I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 160

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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 160
Clink. Clink.
I finished washing the dishes and turned off the faucet.
In that instant, someone from behind wrapped their arms around me and buried their face against my thigh.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Oppa… oppa, why aren’t you sleeping?”
Ji-hee was gripping my thigh, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Ji-hee, did you wake up from sleep?”
“Yeah. Oppa, I’m thirsty.”
“Hold on.”
I quickly poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
Ji-hee gulped it down eagerly.
“Ahhhh—”
Ji-hee wiped her mouth contentedly and handed the cup back to me.
“Oppa, the cup.”
“Got it.”
After handing me the cup, Ji-hee suddenly tugged at my hand.
“Ji-hee, what is it?”
“Oppa, can we all sleep together today? You, Mom, Dad, and Min-guk oppa? Please?”
Ji-hee looked up at me with her round eyes wide open.
I’d always thought Ji-hee had inherited none of our family’s genes, but her eyes had grown quite large.
[They say a person’s face changes twelve times as they grow—I wonder if that’ll happen to Ji-hee too?]
Ji-hee’s grip on my hand tightened with determination.
“Oppa, hurry!”
“Alright, Ji-hee. Let me wash up and I’ll come.”
“Okay. Then I won’t sleep and I’ll wait for you.”
“Got it!”
After drinking her water, Ji-hee trudged off toward the bedroom.
Just then, Father emerged from the bathroom.
Father dried his hair with a towel while glancing into the room.
“Sung-guk, we have another room, right?”
“Father, Ji-hee is asking if we can all sleep in one room together.”
“Sung-guk, should we do that? It’s been so long—it’ll bring back old memories.”
[Old memories… Dad, only I remember the days of living in that tiny room… I was so sensitive back then, and I endured so much. Dad’s snoring was absolutely unbearable!]
Father, delighted, finished drying his hair and headed into the room where Ji-hee had gone.
“Sung-guk, hurry and wash up.”
“Okay.”
* * *
After showering, I stepped out and dried my short hair while gazing at the room where my entire family now slept.
On the large bed lay Mother, Min-guk, and Ji-hee, all fast asleep.
Everyone was clinging to Mother.
[That Ji-hee, said she wouldn’t sleep and would wait for me.]
And on the floor, Father was lying down on a blanket he’d prepared.
Father noticed me and gestured.
“Sung-guk, let’s sleep here together, you and I.”
“Okay, Dad.”
I dried my hair roughly and entered the room, settling onto the spot Father had prepared for me on the floor.
Father looked at me with pride.
[Dad, your gaze is making me uncomfortable.]
“Sung-guk, it’s been so long since we’ve lain down like this. Right?”
[Dad, even your words are making me uncomfortable now.]
I deliberately changed the subject.
“Dad, aren’t you tired? You took a long flight today, and you prepared food as soon as we arrived.”
“Sung-guk, Dad’s still young.”
[I know, Dad’s still in his thirties, fresh and vibrant. I died at forty in my past life.]
When I said nothing, Father exhaled slowly and deeply.
“Sung-guk, Dad never imagined life would unfold like this in his thirties.”
[Sigh, here we go again with Dad’s sob stories… Since it’s been a while, I should listen.]
Father continued.
“When I first became independent from the orphanage, they gave me some money. I used it to rent a small gosiwon… A coworker from the restaurant asked to borrow some money urgently, so I lent it to him. But then… that coworker said he’d pay it back, and the next day he didn’t show up at the restaurant and disappeared.”
I shifted slightly.
[Oh, this is a new sob story.]
Father continued without stopping.
“At that time, I’d lent out everything except the gosiwon rent, so except for one meal a day at the restaurant where I worked, I practically starved for an entire month. Sigh—Sung-guk. Your dad, back then, the future looked so dark.”
[But now Dad has a restaurant, a home, and he’s making money!]
I shifted again.
“Back then, I never thought I’d be able to go abroad or anything like that…”
Suddenly, a cushion flew toward Father. And Mother’s voice rang out.
“Honey, the kids are all asleep. Stop cornering Sung-guk with your sob stories all the time. Sung-guk can’t sleep!”
“That’s not what I—”
“What do you mean ‘that’s not’! Honey, go to sleep. Sung-guk, you must be tired too, so go to sleep.”
“Okay, Mom.”
[Dad, I’m sorry, but Mom really is the best!]
I closed my eyes right away.
Father tossed and turned a few times before soon snoring loudly.
Everyone’s breathing was rough, exhausted from the long flight.
I fell asleep listening to my family’s breathing for the first time in a long while.
And it was truly a happy end to the day.
* * *
“Hyung! Read my comment!”
Min-guk came rushing down the stairs that morning, clattering loudly with his laptop.
It was obvious he couldn’t wait to show off his YouTube channel to our parents.
“Hyung, my video got so many comments. Right?”
Just as Min-guk said, the video was flooded with comments.
Since it was a beta service, they were all in English.
– Min-guk! Your dancing style is exceptional. Your fundamentals need work, but with some polish, you’ll become a great dancer!
– Wow, amazing! Can I be jealous of these brothers’ genes?
Most of the comments were cheering Min-guk on.
Then one comment caught my eye.
– I’m Scott Brown, a talent manager for singers. Here’s my contact information. If you’re interested… no, please, reach out to me! I’m really coveting Min-guk’s talent!
Scott Brown?
Could it be the Scott Brown I know?
The talent manager who discovered and developed Just Bieber on YouTube?
I stroked my chin thoughtfully for a moment.
Min-guk started bouncing around beside me.
“Hyung! Why aren’t you reading the comments?”
“Oh… they all say they’re impressed with your dancing.”
“Hyung, I should upload a video where I actually sing properly next time. Hyung, doesn’t this person want to meet me?”
“Well…”
Min-guk hesitantly read the comment Scott Brown had left.
“Hyung, what does this person do?”
“He says he’s a talent manager…”
“Hyung! Does that mean he’s casting me?”
“We don’t know that yet.”
“Hyung, I want to meet this person! Wait, am I going to debut as a singer in the United States?”
“Hmm…”
I wasn’t entirely familiar with the American entertainment system, but it wasn’t something that simple.
Besides, this was different from the future I had envisioned for Min-guk.
Bang Mu-hyuk and I had planned to make Min-guk part of South Korea’s greatest idol group—and the world’s greatest idol group.
Min-guk started pestering me from beside me.
“Hyung! Hyung! Hyung! Please! Let’s meet him! Ask him to meet!”
“Min-guk, he could be a scammer.”
There was no way to verify if this was really Scott Brown just from a name.
“Whether he’s a scammer or not, we won’t know unless we meet him!”
[Min-guk has a point there…]
I reluctantly nodded my head.
“I’ll reach out to him. But don’t get your hopes up too high. It could just be something he said on a whim.”
“Okay! Hyung!”
Min-guk nodded enthusiastically.
First, I sent a message to the email address Scott Brown had left in his comment, expressing my desire to meet. But something felt off about the whole situation.
* * *
Ding dong.
For the first time, I pressed the doorbell to Jeon Tae-guk’s dormitory.
Soon Jeon Tae-guk emerged with a disheveled face.
“Sung-guk, what’s going on so early in the morning?”
“Tae-guk hyung, I came to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor? Really? You’re asking me?”
“Yes….”
I nodded firmly.
Jeon Tae-guk gestured for me to come in with a surprised expression.
“Come inside and tell me about it.”
Young Secretary Yang was busy preparing breakfast inside the dormitory.
“Secretary Yang is preparing breakfast. Do you want to eat something?”
“No, thank you. Father is already making breakfast at home.”
“Hmm… that sounds delicious. Can I come eat with you?”
“In exchange, could you please do me a favor?”
“You’re asking me to do a favor just for breakfast?”
“You know how skilled Father is at cooking. He’s making dried pollack soup right now because of the alcohol he drank yesterday.”
Jeon Tae-guk quickly called out to Young Secretary Yang.
“Secretary Yang, don’t bother with breakfast. Just make me a cup of coffee. I’m going to eat at Sung-guk’s place.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Young Secretary Yang began brewing the coffee.
Jeon Tae-guk crossed his arms and looked at me.
“So, what’s the reason you came looking for me this early?”
“An American entertainment producer named Scott Brown left a comment on Min-guk’s video. He said he wants to meet him once. He also mentioned that he covets Min-guk’s talent.”
“Hmm… that guy has a good eye. I voted for Min-guk too!”
Jeon Tae-guk nodded.
“But there’s a chance he could be a scammer or a bad person. Min-guk wants to meet him, so I’m being cautious.”
“Hmm… so you’re asking me to verify this person on behalf of the Samjeon Group?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, your intuition is pretty sharp.]
“Yes… not just verification, but I was hoping either Yang Chul-soo hyung or someone could go with us. I don’t know much about the entertainment industry, and both Min-guk and I are still minors.”
“I’ll go with you.”
It was an unexpected answer.
“You’ll go with us, hyung?”
“Yeah. I’m quite interested in the entertainment industry.”
In my previous life too, Jeon Tae-guk had been interested in the entertainment industry. Of course, it was because of women.
[There’s no reason to refuse.]
The fact that the Samjeon Group would verify this person, and moreover that Jeon Tae-guk, the heir to the Samjeon Group, would go with us, was reassuring.
“Tae-guk hyung, please do that.”
For the first time across both my previous and current lives, I had asked Jeon Tae-guk for a favor. All for my younger brother.
* * *
Once the door closed, Jeon Tae-guk summoned Young Secretary Yang and handed him the entertainment planner’s name and email that Sung-guk had given him.
“Secretary Yang, have the secretarial team investigate this person and report back to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Young Secretary Yang nodded in acknowledgment.
Jeon Tae-guk took a sip of coffee.
“Secretary Yang, something feels odd.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“It’s just that Sung-guk’s family feels somehow familiar. They clearly didn’t seem to like me at first, but now with Sung-guk and Min-guk… they don’t feel like strangers anymore.”
“Perhaps it’s because you’ve been alone abroad for so long, sir? Sung-guk and Min-guk are good friends after all.”
“I suppose so….”
“By the way, your father will be arriving in San Francisco next week.”
Jeon Tae-guk felt a slight tension.
“Already next week?”
“You should begin preparing your presentation.”
“Hmm… First, let me go to Sung-guk’s place and grab some breakfast. After drinking yesterday, I’m really craving some dried pollack soup.”
Jeon Tae-guk postponed his tasks and rose from his seat.
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk strutted over and handed me a sheet of paper.
“Sung-guk, here’s the investigation on the person you asked me to look into. Our secretarial team did it….”
“Thank you, hyung.”
“It was nothing complicated.”
I quickly scanned the investigation report Jeon Tae-guk had handed me.
It was definitely the Scott Brown I remembered.
“From what I can tell, he seems like quite a respectable entertainment planner. Are you going to meet him?”
“Yes, I’m planning to meet him once.”
“That Min-guk kid must have some talent. All these contacts coming from America….”
“It seems that way.”
I smiled subtly.
Now that I’d confirmed Scott Brown’s authenticity, it was time to start making my moves.
I quickly sent Bang Mu-hyuk an email with Min-guk’s video and a YouTube link.
And I wrote this:
– Uncle Mu-hyuk, it’s Sung-guk. How have you been?
Do you remember my younger brother Min-guk?
Min-guk came to America for a short language study program and uploaded videos of himself singing and dancing on a video site called YouTube.
Someone named Scott Brown reached out to us. Apparently, he’s quite a famous entertainment planner.
I’m not knowledgeable in this field, and I’m not sure if Min-guk truly has talent. I’d appreciate it if you could take a look and give me your assessment.
I sent the email as is.
Right now, I was testing Bang Mu-hyuk.
Testing whether he had the eyes to recognize true talent.

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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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