Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 204

Ujin believed in one thing above all else in business: time was money.

He thought about Kwak Hong-shik, the head of the Seonyeong Apartment Association.

To be honest, Ujin didn’t think much of Kwak Hong-shik at first.

Their first meeting was just a preliminary one, to talk about putting up signs at the project site.

Back then, Kwak Hong-shik seemed like any other association head in areas being rebuilt.

However, while dealing with the troublesome group against the project at Seonyeong Apartment, Ujin worked closely with him.

That’s when Ujin realized Kwak Hong-shik’s true worth.

Even though he was over sixty, his judgment was remarkably clear.

He had the drive and charisma to control the members firmly.

Moreover, he was decisive and skilled, which helped the project move quickly.

If Kwak Hong-shik hadn’t handled everything perfectly, Ujin would still be worrying about the Seonyeong Apartment project.

If exposing the group’s corruption and winning the lawsuit hadn’t been so clean, appeals might still be ongoing, delaying the development indefinitely.

But Kwak Hong-shik moved exactly as Ujin had planned, and in some ways, he performed even better than expected.

Thanks to that, Cheongdam Clio Summit could start construction and even secure sales to the public in early 2012.

Ujin had always admired Hong-shik’s abilities.

Just having an association head like Kwak Hong-shik could speed up a project by several years.

In redevelopment projects, that time could be worth a lot of money.

“Using that old man as a mercenary, what exactly does that mean?”

“It means recruiting him as the association head in Seongsu, an area in Seoul planned for redevelopment.”

“What?”

“Isn’t he the man with the best record, Cheongdam Clio Summit?”

“Well, yes, but… is that even a possible idea?”

“If the Managing Director just sets up a meeting, I’ll take care of winning over the association head. Don’t worry.”

The Seongsu area planned for redevelopment is divided into three zones.

Ujin was trying to recruit Kwak Hong-shik as the association head for one of those zones.

Of course, he needed a share in the Seongsu area to become the association head.

He had to be a member of the association to become the head.

So, to recruit Kwak Hong-shik, he first had to persuade him to buy a share in the zone.

Among the three zones, he would have Hong-shik buy a share in the early-stage zone where the association hadn’t been established yet.

Then, while establishing the association, he would naturally become the head.

Ujin already had a clear plan.

‘The Seongsu area… Zone 1 is probably the slowest right now. It probably has a low rate of agreement for establishing the association. On the other hand, Zones 2 and 3 must have already received approval for the project plan.’

In Ujin’s past life, the Seongsu-dong area hadn’t even started construction by 2020.

So, even 10 years from now, in 2012, the development wouldn’t be finished.

And the biggest reason for the slow development was Zone 1.

Because the project in Zone 1 wasn’t progressing due to a corrupt association head and unwilling executives, the Seoul Metropolitan Government wanted to develop Zones 1, 2, and 3 simultaneously within a single design.

The members of Zones 2 and 3 ended up wasting nearly 10 years waiting for Zone 1.

Developing the area as one was part of the Hangang Renaissance Project.

Because of this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government received a lot of criticism from the members for having an unrealistic project plan.

‘But if Kwak Hong-shik replaces the association head of Zone 1, that won’t happen again.’

Among the three zones, Zone 1 is actually in the best location.

It was the closest to Seoul Forest and had the best public transportation.

So, Ujin was thinking of enticing Kwak Hong-shik to join him in Zone 1.

He was planning to get some wealthy acquaintances to join in and buy shares in Zone 1 together.

If Ujin’s plan worked out, the acquaintances who bought shares here would make a huge profit anyway.

The more shares related to Ujin there were in Zone 1, the faster the development would be.

This was the way to bring happy results to everyone.

‘Exactly half a year. Within half a year, I need to establish an association in Zone 1, finish organizing the traffic, and by the second half of next year, I need to get approval for the project plan with the revised design that includes the undergrounding of Gangbyeonbuk-ro proposed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.’

In fact, anyone with experience in redevelopment would immediately say this goal was impossible.

But Ujin firmly believed he could make it a success.

As long as he successfully recruited Kwak Hong-shik as the association head of Zone 1.

‘If Chunwoong Construction, with Managing Director Park as its key figure, also enters as the construction company…’

Ujin smiled, imagining it.

The construction company, the designer, and the redevelopment association all working together.

If these three elements moved as one, he could definitely succeed in this plan.

After the New Year, Yuria had a lot of free time.

After being incredibly busy, she started a fairly long break for the first time in a while.

She was still getting calls, but she rejected almost every offer.

Once Season 1 of ended, she wanted to be unemployed and rest for about a year.

She knew she should work hard when she had the chance, but she thought she needed to rest sometimes.

‘We’re doing this to make a living, so we need to rest sometimes.’

Unfortunately, even when Yuria had time, her friends didn’t.

Yuria’s friends were mostly celebrities, and most of them were very busy.

But fortunately, she found someone to hang out with today.

So, she was out on Garosu-gil, a trendy street in Seoul, in the middle of the day.

To be exact, it was on the rooftop of her building in Garosu-gil.

They met at Cafe Fresco, a bright and airy cafe on the rooftop.

The two people Yuria met were Seo Yoon-jin and Min-woo, who were actors from the same agency.

Seo Yoon-jin took time out from her busy schedule, and Min-woo was in a similar situation to Yuria until March, when he would start filming.

The three of them met and were chatting excitedly.

“Ugh, I envy you, Yuria. When will I be able to rest like you?”

Yuria smiled and replied.

“Why don’t you rest after this drama is over?”

“No way. My next project is already set.”

“Then rest after that’s over.”

“Sob… Before that, my manager will bring dozens of scripts and shove them in my face.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why are you blaming your manager? I think you’re the problem.”

“That’s right. Actually, I’m the problem. I’m hopeless…”

“Hee hee hee!”

Yuria understood Yoon-jin’s feelings because she also had trouble refusing good projects even when she wanted to rest.

Yuria was a singer, not an actress, but she had been just as much of a workaholic as Yoon-jin.

Yuria had been conflicted for a long time before taking this break.

Ria took a sip of her drink. “Maybe I’m more relaxed because Café Fresco is doing so well,” she thought. “And my investments are finally paying off.”

She looked out at Garosu-gil from the rooftop. The street below buzzed with people and cars, a long line of lights stretching into the distance. The cool air on the rooftop was a welcome break from the warm city.

Buying this building had been smart, but opening Café Fresco here was brilliant.

The cafe was making good money. But the building’s value had gone up even more – over a billion won in just one year, mostly because of the cafe’s popularity.

While Ria was thinking, Minwoo, who had been quietly listening, sighed deeply. “Are you two bragging about how well you’re doing in front of me?”

Ria answered back quickly. “What do you mean?”

“I want to work, but there’s no work for me. I’m stuck being unemployed.”

This time, Yoonjin asked, “Doesn’t filming start in March?”

“Ugh… That’s what I’m worried about. I hope it doesn’t fall apart like last time…”

Seeing Minwoo’s sad smile, Ria and Yoonjin exchanged sympathetic glances.

Minwoo was a talented younger actor in their agency.

Unlike his successful child acting days, he had been unlucky with projects since becoming an adult. Just when things seemed to be going well, something would always trip him up, and he had been on hiatus for six years now. Of course, about four of those six years were due to personal reasons, but Ria and Yoonjin understood why Minwoo had been so gloomy lately.

“Wasn’t the drama you were cast in called ?” Yoonjin asked.

Minwoo nodded. “That’s right, sis. Actually, I was worried because the script seemed a bit childish…”

“And?”

“But the role is great, and Ria recommended it so strongly that I decided to do it.”

Yoonjin’s eyes widened. “Ria recommended it?”

“Yes. Ria did.”

As Minwoo spoke, Yoonjin looked at Ria. It was natural for Yoonjin to be puzzled. Ria had some acting experience, but this was the first time she had ever recommended a project to another actor.

Seeing Yoonjin’s look, Ria spoke casually. “That project? It’s definitely going to be a hit, trust me.”

“Huh? Definitely?”

Ria nodded. “Yes, it is. I know someone who is very lucky with money, and he’s very involved in this project.”

“You’re talking about ?”

“Yep. So, you can relax. It’ll probably be a huge success.”

Ria calmly sucked on her drink with a relaxed face after saying something difficult to understand so casually.

Yoonjin looked disbelieving, and Minwoo, who was sitting across from her, shrugged. “This is how she is, you know?”

“Money ghost? Have you started believing in some strange folk religion while I wasn’t looking?”

“I guess so.”

Yoonjin glanced at Ria and Minwoo, then asked Minwoo again. “Ria aside, did you choose it after hearing that too, Minwoo?”

Minwoo looked awkward. “Well… that’s true.”

Yoonjin asked in a surprised tone, “Are you a believer too?”

Minwoo scratched his head. “I’m not a believer yet… but if this project is a big hit, I might become one.”

“What…?”

“Actually, the person Ria said was lucky with money is someone I know too.”

“Who is it?”

This time, Ria spoke. “You know him too, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You greeted him at the Christmas party last year.”

“Ah…?”

Now Yoonjin could guess who it was. A person quite famous among celebrities, and someone whose name was mentioned every time she met Ria. The face of a famous architectural designer immediately came to mind.

Ria smirked. “Woojin invested in it.”

“What?”

“Not just invested, but he’s even designing the set himself, I hear.”

Yoonjin’s eyes widened. She knew how much money Ria and Suha had made thanks to Woojin, so she suddenly became very interested. Of course, thinking that success in real estate investment would lead to success in drama investment was not a sensible idea. But she had heard so much about Woojin that she couldn’t help but feel tempted.

“Hmm… why do I suddenly feel regret…?”

Hearing Yoonjin’s muttering, Ria looked puzzled. “About what?”

“Actually, I was offered the lead female role in too.”

“Ah.”

“I turned it down because I had another project… Should I have taken it back then…?”

Ria chuckled. She knew it was half a joke, but she understood how she felt.

‘Since hearing that Woojin invested, I was seriously considering visiting CEO Kang So-jung too.’

In fact, Ria had also seriously considered investing in with the money she had saved over the past year.

And as she thought about the money she had saved, Woojin suddenly came to mind.

‘I have a lot of free time these days… Should I go visit Woojin’s office? I could casually ask about investment opportunities while I’m there…’

Ria, who was now an unemployed person with lots of free time, was making plans to visit Seongsu-dong on a whim.