Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 247

The news that WJ Studio had finished building its new headquarters spread quickly through the industry.

Actually, WJ Studio was still a small to medium-sized company.

Usually, news about a company this size building a headquarters wouldn’t be a big deal. But Woojin and WJ Studio were different.

Starting with the Parafield project in Wangsimni in the spring, then the Living Fair, and even the set for the TV show , architect Seo Woojin was always in the news.

Plus, Woojin designed the new WJ Studio headquarters himself, meaning it perfectly showed his ideas about building design and his design skills. It was natural that the industry paid close attention.

“Yes, this is WJ Studio.”

“[Hello. This is Lee Ji-eun, an editor from the design magazine ‘Art On.’]”

“What can I do for you?”

“[Our magazine would like to interview CEO Seo Woojin.]”

“Ah, an interview?”

“[Yes. We heard that CEO Seo Woojin designed the new WJ Studio headquarters himself this time.]”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“[It’s already being called a landmark of Seoul Forest, so… we really want to do a design interview. Would that be possible? We’ll work around CEO’s schedule.]”

“Ah… I understand. What magazine are you from?”

“[This is Lee Ji-eun from ‘Art On.’]”

“Please send your contact information to our company email, and we will check with the CEO and get back to you.”

“[Thank you!]”

The secretarial office and marketing team at WJ Studio were working harder than ever. Because so many people wanted to meet Woojin, the secretarial office had more to do.

The marketing team was also very busy. They wanted to make WJ Studio even more famous because Woojin and the company were getting a lot of attention, and they wanted to use this opportunity.

Yoon, who worked in the marketing team, had already received three interview requests for Woojin that day. She sighed as she wrote Lee Ji-eun’s name from Art On in her notepad.

“Hoo.”

Then, another employee next to her asked, “You look tired, Yoon-ssi. Another interview?”

Yoon sighed, “Yep, number eleven, I think. This CEO is too popular! He’ll never say yes to all of them.”

“No way,” the colleague chuckled. “He’s like, super busy, right? My friend in the secretary team says he’s booked solid.”

Ms. Yoon shook her head at her colleague’s words.

“Seriously. I don’t know how the CEO does it.”

“Does what?”

“Well, if it were me, I don’t think I could last even a month before burning out.”

“Ah……”

“That’s right. I don’t know all of the CEO’s schedule, but… just looking at it roughly, it doesn’t seem like he has any free time.”

“That’s how he built such a company at his age, I guess.”

“I suppose so.”

Ms. Yoon talked with her colleague for a bit, then took a sip of her coffee and stood up with her notepad.

Her boss had told them not to ignore any contact from the media, so she wanted to take the information to the secretarial office before she forgot.

She got up and walked to the elevator to go upstairs.

The marketing team’s office was on the 10th floor, and the CEO’s office and the secretarial office were on the top floor.

‘I should get some fresh air on the rooftop while I’m going up,’ she thought.

When she got on the elevator on the outside of the building, she could see a wide view of Seoul Forest. The new WJ Studio headquarters wasn’t all glass, but more than half of it was made of clear materials, probably to let in more light.

Ms. Yoon looked at the scenery as the elevator went up and felt proud. She had been working at WJ Studio for a year and a half, and the company had grown so much during that time.

Kim Gyu-sik, a reporter from the business section of M Daily, was on assignment on Friday afternoon.

“The weather is nice…!”

Gyu-sik looked happy because he was going to finish work right after his afternoon assignment.

“If the interview is over, it’ll be around 4:30…? Should I make plans for the first time in a while?”

Gyu-sik was sitting in the back of the taxi, checking his schedule. He closed his notebook and looked out the window, as if he was feeling a little carsick.

He was going to Seongsu-dong for his assignment, and he was going to interview someone he knew well.

‘I should write a great article today, too,’ he thought.

Gyu-sik smiled as he thought about Woojin. He always remembered the first time he met him at the Sports Complex in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu.

Woojin was a young man in his early twenties who impressed everyone and won the construction rights at the Seonyeong Apartment construction company selection meeting.

From the moment Gyu-sik saw him, he knew that Woojin would become a great person. So, he was always proud to see Woojin succeed.

Gyu-sik had written articles about most of Woojin’s projects, and his articles had helped Woojin grow, even if just a little.

‘I wonder how many reporters will be at today’s interview…,’ he thought.

He wasn’t able to get an exclusive interview because of Woojin’s schedule, but Gyu-sik wasn’t too upset. As soon as the public interview was scheduled, WJ Studio contacted Gyu-sik first, which was enough for him.

After the interview, he would be able to have coffee with CEO Seo, even if just for a few minutes.

“Sir! Please drop me off here.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

Gyu-sik got out of the taxi and looked up at the new WJ Studio headquarters in Seoul Forest, which was becoming very popular. The building looked beautiful, even to someone like him who didn’t know much about architecture.

He felt excited as he walked toward it.

Woojin said, “We all live different lives.”

Many people were listening to him.

“But even though our lives are different… most modern people find that their daily lives don’t change much.”

He was speaking in the lobby of the new WJ Studio headquarters in Seoul Forest.

Many cameras were filming Woojin as he spoke calmly.

“Of course, even on the same road, some people walk slowly, enjoying the scenery. Some ride bicycles and feel the breeze, and some drive cars quickly to get to other places.”

“However, these experiences become less exciting as the purpose of the space becomes more important. You can’t play soccer when you go to a restaurant.”

Not everyone thought of Woojin as the best architect in Korea, but if you asked people who the most famous architect in Korea was, most would say Woojin.

“In that sense, this WJ Studio headquarters is a building with a very clear purpose,” Woojin added with a smile. “All of our executives and employees, including myself, came to work here today.”

The reporters listened carefully, not wanting to miss a word. Woojin’s interviews were always great news stories, and his ideas about architecture were fascinating.

“So, when I designed this space, I thought about this.”

Woojin paused, and everyone looked at him. After a moment, he continued, “Isn’t it possible to design a space that feels new every day? Isn’t it possible to create architecture that can show new beauty every day? And I think I’ve found some answers to these questions.”

The people listening to Woojin were curious about his answers. The lobby was already beautiful, but they knew that if they listened to Woojin’s ideas, they would see even more beauty and feel deeper emotions.

Woojin was happy to share his thoughts with them.

“Architecture does not move. It doesn’t change either.”

Woojin’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“But there was one thing that was always changing. No, even between a few minutes ago and now.”

Some of the reporters realized what he was going to say.

“That is time. And… the ‘light’ that changes with time.”

Woojin said clearly.

“Depending on the time, depending on the season… for at least 365 days, the light is never the same.”

The people listening to Woojin looked around the lobby. They had thought that the light and the space looked beautiful together, but after hearing Woojin’s words, they started to notice new things.

‘The atmosphere seems a little different from when I arrived?’ one thought.

‘Maybe it’s because the sun has moved a little, but the light on the floor has changed,’ another realized.

It might have been their imagination, but they began to feel the subtle changes in the space, and they were amazed. Even with the changes, the architecture was still beautiful.

Woojin continued, “The angle and flow of light in this space… If we study those things and make them part of the space, wouldn’t that light also become part of the architecture?”

Woojin was asking himself a question, but the listeners couldn’t help but think about the answer. In this building, light was perfectly blended into the space.

“I want to answer that question with this space that I built. This architecture may be the answer to some people, and it may not be the answer to others.”

Woojin moved a few steps and stood in the middle again, ending the interview.

“My architecture. I hope this space will be remembered in as many different ways as possible.”