Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 287

Woojin knew about ‘economies of scale’ – the idea that bigger can be cheaper and better, even in marketing.

Years ago, companies thought the best way to sell things was to shout as loudly as possible to everyone. They spent lots of money to put ads everywhere – on TV, in newspapers – hoping that if enough people saw them, some would buy their product.

But Woojin knew that times had changed. Now, with computers and the internet, people could find exactly what they wanted themselves. Marketing had become smarter, more focused. Instead of shouting to everyone, companies tried to whisper directly to the people who would really be interested.

Woojin wasn’t a marketing expert, but he was a smart observer. He remembered all the clever ways companies had tried to get *his* attention over the years. He’d seen what worked and what didn’t, as a customer.

A small smile touched Woojin’s lips. ‘I knew my judgment was right.’

Building WJ Studio had sharpened his business instincts. He knew how to create a special promotion, something perfect for a luxury brand. He looked at the numbers again, a real smile now spreading across his face. The marketing was working even better than he’d hoped.

Woojin leaned back in his chair, a hopeful feeling bubbling inside him. “So, how are the consultation bookings looking?” he asked the marketing team leader.

“Really good, sir,” the team leader replied, glancing at his screen. “We’ve got a total of one hundred and seventy appointments booked already.”

Woojin nodded, doing quick math in his head. “Hmm, almost there. So, about thirty more to go.”

The team leader frowned slightly. “Thirty… thirty what, sir?”

Woojin tapped his pen on the desk. “We still have around two hundred and forty-five brochures, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Okay. We should keep thirty brochures aside for the people who actually buy a townhouse, as a special thank you. And maybe another fifteen or so for ourselves, just in case.” He paused, thinking. “That means we only really need to give out two hundred brochures in total. So, I think we should stop taking first reservations after we reach two hundred bookings.”

“Ah, I see!” The team leader’s eyes widened in understanding.

They had posted a notice on the Arco website just three days ago, the evening the article came out. It was simple, but enticing: [Gallery the Arco will finally open on October 1st. The first customers to book a consultation will receive a brochure of Arco’s first work, .] And almost immediately, the bookings started flooding in.

Incredibly, in just three days, one hundred and seventy people had already booked consultations! Woojin knew they were onto something big. And then, an idea sparked in his mind.

“So,” Woojin continued, “we stop giving out brochures after the first two hundred bookings. But we should still take reservations after that, right?”

“Yes, of course,” the team leader agreed. “But… won’t people who book after the first two hundred be disappointed if they don’t get a brochure?”

“Hmm, you think they’ll feel cheated?” Woojin considered this. “Maybe a little. Especially if they come to the showroom really wanting to buy.”

Woojin smiled, a confident glint in his eyes. “Not a problem. We’ll give them something else.”

“Something else?” The team leader looked intrigued.

“Exactly. Let’s open up a ‘second round’ of consultations, also limited to two hundred people. But for *them*, we create special Arco brand ‘goods’ – little gifts, you know? Something exclusive, just for the second group.”

“Wow,” the team leader said, nodding quickly. “That’s a great idea, sir!”

“It doesn’t have to be as fancy as the brochure,” Woojin clarified. “Just something nice, something people might want to collect.”

From October 1st, the showroom – ‘Gallery the Arco’ – would open its doors. Each consultation was designed to be a private, special experience. Only ten groups a day would be allowed, and each would have a full hour. Woojin had poured all the money they’d saved on mass advertising into making this showroom truly unforgettable. They had even built a life-sized model of the inside of a Cheongdam Arco townhouse – a spacious apartment of about 230 square meters [or you can say “a large apartment”]. Imagine walking into a real Arco home, even before it was built! Everything, from the soft lighting to the expensive furniture, was designed to whisper ‘luxury’ and ‘exclusivity’.

Woojin wanted people to feel special, just by getting a consultation. He wanted them to believe that buying an Arco townhouse wasn’t just buying a home, it was joining an exclusive club.

After they had refined the plan, going over every detail, Woojin leaned forward, a new question in his mind. “By the way, team leader,” he said, his voice thoughtful.

“Yes, sir?” the team leader responded, attentive.

“You’ve had a chance to look at the details of the first consultation bookings, haven’t you?” Woojin asked. “The people who’ve signed up?”

The team leader smiled, a hint of pride in his voice. “Of course, sir. Part of my job.”

“Right, right.” Woojin chuckled lightly. “I know you can’t remember every single name, but… what kind of people are they, generally?”

The team leader paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “It’s quite a mix, actually. We’ve got top executives from major companies, lots of doctors, lawyers, judges…”

“Impressive,” Woojin murmured, raising an eyebrow.

“And,” the team leader added, a slight smile playing on his lips, “a few famous faces too. Some celebrities have booked in.”

A grin spread across Woojin’s face. He knew his celebrity friends would contact him directly if they were interested. These were *other* celebrities, people he didn’t even know, who were already eager to see Cheongdam Arco. ‘This is really taking off,’ he thought, excitement building. ‘We’ll see what happens after the first consultations, but… selling out completely might actually be possible.’

Woojin’s smile widened. Things were going incredibly well. He remembered a light-hearted conversation he’d had with Im Jungwoo, the CEO of Da Jin Construction, a while back.

[Haha, the design is really well done.]

[I’m glad you like it, sir.]

[If there are any unsold units left, I’ll have to move in and live in one.]

[Haha, I’ll lend a hand too. Let’s move from Seongsu to Cheongdam.]

They both knew that even the most beautiful luxury homes could be hard to sell. There were only so many people who could afford them. They had worried a little about having unsold apartments. But now, looking at the booking numbers, Woojin was starting to feel very confident. It seemed unlikely he’d be stuck with any unsold units.

“Um… sir?” the team leader began hesitantly.

“Yes?” Woojin tilted his head, noticing the team leader’s slightly worried expression. “What is it?”

The team leader shifted his weight, looking a little embarrassed. “This is probably a silly question, and it’s really just… just in case. But… what if we sell all the townhouses *before* all two hundred people with first reservations even get to come for their consultations?”

Woojin blinked, then a slow smile spread across his face. “Wait… you’re worried about selling out *too* fast?”

“Well, yes,” the team leader admitted, looking slightly sheepish. “It would be a bit awkward to call people and say, ‘Sorry, we sold out, don’t bother coming for your consultation.'”

Woojin chuckled, a genuine, happy sound. “That’s… that’s a good problem to have, isn’t it?” He shook his head, still smiling. “That would be the *best* case scenario.”

Woojin laughed again, but then his expression turned thoughtful. “I doubt it’ll happen *that* quickly,” he said, tapping his chin. “But you’re right, we should have a plan, just in case.” He paused, considering. “Hmm… okay, here’s what we’ll do.”

“How?” the team leader asked, leaning forward, curious.

“When we call to confirm their reservation,” Woojin explained, “we’ll just be honest. We’ll tell them, ‘Actually, we’ve sold out of the townhouses already.’ But then we quickly add, ‘However, we still want to offer you your consultation. And if, by some chance, someone cancels their purchase, you’ll be next in line.'”

“Ah, I get it!” the team leader exclaimed. “So even if they can’t buy one right away, they still get the special consultation experience, and they’re on a waiting list if anything opens up.”

“Exactly,” Woojin confirmed.

The team leader nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “Right, I’ll tell the customer service team to do exactly that.”

“Thanks,” Woojin said, feeling a surge of optimism.

“I really hope we have to use this plan, sir,” the team leader added, his eyes shining with excitement.

Woojin smiled back, sharing his enthusiasm. “Me too,” he said softly. “Me too.”

After the article came out, the phones at WJ Studio started ringing non-stop. Inquiries about Arco poured in. Before September was even over, hundreds more people had requested consultations! The customer support team was overwhelmed, scrambling to schedule not just the first round of consultations, but a *second* and even a *third* round, before the first appointment had even taken place.

“Where did they find out about it and make inquiries like this?”

“I know, right? According to the marketing department, they haven’t sent out any advertisements separately…”

“Maybe word of mouth spread among the rich.”

October 1st arrived. ‘Gallery the Arco’ opened its doors, welcoming the first eager clients. Just a few weeks later…

Woojin stared at his phone, his heart pounding. “Are you… are you serious?” he stammered.

[“Absolutely, sir!”] The voice on the other end, from the finance team, was practically bursting with excitement. [“I just got the final numbers. Twenty-five units sold already!”]

“Ha… haha. This quickly…”

[Shouldn’t we have a marketing team dinner today? Haha.]

“Not just the marketing team, we can have a company-wide dinner, right?”

[Great!]

“All the money we were going to spend on the second and third marketing campaigns is saved, so let’s have a big dinner with that money.”

[Understood, sir!]

By the third Friday of October, after all the first-round consultations were done, the incredible news was confirmed: Down payments for twenty-five of the thirty Cheongdam Arco townhouses had been paid! It wasn’t quite the impossible scenario they’d joked about – selling out *before* the consultations even started – but it was close enough to feel like a dream.

“Did you hear the news, CEO?”

[Hehehe, I already heard about it through the finance team.]

“Congratulations!”

[Congratulations to you too, CEO. No, thank you.]

“You’re welcome.”

[Would such a dreamlike result have come out without you, CEO?]

“It was possible because Da Jin trusted and waited for me. Haha.”

Woojin, who had finished a pleasant call with CEO Im Jungwoo, clenched both fists.

‘It’s done…!’

The money WJ Studio made directly from Cheongdam Arco wasn’t huge, not compared to all the work they’d put in. It was only about ten percent of the construction profits, plus their usual design fees. But Woojin knew he’d gained something far more valuable than just money: the Arco brand itself. Instead of letting Da Jin Construction own the brand, WJ Studio had negotiated to keep exclusive rights. It was hard to put a number on it, but Woojin knew, deep down, that if Cheongdam Arco was a success – and it certainly looked like it would be – the Arco brand could be worth a fortune, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars. Arco was going to be WJ Studio’s ticket to even bigger things.

‘Maybe,’ Woojin thought to himself, a smile playing on his lips, ‘maybe I can actually leave work on time today. For the first time in ages.’ He stood up, feeling lighter than he had in months. It wasn’t just the relief of knowing Cheongdam Arco was a success. It was something deeper, a feeling of finally proving himself, of seeing his vision become real.

As Woojin walked home, humming a tune, he felt a sense of peace he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Maybe, just maybe, things were finally starting to go his way. As if to confirm his thought, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. It was an email. The subject line read: [Web] [We wish your company endless development.] Intrigued, Woojin opened it. The first line made his breath catch in his throat: [We are pleased to inform you that your design has been selected as one of the final entries in the Magok M-Tec design competition.] He quickly scrolled down, his heart now racing, to read the details of this unexpected, wonderful news from LTK Financial Group, the company behind the huge Magok MICE complex.