Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 205

Woojin knew time was precious, especially in the fast-paced world of real estate. He was planning something smart, something that would become common practice in the city years later: hiring a top union leader.

Why? Because in big projects, especially when many people owned land together, a strong leader was essential. Think of it like this: imagine trying to get a whole group of people to agree on building a house together. It’s hard! You need someone skilled to guide everyone and keep things moving.

Back when real estate prices jumped up in the 2010s, people realized how valuable these leaders were. A leader like Kwak Hong-shik, who had done amazing work with the Cheongdam Seonyeong Union, could make a huge difference. Some projects, even in the best parts of the city, were stuck because they didn’t have a good leader. So, they started offering big salaries to bring in experts like Kwak Hong-shik.

Woojin was determined to move quickly. He had to get everyone on board before it was too late. He urged Park Kyung-wan to arrange a meeting with Kwak Hong-shik, and within days, they were set to meet.

Under the guise of revisiting the Cheongdam Summit construction site, Kyung-wan and Hong-shik met. Woojin joined them.

Park Kyung-wan greeted him warmly, “Union Leader! It’s been a while.”

Kwak Hong-shik chuckled, turning to Woojin. “Haha, who is this? If it isn’t CEO Seo himself!”

“Is everything alright with the union?” Park Kyung-wan asked.

“Of course. We removed all obstacles, and now all that’s left is to run forward. It feels like I’m finally being rewarded for all the hardships of the past few years. Haha.”

The construction site of Cheongdam Clio Summit buzzed with activity. The demolition was finished, and the foundation work was in progress. Just looking at the prepared site made Woojin’s heart pound.

‘It’s going to be really cool when it’s all built,’ Woojin thought.

The location was excellent, and it was the first apartment complex Woojin had designed himself. Even just seeing the fence around the site, Woojin could imagine the finished building – tall and modern, shining in the sun.

“Okay, you two, put these on,” Park Kyung-wan said, handing them safety helmets. “Come this way.”

Hong-shik and Woojin carefully examined the site, following Park Kyung-wan’s guidance. Although it was just the foundation stage, Woojin observed the distance between the buildings and the elevation of the site.

Woojin was seeing how the parts he had calculated and designed only with numbers actually felt in reality.

“Union Leader, when is the completion date?” Woojin asked.

“We set the construction period to about two years… so, there are about 1 year and 10 months left,” Hong-shik replied.

“Then, we’ll be able to move in at the end of next year,” Woojin said.

“Haha, CEO Seo, are you moving into Summit too?” Kwak Hong-shik asked.

“Well, I think I have to see when the time comes,” Woojin said.

Woojin had sold most of his shares in Summit but still had one unit that he had purchased under his mother’s name.

Since Cheongdam Clio Summit was in the best location, he wanted to keep at least one unit.

Kwak Hong-shik knew that fact, so he asked Woojin if he would be moving in.

“It looks like the complex is huge, maybe because it’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Kwak Hong-shik commented.

“Haha. This is the last building. Come this way,” Park Kyung-wan said.

After finishing the site inspection in a friendly atmosphere, the three of them took Kyung-wan’s car to a quiet and luxurious Chinese restaurant in Apgujeong for an early dinner.

The site inspection was meaningful, but the main point of the day was about to begin.

They sat down and began to pick at appetizers while talking about various issues related to Clio Summit.

After about ten minutes, Woojin subtly changed the subject. “By the way, Union Leader…”

“Yes, CEO?” Hong-shik responded.

“Besides the Cheongdam Seonyeong project site, do you have any other investments?” Woojin asked.

Hong-shik’s eyes showed interest. “Are you talking about redevelopment and reconstruction?”

“Well, not necessarily, but anything related to real estate,” Woojin clarified.

While Woojin was talking, an employee poured tea into their teacups. When all three teacups were full, Hong-shik spoke again.

“I do have a multi-family house in Hannam New Town that I bought a long time ago.”

“Ah, Hannam is good. If it’s a multi-family house, you must have a large share,” Woojin said.

“I just hope it happens within 10 years…,” Hong-shik said.

Woojin knew the future of Hannam New Town.

Hannam New Town had a perfect location. It was considered a good location based on traditional beliefs about nature and harmony, with a mountain in the back and a river in the front. It also had a view of the Han River facing south, making it the best location in Seoul.

Hannam New Town, also known as the ‘King’s Seat’ among redevelopment investors, wouldn’t even break ground properly even in 2020.

From the window, the view stretched from Namsan Mountain down to the wide Han River. It was a beautiful sight, even though strict building rules meant the buildings weren’t as tall as they could be. This area, Hannam, was incredibly valuable. Many people wanted a piece of it, and their interests were all tangled together.

*Hannam New Town will be amazing in a few years,* Woo-jin thought to himself, *but I don’t need to tell him that part.* Not yet.

Even if nothing new was built right away, just the idea of future development kept the land prices in Hannam New Town going up and up. Everyone knew it was a prime location.

“You have a fine piece of property here.”

“Haha, Hannam is indeed a good area,” Hong-shik replied.

After a brief discussion about Hannam New Town, Hong-shik asked again, his voice full of curiosity.

“But why did you ask about my investment properties?”

Woo-jin smiled to himself.

*He’s hooked.*

He continued, his face calm as if it were nothing special.

“Oh, I was just wondering if you happened to have any properties in Seongsu.”

“Seongsu? Are you talking about the Strategic Redevelopment Zone?”

“Most likely. Besides that, Seongsu is mostly industrial land.”

Woo-jin’s voice stayed steady, but as he spoke, Hong-shik started to feel worried.

*That guy. He definitely knows something.*

Hong-shik knew Woo-jin was smart and had good information about real estate. He felt that Woo-jin knew about a great opportunity in Seongsu.

But Woo-jin only talked about simple things, never giving away the important details, which made Hong-shik even more anxious.

Woo-jin, of course, could see that Hong-shik was worried.

*Heh heh, if this old man hasn’t bought anything else… he must have a lot of money sitting around.*

Hong-shik had made a good profit by getting rid of the emergency committee, but not as much as Woo-jin.

It seemed he was still holding onto that money, which would make him even easier to convince.

Woo-jin knew how much someone who loves investing would hate to have money just sitting in a bank account, doing nothing.

Woo-jin started to tempt Hong-shik, little by little.

“Seongsu Strategic Redevelopment Zone is just as good as Hannam.”

Hong-shik nodded, agreeing with Woo-jin.

“That’s right. It’s just across the river from Apgujeong and Cheongdam, and it has one of the biggest parks in Seoul.”

“Exactly. It can attract people from the Gangnam area, and more jobs will be created in the Industrial Development Promotion Zone.”

This time, Hong-shik watched Woo-jin carefully before speaking.

“But, Mr. Woo-jin, Seongsu isn’t the only good place in Seoul, is it?”

Woo-jin smiled and nodded.

“That’s true.”

“And if everyone knows something is good, it’s not special anymore.”

Woo-jin completely agreed with this.

Just because there are plans to build a new station doesn’t mean the nearby real estate prices will automatically go up a lot.

*Because that’s already included in the current price.*

There were many reasons for this, but the biggest was that the development plan might not happen.

Even if the government promised to finish the project by a certain date, it was common for it to be delayed by years, or even more than ten years.

Investing only based on that promise was a sure way to get your money stuck.

So, it was true that it would take some time for Seongsu-dong to improve.

That’s why Seongsu-dong was still cheap.

And Hong-shik was mostly right.

Without Woo-jin, that is.

“That’s right. For real estate to increase in value, there needs to be a clear change.”

At this point, Hong-shik couldn’t wait any longer and had to ask Woo-jin directly.

“You know so much, so for you to suddenly mention Seongsu-dong… you must have good reason to believe something is about to happen there…”

Woo-jin couldn’t help but laugh.

Hong-shik was definitely smarter than Woo-jin had thought.

Because of this, Woo-jin could convince him even more easily.

“You know it when you see it, right?”

When Woo-jin said yes, Hong-shik’s face lit up as he asked again.

“Heh heh. So there was something after all?”

Woo-jin started to tell the story in a low voice.

“Of course.”

As Woo-jin kept talking…

Hong-shik started to get even more excited.

Woo-jin didn’t tell Hong-shik everything.

This had to do with Seoul’s plans, so it was a sensitive topic.

The Seongsu area was already planned for big changes, even before Woojin met with Mayor Gu Yun-kwon. So, it was legal for Woojin to invest there with his friends.

However, regardless of these legal matters, if rumors started to spread, many investors would rush in.

If he didn’t get enough control in District 1, the plan would be ruined.

Woojin’s main goal was to speed up the project in District 1 as much as possible, not just to make a profit.

If rumors spread early and Woojin’s control became weaker, too many people might get involved and ruin the project.

So, Woojin decided to get Hongshik involved first, before explaining everything.

“The integrated redevelopment plan for the Seongsu area will be released soon,” Woojin said.

“An integrated redevelopment plan? What’s that?” Hongshik asked.

“It’s a plan to make all three districts look the same, develop them the way the city wants, and greatly increase how much they could build in the whole area if they agree to those conditions,” Woojin explained.

“I-Is that really true?” Hongshik asked, surprised.

Woojin could have offered even more exciting things, like promising to put the Gangbyeonbuk-ro road underground. But just the idea of building more on the land was enough to convince Hongshik.

Unlike other improvements, increasing how much they could build made the land more valuable right away when the law took effect.

It was a benefit with almost no risk.

“Why is Seoul City giving such a big benefit for this plan?” Hongshik wondered.

Woojin replied quietly, “That part isn’t finished yet, so I can’t tell you the details.”

Hongshik said, “There’s something, isn’t there?”

“Yes, almost definitely,” Woojin replied.

As he listened to Woojin’s story, Hongshik had figured out the whole situation.

But one question remained: Why was Woojin telling him all this?

He clearly wanted something by sharing this information, but Hongshik couldn’t figure out what it was yet.

“So, CEO Seo,” Hongshik began.

“Yes, Chairman Kwak,” Woojin responded.

“Why are you telling me all this? You must want something, right?” Hongshik asked.

Woojin revealed his main point, seeing that Hongshik was eager to know.

“Why else? It’s about showing our partnership again,” Woojin said.

“Hmm…?” Hongshik questioned.

“I don’t know how much you know about the area, but right now, only Districts 2 and 3 are moving forward quickly,” Woojin explained.

“I know. District 1 has been the problem since last year,” Hongshik replied.

Hongshik now had some idea of what Woojin was trying to say.

Woojin pressed his point, “By any chance, are you thinking of being the chairman again this time?”

“……!”

“Imagine if District 1 gets fixed just as this plan comes out… You can see the opportunity, can’t you, Chairman Kwak?” Woojin asked.

Hongshik swallowed hard.

Hongshik remembered the headaches and stress of being chairman before. *Never again,* he had sworn.

If he were chairman a few more times, he felt like he would age several years faster.

But Woojin’s words were like honey, tempting him back into the game.

“You were almost alone in Cheongdam, but this time, I’m here, and so is Director Park,” Woojin continued.

Park Kyung-wan, who had been listening blankly, was startled and protested, “Me? Why me!”

But Woojin continued, ignoring him.

“Chairman Kwak, if you lead, I’ll pave the road like a highway, smooth and fast. Imagine, no bumps, no delays, just a clear path straight to success. I’ll clear every pebble, every obstacle in your way,” Woojin said.

Kwak Hongshik swallowed hard again, forgetting to answer.

Woojin pushed harder, “From starting the group to finishing everything, just a year and a half.”

“……!”

“Let’s aim to sell to the public by the end of next year. We need to work fast,” Woojin urged.

Hongshik, who had led an association before, knew how crazy Woojin’s plan was.

But even so, it seemed believable.

With Woojin’s skills, which could easily handle the emergency committee, it seemed possible even if it was just a year.

“Hooo.”

A deep sigh escaped from Kwak Hongshik’s mouth.

Seeing that, Woojin was certain.

Although Hongshik hadn’t said anything yet, his mind was already made up.