Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 175

The rooftop of Yuria’s Café Fresco in Garosu-gil was buzzing with the happy sounds of people enjoying the evening. The café, which had quickly become a popular place in the city, offered a lovely escape above the busy streets. Four friends had gathered there, meeting up after a long time.

Suha seemed especially excited.

Suha leaned forward, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Hey Ria,” she asked, “did you sell that apartment in Cheongdam yet? The one you bought ages ago?”

Ria shook her head, taking a slow sip of her beer. “Nope, still got it.”

“Really?” Suha chuckled. “I thought you were going to sell it the moment the price went up a little bit!”

Ria smiled faintly. “Well, it kept going up more than ‘a little bit’, didn’t it?”

Jaeyeop whistled, impressed. “Smart move! So, how much is it worth now?”

Ria said casually. “My real estate agent called the other day. Said someone would pay around 1.3 billion won for it.”

Suha gasped, her eyes widening. “Wow! That’s even faster than I thought it would be!”

Ria nodded, then said, “So, I’ve made a decision.”

“Oh?” Woojin asked, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

Ria grinned. “I’m going to move in and live there myself.”

Suha looked surprised. “You said you didn’t have money? Are you going to sell the apartment in Mapo?”

Ria replied, “No. I’m not selling that either.”

Suha was taken aback. “……?”

Ria simply stated, “I’m just going to work harder.”

Woojin commented, “That’s a good… mindset.”

Suha’s excitement was easy to understand. The apartment in Cheongdam, which she had bought because Woojin told her it was a good idea, was increasing in value much faster than she had expected. Because they won the legal problem with the building, the apartment became even more valuable.

Jaeyeop was feeling regretful because he had refused Woojin’s offer back then.

“Ugh… I should have bought one too, even if it was a bit difficult,” he lamented.

Jaeyeop knew about the soaring market price since he was one of the original people who had the chance to buy the apartment.

“See, Oppa? Life is all about timing, you know?” Suha chuckled, sipping her beer. Jaeyeop sighed deeply, regretting putting his spare money in the stock market at the beginning of the year.

Ria, who was benefiting the most from this investment, remained quiet. So, Woojin turned to her.

“Ria, has that big apartment sold yet?”

The apartment Ria had bought was one of the largest in the complex.

Suha answered instead of Ria. “No, it has!”

“Really?” Woojin asked.

Suha continued, “I think it was sold for a lot of money. I heard it was sold a while ago.”

Ria shook her head at Suha’s fuss and said, “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

Suha was puzzled. “Huh? Why doesn’t it matter?”

Ria explained, “No matter how much it’s worth, I’m going to move in and live there anyway. Once I move this time, I’m just going to settle down.”

Ria wasn’t very interested in the rising market price because she was buying a house to live in, not as an investment.

“What’s with you, Noona? You’re so cool?” Jaeyeop chimed in.

“Ria is totally loaded these days,” Woojin added.

“The café is doing well, and the album is doing well, so it’s understandable,” Woojin added again.

Suha giggled and teased Ria. “Wow…! Ria is in a different class, as expected.”

Ria, caught off guard, looked a little wronged. “It’s not like that, really. You guys are really making me sound like that. Actually, isn’t Woojin the one who’s doing the best these days?”

Ria tried to shift the attention to Woojin, but it didn’t work. Everyone there admired Woojin.

“Woojin is an exception,” someone said.

“That’s right. You’re trying to subtly muddy the waters,” another added.

Ria playfully complained, “Tch, so mean.”

The four friends, meeting after a long time, exchanged stories and laughed. They were drinking beer with snacks on the café rooftop, and no one bothered them. This was Ria’s place, and the rooftop was empty for their gathering.

After talking for a while, Ria suddenly asked Woojin, “By the way, Woojin.”

“Yeah?” Woojin responded.

“I forgot to ask you earlier, but when the apartment reconstruction is finished, are you going to move in and live there too?”

Jaeyeop and Suha also turned to Woojin, curious about his plans since they were all going to live in the same apartment complex.

Woojin shrugged. “Well, I have one apartment there, so maybe I will?”

Jaeyeop pressed, “Maybe you will?”

Woojin paused, then smiled. “Well, I’m planning to move this fall. I’m going to live here for a bit and decide when the other apartment is completed. There are still two years left.”

The three friends looked even more interested.

“Oh, really?” one of them asked.

Woojin was known as a real estate expert and architect. They were curious about where he would move.

“Where to?”

“What is it? Where are you moving to?”

They had always wondered why Woojin was still living in an old apartment.

Woojin explained, “Ria, do you know the complex that’s being built near Seoul Forest?”

“A complex, you say…” Ria pondered.

“It’s the place that Seokjung said he was moving to last time,” Woojin added.

“Ah, that place! The one you recommended as a great complex back then?” Ria exclaimed.

Jaeyeop and Suha didn’t understand and tilted their heads. Woojin continued, “It’s called Seoul Forest Classia Forest. It’s being completed this August.”

“Oho,” Ria responded.

“I heard there was a cheap sale recently, so I quickly grabbed it,” Woojin said.

Jaeyeop asked, “Is it a good place to invest?”

“Rather than investment, I just bought it because I wanted to live there,” Woojin replied.

“Really?”

“When I looked into it, it was really nice, and I really liked the location,” Woojin said.

Suha, who was listening, was already searching for it on her phone.

“Hey, the smallest apartment here is quite big?” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Woojin confirmed.

Jaeyeop looked at the map and said, “Wow, it’s really close to your office.”

“Right? After all, work-life balance is the best, isn’t it? It’s even closer to the new office building,” Woojin agreed.

“That’s true, really,” Jaeyeop said.

The three friends searched for information about the complex and made a fuss. They came to a conclusion.

“Then you’re moving in September?” Jaeyeop asked.

Woojin answered, “I guess so?”

Ria and Suha asked almost at the same time, “We’ll definitely be invited, right…? We can look forward to the housewarming, right?”

Woojin was silent.

In that way, Woojin’s new house’s first housewarming guests were decided instantly.

The complex was a significant building in the area. It was the first high-end residential complex built in Seongsu-dong, which used to be an old area with factories. It marked the beginning of the area becoming more modern and trendy.

When it was first available, people wondered about a luxury complex being built in that area. But after 2012, it gained recognition and became known as a luxury apartment.

It was a well-built apartment, but there was another reason. If things went as planned, a popular TV show would start airing in 2013. The complex would be shown as the home of the main character, making it very popular. As a result, the price of the apartments would increase significantly, which is why Woojin was able to buy it without hesitation.

However, it was true that he bought it because he liked living there, not just as an investment. If he only considered the return on investment, it would have been better to buy several other apartments.

‘With the new office building confirmed in Seongsu-dong… There’s no better place for me to live in the future,’ he thought.

He was also planning to give his mother’s restaurant a spot in the office building, so the complex was a well-considered choice.

Of course, living in the same apartment complex with his friends was also appealing, but for now, Woojin couldn’t find a location as attractive as this.

‘Finally moving…!’

And there was one more thing. Woojin remembered a funny story about this complex. The actor who became famous from the TV show actually bought and lived in the complex around the time the show ended. One of his fans bought the apartment across from his with a premium. This was a famous story from Woojin’s past life, and the actor was someone Woojin knew.

‘Will Minwoo really become the main character in the TV show this time?’

Minwoo, a young man who Woojin met at Ria’s party and still occasionally sees, was the actor in this story. It had been a while since Woojin had seen Minwoo, but he might be living next door to him in a few years.

Anyway, Woojin was excited. He was finally moving, which he had been delaying because of work. This was the first time Woojin had invested in himself in the present, not the future.

“I hope my mother likes it…” he thought.

One day in August, Woojin brought his mother to Seongsu-dong without telling her where they were going. It was the day to check the new apartment for any problems before moving in.

“Is this a new apartment?” his mother asked.

“Yes, Mother,” Woojin replied.

“But why are we going in here? Is it okay for us to park here?” she asked.

Woojin smiled. “Outsiders? This is ‘our house’ now.”

“Huh…?” she responded.

“I told you last year that we’d be moving soon. The old apartment was nice, but you should live in a nice house like this now,” Woojin said.

His mother blinked, not understanding at first. But then she realized.

“Then this apartment is…?” she asked.

“I bought it with the money I’ve been saving. I’m going to move here next month… Is that okay with you, Mother?” Woojin asked.

He hadn’t told his mother on purpose, but he had been too busy to talk about it. He was going to show her the apartment today and tell her about it.

His mother was overwhelmed with emotion and choked up.

Woojin also felt emotional at her first words.

“Are we… allowed to live in such a nice house?” she asked.

He could feel her complex emotions in that one question.

“Yes, we are. We can live in even better houses. So, you don’t have to worry,” Woojin reassured her.

Woojin took his mother to the site office, got the key, and entered the apartment. As they passed through the luxurious lobby and got on the elevator, Woojin felt like he was really moving.

‘I’m living in a house like this… I’ve really grown up a lot,’ he thought.

Woojin got off on the 45th floor and opened the front door. The beautiful view of Seoul Forest and the Han River came into their view. Tears flowed from his mother’s eyes.