Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 44

Woojin answered his phone as he walked through the busy market. The sounds of vendors selling food faded as he heard Jayden’s voice. Jayden was one of the three people who called him most often – the others were his mother and Soyeon.

“Jayden, what’s up?” Woojin asked.

[‘What do you mean ‘again’?! This is my first call today, Woojin!’]

Jayden’s booming voice filled his ear.

“Okay, okay. What is it?”

[Can you check the internet right now?]

“No, I’m outside.”

[Damn it, hold on. I’ll text you.]

Jayden sounded serious, which made Woojin even more curious about the message.

A moment later, his phone vibrated.

Bzzzz-

A rather lengthy text arrived on Woojin’s phone.

[-Notice-]

[This is the Seoul Design Foundation.]

[Thank you very much for your interest in the 2010 Seoul Public Design Contest (SPDC) organized by Seoul City.]

[This contest is planned for the continuous development of public architecture in Seoul…]

Woojin read the text on his phone, listening to Jayden at the same time. His phone volume was turned up loud.

[Woojin, it’s the contest you were talking about.]

“I’m looking at it.”

[It’s a hot-off-the-press announcement from exactly three minutes ago.]

“Excellent.”

[Isn’t Jayden the best?]

“I told you not to talk in the third person.”

[Jayden doesn’t know what the third person is.]

“Haaah…. Can you be quiet for a moment?”

Woojin spoke roughly to Jayden, but he was secretly grateful.

‘Our Hellboy… he’s a bit annoying, but he’s a very useful friend after all.’

A month or two ago, Woojin had told Jayden about this SPDC contest, mentioning that it was the most well-known contest in Korea that undergraduates could participate in.

And when Jayden heard that from Woojin, he had definitely said this.

[A contest? Hmm… I’m not really interested, but if you want me to join, I’ll make an exception and be a team member.]

It was strange that Jayden called only three minutes after the announcement, if he wasn’t interested.

Well, that’s not what’s important.

‘I almost forgot if it weren’t for Jayden….’

SPDC was one of the contests Woojin definitely wanted to participate in, and thanks to Jayden, he wouldn’t miss it.

However, as Woojin focused on reading the contents of the text, he couldn’t help but look bewildered.

Woojin stared at the words “nursing home.” A nursing home? That wasn’t right. He remembered it being a cultural center. His mind raced. Had he changed things so much already? This was unexpected.

“This year’s theme is… a nursing home?”

[Yes, Woojin. Surely you know what the word ‘nursing home’ means, right?]

“I’m Korean, Jayden.”

The facility presented as the theme for SPDC was completely different from what he remembered.

‘Wait. As far as I remember… the theme for 2010 was definitely a cultural complex?’

Woojin was quite taken aback.

Of course, he wasn’t trying to steal ideas from previous winners using his future knowledge.

That would be more than just using knowledge; it would be outright theft.

However, the reason Woojin was surprised was because of the clearly ‘changed future.’

‘It was something that could happen at any time… but a completely changed future is already appearing like this?’

Woojin didn’t know how his actions changed the contest theme. He couldn’t know and didn’t need to. Winning the contest was what mattered now. He wanted to use this contest as a stepping stone for another leap forward. Why was winning this contest so important to him? What did he hope to achieve?

“A maximum of three team members for collaborative work… the total prize money is around 50 million won….”

[The prize money isn’t important, Woojin. What’s important is… being on a team with this Jayden.]

Jayden chattered on, but Woojin didn’t hear any of it.

‘The number of team members allowed for collaborative work and the amount of prize money have also changed.’

And after reading everything, Woojin opened his mouth again into the phone.

“I’ll have to check the website for more details.”

[No, you can know everything if you meet me! This Jayden has already finished the analysis.]

Woojin ignored Jayden’s silly talk and focused on the important details.

“The submission deadline is exactly one month from now, right?”

[A month is enough. With Jayden, we can….]

But as the silly talk continued, Woojin suddenly felt like teasing Jayden.

“Hey, are you assuming you’re on the same team as me?”

[Holy…! Did you find other team members?]

Jayden reacted strongly. Woojin held back his laughter and kept pretending.

“Well… I do have a team member in mind….”

[Bloody Hell!]

“Among them is a lanky, dull-looking Englishman. So don’t get too excited, Jayden.”

[Hoo. Don’t keep making me angry, human.]

Woojin smiled and continued.

“Instead, for the other one, I want to recruit someone I want.”

At Woojin’s words, Jayden was silent for a moment, as if contemplating.

And a moment later, Jayden brought up the name of a friend Woojin knew well.

[Sunbin? If you’re thinking of that giraffe-like friend, it’ll probably be difficult.]

Woojin wasn’t planning on working with Sunbin, but he was curious about the reason, so he asked.

“Why?”

[Sunbin has already been preparing for this contest for a while now.]

“Oh, really?”

[He probably has other team members. So, another friend….]

Of course, Sunbin was a friend with outstanding skills among his peers. Even Woojin thought that if he could recruit him as a team member, he would be a reliable assistant.

But Woojin had no intention of choosing him, nor could he. If he excluded ‘her’ here, he thought he might be cut off.

“Don’t worry, Jayden. The other person I’m thinking of is Soyeon. Han Soyeon.”

[Oh, Soyeon? Okay, I approve of her. Of course, not as much as Jayden, but Soyeon is also smart and skilled.]

Soyeon was one of the peers whom Woojin highly valued, even excluding any personal feelings he had. She was creative, reliable, and had specific skills that would be useful for the contest.

Soyeon was amazing on the team because she was great at things Woojin wasn’t.

“Soyeon is a bit messy with models and building things,” Woojin thought, “but her eye for flat designs is incredible.”

He wasn’t talking about building plans. He meant designs on a flat surface, like drawings or pictures, not 3D models.

Woojin was a master of design programs for 3D models. Soyeon was a whiz with programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, used for 2D art. Woojin was good at planned, careful designs. Soyeon’s designs seemed to flow from her, like magic.

“Maybe all those selfies helped her Photoshop skills…” Woojin chuckled to himself. Yes, Soyeon was the perfect choice, even if he looked at it without any personal feelings.

“First, I’ll call Soyeon and ask for her opinion. I mean, I want to recruit her, but I haven’t heard her answer yet.”

[If she’s with me, she’ll definitely be tempted.]

“Hmm… I have a feeling I shouldn’t mention that you’re on the same team as her…”

A strange feeling went through Woojin when he thought of Soyeon and Jayden together. It was like a small warning bell ringing in his mind, and he frowned without knowing why.

Of course, Jayden on the other end of the phone was still excitedly chattering away.

[Come over to my place while we’re on the phone, Woojin. Let’s start with the concept planning.]

“It’s too late today, Jayden.”

[What? What’s late? It’s only six o’clock.]

“I’ll hang up for now. I need to call Soyeon.”

[Damn, aren’t you being too laid-back?]

“You’re just too impatient.”

Woojin hung up on Jayden and immediately called Soyeon.

Getting Soyeon’s approval wasn’t too difficult.

He had told Soyeon about SPDC before, and she had shown interest since then.

“So, we have about a month, give or take.”

[It’ll overlap with the final exams a bit… but that’s the same for other college students, right?]

“I guess so.”

[Okay, sounds fun.]

“So, call?”

[Call!]

He hadn’t brought up Jayden yet, but he thought it was only a minor detail.

Even though Jayden was a bit eccentric, he wasn’t a bad guy, and Soyeon didn’t dislike him either.

But the next moment, Woojin couldn’t help but think that perhaps the formation of this team itself was too hasty.

The moment Soyeon spoke next, Woojin felt like he was experiencing déjà vu.

[Then, Oppa, come to the school now.]

“What?”

[I just finished class, so let’s brainstorm concept ideas in the department office.]

“It’s… too late today.”

[What’s late? It’s only six o’clock.]

“Da, damn it. I’m confused, so I’ll hang up for now.”

[Confused? About what? Hello? Oppa, can you hear me?]

Woojin hung up the phone, sighed deeply, and headed home.

The thought that something was wrong began to fill Woojin’s mind intensely.

Seonbin sat hunched over his computer, the screen light reflecting in his eager eyes. His room was messy, papers scattered around, but his focus was only on the screen.

“It’s up. It’s finally up,” he muttered in a small voice, clenching his fists.

He hadn’t told his classmates, but Seonbin had been waiting for this day for the past two months.

The day the SPDC competition theme was announced, and he could officially start the project.

‘The theme is pretty much within the range I expected. Professor’s prediction was right after all.’

In the meantime, Seonbin had been diligently studying, focusing on practical knowledge with the help of Professor Park Junmin.

What Seonbin, as a freshman, lacked most was professional architectural knowledge and the ability to use computer tools.

So, Professor Park Junmin taught Seonbin a lot, focusing on those areas, and thanks to that, Seonbin was now full of confidence.

Really, Seonbin was much better than a normal first-year student now.

‘A nursing home… In the end, it’s a topic that needs to be approached from a UX (User Experience) design perspective, isn’t it?’

The first thing that filled Seonbin’s mind as he carefully read the competition announcement was his concern about the ‘theme’.

But since it wasn’t something that could be answered by thinking about it for a moment, Seonbin began to think about other issues first.

The project was starting. The first thing to figure out was the team size and time limit. It was one month, and teams could have up to three people.

‘Three people… It seems appropriate, but also ambiguous.’

Seonbin had been preparing for the competition for several months, but he hadn’t gathered a team yet.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that he couldn’t gather a team.

The number of team members was inconsistent for each SPDC competition, and in the year before last, there was even a theme where teamwork was completely prohibited.

It was an inevitable system where it was impossible to form a team in advance before the announcement.

But that didn’t mean he hadn’t thought about potential recruits.

Anyway, looking at the cases of past competitions, the probability of teamwork was much higher than solo play.

And in fact, the first person that came to Seonbin’s mind was Woojin.

‘Hooo….’

But Seonbin erased Woojin, who had come to mind first, from his mind first.

Woojin was a good older brother and a talented person, but ironically, that was why he couldn’t be on the same team.

‘His role overlaps too much with mine.’

The most outstanding parts of Woojin that Seonbin knew were his knowledge related to practical work and his design skills.

And those were the parts that Seonbin was most confident in now.

He wanted to stand out the most in the fields he was confident in, so he couldn’t be with Woojin.

Seonbin didn’t want to admit it, but it stemmed from anxiety.

Woojin is too good… no, I need to do this myself. I need to be the best, he thought.

If that happened, Professor Park Junmin’s attention, which was focused on him, would also shift to Woojin, and Seonbin never wanted such a result.

So, Seonbin immediately thought of the next person.

‘If it’s not Woojin hyung, then the next best member is Inha.’

Inha, whom Seonbin thought of, was Kim Inha, the class representative of the class of ’10.

She was the most enthusiastic friend in class that Seonbin knew, and she was a diligent and skilled student.

‘Soyeon noona is also tempting, and Jaewook is really good too… Who should I contact first?’

Seonbin thought of the classmates he had thought of in advance one by one, and at the same time, he began to imagine a happy future.

Ryu Seonbin, the super rookie designer from K University who won an award of excellence or higher at SPDC as a freshman for the first time.

Of course, receiving an ‘Award of Excellence’, which is a higher achievement than a special selection, would not be easy.

To receive an Award of Excellence, you had to be in the top five of all entries.

Until now, among the students who had received an Award of Excellence in K University’s history, there hadn’t even been a sophomore, let alone a freshman.

But Seonbin was really confident, and there was a basis for that confidence: ‘effort’.

‘I’m going to be the first.’

The corners of Seonbin’s mouth, who thought of the title of being the first, were raised to his ears.