Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 82

Brand. That’s what Woo-jin was building.

*Ding!* The elevator doors opened with a cheerful chime.

Park Kyung-wan stepped out, followed by his younger colleague, Jae-joon. Kyung-wan paused, his eyes widening slightly as he looked around.

“Well,” Kyung-wan said, surprised. “I expected something… more like a factory. You know, being in an ‘apartment-style factory’ building. But this is much nicer than I pictured.”

Jae-joon nodded, adjusting his glasses. “I agree, Sir. The parking here is a bit tight, but otherwise, it’s quite impressive, isn’t it?”

“The parking lot is small because they’re selling warehouse units in the basement. Still, this is perfect for small businesses to buy as office space, really,” Kyung-wan said.

“It feels more like an office building,” Jae-joon replied.

The two men who stepped out of the elevator were none other than Park Kyung-wan of Cheonwoong Construction and his subordinate, Woo Jae-joon. And the place they had come to was none other than the Seoul Forest IT Tower, where WJ Studio’s new office was located. Of course, the two men were here at Woo-jin’s invitation.

Not only Kyung-wan but also Jae-joon had become close to Woo-jin while working as the person in charge of the promotion hall for the past few months.

“It was room 1413, right?” Kyung-wan asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Jae-joon responded.

“Let’s see how well our CEO Seo has decorated the place,” Kyung-wan said.

Turning left from the elevator, a long corridor stretched out before them. Walking along the corridor, the nameplate ‘WJ Studio’ quickly came into view. The fire door of the office was wide open, and as Kyung-wan gently pushed through the double-layered glass door inside, he soon encountered a familiar face.

“Oh, who is this? Jin-tae?” Kyung-wan asked.

“Haha, Sir. It’s been a while,” Jin-tae replied.

“You look much better since you changed jobs, eh?” Kyung-wan commented.

“What do you mean, changed jobs, haha? I was working as a freelancer, and now I’ve settled down,” Jin-tae said with a smile.

Seeing Jin-tae’s bright expression, Kyung-wan nodded and smiled. In a way, Kyung-wan himself had created the connection between Jin-tae and Woo-jin. He felt proud seeing him grow while working with Woo-jin.

“Jin-tae, I’ve come too. Haha,” Kyung-wan said.

“Oh, I thought only Director Park was coming, but Jae-joon came along too?” Jin-tae asked.

“CEO Seo said he’s set up the office nicely, so I couldn’t resist coming to see,” Jae-joon replied.

At Jae-joon’s words, Jin-tae smiled and nodded.

“Indeed. We struggled a bit with the interior design before moving in here,” Jin-tae said.

Kyung-wan spoke again, looking at Jin-tae, who was nodding as if muttering to himself. “Well then, give us a tour of the office. Is CEO Seo inside?”

“The CEO went down to the management office for a moment and will be back soon,” Jin-tae explained.

“You used to be like brothers, but now you’re calling him CEO so formally?” Kyung-wan teased.

“We have to do that at the company as much as possible. Haha,” Jin-tae replied.

The construction part of WJ Studio’s office was nearly 230 square meters in actual area. By connecting three units to form one office, the space was quite spacious.

“This way,” Jin-tae said.

Therefore, Kyung-wan, who had stepped inside, couldn’t help but be quite surprised. The front of the door was blocked by a semi-transparent glass wall, so the inside wasn’t easily visible. But as he took a few steps inside, a wide-open lobby space unfolded coolly before him.

“Wow. Why did you decorate the company office so spectacularly?” Kyung-wan asked.

As Kyung-wan admired the design of the office lobby, which was decorated like a high-end lounge, Jin-tae replied with a smile. “It’s spacious, isn’t it? There was space left over.”

“I see. Why is it so spacious? How many employees do you have?” Kyung-wan inquired.

“In the construction part alone, there are about thirteen resident staff,” Jin-tae answered.

“How many square meters is this place?” Kyung-wan asked.

“About 230 square meters, I think?” Jin-tae responded.

Jae-joon, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected with a shocked expression. “Thirteen employees using 230 square meters?”

Like Jae-joon, Kyung-wan also had a bewildered expression. Jin-tae, who had anticipated their expressions, nodded and continued. “Actually, I asked the CEO if we weren’t expanding too much at once…”

“And?” Kyung-wan asked.

“He said he doesn’t want to move several times,” Jin-tae replied.

“What?” Kyung-wan exclaimed.

“He said the number of employees will increase soon, so he secured a large space from the beginning,” Jin-tae explained.

At Jin-tae’s words, Kyung-wan burst into hearty laughter. “Haha, you have to acknowledge CEO Seo’s confidence.”

Jae-joon shook his head and sat down on the lobby sofa. “No, still, if it’s an actual area of 230 square meters, it’s a space that can accommodate about 40 to 50 people…”

Kyung-wan shook his head and retorted to Jae-joon’s muttering. “Hey, it looks like they used a lot of square meters just for the lobby here, how can 50 people fit in?”

“Ah, that’s true. The spaces are all so spacious, with this structure, only about thirty people could barely fit. No, twenty-five people?” Jae-joon said.

At Jae-joon’s words, Jin-tae looked slightly surprised. “Oh, how did you know, Jae-joon?”

“Huh?” Jae-joon asked.

“That’s exactly what the CEO said. He said we’ll use this place until we have twenty-five people,” Jin-tae explained.

At Jin-tae’s words, Jae-joon and Kyung-wan were momentarily speechless. Usually, small design firms try to reduce fixed costs as much as possible and use small offices. The fact that they secured a 230 square meter office thinking about a staff of about twenty-five was not easily understood.

But at that moment, as they were thinking that, Woo-jin, who had just come up to the office, walked into the lobby with a delighted expression.

“Oh, Director! You came early?” Woo-jin greeted.

“The traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Kyung-wan replied.

“Jae-joon, thank you for coming all the way here. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Woo-jin asked.

“Sure,” Jae-joon said.

“What kind? Iced Americano?” Woo-jin inquired.

“Hey, why don’t you ask me!” Kyung-wan exclaimed.

“It’s obvious what you’ll have, Director,” Woo-jin teased.

“What!” Kyung-wan said.

“You’re going to ask for a cup of milk from the vending machine anyway,” Woo-jin chuckled.

“Damn it. You saw through me,” Kyung-wan grumbled.

Watching Kyung-wan grumbling and taking out coins from his pocket, Jin-tae next to him asked with a curious expression. “What, Director’s preference is milk? Unlikely?”

“Hey, vending machine milk is so delicious. It’s sweet and sticks to your tongue,” Kyung-wan defended.

Jae-joon also shook his head and added a word. “No, Director, it’s embarrassing… Coming all the way here and looking for a vending machine again.”

Of course, Kyung-wan didn’t care what the two were saying.

“Didn’t you see the vending machine right in front of the elevator?” Kyung-wan asked.

“Did I?” Jin-tae responded.

“I already scanned it,” Kyung-wan said.

“Yes, yes. Enjoy your drink,” Jin-tae said.

As the drinks were set up one by one, the four sat on the sofa facing each other, with a wooden table placed in the middle of the lobby. The side of the lobby was constructed with a wide glass window almost like a full glass, and it was open and airy. Through that open space, the wide and green Seoul Forest was beautifully unfolded. Beyond Seoul Forest, the view extended to the Han River in the distance, making it worthy of admiration.

“Wow… CEO Seo,” Kyung-wan said.

“Yes, Director,” Woo-jin replied.

“Why did you make the office so nice here?” Kyung-wan asked.

It was the same question he had asked Jin-tae as soon as he saw the lobby. But as the wonderful view came into sight, Kyung-wan asked again without realizing it. And to that question, Woo-jin gave a different answer than Jin-tae.

“Honestly, if there was more budget, I would have worked on it even more wonderfully than this,” Woo-jin said.

“More wonderfully than this? Why?” Kyung-wan asked.

Kyung-wan’s question was, in fact, natural. A design office is just a workspace no different from the offices of ordinary companies. Allocating such a large area and focusing on design could only be considered inefficient. There may be times when you need to have meetings with external companies or architects, but that can be done in well-decorated cafes or lounges outside. From a general point of view, WJ Studio’s lobby seemed a bit extravagant. Just looking at this lobby alone, it looked more luxurious than Cheonwoong Construction’s headquarters.

Therefore, Kyung-wan had a puzzled expression, and so did Jae-joon, and even Jin-tae. But Woo-jin smiled as if it were nothing and continued.

“Of course, it’s for show,” Woo-jin said.

“Huh? To whom?” Kyung-wan asked.

“To guests who visit our office, like Director and Jae-joon,” Woo-jin replied.

Woo-jin spent nearly 100 million won on the interior of WJ Studio’s new office. But this was because WJ Studio did the construction directly, and if they had entrusted it to another company, it would have cost more than 200 million won. And the reason Woo-jin spent so much money decorating the space was, of course, not for impractical reasons like self-satisfaction. For Woo-jin, this was just another investment.

“Well, Director and Jae-joon know how our company has grown… But for people who are getting to know us for the first time, this lobby will be their first impression,” Woo-jin explained.

“Hmm,” Kyung-wan hummed.

Kyung-wan waited for Woo-jin’s next words with an interested expression, and Woo-jin, who took a sip of coffee, continued. “And depending on how we can make them recognize that first image, the quality of the construction we can get will be different.”

Woo-jin had no intention of taking a low-margin, high-volume stance while running WJ Studio. Until now, he had focused on securing as much work as possible to increase the company’s size. But from now on, he was planning to premiumize WJ Studio.

“Director, I think that to become the best in this industry, you have to work following the flow of money,” Woo-jin stated.

“The flow of money?” Kyung-wan asked.

“Yes. In simple terms… you have to work where capital is moving greatly,” Woo-jin replied.

Following where a large gold nugget rolls, even collecting gold scraps can make a lot of money. And in a capitalist society, the more money you have, the wider your range of choices becomes. That was the same in the field of design.

“We can do this much. So, whether it’s construction ability or design ability, there’s no easier way to instill trust than showing clients our office, right?” Woo-jin concluded.

Woo-jin’s story ended. And the three people who had been listening quietly couldn’t help but nod. When you think about it, the first thought that came to Kyung-wan and Jin-tae’s minds when they saw this wonderful lobby was, ‘They must have made some money.’ And the fact that the company makes good money also meant that it had the capabilities to do so.

“As expected, CEO Seo… He always tells me something interesting every time I see him,” Kyung-wan said.

Kyung-wan, who took a sip of warm milk under the cool air conditioning, admired the scenery unfolding outside the window once again. The scenery, which was open to the Han River due to the wide Seoul Forest, seemed even more wonderful after hearing Woo-jin’s story. And at the same time, one more thought came to Kyung-wan’s mind.

It was that he was glad he came here today. ‘I thought it was a bit early… But seeing it today, it was an unnecessary worry.’

Kyung-wan opened the bag he had placed next to the sofa and took out a yellow document envelope. Then, he gently tossed it onto the table in front of Woo-jin.

“What is this?” Woo-jin asked.

At Woo-jin’s question, Kyung-wan smiled and replied. “I heard an interesting story, so I’m giving you a gift after a long time.”

“A gift…?” Woo-jin questioned.

“Yes. You can look at it now, so take it out,” Kyung-wan said.

I didn’t think Kyung-wan was just coming to visit during weekday business hours. But when he took something out like this, Woo-jin’s eyes began to sparkle. And the moment he checked the contents of the document envelope, Woo-jin’s pupils dilated as wide as lanterns.