I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 169

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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 169
Late at night.
Jerry Chang sat at his desk with a gloomy expression, tidying up his belongings.
Knock. Knock.
The sound of knocking echoed, and David Filo soon opened the door and stepped inside.
“Jerry?”
….
Jerry said nothing, his face twisted with anger.
He never imagined that David, who had founded Yahoo with him and guided it to this point, would announce his termination on FaceNote.
David Filo’s expression turned apologetic.
“Jerry, I had no choice.”
….
Jerry remained silent.
“The board made the decision. Honestly, you were pushing too hard this time. The board wasn’t happy about acquiring FaceNote for a billion dollars either. You forced it through, and now that the deal has fallen apart, you send a message like that on top of everything else….”
Thud!
Jerry deliberately dropped some of his belongings with a loud clatter, then glared at David as if he wanted to kill him.
“So you announce my firing on FaceNote! And you call yourself my friend!”
Jerry’s voice erupted in fury.
David had finally reached his limit too.
“Jerry, if you considered me a friend, shouldn’t you have discussed that email with me before sending it to the employees?”
….
“Honestly, you’ve been treating me like your employee this whole time, not like a business partner.”
Jerry had no rebuttal.
For all this time, Jerry had handled most matters and simply sought David’s approval afterward.
“Your unilateral attitude caused this incident and created this mess. Jerry… I’m saying this as a friend—please stop thinking that only you are right.”
“FaceNote definitely has a value of over a billion dollars. Just wait and see.”
“Maybe it does. But that opportunity slipped away because of your attitude.”
“David, Yahoo is already losing ground to Google. If we don’t acquire an SNS platform like FaceNote, we’ll fall behind in competition and become obsolete.”
David thrust his hands into his pockets and nodded.
“I’ll remember that. Jerry, now please step down from Yahoo.”
David stepped aside to let Jerry leave.
Jerry picked up his belongings and left the CEO’s office he had protected, his lips pressed firmly shut.
The sight of Jerry leaving with his belongings was visible to all Yahoo employees.
The Yahoo staff began to cheer.
“Finally, the dictator is stepping down!”
“Jerry, I’ll buy you a coffee next time!”
“Jerry, don’t forget your unemployment benefits!”
“Can a CEO even receive unemployment benefits?”
The Yahoo employees hurled jeers at Jerry.
And so Jerry, his face burning with anger, departed from the company he had built.
* * *
Mark rubbed his sleepy eyes.
“Sung-guk, we’ve settled this crisis now, right?”
“I’ve dealt with Jerry, but the personal data breach allegations could explode at any moment. Mark, we need to stay vigilant.”
“Either way, I can’t let my guard down. Oh, your parents are leaving tomorrow!”
“Oh, that’s right!”
Only then did I check the time.
It was already past 10 p.m.
“Mark, Lim Mi-mi. I’m heading home now. I’ll go to the airport tomorrow and come back in the afternoon. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Sung-guk, just go already!”
“See you tomorrow!”
I rushed out of the office.
[Everyone’s probably asleep by now….]
* * *
I quietly opened the door.
As expected, the house was dark.
My family was all flying back to Korea on a morning flight tomorrow.
They must have gone to bed early.
I caught my breath and headed to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door. Only the bright light spilling from the fridge illuminated the house.
The moment I reached for the milk inside, I caught Father’s reflection in the stainless steel container, approaching me.
And right behind him, Ji-hee tiptoeing forward with a small cake.
[Oh… I should pretend not to notice, shouldn’t I?]
I casually pulled out the milk and deliberately didn’t turn around, gulping it down.
[How much longer are they going to make me drink milk? Come on, surprise me already!]
The moment I finished the milk and turned around, Father quickly covered my eyes with both hands.
“Jeon Sung-guk!”
“Huh… Father? Father, what’s going on?”
I deliberately feigned surprise in my voice.
“Alright, that’s it! I’m letting go!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Father removed his hands from my eyes.
Before me, the number 14 candles burned brightly atop the cake.
Min-guk, Ji-hee, Mother, and Father began to sing.
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ We celebrate our beloved Sung-guk’s birthday early! Happy birthday to you!”
“Oppa, blow out the candles.”
Ji-hee held the cake toward me.
I looked at my family with a deeply moved expression.
“Mother, Father. My birthday hasn’t come yet.”
“Since we’re all going back to Korea, we wanted to celebrate it early.”
“Sung-guk, make a wish and blow out the candles!”
“Okay….”
I closed my eyes with a deeply moved expression and made a wish.
[‘FaceNote conquering the world. And… let Father’s new ramyeon franchise venture be a huge success. Mother, please let the SKJ Production Company continue to thrive and earn even more. And… Min-guk, help that boy focus better on his studies and become the top student in his entire school. Oh, and Ji-hee. She’s clearly a genius. We need at least one doctor in our family, so please help her study hard from now on.]
Just then, Min-guk’s voice rang out.
“Hyung, the candle’s all melted! Why is your wish so long!”
“Just a moment! This is the last one!”
I made one final wish.
[Please keep our family healthy so we can stay together and happy like this for a long time. I died young at forty in my previous life, so you absolutely have to grant this wish! God!]
I finished making my wishes and opened my eyes.
The candle was indeed half melted.
Ji-hee urged me on.
“Oppa, hurry!”
I blew out the candle with all my might.
Click. The sound of a light switch flipping, and the house brightened.
Ji-hee yawned so wide her entire mouth cavity was visible.
“Ji-hee, you were sleepy but waited for me?”
“Yes! I waited because I wanted to help Oppa cut the cake.”
Mother smiled gently and patted Ji-hee’s back.
“Sung-guk, Ji-hee refused to lie down in bed even though she was drowsy. She said if she lay down, she’d fall asleep. She wanted to see you come home.”
[Only a little sister could be like this….]
My moment of emotion was brief before Min-guk leaned close to my ear and whispered.
“Hyung, you already knew we were holding the cake, right?”
[I should probably lie.]
I shook my head.
“I had no idea, Hyung.”
“That’s suspicious…. I’m pretty sure I saw our reflection in the refrigerator’s side dish container earlier….”
[An IQ of 160 really is a wall I can’t overcome…. I should’ve wished to surpass an IQ of 160.]
Father brought the cake and placed it on the table.
“Alright, since it’s late, everyone eats just one slice and goes to bed. Understood?”
Ji-hee grabbed my hand tightly and pulled me.
“Oppa, let Ji-hee cut your cake.”
“You want to?”
“Yes! And Oppa. Ji-hee will sleep next to you tonight. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Min-guk chimed in.
“Hyung, the spot next to you is mine.”
“You can sleep next to me too.”
“Really, Jeon Ji-hee, just wait until we go back to Korea.”
“You two, please get along. Listen well to what your parents say.”
“Phew, it’s nice not having to hear Hyung’s nagging anymore.”
Min-guk shook his head and shoved a large piece of cake into his mouth.
“Min-guk, it’s your brother’s birthday. You should let your brother eat first.”
Mother tried to stop him, but it was futile.
“Here, brother. You have some too.”
Ji-hee pierced a piece of cake with her fork and brought it to my mouth.
[A younger sister really is the best….]
Just as tears were about to spill, Min-guk followed suit and shoved a piece of cake into my mouth.
“Brother, go ahead and eat!”
“Ah, okay. I’ll eat slowly.”
* * *
Min-guk and Ji-hee clung to my hand tightly.
“Brother, let’s go to sleep soon.”
“Um… okay.”
Ji-hee suddenly let go of my hand and brought Father and Mother’s hands as well.
“Mom, Dad. Let’s all sleep together with brother today.”
Father laughed sheepishly.
“Alright, you rascals. Mom and Dad will sleep on the floor, so you all sleep together on Sung-guk’s bed. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Ji-hee raised her hand enthusiastically.
The moment we lay down on the bed, Ji-hee and Min-guk fell fast asleep.
Min-guk was snoring away, completely lost in slumber.
In the darkness, I heard Father’s voice calling me.
“Sung-guk, did you manage to sort out your busy matters?”
“Yeah. Everything worked out fine.”
“That’s a relief. We were so worried, thinking we wouldn’t see you today.”
“But… how did you know I was coming?”
“Lim Mi-mi contacted us. Without her, we would’ve all given up and gone to bed.”
It seemed Lim Mi-mi had informed Mother and Father that I was leaving work.
“Sung-guk… you’re really okay, right?”
Mother asked again with a worried voice.
“Yeah, Mom. Everything really worked out fine.”
[Mom, when you’re running a business, days like today will be common. So don’t worry about things like this.]
Soon after, I heard Father’s snoring.
Snore. Snore. Snore.
Beside him came Min-guk’s soft snoring.
Snore. Snore. Snore.
And the breathing of Ji-hee and Mother.
I closed my eyes in genuine happiness.
* * *
As always, the airport was in a flurry of activity.
Until the moment I stepped through the gate, Min-guk and Ji-hee clung to me without letting go, while Mother and Father carried them and barely made it through the gate.
I watched my family disappear until the airport doors closed completely.
In that moment, my eyes grew red.
Jeon Tae-guk, who had come to see them off out of boredom, glanced at me sideways.
“Sung-guk, are you crying?”
“Oh, no. This isn’t tears… I just got something in my eye.”
“Those are definitely tears.”
At Jeon Tae-guk’s teasing, the tears threatening to spill vanished instantly.
Whether in my past life or this one, my younger brothers were consistently masters of ruining emotional moments.
“Hyung, could you drop me off at the office?”
“Sure. I’ve got nothing else to do anyway. I’ll just take a drive and head back.”
“Hyung, aren’t you studying for the transfer exam? Yang Chul-soo said he’s been busy looking into transfer admissions today.”
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head vigorously.
“Sung-guk, do you know one of the reasons I gave up FaceNote was because of your nagging?”
[Stop changing the subject, Jeon Tae-guk.]
“If I’d kept working under you, I wouldn’t have lived to see old age.”
“Hyung, you stayed because of the transfer exam anyway.”
“Sung-guk, if you say one more word, I’m not taking you to the office.”
[I have no choice then….]
I clamped my mouth shut.
* * *
– Bill Gates of Microsoft and Charlie Jobs of Apple promise unconditional investment in FaceNote!
FaceNote graced the front page of a major American financial newspaper.
I looked at the article with an elated expression, then looked again.
I was happier than when Samjeon Group made headlines in world economic publications.
FaceNote was an enterprise that Mark and I had built entirely from scratch.
Mark looked at me with an unceasing smile.
“Sung-guk, I can’t believe it. We’re really on the front page of the financial section, right?”
“Technically, it’s FaceNote that made the front page.”
I shrugged and looked at Mark.
“Mark, I think it’s time we moved out of this office.”
We needed to leave the free office behind and start recruiting more talented people.
“You’re right… We should hire more programmers… But honestly, I have no idea how many more we need. And how big of an office should we get…”
I had run Samjeon Group before—managing FaceNote should be a piece of cake.
I placed my hand on Mark’s shoulder.
“Mark, leave that to me!”
Now begins FaceNote Season 2!

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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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