Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 30

Mr. Kim had run his real estate office in a busy neighborhood of Seoul called Munjeong-dong for over ten years. Many people who invested in property knew him well.

For someone like Mr. Kim, being good at his job meant finding good houses and apartments to sell, and selling them for the right price.

Even though the housing market had been slow for a long time, and many other real estate offices were closing down, Mr. Kim’s office was still doing okay. This was because he was very skilled at his job.

“Hmm… Mr. Yoon asked me to find him a good property this month… But there’s not many properties for sale, a real drought.”

Mr. Kim, gazing at the Songpa-gu map on his office wall, scratched the back of his head and leaned back on the sofa.

Despite being almost completely reclined, Mr. Kim’s gaze was fixed intently on one particular area of the map.

‘Surely someone will be selling their ○○○ Lakeville soon.’

The location he was focused on was where the ‘○○○ Lakeville’ apartment complex, which had recently sold out, was to be built.

It had faced controversy over its high sale price and ultimately went unsold during the initial offering period.

Thanks to that, they had to offer discounted sales to finally sell out the apartments.

Mr. Kim, being an investor who had picked up one of the unsold units, knew this apartment complex very well.

‘The price is now about 40 million more? More than I expected.’

Mr. Kim, not only a real estate agent but also practically a native of Munjeong-dong, knew that the location of this Lakeville apartment was quite good.

That’s why, despite the relatively high sale price, he had immediately signed a contract for a unit as soon as the discounted sales began.

‘I worried a lot about it… What would I have done if I hadn’t bought it?’

Of course, even Mr. Kim hadn’t expected the price to rise so quickly to 40 million Korean won.

He had anticipated a profit of around 50 to 60 million won in two or three years, at the time of completion.

But that was before the government’s policies to stimulate the economy.

Projections, after all, change from time to time depending on the situation.

‘The government stopped limiting how high prices could go, and it was more effective than I thought.’

The government’s policies coincided with the right timing, causing the ○○○ Lakeville apartment price to jump by 40 million in just two months.

At this point, there would surely be investors looking to sell to make money, and that was the kind of listing Mr. Kim was looking for.

In his view, ○○○ Lakeville would likely gain at least another 40 to 50 million in price.

With that kind of potential, it was a good enough card to introduce to his regular customer, Mr. Yoon.

It meant that while the price was too expensive for him to buy another one himself, it was a perfect property to recommend to others.

‘Hmm, I should have gotten a list of contract holders from the model house in advance… At this rate, am I going to not make any sales this month?’

Mr. Kim, taking his eyes off the map, looked out at the street through the cool, smooth glass of the front window.

It was a quiet weekday afternoon, but he was hoping a customer might come by.

Mr. Kim looked out at the street. His shoulders slumped a little. It didn’t look like anyone was coming today.

“Tch. Should I just put my number up and leave work early… Looks like today is a bad day for business.”

Mr. Kim, sighing deeply, got up from the sofa and began to tidy his desk.

Since it didn’t seem like any customers would be coming today anyway, he was planning to go see his newborn grandson.

However, just as he turned around to start tidying up, and barely a minute had passed…

Clang-

The bell on the office door jingled, a bright, cheerful sound that cut through the quiet afternoon.

Hearing that welcome sound, Mr. Kim reflexively turned his head and rushed out to greet the customer.

“Welcome…!”

As if he had never sighed, Mr. Kim was already wearing a business smile.

But the very next moment, Mr. Kim couldn’t help but fail to maintain his expression.

‘Huh…?’

Someone had definitely opened the office door and come in, but no matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like he was a customer.

Unless his office was located in a college district, that is.

‘Damn it. Figures. Did he come in to ask for directions or something?’

Mr. Kim’s expression turned sour again as he confirmed the face of the young man, who looked to be in his twenties, and the customer, unaware of his feelings, strode into the office.

But the moment the customer opened his mouth…

Mr. Kim experienced another surprise.

“Sir, do you handle sales rights here?”

“Excuse me?”

“I came to sell a ○○○ Lakeville, 59 type… Can I sit here for a moment?”

It was only natural that Mr. Kim’s eyes widened like those of a startled frog.

In Woo-jin’s memory, the ○○○ Lakeville apartment would increase in price by hundreds of millions of won in about four or five years.

As the market began to recover after completion, the good location created synergy, and the price soared in an instant.

If Woo-jin continued to hold onto this sales right, he would reap enormous profits in a few years.

But Woo-jin had come all the way to Songpa-gu today to sell both of his sales rights.

And there was, of course, a valid reason for that.

‘Investing doesn’t just involve money; it also ties up time.’

According to the market price Woo-jin had determined, he could make a profit of nearly one hundred million won by selling both units now.

Twelve million won in profit from the discounted sale, plus forty million won in price.

With a profit of over 50 million won per unit, he was selling two units.

But if he didn’t sell these two units and waited four or five years, the profit would be more than five times that amount.

At the time of completion, the price Woo-jin remembered was roughly in the range of 200 to 300 million won.

‘But if I wait for that, the 100 million I can use right now will be tied up for several years.’

Woo-jin’s logic was simple.

He was confident that by investing this 100 million into the company right away, he could make more than five times that profit within three years.

He was going to sell it quickly and not feel bad about it, and secure money coming in.

Therefore, Woo-jin, having already decided on the answer, spoke clearly and confidently as he visited the real estate agency.

“I’ll take 42 million per unit.”

“You mean… the price, Mr. CEO?”

“Yes. If the balance can be paid within this month, I’m willing to consider a discount of about one million per unit.”

Although he was a young student who wasn’t even old enough to be his son, Mr. Kim immediately addressed him as Mr. CEO.

In fact, what did age matter?

The person who makes you money is the master, a basic rule of business.

“Around 40 million is roughly the market price, Mr. CEO.”

“I checked before coming.”

But apart from that, Mr. Kim had many other masters.

So, as always, some negotiation was necessary.

“But Mr. CEO, the property has a good floor, but the building and direction are a bit less desirable…”

Of course, that ‘negotiation’ was only possible with someone who would listen.

“Sir.”

“Yes?”

“I know that if I put it up at any real estate agency nearby, it will be sold immediately.”

“……”

“The last transaction was effectively at a 40 million price, but you can’t sell it because there are no properties available, right?”

“Th, that’s…”

Mr. Kim blinked. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wasn’t sure what to say.

‘What kind of guy is this?’

From the moment they started talking, he knew he wasn’t an ordinary person, but he didn’t expect him to be so knowledgeable about the market situation.

Woo-jin leaned forward, his voice firm. “If you can’t sell this apartment for 420 million won, Mr. Kim, I’ll have to find another agent. I was hoping to get 500 million, but I’m willing to be flexible.”

Mr. Kim’s eyes widened. “Ah, no, Mr. President! Please, wait! It’s not as simple as that…”

Mr. Kim quickly reached out and gently touched Woo-jin’s arm, stopping him from rising. “Please, Mr. President, sit down,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Mr. Kim knew Woo-jin was serious. This wasn’t just talk.

Even though Mr. Kim had convinced Woo-jin to stay and talk, he knew he would have to lower his fee a little.

“Let’s set the brokerage fee at 500,000 won per unit, for a total of one million won.”

“What? The sale price is 400 million. How can you ask that…”

“The rate is, after all, a matter of negotiation.”

Mr. Kim explained how real estate fees usually worked. “For apartments like yours, the fee is usually a small percentage of the selling price, around 0.4% if it sells for less than 600 million won.”

“No, but where else do they do it for 500,000 won?”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, I, as the seller, came here on my own, and there are plenty of buyers waiting right now… In fact, if you just take my property and make a few phone calls, you’re basically earning a million won, aren’t you?”

Mr. Kim, who was talking with Woo-jin, was left speechless.

Woo-jin’s words were all true.

But Mr. Kim still felt uneasy.

Because the price Woo-jin was offering now was far too low compared to the usual transaction price.

But after much deliberation, Mr. Kim eventually had no choice but to nod.

His sales for this month were so poor, and Woo-jin’s expression and atmosphere were too firm.

It was clear that arguing any further would only be a loss for him.

“Hoo, alright. Then, let’s do that.”

Watching Mr. Kim sigh deeply, Woo-jin bit back a bitter smile, careful not to show it.

He had pushed hard, but he wasn’t really trying to profit by damaging their relationship.

Woo-jin felt he had pushed Mr. Kim hard enough. Now it was time to offer something good.

“Instead, Mr. President.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll give you exclusive rights to my property.”

“……!”

“I won’t open it anywhere else for the month of April, so find a buyer and receive brokerage fees from both sides.”

“Really, would you do that for me?”

Mr. Kim’s eyes widened.

In fact, he had assumed that Woo-jin’s words ‘I’ve been looking around’ meant that the property was already listed with other real estate agencies.

If Woo-jin’s proposal was true, it meant that this was the first place he had listed the property.

“Since properties are scarce, get the maximum from that side. Wouldn’t that be a profit for you too, Mr. President?”

Originally, real estate brokerage fees are received from both the seller and the buyer.

So, if a real estate agent finds both the buyer and the seller and completes the transaction, they get to ‘double dip,’ meaning they get paid fees from both the seller and the buyer.

This was what Woo-jin was proposing, and Mr. Kim’s mood, which hadn’t been very good, couldn’t help but brighten.

As he said, the pre-sale rights for ‘○○○ Lakeville’ were scarce.

When dealing with buyers, he could offer a high brokerage fee without any hesitation.

“Thank you, Mr. President! I’ll quickly find a buyer and make sure you get exactly 420 million.”

Watching Mr. Kim’s expression brighten instantly, Woo-jin slowly rose from his seat.

In fact, he had spoken strongly to lower the brokerage fee, but he thought that Mr. Kim was a fairly decent broker.

At least he didn’t look down on or ignore Woo-jin because he was young, and he didn’t try to deceive Woo-jin in the process of making the deal.

So, Woo-jin took out a business card from his pocket.

It was his business card with the ‘WJ studio’ logo, which he had prepared in advance for today’s meeting with Chunwoong Construction.

“Mr. President, do you also handle properties in Jamsil-dong or Sincheon-dong?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. I handle most of the Songpa-gu area, but….”

Woo-jin handed him the business card and spoke again.

“You know about the reconstruction of Seyoung Apartment in Jamsilnaru, right?”

Mr. Kim was slightly taken aback by the different story that suddenly came out of Woo-jin’s mouth.

But only for a moment, as he sensed something, he quickly replied.

“Ah, of course. I have a few properties as well.”

Woo-jin continued.

“If you have any apartments of that size for under that price, please contact me. If it’s a high-rise unit with a river view, it’s okay if it’s slightly over 600 million.”

“Yes?”

“Of course, I know there aren’t any such properties right now. I expect some will become available around June or July,’ Woo-jin added, as if he knew something Mr. Kim didn’t.”

“……?”

Mr. Kim, not understanding Woo-jin’s words, wore a dumbfounded expression again.

In fact, his reaction was only natural.

The price of Seyoung Apartment in Sincheon-dong had been gradually rising as it underwent reconstruction procedures recently.

“Even now, the cheapest apartments are 650 million won. What is he talking about?’ Mr. Kim wondered.”

Besides, Woo-jin wasn’t some kind of prophet, but he was talking so definitively about such properties coming out in June or July.

Mr. Kim didn’t even know how to react.

But that was Mr. Kim’s situation, and Woo-jin had only said what he had to say.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. Please call me as soon as you connect with a buyer.”

Mr. Kim, having received Woo-jin’s business card, stared at his business card with a blank expression for a moment.

[WJ studio]

[CEO Seo Woo-jin]

After confirming Woo-jin’s title, he couldn’t help but be startled.

‘He really was the president?’

Mr. Kim had been calling Woo-jin ‘President’ as a polite business title for a young man, but now he saw that it was Woo-jin’s actual job title: CEO.

So, as if possessed by something, Mr. Kim bowed his head deeply and saw Woo-jin off.

“Take care, Mr. President. I’ll contact you soon.”

“Then, I look forward to working with you.”

Woo-jin politely returned the greeting to Mr. Kim and strode out of the office.

And Mr. Kim, who watched him leave the office and walk towards the station for a while, tilted his head and returned to the office.

“In my 20 years of experience in real estate, this is the first time I’ve seen someone like this.”

The three letters of Seo Woo-jin’s name resurfaced in Mr. Kim’s mind.

A young man with a unique atmosphere and eloquence that he had never seen even in seasoned investors.

Despite clearly throwing each word in a strong tone, Woo-jin never lost his polite attitude until the end.

“He’s definitely something special….”

So, even though he felt he had been influenced by someone so young and new to business, Mr. Kim felt not so bad and shook his head again, starting to tidy up the office.

“Still, what’s with June and July? Is he making a prophecy or something?”

But even at this moment, he could not have known.

That in about two months, something amazing – almost like a miracle – would happen right before his very eyes.