Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 126

Jae-yeop wore a big cap pulled down low, sunglasses, and a mask. He went to the sports complex.

It was already getting darker because winter days are short.

People were looking at him, but Jae-yeop kept his sunglasses on. If he showed his face in this crowded place, many bothersome things would happen.

‘Tomorrow, there will be news about Yoon Jae-yeop and the Cheongdam-dong building project,’ he thought. Buying an apartment here wouldn’t hurt his reputation. But he still didn’t want people to know. No entertainer liked their private life becoming public.

‘Actually, this is my first time in a place like this,’ Jae-yeop thought. He found a good seat where he could easily see the screen and looked around, curious.

He had invested in buildings before. But this was his first time at a meeting to choose a construction company. He was here as a member of the building project group. When his mother first told him he had to come to this meeting, he thought it would be annoying. But now that he was actually here, Jae-yeop felt interested.

‘Jeun, SH, Myungseong, and Cheonwoong… One of these four will build my penthouse? Heh heh,’ he thought. Jae-yeop had only quickly looked at the brochures because he was busy. So, no construction company really caught his attention yet. But the big, well-known companies ‘Jeun’ and ‘SH’ seemed a bit more appealing, maybe just because they were famous brands. He was interested, but nothing really stood out. Jae-yeop started watching the screen.

Thud- Thud- Footsteps echoed on the stage. It was easy to hear because the room was quiet and tense. It wasn’t just because the host had asked for silence. The members of the building project group filled the big sports hall. They were all excited to see the presentations from the construction companies. On the other hand, people from the construction companies were very nervous. Their hands were sweating.

Especially the presenters who were going to present were the most nervous people there. Thousands of people were in the room. One word from a presenter. One action. These things could give the members an impression of the construction company. A lot of money was at stake in this project, so no one could present without feeling tense.

Woo-jin felt the same way. ‘I’m last… Park Kyung-wan was lucky with the order,’ he thought. Woo-jin wiped the sweat from his hands on his sleeve. He watched the stage from the waiting area.

Myungseong Construction was the first to present. Woo-jin could see how nervous the presenter was from his stiff back as he walked on stage. ‘He must be so nervous,’ Woo-jin thought. ‘If he does badly in the presentation, he might lose his job tomorrow.’

All the presenters, except Woo-jin, worked for the construction companies. Because of this, there’s a joke that when they present at these big meetings, they are ready to quit their jobs if they fail. So, Woo-jin was in a better position. He didn’t have that kind of pressure from a company.

‘First, I need to relax and watch the presentations carefully,’ Woo-jin thought. He looked down. Among the companies presenting today, the biggest threat was SH Corporation. In his past life, SH Corporation had won this Cheongdam Seonyeong project. So, if he could beat SH Corporation, Cheonwoong would likely win.

Of course, he wouldn’t ignore the presentations from Myungseong Construction and Jeun Construction. He knew he could learn something from all of them. ‘The more I understand their presentations, the better my presentation will be,’ he thought.

This was why Woo-jin wanted to present last. By listening to the earlier presentations, he could see what each company was emphasizing. If he figured them out beforehand, he could decide which points to focus on in his own presentation to make the strongest impression on the members.

So, now that Myungseong Construction’s presentation had started, Woo-jin focused on the stage more than anyone else. He was different from the other presenters next to him, who were practicing their presentations over and over.

‘Sukyeong (秀景). I’ve already seen the brochure, but…’ Two big letters, Sukyeong, written in a fancy font, appeared on the screen. The Sukyeong brand had made Myungseong Construction successful. It was definitely a brand good enough to be here.

Some people say apartments are just like building matchboxes, with no real design. Looking at apartments in Seoul, some people even say they are like chicken coops. Apartments are buildings designed to make the best use of space for living in a small area. These ideas came about because old apartments were all built the same way.

But that’s only true for old apartments built before the year 2000. Apartments in the 1970s and 1980s were built by the government to house the large number of babies born after the war. Now, the apartment building business is mostly run by private companies. These companies are competing now to build better apartments.

People always want more convenience. In the past, it was enough to have your own house to sleep in. But as people’s lives got better, they started to want more from their homes. So, apartments have continued to change and improve.

The main idea is still that apartments should be a place where many people can live comfortably in a small space. But modern apartments have found many different ways to design them even within those limits. So, even though the four companies are designing apartments for the same purpose, in the same space, and following the same rules, their designs are sure to be different.

Myungseong Construction was the first to present. Their presentation focused most on the view, which fits their brand name, meaning “beautiful scenery.” The presenter said, “Our company, Myungseong, has worked very hard on the design so that over a thousand homes will have a view of the Han River. This will make our residents feel proud and make their homes even more valuable.”

In the past, apartments by the Han River were not seen as a good thing, definitely not a luxury. The view wasn’t as valuable as it is now. Most people thought the dust and noise from the road by the river were bad for living there.

The presenter continued, “We have designed large windows made of strong glass so you can easily see the Han River flowing in the distance…” But since the year 2000, people’s ideas have changed. Problems with noise and dust have been mostly solved by new building methods. That’s why a river view became a sign of being rich in Seoul apartments.

“We have designed all rooms, except the living room, to face south so they get plenty of sunlight,” the presenter said. Woo-jin thought that Myungseong Construction’s presentation focusing on the view was a good idea, especially since it fit their Sukyeong brand. A picture of someone enjoying tea with a beautiful Han River view appeared on the screen in the living room.

This idea was meant to really impress the people in charge.

But Woojin noticed a problem in Myungsung Construction’s design.

Woojin thought, “Turning the buildings sideways like this will give more apartments a river view, but…”

They focused so much on the view that they forgot about privacy between apartments.

Because they only thought about the river view, some buildings were too close together.

If you looked sideways, you could see straight into your neighbor’s living room. They didn’t think about privacy at all.

Woojin thought, “Someone will definitely point this out when they ask questions.”

They just said it was a trade-off for the great view.

As usual, they started by talking about their long history, going back to the 1960s. This was their main selling point.

Older people often prefer things that have worked for a long time over new ideas.

Jeun Construction also talked a lot about luxury and high-end features, but Woojin wasn’t very impressed.

It was hard to imagine these luxury features without seeing them in person, especially for people who weren’t experts.

What could be a more vague promise than that?

Besides their brand name, he didn’t think they were any better than Myungsung Construction.

You should be able to easily picture yourself living in a house built by them. But Woojin didn’t get that feeling from Jeun Construction’s presentation.

So Woojin felt a little more relaxed.

He thought, “It’s still 2010. Construction companies haven’t really come up with new ideas for fancy apartments yet.”

It’s still just the usual gym, cafeteria, and sauna when they talk about community spaces in apartments.

Their main strategy was to talk about advanced technology.

SH Corporation tried to impress people by using the SH Group’s strengths in electronics and appliances.

SH Electronics is a top Korean company in semiconductors. They said they would combine SH Corporation’s building skills with SH Electronics’ technology to create a modern, high-tech apartment design.

Anyone building apartments by the Han River in Cheongdam-dong can say they’ll be ‘well-made,’ luxurious, and have great views.

So, those things are too obvious for the people who live in Seonyoung Apartment in Cheongdam-dong.

That’s not enough to make them choose you.

But SH Corporation offered something different: a design focused on technology.

They talked about tech features like delivery robots, lights you can control with your phone, and a system that automatically recognizes your car and opens the gate.

All the things Woojin had prepared for his presentation.

He understood how to use his ideas and what to focus on to really impress the people in charge.

Knowing that SH Corporation had already won this project helped Woojin understand things better.

The host’s voice boomed through the room. Woojin slowly stood up.

As Woojin walked to the front, people started whispering.

Among the whispering people, Jaeyeop looked the most surprised and uncomfortable.

Woojin ignored the whispers and walked confidently to the front.

Woojin took the microphone, bowed to the audience, and began to speak.

When Woojin spoke, the whispers in the audience got louder.

Because of these reactions,

The room had been getting boring because the presentations were taking too long, but now the atmosphere started to get exciting again.

Jaeyeop had been listening to Woojin with a blank face. But then he remembered what Woojin had told him yesterday, and he smiled.

The host held up a sign that said ‘Silence.’ The whispering in the room quickly stopped.

Even though it was quiet, everyone was still watching Woojin.

Even with everyone staring at him, Woojin smiled calmly.

Jaeyeop looked down at Woojin on the stage, his face showing curiosity.

But as soon as Woojin really started his presentation,

Jaeyeop stayed frozen, still looking down, completely focused on Woojin.

Without realizing it, Jaeyeop was getting pulled in by Woojin’s voice, listening intently.

As Woojin predicted, this issue was immediately challenged by another construction company, and Myungsung failed to provide a proper response.

“Now, next is……. Jeun Construction’s presenter, please come forward.”

Jeun Construction is the oldest and largest construction company among the four that have entered the competition.

The first words of the Jeun Construction presenter were as follows.

“The beginning of Seoul apartments. Jeun Construction was right there at the starting point.”

In the case of expensive Gangnam apartments like Cheongdam Seonyoung, the members are usually older. It is difficult to own such an expensive house at a young age.

“Our The Village by Jeun Construction will present the best apartment to the members with the know-how on construction accumulated over the past half-century.”

So Woojin rated Jeun Construction’s presentation even worse than Myungsung’s.

And excluding Woojin’s turn, the very last turn was SH Corporation.

“Our SH Corporation has introduced the advanced system developed in conjunction with SH Electronics to premium residential design for the first time.”

And Woojin, who was listening to this presentation, finally realized why SH Corporation was able to win this project.

“In the end, SH Corporation was the only one that presented a clear vision.”

Woojin watched all of these presentations with the thought of ‘If I were a member.’ As a result, he was able to gain a clear insight.

“There’s no need to talk about obvious things at length.”

“Then, the last number……! Please come out, presenter of Cheonwoong Construction.”

“Huh……? That guy, he looks familiar?”

“Hmm? Such a young guy is in charge of the presentation?”

“Who is he? Why does he look familiar?”

‘What is he? Why is he here?’

“Hello, members. My name is Seo Woojin, and I am in charge of the presentation for Cheonwoong Construction.”

“Oh, that guy! Isn’t he the guy who appears on TV on weekends?”

“Oh……! Jaeyeop Team expert Seo Woojin?”

“Haha. It’s nice to see you here.”

‘A salesman. So that’s what he meant?’

‘If this is the case, should I vote for Cheonwoong Construction, which Woojin presented?’

“The one and only premium apartment that does not exist anywhere in the world.”

“The best residential space that only the members can enjoy. The best residential space that you can only experience by living in this Cheongdam Seonyoung Apartment.”

“Don’t you want to live in such a house?”