Kim Gwan-Hong met Woo-jin for the first time this time, but Woo-jin had actually known him for a very long time.

To be specific, it had been over ten years.

Of course, this didn’t mean Woo-jin had known him since he was ten years old.

Gwan-Hong had been the electrical foreman Woo-jin worked with when he was around thirty in his previous life.

‘This guy always had a fiery personality back then too.’

When the staffing coordinator sent over a list of available electrical foremen, Gwan-Hong’s name immediately caught Woo-jin’s attention.

Excited, Woo-jin reached out to him.

While there was always the possibility that it was someone with the same name, it turned out to be the same person from his past life.

So, when Woo-jin saw a familiar face, he couldn’t help but smile brightly.

‘Seriously, the world is so small.’

To be honest, Kim Gwan-Hong wasn’t someone Woo-jin was particularly close to.

They had only worked together on four or five occasions and didn’t have any personal relationship.

Yet, regardless of how close they were, the joy of meeting someone familiar was surprisingly strong.

It felt like encountering someone from the same hometown while abroad.

‘Thanks to him, the work has been so much easier.’

In Woo-jin’s memories, people from his previous life fell into one of a few categories:

They were either really good people, really bad ones, or those whose skills made working with them enjoyable.

Gwan-Hong fell into the first category, someone remembered fondly.

Thus, he became a significant help in meeting the construction deadlines for WJ Studio.

And in this project alone, Woo-jin rediscovered two other connections from his past life.

One was purely by chance.

“I’m Na Si-Hwan, referred by Hyuk-Jin Foreman! Please take good care of me.”

The other was almost inevitable.

“Hello, I’m Min Ju-Young from Velostones. You’re Representative Seo Woo-jin, correct?”

“Yes, I’m Seo Woo-jin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Wow, you’re really young! I thought your voice sounded young, but seeing you in person confirms it.”

“Haha, thank you for the compliment.”

Min Ju-Young, the representative of Velostones, an importer of natural Italian marble, greeted Woo-jin, who smiled warmly and extended his hand for a handshake.

---

Na Si-Hwan had been one of Woo-jin’s closest colleagues in his past life.

When Woo-jin had begun learning interior woodworking in earnest under Foreman Kim Ji-Hoon’s team,

Si-Hwan had joined as a fellow apprentice around the same time.

They were also the same age.

‘I never expected to meet him like this.’

However, Woo-jin and Si-Hwan’s relationship hadn’t ended on good terms in the past.

Despite Si-Hwan’s decent craftsmanship, his lack of practical work acumen caused him to be compared to Woo-jin more and more as time went on.

Eventually, perhaps due to the inferiority complex and stress from these comparisons, Si-Hwan started distancing himself from Woo-jin.

In retrospect, Woo-jin realized he was partly to blame.

In his energetic twenties, Woo-jin hadn’t shied away from flaunting his superiority, like many his age.

‘I probably came across as insufferable to him.’

At the time, Woo-jin couldn’t understand Si-Hwan’s feelings.

He only resented him for the gossip and overt hostility that followed.

In his twenties, Woo-jin’s ability to empathize with others’ emotions was quite underdeveloped.

‘He was such a skilled and kind guy. I don’t know why things turned out the way they did.’

That’s why Woo-jin felt even happier to encounter Si-Hwan, who had shown up as an external worker for the carpentry team.

It was an unexpected chance to clear the lingering discomfort from their unresolved feelings in the past.

“It’s good to see you, Si-Hwan.”

Si-Hwan, who was somewhat feminine and prone to jealousy, was also someone who thrived on praise.

So Woo-jin offered a little white lie.

“The staffing coordinator said a lot of good things about you. I didn’t realize it was you they were talking about.”

“Oh, I’m still far from being skilled! Please take good care of me, Representative!”

Although the coordinator hadn’t particularly praised him, Woo-jin intentionally boosted his confidence.

Si-Hwan was the type who worked more diligently and meticulously when encouraged.

‘At this point, Si-Hwan would be in his second year of woodworking. He probably hasn’t joined Foreman Kim’s team yet.’

While Woo-jin planned to offer him occasional work after this project, he didn’t intend to hire him at WJ Studio for the next few years.

Si-Hwan would eventually serve as an excellent bridge to connect Woo-jin with Foreman Kim Ji-Hoon.

Leaving him free until then would allow his life to proceed similarly to the previous one.

While Si-Hwan wasn’t immediately essential to Woo-jin, he was a long-term card that would provide significant help down the road.

If Si-Hwan was a long-term connection, Min Ju-Young, who appeared toward the end of the project, was someone Woo-jin needed to build a close relationship with immediately.

An Italian-educated businesswoman about ten years older than Woo-jin, Min Ju-Young would later dominate the industry with her outstanding materials company.

That’s why Woo-jin had meticulously scoured the internet to find “Velostones” when ordering materials for this project.

It was still a fledgling company, virtually unknown in the industry at the time.

“Thanks to you, I managed to get Rosso Lepanto. It was impossible to find top-quality marble, no matter how many importers I searched through.”

“Hoho, exactly! You can’t easily find marble with such rosy radiance.”

One of the reasons Woo-jin had chosen the expensive Rosso Lepanto as a finishing material was to naturally approach her.

At this stage, it seemed that Rosso Lepanto was Velostones’ best product.

Claiming he sought her out specifically for this reason was enough to convince her.

Though he almost made a slip that could have raised suspicion…

“Wait, Representative Seo.”

“Yes?”

“How did you know I was the representative of Velostones?”

Luckily, he managed to brush it off.

“Oh, um… Didn’t you mention it during our call?”

“Ah, did I? I must have forgotten.”

As she tilted her head in curiosity, Woo-jin scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Since the memory of her position had come from his past life, the information had slipped out naturally, nearly leading to an unnecessary complication.

‘Phew. I really need to be more careful about mixing past-life memories with the present.’

Although Woo-jin and Min Ju-Young shared a coffee while on-site, they continued their conversation in a pleasant mood.

“By the way, I heard your office is quite far from here. I didn’t expect you to come all the way out personally, Representative.”

“Hoho, well, actually, we’re still a fledgling business. To survive in this fiercely competitive industry, we need to earn each client’s trust one by one with care.”

Hearing Min Ju-Young’s straightforward and candid explanation, Woo-jin smiled and responded.

“Ah, well, we’re a fledgling company too.”

“That’s why I need to keep someone like you, a passionate representative of a new business, close. Winning a project from Cheonung Construction as a new company speaks volumes about your potential, doesn’t it?”

Whether it was intuition or sharp insight, Woo-jin couldn’t help but be impressed by the brilliance in Min Ju-Young’s eyes as he sipped his tea.

“Success always comes with a reason.”

As Woo-jin continued sipping his tea, Ju-Young added another remark.

“Also, I wanted to see the construction results.”

“To see how and where the materials were used… is that right?”

Ju-Young blinked her large, monolid eyes and nodded.

“Yes, exactly. I wanted to see with my own eyes how the best materials we sourced were being used.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I wanted to understand their potential.”

“…?”

“Ordinary materials don’t fall under this category.”

After a brief pause, she looked out the window toward the site. Her expression grew serious.

“High-end finishing materials like Rosso Lepanto marble have boundless potential as premium products in Korea.”

Woo-jin, now intrigued, rested his chin on his hand and listened more attentively to her words.

“You mean in terms of higher pricing or increased demand over time… something along those lines?”

“Well, close enough. In Europe, the premium marble market is already saturated with rare and beautiful options, but Korea hasn’t reached that point yet.”

Her explanation continued for a while, but the essence of her words could be summed up succinctly:

Koreans would increasingly pursue luxury and become more interested in premium materials. Thus, monopolizing the distribution rights for premium materials that Koreans would favor could lead to rapid and significant company growth.

For Woo-jin, who already knew the future, her insight naturally earned his admiration.

“Indeed… she’s an amazing woman.”

Woo-jin nodded in agreement with her perspective.

“I think you’re absolutely right.”

“See? I knew you’d agree.”

“And on that note, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

Min Ju-Young’s face lit up with curiosity.

“What is it?”

Woo-jin took a deep breath, smiled, and spoke.

“How would you score today’s application of Rosso Lepanto marble? From your perspective, what’s the grade?”

“…!”

“You can be honest. I’m not the type to let one comment affect my mood.”

Ju-Young, caught off guard by Woo-jin’s unexpected question, showed a momentary look of surprise. But it quickly faded.

“Hohoho.”

With a cheerful expression, she answered with a smile.

“When I return to the office today, I’ll make it my mission to secure the exclusive distribution rights for Rosso Lepanto.”

Understanding the implication behind her words, Woo-jin smiled back.

“Haha.”

“And I’ll also make sure to hold tightly onto WJ Studio and Representative Seo Woo-jin.”

As she brushed her bangs to the side, Min Ju-Young continued.

“Does that answer your question?”

Woo-jin, his face showing slight embarrassment, rubbed his cheeks to suppress the smile threatening to break through.

“You’re flattering me.”

This was the happiest Woo-jin had been in a while. He felt genuinely recognized by someone as perceptive as Min Ju-Young.

Woo-jin knew that Min Representative wasn’t the type to offer empty compliments. And even if it were just polite words, Woo-jin wasn’t someone who couldn’t discern their sincerity.

“Anyway, I truly enjoyed the visit today, Representative Seo.”

“Thanks to you, Representative Min, I’ve learned a lot today as well.”

Extending her hand, Min Ju-Young smiled again and spoke.

“Even though I know you’re busy, please visit our office sometime. It’s a bit far out in Incheon, but if you come, I’ll make sure to show you some interesting things.”

“Haha, I’ll definitely visit before it gets too hot.”

After seeing Min Ju-Young off, Woo-jin became even more driven to push the final stages of the construction project.

“Make sure the tile alignment is exact.”

“Can’t you see the silicone seeping out over here?”

“Don’t skimp on the polish. If the shine doesn’t come through properly, even blasting halogen lights won’t make a difference!”

Another day. Then another.

As Woo-jin tirelessly shuttled between the school and the construction site, over two weeks—a substantial period—passed in what felt like a blink of an eye.

“Hey! Fix that crooked halogen!”

“Make sure the side panels are distanced enough; we don’t want the heat from the lights melting the paint on the models!”

“Wipe down the dust on the acrylic and glass surfaces once more…!”

“With this, we’re wrapping up the construction!”

The moment Woo-jin’s words fell, cheers erupted across the venue.

“Wow…!”

“Great job, everyone!”

After around 20 days of effort, the construction of the promotional hall for Cheonung Construction’s premium brand, “Clio,” was finally completed. It marked the debut work of WJ Studio’s construction team, ready to showcase itself to the world.

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