Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 110

Time always seems to fly faster when you’re busy.

For Woojin, time was like a speeding bullet.

The design competition deadline was October 31st, and it was rapidly approaching.

The last day of October was a Sunday, but Woojin wouldn’t be able to watch his favorite show today.

As 9 PM got closer, the lights in WJ Studio stayed on, shining brightly.

“Mr. Kim, did you double-check the heights to make sure nothing is missing?”

“Yes, Director. I just finished checking all the numbers.”

“You looked at each drawing carefully, not just the codes, right?”

“Of course. What would I say if I made a mistake?”

“Okay. Then that’s settled…”

WJ Studio was large compared to the number of employees, but today it felt crowded, even on a weekend.

This was because not only the company’s employees but also some staff from other companies were in the office.

With more people working there than usual, and everyone rushing around, it was bound to be crowded.

Woojin finished checking Jin-tae’s work and went to the conference room.

There wasn’t a meeting scheduled.

However, an important guest was waiting there.

“Ah, Team Leader Yoo. Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all, Director. We just arrived.”

The important guest Woojin was meeting was the team leader from a design company called Futures Design.

Futures Design was creating 3D pictures of the apartment Woojin had designed.

So, Futures Design was working for WJ Studio.

Professor Jo Woon-chan, who taught Woojin 3D design, had introduced this company to Woojin.

[Hmm… You need a good company?]

[Yes, Professor.]

[Why are you asking me?]

[In this field… you are the best expert I know.]

[Haha. You’re flattering me.]

[I mean it!]

[Hmm, you’re not planning to give the assignment I gave you to someone else, are you?]

[Even if I’m busy, I wouldn’t cheat like that, Professor.]

[I know, I know. I was just joking. If you were going to give the assignment to someone else, you wouldn’t have asked me for a recommendation.]

[Exactly.]

[Why do you need a company?]

[Our company needs to win a project this time.]

[How much are you willing to pay?]

[If they’re skilled, I’ll pay as much as possible.]

[Director Seo, you’re generous, aren’t you?]

[It’s because it’s important. Generous? I’m very careful with money.]

[Haha. Anyway, a skilled 3D company… There is one place that’s quite good…]

Professor Jo Woon-chan was the most skilled 3D expert Woojin knew.

But he was very busy, and it wouldn’t be right for a student to give 3D work to his professor.

So, he asked him to recommend the most skilled company he knew.

If Jo Woon-chan said a company was skilled, it meant they were one of the best in the industry.

Team Leader Yoo was one of the best people at Futures Design, the company that Professor Jo Woon-chan had recommended.

“I got the 3D pictures about an hour ago and looked at them.”

“Haha, how are they? Do you like them?”

Woojin had been learning 3D from Woon-chan for almost a year and now had good skills.

His modeling skills were excellent from the start, and now his picture-making skills had also improved a lot.

Even if he worked at another design company and did 3D work, he could do a good job.

However, this project was very important, so Woojin had to use an outside company.

It was too risky and would take too much time to do it himself, just to save money.

“I was already impressed, Team Leader. There’s a reason the professor strongly recommended you.”

“Heh heh. He asked me to pay special attention… so I worked extra hard for the first time in a while.”

“Thank you so much. It seems like we have a better chance of winning thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s just business, after all.”

“Still, thank you.”

“And Director Seo, aren’t you becoming famous in the industry these days? I need to make connections early.”

“Oh, famous, you say.”

Woojin waved his hand and looked a little embarrassed, but Team Leader Yoo was serious.

WJ Studio was growing very quickly and becoming well-known in the industry.

Woojin, who was appearing on TV, was becoming a hot topic in the industry.

“Well, let’s stop talking and start the final check.”

“Let’s do that. We don’t have much time left until the deadline.”

Woojin looked at the clock and rubbed his hands as he sat down at the conference table.

He had to finish everything and send it to Cheonwoong Construction by midnight, so there were only about three hours left.

“Hey, Wooseok!”

“Yes, Director!”

“There’s a USB drive over there, right?”

“Yes!”

“Bring it here and set it up.”

“Understood!”

The new recruit, Jo Wooseok, quickly plugged the USB into the computer and set up the projector.

Then, the 3D pictures sent by Futures Design began to appear on the screen.

The pictures were so well-made that they were amazing to look at.

Woojin smiled as he looked at the images that looked so real it was hard to tell they were made on a computer.

He had already checked them once, but they were worth the money.

“You know we can’t ask for any more changes to the modeling, right?”

“Of course, I know that. There are only three hours left… There wouldn’t even be time to make one picture.”

“Ah, Director Seo, you said you can do 3D too, right? I forgot.”

Woojin was meeting with the Futures Design representative for a final check.

It was the last step to choose the best pictures to show Woojin’s design from the many pictures that Futures Design had made.

Also, the designer from Futures Design had come to WJ Studio to put the chosen images into the panels and presentation to be sent to Cheonwoong Construction.

Team Leader Yoo had agreed to improve them to match the panel design made by WJ Studio.

This improvement process involves adding effects to the 3D pictures using Photoshop to make them look even better.

Normally, a 3D company does not do this kind of work.

It is more of a 2D job than a 3D job.

Future Design was known for being the best at this kind of work. Woojin knew he needed their help, so he asked them for a favour.

Team Leader Yoo was coming to help. He was friends with Professor Jo Woonchan, and because of this friendship, he agreed to come to WJ Studio. Professor Jo was a famous architect and his support meant a lot.

Woojin knew he would have to pay Future Design for their time, but he was still very thankful that Team Leader Yoo came all the way to his office to help.

“So, Chairman Seo chose pictures B and E as the most important ones, is that right?”

“Yes, I agree with that. But I’m not sure what view of the community center we should show first.”

“Community center?”

“Yes.”

Team Leader Yoo looked surprised.

“It’s obvious!”

“Really?”

“If it was my choice, I would definitely pick this one. Start by showing the infinity pool view. Imagine a swimming pool that looks like it goes on forever, right into the sky!”

“So, should I choose something that looks good rather than being practical?”

“Of course! The 3D pictures are to impress the client. We can show how practical and useful it is in the actual designs and plans later.”

“Hmm…….”

Team Leader Yoo went on, getting more excited.

“Honestly, even my team was really impressed when they were working on the picture of the swimming pool you designed.”

“Really?”

“Imagine the infinity pool view from the sky bridge on the 30th floor!” Team Leader Yoo made a sound of amazement. “Even in the picture, it looks amazing. Can you imagine how incredible it will be when it’s real?”

Team Leader Yoo was doing more than just fixing pictures. He was also giving Woojin advice on how to present his designs using these 3D pictures.

“Like I said on the phone, we left out some pictures, these ones here.”

“Yes. I heard that it was excluded, but… is there any reason why?”

“Small, cramped spaces don’t look good when you turn them into 3D pictures.”

“Ah.”

“Instead, it’s better to draw this part as a simple flat drawing, without trying to make it look 3D. Then, tell the artists who draw in 2D to make it look really nice.”

“There’s no time to do that work now……”

“Ah, of course, I’m not saying you should do it now. It’s not a job that can be done so quickly.”

“Then……?”

“Anyway, if you are selected in the contest, you’ll have to get everything ready again for the meeting with the builders, right?”

“Well, yes.”

“I’m giving you a tip for when you work with Chunwoong at that time.”

Woojin listened to Team Leader Yoo and chuckled, a little sadly. All of this advice was only useful *if* they won the contest.

“Will we… be selected for the contest?”

Woojin asked with a hopeful smile. Team Leader Yoo nodded firmly.

“Of course you will.”

“Are you going to get us selected, Team Leader Yoo?”

“Haha, if I could do that, I wouldn’t be doing sales at a design company.”

Team Leader Yoo paused, then looked at Woojin, his eyes bright.

“But we’ve looked at almost all the entries for the contest, right?”

“We have.”

“I was honestly surprised.”

“Why?”

“Because your design is unlike anything I’ve ever seen for an apartment building.”

Team Leader Yoo’s words were full of praise, and Woojin understood. His designs were different. They were bringing ideas from fancy hotels – like that infinity pool – to normal apartment buildings. In 2010, no one designed apartments like this.

“Everyone, experts or not, knows what looks good when they see it.”

Team Leader Yoo smiled, pleased, as he looked at the final pictures one last time.

“It looks amazing to me, someone who isn’t even involved. The people from Chunwoong will love it.”

“I hope so.”

Team Leader Yoo winked.

“If you win, remember I helped you a little, okay?”

Woojin smiled pleasantly once again.

“Of course. When I’m less busy, I’ll invite Professor Jo Woonchan and treat you all to a great meal.”

“Great! I’m looking forward to it!”

Once they finished choosing the best pictures, Woojin went back to work. This project was huge, with so many details to check. The office was quiet except for the hum of computers and the soft scratching of pens on paper. Outside, the city lights twinkled. Two more hours flew by. It was almost 11:30 PM.

Woojin carefully saved all the files and sent them in an email to Chunwoong Construction. *Click!* The email was sent. He saw the message on his screen confirming it was done and finally relaxed.

‘I’ve done enough.’ The results will have to come out to know, but at least I did my best. There’s no need to have any regrets now.

Woojin stood up and smiled at his team, who were all watching him.

“We did it,” he said. “The last month is finally over! Okay everyone… that’s all for today!”

As soon as Woojin finished speaking, applause broke out around the office. *Clap, clap, clap!* Someone shouted, ‘Hooray! We did it!’

Even though they had worked every day, even weekends, the team at WJ Studio didn’t look unhappy. They looked proud. It had been hard work, but it was exciting work, and everyone had put their heart into it.

“Everyone, you’ve worked so hard.”

“You really worked hard until the weekend……!”

But Woojin knew he couldn’t just ignore all those late nights they had worked for the past month. He spoke again to his team, who were starting to pack up.

“Wait, one more thing.”

“……?”

Woojin looked around at everyone, smiling.

“Next week, the whole WJ Studio design team is closed for a week! Only a few people need to come in to keep things running. Everyone else, please rest and relax, and come back ready to work!”

As soon as Woojin said this, the office erupted in cheers. It was so loud, you could hear it down the street! *(End of Chapter)*