I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 128

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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 128
The auditorium erupted into murmurs once more.
“Five years? That’s impossible. We’ve been wasting our time listening to nonsense.”
“The CEO must have watched too many science fiction movies.”
People shook their heads in disbelief and began filing out of the auditorium.
“We came here to invest in something we can see with our own eyes. We didn’t come to throw money at a pathological liar.”
Some investors left in a huff, treating him like a madman.
Elon ran his right hand through his noticeably thinning hair.
I stood up and pushed through the departing crowd to reach Elon.
“Elon, I think I dropped quite the bomb on you.”
“Wait… could you be…?”
Elon’s eyes narrowed as recognition dawned.
“Do you remember me?”
“If my memory serves me right… you’re that kid! The one who told me electric vehicles would be the future and pushed me into this mess!”
His words were harsh, but his face was smiling.
[One day, Elon, you’ll escape this quagmire because of what I said and become the richest man in the world. You’ll have to thank me then.]
I smiled and replied.
“You have a good memory.”
“Of course I do. You were the first person I’ve met who’s as smart as I am!”
[Still full of himself….]
Elon extended his hand.
“How have you been? You said you came from Korea back then, right?”
“Yes… I’m attending school in the United States now.”
“You look completely grown up now. How old are you?”
“Thirteen.”
That was my age by American standards.
“Soon you’ll be as tall as me. Did you come here to study abroad?”
“You could say that.”
“How’s school life in the United States?”
“It’s manageable, I suppose.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“By the way, which school do you attend? Somewhere near San Francisco?”
“I go to school in Massachusetts. I came to San Francisco because I wanted to see the Venture Conference Hall again. Actually, I’ve started my own company too. Though it’s still in its very early stages.”
“Really?”
Elon Musk looked slightly taken aback.
“Yes… Maybe by next year, I’ll be standing here explaining my project just like you are.”
“Just don’t crash and burn like I did.”
Elon let out a quiet sigh.
“But Elon, can you really drive a car while eating a hamburger within five years?”
“I have to say five years so people think the timeline is shorter. Anyway, have you had lunch? Now that you mention hamburgers, I’m getting hungry.”
“Not yet. Would you like to grab a hamburger with me?”
“Sounds good. I’ll pay.”
“I’ll introduce you to my business partner too.”
Elon grabbed his bag.
“By the way… what was your name again? It was hard to pronounce.”
“It’s Sung-guk. The family name is Jeon, and the given name is Sung-guk.”
“That’s right! Suh-ung-guk!”
Elon still mispronounced my name.
I quickly called Mark.
“Mark! I have someone I want to introduce you to. Um… let’s meet at the entrance and go grab hamburgers together.”
* * *
Elon and I walked toward the Expo Venue entrance while talking.
“Elon, how’s Tesla going? Is it worth doing?”
“To be honest, I feel like I’m dying. How do I put it… it’s like pouring water into a leaking bucket endlessly.”
“Then you could just quit right now, couldn’t you?”
I subtly probed Elon.
Elon slowly shook his head.
“Suh-ung-guk. Can you give up on your life?”
“My life? Is Tesla your life?”
“Of course. I’ve never separated work from myself. Work is me, and I am work. I can’t just give up because life seems like a failure.”
[Elon’s quite something.]
Elon spoke passionately about his thoughts.
“Suh-ung-guk, maybe failure is just inevitable. People think doctors, lawyers, or employees at Microsoft are stable professions, right? The truth is, they rarely fail significantly. But they’re not revolutionary either. Failing means you’re being that revolutionary, doesn’t it?”
[Somehow I’m convinced….]
I nodded.
“Like how the Wright brothers failed 805 times before succeeding in flight?”
“Exactly! I’m telling you, we really get along well…. Suh-ung-guk, what if you joined Tesla if this startup fails?”
“Hmm… I’m not interested in joining, but I’d like to invest.”
“Wait, did I just miss a real investor right in front of me?”
“Not now. I need to make money first.”
I smiled brightly.
[Elon, if you start pouring money in now, I’ll go bankrupt. I’ll invest in about ten years.]
Elon patted my shoulder.
“I’ll have to hope you become rich soon….”
Just then, I heard someone passing by call out to me.
“Sung-guk?”
Who is that?
When I turned around, Bill Gates was there with his employees.
“Sung-guk, right?”
“It’s been a while, Bill.”
Elon stared at me and Bill in rapid succession, utterly astonished.
There wasn’t a single American who didn’t know Bill—after all, he remained the wealthiest person in the world.
Elon was the type who couldn’t control his expressions any more than he could filter his words.
Elon tugged gently at my arm and whispered quietly.
“Sung-guk, how do you know Bill Gates?”
“It’s related to my startup.”
The moment he heard that, Elon’s eyes widened even further.
[Elon, why are you so shocked? Now, shall I show you the real Jeon Sung-guk?]
Bill Gates approached with a friendly expression and extended his hand for a handshake.
“Sung-guk, how have you been?”
“Good.”
“Are you in college now?”
“Yes, I’m attending Harvard.”
I watched Elon cover his mouth with both hands.
[Elon, this is who I am….]
I introduced Elon to Bill Gates.
“Bill, this is Elon. He’s the founder of Tesla, an electric vehicle company.”
“I’m quite interested in eco-friendly automobiles myself.”
Elon began to grow excited at Bill’s single remark.
“Really? Bill, when do you have time? Or do you have time now? I can explain everything in great detail.”
[Elon, don’t oversell yourself. Look at Bill’s expression—he’s just being polite.]
Bill offered a courteous smile.
“I’m sorry. My schedule is completely full today. Could you give me your business card? I’ll contact you next time.”
“Of course! Please do contact me. I’m Elon Musk from Tesla.”
Bill took Elon’s business card, glanced at it briefly, and slipped it into his pocket. Then he turned his attention directly to me.
“Sung-guk, did you come alone?”
“I came with Mark. The three of us were heading out to grab hamburgers.”
“How long will you be in San Francisco?”
“Until tomorrow.”
“Let’s have dinner together. Do you have time?”
“I’ll make time.”
“Good, my secretary will contact you.”
“Thank you.”
Bill Gates offered a parting greeting to Elon as well.
“Elon, see you next time.”
“Yes! Please do contact me!”
Elon answered earnestly, and Bill Gates disappeared with his staff, wearing an inscrutable smile.
Elon grabbed my shoulder and shook it.
“Sung-guk! You! You’re a Harvard student?”
“Well, that’s how it turned out.”
“How is that even possible?! Harvard isn’t a place just anyone gets into. I knew you were a genius, but a thirteen-year-old at Harvard? That doesn’t make any sense?!”
“Well, nothing’s impossible, right?”
“And how do you even know Bill Gates?”
“He took a lot of interest in the SNS I’m starting up.”
“Holy smokes! Sung-guk, what exactly are you?”
“What do you mean? I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Puhaha—.”
Elon laughed with his characteristically exaggerated gestures.
[Elon, calm down. People are staring….]
I quickly patted Elon on the back.
“Elon, let’s go get hamburgers.”
“Got it, you little rascal. Or should I say, Sung-guk.”
* * *
Mark stood awkwardly in front of the Expo Venue.
“Mark, over here!”
At my call, he came trotting over to Elon and me.
I introduced Mark and Elon to each other.
Did these two realize how historic this moment was?
“Elon, this is Mark. He’s the friend I’m starting ‘FaceNote’ with.”
“That’s impressive. I’m Elon Musk. Just call me Elon. I’m running an electric car company called Tesla.”
“Mark is also the founder of T.com.”
I quickly explained Elon in a way that was easy to understand.
Until now, Elon was more famous as the developer of T.com, the electronic payment system, than for Tesla.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ve sold off all my shares now. I’m pouring all that money into Tesla.”
Elon smiled bitterly.
“Mark, I ran into Bill on the way here.”
“Bill?”
“Yeah. While I’m staying in San Francisco, let’s grab dinner together sometime. Sound good?”
“Sounds great. We should show Microsoft our ‘FaceNote’.”
Mark’s face lit up with excitement.
“So the SNS you two made is ‘FaceNote’?”
“Elon, you know about it?”
“I saw one of our company employees using it—someone who just graduated from college. He went to an Ivy League school too.”
“Mark and I made ‘FaceNote’.”
I said it proudly.
[Of course, Tesla will do better in the end, Elon.]
And Elon actually preferred a text-based SNS called Twitter, where he could pour out his thoughts without filter, over ‘FaceNote’.
“Sung-guk, wait. Sung. Guk.”
Elon made a genuine effort to pronounce my name correctly.
“Elon, please feel free to speak comfortably.”
“No, that’s not right. It’s a matter of courtesy to call someone’s name properly. I’ll keep trying. Anyway, let’s hurry and grab some hamburgers. I’ve talked so much I’m starving!”
* * *
At a corner of the Hamburger Shop, Mark and I enthusiastically explained FaceNote to Elon, our laptops spread open before us.
“Did you post a job listing on this?”
“Yes, we needed a programmer.”
“This is incredibly efficient… If I applied, would I get a Silicon Valley entry-level salary?”
“Elon, you’d quit Tesla?”
“I’m already too deeply entangled in it.”
Elon’s smile turned bitter whenever Tesla came up.
“Mark, have you received many resumes?”
“Sung-guk, you’re driving me crazy. You knew this would happen when you made my email public, didn’t you?”
“Why?”
“Resumes pour in endlessly, but with advertising emails flooding in too, I have to check my inbox at least once a day. I need to hire a programmer soon and block all these unknown senders.”
Mark shook his head in exasperation.
“Sung-guk, here’s a quiz for you. Who on earth came up with the name ‘FaceNote’?”
“Elon, try to guess!”
No one had ever gotten my quiz right so far.
The most common answer was Bill Gates.
“Bill Gates?”
“Wrong! That’s the most popular incorrect answer, Elon.”
“Darn! Sung-guk, just tell me. You’re buying me hamburgers anyway.”
“Well… Charlie Jobs.”
“No way! Charlie Jobs! From Apple?”
“Yes. While talking with Charlie Jobs, he suggested that fewer syllables and a more intuitive name would be better, so we shortened it from Face Paper to FaceNote.”
Elon leaned back and whistled in amazement.
“Sung-guk, this is completely beyond my imagination. What have you two been doing all this time? Have you met every famous person in the United States?”
“FaceNote made that possible. Elon, you should sign up too.”
“Maybe I should. If I were in my teens or twenties, I probably would’ve been obsessed with this. I’d be hunting for parties with friends every day, constantly checking the FaceNote profiles of girls I liked, commenting and clicking. I probably would’ve been glued to this place 24/7. Sung-guk, I’m genuinely grateful you didn’t create this when I was a teenager.”
“Sign up now and experience it yourself.”
“I can’t do that. I have too much work, and I’m already married with kids.”
[Elon, you’ll get married multiple times anyway. And have affairs even more times!]
I clamped my mouth shut and bit into my hamburger.
That was when it happened.
Mark looked at me with a startled expression.
“Sung-guk, what’s going on with this?”
Click. Click. Click.
Mark kept clicking on the laptop, but his expression had turned grave.
“Mark, what’s wrong?”
“Someone hacked into our FaceNote!”
“What? Hacked, you say!”
I rushed to log into my FaceNote account.
In that instant, what greeted my eyes was a message displayed across a black screen.
– You’re Fired!

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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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