Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 140

February is a somewhat special month for Woojin.

Exactly one year ago, on February 15th, Woojin felt like he had been given a new life, returning to 20 years in the past.

After this amazing event of going back in time, he was able to live the life he had always dreamed of, starting from that very day.

Maybe that’s why Woojin woke up from a nightmare he thought he would never have again after so long.

The nightmare was about his life before he went back in time.

“Ugh… I’d rather dream about being in the army again. I really don’t want that dream,” he mumbled, shaking off the lingering unease.

The nightmare woke Woojin up early. He quickly washed his face with cool water, put on his tracksuit, and went outside.

He had time before work, so he decided to take a walk for the first time in a while.

Woojin tied his shoelaces tightly, left his house, and started running on the jogging path he knew well from his past life.

Woojin’s house in Gaepo-dong, a district in Seoul, South Korea, was near the Yangjaecheon Stream. The walking paths beside the stream were lined with trees, their branches just starting to show tiny green buds of spring. It was a great place for a light jog. The air was cool and fresh.

Huff – Huff –

Actually, Woojin didn’t jog early in the morning very often.

Only when he woke up earlier than usual, like today, for no clear reason, or when his mind was full of worries and he wanted to clear his thoughts, would he go for a run.

Breathing in the morning air and getting a little sweaty was a great way to clear his mind.

“Hoo-cha!”

After running lightly for about fifteen minutes, Woojin stopped and took a deep breath.

Then, Woojin looked at the large building in front of him.

Among the buildings along Yangjaecheon Stream, the most noticeable was a luxurious skyscraper.

This tall building, called Acro Palace, was a high-end place to live and work. It was a famous landmark and a symbol of wealth in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu. Like many big cities, Seoul had areas where rich people lived right next to areas where ordinary people lived. Gangnam was famous for this difference.

In 2011, it was one of the most expensive apartments in Gangnam-gu.

As he caught his breath and looked at Acro Palace, Woojin then looked at the rows of Jugong apartments on the other side.

That was the Jugong apartment complex in Gaepo-dong, where Woojin still lived.

The two buildings, facing each other across the Yangjaecheon Stream, seemed to show the wealth gap in Gangnam-gu. It was as if the stream was the line between rich and poor.

Woojin smiled bitterly as he thought this.

Woojin himself had felt this wealth gap in Gangnam more than most people.

‘Now that I think about it, in the past… I was often misunderstood just for living in Gangnam.’

People who didn’t live there thought that living in Gangnam meant you were rich. But Woojin believed that Gangnam had the biggest wealth gap in Seoul.

Especially in the 1990s and 2000s, when he was growing up.

This was especially true when the Gangnam area was growing so fast.

Woojin remembered standing in a similar spot in his past life, thinking similar thoughts.

But one thing was different between then and now: Woojin’s mindset.

In his past life, Acro Palace seemed like it belonged to people in another world, but now…

Now, Woojin had the chance to aim for something even better than Acro Palace.

If the Woojin of the past looked at Acro Palace and wondered what kind of people lived there, the Woojin of today was thinking this:

‘How far can I go in this second life?’

Confidence and hard work led to small successes. These successes made Woojin even more passionate and confident.

Then, these things created even greater chances and successes, like a snowball getting bigger as it rolls down a hill.

And that’s how Woojin got to where he was now.

Also, where Woojin was now wasn’t even close to the end, and he couldn’t see the turning point yet.

Even though he had reached heights he could never have imagined in his past life.

‘I need to work even harder. I’ve been given a chance that others don’t have.’

When he got home, Woojin took a warm shower, ate the breakfast his mother made, and went out again.

“I’m off, Mom.”

“Okay. Have a good day, dear.”

As he watched his mother see him off, he made a promise to himself.

This year, he would definitely move to a nice house with his mother, as good as Acro Palace.

The results of the Wangsimni private investment project were out.

As expected, Bruno’s design was chosen in the competition.

There was also big news in the newspapers.

The bribery and corruption of Taeho Construction, which had been chosen as Paramount’s construction company, was clearly shown in the media.

Because the bribery was so clearly exposed, there was no room for argument.

People criticized Taeho Construction, and Taeho Construction lost all of its other construction rights that were planned.

Because of this, they lost their source of money, and their already bad financial situation got even worse.

They went bankrupt.

The ordinary employees who worked at Taeho Construction were unlucky, but no one thought it was wrong to expose the corruption.

If they hid Taeho Construction’s corruption because of the employees, it would be like being too afraid of bugs to make soy sauce.

[Wangsimni Station, Bruno Sanchez’s amazing design. Chosen as the final design after overcoming bribery and corruption.]

Because this event was reported more widely in the media than expected, WJ Studio also became famous because of this.

[Wangsimni Station, Bruno Sanchez’s ambitious work. Where is WJ Studio, which helped with the design?]

As the story of Bruno’s design being chosen in the competition was shown in different media, WJ Studio, whose name was mentioned with his, became famous again.

The fact that they were working with the world-famous architect Bruno was a big help to WJ Studio’s brand, and this was widely shared in the media.

This was good for WJ Studio in ways you can’t easily measure, like making their name more well-known.

This was clear from the phone call he got from Professor Yoon Chi-hyung.

Professor Yoon’s voice on the phone was full of surprise. “[Seo Woojin is becoming famous, isn’t he? Everyone is talking about WJ Studio.]”

“Professor!” Woojin replied, a little embarrassed but pleased. “It’s a bit embarrassing to hear you say that. Things are just… going okay, I guess.”

[Heh heh, don’t think I taught you much… Still, you’re my student, so I’m proud.] Professor Yoon chuckled warmly.

“You taught me plenty, Professor. That’s not true at all,” Woojin said sincerely.

[You rascal! Sleeping in my class! But, I knew you were listening *sometimes*.] Professor Yoon teased, but there was a fond tone in his voice.

“Ha… Haha.” Woojin laughed, remembering those sleepy lectures.

Professor Yoon Chihyung had seen the article about WJ Studio and called Woojin.

But that wasn’t the only reason for the call.

He needed to contact Woojin about some school matters anyway, and seeing the article, he decided to call about that as well.

[Woojin, you remember when we talked about students working with companies for school credit? That’s what I mean.]

“Yes, I remember.”

[I’ll be sending an official letter to your company email soon regarding that, so please reply as soon as you receive it.]

“I understand, Professor. Of course, I will. My grades depend on it.”

[Now that your company has become famous, won’t all your seniors apply if the industry-academia cooperation goes up?]

“Ah, Professor. You promised to leave our company name out of the announcement this time.”

[I did, but I thought it would be fun to post the announcement anyway.]

“No, Professor. Please don’t. I’m the only one doing it this time…”

[Heh heh heh. Alright, I understand. Don’t worry, come to the school once the paperwork is done.]

“Yes, I understand. I’ll come visit you.”

After talking with Yoon Chihyung about various things, Woojin hung up and opened his laptop.

The reason he turned on his laptop was none other than the fact that he had heard from an employee that Bruno’s email had arrived in the company account.

The email Bruno sent to Woojin was a thank you for the project’s smooth progress.

Bruno was a smart man, and he had much more social experience than Woojin.

So, as soon as he saw the report related to the irregularities surrounding the design competition, he was able to sense to some extent that Woojin had been working behind the scenes to resolve this.

Woojin opened Bruno’s email, and inside was a longer message than he had expected.

……Omitted……

I sincerely thank WJ Studio and CEO Seo Woojin for their hard work.

Thanks to you, my design has been developed in a much better direction, and it has become a realistic and practical building that can further benefit the citizens of Seoul.

……Omitted……

And I didn’t know that CEO Seo Woojin had put so much effort into this project.

Thanks to that, this design, born from our efforts, has finally been able to see the light.

I would like to thank you once again from the bottom of my heart.

I will visit Seongsu-dong soon.

P.S. Woojin, have you ever thought about learning English or Spanish?

Even though I heard the good news that it was selected for the contest, I am very sorry that I cannot talk to you over the phone.

……Omitted……

A smile naturally appeared on Woojin’s face as he read Bruno’s email.

First of all, he was very pleased that Bruno sent the email in Korean (although an interpreter must have translated and written it for him), and he was happy that he knew at least some of the efforts he had made to drive out Taeho Construction.

And one more thing.

“I don’t think I’ll learn English, but… I feel a little sorry about this.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the last story about whether he had any intention of learning English.

He didn’t have time to learn a new language, as he was already struggling with studying the fields he was good at and wanted to do.

After reading Bruno’s email, Woojin began to write a reply.

Of course, the content of the email was written in Korean.

He wanted to write it in English or Spanish, but what could he do if he didn’t know how?

He was just grateful that there was always an interpreter in Bruno’s office.

Thank you so much for sending me such a heartfelt email.

My efforts were just things that I should have done as a business partner…….

……Omitted……

I am so happy and excited to be able to work on such a large project with Bruno.

I hope to see you when you come to Seongsu-dong soon and share detailed stories.

P.S. I’m sorry that I have no talent for languages, so I have no choice but to reply in Korean like this.

After writing the entire email, Woojin read it again and brought the mouse to the send button.

But just before sending the email,

Woojin, who suddenly remembered something, began to add content to the email.

‘Thinking about it, I might be able to give Professor Yoon a pretty good gift at this timing?’

The content Woojin added to the email was none other than the fact that if this project were to proceed, the number of employees in Bruno’s design office, which had been reduced after the project was finished, would naturally have to be increased.

If he were to propose industry-academia cooperation with K University’s Department of Spatial Design to Bruno in this situation, it would create a pretty good synergy for each other.

Of course, it would be better for K University than for Bruno, but it could be said that it was not bad for Bruno either.

‘If it goes well, I should recommend Soyeon or Jayden to Bruno. Since I already know them, Bruno will readily accept it……. Having experience working as an intern at Bruno’s office will be a great addition to their resumes later.’

So, Woojin, who wrote the email a little longer, was able to turn off the browser and start working in a good mood.

And a few days later from that day.

Next to Woojin, a tall British man was chattering loudly. ‘Woojin, mate! Have you seen the email from Bruno? This is amazing!’

His identity was none other than Jayden.