Chapter 005. The Fountain of Welcome (1)

It was past 9 PM.

The adaptation to the first day of social life concluded with a mountain of chicken.

“Do you like spicy?”

“Yes, I like spicy.”

“Okay! Then one more spicy!”

The dishes ordered by Ji-yeon gradually filled the table.

They say that chicken and beer are a blissful combination that melts away the hardships of a long day for office workers.

Seeing the mouthwatering chicken pieces, his saliva naturally began to flow.

There's a saying that the most frightening taste is the one you know.

In his previous life, he had insisted on a vegetarian diet for survival, but the overflowing appetite of a healthy 20-year-old male made him forget all about his past life and eagerly want to chew on that blissful chicken.

“This is all thanks to you, Ye-geon. I'll represent the employees and express our gratitude to you. Everyone, raise your glasses!”

As the employees raised their glasses, Section Chief Joo Hyo-sub lifted his beer glass and led the toast.

“Everyone, you've all worked hard today.”

“Thank you for your hard work today.”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Clank!

The 500ml beer glasses, full of foam, clinked together and fell away.

Perhaps because he had been working with hot radiant heaters all day, the cold beer was especially refreshing.

Ye-geon gulped down the beer.

‘Oh~. So smooth?’

The smooth throat feel of the cold cream beer was a work of art.

‘Beer and chicken, the perfect pair!’

Holding a chicken leg marinated in shiny red sauce, Ye-geon's eyes began to burn with desire.

The moment he bit into a mouthful of the delicious chicken leg, the spicy taste spread thrillingly in his mouth!

Unable to spit it out in front of his superiors, he swallowed it with a gulp.

His throat felt like it was burning.

This was a taste he had never imagined.

“Ouch- It's spicy!”

Ye-geon furrowed his face and gulped down the beer, which made the employees in the model room start laughing, clutching their bellies.

Hahaha.

“Ahh, sorry. This is Volcano. Spicy. Huh-huh.”

Ji-yeon, with tears in her eyes, gasped for breath.

I see.

No one was touching the spicy chicken.

What a nasty initiation ritual.

* * *

Once he got used to the radiant heaters, everything went smoothly.

The next morning.

Known as "cabbage."

At the drinking party, Employee Ji-yeon kept praising me for cutting the cabbage well, so I asked what it was, and she finally explained.

The surrounding buildings made of EPS foam, which are shaped like rectangular prisms, are called "cabbage" in professional terms.

It's more like a slang term than a professional one.

Anyway, due to the hastily arranged after-work drinks, he finished the cabbage that he couldn't complete yesterday as soon as he arrived at work.

After placing the cabbage on the contour (a model that mimics the terrain and roads where the main buildings are located), it looked quite impressive.

The pink buildings densely arranged on the white base made of wood lacquer.

When looking at each building, they seemed to be scattered along the roads, but once they were placed on the terrain, hidden patterns became visible.

The regulations he had learned in class came to mind.

Commercial zones, semi-residential zones, general residential zones...

And the building density and coverage ratios that determine the maximum size of buildings.

The basic knowledge of modern architecture he had learned over the past three years at school and the knowledge and experience accumulated by Gaudi in his previous life began to explosively merge.

A clear voice seemed to break his deep thoughts.

“Wow! Already finished? I didn't think it would be done in a day.”

Ji-yeon, who had been carefully watching to see if Ye-geon needed any help with his work, approached and expressed her amazement.

A crack appeared in Ye-geon's solemn expression.

Why is my stomach churning?

Is it because the Volcano spicy chicken from yesterday hasn't fully digested yet?

Feeling slightly annoyed by the light-hearted words of the whimsical lady, Ye-geon lifted one corner of his mouth in a slight smile, as if it was nothing.

“This is nothing, really.”

“Great! Then I'll do the painting, and can you help me finish what I was working on?”

Ji-yeon pointed to the table where she had been sitting.

“You handle the radiant heaters so well, cutting should be a piece of cake, right? I just need you to cut 300 more rising boards to the size I've already cut.”

She had already cut about 200, but more were needed?

When I showed a puzzled expression, Ji-yean pulled me to her seat.

Pointing to the A3 printed facade, she explained.

“Looking at the facade design, there are panels between the glass. So, I'll stick the rising boards on the acrylic later.”

“So that's why so many pieces are needed.”

“Cutting the same size is tedious, but it's an important design element, so it can't be helped. Please help me!”

Ji-yeon took the contour Ye-geon had completed and disappeared somewhere.

It seemed there was a separate place for painting.

As Ye-geon sat down, Kim Jun-ho smiled contentedly.

“Wow. It looks like Ji-yeon recognizes your skills.”

“Huh?”

“Ji-yeon. She usually coaches interns by showing them how to cut paper with a knife one by one when they come in.”

“Oh...”

Is cutting paper with a knife something that needs coaching?

Ye-geon, tilting his head, checked the facade again.

The wall was largely covered by a design where glass and panels alternated.

Moreover, he noticed that the panels were not just rectangles but had a regular pattern. He began to ponder how to bring out the texture of the pattern.

“Mr. Kim, do the panel parts have to be made with rising boards?”

“No, just white is fine.”

“Just white?”

“Yeah. What's wrong? Is the rising board not good?”

Kim Jun-ho, with a hint of expectation that Ye-geon might show off his eccentricity with EPS foam again, asked casually.

“Just a moment.”

Ye-geon went to the storage shelf where materials were piled up and returned with a sheet of glossy white topper paper.

After cutting the topper paper to the size of the rising board and attaching it with adhesive several times, Ye-geon brought a few small pieces to Kim Jun-ho.

“This will give it more depth, I think.”

Seeing the white model pieces glowing in Ye-geon's palm, Kim Jun-ho pursed his lips as if he was about to whistle.

“Wow. That's good?”

The pieces had topper paper stuck on the rising board, with the grid lines removed.

The topper paper part had a pearl texture that shimmered, while the exposed part of the rising board had a sunken texture that muted the light.

The simple enhancement of depth through the adhesion of two different materials and meticulous cutting.

“Let me see it for a moment.”

Bringing the model pieces to the window, the effect became even more prominent.

“Wow! This is amazing?”

“What's so amazing?”

Team Leader Joo Hyo-sub, who was writing a report at his desk, also approached upon hearing Jun-ho's excitement.

The model pieces, reflecting the light from the window, shone like actual metal panels, almost like jewels.

“Wow!”

Team Leader Joo, unable to continue speaking, met Kim Jun-ho's eyes and then looked at Ye-geon.

“How much more time will this take?”

“A day should be enough.”

Team Leader Joo firmly grabbed Ye-geon's shoulder.

“Let's go with this! Anyway, Mr. Park No-hoon, the vice president, was worried that the design looked too plain. Since the main facade is important, if we can draw attention here, we have a good chance of winning.”

“Sure!”

Ye-geon responded energetically.

The 200 rising board pieces that Employee Ji-yeon had made.

It would be a waste, but it would be faster to make new ones.

Ye-geon moved the cut pieces to a clean box and started making new panel pieces.

Bulk work was actually easier.

Sticking the two materials firmly with adhesive spray, cutting to the thickness of the topper paper, and peeling off the surface of the rising board at once revealed the clean inner part of the paper.

‘Half a day should be enough.’

As the work picked up speed, Ye-geon became so engrossed that he forgot to blink.

For a while, the model room was filled only with the sound of the knife gliding over the rubber mat.

* * *

Vice President Park No-hoon, who leads the Hospital Design Team, was on edge, almost to the point of developing a nervous disorder.

It was due to the upcoming submission for the Gangdong District Comprehensive Hospital, Newboram Hospital, competition.

A 500-bed comprehensive hospital with 4 underground floors and 15 above-ground floors.

Originally, the project was to be contracted with a pre-selected design firm, but the hospital board chairman decided to cancel the existing design and hold a competition to create a better space.

He participated in the designated competition through the recommendation of a pediatrician he had a connection with from another hospital, but initially worried that it might be a waste of effort.

However, after learning about the future expansion plans through contact with the board members and confirming that the hospital board chairman had deep connections in the political world, the pressure to secure the project to maintain the relationship grew.

Initially, the key executives of Geunlim Architecture, who were pessimistic about the rare hospital competition, fully supported the project after learning the inside story.

Therefore, from the mid-design phase, they went through internal critiques to propose a more perfect design.

Now, only a week remained.

Vice President Park No-hoon, checking the PPT briefing materials that had entered the final stage, continued to sigh regretfully.

The most crucial space of the main concept of the building, 'Architecture of Sharing, Space of Healing.'

It was because the 'Fountain of Welcome' section was not completed.

No matter how much he brainstormed with the designers, he couldn't come up with a design that he was confident about.

He was worried that he might end up with a second-best solution on the last day without finding the best answer.

In the midst of his deep thoughts, he received a call from the pediatrician of Newboram Hospital.

– Is the design completion going well?

“I'm doing my best.”

– Haha. I know Mr. Park No-hoon's capabilities, so I'm not worried.

Vice President Park No-hoon frowned, suffering from a stress-induced headache.

One of the main reasons for his strong desire to do well was the full trust of Dr. Ha Young-soo, the pediatrician.

“The three companies are all strong. Even if we don't win, we should accept it gracefully.”

– What a weak statement.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if he was aware of his surroundings.

– The value of a building may be judged by how excellent the design is, but I value Mr. Park No-hoon's approach, which prioritizes the user's perspective. This is a hospital, not a real estate development company.

This was the reason Dr. Ha Young-soo fully supported Geunlim Architecture and Vice President Park No-hoon.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

– Don't thank me. I want Mr. Park No-hoon to be the designer of our hospital. That's why I got a hint.

“A hint?”

On the other end of the phone, Dr. Ha Young-soo smiled slightly.

– Gaudi.

“Gaudi?”

– He is the architect that our hospital board chairman likes the most.

Oh.