Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 246

The activity at WJ Studio was buzzing.

The sticky grip of late summer heat was finally loosening. A welcome breeze, carrying the scent of drying leaves and damp earth, whispered through the open windows of WJ Studio.

People in Korea often say, “May every day be like Hangawi,” wishing for constant happiness and plenty, like Thanksgiving. This cooler air was a sure sign that Chuseok, the great autumn festival, was just around the corner. It’s a time for families to gather, give thanks for the harvest, and enjoy delicious food.

“This Chuseok starts on Sunday. What a waste of a holiday day.”

“That’s why the CEO said we could start our holiday this Friday.”

“Wait, really? We get to start the holiday early?”

“Yeah, he did it last time too. Why are you so shocked?”

“Oh, right. I wasn’t here then.”

“Ah, makes sense.”

“Wow… the CEO is actually pretty great, isn’t he?”

Chuseok in 2012 started on a Sunday, the last day of September.

But the holiday at WJ Studio started on Friday, September 28th.

The employees were working very late during the last week of September, all the while looking forward to that holiday.

This last week of September was particularly busy, and for good reason.

The dedication ceremony for WJ Studio’s new headquarters in Seoul Forest, the biggest event of the year, was scheduled right before Chuseok.

WJ Studio was now almost ten times larger than when it first moved to Seongsu-dong.

Moving to a new home was a big task.

Even though the new office was nearby, moving was still a big undertaking.

“Oh, the CEO is here. I’ll get up first.”

“Yes, Soo-young. Good work!”

Yoo Soo-young, who had been officially working at WJ Studio since this summer, quickly rose from her seat when she saw Woo-jin entering the office from afar.

Still an intern, she was working in the department responsible for design supervision, and today was the first day she would be going out on a work trip with the ‘CEO’ himself.

‘I mustn’t make any mistakes and do well……!’

Having joined through K University’s university work program, she had been a fan of Woo-jin even before applying to WJ Studio.

Although he wasn’t a senior in the same major, Woo-jin, a senior in the same design department, was someone she admired, as she aspired to be a designer.

So, despite majoring in fashion design, she put aside other clothing companies and applied to WJ Studio first.

Of course, she also had an interest in architecture and interior design.

While studying fashion design, she had a great interest in visual merchandising (VMD).

VMD refers to a profession that decorates the entire store, such as displaying products according to the brand concept. This field is virtually the intersection of space design and fashion design.

So, it’s not like she applied for the university work program purely out of fandom.

Knock knock-

When Soo-young knocked on the CEO’s office door, Woo-jin’s voice flowed out from inside.

“Come in.”

Then, as she carefully opened the door and entered the CEO’s office, Woo-jin greeted Soo-young with a pleasant expression.

“Ah, Soo-young was supposed to come with me today?”

“Yes, CEO.”

“Are you all ready?”

“Of course!”

“Soo-young, haven’t you been an intern for over a month now?”

“W-Well, about that long.”

“Why are you so nervous? Haha. Work comfortably, comfortably.”

Woo-jin, who had risen from his seat, grabbed his car keys and slowly walked out.

Soo-young scurried after him.

Before getting on the elevator.

Woo-jin, seeing the thick file Soo-young was carrying in her arms, tilted his head and asked.

“What’s all that?”

“The final drawings and……. material board!”

“Oh, you didn’t need to bring all that……”

“Th-Then, should I leave it behind?”

“No, let’s get on the elevator first.”

Woo-jin couldn’t help but chuckle at Soo-young, who was fidgeting.

She was only a year younger than Woo-jin, but still…

Woo-jin couldn’t help but see Soo-young as a newcomer.

‘How cute. I must have been like that too.’

Of course, it was before his regression, but Woo-jin was no different from Soo-young when he first started his career.

Ambitious, yet timid in some ways. A time when he craved recognition from his senior colleagues.

Woo-jin, who found some of his past self in Soo-young, chuckled and got off the elevator.

Ding-!

Then, Woo-jin, who got into the car with Soo-young, took out an iPad from the dashboard drawer and handed it to Soo-young.

“Leave those heavy drawings and material board in the back seat.”

“Ah, yes! Okay!”

“All the necessary drawings and finishing material information are in this pad, so bring that with you.”

After finishing his words, Woo-jin started the engine and slowly stepped on the accelerator before even hearing a reply from her.

Vroom-

In fact, it was close enough to walk to the site, but Woo-jin was moving by car to save even a little time.

Woo-jin’s car, which had left the building’s underground parking lot, soon began to run on the main road.

The car was very quiet while moving to the site.

Soo-young, who was frozen in the passenger seat with the pad she received from Woo-jin tightly in her grasp, only occasionally glanced at Woo-jin’s profile as he drove.

Soo-young, who had thought she would try to talk to him when she first had a schedule with Woo-jin, was frozen and unable to say a word even while riding in the car alone with him.

‘Ugh……. There were so many things I was curious about regarding the CEO…….’

To Soo-young, who had just left university and was experiencing practical work for the first time.

Woo-jin seemed to be an unattainable idol.

‘Checklist……. Checklist…….’

Soo-young, who eventually gave up on talking to Woo-jin, began to diligently repeat the tasks she had to do on site in her head.

But that was only for a moment.

The scenery that began to appear outside the passenger seat window began to captivate her attention.

‘W-Wow!’

As Woo-jin’s car began to enter the site past the fence.

The facade of WJ Studio’s new headquarters, which she had never seen up close in person, came directly into Soo-young’s eyes.

Perhaps because of the floor area ratio, which was generously set for a business facility, beautiful landscaping was created in the fairly spacious open space.

She had seen it several times in rendering images, but the new headquarters of WJ Studio, which boasted sharp angles and clean lines that shone white in the sunlight, like a modern sculpture, was even more beautiful when seen in person.

‘Amazing……!’

The pupils of Soo-young, who had been tense and stiff just a moment ago, were filled with the sight of the wonderful building.

Woo-jin’s car, carrying her, soon stopped in front of the main gate of the building.

Screech-

“Okay, let’s get off, Soo-young.”

And then Soo-young, who finally came to her senses, grabbed her pad and hurriedly followed Woo-jin out of the car.

In fact, the practical aspects of the supervision of the Seoul Forest New Building were as good as finished even before Woo-jin came today.

Before Woo-jin, the CEO, came for the final supervision, WJ Studio’s professional supervision team had already done a thorough job.

So, the reason Woo-jin came here today for the final supervision was quite symbolic.

Of course, he would also look around the spaces one more time and review the design.

But more than that, the bigger reason was that he wanted to personally mark the end of this new headquarters construction.

The WJ Studio Seoul Forest Building was a building of great significance to Woo-jin in many ways.

‘I’m really deeply moved.’

It was Woo-jin’s first portfolio, from direct design to construction.

At the same time, it was WJ Studio’s first headquarters, the Seoul Forest New Building.

Woo-jin, walking into the completed building, couldn’t help but have a touching expression.

‘I couldn’t even imagine that such a day would come in my past life.’

It was also meaningful in that WJ Studio would be moving into one building for the first time since merging with Sungjin Construction.

Over the past year, Sungjin Construction’s employees had already become very integrated into WJ Studio.

But still, moving into one building like this had another meaning.

So, all these meanings made Woo-jin’s heart swell even more.

Despite being busy with various projects, he felt it was worth taking the time to come to the site like this.

Step- Step-

Perhaps because the construction was completely finished, the empty Seoul Forest New Building was very quiet.

But in the midst of that silence, a familiar voice reached Woo-jin’s ear.

“Haha, CEO, have you arrived!”

The man who greeted Woo-jin with a happy face was Ko Jin-cheol, the chief supervisor of this new headquarters construction.

“Ah, Manager. You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing. I’m so proud to see it all built like this.”

Ko Jin-cheol was a veteran who had been in the industry for nearly 20 years since his time at Sungjin Construction.

Therefore, he had completed enough buildings to fill all ten fingers.

So, from the perspective of ‘completion,’ it wasn’t such a special event for Ko Jin-cheol.

But apart from that, his words that he was proud to death were by no means empty words.

The Seoul Forest Building of WJ Studio, completed this month, was more wonderful and beautiful than any building he had built or experienced.

“I heard that the design was so difficult that the manager had the hardest time……”

At Woo-jin’s story, Ko Jin-cheol replied with a playful tone.

“At first, I thought I was going to die.”

“Haha, was it that bad?”

“I’ve been doing this for decades, and it was the first time I’ve ever encountered a 3D drawing.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“But there were so many people who helped……. It was a job where I learned much more than I suffered.”

“I really appreciate you thinking that way.”

“Thanks to the CEO, I had a really valuable experience.”

The construction of WJ Studio’s new headquarters was no exaggeration to say that it contained all the techniques of digital architecture that Woo-jin wanted to do.

To express the beautiful light and shadows shown by ‘Golden Print’ as much as possible, there had to be one or two geometric structures.

So, even if they were former Sungjin Construction staff with solid experience, it was not an easy task.

So, Woo-jin had no choice but to receive a lot of help from Professor Jo Woon-chan’s connections in the process of constructing the three-dimensional design.

‘When I think about it……. It’s a miracle that it was completed in September, a miracle.’

Woo-jin, who was thinking about that for a moment, opened his mouth again to Ko Jin-cheol.

“Looking at it as I came in, it seems like the landscaping is all done.”

“Yes, we finished the final construction this morning and withdrew all the workers.”

Woo-jin smiled and said again.

“Then, if I stamp my seal and leave today, can we have the dedication ceremony tomorrow?”

Ko Jin-cheol replied in a confident voice.

“Of course, CEO. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have invited you here today. Haha.”

Woo-jin, who had a pleasant conversation with Ko Jin-cheol, passed through the entrance and entered the main lobby.

Then, from all sides of the large space that was open up to the 3rd floor, beautiful beams of light poured in as if to welcome Woo-jin.

As if standing in the very center of a beautifully crafted giant diamond.

Beams of light pouring in towards Woo-jin from different angles.

If the pavilion in Wangsimni was a beautiful structure embroidered along the falling flow of light.

What Woo-jin had created in this lobby could be said to be a pavilion made of ‘light’ itself.

Woo-jin stared blankly at the spectacle of light, even though it was a work he had designed himself.