Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 145

Bruno said, a small smile playing on his lips, “Looking forward to it.”

Woo-jin tilted his head. “To what?”

“This pavilion of yours. The one you’re designing.”

Bruno chuckled softly. “Aren’t you even a little worried? If it’s not good, people might think my overall design is bad too.”

Woo-jin leaned back in his chair, a confident glint in his eyes. “Worried? No. Curious? Definitely. Excited? Even more so.”

Bruno laughed, a short, breathy sound. “Ha, ha… Well, you’re certainly confident.” He stood up, extending his hand. “Thanks for today, Woo-jin. Let’s talk again when things really get started.”

Woo-jin shook his hand firmly. “Thank you, Bruno. And thank you for your hard work too.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The meeting ended well.

Manager Kim from Paramount liked Woo-jin’s idea. Because of this, the rest of the meeting about the design went well too.

Of course, Manager Kim wasn’t a design expert. He was from the planning department. So, they would need more meetings with the design team to talk about the details.

But they had agreed on the main points and direction for the design changes.

It was also good that the new design wasn’t too different from Bruno’s original plan.

Manager Kim promised to keep changes to Bruno’s design concept to a minimum.

‘It’s good that a decent person replaced the old one.’

Sometimes, the design that wins a competition can change a lot during the project.

This often happens because the people paying for the project often change their minds while the project is going on.

But with this promise from Manager Kim, they wouldn’t have to worry about that.

So, Woo-jin could stop worrying about the design.

Now, he could focus on the pavilion.

‘Okay, the meeting went well. Now I just need to design a great pavilion, right?’

If he only cared about money, he would make more from helping Bruno with the overall design than from building the pavilion.

Parafield cost a little less to build than Cheongdam Seonyeong. But unlike the Cheongdam Seonyeong project, where he only did the basic design, he would be involved in the detailed design here.

He hadn’t figured out the exact amount, but it would be a lot of money, maybe millions of dollars, just for his company, WJ Studio.

But Woo-jin was happier about building the pavilion than getting the design rights.

In the main project, WJ Studio was helping Bruno. But with this pavilion, it would be the other way around. Woo-jin and WJ Studio would lead, and Bruno would give advice.

Also, he was very excited because it was something new for him.

‘I can do it well. No, I have to do well.’

Woo-jin was sure he could design a pavilion that people all over the world would admire.

That’s why he was so confident when he offered the blank check deal.

After the meeting, Woo-jin walked back to his office, the city sounds fading behind him as he stepped into the cool, quiet space of WJ Studio. The glow of computer screens lit the desks where his team was still working. He began to carefully write down everything that happened that day.

He needed this information for the weekly meeting next Monday to create a team for the pavilion design.

He needed to organize the information so his employees could easily understand it.

“Good. This seems like enough for the meeting…”

He also asked some employees to find examples of pavilions from famous designers.

He needed examples of pavilions from famous designers to show his team what he was thinking.

After finishing everything, Woo-jin picked up his phone before leaving work.

There was one person he really needed help from for the pavilion design.

He sent him a text message.

[Professor, I need your advice. When is a good time to talk?]

The concept of a pavilion wasn’t very common in the Korean construction business yet.

There had been sculptures in front of buildings and in lobbies for a long time, but they weren’t usually called pavilions.

Manager Kim from Paramount only understood the word pavilion because of Woo-jin’s explanation.

So, he thought Woo-jin was building something like a sculpture, but he didn’t really understand what it was.

So how could Woo-jin be so sure he could design a pavilion, something that wasn’t well-known in Korean architecture?

And how could he want to create a design that people all over the world would admire?

Of course, he had a good reason to be confident.

His confidence came from one person.

“Ah, Professor. Can I visit you this weekend?”

[Yes. I don’t know what you need, but let’s eat together.]

“I’ll come to you, Professor.”

[No. There’s not much around my house… I have something to do in Samcheong-dong on Sunday. How about we meet there?]

“That’s great! What time should I go to Samcheong-dong on Sunday?”

[Around one o’clock.]

“Thank you, Professor! I’ll find a good restaurant!”

[I like a place called ‘Sodam.’ How about I make a reservation there?]

“Sounds good!”

Professor Jo Woon-chan was a professor in the Department of Spatial Design at K University and would win the Pritzker Prize in the future.

He was also the most interested person in Korea in digital architecture and had world-renowned skills in that area.

Professor Jo Woon-chan was a reliable supporter, and that was one reason Woo-jin was so confident.

‘If I ask for advice on digital architecture for the pavilion… he’ll be very happy.’

K University was a famous design school, but most professors weren’t very interested in new types of architecture.

Except for Professor Jo Woon-chan, the other professors were older, and not many knew how to use the new tools.

So, Professor Jo Woon-chan always needed someone to share his interests with. Woo-jin wanted to become closer to Professor Jo Woon-chan this time.

Woo-jin knew that Jo Woon-chan was more like a scholar who loved design than someone who wanted fame or money.

So, if Woo-jin asked for help, he would give it without asking for anything in return.

‘Of course, I’m not just going to take his help and forget about it.’

Woo-jin would design the pavilion himself, but Professor Jo Woon-chan’s advice and help were very important.

So, after the pavilion was finished, Woo-jin planned to give Professor Jo Woon-chan credit as a supporter and as his supervising professor.

That would also help Jo Woon-chan a lot.

Even without Woo-jin’s help, Jo Woon-chan would become a famous architect after the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) was built.

But before that, the pavilion would help him become more well-known as a professor at K University.

Woo-jin thought it was his duty to help Jo Woon-chan since he was asking for his help.

“There’s a Digital Design class in the second year… The reason and timing are perfect.”

Woo-jin felt very happy because his plans for the pavilion were falling into place.

Of course, even with Professor Jo Woon-chan’s help, learning the design tools wouldn’t be easy.

But at least he would enjoy learning.

This was something Woo-jin had always wanted to do.

‘It’ll take at least three months to finish the detailed design. If we start building in May, it should take about two years… The pavilion design should be finished by the end of this year.’

In Korea, digital architecture wasn’t well-known yet.

Even before DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) was finished, he thought he could become known as a designer in that field.

The work hadn’t officially started yet, but Woo-jin’s heart was already racing.

It was like when he first started WJ Studio. He felt excited again.

Maybe that’s why time went by so fast.

He finished his weekly tasks, and Saturday passed quickly even though he didn’t do anything special.

And at noon on Sunday…

Woo-jin was driving to Samcheong-dong, his heart pounding.

2010 was a special year for Jo Woon-chan.

He became an assistant professor at K University at a young age and quickly became famous.

He became a full professor at the youngest age and taught his first students that year.

K University’s Department of Design was a good place for him because he could teach great students.

But what Jo Woon-chan liked most was that he could study more deeply because of the school’s excellent resources.

“Looking back, choosing K University… was a really good choice.”

He had a great year and loved K University even more.

He also cared about his students.

He enjoyed teaching his students what he had learned while studying abroad.

And some of those students were special.

“Seo Woo-jin… I don’t know what kind of guy he is.”

In 2010, the biggest topic at K University’s Department of Spatial Design was Seo Woo-jin.

He was a freshman who beat students from other schools and even older students to win the SPDC Grand Prize.

He started a business at the beginning of the semester and succeeded. He even appeared on TV as an ‘expert.’

Seo Woo-jin was an unusual student who kept succeeding in unbelievable ways.

Some professors didn’t like Seo Woo-jin because he didn’t come to class, but Jo Woon-chan didn’t care.

Woo-jin always came to Professor Jo Woon-chan’s classes.

He studied harder and was more passionate than anyone else in his classes.

Jo Woon-chan didn’t care what other professors thought of Woo-jin.

“I guess he didn’t want to listen because he knew everything.”

Also, the people from the 3D graphics company that he had introduced to Woo-jin praised him highly.

They said he was a smart, passionate, and polite young man.

So, Jo Woon-chan thought Woo-jin was a great student.

“I wonder why he suddenly wanted to see me… I’m really curious.”

Jo Woon-chan had other plans for Sunday, but he canceled them because of Woo-jin’s call.

From what Woo-jin said, it seemed like he wanted to talk about something important related to his work.

He didn’t show it, but he was very curious.

Since he wouldn’t see Woo-jin at school during vacation, he wanted to meet him and hear the story as soon as possible, even if it was just for a day.

So, Woon-chan quickly finished his appointment on Sunday morning and arrived at his favorite restaurant in Samcheong-dong, ‘Sodam,’ 20 minutes early.

About 10 minutes after Woon-chan arrived, Woo-jin’s car pulled into the parking lot of ‘Sodam.’