Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 174

The first thing Woojin noticed when he walked into his CEO office the next morning was the blueprint on his desk. But something was missing.

The Golden Print, his magical helper, was gone. Usually, it floated just above the blueprint, a warm, shimmering light that guided his designs. This morning, the space above the paper was empty.

Woojin blinked, wondering if he was imagining things. The Golden Print, vanished? It felt impossible. ‘The Golden Print… it’s really gone?’ he thought, a strange feeling going through him. Where could it have gone?

He quickly checked the other blueprints scattered on his desk, but the Golden Print was nowhere to be seen. Then, a thought struck him. He remembered seeing a familiar golden glow as he drove past the construction site on his way to work. Looking out the window, he could just make out a faint shimmer in the distance, towards where the new building was being built.

“Hmm,” Woojin murmured, a little puzzled. But he was also excited to finally see the 3D rendering of his finished design. He pushed the question of the Golden Print aside for now. The design was complete, and that was what mattered most.

After all, the design had been perfectly completed as of yesterday.

Now all that was left was the construction.

Woojin didn’t know why the Golden Print was still at the site. He thought he had learned everything it could teach him about design.

So Woojin’s attention soon shifted to the monitor, which was turned off in power-saving mode.

When the black monitor turned on, it would show the 3D rendering perspective of the WJ Studio’s new office building, now complete.

‘I hope it turned out well?’

With a pounding heart, Woojin sat down and lightly clicked the mouse with his right hand.

Then, the next moment.

The single piece of architecture containing all of Woojin’s efforts and essence over the past month revealed itself before his eyes for the first time.

“……!”

And for a long time.

Woojin’s gaze, fixed on the monitor, did not waver.

Woojin was only making a guess, but the disappearance of the Golden Print was a phenomenon that occurred when Woojin’s design exceeded the Golden Print’s standards.

The Golden Print, which had disappeared from Woojin’s design overnight, was sucked into Woojin’s perfectly modeled 3D file.

In other words, Woojin’s final design had exceeded the Golden Print’s standards.

Of course, exceeding the Golden Print’s standards does not mean that it is the best and most perfect design.

Design was not a field where one could determine a single answer.

But at least it meant that it could be in the ranks of the best designs, and that’s why the bird’s-eye view that Woojin extracted through 3D rendering was bound to be wonderful.

Even Woojin, who designed it himself, was moved by it.

‘It’s done. It’s really done……!’

Seeing his vague ideas turn into a real picture on the screen, Woojin felt amazed.

He wanted to materialize this design as soon as possible and turn it into detailed design drawings.

He just wanted to quickly break ground on the site and welcome the completed building.

So Woojin immediately called Seokhyun.

He was going to show Seokhyun this bird’s-eye view and then set a specific schedule until construction began.

He also wanted to show it to him first.

Of course, he wanted to show this picture to the other WJ Studio employees as well, but he wanted to show it to Seokhyun first, who had suffered the most with him while creating the office building design.

‘I wonder what Seokgu’s reaction will be.’

Seokhyun was excited to see the 3D design. He hurried to Woojin’s office as soon as he got the call.

The moment he saw the picture on the monitor, he became dazed, just like Woojin when he first saw it.

“……!”

Seokhyun admired the bird’s-eye view with Woojin, keeping his mouth shut for a while.

The first words out of his mouth were:

“Really……. Can we build it like this?”

Woojin smiled and nodded.

“Of course.”

Days turned into weeks as they finalized the plans. Soon, it was August, and the summer heat was intense.

He always felt this way around this time, but this summer seemed to be the hottest.

Thinking that, Jaeyeop ate a simple brunch in front of the air conditioner and got ready to go out after changing his clothes.

It was a rare day without a broadcasting station schedule, but he had an appointment in the afternoon.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen those guys.’

The people Jaeyeop was meeting today were Ria and Suha, and Woojin.

They had become friends as a team on and were now one of Jaeyeop’s closest groups, regardless of the program.

Woojin had already left the program a few months ago, and Ria had also been replaced by another celebrity a while ago due to her busy overseas schedule.

So now had a completely different composition except for Suha, but Jaeyeop was most comfortable with these four original members.

“Oh, hyung. I’m just going to drive my own car today, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

[Don’t drink too much alcohol from next week, Yoon Jaeyeop.]

“I’m meeting Ria and Suha today, so I won’t be drinking much. Don’t worry.”

[Last time I saw actress Im Suha, she was quite the drinker…….]

“……Anyway, don’t worry and take care of your work.”

[Alright.]

Jaeyeop, who had a light(?) conversation with his manager on the way out, drove to Seongsu-dong.

In fact, the four of them were supposed to meet in Sinsa-dong as always, but he had some time left before Ria and Suha arrived.

The traffic wasn’t too bad because it was a weekday afternoon, and Jaeyeop was able to reach his destination quickly.

Seongsu-dong was just across the Seongsu Bridge from Apgujeong, where Jaeyeop lived.

Jaeyeop parked his car in the parking lot of the industrial complex where WJ Studio was located, pulled his hat down low, and headed to the 14th floor.

This was his second time coming to Woojin’s office, but he didn’t have any trouble finding it.

More than half of the 14th floor was WJ Studio’s office, and Woojin’s CEO’s office was right in front of the elevator.

So Jaeyeop easily found Woojin’s office, and he greeted Woojin, who was coming out of the office, with a smile.

“Yo, bro!”

“Hyung, you’re here early?”

“I said I’d come after lunch. But where are you going?”

“Ah, there’s a small event this afternoon.”

“What?”

Jaeyeop, who was listening to Woojin, looked a little embarrassed.

Woojin had clearly told him that he could come during the day, but now he was saying that he had something to do.

Woojin, sensing Jaeyeop’s mood, spoke again with an awkward expression to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Oh, Hyung, you’re here early! I thought you’d go straight to the place.”

Jae-yeop looked confused. “Place? What place? Can I even go there?”

Woo-jin grinned, a playful look in his eyes. “Maybe… the WJ Studio new headquarters groundbreaking ceremony?”

Jae-yeop blinked, still confused. “Groundbreaking… ceremony?”

Woo-jin chuckled and gently steered Jae-yeop back into the elevator. “Oops, nearly forgot something!” He pressed the button to go up again, a friendly smile on his face. “Didn’t I tell you about it?”

Actually, Woo-jin had planned this all along. When he heard Jae-yeop was coming to Seongsu-dong, an idea sparked.

He wanted to invite Jae-yeop to the new headquarters groundbreaking site and ask him to cut the ribbon – a special way to start the building project.

“You didn’t tell me, you sneaky thing!” Jae-yeop exclaimed, surprised and a little playful. “A new headquarters? You’re building a whole building for your company?”

Woo-jin shrugged, trying to act casual. “Something like that.”

Woo-jin wasn’t planning a huge, fancy ceremony like big companies do. But he knew having Jae-yeop, a famous celebrity everyone knew, cut the ribbon would really lift everyone’s spirits at work.

If Jae-yeop did it with Woo-jin, it would be even better! Everyone would be so happy.

‘If Ria or Su-ha *Noona* could have come, the male employees would have been cheering like crazy… But their schedules didn’t work out. Nothing I can do about that.’

Woo-jin quickly explained the plan. Jae-yeop’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Wow, Woo-jin! That’s incredible!”

“What’s so amazing?” Woo-jin asked, trying to downplay it.

“It’s only been just over a year since you started this company!” Jae-yeop pointed out.

“Yeah, so?” Woo-jin replied, still acting humble.

“Starting from nothing, and now you’re building a headquarters? That’s seriously amazing, you know?” Jae-yeop insisted.

Woo-jin chuckled, scratching his head. “Hehe, guess I got lucky.”

Jae-yeop slapped Woo-jin on the back and asked in an excited voice.

“So, a groundbreaking ceremony means you start building *today*?” Jae-yeop asked, making sure he understood.

“Yep, today’s the day we break ground for the first time,” Woo-jin confirmed.

“Wow…! You’re so cool, man!” Jae-yeop exclaimed, clapping Woo-jin on the shoulder.

Jae-yeop was even more excited than Woo-jin expected. Woo-jin scratched his head, a little puzzled. ‘Why is he *this* excited?’ he wondered.

The new WJ Studio building wasn’t going to be huge, not like the towering skyscrapers in Gangnam or Teheran-ro. Maybe Jae-yeop was imagining something much grander.

But Woo-jin was wrong about why Jae-yeop was so happy. It wasn’t just about the event itself.

Seeing his friend, Woo-jin, who was like a younger brother to him, doing so well, growing his company so quickly – that’s what made Jae-yeop feel a deep sense of pride and happiness. ‘He’s really amazing,’ Jae-yeop thought. ‘Truly amazing.’

Jae-yeop had grown up watching his father run a business, seeing the good times and the hard times for over twenty years. He knew how incredibly difficult it was to run a company, to pay so many people and be responsible for their jobs.

Jae-yeop was famous and successful as an entertainer, one of the best in the country. But this business success of Woo-jin’s felt different, somehow more profound.

As they drove to the site in Woo-jin’s car, Jae-yeop kept asking questions, full of curiosity.

“How many floors will the new headquarters have?”

“Thirteen floors,” Woo-jin replied.

“Oh! But isn’t that huge for the number of employees you have?” Jae-yeop wondered.

“Huh?” Woo-jin blinked, confused.

“You wouldn’t even fill one floor of a big office building!” Jae-yeop explained.

“Ah… well,” Woo-jin said, a little sheepishly. “I recently bought a construction company, Seongjin Construction.”

“What?!” Jae-yeop exclaimed, eyes wide.

“So now we have over a hundred employees.”

“Wow! Amazing!” Jae-yeop repeated. “If I’d known, I would have hosted the whole event for you!”

“Hey, it’s really not a big deal…” Woo-jin started to say.

“What about now then? I can still host it, just making it up as I go along! And I’ll even give you a discount – half my usual price!” Jae-yeop offered playfully.

“No, thank you, *customer*,” Woo-jin replied, also playing along.

They arrived at the site. Woo-jin parked in front of a small office building set up for the construction and got out, feeling good about the day.

Jin-tae, who spotted Jae-yeop, rushed over, a wide smile on his face, hand outstretched. “Haha, thank you so much for coming to our little site, even with your busy schedule!” Jin-tae said warmly.

“Little site? You’re the one who’s been working so hard, Jin-tae,” Jae-yeop replied, shaking his hand firmly.

The two, who were of similar age, exchanged greetings comfortably as they already knew each other.

Jae-yeop quickly looked at the simple plan for the ceremony. There wasn’t even a host planned! Without hesitation, Jae-yeop decided to not only cut the ribbon but also host the whole thing himself.

He grabbed the microphone and joked, “[You know, the CEO is really cheap! I’m here volunteering, not getting paid a penny!]” Everyone laughed.

“[I’m not really superstitious… but for a groundbreaking, shouldn’t we have some traditional rituals or a performance or something?]” Jae-yeop continued, playing it up. “That’s right!” someone in the crowd shouted back, laughing.

Jae-yeop hosted the ceremony like a true professional, making it flow perfectly, even though he was doing it all without any preparation.

“[Anyway, CEO, I wish WJ Studio all the best and endless success!]” Jae-yeop announced.

“[Thank you, Jae-yeop!]” Woo-jin replied, smiling.

“[And when WJ Studio becomes famous all over the world for your amazing buildings, I expect you to design my house for me!]” Jae-yeop added with a wink. Everyone chuckled again.

And so, in a warm and happy atmosphere, WJ Studio’s first groundbreaking ceremony came to a successful end. All the managers and employees of WJ Studio, meeting together for the first time since the company joined with Seongjin Construction, all shared the same hope: that their new headquarters would be built beautifully.

By the time everything was finished, it was around 5 PM. Woo-jin had booked a whole restaurant that served delicious meat for a dinner party for everyone that evening. But he had already decided he wouldn’t go.

“Jin-tae, can you handle the dinner party?” Woo-jin asked.

“Sure,” Jin-tae replied. “It’s a good chance for everyone to get to know each other.”

“Call me when it’s over,” Woo-jin said.

“But why aren’t you coming?” Jin-tae asked, surprised.

“It’s better if I’m not there,” Woo-jin explained. “Our current employees are fine, but the new people from Seongjin might feel awkward with the young CEO around.”

It wasn’t just because he had plans with Jae-yeop, Ria, and Su-ha later. He’d made those plans because he didn’t want to go to the dinner party in the first place.

He wanted to give everyone space to relax and get to know each other without feeling like they had to impress the boss. This would help the new team members from Seongjin feel more comfortable joining WJ Studio.

“Okay, if that’s what you think is best,” Jin-tae agreed.

Woo-jin went back to his office, quickly packed up his things from the CEO’s desk, and then got into Jae-yeop’s car, which was waiting outside. He turned to Jae-yeop, who was in the driver’s seat, and said quietly, “Thank you so much for today, Hyung.”

It felt a little awkward to say it out loud, but the words were full of real gratitude.

“You’re welcome,” Jae-yeop replied with a warm smile.

As they drove away, Woo-jin thought about everything that had happened. He realized that the best thing he’d gained since he went back in time wasn’t knowing the future or the Golden Print power, but the good people in his life. Golden Print