Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 4

I’m twenty-two, but I have skills like someone with twenty years of experience.

Kim Ji-hoon was a famous figure in the construction industry. He was such a skilled technician, especially among carpenters (someone who works with wood to build structures), that people lined up to learn from him.

He had also worked for Cheonwoong Construction, the company building this structure, for about ten years.

So, when Woo-jin mentioned his name, Kyung-wan’s expression changed immediately. Ji-hoon was someone Kyung-wan had worked with before.

If someone learned from Ji-hoon for a few years, they could become better than a carpenter with five to ten years of experience. Woo-jin noticed the change in Kyung-wan’s attitude and waited for his response with a confident look.

Woo-jin thought to himself, “I’m not really lying. Kim Ji-hoon *was* my mentor, just in another life.”

In fact, Kim Ji-hoon was Woo-jin’s mentor in his past life. They had met at a construction site and worked together for almost five years. He was one of the top three most skilled carpenters Woo-jin had ever known.

Of course, in this life, they hadn’t met yet, but that wasn’t important. Ji-hoon was probably out of the country, so Kyung-wan couldn’t check the truth.

“‘When is Chief Kim supposed to return? I should visit him when he gets back,'” Woo-jin thought, remembering his past life.

Kyung-wan finished his thoughts and then said slowly, “If you really learned from Ji-hoon, then your age doesn’t matter. If you can do the job.”

Hearing Kyung-wan’s words, Woo-jin nodded. “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. You’d find out in an hour if I was lying.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s hard to check since Chief Kim is overseas right now, but you don’t really need to check, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“In the end, isn’t it all about doing the job well?”

There was something subtly strange about how Woo-jin spoke. He mentioned that the truth couldn’t be checked, but he also said something that would appeal to Kyung-wan.

“‘He’s right. I didn’t even know Chief Kim was overseas. If he knows that, they must be friends,'” Kyung-wan thought.

Woo-jin hinted at his friendship with Chief Kim, using his past knowledge. Then, he spoke again about how skilled he was.

In fact, Park Kyung-wan had already made up his mind. “‘He said I don’t have to pay him if his work is bad. I have nothing to lose,'” he thought.

So, after thinking for a moment, Kyung-wan nodded. “Alright. If you’re that confident…”

Kyung-wan turned on the laptop and showed Woo-jin to a seat. “Let’s start right away. I’ll call the supervisor. We’re in a hurry.”

Woo-jin sat down across from him without hesitating. “Great. Oh, and you can call me Woo-jin.”

Now that he had the chance, it was time to show off his skills.

Woo-jin knew the situation on the first floor very well. Even before the announcement, he knew they would be looking for carpenters for the inside work.

“‘Later, they didn’t have enough workers. So, they used carpenters who usually build the basic shapes (formwork) for the inside work. I know how things are here without even looking,'” he thought.

So Woo-jin came here determined. He would use his skills and experience from his past life, along with his knowledge of the Suseo site, to impress Park Kyung-wan.

And, of course, it was a kind of design. Earning some extra money would be nice, but that was just a bonus. He wanted to build a good reputation in the industry faster and at a younger age than in his past life.

He was laying the groundwork in advance. Woo-jin’s dream was to be an architectural designer, but connections and experience in the field were still valuable. All of this would help him achieve his dream.

“Do you have any SketchUp files saved?”

“I printed out some drawings, but I don’t have a 3D file.”

“It looks like the company didn’t give you the modeling file.”

“They usually don’t.”

“Then, we have to work with just the drawings…”

Woo-jin’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “It doesn’t seem like anyone else has been hired yet, so can I start with some simple modeling work first?”

The supervisor looked surprised. “Modeling? You’ll do it yourself?”

“I need a SketchUp file that I can open easily in the field.”

“Well, it would be nice to have…”

“It won’t take long. Just give me about four or five hours.”

The supervisor added, “Just so you know, we won’t pay extra for the modeling work.”

“Of course. I’m just doing it to make things easier for myself. But you’ll still pay me my daily wage, right?”

“Of course.”

Park Kyung-wan’s eyes widened as he listened to the conversation. The ‘simple SketchUp skills’ he had mentioned in the announcement didn’t really mean the ability to do modeling. The SketchUp skills needed were just to open a 3D file and check the sizes.

“‘Is this guy all talk?'” Kyung-wan thought, watching Woo-jin with interest.

SketchUp is a 3D modeling tool used for creating models of spaces. It is the easiest 3D program to use. You could say it’s like the Paint program of the 3D world.

In his past life, Woo-jin had used SketchUp a lot. If you were good at it, you could use it like a 3D drawing in the field. Instead of looking at the floor plan, you could check the sizes with a few clicks.

But even though it was useful, it was hard to find technicians who were good at SketchUp. Even though it was the simplest 3D program, it still took effort to learn.

“‘There are many contractors who can’t even use CAD (Computer-Aided Design) after 20 years of carpentry. That’s just how it is,'” Woo-jin thought.

However, Woo-jin was skilled in SketchUp because he was different. He had worked in the field for over ten years while still dreaming of becoming a designer.

For architectural designers, using 3D programs was a must. Woo-jin had to learn SketchUp on his own.

“‘I’m glad I learned it. I’ve used it well in many ways, and I’ll be using it well now too,'” he thought.

Woo-jin skillfully opened SketchUp and imported the drawings from the supervisor. He was going to turn the 2D drawings into a 3D model.

Since the model was for construction, he didn’t need to add textures or furniture. His goal was to accurately create the sizes and locations of the main structures in 3D.

Click. Click. Woo-jin was so focused that he seemed lost in the monitor. Kyung-wan was amazed. “‘Is he a modeler or a carpenter? How can a carpenter be so good at SketchUp?'” he wondered.

As the chief manager, Kyung-wan had a lot of experience. So, even though he didn’t know how to use SketchUp, he could tell what Woo-jin was doing.

“‘Does he have a motor on his fingers?'”

But he still wasn’t sure about Woo-jin. The field needed carpentry skills, not modeling skills. Woo-jin’s carpentry skills had not been proven yet.

“‘I hope his carpentry skills are as good as his SketchUp skills,'” Kyung-wan thought.

But Kyung-wan’s worries were unfounded. Modeling was just one of Woo-jin’s skills. Carpentry was his life.

The carpentry team was set up the day after Woo-jin arrived. Exactly one week later, Kyung-wan asked, “Woo-jin, are you thinking of working for a few more months?”

“The carpentry is done. What else is there to do? You even finished the schedule two days early,” Woo-jin replied.

“Cheonwoong Construction has other sites. I’ll pay you as much as a team leader on the next site,” Kyung-wan said.

“No.”

“Why?”

“I have to go to school.”

Kyung-wan had been suspicious of Woo-jin. Now, his eyes showed he really needed Woo-jin’s help.

Joon-min, the management team leader, was busy all day. He was trying to find more workers for the site. As a result, Joon-min found quite a few people. But none of them had proven skills.

“‘It’s critical that there’s no team leader. If needed, I’ll ask another team for help,'” he thought.

After trying everything he could, Joon-min went to work the next day feeling worried. He had taken a half-day off because he had been working late. When he arrived at the site, his eyes widened. The inside work on the first floor, which wasn’t supposed to have started yet, was already underway.

“‘What? Did the director find someone?'” Joon-min wondered. His face soon lit up. Judging by the speed of the work, they must have found a good technician. If so, his job would be much easier.

“Director!”

“Oh, Joon-min’s here?”

Seeing Park Kyung-wan’s happy expression, Joon-min was almost certain that the problem had been solved. “The inside carpentry on the first floor has started…”

“Heh heh. You saw it?”

“How did you find someone? There are no team leaders available,” Joon-min asked.

“Do you think I became a director by playing games? There’s always a way,” Kyung-wan replied.

Joon-min sat down across from Kyung-wan, who was sitting on the sofa by the window. Things seemed to be going well, so he could finally relax. “Okay, as long as I keep the schedule.”

Joon-min glanced at Kyung-wan’s proud expression, shook his head, and looked out the window. The management office had a clear view of the first floor. He checked the site one more time. But then, Joon-min noticed something was wrong.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

“Why are there only three people?”

No matter how hard he looked, there were only three workers.

“Well, because three people are working.”

What was even more strange was…

“That guy over there… what is he, Director?”

“Who?”

“That young guy dragging the compressor (a machine that compresses air) around and giving orders.”

Park Kyung-wan understood Joon-min’s confusion and laughed. “Ha, haha.”

Kyung-wan took a sip of tea and then said slowly, “Don’t call him a young guy.”

“Yes?”

“Because that friend might be our savior.”

Hearing Kyung-wan’s answer, Joon-min looked at the workplace with an even more confused expression. But soon, Joon-min’s expression changed to surprise.