Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 38

May was over. This meant the big university events were finished. First, midterm exams ended in early May. Then, the university festival happened in the middle of May.

May was a busy month for freshmen, filled with new experiences of university life.

Of course, one freshman didn’t pay much attention to these events.

“We made so much money running a pub during the festival this year! We each took home five hundred thousand won (a good amount of money)! Aren’t you jealous?” So-yeon asked.

“Not really?” Woo-jin replied.

“Then, how about this?”

“What is it now?”

“Three girl groups performed on the festival stage last week! Aren’t you jealous now? Don’t you regret it?”

“Hmm. It’s a bit of a shame I missed that. I suppose it can’t be helped,” Woo-jin said.

“Aish…!” So-yeon sighed in frustration.

Woo-jin was in the quiet department office after class, sunlight warming the empty desks. He hadn’t been around much lately. Suddenly, So-yeon bounced over, her ponytail swinging.

So-yeon seemed to have so much to say. She sat right next to Woo-jin and started talking quickly.

“I mean, how can a freshman not enjoy the festival?” she asked.

“And, hey! If we’re going to do group assignments together, you need to stay at school a bit, too!”

Woo-jin wasn’t completely clueless. He could tell So-yeon was a little disappointed.

‘I’ve been neglecting the group project too much. I’ve turned down setting a date for the team project three times now,’ Woo-jin thought.

Of course, Woo-jin didn’t refuse because he didn’t want to do the group project.

Woo-jin was just as eager as the other students when it came to his major classes.

Therefore, he was aiming for an A+ in the team project with So-yeon as well.

However, May was such a busy month for him that he didn’t have a single moment to spare.

Woo-jin, who had been subtly watching So-yeon, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Well, well, our team member,” he said.

“What? What is it!” So-yeon asked.

“So, how about we do the team project today? We missed it last time,” Woo-jin suggested.

So-yeon looked surprised and said, “What? Suddenly, without any notice? Today?”

“Yeah,” Woo-jin replied.

“No way. I can’t. Something suddenly came up. I’m leaving! Bye!”

So-yeon scoffed at Woo-jin, turned her head, and began packing her bag.

Woo-jin felt that So-yeon was pretending to go home, so he chuckled and continued.

“Team member. Are you really not going to do the team project and leave?”

“I said, I’m leaving, okay?”

“Even though the team project location is ‘Hanwoo Village’ (a place known for delicious Korean beef)?”

So-yeon’s hands, which had been organizing her laptop, paused for a moment.

“Hanwoo… Village? Wh-why are we doing the team project there?” So-yeon’s voice trembled slightly.

Knowing that she was a huge fan of meat, especially beef, this was Woo-jin’s powerful move.

“A team project isn’t necessarily about turning on a laptop, sketching, and drawing blueprints,” Woo-jin said.

“What…?”

“Isn’t savoring Two-Plus grade sirloin while strengthening the bond between team members also a kind of team project?”

Normally, So-yeon would have hit him on the back for talking like an old man, but this time she couldn’t.

Hanwoo. (Korean Beef)

And it was Two-Plus grade sirloin.

So-yeon could feel the disappointment towards Woo-jin, which had been stuck somewhere in her heart without her realizing it, melting away without her realizing it.

“I-it sounds like a slightly okay idea…,” she admitted.

Woo-jin then delivered the final blow to So-yeon, who was still hesitating.

“It’s not like I was just goofing off last month and couldn’t do the team project,” he said.

“……?”

“I worked like an ant for the entire month of May to earn money to treat our team member to beef,” Woo-jin explained.

“Really?”

“For today, at least… even if our team member doesn’t take a single spoonful of rice and fills up on brisket until she bursts, I’ll gladly open my wallet,” he said.

In fact, the moment she heard the words Two-Plus sirloin, So-yeon was calculating her part-time job income for this month in her head.

She never expected him to actually offer to buy her beef.

And to even buy her enough to eat until she bursts.

The disappointment from the team project refusal had already flown far away for So-yeon.

“Fine. I’ll make an exception just this once,” she said.

“Indeed, Hanwoo is great,” Woo-jin said.

“You think it’s just because of the Hanwoo?”

“Yeah,” Woo-jin replied.

“It’s not. It’s just that Oppa’s (So-yeon called Woo-jin ‘Oppa’, a Korean term for older brother or a friendly way for a younger girl to address an older boy) sincere apology moved my heart,” So-yeon said.

“In that case, Hanwoo was indeed an excellent medium,” Woo-jin agreed.

“I agree with that,” So-yeon said.

Perhaps excited by the thought of Hanwoo, So-yeon even helped Woo-jin organize his scattered belongings on the desk.

And Woo-jin, touched by her dedication to the meat, handed So-yeon the menu as soon as they arrived at ‘Hanwoo Village.’ The air smelled amazing, like smoky meat. Red lanterns hung outside the restaurant, and the sound of happy chatter spilled out the door.

With the price tags written next to the menu items covered by his hand.

“Alright, choose,” Woo-jin said.

“Why did you cover this up?”

“It means don’t worry about the price and just choose,” Woo-jin replied.

“What’s with this Oppa today? Did you win the lottery or something?”

“As if,” Woo-jin scoffed.

“If you’re planning to cover it all with one Hanwoo meal after winning the lottery….”

“Should we cancel the team project today?” Woo-jin teased.

“One sirloin, one ribeye, one short rib. And if it’s okay, add a plate of Yukhoe (Korean beef tartare),” So-yeon ordered.

“Deal,” Woo-jin agreed.

As they quickly ordered the meat, thick slices of Two-Plus grade sirloin arrived, each piece a deep red with streaks of pure white fat like marble, along with a sizzling grill.

So-yeon’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the beautiful meat. It was ‘yeong-long-han’ – almost glowing – with perfect white lines of fat. She instantly snatched the tongs and scissors that came with the meat.

“Today, this So-yeon will be in charge of grilling the meat,” she declared.

“You’re good at grilling meat?”

“Of course,” So-yeon replied confidently.

“Alright. That’s good confidence,” Woo-jin said.

“Just wait. I’ll show you the miracle of the meat melting in your mouth as soon as it touches your tongue,” So-yeon promised.

So-yeon grilled the meat even better than expected, as she had promised, and Woo-jin enjoyed the meat she grilled while listening to So-yeon’s meat philosophy.

“Oppa. You know, you shouldn’t flip beef more than three times,” she instructed.

“Why?”

“You have to sear it quickly on high heat on both sides at once, so the juices stay inside and it becomes tender,” So-yeon explained.

“Hmm……”

“Delicious, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

So-yeon seemed unsatisfied with Woo-jin’s response and asked again.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“No. The meat is melting on my tongue. I can’t talk much while enjoying the taste.”

“You’re talking very clearly for someone who is supposedly lost in enjoying the food, don’t you think?”

“It means ‘really delicious.’ Let’s move on.”

So-yeon was happy with Woo-jin’s honest explanation. She grinned and spoke again.

“I knew it! Then try this one too. The tenderloin melts best, but the short rib is delightfully chewy and offers a different charm.”

Woo-jin watched So-yeon excitedly grill the meat and had a sudden thought.

‘She’s quite unique.’

She had a pretty face and a down-to-earth personality, reminding him of his friends from his all-boys high school days.

And she was kind, taking care of an old older friend who barely showed up to school.

‘Because I went back in time, I’ve even made such a good friend… I’m very lucky.’

Woo-jin felt grateful to So-yeon.

Before he knew it, he said,

“Hey, let’s do well.”

“……? What’s with the sudden mood? What’s wrong?”

“Um, I think you misunderstood…….”

“Gross!”

“Seriously, you’ll say anything to your sugar daddy, won’t you?”

After their bickering, they left the restaurant with smiles.

Woo-jin secretly checked the bill, which was very expensive, and felt sad inside.

‘From now on, I need to be more careful about… beef.’

He had used the company card, but that money was still like his own.

The most exciting time of the week for any office worker.

Park Byung-jae had been called by his boss at 4 PM on a Friday and was waiting for the elevator, feeling uneasy.

‘Damn it. I even finished the Monday report… Why is he calling me at this hour?’

He had a particular worry.

If he didn’t get through Friday afternoon without problems, his weekend would be miserable.

The misery wasn’t anything big.

He’d have to cancel his Friday drinking plans because of overtime. After working hard without even a sip of alcohol, his wife would be angry at him for being late.

If he argued back, it would turn into a fight, and he’d waste his weekend being stressed.

These were small misfortunes.

The real reason for the fights was that his wife didn’t trust him because he drank often.

So, these misfortunes were actually quite likely to happen.

But Byung-jae was always stressed about work, so it was too much to expect him to think clearly.

As always, Byung-jae’s worry was finding him, making him feel gloomy.

“Park Manager, you’re here?”

“Yes, Director. What’s the matter……?”

“You know Chunwoong Construction is launching their premium brand, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“I heard their model home opened in a fancy area of the city……”

Here it comes.

What was coming, came.

“Please… tell me.”

Byung-jae had experienced this many times, so he swallowed a sigh.

“Go check it out tomorrow morning. Take two people with you and see what Chunwoong is doing with their new brand.”

Byung-jae didn’t swear, but he was angry inside.

‘Doesn’t this jerk know that tomorrow is Saturday? If he was going to make me do this, he should have sent me during work hours! Damn it!’

Director Kim was always like this.

He’d be quiet during the week, then suddenly give annoying tasks like this on Friday afternoons.

He was the worst kind of boss with a bad habit.

But Byung-jae had over ten years of experience, so he wasn’t foolish enough to show his anger.

Director Kim was good at his job.

Byung-jae needed to stay on Director Kim’s good side if he wanted to take his position in a few years.

Instead of looking angry, Byung-jae smiled and lied.

“I’ve already collected some basic data, Director.”

“Oh, really?”

“There must be a good reason why Chunwoong is stopping the CW brand and launching a premium brand, right?”

“Haha. That’s right. You always think fast. That’s why I like you. Haha!”

Byung-jae wanted to punch Director Kim’s laughing face.

‘What reason? Damn it. The marketing department at Chunwoong Construction is wasting money and making a fool of themselves.’

It takes years to build a construction company’s brand.

A house isn’t a cheap product; it’s something that families spend their entire fortune on.

It takes years to create the idea that ‘I can trust ○○ Apartments and get a good deal.’

Byung-jae didn’t understand Chunwoong Construction’s idea of stopping the CW brand and launching a new brand.

That’s why he was angry and annoyed.

He had to spend his weekend figuring out the stupid thoughts of stupid people.

‘And why does the company care about Chunwoong? They’re not Myungsung or Taejin.’

Chunwoong Construction was much, much smaller than Byung-jae’s company, ‘Jeun Construction.’

Their industry ranking was in the same single digits, but there was a big gap between 1st and 9th place.

Byung-jae left Director Kim’s office feeling rotten.

“I’ll add it to the Monday report, Director.”

“Good. I’ll be looking forward to it, Manager Park.”

He hoped to make him feel guilty.

“Then, have a good weekend.”

“Thank you. You can go now.”

Director Kim didn’t care that Park Byung-jae was working on the weekend.

‘Hoo. This is awful. The model home opens at 10 AM, right? I should take the guys, go right when it opens, take a quick look around, and leave.’

Byung-jae thought about how to solve this with the least effort, took the elevator, and returned to his seat.

He didn’t know that he would end up working hard because he wanted to, not because he was forced to.

“……? How much money did these crazy people spend on this place?”

This was the first thing he said after arriving at the model home in a wealthy part of town with his team and looking around without a word.