I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 136

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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 136
“Yang Chul-soo?”
Jeon Tae-guk turned around with a displeased expression.
[Ugh, I have to see that face again….]
I quickly approached and greeted Young Secretary Yang.
Jeon Tae-guk looked me up and down.
[Why does he keep looking at me like that with such disdain?]
“Jeon Sung-guk. You should greet your elders properly.”
“Elders? Ah, hello. It’s been a while.”
Instead of bowing, I extended my hand—a gesture to shake hands.
Jeon Tae-guk snorted.
“What?”
“What’s wrong?”
“A kid asking for a handshake? Where do you get off?”
“You seem plenty young yourself, Tae-guk. And what’s wrong with a handshake? This is America, where people only bow to those who’ve earned that kind of respect.”
Young Secretary Yang visibly struggled to suppress a smile.
“My luck today is absolutely terrible. Secretary Yang, come with me.”
Jeon Tae-guk strode into the Forum without another word.
“Sung-guk, I’ll come watch your presentation later.”
“Yes, sir.”
Young Secretary Yang quickly followed Jeon Tae-guk inside.
Mark approached and asked me.
“Sung-guk, who was that guy?”
“There’s a group called Samjeon in South Korea.”
“Isn’t that the company that makes TVs? I think I’ve seen them.”
“Yeah, they make TVs. He’s the heir to that company.”
Mark shrugged.
“Heir? Not just inheriting it?”
“In South Korea, when a father is the chairman of a corporation, he passes that position to his son. We call that a chaebol….”
“So North Korea has dictators, and South Korea has chaebols?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Dictators in the North, chaebols in the South….
Lim Mi-mi’s words hit the mark perfectly.
“Sung-guk, aren’t you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
“You’re just being cocky again, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about? I’ve never been nervous about this stuff.”
[When I was Vice Chairman of Samjeon Group, presentations were my passion. I’ve never met anyone in South Korea who could present better than me. Of course, there was Charlie Jobs in America….]
“Come on, let’s go inside and do the final rehearsal.”
I adjusted my hoodie and stepped into the Forum.
* * *
Thirty minutes before the presentation.
[Why am I so nervous?]
In my previous life, I’d never felt this way. Today, the anxiety was overwhelming. Was it easier back then because I was only presenting to people from Samjeon Group?
The real problem was that Mark was trembling beside me too.
“Sung-guk, I’m only doing the Q&A segment and I’m already shaking like this. Are you okay?”
[I’m not okay!]
But I couldn’t say that out loud.
“Mark, just relax. We’ve practiced the anticipated questions thoroughly. Nothing should deviate too far from what we’ve covered.”
“Y-yeah, you’re right?”
Just then, Grace entered with Peter.
“I heard the final rehearsal went well?”
“Yes, Grace.”
Grace rummaged through her bag and pulled out two Cheongsimhwan pills.
“I prepared these just in case. They’re Cheongsimhwan—Korean people eat these a lot when they’re nervous. Does anyone need one?”
“Me!”
“Me!”
Mark and I raised our hands simultaneously.
Mark glanced at me and smirked slightly.
[Hmm… I’ve been caught…]
Grace unwrapped the pills herself and handed them to Mark and me.
“You’re both really nervous, aren’t you? Go ahead and take them.”
Mark and I chewed and swallowed the pills in one go.
Mark’s face contorted in disgust.
“Sung-guk, why is this so bitter?”
“There’s a Korean saying that bitter medicine is good for the body.”
I held my breath and swallowed the pill.
At that moment, Peter pulled me aside into a corner.
“Sung-guk, I watched the final rehearsal carefully. The history and usage of FaceNote, user data—it was all excellent. But here’s the thing…”
My least favorite word was “but.”
Because every time someone said it, they inevitably contradicted everything they’d just praised.
I leaned in to hear what Peter had to say.
“It lacks a knockout punch, so to speak. This is entirely about the presentation itself. You need one single word that encapsulates FaceNote’s vision. That seems to be missing.”
[I don’t know what that is either, Peter…]
This was what had tormented me all last night.
Anyone can explain well in a presentation. But what determines whether a presentation succeeds or fails comes down to one final, crucial statement.
I exhaled quietly.
Peter patted my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, since this is your first time, it’s okay if it’s a bit lacking.”
[Are you giving me the disease and then the cure, Peter? Saying it’s okay after pointing out everything?]
At that moment, the door burst open and a stage staff member rushed in.
“The team before you is almost finished. You’ll go on in about 10 minutes, so please get ready!”
Mark and I exchanged glances.
“Mark, are you ready?”
“Ah, not really… but I’ll do my best. Sung-guk, are you okay?”
“….”
I pressed my lips together firmly.
Normally, I would have shouted confidently that of course I was ready, but not today.
Just then, Lim Mi-mi approached us.
“Restaurant Owner, Mark, you both can do this! I really hope FaceNote succeeds so we can connect with friends in North Korea too.”
In that instant, something electrifying struck my mind.
“Lim Mi-mi, what you just said…”
“What? The encouragement?”
“No. What came after that?”
“That I hope FaceNote could connect with friends in North Korea too?”
“Yes. Is that even possible?”
“Wouldn’t it be possible anywhere as long as there’s internet infrastructure, Restaurant Owner?”
“That’s right!”
I had finally found the vision for FaceNote!
At that moment, the stage staff rushed back in.
“Alright, it’s time to take the stage now. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
I answered without hesitation.
* * *
A spotlight poured down on me alone.
Whether it was the effect of the herbal medicine or the familiarity of the stage lights, my nerves settled considerably.
And finally, I began my presentation on FaceNote.
“During my high school years, my dormitory roommate Mark and I had a thought. What if we shared our daily lives with our friends? And what if those daily moments could be shared not just with our friends, but with their friends, and their friends’ friends? This pure idea born from high school students became the genesis of FaceNote.”
I displayed a cheerful photo that Mark and I had taken together in our dormitory room.
Soft laughter rippled through the audience.
“The historic first post on FaceNote, created by these two bright high school students, was this.”
It was the very first post on my FaceNote profile.
– Hi, I’m Jeon Sung-guk!
“Quite simple, isn’t it? But look at the comments attached to this greeting.”
By now, this greeting had accumulated over a thousand comments.
Gasps of amazement escaped from the audience.
“And comments are still being added even now. So, shall we take a look at the most recent comment on my post?”
The audience fell silent, and I activated FaceNote’s notification system.
The most recent comment notification appeared.
“A comment came in response to a quiz I posted recently. Originally, when Mark and I first created this site, we called it Face Paper. At our high school, there was a Face Paper—a directory with photos and personal information of freshmen for making friends. We were quite simple-minded, weren’t we?”
Low laughter rippled through the audience.
“Now, someone suggested that ‘Face Paper’ was too long and not intuitive enough, so they proposed the name ‘FaceNote’ instead. Of course, this person is incredibly famous. I promised to buy dinner for whoever could guess who this celebrity is, but so far, no one has gotten it right. So, shall we see if the person behind this notification got it correct?”
I naturally clicked on the most recent notification on my FaceNote displayed on the screen.
In that moment, an unbelievable comment appeared.
The audience began to stir.
My lips curved upward of their own accord.
– The answer is Charlie Jobs! Sung-guk, when are you buying me dinner?
The comment was from Charlie Jobs himself.
“Charlie Jobs, you’ve gotten the answer correct. I’m not sure if you’re the person I know, but please contact me. I’ll buy you dinner right away!”
The audience began murmuring, and as news spread that Charlie Jobs had taken notice, I could see people continuously streaming into the auditorium.
My chest swelled with pride.
The nervousness that had gripped me moments before melted away, and even the spotlight felt joyful.
I finished my explanation of FaceNote and gazed out into the darkened audience.
Now came the moment to articulate the vision for FaceNote that I had pondered so long over.
I took a breath.
“FaceNote was started by two high school students from the East Coast, but now we have friends everywhere across the United States. We’re even friends with Bill Gates and Charlie Jobs! Don’t you all want to be friends with them?”
“Yes!”
As the audience responded, cheerful laughter followed in its wake.
The atmosphere reached a crescendo.
“If you have a laptop with internet access, you can become friends with me through FaceNote no matter where you are in the world, and you can also become friends with Bill Gates, Charlie Jobs, and Damien Hirst. If he accepts your friend request, you could even befriend Kim Jong-il of North Korea.”
Delighted laughter erupted from the audience.
I gazed into the darkened auditorium.
“Becoming friends with everyone across the entire world. That is the future of FaceNote!”
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap!!!
Thunderous applause!
The applause and cheers surpassed anything I had experienced even during my time as vice chairman of Samjeon Group.
The Q&A session with Mark was barely enough.
The organizers gave us an additional ten minutes beyond the allocated thirty, but the interest in FaceNote showed no signs of waning.
“Time is our greatest obstacle. Everyone, today was so much fun, and Mark and I will visit you again next time. If you’re curious about us, please visit Mark’s and my FaceNote!”
I quickly bowed and descended from the stage.
Peter and Grace applauded, while Lim Mi-mi cheered.
“Restaurant Owner! Mark! That was absolutely amazing!”
“Lim Mi-mi, calm down.”
“Sung-guk, you were agonizing over it until the very end, but that vision was incredible. Connecting the entire world! It was truly moving.”
[This is child’s play…]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Mark nudged me.
“Sung-guk, you were totally full of yourself just now, weren’t you?”
“Mark, can’t you just pretend you didn’t notice things like that from now on?”
“My guess was right.”
At that moment, Young Secretary Yang entered the Waiting Room.
“Sung-guk, that was absolutely brilliant! It was the best presentation I’ve seen all day. I doubt we’ll ever witness anything quite so magnificent again.”
[Just wait, Yang Chul-soo. I’m about to rewrite history.]
But for now, I’d play it humble.
“Thank you, Yang Chul-soo. I’m relieved the response was positive.”
“By the way, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung wants to arrange a meal with you.”
“A meal?”
“Yes, when would you be available?”
“I have to fly back tomorrow evening, so…”
“How about lunch tomorrow then?”
….
Click.
The Waiting Room door swung open again, and a familiar face appeared.
It was Charlie Jobs himself.
“Charlie!”
“Sung-guk, you were fantastic today. Not quite as good as me, but your presentation skills are solid.”
[Classic Charlie—always has to one-up me.]
“Your comment made the presentation even more dramatic, Charlie. Thank you for that.”
“Actually, I came to get a definite answer on that. How about you buy me lunch tomorrow? I have to head back to Apple in the evening.”
Young Secretary Yang’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at me.
[Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung or Charlie Jobs. That is the question.]
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

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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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