I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 100

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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 100
Park Jin-soo clapped enthusiastically, swinging his long arms about.
“Absolutely perfect. Perfect! If I’d been born with even half of Sung-guk’s talent, I would’ve spent my whole life as a singer.”
[Park Jin-soo, dial back the theatrics.]
Exhaustion washed over me at his exaggerated antics, but I kept it hidden.
I was growing increasingly accustomed to being the subordinate rather than the superior—a far cry from my previous life.
I’d only seen Park Jin-soo once in my past life.
My daughter loved a boy group from his company, so he arranged a meeting after their concert. Park Jin-soo was there too.
He’d gone on excessively about how much he cherished the Samjeon Group.
The energy that day… it was truly unbearable.
“Sung-guk, I was a huge fan of 【Five Men and a Baby Basket】.”
[Of course, since Just appeared in it.]
“When you were little, I thought to myself—this kid’s going to be something special when he grows up. Mu-hyuk, wasn’t Sung-guk born to be an idol?”
Bang Mu-hyuk and Park Jin-soo were the same age.
Bang Mu-hyuk watched me with arms crossed and a pleased expression.
“He’s too intelligent for that. I told you—he’s entering Harvard. He’s only thirteen by Korean age.”
“No matter how many times I hear it, it’s still amazing. Sung-guk, life isn’t just about studying. I went through university normally too, but I’m doing something completely different now. If I succeed in this industry, I can accumulate far more wealth and prestige than any Harvard graduate.”
[I know, I know. But I can already acquire wealth and prestige through other means. Being a trainee is just a hobby—something I’m doing to eventually nurture idols with Mu-hyuk later.]
Park Jin-soo continued his relentless persuasion.
“Sung-guk, want to see the groups we’re debuting this time? Mu-hyuk, I’m seriously coveting him. Should we just debut Sung-guk right away without all this trainee group nonsense?”
“You haven’t even heard me sing yet, sir. And I’m terrible at dancing.”
“Sung-guk, people consume it as a concept when someone as handsome and intelligent as you can’t do something. Actually, it’s strange when someone as talented as you can sing well and dance well too.”
I glanced sideways at Bang Mu-hyuk.
“Sir, I’d like to train the same way as the other trainees.”
[That way I can master JP’s training system.]
This was my larger strategy.
Of course, Park Jin-soo had no way of knowing that.
“Sung-guk, want to see the trainees? We’re doing the end-of-month evaluation soon.”
“Would it be alright if I watched?”
“Of course. Since Sung-guk is thirteen, there are trainees your age too. Watch carefully.”
“Yes.”
I followed Park Jin-soo and Bang Mu-hyuk toward the practice room.
* * *
As I opened the door, I saw roughly ten teenagers, both male and female.
All had youthful faces.
As Park Jin-soo had said, there were trainees my age, with most being in their late teens at most.
Tension was visibly etched across all their faces.
Park Jin-soo introduced me to the trainees.
“This is Sung-guk. He’s been attending school in the United States and will be joining us as a JP trainee starting next summer break. You’ll be training together, so say hello. He’s just here to observe today’s end-of-month evaluation, so don’t be nervous.”
“Yes….”
The children answered quietly.
I sat in the back row with Park Jin-soo and Bang Mu-hyuk.
I quietly surveyed the trainees.
I spotted friends who would debut with Wonder Woman, and others who would later gain fame as members of Beast Idol.
“Alright, let’s start with Sun-hee. Why don’t we begin with the song you’ve been practicing for vocals?”
“Yes.”
Sun-hee is the only vocalist who debuted with Wonder Woman and later successfully transitioned to a solo career.
She stood out distinctly.
Sun-hee cleared her throat a few times before beginning to sing.
[Her voice is quite good.]
For a female vocalist, her slightly husky tone carried a compelling appeal.
Park Jin-soo listened to Sun-hee’s song with a satisfied expression, then offered his critique quietly.
“Sun-hee, your voice is naturally excellent to begin with. So you don’t need to rely too heavily on technique. Just sing the song as naturally as you would speak. Relax a bit—half air, half sound. Understand?”
[So this is where I hear that famous “half air, half sound” technique.]
I continued listening to Park Jin-soo’s evaluation with fascination.
Next, Sun-hee demonstrated the dance she had been practicing as well.
Park Jin-soo didn’t hold back his applause for the dance.
“Sun-hee has what you’d call a natural groove. The movements aren’t polished, but that’s precisely what makes it charming. Still, work hard on perfecting the movements, and Sun-hee, never lose that groove.”
“Yes, PD.”
After Sun-hee’s turn ended, Ye-jin stepped forward with a youthful face.
Commonly known as “Dumpling Face.”
With full cheeks and attractive eyes without double eyelids, she was the key member who enjoyed the greatest popularity during the Wonder Woman era.
But now she seemed to lack confidence.
“Ye-jin, sing for us.”
“Yes, PD.”
Ye-jin began to sing.
Her voice lacked power, matching her uncertain expression.
Her voice was decent, and her pitch and rhythm were both excellent, but her lack of confidence caused her voice to grow progressively quieter as the song continued.
Park Jin-soo offered no particular comment.
“Ye-jin, you prepared a dance, right?”
“Yes, PD.”
The familiar music began, and Ye-jin showcased her prepared dance, but here too she lacked confidence.
Despite her height, her long limbs conveyed expressiveness better than anyone else’s, yet her hesitant demeanor was visible throughout the entire performance.
Park Jin-soo tilted his head, then passed without offering any particular comment this time either.
“Alright, let’s have Kwon-hee go next.”
* * *
The trainees’ monthly evaluation proceeded more seriously than I had anticipated.
It was an important occasion where trainees demonstrated the dance and song they had practiced over the past month, and decisions were made about whether they could advance to the next stage.
Both Park Jin-soo and Bang Mu-hyuk delivered sharp critiques.
Nix, the foreign member, stepped forward.
Anyone could see that his impressive height and handsome features were captivating.
But his singing and dancing were both dreadfully poor.
Bang Mu-hyuk shook his head with his characteristic expression of dissatisfaction.
“Nix, do you really want to be a singer?”
“Yes, PD.”
Nix spoke in halting Korean, each word carefully enunciated.
“And that’s what you’ve accomplished after a month of practice? Sigh. It’s not too late—why don’t you just go back to Australia where you came from?”
“Mu-hyuk, that’s too harsh.”
Park Jin-soo clearly disagreed.
“Nix has only been in Korea for six months. Isn’t it remarkable that a kid who never cared about dancing or singing has shown this much progress?”
“While other trainees grow by five, Nix can’t even keep up with half that pace. Nix, if you get another chance next time and you’re still at this level, I’m honestly going to vote for your elimination. So get your act together.”
“Yes, PD.”
Nix bowed his head deeply and stepped back.
The evaluation was harsher than I’d expected.
Park Jin-soo and Bang Mu-hyuk often disagreed.
“Well, everyone worked hard today. Bang PD and I will coordinate our opinions and post the rankings outside the practice room tomorrow. You’ve all suffered through this past month, so rest well today.”
“Yes!”
* * *
Bang Mu-hyuk stood with his arms crossed, deliberating over Nix and Ye-jin.
Park Jin-soo was practically jumping out of his seat.
“Nix is absolutely not out. Where do you find a face like that? The kid’s overflowing with star potential.”
“What good is potential if he doesn’t put in the effort?”
The two of them debated passionately, seemingly forgetting I was still there.
“Mu-hyuk, you only look for kids who work hard. There are some who succeed at everything without even trying.”
“Those kids don’t last long in this industry. They just shine briefly and fade.”
“We’re not responsible for the rest of their lives anyway.”
“These are kids who’ve sacrificed their normal childhoods as trainees since their early teens, living only to debut as singers. If they fail, we at least owe them a safety net so they don’t collapse.”
I appreciated Bang Mu-hyuk’s perspective.
Though I didn’t know everything, Korea’s entertainment and sports development programs were systems that forced people to abandon ordinary lives and chase success alone.
That’s why some experienced slumps after succeeding, and those who failed became people incapable of doing anything in society.
“Ah, sorry. Sung-guk, was our conversation too intense?”
“I apologize. I should be going now.”
I stood up from my seat.
Bang Mu-hyuk rose apologetically.
“Sung-guk, I was hoping we could have dinner together, but this meeting might run longer than expected. Let’s grab a meal before I head to the United States.”
“Sure.”
“Wait.”
Park Jin-soo stopped me.
“Sung-guk, what did you think of Nix and Ye-jin?”
[What did I think? Why would you eliminate either of them? Both of them will become the most popular members.]
But I hid my true feelings and looked at Park Jin-soo.
“Just as you said, Park Jin-soo, Nix really does look like an entertainer. When he sings, his tone is so good that I couldn’t help but keep listening. He’s still a trainee who’s only been practicing for about six months, so isn’t it better to give him more opportunities despite his shortcomings?”
“Mu-hyuk, see? Even Sung-guk thinks Nix is cool. Sung-guk, I’m a bit more concerned about Ye-jin than Nix. What do you think?”
“Mandu is the truth.”
I laughed sheepishly.
Bang Mu-hyuk placed his hand lightly on my shoulder.
“So that’s Sung-guk’s style. I agree with Sung-guk’s opinion too, Park Jin-soo.”
“It’s not my personal style. It’s the kind of face that middle schoolers these days like. She seems a bit lacking in confidence, but wouldn’t that kind of personality actually be better for blending within the group?”
“I think so too. Park Jin-soo, how about we do this? You push for Nix. I like Ye-jin. Why don’t we give both of them more opportunities?”
“I have no choice then. This time it’s because of Sung-guk, but next time I absolutely won’t back down.”
Park Jin-soo shrugged his shoulders.
“Sung-guk, now we can have dinner together.”
“I’m going to use the restroom for a moment.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
* * *
As I exited the restroom, I heard crying coming from the emergency stairwell.
Who was that?
I quietly opened the emergency stairwell door.
In the dim stairwell, trainee Ye-jin was crying.
“I’m sorry.”
I tried to close the door quickly, but Ye-jin suddenly stood up and bowed her head deeply.
“I’m sorry. I startled you quite a bit, didn’t I?”
“No, you didn’t.”
[I was a bit startled, though. Hearing a woman cry in a dark building is scary.]
But I didn’t let it show.
“You were the student watching the trainee monthly evaluation earlier, weren’t you?”
“Yes. Is that why you’re crying?”
Ye-jin pressed her puffy eyes with her hands.
“I thought I did so poorly.”
“You didn’t do poorly, but you seemed to lack confidence.”
I answered coldly.
“Whether it’s singing or dancing, I don’t have anything I’m particularly confident about.”
“You’re going to debut as a group anyway.”
“Pardon?”
Ye-jin looked at me with surprised eyes.
“If you were going solo, you’d need to be exceptionally good at both singing and dancing. But since it’s a group, you need members who don’t stand out too much in either singing or dancing. So don’t lose confidence just because your skills are lacking. Get to know yourself and become a singer who fits the group.”
“Ah… thank you. No one has ever given me advice like that before.”
Ye-jin bowed her head to me, even though I was younger than her, and thanked me.
“Well then, I should go.”
“Um… I’m sorry to ask, but what’s your name? You’re coming in as one of our trainees next, right?”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you as well. I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”

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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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