I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 151

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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 151
Jeon Tae-guk stared down at Jeon Min-guk with a bewildered expression.
“Our company’s lawyer says this contract is unfair. Since I’m a FaceNote intern, could you talk to your brother and see if we can adjust the terms?”
“Sir, don’t you know my brother never backs down?”
“This is too much. Why is the damages clause so high? This is completely unreasonable.”
“Sir, you’re the heir to Samjeon Group, yet you’re being pushed around by lawyers?”
“What? That’s….”
When I heard Min-guk’s words, they somehow rang true.
Jeon Tae-guk fell silent, lost in thought.
Min-guk seized the moment without hesitation.
“I thought you were someone impressive because you’re the heir to Samjeon Group… but I never imagined you’d break a promise to a mere twelve-year-old child, someone who might become a singer or anything else.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at Min-guk with determination in his eyes.
“Fine, let’s sign the contract as is. Your side’s lawyer can handle the notarization.”
“Really, sir?”
“I’m not the kind of person who disrespects even a twelve-year-old child! I’ll sign this contract, and stop calling me ‘sir.'”
“We’ll see once you put your seal on the contract.”
Min-guk cut right to the chase.
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head in disbelief.
“You’re really… even more ruthless than your brother….”
“I still have a long way to go to catch up to him.”
Min-guk grinned and gathered up the contract.
* * *
The contract with Ma Yun of Alibaba was finalized precisely.
Thanks to Son Jung-hoon’s advice to Ma Yun to offer the young investment prospect the same terms he received, I also signed a contract identical to Son Jung-hoon’s.
I gazed at the contract with a satisfied smile.
[See you in ten years, Ma Yun and Son Jung-hoon!]
Knock. Knock.
I heard a knock at the door.
Then Min-guk’s voice followed.
“Brother!”
“Just come in. Why knock?”
“You looked like you were reading something… Oh, brother. Here’s the contract.”
“The one you made with Tae-guk?”
“Yeah. He said Samjeon Group was calling it an unfair contract, so I asked him if that’s all he was capable of. Then he immediately agreed to proceed with the contract as is. We’re getting the notarization through our lawyer….”
[What a pathetic fool….]
Manipulated by a mere twelve-year-old child into proceeding with an unfair contract.
Jeon Tae-guk was hopeless in both his past and present lives.
As I shook my head in disapproval, Min-guk began twisting his body in front of me. It was clearly a gesture asking for something.
“Jeon Min-guk, did you finish all your Language Academy homework?”
“Yes! I finished all my homework.”
“This weekend, we’ll visit a nearby petting farm for some hands-on experience. Now get some rest.”
“Brother….”
Min-guk blinked his large eyes.
“What is it?”
“Brother, you promised to show me that video platform you mentioned before.”
He was referring to YouTube.
“Why that?”
“I already signed a contract with Uncle Tae-guk, remember? Can’t you show me the place?”
“Hmm….”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
[Perhaps it’s time to begin the Jeon Min-guk idol-making project in earnest.]
But I couldn’t let Min-guk get too excited just yet.
“You haven’t stamped the contract yet.”
“Sigh… you’re even more stubborn than I am, brother.”
Still, I needed to dangle the right carrot.
“Once you stamp the contract, I’ll take you to the YouTube office.”
“Really, brother?”
“Have you ever seen me break a promise?”
“No!”
Min-guk suddenly sprang to his feet, bouncing excitedly around the room.
I contacted Chad Chun and arranged for us to visit the office this weekend.
Chad Chun readily agreed.
* * *
Press.
Min-guk left a thumbprint on the contract instead of a signature—a bit rustic, but effective.
“Brother, look at this.”
“Well done.”
“Tsk, how rustic….”
Jeon Tae-guk scrawled his signature across the contract.
[Worrying about style when you’re about to fail—that’s your problem.]
At last, the historic contract between Jeon Tae-guk and Jeon Min-guk was finalized.
Both Jeon Tae-guk and Jeon Min-guk gazed down at the contract with satisfied expressions.
“It’s done now, right?”
“Yes, brother!”
Min-guk quickly shifted his demeanor, even breaking into a radiant smile.
Jeon Tae-guk fought to suppress the corners of his mouth from rising at Min-guk’s words.
“From now on, you call me brother all the time.”
“Of course, brother!”
Jeon Tae-guk glanced at me briefly.
“It’s the weekend—you’re not going to make him work, are you?”
“Weekends are for rest. I personally place great importance on work-life balance.”
“Work-life balance? What’s that?”
In 2004, work-life balance was still a foreign concept in South Korea. However, it had begun to be introduced in the United States a few years prior.
“You need to live a life where work and personal time are in harmony. That’s how you live happily for a long time.”
At that moment, I felt Min-guk’s sharp gaze, but I deliberately pretended not to notice.
Jeon Tae-guk nodded.
“That’s a great point. I’ll keep work-life balance in mind when I run the company later. Well, since it’s the weekend, I’m going to rest.”
“Of course. Still, Tae-guk, you should prepare little by little for the presentation you’ll have to give in front of the Chairman and executives during your final week as an intern.”
“Don’t worry. I’m Jeon Tae-guk.”
Jeon Tae-guk waved his hand and walked out the door.
I shook my head in disbelief.
Just then, Min-guk tugged at my hand.
“Hyung, you tell Tae-guk to maintain work-life balance, but why don’t you follow it yourself?”
“Min-guk, Tae-guk is the son of the Samjeon Group Chairman. He was born with unimaginable wealth without having to work a day in his life. But you and I weren’t born that way, were we?”
“I guess not….”
Min-guk nodded.
“People like us who were born poor have to work several times harder to succeed.”
“Hyung….”
“What?”
“Is your dream to earn a lot of money?”
“Well, that is….”
[Isn’t that obvious? Why is he asking me that?]
I looked down at Min-guk with a puzzled expression.
“Hyung, my dream is to become an idol like HAT. To sing and dance on stage, to rap too. But you’re only fourteen now. I mean, your appearance is similar to Yang Chul-soo or Tae-guk’s age, but anyway….”
Min-guk stared directly at me.
[Why is he looking at me with such pity?]
“Hyung, when I get on an airplane, I want to become a pilot. When I meet a lawyer, I want to try being a lawyer too. But hyung, isn’t it strange that your dream is just to earn a lot of money? Money is the result of my work, not the purpose, right?”
“….”
I was at a loss for words.
Money is the result of work, not the purpose?
I let out a bitter laugh internally.
[What’s different about an IQ of 160? Sigh—someone like me with only an IQ of 120 really does lack in thinking.]
Min-guk squeezed my hand tightly.
“Hyung, I wish you were sometimes like the other older kids—carefree and a bit childish.”
“Hmm….”
I stared directly at Min-guk.
I knew my younger brother Jeon Min-guk far too well.
When he spoke like this, acting so mature and pretending to see through people’s hearts, he always had a purpose.
“Jeon Min-guk, what do you want?”
“Hehe, hyung, how did you know?”
[My older brother’s intellect may not surpass mine, but there’s something called life experience.]
“Go ahead and tell me.”
“Hyung, I want to go to Disneyland with you before I finish language academy and head back to Korea. I’ve been bragging to my friends that I’m going to Disneyland while I’m in the United States.”
“Jeon Min-guk, you have a final exam at the Language Academy next week, right?”
“How did you know that, hyung?”
Min-guk’s eyes trembled noticeably.
“I called and found out myself.”
“Hyung, surely you’re not…?”
Min-guk grew increasingly anxious.
“If you score above 90 on your final Language Academy exam, I’ll take you to Disneyland.”
“Hyung, that’s not fair!”
“If you don’t like it, you won’t go to Disneyland at all. Will you accept this offer or not?”
“Hyung, you’re mean!”
“Suit yourself.”
Min-guk pressed his lips together and shot me an angry glare.
“Fine! I got it! I just need to score above 90!”
“Min-guk, you’re smart enough that with just a little effort, you’ll easily surpass 90 points.”
“Hyung, don’t give me the poison and then the cure.”
Min-guk trudged into his room with slumped shoulders, casting one last resentful glance back at me.
I smiled at the sight of him.
[Jeon Min-guk, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world! Your little brother is no exception. Money may not be life’s purpose, but without it, the opportunity to dream disappears. Remember that!]
* * *
The YouTube Office was not far from the Apple Campus.
Located on the second floor of a modest building, the trees outside the windows seemed close enough to touch.
The office was roughly the same size as FaceNote, but with more employees.
Despite it being the weekend, everyone was busily working.
“Chad, everyone came in even though it’s the weekend?”
“Yeah… our goal is to launch next year, so things are hectic these days. We’re starting beta service soon. By the way, is this little guy your brother?”
“Yes.”
Chad Chun greeted Min-guk warmly.
“Min-guk, nice to meet you. I heard you wanted to look around here?”
“Yes, because my hyung said I can upload videos that I film myself on this platform.”
“Wow, Min-guk is really interested in this kind of thing.”
“My dream is to be a singer. Not just someone who sings, but someone who dances and performs too.”
“Like *NSYNC?”
“Yes!”
Min-guk answered loudly.
The employees in the YouTube Office chuckled warmly at that.
Chad Chun paused thoughtfully, then looked at me.
“Sung-guk, what do you think about having your brother upload a video of himself singing or dancing for the upcoming beta service?”
[That’s exactly what I wanted, Chad.]
Min-guk squeezed my hand with an eager expression on his face.
“Hyung….”
“Chad, we can just film it with a digital camera and upload it, right?”
“Yeah. Upload it however is convenient for you. It’d be nice if you used video editing software, but since we’re still in the early stages, it shouldn’t be necessary. Besides, we were already recruiting people to upload videos from various fields. I’d be really happy if Min-guk did it. Our channel thrives on diversity, after all.”
I looked down at Min-guk.
“Min-guk, want to give it a try?”
“Yes! Hyung!”
Min-guk threw his hand up enthusiastically.
* * *
“Hyung, you have to film it properly. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
I started filming Min-guk’s dance video with the digital camera Father had given me when he came to the United States, telling me to take lots of photos.
In the dormitory’s living room, Min-guk turned on a popular South Korean song and began dancing with all his might.
Boom, boom, boom.
The loud beat filled the dormitory from Sunday morning onward.
Mark spoke to me from behind.
“Sung-guk, what are you doing?”
“Oh, sorry. Is it too loud?”
“I was about to get up to work anyway.”
In that moment, Mark watched Min-guk dance and became completely mesmerized.
Soon after, Lim Mi-mi sat down beside him, sipping coffee while watching Min-guk with rapt attention.
When Min-guk’s dance ended, everyone applauded.
“Min-guk! That was amazing!”
At Mark’s cheers, Min-guk shrugged his shoulders.
[Blood truly runs thicker than water. He’s even picked up my mannerisms….]
“Restaurant Owner, could I show you the video I filmed? I’ve done quite a bit of fangirling over Korean dramas and Korean singers, you know.”
“Lim Mi-mi, please watch it and give me an honest assessment.”
Lim Mi-mi watched the video carefully with a serious expression.
To be honest, from my perspective as an excellent trainee who had trained at JP Entertainment for a month, Min-guk’s dancing lacked fundamentals.
Since he had simply imitated TV singers, his basic technique was severely lacking.
“Lim Mi-mi, what do you think?”
“Hmm… First of all, the fundamentals seem a bit weak. But there’s a bigger problem than that.”
“What is it?”
“The video quality is terrible, Restaurant Owner!”
This was an unexpected answer.
“Sung-guk, why don’t you buy a camera for your brother? If Min-guk’s dream is to become a singer, he’ll need to film lots of videos for auditions down the road….”
“Hmm….”
It wasn’t that I was worried about the expense, but rather I was hesitant because I didn’t think camera quality would be a major factor determining whether an audition succeeded or failed.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Young Secretary Yang and Jeon Tae-guk came into view.
I quickly opened the door and welcomed Jeon Tae-guk with unusual enthusiasm.
“Welcome! What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“I heard music playing, so I thought I’d stop by and see what kind of party was happening this early.”
Jeon Tae-guk spoke casually.
Min-guk greeted Jeon Tae-guk from behind as well.
“Hyung! I’m filming a video of myself dancing.”
“Can I watch the video you filmed?”
“Of course.”
I quickly handed the camera to Jeon Tae-guk.
Jeon Tae-guk watched the video with a serious expression, then scratched his head.
“The video quality is terrible. I brought along a new camera that just came out from Samjeon. How about we film it again with that?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, you really are a global pushover!]
Min-guk and I threw our hands up in the air and shouted.
“Awesome!”

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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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