Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 128

Kwak Hong-shik, the head of the Cheongdam Seonyeong Apartment Association, sat in the front row, closest to the stage, watching the construction companies’ presentations.

As he watched, he felt deeply moved.

He watched the presentations. Many difficult times came to his mind. He had worked so hard to get to this point – choosing a construction company.

‘Phew. How did I even get here?’ he wondered.

After the construction company selection, the final step was getting approval for the final plan approval. He had already taken care of that part.

He had prepared the documents to be submitted quickly once the construction company was chosen. The district office also looked favorably on building a new apartment in Cheongdam-dong, which hadn’t happened in a long time.

He had been worried about people against the project causing problems, but he had found a solution for that too.

This was thanks to a strikingly young man who had come to the association with an official from Cheonwoong Construction.

‘If I hadn’t been careful, I might have had to pay money to make the people against the project stop causing trouble,’ he thought.

So, feeling relieved and touched, Hong-shik was in good spirits as the construction company selection meeting began.

This was the best spot in Gangnam, a famous and wealthy part of the city. Because of this, the construction companies had prepared very well for their presentations. Hong-shik watched, feeling happier and happier. He smiled as he listened to each company.

‘Huhu. Both reputation and Jeun are showing a full-scale battle,’ he thought.

Before becoming the head of the Cheongdam Seonyeong Apartment Association, Hong-shik had been part of another apartment association during their construction company selection meeting.

So, he couldn’t help but compare this meeting to that one.

The proposals and designs from the construction companies were much better than before. He was very satisfied.

Even until the end of SH Corporation’s presentation, Hong-shik was in a pleasant dilemma.

Which construction company should he vote for? That was his dilemma.

‘It’s hard to choose. Each construction company has its good and bad points,’ he thought.

Myungsung Construction’s designs were the weakest of the three companies (Myungsung, Jeun, and SH). However, they offered a lower construction cost, which was important.

‘Let’s see, is Cheonwoong the only one left now?’

As the presenter from SH Construction left the stage, Hong-shik opened Cheonwoong Construction’s brochure, which he had prepared.

The brochure showed apartments with truly outstanding and beautiful designs, enough to make Cheonwoong Construction confident.

However, spending hundreds of billions more on construction costs just based on the brochure didn’t seem like enough.

Cheonwoong’s design wasn’t much better than Jeun or SH Corporation in terms of design and luxury.

So, Hong-shik started watching the final presentation without much expectation.

He had made a deal with Cheonwoong Construction to handle the anti-committee. But that was a separate matter. Now, he had to vote based on what was best for everyone in the apartment association.

Hong-shik stared at the stage, thinking.

But then, he saw something that surprised him.

‘Huh…? That young man…?’

His eyes widened slightly.

The man presenting for Cheonwoong Construction looked very familiar.

‘That friend is presenting himself?’

Hong-shik had met Woo-jin before.

Woo-jin was clever and insightful, which was surprising for someone in his twenties.

So, Hong-shik wasn’t surprised that he was presenting.

He knew Woo-jin was capable, based on what he had seen at the association office. He believed Woo-jin would do a great job as a presenter.

However, Hong-shik was now more interested in Cheonwoong Construction’s presentation.

He had a feeling that Woo-jin had prepared something special, like he had when they made a deal at the association.

Kim Gyu-shik, an economic reporter from M Daily, sat where he could see the stage clearly.

He couldn’t sit as close as the association executives, but he had a good spot where he could see the stage straight ahead.

As the presentation started, he set up his camcorder.

He planned to record the entire presentation.

‘It’s hard to write things down accurately,’ he thought.

He had already told the association about his plan.

He had even signed a paper promising to get their permission before using the video for anything other than articles.

So, Gyu-shik set up the camcorder on a tripod without worrying about the other members.

He started recording as soon as the presentation began.

‘Alright. The first one is Myungsung Construction…’

The construction companies’ presentations and Gyu-shik’s article research went smoothly.

Since outside reporters weren’t allowed, he didn’t have to compete with other cameras.

He thought there would be other reporters, but Gyu-shik was the only one there.

It was an exclusive story.

‘Hehehe. This will definitely fill this week’s work. No, it will fill this month’s work,’ he thought.

Feeling relaxed, Gyu-shik watched the construction companies’ presentations carefully, as if he were a member himself.

He could watch the video later, but experiencing the scene in person would help him write the article.

However, Gyu-shik would soon regret that decision.

‘Damn it, I’m jealous…’

He had only lived in old apartments for over twenty years. The Cheongdam Seonyeong new apartment design plan was amazing to him.

The designs from Myungsung Construction, Jeun, and SH Corporation were all incredible.

This was Gangnam, a very desirable neighborhood.

‘Phew… Those members here must be happy…’

Still, Gyu-shik kept watching the presentations closely.

Finally, it was Cheonwoong Construction’s turn to present.

Gyu-shik planned to use Woo-jin, the presenter from Cheonwoong Construction, as a source for his article.

He had to watch this presentation very carefully.

‘I hope he does well. I need to get as much praise as possible…’

Woo-jin, an expert in his early 20s, was well-known from appearing on entertainment shows.

He spoke well and had a likable appearance, so he was popular online.

If Gyu-shik wrote an article about Woo-jin working in the field and highlighted his good qualities, it would get more views than any other article he could write that day.

So, Gyu-shik focused on Woo-jin’s presentation with great anticipation…

‘Oho. Good start!’

About twenty minutes had passed, and Gyu-shik’s mouth was wide open.

‘Damn it! I’m jealous! I’m so jealous!’

He had been trying to find something to praise in Woo-jin’s presentation, but he had forgotten all about that.

During the presentation, Gyu-shik only thought about how much he wanted to live in that house.

He just wanted to live in a place like that once before he died.

That’s all he could think about.

‘When it’s completed… should I ask a relative to book a guesthouse for just one day? I wouldn’t have any regrets if I could just stay there for one day…’

He had completely forgotten about the article.

Gyu-shik was drooling, unable to look away from the presentation. Images of bright, airy rooms filled the screen, showing families laughing and enjoying life in these stunning apartments. Woo-jin spoke with passion, his words painting a picture of a perfect community.

The vote to choose the builder hadn’t even begun. But Gyusik was already wondering how the apartment would look if Cheonwoong’s design was picked. It was like he already knew Cheonwoong would win.

Suddenly, on the big screen above the stage, bright golden words appeared: [Cheongdam Clio Summit]. With these words, Woojin’s presentation finished.

Woojin had told them that beautiful buildings promised a happy life. His words were so good, they charmed everyone in the room. Woojin’s wonderful presentation ended. At the same moment, the brand name ‘Cheongdam Clio Summit’, written in golden gold letters, stayed in everyone’s thoughts.

For Gyusik, watching from the side, it felt like a dream. But for the members, it was like a delicious cake they could almost taste. They really wanted to grab this cake and eat it now! But there was still one big problem. They would have to pay millions of won extra if they chose this wonderful option. That was the last thing stopping them.

Someone thought, *”Haa… It would be so nice to live in a house like that… But won’t it just become old after a while?”*

Another member worried, *”Did they say it’s thirty million won extra? To get that money, I’ll have to take money from my savings…”*

A third person wondered, *”If I rent it out and live somewhere else, am I just helping the person who rents it with my money?”*

Now, most of the members in the room agreed that the ‘cake’ Cheonwoong offered was very good. But paying for it was a different problem. It’s like knowing a fancy foreign car is great and wanting it. But it’s still hard to pay much more for it when you could buy a cheaper car from your own country.

After Woojin’s presentation, the chairman, Hongsik, was just as worried as everyone else. He didn’t really remember the designs from the other companies. Hongsik was only thinking about how to make Cheonwoong Construction lower their expensive price, even a little bit. Hongsik really wanted to choose Cheonwoong’s design for the Seonyeong Apartment.

*’This design is worth millions more, for sure,’* he thought. *’But it will be hard to convince members who might not be able to pay the extra cost…’*”

While everyone was worried, one of the members asked Woojin a question. It was the question everyone was thinking about.

The member said, “Presenter, Can I ask something?”

Woojin replied, “Please.”

The member stopped talking, and everyone looked at Woojin. “The design, the plan, all the extra things you showed us… It’s all great. But…”

Woojin smiled, guessing what the question would be, and spoke again. “I guess the problem is the construction cost?”

The member nodded. “Yes. The construction cost has increased by almost 80 billion won… Is there any way to lower it even a little?”

When he finished speaking, the faces of the people in the room changed. The officials from the other companies, who had felt a little nervous because of Woojin’s presentation, smiled, looking happy. The members of Cheongdam Seonyeong looked very curious to hear Woojin’s answer.

Woojin’s answer was simple. “There is no way to lower the construction cost.”

“Ah…” The members sounded disappointed.

Woojin explained, “We made sure the construction cost was as low as possible from the very beginning.”

When Woojin said this, the members looked even more disappointed. It would be strange if he promised to lower the price now. If you show a wonderful, expensive design and then say you can make it cheaper, people would think you were lying just to get chosen as the builder.

But Woojin didn’t stop there. “But,” he said, “there is a way to make it easier for members without lowering the construction cost.”

“……!” The members were surprised again.

Woojin continued, “What if we could get someone else to pay for more than half of the extra cost…?”

That’s how Woojin revealed his surprise at the end.

After the presentations from all the builders finished, the officials all sat down again. Then, the emcee for the meeting walked onto the stage cheerfully. The presentations from the four builders had been prepared very carefully. Now it was time for the last and most important part of the meeting: choosing the builder.

The emcee announced, “Now, it’s time for the members to vote for the builder!”

As soon as the emcee spoke, the event staff started to hand out ballot papers to the members. Jaeyeop, who was there as a member, also got a ballot paper.

*’Well, I don’t even need to think about it. It’s Cheonwoong,’* Jaeyeop thought. He marked his ballot for Cheonwoong without any doubt, folded it neatly, and held it in his hand. Then, remembering Woojin’s presentation, he smiled.

*’Seo Woojin… This guy is really something,’* Jaeyeop thought. He felt Woojin’s presentation was amazing. He even thought no one could present Cheonwoong’s design better than Woojin. Of course, Woojin had designed it himself, but Jaeyeop admired Woojin without even realizing it. At the same time, he was thankful to his mother for persuading him to buy the Seonyeong Apartment.

*’Ehehehe. If things go well, Cheonwoong will win today. Then I’ll be the owner of the penthouse Woojin showed us! Yes!’*, Jaeyeop thought. He put his ballot in the ballot box held by a staff member and waited for the counting with an excited expression. Jaeyeop planned to just move in and live there as soon as he got the penthouse, not caring about investment or anything else. Because he saw it as a home to actually live in, he didn’t care if the price went up or down. Jaeyeop was amazed that the idea of having a home could be so appealing.

*’Should I just move in with my parents when they move in? My mother will probably nag me to get married soon!’*, he thought.

Just as Jaeyeop was thinking this, the counting finished. The emcee, holding the results, walked onto the stage again. Then he announced, “The construction company chosen for the Cheongdam Seonyeong Apartment reconstruction at today’s meeting is…”

Jaeyeop suddenly jumped up from his seat without thinking.

“Cheonwoong! It’s Cheonwoong Construction, the company behind the Cheongdam Clio Summit brand!”

As soon as the result was announced, thunderous applause filled the room. Officials from the other companies, but Cheonwoong, were leaving the hall looking disappointed, but nobody noticed. Now this celebration was for the members of Seonyeong Apartment and the officials from Cheonwoong Construction. Especially the officials from Cheonwoong Construction, who were now the stars of the show, were hugging each other and climbing onto the stage.

Jaeyeop looked around to find Woojin among them. Then, he saw Woojin hugging an older man. “Hmm…?”