I wanted to design.

I wanted to fill the world with amazing things I created.

My wish was… simply that.

“Do you have any conscience?”

“Excuse me?”

“Just ‘simply that,’ you said.”

“……”

“Why don’t you just try buying a lottery ticket every week like Supervisor Kim. That might be slightly more productive.”

Sigh.

A sigh mixed with lament escaped through his lips, and dark smoke dispersed into the air.

As if momentarily at a loss for words, Kwon Supervisor added another remark to Woo-jin.

“Stop joking around and just head home, you rascal. You know we have to supervise the L Cinema site tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, yes. Getting older must make one ramble nonsense.”

Glancing briefly at Supervisor Kwon, who patted his back with a few taps, Woo-jin chuckled faintly.

Even with his annoying expression and sly remarks, Supervisor Kwon was one of the few people around Woo-jin that he couldn’t bring himself to hate.

“Ugh, I’m so tired I could die. I should retire after next year and stop visiting sites altogether.”

Hearing Kwon Jong-woo’s words, Woo-jin responded with a look of disbelief.

“You’re realistic as always, Supervisor.”

“Ha, at least I’m more grounded than you.”

Sssshhh

As Woo-jin extinguished the half-burnt cigarette into the ashtray, both he and Supervisor Kwon descended to the office to prepare for departure.

Packing his things quickly, Kwon slung a shabby backpack over his shoulder and walked past Woo-jin, exiting the office.

“Want me to give you a ride?”

“No, thank you. I have plans today…”

“Don’t lie.”

“Come on, I’m serious.”

“Fine, then. I’ll head off first.”

Flashing a faint smile at Woo-jin, he moved toward the office door and left.

Screeeech.

But at that moment.

As if he had just remembered something he had forgotten, Supervisor Kwon turned back to glance at Woo-jin.

“Hey, Seo Woo-jin.”

“Yes?”

“Design. What’s so special about it anyway?”

“……?”

“That thing you’re always doing. That’s design, you idiot.”

“What’s with the sudden…?”

“So walk around with your shoulders straight. A guy shouldn’t slouch like that.”

Bang.

Having said all he wanted in rapid-fire, he slammed the door shut and disappeared before Woo-jin could even respond.

Watching him leave, Woo-jin could only let out a faint laugh once again.

---

Woo-jin was a site manager at a rather large construction company.

In other words, what Woo-jin did every day was manage and oversee countless construction sites and interior renovation projects.

So Woo-jin understood well what Supervisor Kwon’s encouragement meant.

-Those who don’t know a damn thing about practical work strut around as if they’re overseeing design. That’s why crappy blueprints keep getting sent down to the site.

-Well, what can we do, Supervisor? Our job is to make the best of even the worst blueprints.

-It’d be better if our Seo Woo-jin got promoted to design team leader. With your sense, you’d probably produce one hell of a building.

-That kind of flattery… Can I actually believe it?

-Hahaha, of course not, you idiot. Design? Forget it. Let’s just wrap up the carpentry work and go grab some makgeolli.

-Yes, yes. Whatever you say.

Supervisor Kwon often ended his rants about the design team with a line like, “Even our Seo Woo-jin could design something better than this.”

And while others might not know it, Woo-jin knew that those words weren’t entirely empty praise.

“Well, even Manager Lim, who can’t read a blueprint properly, calls himself a designer… I must be a hundred times better than that guy.”

In the end, design was about materializing an abstract concept of beauty in one’s mind into something tangible.

In that sense, what Seo Woo-jin did—taking incomprehensible abstract drafts and turning them into stunning spaces—could truly be considered design.

But even such plausible rationalizations couldn’t entirely lift Woo-jin’s mood today.

After all, today was the day his frustrations, built up over years of site work, finally exploded.

“Sigh. Maybe taking a walk and getting some air will help me feel better.”

Clearing his workspace and gathering his things, Woo-jin slowly walked out of the office.

---

The place Woo-jin headed to was Gangnam.

But contrary to what he told Supervisor Kwon, he didn’t actually have any plans.

Today, he simply had somewhere in mind to go after work.

“It’s been… quite a while, hasn’t it?”

Getting off the bus and standing at the stop, Woo-jin’s expression subtly warmed.

A serene landscape and a calm atmosphere.

Although it was Gangnam, this place had a vibe entirely different from what most people imagined Gangnam to be.

For Woo-jin, it was a place akin to his hometown.

“This place… hasn’t changed at all, even after all this time.”

The place Woo-jin arrived at after stepping off the bus was an old villa neighborhood atop a high hill, now nearly falling apart.

Gangnam.

Specifically, Daechi-dong, though it was hard to believe given its dilapidated state.

While sleek new apartments costing billions of won per pyeong lined the area just outside, this place had remained unchanged for thirty years.

Of course, it wasn’t the dilapidated state of the area that Woo-jin found beautiful.

Rather, it was the memories contained within this space that remained beautiful to him.

“By now, you’d think they’d start redeveloping this area.”

Walking slowly through the worn-out alleyways, Woo-jin let out a bitter laugh.

The truth was, the reasons this neglected neighborhood hadn’t been redeveloped were far from beautiful.

For such areas to be redeveloped, the interests of the residents living within must align.

And the reason this place hadn’t been redeveloped was simply that everyone’s desires hadn’t been sufficiently fulfilled.

“Well, you can’t call all of it greed. There must be people whose livelihoods are genuinely at stake.”

Shaking his head slightly, Woo-jin felt a pang of regret for even thinking about such matters in a place full of his cherished memories.

After all, among his responsibilities were redevelopment and reconstruction projects. In a way, even after work, his thoughts were still tied to his job.

“I guess you’d call that an occupational hazard.”

Step. Step.

Venturing deeper into the dim alley, Woo-jin navigated the familiar path until he stopped in front of a worn-out gate.

A modest two-story house with a small yard attached—

This house was the embodiment of Woo-Jin’s happiest memories from his childhood. It was where his fondest moments as an elementary school student had been etched.

Of course, apart from the memories, Woo-Jin no longer held any ownership of this house.

“Sigh.”

Hesitating at the gate for a moment, Woo-Jin eventually reached out slowly and pushed it open.

Eeeek—

The rusted gate creaked with a jarring metallic sound as it swung open, looking like it might collapse at any moment.

There was no one to stop him from entering.

Naturally, there was an owner, but no one had lived in the house for over a decade.

To Woo-Jin, this place was a sacred repository of memories.

But to the current owner, it was nothing more than an immensely valuable piece of land in the heart of Gangnam.

“…!”

Stepping into the yard, Woo-Jin’s face flushed slightly.

His heart was pounding.

Though he had occasionally passed by the house in recent years, it had been nearly 30 years since he’d stepped inside.

This house, more than any other place he’d ever known, held the most beautiful memories.

Slowly, Woo-Jin made his way inside.

---

The reason Woo-Jin came here today was to resolve a question that had lingered in his heart for decades.

Was it really as perfect as I remember it?

In Woo-Jin’s memory, this house was the most beautiful and flawless space he had ever known.

This was not merely because of the happiness tied to it.

Though it was an ordinary single-family house built on a small lot, its finely segmented layout and design were so remarkable that it was hard to believe the house had been constructed decades ago.

This small house of his childhood memories might well have been the driving force behind Woo-Jin’s current life.

Many of the designs he’d drawn over the years had drawn inspiration, large or small, from this place.

Perhaps it’s just nostalgia beautifying the past, but… I had to confirm it for myself at least once.

And one more reason—

Woo-Jin wanted to revisit this place, where his dreams had first begun.

He hoped to reignite the faint embers of his passion, which had dimmed under the pressures of reality.

If I could feel that thrill again…!

Woo-Jin reached out, his trembling hand grabbing the front door handle.

Creak—

The rusted, corroded metal door, with its broken lock, opened wide as soon as he pulled it.

As he stepped through the threshold, Woo-Jin’s pupils dilated.

He was greeted by a sight he never expected.

“This… this is…!”

Had the illusion of his perfect memory been shattered?

No.

It was the complete opposite.

Before his eyes was the beautiful, flawless space he had envisioned.

The house, untouched by human hands for years and awaiting demolition, exuded an inexplicable charm.

The childhood home of Woo-Jin’s dreams stood before him just as he remembered.

“…!”

As if enchanted, Woo-Jin stepped further inside.

Handling the space as if it were a precious treasure, he began exploring every corner of the house.

It’s just like I remember…!

From the neatly placed umbrella stand in the corner of the entryway to the finely patterned wooden bookshelf between the living room and the kitchen—

Not a speck of dust covered the furniture, and everything was exactly as Woo-Jin remembered it.

How is this possible?

But as Woo-Jin continued inspecting the house, he grew even more bewildered.

Despite moving through the space, shoes still on, his footprints left no trace.

Even the faint marks he’d just created disappeared before his eyes.

Shhhh—

His footsteps vanished as if by magic.

“W-what the…!”

By now, Woo-Jin’s body was covered in goosebumps.

Everything happening before his eyes was too surreal to comprehend.

Is this… a dream?

But it wasn’t a dream.

And it wasn’t unreal either.

Which was why Woo-Jin began to feel a growing sense of fear.

If it wasn’t a ghost or some supernatural force, this couldn’t possibly be happening.

What… what should I do? Should I leave?

Unconsciously, Woo-Jin began retreating, inching toward the exit.

But just then—

He froze in place.

A voice, deeply buried in his memories, resonated warmly in his ears.

[It’s amazing, Woo-Jin.]

“…!”

[You truly haven’t forgotten the dream you had 30 years ago, even after turning forty.]

The voice startled him, but it didn’t frighten him.

Instead, it brought an inexplicable sense of warmth and comfort.

“Ah… ahjussi…!”

[As promised, I’m here to give you a gift.]

“What…?”

[The dream that 12-year-old Seo Woo-Jin shared with me.]

“…?”

[I’ll give you the chance to relive that dream.]

Wide-eyed, Woo-Jin began turning his head, looking for the source of the voice.

Though he couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the words, the owner of the voice was someone he desperately missed.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find them.

Dizzy…!

Suddenly, his vision turned pure white.

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