Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 193

Britain and Korea are very different countries.

Woo-jin stepped off the plane and took a deep breath. The air smelled different here, and everything felt… wider. “No mountains,” he thought, surprised.

Seoul was a place where you could see towering mountains just by turning your head slightly, but England was truly a vast plain.

The majestic and beautiful mountain range of Bukhansan was certainly beautiful, but the openness of the endless plains was also breathtaking.

‘More than anything, it feels like I’m abroad.’

And the second thing Woo-jin noticed was that the feeling he got from the roads was different.

Seoul’s buildings were often tall and shiny, made of glass. But London was different. Here, old buildings stood next to new ones. It was a mix of old and modern styles.

It wasn’t necessarily that the streets of London were more beautiful than those of Seoul, but it was an undeniable fact that the scenery had a distinctly different charm.

‘I should avoid taking the subway if possible. I need to capture as much of the scenery of London as possible in my eyes.’

So, Woo-jin decided to spend a bit more money.

He decided to rent a decent car.

Fortunately, there was a fairly large car rental shop near Jayden’s house, and Woo-jin went inside without hesitation.

Then, So-yeon, slightly embarrassed, asked Woo-jin.

“Oppa, don’t you need an international license or something to drive here?”

“Of course. I prepared it in advance.”

“Ooh…!”

When Woo-jin went to rent a car, a subtle expectation appeared on So-yeon’s face.

It was an unexpected date, but it wasn’t a bad start.

Woo-jin, who had entered the store, looked around for a moment and then chose a car.

“Hmm, this car will be good.”

The car Woo-jin chose was a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which Jayden had given him a ride in back in Korea.

So-yeon looked at the car for a moment, then tilted her head and asked Woo-jin.

“Isn’t this the same car that Jayden sometimes drives?”

“That’s right. It was comfortable when I rode it back then.”

“Well, it was comfortable, but……”

Woo-jin scratched the back of his head.

In fact, he was quite drawn to the convertible displayed right next to it, but Woo-jin, who was usually a conservative 40-year-old, couldn’t bring himself to choose it.

“Actually, I was thinking of riding that, but I feel like my face would be too exposed in a convertible.”

So-yeon gave Woo-jin a dumbfounded look at his excuse.

“I don’t think anyone in London will be interested in your face?”

“Still.”

“Besides, there’s not much difference in the rental price……”

“Anyway, I’m going to get this car, so please talk to the employee.”

“Tch.”

So-yeon, pouting her lips, called a female employee nearby and began to speak fluently.

However, there was a strange playfulness in So-yeon’s expression as she opened her mouth.

“Please give me a Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible. The color is… black.”

“Okay, ma’am. Are you talking about this car here?”

When the employee pointed to the convertible to confirm, So-yeon hurriedly shook her head and said again.

“Oh, that’s right, but please don’t make it obvious.”

“Why?”

“Actually, Oppa said he was going to rent an E-Class sedan.”

So-yeon had seen Woo-jin lingering in front of the convertible for quite a while.

She wasn’t particularly interested in or fond of cars, but she somehow wanted to feel good today.

She thought that Woo-jin would eventually like the choice, so she played a little prank.

“Ah, I see.”

The employee, glancing at Woo-jin standing blankly, smiled playfully and said again.

“Your girlfriend doesn’t seem to speak English very well?”

So-yeon flinched slightly at the word ‘girlfriend,’ but she didn’t bother to correct it.

She felt a little strange, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

“Maybe…?”

“Hehe, I understand. I’ll fill out the paperwork and bring it out soon. Have a good time.”

So-yeon, who had conspired with the employee with such a natural expression, had a very satisfied look on her face.

And a little later.

Woo-jin, who had gotten into the convertible with a bewildered expression following the employee’s guidance, asked So-yeon with a sullen expression.

“What, I clearly rented an E-Class?”

So-yeon shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“I know. I clearly asked for an E-Class, but they gave me this? You heard it too, right?”

“I, I think I did……”

Woo-jin, who vaguely understood So-yeon and the employee’s conversation, had no idea that this was So-yeon’s scheme.

Anyway, the car the employee brought out was also an E-Class convertible, so he thought there was some kind of misunderstanding in the communication process.

Still, Woo-jin felt good as he grabbed the steering wheel and headed out of the store.

The Mercedes-Benz convertible, which was wide open except for the front window, gave him a sense of openness that he had never felt while driving a car before.

‘It definitely feels better.’

Woo-jin, who had rented a Mercedes-Benz convertible, headed to Hyde Park with So-yeon.

Just north of Kensington, where Jayden’s house was located.

Hyde Park was huge, like a green city in the middle of London. There were wide paths, big trees, and so much open space, it felt like you could get lost in nature even in the city.

Woo-jin, who had driven up along the main street south of Kensington Gardens, parked his car in a nearby parking lot and entered the entrance to the huge garden.

Hyde Park, which So-yeon wanted to visit, was connected to Kensington Gardens around Serpentine Lake, and since they had plenty of time today, they decided to slowly look around from the bottom.

And the first thing Woo-jin and So-yeon felt when they entered this place was that it was wide, but there were just as many people.

“Wow, why are there so many people on a weekday morning?”

At So-yeon’s exclamation, Woo-jin smiled and retorted.

“They’re all tourists, probably.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Still, there are a lot of people. I was expecting a more relaxed and quiet feeling because it’s a park.”

“I know.”

The two, walking side by side along the main road that crossed the park, soon faced a large lake in the middle of the park.

And So-yeon, who discovered the lake, grabbed Woo-jin’s hand and pulled him out to the side road.

“Do you know the way here?”

“No. I just wanted to walk along the lake.”

“Ah, I see.”

“There don’t seem to be many people on this side. And it’s scenic.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

As they walked along the lake, various sculptures in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park came into Woo-jin’s view.

And what was interesting was that there were so many different animals.

Small shelters built in the medieval Gothic style, and beautiful sculptures with shapes like squares and circles.

And small birds and squirrels that blended naturally in between.

It was ultimately an artificially designed park, but Woo-jin was quite impressed by the way it blended with nature.

Woo-jin, walking side by side with So-yeon, suddenly glanced at her profile as she walked next to him.

He was suddenly curious because she, who was usually talkative like Jayden, was being quiet.

“What are you thinking about so much?”

At Woo-jin’s question, So-yeon shrugged her shoulders.

“Just. The weather is nice. The scenery is nice. It feels like my heart is opening up for the first time in a while.”

Woo-jin nodded at So-yeon’s answer.

Woo-jin also knew very well what she meant.

“I know. The weather is really amazing.”

Of course, he didn’t come to London for sightseeing purposes, but as he put down his work thoughts and walked leisurely like this, he felt like he was on a short vacation.

‘I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve taken a walk so comfortably.’

Unlike Korea, London had many cloudy days, but today the sky was so blue and clear that there wasn’t a single cloud in sight.

And as if she felt Woo-jin’s mood, So-yeon gently pulled on his sleeve and asked.

“I’m glad we came here, right?”

“I can’t say no.”

“Hee hee.”

“But why did you want to come to Hyde Park?”

“I heard about it from a professor in a liberal arts class last year.”

“Hmm?”

“He was studying abroad in England, and he said that he found comfort in Hyde Park whenever he had a hard time during his student days.”

“Ah, I see.”

“He said that walking along the lake made him feel calm and energized?”

“I see.”

“Well, I just remembered what I heard back then, so I suggested we come here.”

“You did a good job. If we go to a tourist spot, it’ll be crowded with people.”

The Serpentine Lake stretched out like a silver ribbon in the sun. Little boats dotted the water, and the sound of laughter drifted across the breeze.

There was even a boat rental facility on one side that rented boats to tourists.

So the two had to walk along the lake for quite a while, and as they walked, they discovered a large sculpture installed on the lake shore.

And that sculpture caught Woo-jin’s eye more than any other sculpture he had seen so far.

‘It’s a pavilion?’

If the other sculptures installed in Hyde Park were closer to installation art, the huge sculpture that appeared before the two was closer to a pavilion with architectural characteristics.

So-yeon was also interested and turned her steps towards it, and the two began to look at it more closely.

“Wow, it’s even bigger up close?”

“I know? It’s almost the same size as the pavilion you designed for Parafield?”

The pavilion, which looked like a large circular tower from afar, gave Woo-jin a different feeling as he got closer.

This was because the unique structural design that was not visible from afar came into view.

A pavilion that connects cubes of various sizes with steel bars, creating a different feeling of pattern like a spider web when viewed up close.

For Woo-jin, who was considering the structure of the pavilion to be installed in Parafield, it was only natural that he found this huge pavilion installed in the middle of the park interesting.

“When you look closely, the pattern of the connected steel bars looks like a honeycomb. Right?”

“That’s right. It seems like they designed each and every one of these separately… Whoever designed it must have worked really hard?”

So-yeon, who was listening to Woo-jin’s story, asked Woo-jin with an interested expression.

“The sizes are all different, so of course you have to design them separately, right?”

“That’s true if it’s like the current model, but if you create it with an algorithm, the shape will be a little different, but you can create a similar feeling.”

“Ah, with Grasshopper that you and Jayden have been studying these days?”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

“Isn’t there a place to install a pavilion in Seoul Forest? Why don’t WJ Studio try this kind of work?”

“Hehe, I’ll do it right away if I get the chance. Should I ask the mayor if I have a chance to meet him next time?”

“Why would the mayor meet you?”

“If I proceed with the project next year, wouldn’t I have a chance to meet him at least once?”

“Is that so?”

Woo-jin, who was a little excited about the unexpected encounter with his field of expertise, continued to explain with excitement, pointing to various parts of the pavilion with his finger.

As he looked at the structure of this magnificent pavilion one by one, he received a lot of new inspiration while seeing some disappointing parts here and there.

However, the two’s untimely heated debate could not last that long.

Someone who approached the two interrupted Woo-jin and suddenly appeared.

“Excuse me, but……”

Was he about sixty years old?

An old gentleman in a dark gray, generous suit and a black fedora.

Woo-jin, who had not noticed him approaching, could not help but be startled.

The old gentleman opened his mouth again towards him.

“Are you two perhaps architectural designers?”

The old gentleman had a blank face, but Woo-jin could feel it.

The fact that his face was slightly hardened.