Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 141

“Bloody hell! Woojin, did you see the official notice from the school?” Jayden burst into the restaurant, nearly tripping over a chair in his rush. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, eyes wide with excitement.

Woojin calmly flipped a piece of pork belly on the grill, the sizzling sound filling the air. He glanced up at Jayden, a small smile playing on his lips. “Notice? No, haven’t seen anything. What’s all the fuss?”

Inside, Woojin knew exactly what Jayden was talking about. Everyone in their year knew how incredibly competitive it was to get an internship with Bruno, the famous architect. To be chosen by him was a huge honor. But watching Jayden get himself worked up was just too funny to resist.

“Hmm… So, Woojin wasn’t chosen by Bruno.”

“What are you talking about, Jayden?” Woojin asked.

“I’m sorry, Woojin, but you might not be able to work at WJ Studio this semester.”

“Did I work there last semester?”

Ignoring Woojin’s question, Jayden continued to say what he wanted.

“Though I can’t lend my abilities, it can’t be helped.”

“What are you talking about, cutting off the context like that?” Woojin asked, confused.

“It seems Bruno has recognized my outstanding abilities.”

“…?”

“He wants to hire me as an intern this semester.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

Jayden spoke very fast, like he was rapping, he was so excited. “Bruno even spoke to Professor Yoon separately to take me. The professor said that if I intern at Bruno’s office, he would recognize it as academic credit.”

“That’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Jayden clenched his fists.

“It’s a whopping six credits, Woojin. So, I have no choice but to go to Bruno’s office. You can’t be too upset.”

“I’m quite upset, actually.”

However, Jayden, who had been excitedly talking, finally exploded at Woojin’s calm reaction.

“Bloody hell! Soyeon! I think Woojin has lost his soul. Find Woojin’s soul!”

Soyeon chuckled as she watched Jayden jumping around.

Sometimes, Jayden had quite a cute side.

“Don’t get excited, just eat some meat, Jayden. Woojin is just jealous of you.” Soyeon calmly grilled the meat, soothing the excited Jayden. The aroma of the grilling meat filled the air.

The funny thing was that Jayden, who had been jumping around, regained his composure with that one sentence.

“Hoo. Okay. Then it can’t be helped. Being jealous of Jayden… is perhaps too natural.”

Jayden actually had more to say.

“So, Woojin. If you don’t want to be taken away from me by Bruno, quickly apply for this thing called industry-academia cooperation.”

“Industry-academia cooperation?”

“If WJ Studio can also give me credits in cooperation with K University, maybe I might stay at WJ Studio for you.”

“Hmm. I’ll try, Jayden.”

In the end, what Jayden wanted to say was that it would be nice to introduce such a system to WJ Studio.

He told it in such a long and complicated way.

Watching Jayden pick up his chopsticks only after saying everything to the conclusion, Woojin could only shake his head.

‘Anyway, he’s really an oddball.’

Woojin decided that he should hide the fact that he had an industry-academia partnership from Jayden.

If Jayden were to find out that WJ Studio had actually signed an industry-academia cooperation agreement first, and that Woojin was going to get six credits for free, so to speak…

Jayden might foam at the mouth with betrayal.

Jayden, who was better at using chopsticks than most Koreans, began to skillfully pick up the meat that Soyeon had grilled.

Perhaps thanks to being close to Soyeon.

Jayden, who only liked sausage, chicken, and pizza, recently discovered the taste of meat. Jayden munched and savored the greasy, bouncy pork belly.

Toward him, Soyeon changed the subject in a different direction and opened her mouth.

“By the way, Jayden.”

“Hmm?”

“What major classes are you planning to take this semester?” Soyeon put thick pork neck on the grill and continued to speak.

This time, she asked Woojin.

“Oppa, do you have anything in mind?” Soyeon, like always, called me ‘Oppa’, the Korean term for older brother, even though we were just friends.

Woojin, who had already planned his schedule, nodded and replied.

“I’ve roughly decided.”

“Oh…? Professor Yoon Chi-hyung’s class is mandatory, so you have to take it… Are you going to take Professor Jo Woon-chan’s class?”

“Are you talking about Digital Graphic Spatial Design?”

“Yeah, that one.”

Woojin smiled and nodded.

In fact, from the moment Soyeon first brought up the story about the timetable, he knew that the story about the digital graphic spatial design class would come out.

“Of course, I’m taking it. That’s what I wanted to hear most in the second-year class.”

The ‘Digital Graphic Spatial Design’ class, which can be taken from the first semester of the second year, was a famous class in many ways at the K University Department of Design.

As one of the core classes taught by Professor Jo Woon-chan, it is a class where you learn to apply various 3D tools to architectural design.

There were two reasons why this class was famous.

The first was due to the difficulty of the class and the tremendous amount of assignments.

The second was that it was a high-quality class where you could learn tools that you couldn’t learn anywhere else in Korea at this time.

It was a popular class that even students from other design departments other than spatial design would apply for, and at the same time, it was a class known to be very hard where more than half of the students usually dropped out.

So, rather, the spatial design seniors told the juniors not to take the class without a considerable determination.

That was why Soyeon asked Woojin and Jayden.

“I knew Oppa would take it.”

Soyeon nodded and turned her gaze to Jayden.

But for some reason, Jayden was making an unusual expression.

“Ahem. Are you perhaps thinking of asking me if I will take Digital Graphic Spatial Design?”

“Uh… If so?” Soyeon, looking a little embarrassed, asked back, and Jayden started talking excitedly again.

“There was no need to ask that, Soyeon.”

“Why?”

“Because only I will be able to get an A+ in Digital Graphic Spatial Design.”

Soyeon lost her words at the unexpected answer.

“…?”

Woojin also had a very surprised look.

“What are you talking about, Jayden?”

However, Jayden only made a meaningful expression and did not answer Woojin’s question.

“It’s a secret. And you’ll find out when the semester starts and you take the class.”

“What?”

“The greatness of me.”

“……”

Woojin tilted his head, but didn’t ask further.

‘Is he doing some kind of advanced learning at home alone? Well, it’s a good thing to be passionate….’

At least it would be a much more positive direction than constantly saying ‘Bloody Hell’ and being addicted to games all night.

Woojin cheered for Jayden.

“Then when we take the Digital Graphic Spatial Design class, we can ask Jayden if we don’t know something, right?”

“Of course. Just trust Jayden.”

So, on a weekend afternoon.

The three people, who had a leisurely chat while grilling meat for the first time in a while, finished their meal with the grace of the company card.

In fact, the reason they met today was to commend Soyeon and Jayden for their hard work in the model workshop during the vacation.

Since their part-time job was coming to an end this week, Woojin bought them a delicious meal.

“Soyeon said she’s going home, right?”

“Yeah. I’m going to see my siblings and grandmother this evening.”

“Is your grandmother doing well? Say hello to her for me.”

“Hee hee, I will.”

Woojin, who turned his gaze to Jayden, asked as a formality.

“Jayden, where are you going?”

Then Jayden, who had been waiting for the question, quickly answered.

“Jayden has something to do in Gangnam.”

“Gangnam?”

“It’s a secret where. I can’t tell you even if you’re curious.”

“……”

Woojin and Soyeon, watching Jayden who had many secrets today, sighed deeply at the same time.

“Okay. Secret boy. If it’s Gangnam, I’m afraid I can’t give you a ride.”

“Holy…! Where are you going, Woojin?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Damn it!”

Woojin, who sent the noisy two away first, started the car.

Woojin’s destination, which he kept secret from Jayden, was none other than Yongsan. Yongsan is a busy city area with tall buildings.

Today, Woojin had a meeting with Bruno to coordinate the design of Parafield.

Originally, Bruno was supposed to come to Seongsu-dong, but it turned out that a working-level employee from Paramount was coming to Yongsan, so they had a three-way meeting.

“The person who said they were coming from Paramount… said they were the newly appointed head of the planning department, right?”

After Taeho Construction’s lobbying was blatantly exposed, there was quite a major personnel change in the Paramount department in charge.

Therefore, Woojin had high expectations for today’s meeting.

If it was a newly appointed head-level figure, there was a high probability that they would be thirsty for performance.

If they showed excellent results in this Wangsimni project, where the company’s attention was focused due to lobbying, they could quickly improve how well they do their job.

Working with enthusiastic working-level staff could not but be a positive direction for the business.

Screeeech-

As Woojin, who had arrived, opened the door and entered, Bruno, who discovered him, greeted him with a bright smile.

The development of a complex mall such as this private investment project in Wangsimni Station has a slightly more complex understanding than a typical architectural development project.

There was no difference in that there were developers who provided capital and construction companies who built the buildings.

The point that more detailed coordination with the developer was required from the implementation design stage was a slightly special part.

Of course, coordination with the developer is necessary at the design stage even when other construction projects are in progress.

However, the degree of coordination is much harder in complex mall projects.

Usually, complex malls start attracting brands that will be located here in advance while construction is underway.

In order to extract a structure that can give them the greatest possible appeal, the developer even forms a separate TF team for design coordination.

In some cases, even the opinions of brands that have already signed a lease agreement are reflected, not just the opinions of the developer.

Everything is the logic of capitalism.

In the case of brands with strong power and recognition that Paramount would also regret.

Creating conditions that they would find attractive from the design stage to attract them can also be a strategy.

So, in today’s meeting, the main agenda was almost these contents.

It was a part that had to be checked and passed at least once before the implementation design started in earnest.

“Hmm… So, Mr. Manager. In the case of the 3rd floor above ground, you are saying that you plan to create a shopping space led by famous clothing brands?” Bruno’s words were immediately translated by the translator, and Mr. Kim from Paramount nodded and replied.

“That’s right, Bruno. Therefore, the A sector area, where the accessibility of elevators and escalators is high, should be filled with industries that can generate as much sales as possible.”

“I guess so.”

“So, if the space in this area is so narrow, it seems a little difficult for us. Major brands will not open stores in such a narrow space.”

And if this story came out, Paramount was the one who was sorry.

Asking world-renowned architectural designer Bruno to change the design for commercial purposes was clearly a regrettable sound.

Of course, Bruno, who was a professional working-level person before being a designer, did not feel particularly unpleasant in that part.

“Hmm. Then I think we need to move the location of the escalator a little bit….”

“I think it would be a good idea to twist the direction diagonally.”

“Well, I don’t think we can talk about this right now. I’ll check it first, so let’s move on to the next agenda.”

And while watching these conversations go back and forth, Woojin was slowly waiting for the right moment to speak.

Coming to this meeting today, there was one thing Woojin wanted to get.