Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 22

Wednesday, then Thursday. The week was slowly moving towards the weekend.

Woo-jin’s first week at university had disappeared in a rush. It was all a blur.

Maybe it was because he only had one class for spatial design on Thursday, and Friday was free.

He had spent almost the whole week working on building models. The time just vanished.

Around him, his classmates were having fun, going out for drinks every night, setting up dates. Laughter echoed from the tables nearby.

Woo-jin didn’t really envy them.

Or, it was more that he couldn’t waste time on those things.

He was living his twenties again, and every single day felt too important to lose. He had a second chance at life, and he wasn’t going to waste it.

‘Knowing the shortcut and not using it would be foolish for someone who has come back to the past.’

To build a strong base quickly, even someone like him, who knew the future, had to work incredibly hard.

And so far, things were going according to his plan.

‘I never knew life going according to plan could feel this good.’

But even for Woo-jin, who seemed to be in control of everything, there was one unsolved mystery.

It was the strange ability he had gained when he was reborn. Woo-jin was a ‘returner’ – someone who had lived once before and was now living his twenties again.

Everything was going smoothly because he had come back, but the ability he gained with it was still beyond his control.

Since using the ability at the university’s ‘Design Night’ event, Woo-jin hadn’t seen the golden silhouette even once.

He deliberately looked up architectural blueprints and scribbled on blank paper, but…

The golden silhouette simply wouldn’t appear.

‘How on earth can I use that ability again?’

Of course, Woo-jin was steadily achieving his goals even without that mysterious ability.

But Woo-jin felt it instinctively.

If he could control that ability, he could reach his ultimate goal of becoming a ‘world-renowned architect’ much faster.

However, he decided not to obsess over it.

He had already gained so much from being reborn, and he thought that obsessing over this strange power might consume him.

‘If I keep working hard, I’ll get another chance.’

So, Woo-jin consciously pushed the thought away and focused on building the model with Seok-hyun.

The two of them were so into the model that it was more than just trying to win the project.

They poured all their passion into it, as if they were creating a work of art.

Seok-hyun’s passion was just as strong as Woo-jin’s.

“It’s starting to look like we’re almost done, right?”

At Woo-jin’s words, Seok-hyun shook his head and said,

“Woo-jin.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no such thing as ‘done’ in model-making.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Can you include every detail of the actual apartment that will be built in the model?”

“How can I do that when the model is so small, you’re joking, right?”

“That’s why it never ends.”

“……?”

“You have to keep looking at every little thing until the deadline.”

For example, think about a window frame for the model. Most people would just make a square.

But someone who knows model-making would think about the groove where the window fits. They would include that detail in their work.

And if you’re as detail-obsessed as Seok-hyun…

He carefully designs the model, even thinking about how the window opens and closes, and how the window frame will be attached.

When all that care comes together, the model becomes much better.

“There’s no such thing as a perfectly sharp corner in the world, Woo-jin.”

“What?”

“Even inside a corner, there are many tiny surfaces.”

“…….”

“Let’s carefully smooth a bead of putty to the corners and sand them down.”

Putty is a material used on construction sites. It looks and feels like flour dough.

It’s usually used to attach window frames or connect pipes.

It’s also used to fill in holes before painting walls.

But this putty is also very useful in model making.

If you smooth it on, let it harden, and then sand it a lot, it will shine like metal.

That’s what Seok-hyun was suggesting.

Woo-jin knew how difficult sanding putty was, and he couldn’t help but ask.

“Are we going to do all that…?”

“If we do it, it’ll really look real.”

“Hoo… Okay, let’s do it. Now that we’ve come this far, let’s show them what we’ve got.”

Woo-jin sighed but finally agreed.

The reason he asked Seok-hyun to join him was because of this kind of attention to detail.

Because of this, even though the deadline was moved up, the two of them couldn’t rest all weekend.

And so, the light in Woo-jin’s studio never turned off.

“Can we really finish it now?”

“Great. This is excellent.”

Standing in front of the finished model, Woo-jin and Seok-hyun looked at each other with pride.

If you took a picture with a wide-angle lens and added a realistic background.

The model was so realistic, it looked like a photograph.

The thought that they might not win the project was long gone.

Even Woo-jin, who had worked on countless models in his past life, couldn’t remember making a better one than this.

‘Hoo, I burned myself out…….’

Now, he had other worries.

He was worried that Park Kyung-wan would be so impressed with the sample model that he would demand the same level of quality for the entire project.

‘Damn it…….’

Of course, he planned to maintain the quality as much as possible.

However, Woo-jin was thinking that he should get the highest price for the quality of the model.

‘I’ll have to talk Chief Park into it.’

The two, who had perfectly finished the model, finally put the LED lights inside.

They carefully connected the wires so that white lights would shine from each window.

Click.

The small room went dark, and then, with a soft click, the model glowed. White lights shone from each tiny window, turning the miniature building into a sparkling jewel in the darkness. It felt like looking at a real building at night, but shrunk down to fit on their table.

Woojin carefully put the model in a clear box. Then, he put that box in another box for safety.

Woojin grinned at Seokhyun, who looked confused. Woojin seemed a little tired but happy after finishing the work.

Woojin smiled, packing the last box. ‘Remember when we first met at the meat restaurant?’

Seokhyun answered quickly, sounding annoyed. ‘Hey, don’t make it sound like less! It’s one hundred and fifty.’

Woojin chuckled. One hundred and fifty? He thought about all the hard work they did for a week. It was worth much more than that already.

Woojin then opened his mouth with a confident expression.

‘I’ll make sure you get exactly… three times that, Seok-gu.’

“……!”

“We worked hard on it, so we should definitely get paid for what we’ve done.”

Woojin already knew his model was incredible. He had poured his heart into it, and he knew it was worth a lot.

Now was the time for negotiation again.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the company headquarters…

As usual, after finishing his field work, Park Kyung-wan was leisurely driving back to headquarters.

His expression, as he talked on the phone while holding the steering wheel, looked very bright.

‘Ah, is that so, Team Leader? So, the demolition is nearing completion?’

‘I heard that the sales approval will be issued this week.’

‘Yes. There’s talk of high pre-sale prices, but HUG has given its approval.’

‘Of course, we need to break ground within this month.’

There were several reasons why Park Kyung-wan was in a good mood.

First, the demolition of the Ahyeon 3-2 district, which he had recently secured, was progressing smoothly.

Unlike the Suseo site construction, communication with the client was also very smooth.

But the main reason Kyung-wan was feeling a little excited was because today was Tuesday.

Unlike the past week, his day included an interesting schedule.

Kyung-wan chuckled to himself. ‘Okay, kid, let’s see what you’ve got this time. Hopefully, it’s not another weird surprise.’

For office workers living a predictable, hamster-wheel life, unexpectedness was truly enjoyable and precious.

Kyung-wan had already given up on predicting or judging Woojin.

He thought Woojin might bring an ordinary model, or he might bring a truly high-quality one.

He was confident that no matter what the outcome was today, he wouldn’t be surprised.

‘Well, yeah. He’s a twenty-two-year-old who’s so good at woodworking. It’s not strange that he’s good at making models.’

Screeeech-

Kyung-wan skillfully parked his car in the company parking lot and hummed a tune as he got on the elevator.

He took out his phone from his pocket and saw a text message from the kid.

[Old Man: Manager, I’ve arrived. I’ll order a coffee.]

Kyung-wan smiled again after seeing Woojin’s text.

Thinking about it again, it seemed hard to find a character who fit the word ‘old man’ as well as he did.

‘Now, then, let’s see what kind of thing this guy has brought… Shall we take a look?’

Ding-!

As the elevator doors opened on the second floor, a spacious coffee shop connected to the lobby came into Kyung-wan’s view.

The cafe was large and busy, filled with the smell of coffee. People chatted at tables, and the sound of cups clinking filled the air. Kyung-wan looked around until he saw Woojin sitting near the window.

When he lifted the white case made by neatly joining foam boards, a transparent acrylic box that was perfectly contained inside was revealed.

An architectural model of amazing quality. It was so real, it looked like a tiny building from real life, good enough to be in an art museum.

The model was amazing. The clear box shone, and inside, the building looked perfect. The small trees and walkway looked so real, you could almost imagine tiny people walking there. It was breathtaking.

On the base plate, about 10cm high, maple-colored landscaping was meticulously arranged.

As he moved his gaze along the ocher-colored walkway that stretched into the landscaping, the structure of the first floor of the apartment naturally came into view.

The luxurious open space under the building and the entrance were made of dark gray-brown marble.

The apartment building had 25 floors. The model showed every detail, just like the real design.

Even the most minor structures, so trivial that only those involved would notice, were accurately in place.

Park Kyung-wan, having confirmed it with his own eyes, froze on the spot and couldn’t say a word.

He had thought that he wouldn’t be surprised no matter what this crazy kid did today.

But this was a level that far surpassed the quality of architectural model he had imagined.

‘Is this crazy bastard thinking of setting up some kind of art model in the model house?’

In fact, construction companies hadn’t put much effort into the architectural models they set up in model houses until now.

The main interest of people who came to see the apartments for pre-sale was usually the interior of the model house, which was constructed on a real scale.

The importance of the exterior made as a model was relatively low.

So, the quality of the model that Kyung-wan had expected was also about the level of a moderately professional architectural model that wouldn’t detract from the quality of the model house.

But the moment he saw Woojin’s model, his thinking completely changed.

If he could produce the entire complex to this level of quality.

From the pre-sale promotional flyers to the lobby of the model house, he could use the architectural model much more actively.

He, who had seen so many architectural models, was staring at the model with such a blank expression.

How much more attractive would it be to the average customers who came to the model house?

‘I hate to admit it… but I have to give this guy the job, no matter what.’

Barely escaping from the shock, Kyung-wan turned his gaze towards Woojin.

And Kyung-wan, making eye contact with Woojin, was able to realize one thing.

The moment he faced the architectural model in a defenseless state, he had already lost the negotiation with this old man.

‘Damn it.’

Woojin smiled and opened his mouth at the sigh that flowed from Kyung-wan’s mouth.

‘What’s wrong, Manager?’

Woojin already knew.

What that sigh, spat out as if chewing, meant.

‘How much do you need?’

‘Pardon?’

‘How much would it cost to produce the rest like this, you crazy kid?’

Kyung-wan’s sigh was a mix of being annoyed and really impressed. Woojin smiled, seeing Kyung-wan’s reaction. Then, Kyung-wan started to laugh, shaking his head. Woojin laughed too, feeling proud of his work. It was the kind of laugh you have when you know you’ve done something amazing, and the other person knows it too.