, as a last thing, may I ask you one more question?”

“Of course.”

Seokjung, with a meaningful smile, asked Woojin one more question.

“CEO Seo Woojin, for the launch of our ‘Cafe Fresco’ brand… can you help us with the tempering called ‘branding’ that you mentioned at the beginning?”

Woojin met Seokjung’s eyes and smiled.

The answer to this question had already been decided from the beginning.

“Interior design is just one part of branding.”

“……?”

“But one of the biggest parts of ‘cafe branding’ is interior design.”

Woojin was excellent at ‘space design’. This skill was perfect for making a cafe brand really stand out.

Seokjung understood Woojin’s reply, smiled with satisfaction, and offered his hand. Woojin grasped it without hesitation.

“I look forward to working with you, CEO Seo.”

“The pleasure is all mine, CEO Kang.”

And with that, Woojin got the job to design Cafe Fresco’s first shop.

The summer of 2010 was heavy and wet, like breathing soup. The sun was a bully in the sky, beating down on the black road until it shimmered with heat haze. Cicadas buzzed loudly in the trees, their sound adding to the sticky, thick feeling of the day.

“Ugh, look at that heat rising off the road,” Song Jiho grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He was driving the van towards Ilsan KBC, with actress Im Suha in the back.

“Ah, I hate summer the most. When will winter come?”

Im Suha, sitting in the back seat with a blank expression as she munched on an ice cream cone, retorted to Jiho as usual.

“Oppa, it’s only July. Why are you already looking for winter?”

“It’ll be August in a few days.”

“Don’t worry about small things.”

“August passes, then it’s September, and September is autumn. After autumn comes winter, so winter will be here soon enough.”

“You always say you hate winter the most.”

“When did I ever!”

“Exactly five months ago.”

“No way. I prefer the cold to the heat. There’s a limit to how much you can take off when it’s hot, but you can keep layering up when it’s cold.”

Suha shook her head at Jiho’s bizarre logic.

But she didn’t particularly dislike bantering with her manager.

This banter was fun. It made the long drive less boring.

“Then lose some weight, Oppa.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about my weight?”

“You said there’s a limit to how much you can take off when it’s hot.”

“……?”

“There’s a limit because you have to hide your belly. If you get in good shape and walk around showing it off, you’ll look forward to summer every time, won’t you?”

“Like you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Please, Im Suha, don’t wear bikinis at crowded swimming pools.”

“Ah, why not?”

“It ruins your image as an actress. More and more people are recognizing you now, so you need to manage your image.”

“Haa… How did a conversation about hating summer lead to this?”

Suha, shaking her head at the conversation that turned into her manager’s usual lecture, pushed her seat back.

It would take about twenty more minutes to reach Ilsan KBC, but she intended to catch a few winks, even if just for a moment.

“Yes, Actress-nim. Don’t play with your phone while lying down, and please get some sleep as you said. Got it?”

“Ugh! Nagging King! Seriously!”

At Song Jiho’s nagging, Suha, who had habitually reached for her phone, flinched.

But that didn’t mean she put her phone down.

Nagging was just nagging.

It was beneficial for one’s mental health to let it go in one ear and out the other.

‘In my next life, I’m definitely going to be Song Jiho’s manager….’

As Suha checked the unread messages on her phone one by one, she suddenly remembered the meeting she had today.

And as she thought of the meeting, a certain person’s face popped into her head.

‘By the way, it’s so strange. How did that person predict that I’d get an entertainment offer?’

The reason Suha was heading to Ilsan KBC with her manager today was because she had received an offer to appear on an entertainment program.

An entertainment program called , which would start airing this fall.

And the person who had recommended the entertainment program to her was only one person among all her acquaintances.

Not her family, not the manager who was in the car with her now, not even her closest friends.

The person who had recommended the entertainment program to Suha was just a man with whom she had a very brief connection.

A construction official who claimed to be her fan at the model house and helped her sign an apartment contract, and who was remarkably young-looking.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he had literally predicted that Suha would receive an entertainment offer.

However, he had said this to her….

[You should definitely do an entertainment show this year, Actress-nim.]

[Oh my, why are you suddenly so proactive? Anyone would think you’re my manager.]

[It’s just a feeling. And my hunches are usually pretty good.]

From Suha’s perspective, this sounded almost like a prophecy.

‘Does he really have some kind of precognitive ability or something?’

If the entertainment show had just been a random project, Suha might not have thought so much about it.

But this entertainment program, called , was, as the name suggested, an entertainment show planned with content related to ‘houses.’

And because this was strangely connected to Seo Woojin’s field, Suha found it even more mysterious.

‘Is he an industry insider? Or maybe he’s friends with PD Gong….’

The PD who planned was a rookie PD whose name was hardly known.

So, if Seo Woojin’s words hadn’t lingered in Suha’s ears, she would have rejected the entertainment offer without much thought.

But because of this strange combination of circumstances, she had come to KBC headquarters today.

And she even had a meeting with PD Gong Jin-young.

In fact, now that she had read the proposal, she quite liked the concept of the program itself.

‘I wonder what CEO Seo is up to these days….’

Suha, with Seo Woojin’s face popping into her head, chuckled to herself.

Their relationship was actually a bit ambiguous, not quite at the level where they would contact each other privately.

‘Does he even know that I’m agonizing over the things he said?’

But then, in the next moment.

Whirr!

Im Suha, checking her suddenly vibrating phone, couldn’t help but feel goosebumps all over her body.

The name of the caller displayed on her phone was the very name she had been thinking about just a moment ago.

[CEO Seo Woojin]

Suha reflexively tapped on the received message.

And she was even more shocked after checking its contents.

[Actress-nim. Are you busy by any chance? I’m near Ilsan KBC right now. If you’re in this area, would you like to have a cup of tea?]

‘What, what is this? It’s scary!’

A message that arrived as if he knew in advance that she would be at KBC today, like a ghost.

It had been almost a month since she had last heard from Woojin, so she couldn’t help but feel that this situation was even more coincidental.

“Wow, seriously. Amazing.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing, Oppa. Just focus on driving.”

Suha’s suspicion(?) towards Woojin deepened a little more.