Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 225

Woojin climbed the stairs to Seokjung’s apartment. It felt like ages since his last visit, even though they lived in the same building, just floors apart. Life had been too busy for both of them.

This wasn’t planned. A quick message, a free evening, and suddenly, they were meeting for a beer.

[Woojin, are you off work yet?]

[Yes, Hyungnim. I’m on my way home now.]

[If you don’t have anything special to do tonight, would you like to have a beer?]

[Are you at your house, Hyung?]

[Seokho came to visit our house today. I thought it would be nice if you could join us if you have time, so I called.]

[Oh, really? I’d love to. I’ll be up in 30 minutes.]

Woojin had first met Seokho at the Parafield completion ceremony and had met him once or twice with Seokjung since then.

Seokho’s background as a self-made curator had piqued Woojin’s interest.

Seokho was also very interested in Woojin.

Around the end of May, they had naturally arranged to meet.

So, this being his third meeting, Woojin was able to greet Seokho without feeling awkward.

“Oh, Hyungnim. It’s been a while.”

“Haha, what do you mean it’s been a while? Has it only been about a month?”

“It’s been a little over a month.”

“Come on, sit down,” Seokjung said, gesturing to the chairs. “This terrace is something else, even I’m impressed every time. And the view tonight is amazing.”

“Night view is a first for me here,” Woojin replied, stepping onto the terrace.

“Exactly!” Seokho grinned.

Woojin looked out. The city of Seoul sprawled before them, lights twinkling like fallen stars all the way to Yeouido, following the curve of the Han River. He had a similar view from his own living room, but out here, on the open terrace, with the cool night air on his face, it felt different. More breathtaking.

With a slight creak of the chair, Woojin settled down. Seokjung was already handing him a cold can of beer. Woojin pulled the tab. *Hiss-pop!* The sound of the can opening was crisp in the night air.

They clinked their cans together in a quick toast. The cool metal felt good in Woojin’s hand. The first sip of beer was sharp and refreshing. And then, the conversation began.

“What brings you here today?”

“I had some work in the Seongsu-dong gallery area, so I just stopped by. It’s close.”

“Gallery?”

“A promising new artist is having a solo exhibition this time. I went to take a look.”

Woojin’s eyes sparkled as he listened to Seokho’s story.

Art investment was a completely new world for Woojin. He had never thought about it before.

Therefore, regardless of whether he actually intended to invest, Seokho’s stories were naturally interesting to him.

From an artistic point of view, there were definitely areas that resonated with Woojin’s pursuit of architectural design.

“Hyungnim, you said that when you were working in the United States, you mainly invested by finding and investing in promising new artists early, right?”

At Woojin’s question, Seokho smiled and shook his head.

“Well, something like that. But it’s difficult to think of it as simply finding them early. A great curator also plays a role in discovering promising artists and helping them grow quickly.”

“Oh… you mean grow them?”

As Woojin showed interest, Seokho continued the story with pleasure.

“The more unknown a new artist is to the public, the more important it is who invests in them at the beginning.”

“Ah…?”

“Let me explain it simply,” Seokho said, taking a sip of his beer. “Imagine two new artists, Artist A and Artist B.”

“Okay,” Woojin leaned forward, intrigued. He was starting to see the connection to his own work in architecture.

“Let’s say they both start at the same time, with the same amount of talent,” Seokho continued. “Artist A shows their work in a small, unknown gallery. They sell a few pieces, but at very low prices, because they set the prices themselves, not knowing any better.”

Seokjung had never heard this story before, so he was also listening to his friend’s story with interest.

“On the other hand, Artist B’s work catches the eye of a talented curator and is first exhibited in a well-known gallery where he works. The curator also takes care to set the price of the work, and he succeeds in selling a piece to a world-renowned collector.”

“So, the curator plays a role in connecting them to investors?”

“That’s right.”

Seokho smiled and asked Woojin again.

“In this case, how much will the gap between the two artists, who were at a similar level, widen?”

“Well… it would widen enormously.”

Listening to Seokho’s story, Woojin nodded without realizing it.

He fully understood what he meant when he said he ‘grows’ new artists.

“People’s psychology is interesting; even if the works are of the same level, the evaluation varies greatly depending on the packaging.”

“I think so.”

“They say that if you become famous, people will applaud even if you take a dump, right?”

“That’s right.”

“In a similar vein, if a famous investor, gallery, or collector invests in a work, the public will see that work as better. If people at the top class in the industry invest and support it, they will think there must be a reason.”

These similar things that Seokho is talking about definitely exist in the construction industry as well.

Of course, it cannot be compared to works of art, the value of which varies greatly depending on how they are interpreted.

The architect’s name value is bound to have an effect on the evaluation of architecture.

“Of course, just because I said it so easily doesn’t mean these tasks are that easy.”

“Of course, that’s right.”

“Basically, the skills of the new artist you are trying to grow must be ‘real’, so you must have an eye for seeing the essence…”

“And?”

“The artist’s tendency. The emotions and feelings contained in the work. The curator’s role is to analyze all these elements and provide the most optimized branding for them.”

“I think I know what you mean.”

“Hehe. I thought that a CEO who built a company worth hundreds of billions of won in his mid-twenties would be able to understand this right away.”

Seokho, who had already finished a can of beer, opened a new can.

He seemed to be thirsty from talking so much.

Woojin spoke again.

“So, how is the artist you found in Seongsu-dong this time? Is there potential?”

Seokho shrugged.

“Well, I think he’s okay, but it’s still ambiguous. The work has a feeling, but I haven’t found his star quality yet.”

“I see.”

“This is my first investment since coming to Korea, so I’m being a little more careful.”

The three men lightly clinked beer cans and continued to have various conversations, starting with stories about art.

After Seokho’s story ended, Seokjung’s business story continued.

After that, the story of Sojeong, one of the links between Seokjung and Woojin, came up.

“By the way, Sojeong is making a drama these days, right?”

“That’s right. It seems like she’s preparing quite a big one called . I invested some money too.”

“That’s interesting. Sojeong has been smart since she was young.”

Sojeong was a younger sister who was quite a bit younger than Seokjung, so she was a high school student when the two went to study in the United States.

Seokho’s last memory of her was as a high school student, so he seemed amazed that she had started an agency and was even producing dramas.

The story went around and around and continued to Woojin’s story again.

Woojin was also involved in the drama Sojeong was producing, so the story naturally flowed to Woojin’s business story.

But while he was talking for a while, Woojin suddenly remembered something he was curious about when he made eye contact with Seokho while talking about the pavilion.

“But Hyungnim.”

“Yeah?”

“By any chance, are you involved in setting the price for this pavilion…?”

And Seokho, hearing Woojin’s question, burst into a pleasant hearty laugh.

“Haha. Oh, that’s right. I forgot to mention that.”

“Yes?”

“Hey, Woojin,” Seokho chuckled, “I heard a funny story about you. You gave our planning director a blank check for the pavilion design, is that right?”

Woojin rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. “Oh, you heard about that?”

“Heard about it? I was amazed!” Seokho exclaimed.

Woojin blinked. “Amazed?”

“Yeah! Seriously, how did you even think of that? Offering a blank check? It was brilliant! For you, and for us at Paramount, it turned out to be the best thing.”

Woojin, listening to Seokho’s story, couldn’t help but tilt his head.

Even if that deal was the best choice from Woojin’s perspective, he couldn’t understand why it was the best choice from Paramount’s perspective.

But as Seokho’s next words followed, Woojin was able to realize what he was talking about.

“Do you remember what I said as soon as I sat down here today?”

“Um… the story about growing new artists?”

“That’s right.”

Seokho paused for a moment and spoke again.

“This is a bit different because the name value of the architect Seo Woojin has already grown, but anyway, Parafield’s pavilion is like your first collectible work.”

“That’s… right?”

“The value of this pavilion will probably increase even more as you grow in the future. In about ten years, it will increase tenfold. No, the value will increase even more than that.”

Seokho looked at Woojin and added in a meaningful voice.

“But you threw out a blank check, so we pay a cheap price for the design fee of this work? That’s a very foolish thing to do. From the perspective of a large company like Paramount, there’s no burden whether it’s one billion or two billion right away… If the price we set at the beginning becomes too cheap, there will be a limit to the value that can be re-evaluated later.”

And Woojin, hearing these words, was able to realize two things at the same time.

The first is that, as Seokho said, Paramount is by no means paying an amount that is a loss.

The second is that Seokho’s influence was definitely included in the price set for Woojin’s pavilion.

“So, your proposal back then was the best proposal that could ultimately be a win-win for our company and you.”

“So that’s how it works. Haha. To be honest, I didn’t think that far…”

“If you thought that far, you wouldn’t be human. Hehe.”

Therefore, Woojin had no choice but to say thank you to Seokho.

This proposal was ultimately beneficial for Paramount, but apart from that, it was also true that Woojin received help.

“Thank you, Hyungnim.”

“For what?”

“You’re growing my work, right?”

“Haha. Growing… is that how it works?”

Woojin continued.

“That’s how it is. Like Hyungnim said, depending on how my first work is evaluated, the potential for future value will be much greater.”

Seokho, listening to Woojin’s story, smiled silently.

It was silent affirmation.

He didn’t particularly intend to take credit for helping Woojin, but there was no need to deny that he had helped.

So, Seokho, who was quietly listening to Woojin and drinking beer, opened his mouth again in a playful tone after a while.

“Woojin, you know give and take, right?”

Woojin smiled and replied.

“I know. Of course, if something comes, something must go.”

Seokho also smiled and added a word.

“I’m thinking of building a gallery in Seoul soon.”

“Gallery?”

“I’m slowly thinking of becoming completely independent.”

And Woojin, listening to Seokho’s words, could tell what he was trying to say.

“I want you to build it.”

“……!”

“And I want that gallery to be… the most beautiful gallery in Korea.”