Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 188

In Woo-jin’s memory, Gu Yun-kwon was a remarkable man.

In 2011, people often called him ‘The youngest mayor of Seoul’.

But in 2030, before Woo-jin went back in time, he was known as ‘The best mayor of Seoul in history’.

He became mayor in 2011 and stayed in office until 2019. Most people thought he would easily win if he ran for a third term, but he didn’t.

Woo-jin wasn’t very interested in politics and couldn’t remember why he didn’t run.

However, Woo-jin clearly remembered one thing.

“He made Seoul a beautiful city. I’m sure of that, even if I don’t know anything else.”

The slogan “Design Seoul” wasn’t new. Mayor Jo Hun-young, Gu Yun-kwon’s predecessor, first used it.

But Mayor Jo Hun-young, though ahead of his time, wasn’t seen as the best mayor. His projects, like the Hangang Renaissance project (aimed to revitalize the Han River area in Seoul) and Design Seoul, were the basis for Mayor Gu Yun-kwon’s success.

However, when Mayor Jo Hun-young was in office, these projects had as many problems as benefits.

For example, the Floating Islands of Banpo Hangang Park, finished in 2011, and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, still being built in 2011.

Even buildings that later became famous for their design weren’t used properly at first. They were ignored for a while, and many people criticized them, saying billions of won had been wasted.

Mayor Gu Yun-kwon, who became mayor after Mayor Jo Hun-young, learned from Mayor Jo’s work. He made sure to reduce the bad parts and increase the good parts of the projects.

Simply put, he finished the city projects that Mayor Jo Hun-young had started with idealistic goals.

He also showed he could do even more to make Seoul an even more beautiful city.

Of course, not everyone agreed with everything Mayor Gu Yun-kwon did. But Woo-jin, who worked in construction, thought he was the best mayor ever.

“If someone else had been elected instead of Mayor Gu Yun-kwon… Other things might have been better, but the urban development plans for Seoul, starting with the Hangang Renaissance, wouldn’t have been completed as well as they were in my past life.”

That’s why Woo-jin was so surprised by this unexpected meeting today.

Mayor Gu Yun-kwon, the Mayor of Seoul, was even more impressive to Woo-jin because he knew the future.

It was hard to believe that he was visiting the completion ceremony of the first building Woo-jin designed.

Woo-jin stopped walking for a moment, surprised.

Then, the others noticed Woo-jin’s group first.

“Oh, who is this!”

“Hmm…?”

“Bruno! It’s been a while!”

Ahn Jung-mook, the chairman of the Design Foundation, saw Bruno and jumped up happily.

Professor Yoon Chi-hyung, who was next to him, also stood up. Seoul Mayor Gu Yun-kwon, sitting across from him, did the same.

Woo-jin was even more embarrassed by this sudden event, but he quickly gathered his thoughts and walked over to them.

Yoon Chi-hyung greeted Woo-jin warmly first.

“Oh, Woo-jin’s here.”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you for coming all the way here even though you’re busy…”

“Haha, this is important for our department, so I had to come. Professor Jo Woon-chan couldn’t come because he was busy, and he asked me to say sorry.”

“Haha, don’t worry about it.”

Ahn Jung-mook, after greeting Bruno, shook hands with Woo-jin.

“Haha, CEO Seo. You’ve arrived. We met briefly before, right?”

“Yes, Chairman. It’s been a week since I saw you last. Haha.”

“The finished nursing home is really impressive.”

“You’re too kind.”

While greeting Ahn Jung-mook, Woo-jin was introduced to Seoul Mayor Gu Yun-kwon.

“Too kind? Hehe. I mean it. SPDC’s reputation has improved even more thanks to CEO Seo. Right, Mayor?”

Woo-jin looked to the side and met Gu Yun-kwon’s eyes.

“Of course, Chairman. It’s even better than I expected after seeing it in person.”

Gu Yun-kwon smiled and shook hands with Woo-jin.

“Nice to meet you, Designer Seo. I’m Seoul Mayor Gu Yun-kwon.”

If Woo-jin was embarrassed, Jayden and So-yeon were so surprised they almost fainted.

Jayden had never seen Gu Yun-kwon’s face, and So-yeon just thought he looked familiar.

They were so surprised because they never imagined the Mayor of Seoul would come to the completion ceremony of the building they designed.

“I’m Jayden…”

“Haha, nice to meet you, Jayden. You speak Korean really well.”

“I’m Han So-yeon, a student in the Department of Spatial Design at K University.”

“Nice to meet you, So-yeon. The nursing home’s design was really impressive.”

“T-thank you, Mayor!”

Woo-jin chuckled as he watched the two who were frozen and confused.

He knew how surprised they would be because he was embarrassed himself.

But luckily, the conversation with the two didn’t last long.

Bruno was the most important person in Woo-jin’s group.

Gu Yun-kwon, who was interested in architectural design, knew Bruno.

Gu Yun-kwon greeted Bruno in fluent English.

“I heard you were a judge for SPDC last year, but I didn’t expect you to come here. I’m Seoul Mayor Gu Yun-kwon.”

“I’m Bruno, an architectural designer. Nice to meet you, Mayor.”

After a short conversation, Woo-jin’s group sat down next to the three.

At first, the conversation was mainly about Bruno and Mayor Gu Yun-kwon, but soon it turned to Woo-jin.

After all, Woo-jin, Jayden, and So-yeon were the main focus of today’s event.

And Woo-jin was like their representative.

“Designer Seo, or should I call you CEO?”

Woo-jin replied awkwardly to Gu Yun-kwon’s question.

“You can call me whatever you like, Mayor.”

“Haha. Then I’ll say CEO, since that’s more natural for me.”

Gu Yun-kwon’s eyes lit up slightly as he looked at Woo-jin again.

He already knew about Woo-jin before coming here. He had heard stories from Ahn Jung-mook, the chairman of the Design Foundation.

Gu Yun-kwon had also watched .

Woo-jin didn’t fully realize it, but he had become quite famous while appearing on and growing WJ Studio.

“You’re really amazing at such a young age. When I first heard that CEO Seo was a sophomore in his early twenties, I thought the chairman was joking.”

“You’re too kind. Aren’t you the youngest mayor of Seoul, Mayor?”

“Haha. I guess I am.”

Every time Woo-jin and Gu Yun-kwon spoke, Gu Yun-kwon was surprised. The conversation flowed smoothly, and he couldn’t believe he was talking to a sophomore in his early twenties.

“If I just heard him talking, I’d think he was the same age as me.”

After a few polite compliments, the conversation turned to business.

They talked about the project related to the 12th Living Fair, which Woo-jin had recently started with Bellostonez and KSJ Entertainment.

Mayor Gu Yun-kwon had directly promoted this event after taking office, so he wanted to discuss it with Woo-jin.

“I heard that CEO Seo suggested combining the Living Fair and the K-STAR Festival to the chairman.”

The K-STAR Festival, or KSF, was a K-POP event hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency.

Woo-jin suggested adding to the Living Fair exhibition, which was this KSF.

Woo-jin nodded in response to Gu Yun-kwon’s words.

The fact that the Mayor of Seoul brought this up to Woo-jin first was a great opportunity for Woo-jin, depending on how he used it.

“That’s right, Mayor. I’m in charge of designing the drama set for this time, and the concept of this set is well suited to Korean yet futuristic architecture.”

“Oh, really?”

Woo-jin started with a story that Yun-kwon would find interesting and spoke smoothly.

“I heard from the chairman that the purpose of this Living Fair is to promote the excellence of Korean spatial design internationally.”

“You’re exactly right.”

When Gu Yun-kwon nodded, Woo-jin continued.

“Usually, people think of traditional architecture when they think of Korean architecture. But if we can show a futuristic space while keeping the beauty of traditional architecture, I thought it would fit the goal of the Living Fair.”

Yoon Chi-hyung was amazed as he watched Woo-jin explain the story.

“I knew he was special… His success in business wasn’t just luck.”

He already knew about Woo-jin’s design skills, but this was the first time he saw him show such excellent business sense.

Everyone was focused on Woo-jin’s story, and Woo-jin continued to speak.

“It’s also a time when Korean culture is spreading, and Korean dramas are becoming as popular overseas as K-POP… I wanted to connect architecture with content through a drama set.”

“Content and architecture… They seem like unrelated fields, but after hearing CEO Seo’s story, it seems possible.”

“In the end, isn’t enjoying good architecture and good space also a form of content?”

“Haha, is that so?”

“The timing is right, and the reason is right. I think it’s a project that can create a lot of synergy.”

“The reason is right…”

“I mean that the drama set’s concept fits the purpose of the Living Fair.”

“I see what you mean.”

Gu Yun-kwon sat up straighter as he talked to Woo-jin.

He wasn’t slouching before, but he wanted to listen to Woo-jin’s story more carefully.

His opinion of Woo-jin also changed a little.

“I thought he was a rookie with potential…”

No matter how special Woo-jin was, Yun-kwon still saw him as a young designer in his early twenties.

Even if he thought he had great potential, it was hard to see him as more than a ‘rookie designer’.

But now, Yun-kwon’s thoughts were changing.

The Woo-jin he saw now was already a complete designer and businessman.