I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 10
“Your smile is genuinely beautiful. I’m Jae-hyun. Nice to meet you, Sung-guk.”
Jae-hyun approached with a warm, eye-crinkling smile.
Jae-hyun was popular as a flower-boy idol, though he would later become tabloid fodder multiple times due to complicated romantic entanglements.
“Hey there. I’m Beom-seon. Call me hyung. Or wait—hyungnim? That sounds a bit like a gangster.”
[Hey, Beom-seon! Long time no see.]
Beom-seon and I had quite a history together.
Beom-seon was known among idols as having an “actor’s face,” and he would later successfully transition into a charismatic leading man in film.
I remembered him winning Best Actor at a film festival sponsored by Samjeon Group and drinking late into the afterparty.
He had impeccable drinking etiquette and, more importantly, genuine loyalty.
Because it was a Samjeon Group-sponsored festival, I’d attended the afterparty despite not usually going to such events.
[Now there’s just one person left….]
“Wassup. I’m Michael. Nice to meet you.”
A swagger-filled pose and a greasy expression.
And a name that reeked of butter—Michael.
This Korean-American would later get into every conceivable kind of scandal.
Entangled in women and money troubles, he became the member who tarnished the reputation of Just, a group that had earned the title of “national idol.”
Michael casually brushed his hand against my cheek. His fingers reeked of cigarette smoke.
[This bastard dares touch me with cigarette-stained hands?!]
As I furrowed my brow, Michael looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“What? Looks like you don’t like me.”
Michael provoked me with his slurred English accent.
I turned my head away sharply.
“You just smoked, didn’t you? I don’t like it either, so why would the baby?”
When Tae-hyung, the leader, chided him, Michael muttered something in English and slumped into a corner.
I turned back to face them with a composed expression.
Mother was too busy touching her protruding belly and gazing at Just with wonder, particularly entranced by the handsome Beom-seon.
[Mother, snap out of it!]
When I tugged at her, Mother quickly came to her senses and embraced me.
“Sung-guk, these older brothers are really handsome.”
[Some of them are younger than Mother.]
Contrary to my true thoughts, I nodded and gave a business-appropriate response.
“Yeah!”
Now past my first birthday, I’d started walking, though it still felt awkward, and my tongue had developed enough to occasionally produce words beyond baby babble.
[Mother, don’t be fooled by those faces. There’s a saying—never trust what those who paint their faces say.]
Mother, oblivious to my inner thoughts, simply smiled brightly at Just.
When the Director entered, Just lined up and bowed in unison.
“Hello! We are Just, leading South Korea’s music industry!”
“Good to see you. You all know what this is about, right?”
“Yes.”
Tae-hyung answered on behalf of the group.
“We’ll be filming for about three days at your dormitory. Sung-guk will come out at 9 AM and film until 6 PM, and he’ll sleep at the dormitory for just one night. Since it’s a lifestyle variety show, keep everything as natural as possible. We’ll craft the character through editing later.”
“Thank you so much, Director!”
“Don’t be too stiff at the dormitory. Wear the clothes you normally wear. And try to avoid heavy makeup.”
“Yes!”
The Director’s gaze shifted to me.
“I’ve heard a lot of praise about Sung-guk from Director Kwak. He said the boy understands instructions remarkably well?”
“We’re often amazed by him ourselves.”
“By the way, you’re aware of the restrictions, right?”
“No advertisements for six months after the broadcast starts, correct?”
“Right. We’ll shoot a pilot first and air it to see how it goes—if it doesn’t work, we can drop it quickly. But if we do get on air like this, it’ll actually work in your favor for landing advertisement deals later.”
Mother listened intently to the Director’s explanation.
The Director said he would first create a pilot program based on about three days of filming, air it, and then discuss regular scheduling.
“By the way, you’re quite far along in your pregnancy.”
“My due date is next month.”
“We’d better film quickly then. If the response is good, we’ll move into regular programming, but won’t Sung-guk get anxious if you’re not around?”
“That’s what I’m worried about too… but Sung-guk doesn’t really have stranger anxiety.”
[Mom, I’m a complete professional. Don’t worry about a thing.]
The Director pinched my cheek affectionately.
“This kid really does understand everything, doesn’t he? Look at that face—it’s practically saying ‘don’t worry.’ Let’s get filming started. We can only move forward if the pilot turns out well.”
“We’ll do our best, Director.”
Mother bowed deeply, cradling her swollen belly.
I followed her lead, placing my small hands together at my navel and bowing as well.
[Thanks in advance, Director. When I succeed, I’ll repay this kindness many times over.]
* * *
The first filming finally began.
My only task was to arrive at the film set with a freshly washed face.
I already knew exactly how this program would unfold.
With round, innocent eyes, I would smile and cry well, and the members would understand me and laugh and cry along with me.
Mother and I rode in a car sent by the Broadcasting Station toward the dormitory at Just.
The area around the Semi-basement Dormitory was already packed with staff and various filming equipment.
As Mother set me down, the Assistant Director approached to quickly check on my condition.
“Is Sung-guk doing well?”
“He slept well and ate breakfast.”
“Great. We’ll start filming in thirty minutes then. Please wait a bit.”
“Of course.”
Mother and I waited thirty minutes inside the car.
During the wait, Mother read to me from a book she’d brought.
It was The Prince and the Pauper.
A fairy tale about a prince and a pauper with identical faces who swap lives and experience each other’s daily existence.
[This is my story.]
When I was a chaebol, reading this story made me think exactly that.
Never, not even for a single day, entertain the thought of swapping lives with someone else.
Because a chaebol’s life is one that everyone envies.
I nodded thoughtfully, lost in contemplation.
“Sung-guk, are you having fun just looking at the pictures?”
I gave a casual nod.
None of them would ever know what kind of thoughts and experiences I carried within me.
I was once Jeon Sung-guk, heir to the Samjeon Group.
The current Jeon Sung-guk had set down all the burdens of that throne.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of knuckles rapping against the car window reached my ears.
As Mother rolled down the window, the Assistant Director grinned widely and looked at me.
“We’ll be rolling soon.”
“Okay!”
I threw my hand up eagerly.
* * *
The camera began rolling.
Dozens of staff members surrounding me and Just held their breath.
The members of Just had already gathered in the living room in comfortable clothes, following a script with loosely predetermined lines.
This was Just’s dormitory—a roughly 1,000 square foot semi-basement villa near their agency, old and weathered.
Since the group wasn’t popular enough yet, they hadn’t moved into an apartment or residential complex.
But somehow, this felt more intimate, and I sensed it would make for better footage.
We started filming from early morning: the doorbell chimes, members stumble out half-asleep, the door opens, and I’m delivered in a baby basket.
The show’s title was “Five Men and a Baby Basket.”
The opening stayed true to that concept.
Tae-hyung, the leader, barely awake, picked up the baby basket in confusion and called the other members over.
“Hey guys, gather around.”
The members finally grasped the situation and came out with sleepy eyes to greet me, who would be with them for two nights and three days.
[They can actually act.]
Some had naturally tousled hair, and subtle makeup had been applied without being obvious.
I scanned each member of Just with a thoroughly frightened expression.
[Alright, this is the first scene. I’ve come to a strange place—should I cry?]
This was the first scene I had envisioned.
A baby overwhelmed with tension, bursting into tears, and the Just members doing their absolute best to comfort the baby!
[Hmm. Okay.]
I cleared my throat and cried with all my might.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
It was Michael who quickly scooped me up.
[Quick on the uptake, this one.]
It’s obvious he’s trying to pad out his screen time.
But if I stop crying now, it won’t seem like enough footage….
I have no choice.
I let my cries grow louder and more dramatic.
Immediately, the handsome Jae-hyun scooped me up as if claiming his prize.
I timed it perfectly, looking at Jae-hyun before gradually letting my tears subside.
“Even babies prefer beautiful people.”
Reacting to the members’ comments, Lucas—all muscle and bulk—tried to pick me up next.
“Sung-guk, come here. I’m your hyung, your hyung.”
Looking flustered in an unfamiliar place.
Crying when Michael held me, then growing quiet when Jae-hyun picked me up—it was all calculated.
Lucas suddenly threw me off balance.
[How should I position myself with this guy?]
In that instant, Lucas’s thick palm appeared before my eyes.
I quickly tapped Lucas’s palm with my small hand, as if we were playing a game.
“Sung-guk figured out right away that Lucas loves to play around. Looks like he wants to have fun with Lucas.”
Just as Tae-hyung predicted, I’d cast Lucas in the role of friend.
Reliable leader Tae-hyung was my father.
Gentle and beautiful Jae-hyun was my mother.
Muscular Lucas was my friend.
With shy Beom-seon, I’d be awkward.
With playful Michael, I’d be rivals.
I quickly finished mapping out all the relationships in my head.
Then I broke into a bright smile.
[Looking forward to working with you all, ‘Just’.]
All five members of Just gathered around me.
“Sung-guk, let’s get along from now on.”
As Tae-hyung, the leader, spoke, everyone waved at me.
I relaxed my guard slightly and offered an awkward smile.
Unfamiliar as they were, there was no better way to end this first meeting with Just—people who treated me with genuine sincerity.
“Cut! Alright, let’s move on to the next scene!”
The Director’s satisfied voice rang out.
* * *
Break time had begun.
Now that Mother’s belly was noticeably fuller, I began analyzing the five members of Just while nestled against her.
To concentrate, I buried my face in Mother’s soft belly.
[I love Mother’s scent. Hehe.]
“Sung-guk, do you like Mother that much?”
“Yes!”
I responded enthusiastically.
Mother beamed at me and peppered my cheeks with kisses.
[Mom, I’m almost eighteen months old now. And I’m about to become a big brother. This is embarrassing.]
When I squirmed, Mother pulled me closer into her embrace.
Tae-hyung, the eldest member of Just, rushed over and offered me snacks and water.
“You must be tired, ma’am.”
“Not at all.”
“But really, you look so young.”
[Tae-hyung, you’re the same age as her.]
“Well then, ma’am, please rest. If you need anything at all, just let us know anytime.”
“Thank you. Really.”
Mother gazed at Tae-hyung’s retreating figure with a soft smile, unable to look away.
[Mom, what’s gotten into you? Are you really that impressed by their looks? Huh?]
Mother munched on the snacks Tae-hyung had given her, her smile never fading.
“Sung-guk, all the Just members are so handsome.”
[Mom, I’m telling Dad everything!]
“Sung-guk, this is a secret from your father!”
Mother pressed her lips to mine in a playful kiss.
[This softens my resolve….]
“Alright, let’s resume filming!”
The Assistant Director’s voice rang out.
Mother carried me toward the film set.
I stretched my arms wide, swept my hair back, and patted down my undershirt.
[Alright. Let’s get this shoot started.]
* * *
The daytime filming with Mother proceeded smoothly overall.
With Mother positioned somewhere behind the camera, I could act freely without being conscious of it, and everyone fawned over how adorable I was.
And then came the final night of filming—the night I had to spend entirely with the Just members.
Since Mother was pregnant, she and Father decided to sleep at a small hotel nearby.
To prepare for any unexpected incidents, a few members of the directing team kept watch over the rolling cameras.
Still uneasy, Father dropped off Mother at the hotel and spent the entire night holding his breath alongside the filming crew, observing the cameras.
Before leaving, the Director gave me just one instruction.
“Sung-guk, just sleep well, eat well, and use the bathroom well.”
[Don’t worry, Director. Even if I wanted to control it, I can’t at this age.]
The Director also gave the Just members a stern warning.
“Sung-guk is only eighteen months old. You all understand, right?”
“Yes!”
“You really need to be careful.”
“Director, don’t worry. I’m here.”
Michael approached with his characteristic cheerfulness.
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
If there was one person in the world I shouldn’t trust, it was Michael.
Soon after the filming team wrapped up their scene, only two observation cameras continued rolling from the corner.
“Who wants to prepare dinner for Sung-guk tonight?”
Tae-hyung asked the members.
Michael immediately stepped forward.
“I’ll do it!”
“You?”
All the members stared at Michael with bewildered expressions.
“You’re really going to do it?”
Just looking at Jae-hyun’s face made it clear—this guy Michael was desperate to secure his screen time.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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