Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 91

Opportunity knocks everywhere.

“What’s this? A friend of yours?”

“Yes, hyung. A close classmate… I don’t know why she’s here.”

With a genuinely pleased expression, Woojin approached Soyeon.

Consequently, Jae-yeop and the others, who had been standing a short distance away, naturally moved closer to her.

Of course, Soyeon looked even more bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

Jae-yeop’s eyes widened as he looked at Soyeon. “Woojin, is this your girlfriend? She’s beautiful!”

Woojin laughed, a little embarrassed. “Hyung! No, no! She’s just a classmate. If people thought that, she’d probably be really angry!”

Soyeon, who had been quietly watching from a corner table, felt her cheeks flush. She was surprised to be noticed by these famous people. She took a breath and spoke, her voice a little shaky. “Hello… You’re Yoon Jae-yeop, right?”

Jae-yeop beamed, his smile lighting up his face. “Wow! To be recognized by someone so lovely? This is the best thing that’s happened all day!”

Ria, with her bright pink hair peeking out from under her hoodie, playfully nudged Jae-yeop. “Oppa, you’re so cheesy! You sound like you’re in a drama from last century!”

Jae-yeop pretended to be hurt. “Hey! What’s wrong with being nice?”

Suha, who arrived late, nodded in agreement with Ria’s words.

“That’s right. It’s like some pick-up line from the 80s…”

“Ugh, seriously! Pick-up line? Seriously? Do I look like the kind of guy who would flirt with my friend’s classmate?”

“Ah, hyung! Please!”

Soyeon looked even more bewildered by the three celebrities’ chaotic conversation.

But only for a moment, as she was soon introducing herself to Ria and Suha as well.

Perhaps because she was introduced as Woojin’s close friend, they were very friendly.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Im Suha.”

“Me too, nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Ria. By the way, like Jae-yeop oppa said, you’re really gorgeous.”

“Ha, haha… I don’t know what to do with myself, hearing that from Ria-ssi. I’m Han Soyeon, Woojin oppa’s classmate.”

Soyeon found the situation chaotic, yet also very fascinating.

‘Celebrities aren’t any different from regular people, are they?’

Of course, Im Suha and Yoo Ria had strikingly beautiful appearances that could make anyone’s eyes widen.

But still, greeting and talking to them was no different from interacting with ordinary people.

“Soyeon-ssi, if you’re interested, come visit our agency sometime.”

“What, oppa? I thought you said you weren’t hitting on her!”

“Hey, this is a genuinely pure intention. Someone like Soyeon-ssi… it might be a bit late to become an idol, but couldn’t she become an actress?”

“She might not even like being a celebrity.”

“That’s right. I mean, this is just a suggestion, a suggestion!”

Because of the unexpected situation, Soyeon, who had been surprised, was soon able to relax and smile.

And as her tension eased, various thoughts began to resurface in her mind.

Soyeon’s gaze was now directed back at Woojin.

‘By the way, why is this oppa so outstanding all on his own?’

Soyeon had long since stopped thinking of Woojin as just a student.

But in this strange situation, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of distance.

And at the same time, she felt a slight bitterness.

She had been feeling like the distance between her and Woojin had been growing recently.

‘Tch. It’s not like I can be jealous about this…’

In fact, relationships between people are such that… People feel closer when they are together and have things in common.

So, Soyeon, who had thought she was closer to Woojin than anyone else when they were preparing for the SPDC day and night… couldn’t help but feel a sense of distance recently.

She still went to school in the same department and attended classes in the same lecture hall, but… Woojin’s mind was almost entirely focused on his business, and he was living in a completely different world from her, who was just an ordinary freshman.

So, Soyeon had even thought this before.

‘If I were a proper designer, not just an undergraduate student… would I be able to spend more time with oppa?’

If she were a proper designer, not just a student… and could keep pace with Woojin’s progress… would she be able to approach Woojin more comfortably?

It might be a little complicated feeling, but Soyeon’s feelings were a little different from those kinds of emotions, like always wanting to see Woojin, or feeling excited when she was with him.

She just felt comfortable when she was with Woojin, and that’s why she wanted to be with him.

And because she couldn’t, she felt a little sad.

Those complex and subtle emotions were just tangled up in one corner of her heart.

Of course, Soyeon now knew for sure.

Woojin had already firmly established himself in her heart.

But even so, she couldn’t easily muster the courage to approach Woojin as a woman first.

She had lost people close to her several times.

And she didn’t want to experience that pain again.

If her confession felt like a burden to Woojin, she thought she might lose Woojin, a precious person, once again.

‘Sometimes he’s really slow to understand things… but that can be reassuring at times.’

Watching Woojin naturally conversing among the celebrities, Soyeon sighed softly.

“Hoo…”

In Soyeon’s eyes, Woojin was completely obsessed with work these days.

So, she found it difficult to approach him, but at the same time, she thought it was cool, and she considered herself completely hopeless.

‘Haa, this isn’t easy.’

And while Soyeon was thinking this… Woojin’s group, who had been chatting in front of her for a while, turned to go their separate ways.

“Soyeon-ssi, it was nice meeting you today!”

“Ah! It was really my pleasure…”

“If we have another chance to meet, let’s see each other again.”

“Yes!”

“Then, we’ll be going now…!”

Jae-yeop and the other two had another filming schedule in the evening, so they hurried down the stairs.

And Woojin quickly saw them off and came back up to the second floor.

Soyeon’s face lit up at that…

“Oppa, do you not have any more schedules now?”

“Well… it’s not that. I have to meet the CEO here a little later.”

Soon, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed again.

“Then, I’m fine, so don’t worry about me and go take care of your work.”

“Ah, the timing is really awkward.”

“The others came with me anyway.”

“Who?”

“Sunbin, Yeyeong, Eunjeong…”

Soyeon tried to control her expression, but it was a little obvious.

And perhaps sensing her mood, Woojin, looking apologetic, spoke again.

“My meeting ends at eight o’clock, you know?”

“So?”

“If it’s okay with you, would you like to stay behind after sending the others home?”

“Why?”

Woojin scratched the back of his head and continued.

“I’ll give you a ride home.”

“Oh! But is that all?”

“Um… shall we have dinner together?”

“You don’t have a dinner appointment, do you?”

“No, it’s just a completely business meeting.”

“Then, deal!”

Soyeon, who had been talking to Woojin, flinched as she realized how quickly her mood had brightened.

‘Ah, seriously… why am I like this?’

Just a moment ago, her heart was full of disappointment, but with just one sentence about giving her a ride home, all that disappointment melted away like snow.

“Hoo…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

“Then I’ll… I’m out of time, so I’ll go to the meeting!”

“Okay.”

“See you later! Just don’t tell the others that I met you.”

“I understand.”

Watching Woojin’s retreating figure, Soyeon smiled without realizing it.

Just following her heart.

Just going with the flow.

For now, Soyeon would stay by Woojin’s side like that.

While Yeyeong and Eunjeong were ordering drinks and desserts, Sunbin was wandering around every corner of the café.

It wasn’t just for research for their assignment.

Sunbin was genuinely impressed by the design of this ‘Café Fresco.’

‘Wow, seriously… this place is so cool?’

To Sunbin, who had only seen commonplace antique-designed cafés… the design of Café Fresco, which captured a vintage feel while exuding a much more luxurious atmosphere than antique designs, was bound to come as a fresh shock.

It was like seeing the collaboration of vintage sensibility and modernism design, which he heard about every class, in a real space.

Seeing is believing.

The design solutions that he couldn’t understand when he heard about them in class were now clearly understood when he saw the space of this Café Fresco.

‘Who designed this? A foreign designer? Or a star designer like Kim Giseong?’

Sunbin, who had already taken out his notebook, began to passionately explore the space, meticulously recording everything from the spatial layout to the displayed props.

A very different, motivated atmosphere from his listless appearance throughout the second semester.

It was the same as Sunbin’s initial aspiration when he first dreamed of becoming an architectural designer.

“Hey, Sunbin! The drinks are all out.”

“Ugh, there are so many people. I think I waited almost 20 minutes.”

“Ah, they’re out?”

“Yeah. Can you hold the tray with the desserts on it?”

Sunbin, who had been recording the space in a daze until his classmates called him, headed to the second floor with an uplifted mood.

But when he heard Soyeon’s story while waiting on the second floor…

“What?!”

“Unnie, is that real?”

“Wow! Amazing!”

Sunbin couldn’t help but have a blank expression again.

“Noona. Did Woojin hyung really… design this?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Why would I lie? I saw the proposal in Woojin oppa’s office, and I just remembered it now.”

The fact that this Café Fresco, which had captivated Sunbin’s attention and impressed him more than any other space he had seen recently… was designed by Woojin, whom he had thought of as a rival until recently, was something he couldn’t easily believe.

‘Haa… this hyung is really…’

But for some reason… fortunately, the soul didn’t leave Sunbin’s face again, which had regained its vitality.

The moment he realized that the space he had admired so purely was Woojin’s work, all sense of rivalry completely disappeared.

“Seriously, Woojin oppa is… is he really in the same grade as us?”

“Tell me about it.”

“I’m so jealous. Honestly, that oppa doesn’t even need to go to school, does he?”

Sunbin, who was listening to his classmates’ stories, couldn’t help but smile.

“Haha.”

Of course, his classmates, who were taken aback by his sudden laughter, looked at him strangely…

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Why is he like that?”

“Until just now, he was acting like a walking corpse…”

Sunbin didn’t care at all.

‘That’s right. This hyung was just… a complete designer from the start. I’ve been under really unnecessary stress until now.’

He didn’t specifically change any thoughts about Woojin, but… unconsciously, the existence of Woojin in Sunbin’s mind was revised from ‘rival’ to ‘destination.’

In fact, whether it was a rivalry or a goal… in the context of having to work hard while looking at Woojin, the two words had similar meanings, but… this meant that Sunbin’s thoughts about Woojin had completely changed.

As he changed his mind, his mindset changed.

For the first time in a long time, motivation began to surge in Sunbin’s heart.

“Okay, while you guys were ordering, I did some spatial analysis here.”

The other team members’ eyes widened at the idea note that Sunbin presented.

“Wowaah!”

“Sunbin’s back to his old self!”

“Awesome!”

Sunbin and the students, each holding a drink, began a team meeting to fulfill the original purpose of coming here today.