Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 173

There’s an old saying, ‘Manlyugwijong.’ It means that all rivers flow to the same sea. It’s like saying that many different things can come together to one point.

Woojin’s situation was like that saying.

Woojin was working on many things. First, the pavilion design for Parafield. Second, the new WJ Studio building in Seongsu-dong. Third, he made connections at SH Corporation through Professor Jo. Finally, Mateo, a Spanish architect, was coming to Korea after talking to Bruno, though Woojin didn’t know this yet.

All these things seemed separate and unrelated.

But they were all moving in the same direction, helping Woojin reach his goals.

Digital architecture was becoming popular around the world, and Woojin was creating his own style within it.

In the end, everything was helping him build his path.

Woojin leaned back in his chair, a smile spreading across his face. ‘Things are really falling into place,’ he thought. He felt a warmth in his chest, a feeling like everything was finally going his way. It felt like luck, but deep down, he knew it was more than that.

Of course, it wasn’t just luck.

First, Woojin had to win the Cheongdam Seonyoung project and get the investment.

If he hadn’t, he couldn’t have bought the land for the new WJ Studio.

The money from the Cheongdam Clio Summit design helped WJ Studio to grow quickly.

He reinvested that money and earned even more, which allowed him to plan the new building that cost billions.

Second, Woojin impressed Paramount with his knowledge and passion. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have had the chance to design the pavilion.

Bruno wouldn’t have trusted him so much.

And Bruno wouldn’t have introduced Woojin to Mateo.

Lastly, Woojin showed Professor Jo his passion and talent. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have met Im Gangseok from SH Construction.

Even though Professor Jo liked Woojin, he wouldn’t normally introduce a student to a big company like SH Corporation. It showed how much Professor Jo believed in Woojin.

So, everything Woojin did helped him move towards his goals.

‘Im Gangseok and SH Construction…’ Woojin thought. ‘If they can build my 3D designs, they would be a great support for my digital architecture.’

SH Corporation’s skills would definitely help Woojin with his current projects.

Im Gangseok wasn’t exactly a close connection yet, but Woojin was confident now that they had met.

He knew he could use this opportunity to help WJ Studio grow even more.

“[Great, CEO. I look forward to seeing it.]”

“[Haha, well, don’t get your hopes up too high! You might be a bit let down when you see what I’ve done so far.]”

Woojin smiled, remembering his last conversation with Im Gangseok.

Im Gangseok from SH Construction seemed genuinely interested in Woojin’s designs.

He was already interested in digital architecture, and his company saw the potential in Woojin.

Woojin wished he could have had dinner with him that night.

But Woojin had plans with Jayden and Soyeon, and Professor Jo and Im Gangseok also had other commitments.

Professor Jo had a dinner meeting with the SH Construction team after a site visit.

Woojin couldn’t just join them, no matter how talented he was or how much Professor Jo liked him.

‘That dinner is why Im Gangseok came to the school today,’ Woojin thought. ‘So, I shouldn’t be too disappointed.’

Woojin ordered boneless chicken with Soyeon and Jayden and had a nice dinner. Then, he went home feeling happy.

He was grateful for Professor Jo’s unexpected help and had a very good day.

After meeting Im Gangseok, another week passed quickly.

Woojin spent time designing the pavilion, but he spent even more time on the new WJ Studio building.

The pavilion also had a tight schedule.

But the new WJ Studio building was scheduled to start construction around the end of August or early September.

The basic design needed to be finished by mid-July so the detailed design could be done by August.

This would allow construction to begin in early September.

The afternoon sun streamed into Woojin’s office, but he barely noticed. He was hunched over his computer, brow furrowed in concentration, fingers flying across the keyboard. The glow of the screen lit up his face as he wrestled with the design program, trying to make it do exactly what he imagined.

Seokhyun was working with him, creating visual script algorithms.

“(Sigh)… I think I’m almost there…”

In any field, especially design, the more effort you put in, the more you want to achieve.

Woojin was very ambitious about design and was designing his first company headquarters.

So, it would be strange if it was easy.

“[Woojin, if you want the panorama pattern, you’ll have to reduce the size of the second and third floors.]”

“[Even if we make the first floor really tall, we still won’t get the right angle without cutting through the ceiling, right?]”

“[That’s right.]”

“[Even if we have less space, it’s better to focus on the design, right?]”

“[I think so. It’s not like a client will complain about less space. It’s our company building! We’ll just earn less from rent.]”

Woojin smiled and twirled his pen.

“[Seokhyun will just have to work harder to make up for the lost rent money.]”

“[Oh come on, CEO, that’s not fair!]”

They laughed together and then went back to work.

Woojin felt proud as he looked at the design of the building, which was starting to take shape.

‘From the entrance to the lobby and the stairs,’ he thought. ‘If the windows are shaped like this, we can create an interactive pattern that changes depending on how people move through the building.’

Woojin looked at the blueprint in his hand and felt amazed.

The design of the building was very different from the sketches he had made on yellow paper after discovering the secrets of the Golden Print.

The design was like a living thing, creating new possibilities each time a part of it was finished.

Even now, with the design 70% complete, it was still changing little by little.

At first, he wanted to use the light coming through the windows to create patterns using parametric design.

Then, he added the concept of ‘time,’ and then ‘movement.’

The direction of light changes over time.

The pattern looks different depending on where the person is standing.

All these things came together to create a special design with a changing pattern.

This complex design was possible because Woojin had his special knowledge of the Golden Print and a talented assistant like Seokhyun.

But it was also possible because Woojin had a unique design philosophy and a great imagination for space.

‘I can’t wait to finish it and see what it looks like,’ he thought.

Woojin was thinking hard about the building design when Seokhyun’s voice broke through his thoughts. Seokhyun, still working at his computer, called out, “Hey, Woojin.”

Seokhyun said, not looking up from his screen. “Hey, Woojin.”

Woojin, pulled from his thoughts, just said, “What is it?” a little impatiently.

Seokhyun pointed at the screen. “Good news. We can make the windows like you planned on the outside wall.” He paused, then asked, “But if we cut them exactly like this… the light patterns will be right where you said, right?”

Woojin looked up, a little surprised. “Of course it’s accurate,” he said, sounding sure of himself. “We used a computer program to calculate it. Why?”

Seokhyun nodded slowly. “The program is right, yes. But it only works if we are sure about two things first.”

“Like what?” Woojin asked.

Seokhyun explained, “First, we need to be exactly right about where the building will be. You know, the exact place on Earth. And second, we have to be sure that hills or other buildings around don’t block the sunlight you need.”

Woojin’s eyes widened a little. “Oh, right.” He hadn’t thought about that.

Seokhyun nodded. “Exactly. Even the best design is useless if the light can’t even reach the building because something is in the way.”

Seokhyun was worried about things Woojin already knew were solved by the Golden Print. Woojin knew he couldn’t explain the magic, so he had to pretend. He had to tell a little lie to calm Seokhyun down.

“Don’t worry so much,” Woojin said, trying to sound confident. “I checked the location myself, many times. Just trust me and build it.”

Seokhyun frowned. “Even a tiny mistake in the angle will ruin the light pattern, you know that?”

“I know, I know,” Woojin said, trying to sound patient.

“And what about the builders? They need to be perfect too.” Seokhyun added another worry.

“I’ll be there every single day to watch them,” Woojin promised. “Don’t worry, Seokhyun. It will be perfect.”

Seokhyun sighed, but nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said, still sounding a little unsure. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Days flew by. Woojin and Seokhyun worked together, changing small things, improving the design bit by bit. Each time, Seokhyun was shocked by how accurate Woojin’s guesses were, not knowing about the Golden Print.

“Wow!” Seokhyun exclaimed one day. “Seriously, it’s just like you said it would be!”

“Of course,” Woojin said with a small smile.

“It’s like you can see the building in your head!” Seokhyun said, shaking his head in amazement. “How do you do that? Are you just guessing?”

“It’s not really guessing,” Woojin said, a little embarrassed. “It’s more… a feeling.”

Seokhyun threw his hands up. “Feeling or magic, I don’t care! It’s amazing!”

Woojin would just rub his neck, feeling a little silly. He had to act like a genius to make Seokhyun believe him, all thanks to the Golden Print. It was a bit embarrassing to pretend, but it was the fastest way to get the perfect design.

*It works, so who cares if I look a bit foolish?* Woojin thought to himself.

But they were learning more than just how to design this building. It was the first time they both used computer programs like this for real designs. They were learning new skills every day.

Another week passed quickly.

*Thursday, July 21, 2011.* Finally, the first design for the WJ Studio building was finished. This meant they could now create a picture of what the building would look like when it was built.

“Okay, here’s the final design file,” Woojin said, handing it over.

“Great. I’ll start the rendering program now,” Seokhyun replied.

“Ugh, I can’t wait to see the picture!” Woojin said, excited.

Seokhyun chuckled. “Even the best computer picture is never quite the same as the real thing, you know?”

Woojin grinned. “Hey, I know that much!”

Woojin carefully loaded the design into the rendering program. He chose all the right materials for the walls, the windows, everything. Then, he opened the file on the CEO’s big computer and clicked ‘render’.

*Click-*

[Rendering…]

But the picture didn’t appear right away.

“How long will this take?” Seokhyun asked, peering at the screen.

“Hmm, a long time,” Woojin said. “Maybe five hours, at least.”

“Five hours? Even with your super-fast computer?”

“Yeah, I set it to make the picture really detailed, especially the light. Remember, the light is the most important part of the design.”

“Okay, okay,” Seokhyun said, understanding. “So, we can’t see it tonight?”

“Nope. Let’s go home. It will be ready in the morning.”

“Good idea. It’s already late.”

They turned off the lights in the office, leaving Woojin’s computer humming quietly in the dark room. The screen glowed softly, showing the word ‘Rendering…’

While Woojin and Seokhyun went home to rest, Woojin’s computer started its long task.

*Whirr…*

In the quiet office, the computer fan spun faster and faster, working hard all alone. The air around it grew warm.

As the night got darker outside, the sound of the fan slowly changed.

*Whirr… Thud…*

And then, something strange began to happen.

*Whoosh!*

On the paper drawings on Woojin’s desk, a golden light started to rise. It floated upwards, like smoke, and moved towards the computer screen, disappearing into the glowing monitor.

**Golden Print**