I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 135

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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 135
Grace pushed the short ribs toward me with a gentle expression.
During my time in the United States, Grace had been like my mother.
“Sung-guk, you should still learn how not to be hurt when you lose. If you’d like, I can introduce you to a psychiatrist. By the way, seeing a psychiatrist in the United States isn’t as big a deal as it is in Korea. We all carry a little emotional baggage, don’t we?”
“Yes… I’ll let you know if I need to.”
I quickly responded and put a piece of short rib into my mouth.
[I’ve had countless psychiatric consultations in my past life, Grace. Don’t worry too much.]
If I had to describe the position of a corporate chairman in one phrase, it would be standing on one leg at the edge of a cliff.
Samjeon Group wasn’t so fragile that it would move with just one word from me, but a single mistake of mine could cause the group’s stock price to plummet.
The pressure that came rushing in each time.
To endure that, I had received countless psychiatric consultations. And the conclusion I reached was just one.
I simply needed to not lose every fight. I needed to make winning a habit!
There would be times I’d lose, but as much as possible, I’d win. Until the day I die!
Grace smiled contentedly as she looked at the empty meat plate.
“You’re definitely going to eat more, right?”
“Yes!”
Lim Mi-mi answered first.
“Could we have a glass of that soju that sells so well in Korea?”
“Why not? Everyone here is an adult except Sung-guk, so don’t worry and let’s all have a glass.”
“Sung-guk, what’s soju?”
Mark asked with an excited face.
“Think of it as a light vodka.”
“I’m looking forward to it….”
Suddenly Mark looked at me.
“Sung-guk, how do you know what soju tastes like?”
Oh no!
Mark was being unnecessarily sharp in moments like this.
“…My mother and father used to drink it every night with spicy snail noodles. Back then, they were drinking soju, so I asked them what it tasted like. Mark, as for how poor our family was… my father would bring home snails from the restaurant where he worked with barely any expiration date left….”
My throat tightened. Seeing the soju suddenly reminded me of my mother and father.
Grace patted my back.
“Sung-guk, are you okay?”
“Seeing the soju made me think of my mother and father….”
At those words, Lim Mi-mi clamped her mouth shut.
I could see them whenever I wanted since I was far away, but Lim Mi-mi’s situation was different.
Grace quietly asked Lim Mi-mi.
“Lim Mi-mi, you didn’t come out with your parents, did you?”
“Yes… They’re still in the North. When I sent money recently, we had a five-minute phone call. My dream is to save up the salary the Restaurant Owner gives me and bring my parents here.”
Lim Mi-mi downed the soju in one shot cleanly.
“Wow, that’s smooth! My parents would have liked it if they could have tried it….”
[Sigh… Someone with an even harder story than my family’s has just appeared before my eyes….]
I gulped down a glass of cold water.
“Sung-guk, Mark!”
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind. It was Peter.
“Sorry I’m late—work ran over.”
“It’s fine, Peter.”
“Sung-guk, you’ve gotten more mature since I last saw you.”
[I was already mature, Peter.]
“Mark seems more composed too….”
I quickly introduced Lim Mi-mi.
“Peter, this is Lim Mi-mi.”
“Mi-mi, a friend of Beep-beep?”
Mark and I shook our heads in unison.
[Peter, really with the dad jokes….]
Apparently, dad jokes weren’t exclusive to Korea.
Grace was laughing at Peter’s joke for some reason.
[Sigh, love really is wonderful….]
Lim Mi-mi, fortunately, showed little reaction. I’d worried she might throw a jab like she had with the Winklevoss Brothers, but she clearly had a keen sense for where the money came from.
“When I came to the United States, I realized my name was quite global. My parents must have had some foresight about my future.”
“Actually, Sung-guk asked me to find a trustworthy broker regarding your parents’ situation.”
Lim Mi-mi looked at me with wide eyes.
“Boss….”
[What, surprised by this? I usually move quietly and don’t talk about these things….]
I shrugged.
“After hearing about your situation, I thought that even with reliable connections, if someone relies on the same line for too long, complacency sets in. If that’s the case, they’d likely have information on you too. That’s why I asked Peter separately.”
“Sung-guk asked me to verify everything they claimed about your parents—the ransom amount, the deadline, all of it. I’m currently in contact with a trustworthy broker, so just wait a bit longer.”
Lim Mi-mi suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Peter and me at a ninety-degree angle.
“Thank you so much! From now on, I’ll dedicate myself completely to FaceNote!”
I gently tugged at Lim Mi-mi’s sleeve.
“Lim Mi-mi, this isn’t North Korea. And if a better opportunity comes along, feel free to switch jobs anytime.”
“I don’t think such an opportunity will come, boss.”
“I tend to agree.”
I shrugged.
Mark looked at me with admiration in his eyes.
“Sung-guk, you’re really… how do you think of all these things at your age? I’m genuinely impressed every time I see you.”
“I’m quite mature for my age.”
“Sung-guk, and something I’ve been noticing lately.”
“What is it, Mark?”
“You’ve been talking a lot more these days. Before, you’d only say what needed to be said and seemed to be thinking about something internally. But now you express yourself without hesitation.”
[Damn, caught again.]
The complaints I used to mutter internally had gradually begun spilling out naturally as I grew older.
“I like getting to know what’s really inside you.”
As the atmosphere grew unexpectedly sentimental, Peter quickly raised his glass.
“You all seem closer than before. Let’s toast to the forum in two days!”
Everyone lifted their glasses filled with soju.
Of course, I had plain water.
“Who’s going to give the toast?”
Peter glanced back and forth between me and Mark.
I wanted to give Mark the opportunity this time.
“Mark, you do it.”
“Huh? Me, me…?”
Mark’s eyes rolled for a moment before he raised his glass. Then he spoke with conviction.
“To the development of FaceNote.”
* * *
Mark sat on the bed, pleasantly tipsy from the alcohol.
I sipped cold milk while mentally preparing for the forum that would take place in two days.
“Sung-guk, this is where we’re unveiling FaceNote to the world for the first time.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think people will make of us?”
“They’ll think we’re impressive.”
“Really? Won’t they just dismiss it as some college kids messing around?”
Mark seemed a bit sentimental from the alcohol, and his drunken rambling was beginning.
“Sung-guk, honestly, I still can’t believe we’ve come this far. Ever since we got assigned to the same dorm room in high school, you suggested we create something like this, and here we are.”
[Of course. Do you know I enrolled in that high school with heat rash on my rear end just to meet you?]
I calmly sipped my cold milk.
“Back then it really started as a joke. I thought that for a nerd like me, meeting people on the internet might actually be better than offline….”
Mark rubbed his drowsy eyes as he spoke.
“Sung-guk, we’ve been through so much together. Same with Jessie…. Speaking of Jessie, it looks like she broke up with Tyler. I saw it on FaceNote….”
“Mark, were you still stalking Jessie?”
“No. You know me, Sung-guk—once I get over someone, I forget them quickly. I just happen to know because we’re friends….”
Mark continued jumping from topic to topic as he drank, his words flowing freely.
“Sung-guk, I’m just worried. This is where we introduce FaceNote to the world for the first time. Do you think we’ll succeed?”
“Mark, I want you to have confidence. We’re all still young.”
“You’re not young—you’re just immature.”
Mark chuckled.
“Anyway. We’re going to change the world, Mark.”
“Yeah… I believe it. In FaceNote and in you.”
With those words, Mark collapsed directly onto the bed.
Snore. Snore.
Soon the sound of soft snoring filled the room.
I turned my attention back to my laptop, reviewing the presentation content once more.
I was still struggling to come up with the final sentence.
It was the worldview that FaceNote aspired to.
[FaceNote’s vision….]
I couldn’t recall it.
* * *
When I descended to the lobby, Peter and Grace were already waiting to greet us.
Peter scanned the three of us with a slightly perplexed expression.
Me in a hoodie and jeans.
Mark in a checkered shirt.
And Lim Mi-mi adorned with piercings.
“The three of you… are you really going to the forum dressed like that right now?”
“Peter, I prefer comfort. It’s a forum for groundbreaking technology ushering in a new era—there’s no need to wear a suit.”
“But… this seems a bit too casual. Grace, am I really that old-fashioned?”
“Peter, just trust Sung-guk on this. Everyone in Silicon Valley dresses comfortably these days.”
“I really am an old-fashioned guy….”
Peter scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
“But even after you all become successful, you’ll dress like this?”
“Of course. Peter, I don’t want to spend much time on clothes.”
“Me neither. Sung-guk said checkered shirts would suit me well, so I bought them in different colors.”
Mark laughed, displaying his newly purchased checkered shirt.
[Mark, this style will be the most popular trend in Pangyo, South Korea in ten years.]
“Alright, let’s head out. The car is waiting outside.”
Peter guided us to the car.
Then he approached me and asked quietly.
“Sung-guk, you’re confident, right?”
“I’m always confident.”
“That’s what I thought!”
Peter patted my shoulder.
But truthfully, I wasn’t confident today.
I hadn’t been able to articulate clearly the vision for FaceNote that I’d pondered all night.
* * *
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung arrived at the forum for groundbreaking technology, bringing his son Jeon Tae-guk with him.
Young Secretary Yang, the son of Secretary Yang who was preparing in advance, greeted the two of them.
“Chairman, Young Master. I’ve prepared presentations of companies worth seeing today.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung accepted the documents that Young Secretary Yang offered.
And what caught his attention was FaceNote.
It was something Sung-guk had created with his American friend Mark.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung checked the schedule.
“The FaceNote presentation starts at 2 PM?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Yes, I’d definitely like to see that.”
“Father, do I have to watch that? Can’t I look at something else instead?”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung suppressed his anger at Jeon Tae-guk’s words.
“Tae-guk. This is something I’m interested in, but it’s also the most talked-about company at this forum. You’re telling me you won’t watch it?”
“Sung-guk can just call me separately and do a presentation. We received a lot of help from our family back then—can’t you do at least that much for him?”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung suppressed his anger once more.
“Tae-guk, this is the United States. This isn’t a place where you do business based on personal connections like that. You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to, but when you brief everyone at dinner tonight, the company you’ve chosen better have more promise than FaceNote.”
“I’m grown up now anyway. I’ve studied business in college. I have a decent sense for these things.”
Even after running South Korea’s largest conglomerate for over twenty years, I agonize over every decision—and this college student thinks he has a sense for it?
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung suppressed his anger in front of others and looked at Young Secretary Yang.
“Secretary Yang, are you really quitting after this?”
“Yes, but I’ll do my best to serve you for as long as I’m here.”
“All right then. Why don’t you contact Sung-guk and arrange a dinner meeting for us?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung headed straight into the forum.
Jeon Tae-guk, lagging behind, glared sharply at Young Secretary Yang.
“Secretary Yang, you might think you’ll find something better out there, but you’ll just realize that the Samjeon shadow is the best. If you come back within six months, remembering how I treated you, I’ll take you back.”
“Thank you for the consideration, Young Master.”
Secretary Yang bowed respectfully, but he had absolutely no intention of returning. If he’d ever planned to come back, he wouldn’t have left in the first place.
Just then, someone called out to Secretary Yang from behind.
“Chul-soo hyung!”
It was 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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