Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 172

Woo-jin walked to Professor Jo Woon-chan’s office, feeling excited. “What could this gift be?” he wondered.

He had been busy and almost forgot about his appointment with Professor Jo Woon-chan. But now, as the time got closer, he remembered their talk.

[Make sure you set aside time to come that day, Woo-jin.]

[Yes, well… I can always make time if I know in advance. But is there something you need?]

[It’s not so much that I need something, but I think I have a decent gift for you, Woo-jin.]

[Oh, a gift. I’m looking forward to it.]

Professor Jo Woon-chan’s sudden summons a few days ago had been quite unexpected.

Woo-jin often visited Professor Jo Woon-chan’s office for his studies in parametric design.

There was no real reason for Professor Jo Woon-chan to set a specific time to call him separately.

‘I didn’t think much of it back then… Is something really happening today?’

Woo-jin reached Professor Jo Woon-chan’s office door, his heart beating a little faster with excitement.

He wasn’t thinking about if the gift would be expensive. He was just curious what it could be.

*Knock, knock-*

He waited, then opened the door and stepped inside. The familiar teaching assistant, always busy, looked up and smiled.

“Ah, Woo-jin, it’s you!”

“Yes, hyung,”

The teaching assistant handed him a paper cup. “The professor is waiting. Here, take this drink in for him.”

“Thanks,”

He could hear voices from inside the professor’s office now, making him even more curious.

Woo-jin thought the gift might be a book or program about visual script algorithms.

Something like that would be something Professor Jo Woon-chan would call a gift.

However, as he entered the reception room, he heard a conversation.

“Yes, Professor. Haha.”

“Is Manager Oh doing well?”

“Manager Oh, you mean….”

“Why, the person who was in charge of my design order back then.”

“Ah, yes!”

“I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”

“Of course. He’s doing very well. Our Manager Oh.”

Woo-jin was surprised.

‘Hmm? There’s someone else here?’

He had expected to find only Professor Jo Woon-chan, but he heard the conversation.

Then he heard something unexpected.

“Haha, SH Corporation is always grateful to you, Professor.”

“I’m very proud that you think so.”

‘SH Corporation?’

As he walked inside, Woo-jin listened even more closely.

“Honestly, Professor, if you hadn’t helped us, the DDP project would still be in trouble.”

“That building, from the start, would have been impossible to construct domestically without SH Corporation’s technology.”

“Haha, is that so?”

He heard a voice he didn’t know. It sounded like someone who worked for SH Corporation and was involved with building the DDP.

‘Could it be….’

Woo-jin, gripping the doorknob, felt his heart race.

He felt like he knew what Professor Jo Woon-chan’s ‘gift’ was.

*Click-*

Woo-jin opened the door, entered, and greeted them with a bright smile.

“Professor, I’m here.”

Of the major construction companies in Korea, Woo-jin was closest to Cheonwoong Construction.

Cheonwoong and Park Kyung-wan had been essential to Woo-jin’s success, so this was natural.

But Woo-jin didn’t need to only stay close to Cheonwoong in the long term.

Cheonwoong didn’t want that either.

‘Of course, Cheonwoong will be the company I collaborate with most closely in the future, but….’

Woo-jin was starting to build relationships with other construction companies.

He wanted to work with SH Construction the most.

The reason was simple.

Other construction companies didn’t have anything that Cheonwoong couldn’t do, but SH Construction was special.

SH Construction was pursuing digital architecture, which was what Woo-jin wanted to do.

‘No construction company in the country can match their technological power.’

In Woo-jin’s previous life, SH Construction had the best advanced construction technology in the world.

SH Electronics, which had world-class technology in fields like semiconductors, led the SH Group, so this future was natural.

‘In that sense, this is… a truly unexpected gift?’

Woo-jin looked at the neatly dressed man sitting in front of him.

His hair was slicked back with pomade, shining under the office lights, making him look both professional and a little old-fashioned. He wore round glasses with thick, dark frames that made him look intelligent and approachable.

The business card Woo-jin received read:

[SH Corporation Construction Division]

[Advanced Technology Business Department]

[Construction Part Manager Lim Kang-seok]

Each construction company has a different organizational chart, and Woo-jin didn’t know them all.

But with this business card, Woo-jin could guess where this person worked.

‘It seems like he’s in charge of fabrication construction directing at the DDP construction site….’

DDP, short for Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

The DDP, designed by Zaha Hadid, is finished with steel panels that are all different sizes and shapes.

This structure couldn’t be built using 2D drawings and design techniques.

Professor Jo Woon-chan created the 3D drawings using 3D tools.

SH Corporation constructed that design.

Woo-jin thought this man, who he was meeting for the first time, was an important staff member who worked directly with Professor Jo Woon-chan at SH Corporation.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, CEO Seo. I’ve heard a lot about you from Professor Jo Woon-chan.”

“I’m embarrassed. I’m Seo Woo-jin, CEO of WJ Studio.”

Woo-jin put Lim Kang-seok’s business card in his pocket and handed over his own.

Lim Kang-seok smiled pleasantly. “It’s an honor to meet such a celebrity like this.”

“It’s an honor, but you’re being too kind.”

“I loved watching ! You were great in it.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

“I really wanted to meet CEO Seo. I’ve never seen anyone who has had such a big impact on the industry at such a young age.”

Lim Kang-seok threw back his head and laughed, a warm, booming sound that filled the room. He shook hands with Woo-jin.

It was their first meeting, so he flattered Woo-jin.

But he seemed sincere about wanting to meet Woo-jin.

After shaking hands and sitting down, Woo-jin asked Kang-seok what he was curious about.

“If you’re in the Advanced Technology Business Department of SH Corporation… do you handle practical work at the DDP site?”

“You’re very sharp. You guessed it right away.”

“After all, the only connection between the professor and SH Corporation is the DDP.”

Lim Kang-seok looked surprised, then smiled again. He continued to speak.

They started with light, everyday stories and then talked about recent projects.

Since Woo-jin had done so much, the stories were about him.

“CEO Seo, do you know this?”

“Yes? What….”

“During the Seonyeong Apartment construction company general meeting.”

“Ah……?”

“The SH Construction representative who presented our design proposal is one class ahead of me.”

“Oh, is that so.”

“He almost got a pay cut thanks to CEO Seo back then.”

“Ah, yes…….”

“Well, it’s all in the past. My senior also said that he knew he would lose after seeing CEO Seo’s presentation.”

“I just got lucky, I guess.”

“No one in the industry would call that luck. Haha.”

Kang-seok knew a lot about Woo-jin’s activities.

Not only the Seonyeong Apartment bid that SH Corporation participated in, but also the story about Wangsimni Parafield and the relationship between Bruno and Woo-jin.

Woo-jin felt strange, but mostly encouraged.

‘It feels somewhat rewarding.’

The fact that a part manager at a large corporation like SH Construction knew so much about him proved that Woo-jin had been doing important work.

“Haha, he’s my student, but I’m embarrassed to even say he’s my student.”

“I would feel the same way if I were you, Professor. The fact that someone like CEO Seo Woo-jin is a college student is too ironic, isn’t it?”

“Hehe. I wonder where this guy popped out from.”

“You two are praising me too much……. I really don’t know what to do.”

Professor Jo Woon-chan had arranged this meeting, but not just to hear compliments.

He had said he had a gift for Woo-jin, so he must have wanted Woo-jin to connect with Lim Kang-seok.

He wanted WJ Studio to build a friendship with SH Corporation through Lim Kang-seok.

He wanted Woo-jin to more easily and quickly approach digital architecture.

Woo-jin knew Professor Jo Woon-chan’s heart and was grateful.

‘If the professor is feeding me like this, I’d be a fool not to take it.’

The more he talked with Lim Kang-seok, the more Woo-jin could feel Professor Jo Woon-chan’s consideration.

He felt that Professor Jo Woon-chan had been talking to Lim Kang-seok about Woo-jin whenever he could while working on the DDP project.

Woo-jin started to bring up work-related topics little by little, without being pushy.

He talked about topics that Lim Kang-seok would be interested in.

“The project I’m working on would also be interesting to you.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“It’s smaller than the DDP, but I’m designing a pavilion this time.”

“A pavilion, you mean….”

“The Parafield that Bruno is designing in Wangsimni, you know?”

“Yes, I know it well.”

“Our company is designing the pavilion that will go into the main lobby there.”

Lim Kang-seok was very interested in the parametric design that Woo-jin was talking about.

“Oh……! Are you using the parametric design that you researched with the assistant professor for the first time?”

“That’s right. The design is almost done, and we’re figuring out how to build it.”

Woo-jin talked about his design direction and created an opportunity.

“Could you show me the design sometime?”

“Of course. I’ll invite you when it’s done.”

An opportunity to show him Woo-jin’s design skills and potential.

“Ah, I can visit anytime after it’s completed.”

“If that’s the case…….”

“If you have images of the design, I’d like to see them.”

Looking at Kang-seok’s excited eyes, Woo-jin sensed it.

‘Good……!’

A huge wave that could help WJ Studio grow again.

The opportunity to ride that big wave had appeared.