I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 149

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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 149
Ma Yun gazed at me with warmth, as though I were his own son.
“Sung-guk, you hold our company in such high regard?”
“Of course. You’ve pioneered territories I couldn’t reach.”
And China’s population is an absolute number that cannot be ignored.
“Sung-guk, excellent. Give me your email. I’ll send over our contract. And even if it’s a modest amount, that’s fine. I’m deeply grateful that a brilliant young man like you recognizes Alibaba, and I know running a company is challenging. I’m even more grateful that you’re willing to invest.”
[Ma Yun, you’re mistaken about something—I’m investing purely to make money. Plus, I’m going to advertise FaceNote in China through Alibaba.]
A 3,000-fold return was an investment that would be difficult to match, whether through stocks or real estate.
I quickly exchanged phone numbers and email addresses with Ma Yun.
“Ma Yun, I feel like I’ve taken up too much of your time. You must meet with other major investors.”
“I suppose I got excited speaking Chinese after so long while visiting America. Sung-guk, is your company nearby?”
“Yes.”
“Since I’m heading back to China next week, let’s finalize our investment discussion before then and grab a meal together. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great, Ma Yun! Why don’t you sign up for FaceNote then!”
I answered readily.
* * *
Elon Musk and Chad Chun stared at me with wide eyes.
“Sung-guk, you speak Chinese too?”
“A little.”
I feigned modesty.
[I can’t let everyone think they’re impressive just because they speak English. To survive in South Korea, you need to be at my level!]
Chad Chun smiled and looked at me.
“I’m Taiwanese-American, but Chinese feels awkward to me since I was born in the United States.”
Chad Chun was a Taiwanese-American.
Elon shook his head.
“I was born in Africa, but everyone spoke English there, so it didn’t matter at all. Of course, there were differences in dialect and culture. Sung-guk, when did you even learn Chinese? Do you ever actually sleep?”
“Elon, if I slept at night and woke up in the morning like everyone else, I’d never succeed.”
I calmly repeated what Elon himself would later say in interviews.
Elon’s face lit up.
“Sung-guk, I knew we had something in common. You need to work about 16 hours a day to change the world.”
Chad Chun shook his head in disbelief.
“Elon and Sung-guk. You two are both truly relentless people.”
[Chad, that’s why you’re content just being rich. Elon and I are going to become the wealthiest people in the world.]
Chad Chun sells YouTube to Google the moment it takes off.
Of course, he receives a massive sum and becomes a billionaire along with the other YouTube co-founders.
But Google’s founders become among the world’s richest people later, thanks to YouTube.
Elon pushed food toward me.
“Sung-guk, have you eaten enough?”
“I didn’t even notice I was hungry.”
I quickly devoured the sandwiches Elon offered.
Elon wolfed down his sandwich just as hurriedly.
Chad Chun rose from his seat, slightly embarrassed by Elon’s behavior.
“Elon, Sung-guk. I’m going to step inside and talk with some other people for a bit.”
“Of course. I’ll stay here.”
[I’ve already accomplished what I came for.]
Apart from Ma Yun, there was no one else in the auditorium worth paying attention to.
The biggest fish in this place right now was none other than Elon sitting right in front of me.
Elon drained his juice in one go and set down his plate with a satisfied expression.
“Now I’m finally full.”
“Elon, are things going very difficult with your business these days?”
“Well… honestly, it’s incredibly tough. Since I’m not seeing results, it feels like everything’s gone dark. Of course, when I started the company, I did consider the possibility of complete failure, but now that things are actually hard, I’m wondering if I should just pull out….”
“Elon, if things get too difficult, please tell me. I can provide meals or lodging anytime you need.”
“Sung-guk, thank you. But I’m not used to owing favors to people….”
“If you’re really sorry about it, just give me one share of Tesla stock each time you accept my help.”
“Haha. Are you serious, Sung-guk? I can get free meals in exchange for one share of Tesla stock that’s going under?”
“Of course. Elon, I feel a sense of responsibility toward you.”
Elon clapped his hands and laughed.
“That’s right. I founded Tesla because of meeting some boy from Korea at that venture expo, didn’t I?”
“Exactly.”
[I feel responsible, but I’m definitely not losing out on this deal, Elon.]
Elon gripped my hand firmly.
“Sung-guk, I really appreciate it. When things get truly difficult, I’ll ask for your help. And then I’ll really repay you with Tesla stock.”
“Please do! I’m someone who believes Tesla is going to succeed!”
“Thank you, Sung-guk!”
[Elon, I’m always the one who should be grateful. Thank you for believing in me.]
I gripped Elon’s hand tightly.
* * *
Mark called out to Min-guk as he exited the language academy.
“Min-guk, over here!”
Min-guk trudged over with a dejected expression on his face. He then glanced around the inside of the car.
Young Secretary Yang was driving, with Lim Mi-mi beside him. Behind them sat Jeon Tae-guk and Mark.
“Where’s my older brother?”
“Your brother had work, so he said he’d come straight home after. He sent you a message about it—didn’t you see it?”
“I did see it. But I wanted to check once more.”
“Min-guk, get in the back.”
Min-guk climbed into the back seat, still looking downcast.
Lim Mi-mi quickly turned around to face Min-guk.
“Min-guk, why do you look so down?”
“Sigh… I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll just keep my mouth shut.”
“Oh, okay….”
The air inside the car suddenly grew heavy.
Mark glanced nervously at Min-guk, while Jeon Tae-guk, oblivious by nature, continued snickering beside me.
“Hey, you’re just a passenger—know your place and don’t take up so much space.”
“Sir, I’ve just spent the entire day at the Language Academy from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., taking only ten-minute breaks while struggling through broken English. So my bag is packed with textbooks from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Do you think I’m in a good mood carrying all this? Or a bad mood?”
Jeon Tae-guk was at a loss for words.
“Well, that’s… that is…”
“Bad mood, right? So please, don’t bother me.”
“You’re exactly like Sung-guk. So prickly.”
“Sir, blood is thicker than water.”
“Hey, I’m not a sir!”
“Sigh, really. Why doesn’t anyone understand context? That’s why your Korean is so poor.”
Min-guk muttered under his breath.
Everyone except Mark, who didn’t understand Korean, struggled to suppress their laughter.
Only Jeon Tae-guk felt as though he were burning alive inside.
Young Secretary Yang quickly changed the subject.
“Young Master, shall we have pizza and beer for dinner tonight, as we discussed earlier?”
“Sure, why not. Search for a good pizza place, Secretary Yang.”
“Lim Mi-mi knows all the best restaurants in this area.”
“I’ve made a point of learning them well, in case the Restaurant Owner decides to test me.”
Lim Mi-mi answered confidently.
“Lim Mi-mi, could you recommend a good pizza place for us?”
“Of course, Secretary Yang. But should we also call you Secretary Yang? Sung-guk calls you Brother Chul-soo.”
“Yes, my name is Yang Chul-soo. Feel free to call me informally. What about you and Mark?”
“Got it. Chul-soo. Then, let’s drop these people off at the dormitory first, and Chul-soo and I will go get the pizza.”
“I’m coming too!”
Mark rushed forward eagerly.
He couldn’t bear to leave Lim Mi-mi and Young Secretary Yang alone together.
Jeon Tae-guk spoke in an exhausted voice.
“Just drop me off quickly, Secretary Yang.”
“Me too, Brother Chul-soo.”
Min-guk also made his request in a tired voice.
* * *
After the car left, Jeon Tae-guk and Min-guk climbed the stairs to the dormitory together.
Jeon Tae-guk saw his chance and shot Min-guk a look.
“Min-guk or whatever. I’m not a sir. I’m twenty years old. Call me hyung—older brother.”
“Ah, yes… sir.”
“Hey! Do you even know who I am?”
“The heir to Samjeon Group. But a man with no popularity among women. That’s Jeon Tae-guk!”
Min-guk fired off the words like a machine gun.
“Hey, what did you just do?”
“That’s what rap is, sir. And you didn’t even know that!”
“If you keep mouthing off like that, nothing good will come of it. Do you have any idea how important I am at Samjeon Group? I’m the heir, understand? Samjeon Group will be mine someday. If you want to work at Samjeon Group later, you’d better stay on my good side.”
“Sir, my dream is to become a singer. I don’t think I’ll ever work at Samjeon Group.”
“A singer? Samjeon can invest in entertainment companies too.”
Min-guk looked up at Jeon Tae-guk with bright, eager eyes.
“Really?”
“Of course, really. Samjeon does everything. We own baseball, soccer, and basketball teams.”
“But you don’t actually manage singers, do you?”
“When I inherit Samjeon later, I’ll just create one. It’s not that difficult.”
Min-guk pondered for a moment, then looked back up at Jeon Tae-guk.
“Sir, then I’ll call you hyung. But I have conditions.”
“No wonder you’re Sung-guk’s brother. What conditions?”
“And could you teach me how to get close to these people?”
“How to get close?”
Jeon Tae-guk began to show interest.
“That has conditions too. Will you agree to all of them?”
“Min-guk, when I see you like this, you’re just like your brother.”
“I already told you that. Do I have to say it again? Blood is thicker than water. Like brother, like brother.”
“Fine, fine. Just tell me the conditions already.”
Min-guk began to lay out his conditions calmly.
“First, we write up a contract.”
“A contract?”
“In exchange for calling you hyung, Samjeon Group will use the group that Jeon Min-guk belongs to as a model for Samjeon Electronics.”
“That’s not difficult at all. Once I inherit the company, I’ll use you as a model right away. You just become a singer.”
Jeon Tae-guk answered with a swagger.
“So what about getting close to them?”
“Seaweed.”
“Seaweed?”
“Mark and Lim Mi-mi love seaweed.”
“Right, earlier they said let’s eat seaweed with beer.”
“Sir, I happen to have some seaweed.”
“You’re giving it to me?”
Min-guk shook his head firmly.
“Sir, even if you’re the heir to Samjeon Group, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”
“Min-guk, how much would it be?”
“Sir, you have a lot of money, right?”
“I’ve got nothing but money. But you said you’d call me hyung?”
“That’s after we sign the contract. And for the seaweed to seduce Lim Mi-mi and Mark, I’ll sell it to you specially for one hundred thousand won per sheet.”
“What? One hundred thousand won per sheet of seaweed? Hey, you can get all of that at the Korean Mart nearby.”
“I heard yesterday that the nearest Korean Mart is an hour’s drive from here. Sir, do you want it or not? The choice is yours.”
“I’ll pay! How much is it all?”
“Today I’ll only sell five. We can renegotiate the rest next time.”
Jeon Tae-guk clicked his tongue.
“Jeon Min-guk. You’re even worse than your brother, you know that?”
“I learned it all from my brother. Growing up under him, you really understand how harsh life can be. Sir, I’ll see you in ten minutes. I’ll prepare the seaweed, so please have the money and contract ready.”
“Ah, yes….”
Min-guk vanished into the room in a flash.
* * *
When I arrived, everyone except Jeon Tae-guk and Min-guk had gathered at the dormitory, eating pizza and drinking beer.
Mark quickly gestured to me.
“Sung-guk, come eat some pizza.”
“Yeah, Mark. But where did Min-guk go?”
“He’s washing up.”
Soon Min-guk emerged from the shower, his face fresh and clean.
“Min-guk, how was your first class today?”
“It was fine, hyung.”
“Yang Chul-soo hyung, what about Tae-guk hyung?”
“He’ll be here soon.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
When I opened it, Jeon Tae-guk walked in carrying seaweed in both hands.
“Earlier you all said you liked eating seaweed with beer, so I brought some.”
Jeon Tae-guk and Min-guk exchanged a knowing glance.
And I caught that look immediately.
“I felt bad about eating the seaweed Min-guk brought, so this works out perfectly. Thanks, Tae-guk. We’ll enjoy it.”
Mark quickly began unwrapping the seaweed.
I quietly called Min-guk into the room.
“Min-guk, let me see you for a moment.”
Min-guk followed me into the room without protest.
“Jeon Min-guk, did you sell seaweed to Tae-guk hyung?”
“Yeah.”
“How much?”
“A hundred thousand won per piece. He’s a chaebol after all.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
Then Min-guk handed me a handwritten contract.
“What’s this?”
“A contract I made with Tae-guk ahjussi in exchange for him calling me hyung.”
“You made a contract? You can’t just write contracts carelessly!”
I examined the contract with startled eyes.
– Jeon Tae-guk, as successor to Samjeon Group, promises to feature the group that Jeon Min-guk belongs to as a model for Samjeon Electronics in the future.
Contrary to my expectations, the contract contained satisfactory terms.
The corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
[Jeon Min-guk, this is quite impressive. I can have the lawyers draft a formal contract based on this and get it notarized.]
Min-guk’s eyes widened as he looked up at me.
“Hyung, I did well, right?”
“You’re truly my brother.”
I pulled Min-guk into a tight embrace.

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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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