I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 134

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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 134
Mark and Lim Mi-mi stared at me with hollow eyes.
“Did you both pull another all-nighter?”
“Sung-guk, now that I think about it, I don’t think I even registered for classes.”
“Mark, get yourself together.”
I quickly brought a cup of coffee to Mark’s lips, but he gagged and pushed it away.
“Sung-guk, I can’t drink any more coffee. I’ve been guzzling it all night and my stomach is completely wrecked. I feel like I’m dying.”
“What about you, Lim Mi-mi?”
“Same here, sir.”
Both Mark and Lim Mi-mi were completely exhausted.
“Can you eat breakfast?”
“Sir, I don’t think I can eat another hamburger. I’m never going to tell that story about defecting from North Korea because of hamburgers ever again.”
“I’m not eating another hamburger either, seriously.”
“I figured as much, so I picked up some crab bisque and other things from a Chinese restaurant nearby.”
Mark and Lim Mi-mi began mechanically eating the Chinese food I’d brought, their faces still blank like zombies.
“Mark, is the notification system working properly now?”
“Of course. I can’t even remember how many days and nights we spent programming that notification system.”
From the night they came up with the idea, Mark and Lim Mi-mi had been holed up in the office for four nights and five days straight without going home, creating the notification feature for FaceNote.
“Sung-guk, go ahead and post something. People respond fastest to your posts anyway.”
“Okay!”
I quickly posted on FaceNote.
– Today is a historic day for FaceNote as we introduce a brand new feature!
That feature is none other than ‘Notifications!’
Now you no longer need to constantly check FaceNote to see if your friends have posted or if anyone has commented on your posts.
Everyone, go ahead and check out FaceNote’s new notification feature!
The moment I posted, notifications began ringing out continuously from the laptop speakers.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding….
– This notification feature is amazing! I can check everything right away.
– Does a notification go out even if I just type a period?
“Mark, Lim Mi-mi. It’s a massive success!”
“Sir! Can I take today off?”
“Sung-guk, me too…. But…. I don’t have the energy to move to the dormitory.”
“Same here, sir.”
The two of them leaned their heads against the sofa and began to doze off.
I gazed at them with satisfaction.
[I really did pick the right people!]
* * *
Peter had just finished checking FaceNote’s new notification feature with his staff at the New York office.
“CEO, we were already checking FaceNote constantly, but now we’ll be checking it even more, won’t we?”
“Sung-guk says that wasn’t his intention….”
“Even if that wasn’t the intention, when notifications keep ringing, it’s impossible to resist checking FaceNote. The intention might be to only check when a notification arrives, but I think this feature will actually make people even more addicted to FaceNote.”
Peter smiled knowingly.
“Sung-guk and Mark have done it again. By the way, we’re planning to showcase FaceNote at the New Technology Forum being held in New York. What do you two think?”
“CEO, are you going to officially launch the service?”
“We don’t have nearly enough manpower to officially launch the service in the United States. Honestly, even my investment capacity has limits. I think it’s time we started making people aware of FaceNote’s value.”
“CEO, then I’ll arrange a presentation slot at that forum. Either Sung-guk or Mark can give a presentation to potential investors for the future.”
“Let’s do that. I’ll set the date and contact Sung-guk and Mark directly.”
“Yes, CEO.”
* * *
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
The notifications rang without pause.
It was truly impossible to leave FaceNote alone for even a moment.
“Sung-guk, please turn off the notifications!”
Mark shouted, but I shook my head.
“Mark, we’re in the middle of a performance test right now.”
“Sung-guk, let’s just use my account for the performance test. Yours gets way too many.”
“We can’t run a proper performance test with yours. It barely gets any notifications.”
“I agree with you, CEO. Your FaceNote account is the most famous one out there. This kind of testing should be done with someone who has this much powerful data, Mark.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Mark simply stuffed cotton into his ears.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was Peter calling.
I quickly answered.
“Peter, did you see the notifications?”
– Our employees can’t get any work done because of these notifications. Sung-guk, I think we might need to issue a FaceNote ban at the company.
But Peter’s voice was laughing.
“Even Mark, the developer, is complaining about how loud it is.”
– By the way, Sung-guk. Don’t you think it’s time to introduce FaceNote to the world?
In that moment, my heart began to race. It was a thrilling sensation.
This was something I’d been waiting for a very long time.
“Peter, what do you mean?”
– Time is running short. In three weeks, there’s a New Technology Forum opening a new era in New York. You’ll have exactly one hour there. Either you or Mark can come out and give a presentation about FaceNote. Are you confident?
“Of course!”
I shouted with excitement.
* * *
Mark and I placed two pencils in the pencil holder and stared each other down.
Mark’s expression showed he absolutely wouldn’t lose.
“Sung-guk, I absolutely can’t do presentations. You know me. Remember how much I stumbled every time I had to present in high school?”
“Mark, we’re co-founders and co-CEOs. Isn’t it a bit odd that I’m always the one going out front? Especially since your contribution to this notification feature was huge.”
“Sung-guk, people want to see someone like you. Handsome, tall. Plus you’re a genius and an eloquent speaker.”
[Mark, why do you always have to speak the truth?]
But there was a reason I suggested drawing lots.
It was to give Mark confidence.
Mark had always been shy by nature and disliked stepping into the spotlight, but he was the CEO of FaceNote.
Even though Mark said it didn’t matter, I often felt sorry that it seemed like I was doing everything alone.
“Sung-guk, if I get picked in the drawing, FaceNote might never get known to the world, or worse, it could fail.”
“That’s just fate, isn’t it?”
[There’s absolutely no way that’ll happen, Mark. Don’t worry!]
I stared confidently at the pencil.
“You’re really stubborn, Sung-guk.”
“Says the one who’s being stubborn about not doing the presentation!”
I fired back without backing down.
Lim Mi-mi, watching us both, clicked her tongue.
“Boss, Mark. In North Korea, we call stubborn people ‘longhorn beetles with stiff legs.’ You’re both very much longhorn beetles with stiff legs. Why don’t we just have the person who’s better at it do the explanation, and then we both handle the Q&A together?”
“….”
“….”
Both Mark and I were simultaneously at a loss for words.
[That’s actually a good idea. But it would look strange to not draw the pencil now. Mark, hurry up and agree that it’s a good idea first.]
But Mark showed no sign of moving.
[Mark. Did you actually want to be on stage?]
Mark let out a deep sigh and leaned back.
“I completely agree with Mi-mi’s opinion! But instead, you’re doing the presentation.”
“Of course. Honestly, I was a bit worried you’d get picked for the presentation.”
“Sung-guk! Are you really going to do this?”
As expected, Mark flared up the moment I teased him.
“But Mark, you hesitated too just now.”
“I was thinking it through. Whether the drawing has a higher probability of not doing the presentation, or whether Mi-mi’s idea would be better.”
“So what’s your conclusion?”
“I chose the option that reduces risk. Sung-guk, don’t I seem like a real businessman?”
“I’ll give you that much.”
I smiled faintly.
[But Mark, you still have a long way to go to catch up to me.]
Three weeks later….
It would be the first time FaceNote was revealed to the world.
I felt nervous, yet gradually growing more excited.
Was history finally beginning?
* * *
The moment I exited the gate at JFK Airport in New York, I saw a familiar face.
“Sung-guk!”
It was Grace.
“Grace, what brings you here?”
“Peter mentioned you were coming, so I said I’d pick you up. I wanted to see your face after so long.”
“Grace, you and Peter are still getting along well, I see.”
“Fortunately. It’s all thanks to Sung-guk. I was lonely doing nothing but work in New York, but since he introduced me to such a good person, I’ve been doing much better.”
[Relationships forged through connections really do run deep.]
I introduced Lim Mi-mi, who came out after me, to Grace.
“Grace, this is Lim Mi-mi, our first employee at FaceNote. She’s from Korea—well, North Korea, actually.”
“Hello. I’m Lim Mi-mi.”
“Oh my, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m Grace Choi. Sung-guk mentioned that you and Mark have been living on hamburgers while working so hard, so I made a special reservation at a restaurant in Koreatown for dinner. Why don’t you all drop your luggage at the hotel first?”
“Grace, thank you for always being so thoughtful.”
“Sung-guk, did you forget? You’re still a Junho Foundation scholarship recipient.”
I’d genuinely forgotten about it while buried in work.
“But Sung-guk, are you keeping up with your classes this semester?”
“Grace… I thought I was a genius, but balancing work and studies is harder than I expected.”
“Sung-guk, if your grades slip, the Junho Foundation’s sponsorship will be cut off. Since this is a foundation matter, I can’t make exceptions for anyone.”
“Grace, I’ll think about that once I get my grades. Grace, I’m hungry. Let’s go to the restaurant.”
Grace pretended to be helpless and led us to the restaurant.
* * *
The short ribs, glazed with seasoning, sizzled on the grill.
Lim Mi-mi stared intently at the ribs.
“We never even saw anything like this in North Korea. Restaurant Owner.”
“We didn’t eat this often in South Korea either. My family was poor from childhood, so we couldn’t afford beef short ribs.”
“Restaurant Owner, even in difficult households, you could eat meat at least once a month, couldn’t you?”
“What are you talking about? Poor families in South Korea are poor too. When I was young, I lived in a one-room apartment. With four people, no less! Lim Mi-mi, you come from a decent family in Pyongyang. You had your own room, didn’t you?”
“Even in Pyongyang, the power goes out constantly. When I was young, we got through the nights with candlelight, Restaurant Owner.”
Mark chuckled and stopped us.
“Please, can you two stop playing the sympathy card? Why are you arguing in front of such expensive, delicious beef short ribs?”
“Mark’s right. Sung-guk has plenty of stories from being poor as a kid. Lim Mi-mi has plenty from being from North Korea. You two really do have endless stories.”
I just drank more water for no reason.
[I can never win against someone from North Korea….]
Grace looked at me with a motherly smile.
“Sung-guk, do you always have to win, even when it comes to sob stories?”
A hit.
[I like being first at everything, Grace.]
I didn’t say anything, but feeling my true nature exposed, I just drank more water.
Then Lim Mi-mi spoke up.
“Restaurant Owner, you should fill your stomach with meat, not water.”
“Lim Mi-mi from North Korea, please eat plenty first.”
“Mi-mi, Sung-guk’s just sulking because his true nature was exposed.”
[Mark, you bastard….]
Grace slid a perfectly cooked piece of meat toward me.
“Sung-guk, I know better than anyone how hard you’ve worked to reach this position….”
[Of course. I’m just an ordinary man with an IQ of 120. If I tried to list everything I’ve worked for, I’d need to stay up all night.]
“Sung-guk, in a place where grades are given like in school, you could always be first and beat your competitors. But the business world is different, isn’t it? The top student in school isn’t necessarily the top in society. Learning how to lose is something you need in the business world.”
[Learning how to lose….]
I looked at Grace.
“Grace, teaching someone how to lose is done because that person is in a social position where they can only lose. It’s capitalist logic telling people to accept the hierarchy. Of course, there are times when I’ll lose, times when I must lose. There’s no eternal victor, after all. But I’m determined to win no matter what. So I have no intention of learning how to lose.”
This is what they call the habit of winning!

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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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