I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 123

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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 123
“Wow, that’s incredible!”
Jeon Mi-jin stared at me with her mouth hanging open.
[Mi-jin, close your mouth before a fly gets in.]
“Is it really you, Sung-guk? You’re actually Sung-guk, right?”
“Yeah. I’m Jeon Sung-guk. And you’re Jeon Mi-jin, aren’t you?”
“You remember me?”
[Of course I remember. I’m your older brother, Mi-jin.]
I nodded.
“Of course. I remember some of the other kids too.”
I surveyed the special class members gathered in the suite.
Kang Ju-sung, grandson of the former Prosecutor General.
Kim Hyun-joong, grandson of the former Samjeon Electronics CEO.
Lee Se-hee, granddaughter of the former Samjeon Hospital Director.
Seo Yeo-rim, granddaughter of the former Minister of Defense.
They all still bore traces of their childhood selves.
[They haven’t been molded yet….]
“Sung-guk, everyone’s been talking about you anyway. Hmm… you should sit next to me.”
Jeon Mi-jin controlled everything with the same willful authority she’d wielded back in kindergarten.
Still, no one dared to object.
I sat down beside Mi-jin and greeted them.
“It’s been a while.”
Lee Se-hee kept staring at me with disbelieving eyes.
“Wow, Sung-guk… do you have a girlfriend?”
“Se-hee! That’s what I was going to ask.”
Jeon Mi-jin cut off Se-hee’s question.
Se-hee suddenly came to her senses.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just that Sung-guk is so handsome…”
[That reaction is so tired….]
I shrugged.
“Sung-guk, how tall are you?”
Kang Ju-sung asked.
Kang Ju-sung himself looked quite well-built.
“I think I’m around 175 centimeters.”
“Height-wise, that’s about the same as me. But did you really go to Harvard? I saw a lot of articles about you.”
“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”
That should count as a humble answer….
[It’s harder than I thought to act modest when I’ve never known humility….]
I took a sip of water.
Everyone’s eyes remained fixed on me.
“Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
“Sung-guk, I couldn’t take my eyes off you when you were little. Now it’s even harder.”
Mi-jin rested her chin in her hand and gazed at me, just as she had back in kindergarten.
[Still uncomfortable, Mi-jin…. Well then, let me show off a little.]
I relaxed my shoulders with a subtle flourish.
Showing off came naturally to me—I’d been doing it since my past life straight through to now.
My opening line was:
“So you’re all still in middle school?”
“Yeah, we all are.”
Hyun-joong answered with an awkward tone.
“Did I ask something obvious? How’s middle school treating you? Where is everyone going to school?”
“Sung-guk, since we haven’t seen each other in so long, how about we introduce ourselves?”
Mi-jin made the suggestion.
“Sounds good.”
“Then I’ll go first.”
Mi-jin stepped forward.
[Still loves taking the lead, I see.]
Mi-jin was terrible at actually accomplishing anything, yet her ambitions were boundless—she absolutely loved being the center of attention.
“It’s been forever, everyone. I’m Mi-jin, and I’m entering Rosemary Boarding School in Connecticut.”
[Ah, the place where all the rich kids go. Clearly money got her in….]
Mi-jin turned to look at Seo Yeo-rim next.
Seo Yeo-rim had grown quite tall.
“I’m entering Yeongseong Middle School this year. But I think I’ll transfer to an international school in Shanghai around next year.”
[Didn’t get in on time, huh? That means her language skills are lacking. Can you manage it in a year, Seo Yeo-rim?]
I crossed my arms.
Lee Se-hee, granddaughter of the Samjeon Hospital director, would be moving to the Netherlands soon with her parents to attend an international school there. Hyun-joong, grandson of the Samjeon Electronics CEO, had been admitted to Yeongseong Middle School like Seo Yeo-rim.
That left Kang Ju-sung, grandson of the Prosecutor General and the one who had tormented me the most.
“I’m heading to Boston Boarding School soon too. Sung-guk, you’re going to Harvard, right? That’s in the Boston area?”
“Yeah.”
“That works out great. You’re getting sponsored by Hyojin Group there too, right?”
[What’s so great about that?]
I nodded slightly.
“Yeah.”
“I was actually looking for someone to help me with academics on weekends. I’ve got plenty of money, so help me out. Harvard’s my goal too.”
Kang Ju-sung spoke with arrogance.
They all seemed to believe that my sponsorship from Hyojin Group wasn’t because I was exceptional, but because I was a social welfare case.
At Kang Ju-sung’s words, silence fell over the suite.
Everyone had reached an age where they understood what his remark implied.
[Still think I’m a social welfare case, Kang Ju-sung.]
I crossed my arms and fixed him with the coldest stare I could muster.
“Kang Ju-sung. Can’t you study on your own?”
“You can buy help from people around you with money, so why struggle to do it alone?”
“America values people who can figure things out independently as a huge merit. Unlike Korea.”
“How would the school know about every bit of help I receive?”
That was a fair point.
Korean helicopter parents had migrated to America and spawned Korean-style academies there.
“Jeon Sung-guk, you’re accepting sponsorship from Hyojin Group but refusing my money?”
“You all seem to have a misunderstanding. I receive Hyojin Group’s sponsorship because I’m excellent, not because I lack money.”
“If you have money, why accept sponsorship?”
“Then why can’t you get into Harvard? You don’t have enough money to build them a building, lay down some grass, and buy your way in, do you?”
[Just because you’re rich in South Korea!]
My words made Kang Ju-sung’s face flush red.
“This is why you shouldn’t deal with people who have nothing. They think they got into Harvard because they’re so great.”
“Kang Ju-sung. I told you to speak properly. I got into Harvard because I’m excellent. Without anyone’s help.”
“But Hyojin Group sponsored you!”
“I did the studying, not Hyojin Group.”
“Hey, if you don’t want to teach me, just say so. I’m already in contact with Grace Choi. She took care of you before you went to boarding school anyway.”
“Grace only takes care of the best students. I’m curious if you’re at that level?”
“What did you just say!”
Kang Ju-sung shot up from his seat.
Jeon Mi-jin crossed her arms and looked at Kang Ju-sung.
“Kang Ju-sung, sit down.”
At her words, Kang Ju-sung reluctantly sat back down.
Here, Jeon Mi-jin still wielded absolute authority.
“Why are you all being so childish after meeting for so long?”
[What, calling me childish! I just didn’t want to lose!]
Jeon Mi-jin shook her head.
“First, let’s eat. Sung-guk, you used to love our hotel’s jjajangmyeon, remember?”
“Well….”
Kang Ju-sung still pouted in front of me.
“I’ve already ordered food from the Chinese restaurant. They’ll bring it in a bit. Sung-guk, by the way, do you date or anything at Harvard?”
“I’m still a minor. I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“Then what are you interested in?”
Lee Se-hee asked, her eyes sparkling.
“I’m going to start a business. That’s my biggest interest right now.”
“See? He’s struggling to make money because he has none. Why earn money? Just spend what you have and live comfortably.”
Kang Ju-sung muttered from the side.
[Should I just crush that guy?]
At that moment, Jeon Mi-jin looked at me uncomfortably.
“Sung-guk, you were a trainee at JP Entertainment, right?”
“Really?”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
With those words, everyone’s attention snapped back to me.
As expected, idols were the only thing that captivated middle schoolers.
“Sung-guk, if you were a JP trainee, does that mean you debuted as an idol?”
“I just tried it out.”
[I’m not cut out for entertainment. Though if I did it, I’d probably be incredible at it.]
Surprisingly, Hyun-joong showed the most interest.
“Sung-guk, how did you get into JP as a trainee? I’d like to try it too, but my father doesn’t have connections in that industry.”
“I got in on my looks.”
Pfft!
Hyun-joong, who had been drinking water, sprayed it directly onto Joo-sung in front of him.
“Joo-sung, sorry.”
“Hey, why are you spraying water all of a sudden?”
[Did I say something funny? I was just telling the truth….]
Joo-sung getting drenched was oddly satisfying.
At that moment, Mi-jin stepped in.
“Sung-guk told the truth, so what’s so funny? If it were me, I’d cast Sung-guk on the spot.”
“Even among celebrities, Sung-guk wouldn’t fall short at all.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
[I’m a face genius. I was prom king in America too.]
Ding dong.
The suite doorbell rang, and soon the Samjeon Hotel’s jjajangmyeon arrived.
There were all sorts of dishes, but the only thing that captured my attention was the jjajangmyeon!
[Well, time to dig in.]
Truth be told, 5% of the reason—or maybe even 10%—I came to this reunion was because I wanted to eat Samjeon Hotel’s jjajangmyeon.
* * *
“Sung-guk, this is my number.”
“Huh?”
Mi-jin handed me her phone number.
“If you have any trouble in America, contact me. I have people looking after me anyway.”
[That won’t happen….]
I slurped down the jjajangmyeon.
Still, I took the number out of courtesy. Though I’d delete it anyway.
“Yeah, got it.”
“Sung-guk, I’ll give you my number too. Or actually, can you give me yours?”
“Sure.”
[They’re all blocked.]
Everyone took my number.
“Sung-guk, what was it like when you auditioned for JP?”
“I just got in on my face, so there was no separate audition.”
“Isn’t the training there really intense?”
“Yeah. But it’s manageable.”
“But if you’re going back to the United States, doesn’t that mean you dropped out as a trainee midway?”
Kang Ju-sung still asked with a skeptical tone.
“Yeah. I dropped out.”
Everyone stared at me with surprised eyes.
[You’re shocked, right? I’m shocked too.]
I finished slurping my jjajangmyeon and wiped my mouth. Everyone was waiting for my next words.
“I failed the end-of-month evaluation because I stood out too much. They were looking for members to join a group. They told me to come back later, but I left because I didn’t want to become a singer or anything else. If you want to verify, check my Face Paper. It’s all documented there.”
“Oh, right. Father mentioned your Face Paper.”
Jeon Mi-jin pretended to know.
But most of them looked clueless.
“It’s like America’s version of Acorn World.”
Only then did everyone nod their heads.
[In ten years, you’ll all abandon Acorn World and be using Face Paper.]
This trivial conversation continued for about an hour.
[Our levels really don’t match with middle schoolers.]
I checked my watch and stood up.
“I should get going now.”
“Sung-guk, why? Already leaving?”
“I came out because you all were curious. I have your contact information, so feel free to reach out.”
[Of course I won’t answer. I got all your numbers in case I get unknown calls.]
Jeon Mi-jin looked the most disappointed.
“Sung-guk, I’ll definitely contact you when I go to the United States. I’ll even visit you at Harvard. Got it?”
“Sure.”
[Absolutely not.]
The other friends said goodbye smoothly enough, but only Kang Ju-sung looked visibly upset.
[Petty guy.]
I extended my hand to Kang Ju-sung first.
“Make sure you get into Harvard.”
[Though that won’t happen.]
“Yeah, see you then. At Harvard.”
[Idiot. I’ll already be graduated by the time you enroll.]
I simply smiled and turned away.
With this, the reunion of the Samjeon Kindergarten special class was over. We would never meet or run into each other again!
* * *
When I arrived at the first-floor lobby, Secretary Yang quickly approached me.
“Young Master Sung-guk.”
“I can go home by myself, Secretary Yang.”
“That’s not it… If you have time, would you mind talking to our son for a bit? Something Sung-guk said earlier has been bothering me.”
Secretary Yang didn’t seem like a terrible father at all.
“My son does well in his studies, and since this job offers lifelong stability, I thoughtlessly sent him to the same school as Tae-guk. But now I’m wondering if I made the right choice. If he still has aspirations to study at an Ivy League school or elsewhere, I’d like to push him toward it even now. The problem is, I’m not his age anymore and I don’t know much about American schools, so I was hoping to ask Sung-guk for some guidance. Would that be alright?”
“Like career counseling?”
“Yes, exactly. I was beating around the bush too much, wasn’t I?”
“It’s fine. Where are you right now?”
“A hotel seemed inconvenient, so I told him to wait at a café near Sung-guk’s place. I’ll drive him there. That works, right?”
“Of course.”
I climbed into the waiting car.
Secretary Yang, who had served as my aide for so long and was the father of his son, was certainly too talented to remain beneath Tae-guk.
And whether Tae-guk would inherit the Samjeon Group couldn’t be guaranteed based on his current actions.
I recalled something Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had said long ago.
– There’s nothing more important than finding someone to walk through life with.
Would Secretary Yang become that person for me in this lifetime as well?
I headed toward the young Secretary Yang, my curiosity piqued.

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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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