Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 96

As always, Woo-jin’s stories had a certain charm that drew listeners in.

He spoke in a calm but confident voice. Every word showed his strong beliefs. It was fascinating to listen to him.

If you paid attention to his stories, you would soon find yourself agreeing with him.

In the conference room, the WJ Studio employees were doing just that. They nodded as Woo-jin spoke with passion about designing great homes. His voice filled the room, and everyone was completely focused on what he was saying, as if nothing else mattered.

“So, where should this ‘consideration’ begin?”

“The starting point is thinking about what is not convenient.”

“Thinking about all the things we’ve felt even slightly inconvenienced by while living in apartments.”

“For example, waiting for the elevator is such a waste of time… How can we make this faster?”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to turn off all the lights in the house with a single button when leaving?”

“There are so many things in the house that we don’t usually use but can’t throw away because we need them once in a while, taking up too much space. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a separate space outside the house for each household to store these things?”

“And getting rid of food waste is so difficult and annoying. Can’t we just solve it all in the kitchen?”

Woo-jin’s story was persuasive because he had thought about buildings for many years, even in his past life.

In his past life, Woo-jin was always told what to do, so he always had to follow orders.

But Woo-jin never gave up his dream, and he always asked questions.

To his superiors.

To famous buildings.

To the blueprints in front of him.

To the beautifully designed spaces.

And to himself.

Of course, he didn’t get answers to all his questions.

But all those thoughts built up inside Woo-jin.

And that all came together to create his understanding of architecture and design.

“Every time one or two of these ideas that can solve these annoyances are added, residents will feel special and that this apartment is a special place.”

“However.”

Tap-

When Woo-jin clicked the mouse, the screen changed, showing the next topic.

It wasn’t a presentation to convince anyone, but a mind map to help the meeting go smoothly.

The image on the screen looked like an idea sketch that Woo-jin had written on paper.

“These ideas alone don’t fully show the values of ‘luxury’ and ‘premium’.”

“The reason is that people always want more ‘convenience’.”

“No matter how convenient a design is, people will eventually find something else that is not convenient.”

“And after getting used to that ‘idea’, another special feature is needed.”

Woo-jin pointed to the largest word on the screen.

It was ‘showing off’.

“Something special that you can show off to others.”

‘Showing off’ means ‘to display to others’.

And something worth showing off is sure to be special.

“The reason why Chunwoong Construction’s new brand ‘Clio’ was successful last summer is because of this.”

“The special design that Mapo Clio Prestige promoted… the Sky Bridge connecting the buildings.”

“The premium guest house, designed as a common space for friends to stay overnight.”

“Are these really needed for a convenient home?”

The employees shook their heads.

The Sky Bridge is just for looks, not really needed for convenience.

There’s no real reason to walk between buildings so high up.

It’s not a sensible design choice because it costs so much to build.

What about the premium guest house?

Residents don’t need to run a guest house at their own cost.

Of course, it’s nice to give guests their own space instead of a room in the house when they need to stay over…

But guests don’t have to stay there at all.

However, if there is a guest house, they can show it off.

They can show off that they live in such a good house.

“In today’s meeting, I want to hear your ideas from this point of view.”

“It doesn’t matter if the ideas seem unrealistic.”

“Let’s get all the ideas out first, and then see if they are possible to do.”

Woo-jin finished speaking and drank the rest of his juice.

He was thirsty from talking so much.

And from that moment, WJ Studio’s meeting really started.

On the top floor of the Chunwoong Construction office building near Jonggak Station, a busy area in Seoul, there are private spaces that ordinary employees rarely visit.

These special spaces are used when important people from partner companies visit, or when there are important meetings.

And today, Park Kyung-wan came up here after a long time.

CEO Chun Jong-geol had called him.

It was the first time in nearly ten years that Kyung-wan had a one-on-one meeting with CEO Chun Jong-geol.

Drip-

An employee filled two teacups with clear tea, bowed, and left the room.

The top floor office was spacious and quiet. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning view of Seoul. The small table was made of dark wood and gleamed softly. The clear tea in the delicate cups looked almost like jewels.

The two men sat facing each other at the table.

Chun Jong-geol picked up his teacup and said to Kyung-wan,

“Park Kyung-wan, it’s been too long.”

“Yes, CEO.”

“I think the last time I saw you was… at the New Year’s ceremony this year?”

“I think so.”

Chun Jong-geol was in his late 50s.

He dyed his hair white, so it was hard to guess his age.

He had broad shoulders and a strong build.

He always wore a neat suit, which contrasted with his white hair, making it difficult to guess his age.

Chun Jong-geol stood out anywhere, and even new employees recognized him right away.

“Haha, I knew we would be sitting here together one day.”

“Thank you for seeing me in a positive light.”

“But I didn’t expect that day to come so soon.”

There was a pause.

“It seems I’ve underestimated you.”

Cheon Jong-geol was the CEO of Cheonwoong Construction. He was the oldest son of Cheon Myeong-cheol, who had started the Cheonwoong Group and was now the chairman.

Cheon Myeong-cheol had long since retired from his active role in the company.

Cheon Jong-geol was the most powerful person in the entire Cheonwoong Group.

When Park Kyung-wan started as a new employee, Cheon Jong-geol was a team leader in his department. This was part of Cheon Jong-geol’s training to take over the company.

Park Kyung-wan had worked with Cheon Jong-geol for almost five years since he was a new employee. That was why Cheon Jong-geol remembered Park Kyung-wan’s face so clearly.

*Tap-* Cheon Jong-geol picked up his teacup, tasted the tea for a moment, and then looked at Kyung-wan again.

He had called Kyung-wan here today to discuss Kyung-wan’s possible promotion to executive.

Cheonwoong Group had a tradition where the CEO of each company in the group met privately with candidates before the executive promotion review. This was a very important event for the candidates.

This private meeting with the owner was perhaps the most influential factor in whether a candidate was promoted or not. So Kyung-wan couldn’t help but be nervous.

Even for him, who had spent his entire career at Cheonwoong Construction, Cheon Jong-geol was intimidating.

Park Kyung-wan took a deep breath and began to speak calmly.

“I was lucky. I don’t deny that, CEO.”

“Luck, you say……”

“I kept getting opportunities to build my career, so many that I wondered if it was okay……. It must be because of luck.”

“Haha.”

At Cheon Jong-geol’s low laughter, Park Kyung-wan’s expression became a little more serious.

“But I am proud to say that I made all those opportunities mine solely through my own skills.”

Cheon Jong-geol nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. Unprepared people usually don’t even realize when they have an opportunity.”

Normally, the executives of a company are chosen by the shareholders or the board of directors. Cheonwoong Construction followed this process.

However, Cheon Myeong-cheol and Cheon Jong-geol owned almost all of Cheonwoong Construction’s shares. So, Cheon Jong-geol’s decision was the only thing that mattered when it came to promoting executives.

“Good. It’s nice to talk to you after a long time. It reminds me of the old days.”

Cheon Jong-geol chatted with Kyung-wan about various things with a pleasant expression. They talked about trivial stories that were not really related to company matters.

But eventually, he had to return to the main point. Cheon Jong-geol had something he wanted to say to Kyung-wan today.

“I heard you declared your intention to compete against Executive Director Im. Is that right?”

When Jong-geol said ‘declared his intention,’ he was referring to the Q3 report that Kyung-wan had submitted earlier. Specifically, the proposals related to winning the ‘Cheongdam Seonyeong Apartment Reconstruction Project’ that were included in the report.

Kyung-wan knew one thing for sure when he wrote this proposal: if he succeeded in winning this project, it would guarantee his promotion to executive. So this was a clear declaration that he wanted the promotion.

The board of directors wasn’t stupid, so they would understand Kyung-wan’s thoughts and intentions. Kyung-wan had already expected this to come up the moment Jong-geol called him in today. So he was able to nod and answer without hesitation to CEO Cheon Jong-geol’s question.

“That’s right, CEO.”

Jong-geol opened his mouth again with an intrigued expression.

“It’s a prime location in Cheongdam-dong. Isn’t that too strong of a declaration?”

Kyung-wan answered without hesitation.

“I judged that it was possible based on the timing.”

“Still, you have to beat Jeun and SH Corporation.”

Jong-geol raised his index finger and tapped the table lightly. This was a habit he had when he was in a good mood.

Kyung-wan paused for a moment before slowly speaking again.

“Executive Director Im said he would give his full support.”

“All the company can support is financial support within its budget.”

“Does that mean……”

“In the end, you have to take control and win over the residents with that support.”

This is basic, we both know this already.

Both Jong-geol, who was speaking, and Kyung-wan, who was listening, understood this perfectly.

So this was Jong-geol’s final question: Are you really going to do it? If so, I will give you my full support. That is what he meant.

And the fact that Jong-geol said this much meant that he would definitely hold him responsible if he failed.

‘Hoo.’

Kyung-wan was already in a situation where he had to move forward. If he backed down now, it would be worse than not trying in the first place. So he answered even more firmly.

“I’ll show you with results.”

“Really?”

“Around this time next year, I’ll have my shovel in the ground in the middle of Cheongdam-dong.”

In the construction industry, the start of construction is often called ‘breaking ground’. So, saying that he would put his shovel in Cheongdam-dong meant that he would start construction around that time.

Jong-geol laughed very heartily at those words.

“Euhahaha.”

He never thought that Kyung-wan would back out, but he didn’t expect him to speak with such confidence.

“Good. Park Kyung-wan. Then I’ll trust you.”

A deep light settled in Jong-geol’s wrinkled eyes. He liked Kyung-wan’s ‘confidence’, but he valued ‘responsibility’ even more.