Chapter 10: Ode to Life (1)

Park No-hoon readily agreed, as it was what he had hoped for.

"Sure. Give it a try. And can you attend the briefing next Monday? No one can explain the 'Fountain of Welcome' more thoroughly than you. Of course, you only need to step forward if the hospital side shows interest in your design and requests a detailed explanation."

It was rare for an intern to attend a design competition briefing.

It was even rarer to be given the opportunity to explain the design directly.

However, the design was so perfect that it could shatter such rare possibilities.

At the same time, Park's extensive experience led him to believe that the success of this competition depended on the 'Fountain of Welcome.'

Just in case.

What if the chairman of Seuboram Hospital shows interest in the 'Fountain of Welcome' and asks specific questions?

This competition would be a perfect victory for Geonlim Architecture.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the design of the building itself can be sloppy.

He also intended to improve the final quality of the building until the last moment.

However, he believed that the 'Fountain of Welcome' could be entrusted to Yegun.

'His sketches, models, and approach to concepts. At least within Geonlim Architecture, there is no one who can better incorporate Gaudi's sensibility than him.'

With this confidence, Park No-hoon called Seo Yeong-gwang.

"This is our team's intern, Seo Yeong-gwang. He is the owner of the sketches I gave you for reference. Since time is tight, how about we work on the project together? Yeong-gwang, is that okay?"

Yeong-gwang answered without hesitation, accepting Park No-hoon's instructions.

The scope of work was not too broad, and if limited to model work, Yegun could handle it alone. However, Yegun quietly waited for additional instructions from Park, thinking there must be a specific reason for Yeong-gwang's support.

"The company has very high expectations for the Seuboram General Hospital competition. I feel the same way. The problem is that the competing design firms are also putting in as much effort as our team, and they are also skilled."

Park No-hoon openly shared his concerns.

Revealing his weaknesses also meant that he was confident.

"So, I think the quality of the 'Fountain of Welcome' will determine the outcome of this competition. Therefore…."

Park's eyes burned with passion as he looked at Yegun.

"Not just the 'Fountain of Welcome,' but the 1,000 pyeong of land, excluding the outdoor parking lot, I will entrust the design to you.

As a transitional space that delineates and connects the exterior and interior of the site, I will call this the 'Ode to Life.' I will entrust the overall site and landscape planning, centered on the 'Fountain of Welcome' design, to you."

"Ode to Life."

Despite the enormous increase in workload, Yegun's expression remained calm.

Instead, his eyes sparkled with curiosity at the newly expanded concept.

"Wow! 1,000 pyeong?"

In contrast, Yeong-gwang, standing beside him, was so shocked by the additional design area that he stopped breathing and stared at Yegun with wide eyes.

'1,000 pyeong? The scale is too large. This is definitely not a task that two people can handle. Please, please don't accept it.'

Including the weekend, there were only 5 days left until the submission.

And almost a whole day had already passed.

To Yeong-gwang, it seemed impossible no matter how he thought about it.

While the plan and perspective sketches could be managed by the two of them, the model of such a large area needed to be completed to a high quality.

If the result did not meet Park's expectations, he would have to share the blame.

So he fervently prayed.

Please, let this naive guy realize how unreasonable Park's instructions are and refuse.

Fortunately, Yegun seemed hesitant to answer immediately, closing and then opening his eyes.

"Can I start by organizing the plan and perspective sketches?"

"That's right. We also need to create a layout plan and can't leave the report empty.

Since some parts of the site are already being designed, if time is tight, you can leave those parts as they are."

"Understood. I will work on it with Yeong-gwang."

Park smiled in satisfaction at Yegun's confident answer, while Yeong-gwang's face turned grim.

Noticing his concern, Park patted Yeong-gwang's shoulder, trying to boost his morale.

"Yeong-gwang, if you help Yegun and complete this task well, I will give you the highest score in your evaluation."

The prospect of the highest score made Yeong-gwang reluctantly agree.

"Yes, understood."

He had a terrible feeling that he wouldn't be able to go home properly for the next 5 days.

'Supporting an intern as my first task.'

Moreover, he felt a bit sad about being assigned to assist Yegun.

But with the intern evaluation at stake, he couldn't go against Park's instructions.

"The work should be done in the model room. I will visit the Design Team 3 once a day for updates."

"No, that's not necessary."

Park No-hoon smiled and said,

"I will come. I want you to focus on the design work."

"Yes, then I will do that."

"I will explain the situation to Team Leader Joo."

"Yes."

Park took Yegun and Yeong-gwang to the model team office and informed Team Leader Joo Hyo-sub that he would entrust the external space design entirely to Yegun. Joo, surprised by Park's bold plan, asked,

"Are you entrusting the entire external space design to Yegun?"

"Yes. I think it's best. Yeong-gwang will help, so you can focus more on the main building."

"Well, I don't mind…."

"Good. I know you will take good care of it, but I will also check the progress regularly."

"Yes, do that."

Joo, who already recognized Yegun's design and model-making skills to some extent, was still surprised.

It was not an easy decision.

What had happened in Design Team 3 that made Park No-hoon, known for his strictness in work, trust Yegun so completely?

After all, Yegun was only on his third day as an intern.

'He has been recognized by team leaders in every task he has taken on. He must be a genius…'

The more he thought about it, the more surprising it was.

After Park left, Yegun began to focus on the external space design.

What was even more surprising was that no one interfered with his work.

Unlike Yeong-gwang, who felt awkward, Yegun naturally integrated into the model team, leaving Yeong-gwang amazed.

'Is he really just a 3-day intern?'

In the 3 days he had been in Design Team 3, Yeong-gwang had only done tasks like copying, organizing, fetching snacks, and making sketches that were not adopted.

He was a shadow-like presence, irrelevant whether he was there or not.

Most interns were that insignificant in practical work.

But Yegun was different.

He was already a skilled professional who could work independently.

The thought of competing with such a person made Yeong-gwang nervous, and he anxiously bit his lip.

Feeling like an extra rather than the main character.

This was his first experience of such a humiliating situation.

"Yeong-gwang."

Yegun, who had stopped sketching and was heading to the storage cabinet where the model materials were kept, called him.

"Yes?"

"Can you get these for me?"

Yegun handed him a memo.

The memo listed art materials that Yeong-gwang had almost never used for models.

"Clay, clay knife, acrylic paint, fine brush, sandpaper, and glossy spray. Are you making pottery?"

Yegun smiled slightly and answered the puzzled Yeong-gwang.

"We can't break tiles and stick them on a 1:300 scale model. To make the shape as similar as possible, it's best to mold the shape with clay and paint it."

"Oh… tiles. Are you planning to use the Trencadís technique?"

"Yes, you know it well."

The Trencadís technique, a symbol of Gaudi's architecture, involves breaking square ceramic tiles and using the fragments as finishing decorations, similar to cutting and pasting torn colored paper.

The luminous tile mosaics in free-form shapes gave Gaudi's buildings their unique character.

As Yeong-gwang hesitated, Yegun stared at him intently.

What could he do if the designer needed it?

Unlike sketches, Yeong-gwang had no talent for models and felt even more discouraged at the thought of making a model with clay he had never used.

"Is this the first time you've heard of using clay for a model? Can you really imitate Gaudi's design with just these materials?"

The word 'imitate' made Yegun's eyebrows twitch.

"It's not imitation."

Yegun's firm voice made Yeong-gwang flinch.

A moment ago, Yegun had seemed infinitely gentle, but now a strict authority figure's presence flashed across his face.

Yeong-gwang involuntarily shrank back.

"Is, is this all I need to buy?"

"Yes, just buy the materials. You can go home early. We will start the actual work from tomorrow."

While it meant he wasn't currently needed, Yeong-gwang felt an overwhelming pressure from Yegun's attitude.

So he responded more confidently. He couldn't be outdone by another intern.

"Alright, then."

'Hmph! I'll see how well you can do without my help.'

After glaring at Yegun for a moment, Yeong-gwang left to buy the materials. Kim, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from a distance, stopped Yegun, who was about to return to his seat.

"Did you two have a fight upstairs?"

"No."

"Then why is that guy so eager to eat you alive?"

"Who? Yeong-gwang? Was he? I don't know."

"You seem to have really gotten on his bad side."

"Haha, Manager, it's not like that. We had lunch together earlier. Yeong-gwang is not that narrow-minded."

Kim Jun-ho tilted his head.

'Did I misinterpret? That intern looked pretty fierce just now. Well, if Yegun says it's not him, it's probably fine.'

Feeling embarrassed, Kim Jun-ho asked Yegun,

"Are you starting the model from tomorrow? Have you already finished the planning?"

Yegun tapped his head with his fingers and answered.

"I completed the planning when Manager Park gave the instructions. I felt something was missing while designing the 'Fountain of Welcome' this morning, so I considered an expansion plan while designing."

"What, a guy like you?"

Kim looked bewildered.

"Then finish it quickly and help with the main building."

"Understood."

Kim Jun-ho felt relieved by Yegun's confident response.

When Park asked Joo to support Yegun in focusing on the external space, Kim had felt anxious, though he didn't know why.

Watching Yegun's back as he returned to his seat, Kim sighed in relief.

'What is this sense of relief?'

He was the veteran of the model room.

Before Joo became the team leader, he was known as the best in the model room.

A graduate of a sculpture department, he had joined Geonlim Architecture's model team from the start and always gave his best, planning to spend his career there.

Naturally, no one in Geonlim Architecture was better at models than him.

He couldn't understand why he felt uneasy just because one intern was out of the loop.

Did it mean he already recognized Yegun that much?

'So what? The guy is really good at making models, that's a fact.'

Feeling the heavy responsibility of competitions lighten, Kim Jun-ho could focus on the model work with pleasure.