Meeting Before the Golden Building
On the last day before auction, a poor architect and a wealthy investor happen to meet in front of an abandoned building
Scene 1 — Tiles in Twilight
When Jun-seo turned the corner of the alley, the building was there.
A six-story commercial building built in 1974. Mosaic tiles embedded across the front wall caught the evening sun and gleamed orange. Tomorrow at 10 AM, the auction begins. After that, it will probably be demolished.
Jun-seo set down his tube of blueprints and pulled out a cigarette. He didn’t light it. He just held it between his fingers and looked up at the building. He had submitted this building as his proposal for a design competition. He had spent three months refining a preservation plan. He received the rejection notice yesterday.
“Did you come to see this building too?”
A voice came from behind him.
Scene 2 — First Words
He turned. A woman stood there. Cashmere coat, leather briefcase. About his age, but something about her stance was different. A weight that didn’t waver even on asphalt.
“Just… wanted to see it one last time.”
“One last time?”
She walked toward the building. Her fingertips gently touched the tiles on the exterior wall.
“When the bid closes, the building doesn’t disappear. It just changes purpose.”
“It gets demolished.”
Jun-seo’s words came out sharper than intended. She didn’t withdraw her hand.
“I’m Kang Yoon-a.”
“Oh Jun-seo. I’m an architect.”
“I know. I saw your proposal in the design competition.”
Scene 3 — Price and Memory
Silence hung for a moment. The sound of a bus came from across the street.
That year, the hit rate at Seoul court auctions averaged 118 percent of appraisal value. This building was expected to see much higher competition, according to an article from three days ago. Jun-seo had read it three times. Each time, his fingertips grew cold.
“What did you think of my proposal?”
She turned to face him. Evening shadows covered half her face.
“You were keeping the exterior wall and changing only the interior. You did your own research on the tile patterns.”
“It got rejected.”
“That doesn’t mean it was a bad proposal.”
Jun-seo put the cigarette back in his pocket. Unlit.
Scene 4 — When It Turns Golden
Street lamps came on one by one, and the mosaic tiles changed color. From orange to gold. The two of them looked at the building side by side.
“These tiles,” she said first.
“You mentioned in your proposal that there’s nowhere in the country that makes this pattern anymore. Discontinued after the 1970s.”
“That’s right.”
“So I’ve been thinking too.”
Jun-seo looked at her. She was still looking at the building. The expression of someone holding back something she wanted to say.
“Are you the highest bidder?”
“Not yet. I’m the one bidding tomorrow.”
Wind swept through the alley. Her hair scattered. Jun-seo couldn’t look away. He hadn’t been able to since before.
Scene 5 — Three Years and Five Years
“Can I ask you something?”
She turned her head.
“I think there’s something you didn’t put in the proposal. When did you first discover this building?”
Jun-seo looked up at the staircase railing next to the first floor instead. Rust clung to it. He’d first entered this alley three years ago in autumn. When he was lost. The afternoon he’d gone for a job interview at an office and received a final rejection that same day.
“Three years.”
“Five years for me.”
She said it calmly.
“I had my first real fight with my father’s company because of this building. Every time I came here, we’d fight a little more.”
The light of the street lamp flickered on the tiles. Jun-seo didn’t know what to say. So he said nothing. The silence felt comfortable. That was the strange part.
She adjusted her briefcase in her hand.
“When we see the results tomorrow, we’ll know. What we can preserve.”
Her footsteps on the asphalt grew distant as she left the alley. Jun-seo stayed for a while longer. The building gleamed gold. Brighter than before. Whether that color came from the person or the street lamp, Jun-seo couldn’t tell.
This story is fictional and not investment advice.