I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 153
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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 153
“Ahhhhh!”
The man screamed and collapsed right where he stood.
Min-guk quickly retrieved the hundred-dollar bill from the man’s grip.
“Hyung! Look at this!”
He thrust it toward me.
I stared at Young Secretary Yang and Min-guk with a bewildered expression.
“How did you two… where did the frying pan come from…?”
Everything felt jumbled; I was rambling incoherently.
Young Secretary Yang rushed over and helped me up.
“Can you stand, Sung-guk?”
“Yes, I… I think so.”
I managed to regain my composure and rise, but my legs gave out and I collapsed back down.
In that moment, Min-guk ran to me and threw his arms around me.
“Hyung, hyung! Don’t die! Waaaah!”
“Min-guk, I’m okay… I’m fine.”
Min-guk’s eyes blazed with fury as he grabbed the frying pan and rushed back at the groaning man sprawled on the ground.
“You hurt my hyung! I’m going to teach you a lesson!”
Just then, a patrol car happened to pass by and barely managed to stop the enraged Min-guk.
The officer was so busy restraining Min-guk with the frying pan that he barely noticed the collapsed man moaning on the pavement.
“Officer, this bad guy stole my hyung’s money and threatened him with that wine bottle! Arrest him!”
I finally came to my senses and got up, trying to calm the furious Min-guk.
“Min-guk, the American police won’t understand Korean…”
In the meantime, Young Secretary Yang explained the situation to the officer.
The man who’d tried to rob me was arrested, and Min-guk, Young Secretary Yang, and I made it safely back home.
All the way home, Min-guk held my hand tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“Hyung, don’t go out alone anymore.”
“Min-guk, if you swing that frying pan one more time, you’ll get arrested too.”
“It’s okay if I get arrested after teaching that guy a lesson.”
“Min-guk, I’ll be careful from now on. You need to control your temper too. If you end up with a criminal record, it’ll be hard to become an entertainer. You understand what I’m saying, right?”
“Okay.”
At my words, Min-guk quietly nodded his head.
* * *
Young Secretary Yang handed me a warm glass of milk.
“Sung-guk, drink this and get yourself together.”
“Yes…”
“You must have been terrified.”
[I thought I was dying, Secretary Yang. I really thought I’d die at fourteen in this life too.]
I churned with anxiety internally, but outwardly I forced myself to appear composed.
“If it weren’t for you two, I could’ve been in serious trouble. This neighborhood is usually safe, but it seems things like this happen from time to time. From now on, you absolutely cannot go out alone once it gets dark.”
“I will, then… But hyung, why was Min-guk holding a frying pan?”
“Why? You left looking so forlorn that I was about to go fetch you, but Min-guk overheard from his room and came out. He said he needed to see his hyung and settle things once and for all. He said he has his own life to live, and it felt like you were designing his entire future for him….”
[The kid’s sharp, I’ll give him that….]
I sipped my warm milk slowly.
“Anyway, as Min-guk and I were coming out, we saw you being threatened over by the park. That’s when Min-guk just grabbed a frying pan someone had thrown in the trash. Quick reflexes, right?”
“Yes… I’m alive because of hyung and Min-guk.”
“Sung-guk….”
Young Secretary Yang called me in a gentle voice.
That was the same tone he’d used to scold me in my previous life.
Because of my stubborn, goal-obsessed nature—once I decided on something, I had to see it through—whenever something displeased me, the entire Samjeon Group would be gripped with fear.
At those times, Young Secretary Yang would always hand me a glass of my favorite wine and calm my anger.
[Secretary Yang, you suffered so much in my previous life… I won’t put you through that again in this one.]
I took another sip of warm milk.
Young Secretary Yang patted my shoulder twice.
“Sung-guk, Min-guk said something as he was leaving. He said since you’re the smartest person in the world, you can’t understand someone ordinary like him.”
[Secretary Yang, Min-guk’s IQ is far better than mine. He just doesn’t put in the effort with that brilliant mind of his.]
“Sung-guk, but when Min-guk saw you in danger, he ran toward you without thinking twice. Not everyone can live like you do. And… people who enjoy what they do tend to succeed more. Min-guk is sincere about dancing and singing—don’t just force him into things.”
“I understand….”
“But Sung-guk….”
“Yes, Chul-soo hyung?”
“What do you enjoy doing the most?”
[Hmm… that’s a profound question.]
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“Hyung… honestly, I enjoy working the most.”
I smiled faintly.
Young Secretary Yang let out a helpless laugh.
“No matter what I say, it won’t get through to you….”
“Probably not. By the way, hyung, what have you decided about school?”
“I’m planning to prepare for transfer admission until this summer while looking after the young master.”
“Hyung, there’s a very famous university nearby called Stanford. How about that?”
“Could I even transfer there?”
“If it’s you, hyung, it’ll be possible.”
[Secretary Yang, don’t sell yourself short.]
I deliberately drank my milk.
Though I pretended to be indifferent, I simply couldn’t stop pushing the people I cared about toward success.
Young Secretary Yang seemed to be thinking for a moment.
“Stanford… that doesn’t sound bad. If I can transfer there….”
“Hyung, when I saw you filming that video earlier, I had a feeling you’d be really good in the entertainment industry too.”
[Secretary Yang, in this life you should quit being a secretary and try being a CEO too.]
I’d shifted my stage of activities to the United States in this life, but the talent agency I’d be running with Bang Mu-hyuk in the future was planned to be established in South Korea.
Because I needed to debut Min-guk.
That meant I needed someone to manage the Talent Agency in South Korea alongside Bang Mu-hyuk in my stead.
Someone meticulous yet prudent. And a perfectionist to boot.
Young Secretary Yang was the perfect fit.
Young Secretary Yang tilted his head with a smile.
“Sung-guk, try talking to Min-guk the way you talk to me.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You’ve been subtly provoking me with your words lately, but honestly, listening to you has made me reconsider my own future. Try doing that with Min-guk too. Here, have some hot chocolate. Min-guk loves hot chocolate anyway.”
I accepted the hot chocolate.
* * *
Knock. Knock.
When I opened the door, Min-guk was scribbling something at his desk with only the desk lamp on.
“Min-guk, what are you doing?”
“Writing a diary. It’s homework for winter break.”
Min-guk’s eyes were still puffy and swollen.
“Min-guk, drink your hot chocolate first.”
“Okay….”
Min-guk took the hot chocolate in his small hands and gulped it down eagerly.
I caught a glimpse of his diary.
Today my brother was attacked by a villain from the United States and found himself in danger.
I quickly grabbed an abandoned frying pan and ran to strike that villain on the head, but the cool Yang Chul-soo hyung subdued the villain first.
Still, I managed to swing the frying pan once too.
Bad guy. Go to hell!
“Yang Chul-soo beat that guy down?”
“Yeah, hyung. Yang Chul-soo is really good at martial arts. He took care of him in an instant—boom, boom, boom.”
[Of course it’s Secretary Yang.]
Secretary Yang had studied taekwondo and hapkido among other martial arts to protect me, and it seemed he’d done the same in this life as well. Keeping such talent next to Jeon Tae-guk was truly a waste of human resources.
I sat at the edge of the bed to meet Min-guk at eye level.
Now was the time for a serious conversation.
I had spent my entire life viewing my younger brother as either a rival or a burden.
That was how it had been in my previous life. My younger brother in that life, Jeon Tae-guk, was foolish and greedy, constantly waiting for me to make a mistake and lose my position as successor.
I had driven myself relentlessly to avoid mistakes and protect my place, and I had treated those around me the same way.
That habit had carried over into this life as well.
“Min-guk, do you really want to be a singer?”
“Yeah. I love singing and dancing so much.”
“Does it stress you out when I tell you to be number one?”
“Yeah….”
Min-guk answered in a small voice and nodded. Then he continued slowly.
“Hyung, everyone says I’m smart, but I really hate studying. When I study, I feel drained and depressed. But when I sing and dance, I feel so happy. Hyung, I just want to live happily.”
“Min-guk, but if you want to become a singer who does what you love—singing and dancing—there will be things much harder than studying. Will you quit then too?”
Min-guk shook his head firmly.
“Hyung… if there’s something I need to endure to do what I love, I’ll endure it. But studying isn’t like that…”
“Alright. Min-guk, but you still need to study English. When you become a singer and go abroad later, you’ll use it a lot.”
“Okay, hyung!”
Min-guk’s face brightened again, and he smiled radiantly.
I patted Min-guk’s back.
“I’ll earn plenty of money, so our Min-guk can do everything he wants and live happily.”
I had truly let go of everything.
* * *
Chad Chun contacted me.
– Min-guk, when will your brother’s video come out?
“We have some now. Why?”
– We’re starting the beta service next week, you know. I was hoping to upload Min-guk’s video right away…
“Then I’ll prepare it to match the timeline.”
I hung up and found Min-guk and Young Secretary Yang.
“Chul-soo hyung, Chad said to upload Min-guk’s video to YouTube’s test service next week. How’s the current state?”
“The dance video looks good. But… we’re not just uploading one, right?”
“Right, we should set specific dates and times and upload continuously. That way more people will watch more frequently.”
“Sung-guk, then… what if we establish a concept for Min-guk’s videos?”
[Secretary Yang, that’s exactly what I was going to say!]
I smiled slightly.
“Min-guk, should we think about the direction of your videos from now on?”
“Yeah, hyung!”
The three of us gathered in the living room with our heads together.
“Min-guk, is there any video you particularly want to film?”
“Hyung, since my dream is to be a singer, should I try covering famous Korean singers’ songs?”
“That sounds good.”
“Really, hyung?”
“Yeah, but Min-guk, you have to get our approval before uploading. It could become your embarrassing past later.”
“Okay, hyung!”
At that moment, Young Secretary Yang’s eyes sparkled. It was the most vibrant expression I’d seen from him since he arrived.
“Sung-guk, and… if Min-guk is going to be an entertainer anyway… since we know his personality best, what if we create an image for him?”
Young Secretary Yang was more suited to entertainment business than I had initially thought.
“Min-guk has a bright and approachable image, so instead of just uploading songs or dance videos, what if we also shared short everyday life moments that showcase that image?”
“That’s great, Chul-soo hyung! Like studying in a way that fits his twelve-year-old age, or complaining about not wanting to do homework. We could capture all of that.”
“Like a real kid who could live next door to us!”
Young Secretary Yang enthusiastically agreed.
“Chul-soo hyung, then what if we upload the dance video first, and next we upload something short about Min-guk’s vacation life?”
“Sung-guk… can you appear in it too?”
“In Min-guk’s video?”
[If I step back, I’d become the protagonist instead….]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Young Secretary Yang and Min-guk stared at me intently at the same time.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“Mark said that Sung-guk shrugs his shoulders whenever he wants to show off.”
“Hyung, if you appear in the video now, I’d get more attention. You were thinking about that when you shrugged, weren’t you?”
“No.”
I lied without hesitation.
“Hyung, you’re totally lying.”
“Min-guk, it’s true that I’m better looking.”
“Hyung! Then let’s have a real showdown.”
“How?”
“Let’s upload the video and link it on FaceNote to do a popularity vote.”
There was no way I could lose this.
“Jeon Min-guk, you’re confident you won’t regret this?”
“Of course! Hyung, you’re confident too, right?”
“Why bother talking? Jeon Min-guk, what will you bet if you lose the popularity vote?”
“I… won’t think about anything else until I graduate Elementary School and will only study! I’ll aim to be first in the entire school, Hyung!”
This was the first time I’d ever seen Min-guk so serious. And I would never see him like that again.
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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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