Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 155

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy!” a man groaned, the sound heavy with frustration. Right away, it was like a signal. Shouts broke out all over the small, stuffy meeting room.

“Hey, are you guys crazy? Are you dropping your prices too low?” someone yelled.

“Not me!” another voice shot back. “I’m not selling for less than a billion won, never have!”

With every word, the noise grew louder, angrier. The air in the room thickened with tension, like a storm about to break.

“We have to hold out at least at the billion won mark,” someone insisted.

“What if the lawsuit results come out and all the buyers turn away? What are you going to do then?” another person worried.

“Are there any potential buyers right now?”

“I think there are one or two,” came a hesitant reply.

“…! Which real estate agency is it?” someone pressed.

“I’ll tell you after I sell my property first,” the voice retorted.

“Ugh… Hey, Mr. Kim!”

It was more chaotic than a flea market.

People pointed fingers, their faces red and sweaty in the stuffy room. The air was thick with angry words and the smell of old coffee.

Above the shouting, Kwon Soon-hyun watched, a small smile playing on his lips, though inside he was far from amused.

‘Honestly,’ he thought, shaking his head, ‘these people are impossible!’

It wasn’t that the members of the emergency committee and the union members were arguing with each other.

The people of the emergency committee, who were all on the same side, were fighting with each other, telling each other not to lower the prices of their properties.

‘If only they had sold when I told them to. Tsk.’

Until recently, some of them had made fun of Kwon Soon-hyun for selling his apartment a year ago.

But what about now?

The price had risen by about 100 million won after Kwon Soon-hyun sold, but now it had fallen back below the price he had sold it for.

Moreover, that was just the asking price; to actually sell, they might have to sell it for more than 100 million won cheaper.

So, Soon-hyun was annoyed with the people raising their voices now.

But on the other hand, he understood them.

In the first place, the people arguing now were very indecisive individuals.

‘They don’t really want the building project, but they agreed to it anyway. They were stuck in the middle, not fully against it, and not really for it.’

When a group is first formed to rebuild an area, they need agreement from most people living there.

People who don’t agree in the end are not part of the group. They just get money for their property instead of a new home.

But the people who were fighting in front of Kwon Soon-hyun, the current chairman of the emergency committee, were all supporters of the emergency committee and, at the same time, still part of the union.

They didn’t really want the building project, but they agreed to it anyway.

So, in fact, they were stuck in the middle, not fully against it, and not really for it.

Of course, it was because of them that he was able to set a grand trap for the union leader, but still.

‘Let me be patient, be patient. I have to calm them down and hold the meeting.’

Kwon Soon-hyun didn’t care how much they sold their apartments for.

He just wanted them to shut their noisy mouths and focus on the meeting.

“Everyone, let’s not be so overjoyed or disheartened. It’s time for the meeting now.”

At Kwon Soon-hyun’s words, one of the men, his face red, raised his voice.

“Aren’t you speaking too carelessly just because it’s not your property, Chairman?!”

Soon-hyun was furious, but he held back his anger and spoke again.

“If we win the lawsuit anyway, does one or two hundred million won even matter?”

“Ahem…”

“You’ll each get at least two billion won in settlement money, no matter how little. Don’t be too disheartened… Sell them off quickly, even at a low price. Especially Professor Park, don’t you have the most shares among us?”

“A, ahem.”

“The person who will earn the most if we win… Let’s focus on the meeting first.”

Soon-hyun’s words were not wrong, so the noisy room became quiet for a moment.

And as the atmosphere finally seemed to be settling down, Soon-hyun’s mouth opened calmly again.

“The trial is next week, everyone.”

“We know.”

“The parts we need to prepare carefully until then are…”

But just when it seemed that the meeting was finally proceeding normally.

Ring ring ring-!

Someone’s cell phone suddenly started ringing loudly….

“Chairman, just a moment…!”

One of the people who had been arguing loudly until just now picked up the phone and dashed outside.

“Mr. Yoon!”

“J, just a moment! It’s a call from the real estate agency…!”

Soon-hyun, watching his retreating figure, felt like smacking him in the back of the head.

“Haaa….”

A call came from Mr. Kim, the president of Cheongdam Real Estate.

[President! It’s as you said!]

“Yes?”

[Do you perhaps remember the 13th-floor unit in building 205?]

“Th, the 33-pyeong unit?”

[Yes, President.]

“Did the price go down?”

[Yes. As you said, it has come down to the mid-900 million range. I received a text saying they would sell for 960 million.]

“960 million, huh….”

[How about I set up an appointment for you?]

“Hmm.”

[I don’t think it will go lower than this.]

“It’s definitely cheap.”

[That’s right. The price has dropped by 200 million in a short period of time… Would you like to proceed?]

With the trial just a week away.

The price of Seonyeong Apartment had fallen a lot, but it had not yet reached the price that Woo-jin wanted to pay.

Woo-jin wanted to pay about 850 million won, but the lowest price anyone was asking was 960 million won.

‘Should I make a low offer and proceed with the first deal for now?’

In fact, real estate prices don’t usually fall forever if no one is buying or selling.

Sellers usually look at the most recent sales prices when they list their properties. But if the last sale was at a high price, there’s a limit to how much they can lower the price, even if they want to sell.

So, a property has to be sold at a low price for other properties to be listed at even lower prices.

But since no properties were being sold, the price drop was smaller than Woo-jin had expected.

‘Rather than waiting any longer… I should take action now.’

Woo-jin’s mind raced.

Woo-jin leaned back slightly, a faint smile touching his lips. He knew their desperation. He could smell it in the air, thick as the dust motes dancing in the afternoon sun. He was in control now.

He was confident that he could buy the property listed at around 960 million won for about 50 million won cheaper if he made a low offer.

And if this property is sold for just over 900 million won.

That would be the starting gun.

The starting point for the prices of the properties to flow down.

“Set up an appointment, Mr. Kim.”

[Ah, I understand!]

“Let’s meet and negotiate a little more.”

[Yes! You made a good decision. Then, what date should we set…?]

Woo-jin thought for a moment and then answered.

“Two days from now would be good.”

An appropriate time for the seller to feel psychologically pressured.

Woo-jin, who had mentioned the date two days from now, added one more word after that.

“Ah, and Mr. Kim.”

[Yes, President.]

“Tell them that I will only sign the contract if there are no cheaper properties coming out within two days.”

It was a ploy for negotiation.

Real estate agent Kim thought that this customer was very unique.

When you talk to him, he has a wealth of knowledge about real estate and seems to have a lot of money, but he looks like he’s only in his 20s, no matter how high you estimate his age.

What’s even more surprising is that after the rumors spread, the market price of Seonyeong Apartment is really going the way this person said it would.

So, Mr. Kim thought that he had to hold on to this customer very tightly.

Based on his past experience, this kind of unique customer was either a jackpot or a bust.

Mr. Kim, who was usually quick-witted, trusted his eyes.

“Okay, I think I’ve got everything….”

Mr. Kim, who had carefully prepared the documents for the real estate contract, organized them in a file and put on his coat.

Then, his eyes briefly touched the contract, and he muttered in a small voice.

“To sign a contract for a 30-pyeong unit in Seonyeong Apartment for 900 million won… I would have done one if I had the money.”

Mr. Kim was heading to a local real estate agency about 10 minutes away from his office.

The seller’s property was listed there, so they decided to proceed with the contract there.

Mr. Kim practically bounced towards the real estate office, his steps light with excitement.

The situation of Seonyeong Apartment right now was that the buyer had no choice but to be completely in control.

Mr. Kim, who was almost the only one among the local real estate agencies to have potential buyers, was naturally at ease.

Ding-

As the door opened and he entered the real estate agency, the seller was already there.

Mr. Yoon sat hunched forward, his hands twisting in his lap. Worry lines etched deep into his face made him look older than his years. He hadn’t slept well in weeks, the fear of losing everything gnawing at him.

‘He must be anxious… No buyers have come out at all for the past two or three weeks.’

Mr. Kim, who sat down, exchanged simple greetings with the seller and sat down.

And after a while, Woo-jin arrived.

“Ah, you’ve arrived, President.”

“Yes, Mr. Kim. It’s been a while. Haha.”

He greeted Mr. Kim pleasantly, and before sitting down, he shook hands with the seller as well.

Mr. Kim glanced at him with a suspicious expression.

‘I wonder what he’s going to do from now on.’

If there are no particular issues, the transaction will naturally proceed at the price of 960 million won that the seller mentioned.

But Woo-jin had clearly said that he would negotiate a little more on the spot.

Mr. Kim was curious about how he would naturally pull off the negotiation.

‘Is he thinking of cutting it down by a few hundred million won?’

While Mr. Kim was thinking that, the usual and ordinary real estate transaction procedure proceeded with the explanation of the seller’s real estate agency.

“Haha, then first check the registry… As you can see, there are no collateral mortgages set up other than the leaseholder.”

But as time went by, Mr. Kim couldn’t help but have a slightly puzzled expression.

Woo-jin, who said he would negotiate, was just listening to the real estate agency’s explanation and nodding his head.

‘What’s this? Did he give up on negotiating?’

But, just as Mr. Kim was tilting his head like that.

Woo-jin, who had been quietly nodding his head, finally opened his mouth for the first time.

Not to the real estate agent who was explaining the contract, but directly to the seller.

“Ah, but you know, Mr. Yoon.”

When Woo-jin suddenly spoke, the seller, Mr. Yoon, answered with a sullen expression.

“Yes…? Please speak.”

Woo-jin, who glanced at him slightly, pointed to one side of the contract with his finger and opened his mouth.

“Here, if you look at the balance payment date. It’s set for two weeks from now….”

“Th, that’s right?”

“Ah, Mr. Yoon, about the payment date… two weeks is a bit tight for me, you see. Things are a little… complicated on my end right now.”

“I, is that so?”

As Woo-jin’s words continued, cold sweat ran down Yoon’s spine.

“I can only pay the balance if another property of mine is sold now… Could you perhaps set the balance payment date after April?”

“…!”

Woo-jin, talking about adjusting the balance payment date with an innocent expression as if he didn’t know anything.

As soon as those words were finished, silence fell for a moment.

And at the same time, real estate agent Kim felt goosebumps all over his body.

‘Crazy…! He’s using this situation like this?’

The moment he heard those last words, he could accurately understand how Woo-jin was trying to negotiate.

‘April is after the trial. If the balance is postponed until then, it will be difficult for the seller.’

The seller, Mr. Yoon, is someone who believes that the emergency committee will win.

From his point of view, if the balance is pushed back after the trial.

He can’t help but think that Woo-jin will pay double the contract money and break the contract with double compensation.

Mr. Yoon will naturally try to move up the balance payment date, and now that will be Woo-jin’s weapon.

A powerful weapon to negotiate the price.

Real estate agent Kim felt that this situation was too exciting.