Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 31

A few days passed.

Then, it happened. Almost 100 million won – about $80,000 – appeared in Woojin’s bank account. He checked the numbers twice, a small smile forming on his face.

Mr. Kim, the real estate agent from Munjeong-dong (a district in Seoul), had done everything perfectly. Woojin nodded to himself. *Good choice,* he thought.

*He really found a good place.*

Woojin planned to buy more real estate later. He wanted to find great buildings all over Seoul. He knew he would need a good agent for that.

Mr. Kim seemed like someone he would work with again and again.

“Now, the key is how to spend this money wisely,” Woojin said to himself.

Woojin hadn’t spent all of the 70 million won yet, and nearly 100 million won had been added.

However, all that money wasn’t in a single account.

The money Woojin earned from his work was in WJ Studio’s company account, while the profit from selling his rights to a new apartment was his own money.

And Woojin was pondering how to maximize the profit from this money.

‘For now, I need more time until a suitable investment opportunity arises. If so, it’s right to invest this money in the studio for the time being……’

Woojin decided to spend the money on growing the business first.

The remaining question was how to transfer the money from his personal account to the company account.

At first glance, this concern might not be understood, but it was a more important issue than it seemed.

Putting money in and taking it out of the company account without a second thought could lead to a tax bomb later on.

‘The simplest way is to increase the company money……’

The easiest way to put money into the company account was for Woojin to invest in his own corporation.

However, since WJ Studio’s ownership structure was 100% under Woojin’s name, Woojin’s investment would directly lead to an increase in company money.

But he didn’t like this method.

In tax law, a corporation was a separate entity from Woojin.

Therefore, taking money that had entered the corporation back to his own money would require paying a considerable amount of tax.

Whether he took it as a salary or as profits paid to owners, he would still pay a lot of tax.

‘I should put it in as a loan for now. When the company account has enough surplus, I’ll take it out as it is then.’

So, Woojin deposited his money into the corporation in the form of a ‘loan’.

Money that was loaned, not invested, wouldn’t be taxed when it was recovered.

Woojin had no intention of avoiding taxes he had to pay through unfair means, but he also had no intention of donating taxes he didn’t have to pay.

“Alright. Then the company money is secured with this……,” Woojin muttered.

Woojin stared at the numbers on the screen, the digits of his company account glowing faintly in the dim studio light. He felt a thrill, but also the weight of responsibility as he began to meticulously plan the cash flow.

He wanted to use the money efficiently, making sure it flowed smoothly through his business, not getting stuck and causing problems – what he called ‘arteriosclerosis of money’.

Woojin often used the term ‘arteriosclerosis of money’ to describe the situation where money gets stuck like traffic due to a tangled financial circulation plan, leading to bankruptcy.

‘Okay. If I move like this……’

Having roughly established the financial plan, Woojin, energized by his financial planning, began to move again.

The first thing he did was to secure additional space for the studio.

“Hello! It’s good to see you again,” Woojin said.

“Who is it? Oh, Woojin! Is that you?” the real estate agent lady replied.

The real estate agent lady who had found Woojin’s studio greeted him warmly. Woojin’s impression as a polite customer couldn’t be bad for her.

“I’m doing well, thanks. I was hoping to rent more space,” Woojin said.

“Oh my, is the studio doing well, student?” she asked.

“So-so. Haha,” Woojin replied.

“You want to expand into the vacant space on the same floor, right?”

“That’s right. If possible, I’d like to lease the entire second floor.”

“Wow, it’s a worn building, but to do that, the monthly rent would be at least three million won?”

Woojin, listening to the lady’s story, couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps because the vacancy had been prolonged, the monthly rent was cheaper than he had expected.

“Please negotiate around that level and talk to the landlord,” Woojin said.

“Okay. That man will be very excited to sign the contract. He’s been anxious because the vacancy has been going on for two months already.”

The reason Woojin was expanding the studio was simple.

He was planning to increase the number of model-making workers and take on a large amount of architectural model work by visiting construction companies.

In fact, he had considered moving the studio to the city center instead of the secluded university area, but he judged that the school neighborhood had more advantages in many aspects.

The fact that there were many vacant spaces on the same floor also played a part in that decision.

‘I could call school kids and use them as part-timers, but even if I do that, I’ll have to hire at least three employees. I should have Seokhyun manage them,’ Woojin thought.

If Woojin proceeded with too many tasks simultaneously on his own, his brain would eventually overload.

Seokhyun was a friend and trusted colleague who would manage the new employees.

So, what Woojin was looking for was the most efficient operating method.

‘If I take the portfolio I worked on at Cheonwoong Construction and visit a few places, work will pour in. However, the key is how to maintain quality while increasing the quantity……’

As time went on, Woojin would invest more time in design and construction.

Therefore, no matter how much Seokhyun managed, he couldn’t always produce the same quality as this work.

So, Woojin pondered and came up with a good idea.

‘I should create premium products separately. I’ll raise the unit price up to twice the normal work, and Seokhyun and I will directly work on only the premium outsourced projects.’

A grin spread across Woojin’s face as he, pleased with his idea, began to quickly take notes.

If clear differentiation was possible, it was a strategy that would work well enough.

Since Cheonwoong Construction, which had clearly seen the power of the ‘premium model’ this time, existed, establishing this strategy might be easier than expected.

“Huuuuh. I should just post a job advertisement today and go to sleep. I need to focus more on school again from tomorrow,” Woojin yawned.

Woojin, having organized all the ideas he had in mind in his notebook, threw himself onto the makeshift bed spread out in the corner of the studio. The smell of glue and paint filled the small, somewhat messy space.

Now, he had finished all the urgent tasks before the groundbreaking day of Cheonwoong Construction’s promotional hall.

The reason why he had to focus more on school from tomorrow was clear.

Now, it was almost the end of April and the beginning of May.

The season of cherry blossoms soon meant the mid-term exam season for universities.

Woojin thought that the most ambiguous class among the department’s required major courses was ‘Basic Spatial Design’.

Looking only at the course description, it was the main major course in spatial design.

Rather than other subjects, he didn’t feel like he was clearly learning something.

Koh Seung-hoon, the professor of ‘Basic Spatial Design B class’, which included Woojin, was a professor who often took leave.

The content covered in the class was also very abstract and vague.

To put it a little prettier, it was a class that solved ‘philosophical’ topics with spatial design.

‘Of course, I think this kind of class is necessary…… but it doesn’t really resonate with me,’ Woojin thought.

Woojin had a reasonable suspicion that Professor Koh Seung-hoon was a freeloader, but so far, there was nothing particularly bad.

Thanks to one required major course reducing his burden, he was able to do more work for WJ Studio more actively.

‘Yeah. I think one free-riding major class is better than I thought.’

As the midterm exams got closer, this class started to feel different.

Professor Ko Seung-hoon was known for cancelling classes often. But even he seemed worried as midterm evaluations approached.

Students loved when he cancelled class, but they were also quick to write very critical reviews if they didn’t like the class at the end of the semester.

Professor: “I think we’ve had enough theoretical lessons until last week… Now, we have midterms soon, right?”

Students (in chorus): “Yes, Professor!”

“That’s right!”

Professor: “In that case, starting this week, I think we should slowly begin the group project.”

Some students groaned loudly.

A few students called out, “No, Professor! Not a group project!”

One student mumbled, “Just when I thought this class was easy…”

Another student sighed heavily.

Professor: “I wish I could give you all A+’s, but the school rules don’t allow it… So, I have to do some kind of evaluation, don’t I?”

Professor Ko Seung-hoon’s voice was still gentle, but his words hung in the air like a dark cloud. A wave of gloomy expressions washed over the students’ faces.

As midterms got closer, all classes became harder.

Even spatial design, which they thought would be easy, was now becoming demanding. Students sighed without meaning to.

Professor Ko Seung-hoon paused, looking around the classroom with a smile playing on his lips. Then, he said, “We can simply pair you up with whoever you are sitting next to right now to make groups.”

A confused murmur rippled through the room. “Excuse me?” someone asked.

But Professor Ko Seung-hoon continued as if he hadn’t heard. “As luck would have it, you are all sitting in pairs of two. Perfect!”

Professor Ko Seung-hoon clapped his hands together sharply, as if he had just solved a great puzzle. He turned to the blackboard and started writing quickly.

As the last word left the professor’s mouth, a sudden burst of joy came from one corner of the room. It was Han So-yeon, sitting right next to Woojin, who looked like she had just won the lottery.

“Yes! Yesss!” Soyeon pumped her fist in the air, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Watching her from across the aisle, Hyejin’s lips tightened into a pout. She leaned towards her own partner and whispered, “Unnie.”

“What,” her partner replied, sounding bored.

“Are you happy? *Really* happy?” Hyejin asked, her eyes fixed on Soyeon.

“Of course, I’m happy. Why wouldn’t I be?” Soyeon said loudly, still grinning, clearly enjoying Hyejin’s reaction.

The other classmates looked confused, but Soyeon didn’t care. She was genuinely thrilled. She had seen Woojin’s amazing skills at the Night of Design. Being partners with him for the group project was the best possible outcome.

Soyeon suddenly started playfully massaging Woojin’s shoulders. Woojin pretended to be surprised, raising an eyebrow. “Ahem, Ms. Han, why are you suddenly doing this?”

“I only trust in you, Woojin,” Soyeon said with a wink.

“In what exactly do you trust me?” Woojin asked, a small smile starting to form.

“Please guide this poor, pitiful being to an A+, “Soyeon exaggerated, batting her eyelashes.

Woojin couldn’t help but laugh at her silly act. “Hey, you don’t even know what the project is yet. How can you say you trust me already?”

“You’ll do great no matter what. I just believe in you,” Soyeon insisted, still smiling brightly.

“Hey, why are you acting like this? Driver,” Woojin teased.

“Am I a driver now?” Soyeon chuckled.

“Yeah,” Woojin nodded.

“Okay then, I’m the engine,” Soyeon declared confidently.

“…” Woojin paused for a moment, then grinned. “Don’t feel too bad. Everyone knows men are supposed to rule the world, but women rule the men who rule the world.”

Woojin didn’t dislike Soyeon’s playful attitude. He remembered how hard she had worked at the Night of Design. She was a repeat student, which meant she likely had good practical skills. She would be a good partner for this project.

And besides, she was smiling at him with her pretty face – what man would dislike that?

“Okay, okay,” Woojin said, shaking his head with a smile. “Let’s focus now. We should take notes on what the professor is writing. That must be the project details.”

“Right!” Soyeon nodded quickly, grabbing her notebook. “Yes, sir! I’m good at taking notes too!”

While Woojin and Soyeon were having a silly conversation, Professor Ko Seung-hoon’s writing filled the blackboard quite densely. And the students sitting in the classroom were reading the contents with serious expressions.

[Basic Spatial Design B Class, 1st Semester Midterm Project.]

[Present a special space to a virtual client.]

[Whether it’s a commercial space, a residential space, or an exhibition or educational space, the purpose of the space doesn’t matter.]

[However, create a virtual client as specific as possible, and design a creative yet realistic space to present to them.]

[You must satisfy the virtual client, and your philosophy must be clearly reflected in the design.]

Further details were listed below…

[Project Deliverables: One Panel, One Architectural Model]

[Project Deadline: April 29th (Thursday)]

The project, as expected by Woojin and the students, was to evaluate the midterm score. Most of the major subjects in art colleges, including design colleges, evaluate scores with practical projects instead of exams, so it wasn’t a particularly special case.

“‘Present a special space to a virtual client…’ Woojin read the project description, his brow furrowing slightly in thought. Professor Ko Seung-hoon’s projects were always a bit abstract. But thinking back to the lectures, this one seemed more practical than usual. He started to consider the professor’s intention behind this assignment.”

“I’ll give you one hour to come up with a concept as a group,” Professor Ko Seung-hoon announced. “I will check each group’s concept after one hour. If your concept is not approved, you cannot continue with the project. So, think carefully and come up with something good.”

The students immediately huddled together, buzzing with excited chatter and nervous energy. Woojin and Soyeon leaned closer, their heads together.

“Oppa,” Soyeon said, her voice thoughtful, “We should decide on a client first, right?”

“That sounds like a good starting point,” Woojin agreed. “Let’s try to create a really unique client.”

“If it’s a special client, the space should be special too, right?” Soyeon pondered. “Maybe a painter? Or a famous chef? Or even a sports star or an entertainer?”

“Hmm, to make the space really creative, it would be good to have a client with a very free-spirited job,” Woojin considered.

They talked for ten minutes, then twenty, throwing out ideas, but nothing felt quite right. They couldn’t create a virtual client that truly sparked their imagination. They were starting to feel a little stuck.

But then, as they were talking, almost out of nowhere, a brilliant idea flashed into Woojin’s mind. His eyes widened slightly.

Golden Print