Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 262

Woojin had seen Cheon Jong-geol before, in his past life.

He remembered seeing Cheon Jong-geol from a distance at a construction completion ceremony.

Even though it was a memory from over ten years ago in Woojin’s timeline, it was still very clear in his mind.

Cheon Jong-geol had made a strong impression.

Woojin thought to himself, “So, this is what the head of a really big company is like.”

Woojin couldn’t help but compare his clear memory of Cheon Jong-geol from that time with the man in front of him now.

And he was quite surprised by the difference.

The Cheon Jong-geol he met today seemed different from the person he remembered.

“Could it be because of the age difference?” he wondered.

Woojin had seen Jong-geol in his mid-30s in his previous life.

So, he was seeing Jong-geol more than ten years later now.

A decade makes a big difference, especially near sixty years old, and it was obvious in his appearance.

If Jong-geol in Woojin’s memory was like a powerful and steady emperor, like a big mountain…

The Jong-geol sitting in front of Woojin now felt like a fierce tiger.

In his memory, Jong-geol had felt much harder to approach.

The Cheon Jong-geol that Woojin remembered was like someone very important and powerful, from a different social level.

However, one thing was definitely stronger than before: his energy.

Even with snow-white hair, Jong-geol had as much energy as any young man.

And one more thing.

Woojin could clearly feel how much he himself had grown in this life, seeing Jong-geol.

Now, Woojin was living in the same world as him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Seo Woojin,” Woojin said, bowing politely.

Jong-geol laughed warmly and replied, “Nice to meet you, CEO Seo Woojin. I am Cheon Jong-geol.”

“Haha. I know you well. Everyone knows the CEO of Cheonwoong,” Woojin said.

“I’ve also heard a lot about CEO Seo. Please, have a seat and a cup of tea,” Jong-geol offered.

“Thank you,” Woojin replied.

Even though Woojin was much younger, almost the age of his grandson, Jong-geol spoke respectfully to him.

However, he spoke in a peculiar way: he spoke politely to Woojin, but he still sounded confident and important.

He used polite words for Woojin, but when talking about himself, he spoke directly, not in a humble way.

This might seem rude in some situations, but it felt natural coming from Jong-geol.

It felt like it suited him perfectly.

“Thank you for coming all this way, especially since I asked for this meeting,” Jong-geol said.

“It’s alright. It’s not that far,” Woojin replied.

“Still, since you’ve come all the way here, I’ll treat you to a fancy meal,” Jong-geol offered.

“Haha, thank you,” Woojin said.

As they talked, Kyungwan sat quietly and listened.

At first, he was going to leave without being told, but he became curious once the conversation started.

He wondered what the two most outstanding leaders in the industry would talk about.

The two didn’t pay much attention to Kyungwan, and the conversation continued.

The beginning of the conversation was friendly.

“I was very happy that you contacted me, CEO,” Jong-geol said.

“Is that so?” Woojin asked.

“I feel recognized,” Jong-geol replied.

Jong-geol chuckled softly at the honest answer, and Woojin continued, “And you were one of the people I really wanted to meet, CEO.”

Jong-geol asked with an amused expression, “Is that so? May I ask why?”

“When I first started WJ Studio, Cheonwoong helped me the most,” Woojin said.

“Haha. If you mean help…” Jong-geol began.

“Executive Director Park Kyungwan here was a great help. I was able to get the first order for the architectural model of Cheonwoong Construction, which helped me get the starting money to grow the business. I wanted to thank you and share stories about work,” Woojin explained.

After going back in time, Cheonwoong Construction was the starting point of Woojin’s business.

Of course, it started with Woojin helping Cheonwoong Construction with his knowledge from his previous life.

But without Kyungwan’s kindness and help, WJ Studio wouldn’t have grown so quickly.

If Kyungwan hadn’t trusted and helped him, Woojin’s growth would have been delayed by years.

“Haha, our Executive Director Park did a great job. I didn’t even know that happened,” Jong-geol said.

“Ah, you didn’t know,” Woojin replied.

“I first heard about CEO Seo during the competition to get the Cheongdam Clio project,” Jong-geol said.

“Ah…” Woojin responded.

CEO Cheon Jong-geol was the head of Cheonwoong Construction, a large company, and the architectural model production that Woojin was in charge of was almost like being part of the actual building work.

It was natural that this didn’t reach Jong-geol’s ears.

Seeing Woojin’s slightly awkward expression, Jong-geol continued, “So I also wanted to meet you to thank you for helping Cheonwoong… So, Cheonwoong had helped CEO Seo before?”

“Was it just then? Even during the competition, we helped each other,” Woojin said.

“Haha,” Jong-geol chuckled.

“Because Cheonwoong trusted me and my company, we were able to seize such a wonderful opportunity,” Woojin added.

Thanks to the warm start, the slightly stiff atmosphere quickly became natural.

Of course, it wasn’t a completely comfortable place.

It couldn’t be, in the first place.

Cheon Jong-geol smiled and said, “Leaving aside other things, I still can’t believe that CEO Seo is in his 20s.”

Woojin, slightly surprised, asked, “Why do you say that?”

“Generally, aren’t people in their 20s full of ambition, a bit arrogant, and so on?” Jong-geol asked.

“I think I have ambition in my own way…” Woojin replied.

“Hahaha,” Jong-geol laughed.

Jong-geol, suddenly bursting into laughter, spoke again with sparkling eyes, “If you’ve achieved that much in your twenties, you usually think you’re better than everyone else.”

“…” Woojin remained silent.

Woojin listened quietly, and Jong-geol continued, “To have achieved this much at that age means you haven’t experienced failure.”

Jong-geol’s eyes shone sharply.

“Of course, it depends on the person’s ability… But it’s natural for someone who hasn’t experienced failure to be arrogant,” he added.

“Is that… so?” Woojin asked.

“However, I don’t feel that from CEO Seo,” Jong-geol said.

Woojin, feeling slightly nervous, replied in a low voice, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Of course, it’s a compliment,” Jong-geol confirmed.

Woojin’s actual age was over forty.

That is, the years he had lived.

But even adding all the years from his previous life, he had less experience than Cheon Jong-geol.

So Woojin felt like he was facing an ‘adult’ for the first time in a long time.

‘Arrogance, huh…’ he thought.

On the other hand, Jong-geol was having a new experience that he had never had in his nearly sixty years of life.

The more they talked, the more Woojin surprised him.

Above all, Jong-geol was most surprised by Woojin’s genuine passion for ‘architecture’.

Woojin focused on the essence of architecture, not money or success.

“I didn’t expect to hear such interesting stories,” Jong-geol said.

“The things I do are a bit different. Haha,” Woojin replied.

“We’re in the same industry, but you have a different view from Cheonwoong,” Jong-geol noted.

“Still, the one thing that all architecture has in common is certain,” Woojin said.

This was a fresh shock to Jong-geol.

‘Arrogance is hard to hide, even if you try,’ he thought.

He had imagined a bold young man in his 20s, a successful businessman with soaring confidence.

He didn’t think it was bad.

In fact, Woojin’s self-made success at his age was unprecedented.

He thought that confidence was part of his success.

So, Jong-geol was going to test that twenty-something’s spirit today.

He wanted to judge how beautiful the fruit would be when it was fully ripe.

But the young man sitting in front of Jong-geol shattered his expectations and plans.

In Jong-geol’s eyes, he was already a fully ripe businessman and architect.

“CEO Seo’s stories are really interesting. It reminds me of old times…” Jong-geol said.

“Haha, is that so?” Woojin replied.

In the middle of the conversation, Jong-geol’s eyes changed slightly.

“So, once this Seongsu district design project is finished… Do you have a direction set for the next one?” he asked.

“Well, there are many projects in progress. The knowledge industry center being built by Cloud Partners will also start soon… And there are a few things left that Cheonwoong gave us,” Woojin replied.

Jong-geol shook his head.

“I’m not talking about small projects,” he clarified.

Woojin, understanding Jong-geol’s intention, nodded and replied, “You’re curious about the business direction of WJ Studio.”

Jong-geol’s eyes shone again.

“That’s right. There are few companies in the industry as special as WJ Studio,” he said with a smile.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re trying to become an ordinary construction company,” Jong-geol added.

Woojin had to think carefully about Jong-geol’s question.

‘What’s his intention?’ he wondered.

Depending on his answer, the relationship between Cheon Jong-geol and Woojin could change.

Woojin thought hard for a moment.

In the end, he gave an honest answer.

“You need money to do architecture. You need quite a lot,” Woojin said.

Jong-geol was even more amused by Woojin’s unexpected words.

“Haha. That’s right,” he chuckled.

Woojin, who had been talking about architecture and passion, suddenly talked about money first.

But Woojin’s story had a twist.

“The only reason I grow my business and make money is because of that,” he explained.

“Only because of that…” Jong-geol repeated, considering Woojin’s words.

Woojin continued, “I want WJ Studio to become a company that can do more wonderful architecture and build more beautiful buildings than it is now.”

Jong-geol nodded sincerely.

“Wonderful,” he said.

It might sound unrealistic.

Woojin was talking about reality and ideals at the same time.

Woojin concluded, “If I can, I’m going to make WJ Studio the most wonderful architecture company in the world.”

Jong-geol nodded.

This was enough of an answer to his question.