I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 105

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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 105
Cameron and Tyler, whom I’d deliberately avoided, spotted me talking with Peter Brenton and approached with measured composure.
I spoke quietly to Peter.
“Would it be alright if we talked somewhere more private?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. To be honest, I’m not really adjusting well to this Lyan Club freshman party.”
Peter and I slipped quietly out of the Clubhouse before Cameron and Tyler arrived.
Peter exhaled deeply.
“I shouldn’t be doing things I don’t usually do. I don’t normally come to these parties. I stopped by this time because I had business in Boston, and it looks like good timing.”
[Hmm… First, I need to stay cautious.]
I kept my response to Peter minimal.
“Can I join that Face Paper too?”
“Of course. Right now it’s mainly used by students from my boarding school and Harvard, but since I got to Harvard, the user base has expanded considerably.”
“I wonder if an old man like me should be poking around in something like that.”
“Age doesn’t matter when making new friends.”
Peter seemed pleased with my response.
“Like us?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“That suit looks sharp on you. Where did you get it?”
“It’s a friend’s. My own suit doesn’t fit anymore.”
“Right… you’re at that age where you’re still growing. Since you must be hungry, how about we grab dinner at a hamburger place I used to frequent back when I was in school?”
“Sounds good.”
I followed Peter out.
Peter seemed like a friendly neighbor, but this was actually a highly calculated move.
He was approaching me in a friendly manner to learn about Face Paper and maintain a connection with me afterward.
[Peter, I only look twelve years old. You’d be shocked if you knew I was a former conglomerate heir.]
* * *
The Winklevoss Brothers found Sung-guk with confused expressions.
“Who exactly did Sung-guk leave with?”
“Peter Brenton.”
At that moment, Damon Winklevoss, the father of the Winklevoss Brothers, interjected.
“Father. Peter Brenton, you mean?”
“That famous investment specialist. Every company he’s invested in, starting with Amazon, has succeeded—a god of investment.”
“Could Sung-guk have known Peter Brenton and approached him deliberately?”
“Peter Brenton is a good investor, but he’s known for being overly cautious. He approaches things carefully to minimize risk, which makes him slow. He’s even missed some good companies because of it. He’ll probably approach Face Paper the same way. We need to make our move aggressively before that happens.”
Tyler drank his whiskey with a worried expression.
“But Father… I have a feeling that Sung-guk is orchestrating this entire situation.”
“Don’t worry. What could a twelve-year-old possibly orchestrate? Mark is purely a developer, right?”
“Yes. But it seems like Sung-guk handles all the business side… He doesn’t seem like a child at all. Not at all.”
“Tyler, stop worrying and let’s just think about what kind of good bait we can offer Sung-guk.”
* * *
A shabby hamburger shop in front of the school.
Peter ordered the two cheapest burgers available.
“Back in college, I had no money, so I ate nothing but this every day… Now it’s become a taste I actually miss.”
“It looks delicious.”
I took a large bite.
The juicy patty and cheap cheddar cheese tasted overwhelmingly rich. I quickly washed it down with cola.
“I never imagined I’d make such an interesting connection here.”
“When did you stop coming to the Lyan Club meetings?”
“Actually… this is my first time coming since graduation. I’m always swamped around this time of year, so I never had time to come. I went to the year-end parties a few times… Even back in school, those club members were so insufferably arrogant that it was hard to bear, and nothing’s changed even as I’ve gotten older.”
“Wouldn’t you be one of those arrogant club members if you’d been in the Lyan Club?”
“I’m similar to you.”
Peter smiled with a slight grin.
Similar to me?
According to the profile Mark sent me, Peter came from a wealthy family even by American standards….
“I don’t see how we’re similar at all.”
“Both my parents were Harvard professors, of course.”
[What do you mean similar, Peter?]
I took another large bite of my hamburger.
“I skipped a year in high school, so I was a year younger than the other kids. It’s not comparable to your situation, but my parents were respected figures—both of them were frugal, so honestly, there was a significant economic gap between me and the kids in the Lyan Club. At first, I was pleased to get an invitation to such an established club… but as time went on, I realized we didn’t mesh well.”
Peter laughed with an innocent smile.
Could someone in their mid-forties still smile so innocently? Was it a mask?
“Why did you join the Lyan Club, Sung-guk?”
“Curiosity.”
“Curiosity?”
“Yes. I wanted to know why this exclusive club would invite someone like me, an Asian.”
“Face Paper would explain everything, I think… By the way, I’d like to join right away. How do I sign up?”
“Hmm….”
I glanced around.
There was nowhere to use a computer, and unlike Korea, there were no internet cafes.
“Peter, would you like to meet Mark?”
“Mark?”
“My business partner.”
* * *
Click.
As I opened the dormitory door and stepped inside, Mark and Dennis jumped up from their seats.
I introduced Peter to Mark and Dennis.
“This is Peter Brenton, a renowned investor. Peter, this is Mark Zuckerberg, my business partner.”
“Nice to meet you, Mark.”
“And this is my roommate Dennis Chazelle. He’s an aspiring film director.”
“Good to see you, Dennis.”
We all exchanged warm greetings.
“Mark, Peter wants to join Face Paper. Can you help him out?”
“Of course. Peter, come over here.”
Peter sat down at the computer under Mark’s guidance.
“Mark, I’m counting on you. I’m not as comfortable with computers as you all are.”
“Just trust me.”
“Sung-guk mentioned that you two developed Face Paper together.”
“Yes.”
“It’s true what they say—great friends surround great friends.”
Mark’s face lit up at those words.
Peter clearly knew how to handle people.
Everyone focused on me from the start, given my superior appearance and everything else, but they paid little attention to Mark.
No matter how much I explained that Mark was the programmer, all the questions came to me.
Mark sometimes felt disappointed about it, but since he disliked being in the spotlight, he never showed it.
Peter didn’t miss even those small details.
Mark explained Face Paper’s usage in detail to Peter.
“You’re married?”
“I got divorced, so I’m back on the market.”
“What about a girlfriend?”
“Still looking…”
“Well, you can mark whether you’re in a relationship or not here.”
“This is pretty fun…”
Peter adapted to Face Paper easily.
“Then you can send friend requests to me, Sung-guk, and Dennis, and once we accept, you’ll be able to see all our friends too.”
“So that’s how you expand your network?”
“Yes.”
“It’s intuitive and young people will naturally love it.”
Peter’s expression showed satisfaction.
Dennis, Mark, and I accepted all of Peter’s friend requests from the computer across the room.
Peter, seeming amused, wrote a short post saying he was currently in Harvard’s freshman dormitory and uploaded it.
“It even shows my location.”
“If your friends are nearby, you can meet up with them.”
“We old-timers have to call ahead and decide where and when to meet… This really is a new world.”
Mark and I enthusiastically explained Face Paper’s features.
Mark handled the technical aspects while I handled the emotional appeal.
Peter quickly grasped the functions and posted a few more updates.
In the meantime, Peter received several friend requests.
– Could this be the legendary investment genius, Peter Brenton?
Peter thought for a moment before responding to the question.
– Yes, that’s correct.
Peter turned around to face me.
“Isn’t that a bit too formal? People don’t really use such polite language on the internet these days, do they?”
“That’s precisely what makes it charming.”
“Fair point. I’m in my forties, after all.”
* * *
Peter and I strolled across the darkening Harvard Campus.
“My car will arrive here in a moment. Sung-guk, are you thinking of starting a venture with Face Paper?”
“Yes.”
“Starting a business won’t be easy.”
“I’m aware.”
“You might even have to drop out of school.”
“I’m prepared for that level of commitment.”
Peter paused for a moment.
“The fact that Microsoft wanted to acquire Face Paper shows they valued the idea highly. But they probably judged you and Mark as too unstable to manage it directly.”
[Part of that’s right, part of it’s wrong, Peter.]
Peter continued.
“Sung-guk, from an investor’s perspective, I’ll be honest—that’s still the part I find most unreliable.”
“How can I prove that to you?”
“That’s the question.”
I pondered for a moment, then an idea struck me.
“Peter, I’ll live on thirty dollars for a month.”
“What?”
Peter looked genuinely surprised.
“Starting a business isn’t as glamorous as people think—it’s grueling. I might even go bankrupt from this venture.”
“That’s true…”
“But if I can survive on thirty dollars for a month, wouldn’t that prove I can overcome the early hardships of entrepreneurship?”
“Hmm… that logic has merit, but entrepreneurship isn’t a battle you win through endurance alone. In the beginning, how much potential you possess matters most, and later, demonstrating that potential to investors becomes even more crucial.”
“By living on thirty dollars for a month, I’ll show you Face Paper’s potential as well.”
Peter tilted his head thoughtfully.
“Really? You think that’s possible?”
“Of course!”
I said with conviction.
Peter tilted his head again.
“Sung-guk, what you’re really saying is that you want my investment, aren’t you?”
“Several private equity funds have approached us, true. But I’m looking for an investor who will treat us most fairly.”
“And that investor is me?”
“Yes.”
Peter smiled broadly and extended his hand.
I took it.
“Alright, Sung-guk. Let’s see you prove it.”
* * *
Mark stared at me with an incredulous expression.
“Sung-guk, are you insane? You’re going to live on thirty dollars for a month? One dollar a day? And you want us to monitor it?”
“Yeah.”
“Even if Harvard is generous with its students, that’s impossible.”
Dennis was equally skeptical.
“Where’s the cheapest supermarket around here?”
“Why?”
“I’ll stock up on food for thirty days. That should do it.”
Mark and Dennis clicked their tongues in disbelief.
Yet they searched for the cheapest supermarket anyway.
“Sung-guk, there’s a discount mart three miles away.”
I looked at Mark and Dennis.
“I think it’ll work if you two help me out. For free, of course.”
“Sung-guk, we don’t necessarily need to take Peter’s investment.”
“Mark, I’ve done more research on Peter over the past few days. Did you see the comments under his name?”
“Right, Mark. They called him the god of investment.”
“Which means that just by Peter investing in us, the value of our Face Paper will skyrocket.”
“Sung-guk is absolutely unstoppable. Dennis, let’s grab some shopping baskets.”
“Yeah.”
We all grabbed baskets and headed to the supermarket.
* * *
Thirty oranges for ten dollars.
Thirty frozen hot dogs for ten dollars.
I picked up both items and checked out.
I still had ten dollars left.
“Sung-guk, you can really live on just this?”
“I’ve got ten dollars left. I can buy milk occasionally.”
Mark shook his head in amazement.

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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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