I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 17

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 17
Kim Mi-young answered.
“I’ve discussed it with Sung-guk’s parents, and they’d like to reduce the exclusive contract period from three years to two years.”
“Sir, is the amount we proposed not to your satisfaction?”
Secretary Yang asked carefully.
Contracts had fallen through over a single subtle clause, and they had been sealed over the same.
Father answered cautiously.
“The amount is more than generous. It’s just that when Sung-guk turns five, he’ll need to attend kindergarten. Both of us hope he’ll grow up normally without appearing in any more advertisements or broadcasts.”
[I was born special, so how can they ask me to grow up ordinary?]
I grumbled vehemently.
Secretary Yang smiled at me.
“It seems Sung-guk doesn’t quite agree with that either?”
“Three years of exclusivity for 150 million won—honestly, the amount you’ve offered is far too generous. Even if we reduce it to 100 million won, we’d prefer a two-year contract.”
Father’s expression was quite serious.
“If you sign an exclusive contract with us, it would be a far better arrangement for Sung-guk than shooting multiple advertisements here and there.”
“Of course, I understand that. It’s not that we’re greedy for other advertisements. We genuinely want Sung-guk to grow up normally once he turns five. By then, he’ll be attending kindergarten and needs to fit in with his peers. We don’t want him missing kindergarten because of work.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I deliberately tapped the table irritably.
[You’re telling me to attend kindergarten with a bunch of runny-nosed kids? I’d rather work and earn money than that, Dad!]
Father squeezed my hand firmly in his large palm.
Secretary Yang nodded with an inscrutable expression.
“I understand Sung-guk’s parents’ position well. May I coordinate with the company and contact you again?”
Secretary Yang, being the Father’s proxy, had no authority to offer opinions or make decisions on matters on the spot.
“Yes, you can contact me.”
Kim Mi-young answered respectfully.
* * *
Secretary Yang called Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung immediately after leaving.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s voice came through the receiver.
– What about the contract?
“Sung-guk’s family wants to reduce the contract fee but sign for two years instead. They want him to live normally once he turns five. What should we do?”
– Hmm.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s voice trailed off in thought.
Secretary Yang waited calmly for Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung to speak.
– Give them what they want. Keep the contract fee as they mentioned. But I’d like to give them a gift instead.
“Vice Chairman, you’re already giving them the contract terms—a gift as well?”
Secretary Yang asked in surprise.
– I’m thinking of raising him as a Samjeon Group scholarship student. I want to test whether we can plant Samjeon Group scholarship students in the entertainment industry through this child.
“Understood, Vice Chairman.”
Secretary Yang offered no further objection.
Once Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung made up his mind, he pushed through to the end.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s dealings involved no consultation or agreement. There was only a proposal.
* * *
A week later, Secretary Yang visited our home in person.
Father happened to be home since it was his day off.
A young man standing beside Secretary Yang handed Father a gift box.
“It’s modest, but it’s Korean beef. Please consider it a small token of our gratitude for signing a contract with us.”
“You shouldn’t have. Thank you so much.”
Father accepted the Korean beef gift set with a slightly bewildered expression.
It was an expensive gift I’d never received before.
Secretary Yang glanced around the cramped one-room apartment and smiled faintly.
“Though modest, please come in and have a cup of coffee with us.”
Mother quickly tidied up the scattered clutter in the room.
“I’d be delighted.”
Secretary Yang entered with an unwavering smile.
Grandfather always said that no matter how wealthy a chaebol becomes, one must never disrespect the lives of ordinary people.
Of course, aside from Grandfather who was self-made, none of us truly understood the depths of ordinary life.
Before I was born into this impoverished household, I’d only ever seen one-room apartments on television.
[And now I actually live in one from a TV drama….]
I toddled over and grabbed Secretary Yang’s trousers, then bowed in greeting.
“Hel-lo.”
“Is Sung-guk greeting us right now?”
“Yes!”
That was a confident pronunciation.
“Sung-guk seems remarkably sharp. Your parents must be so happy.”
“We can’t believe how blessed we are to have such a treasure between parents like us. It’s a miracle we witness every day.”
Mother handed Secretary Yang the instant coffee she’d brewed.
The mug holding the coffee bore a clear logo: “Happy Bossam—The House of Bossam.”
Secretary Yang took a sip of coffee and looked at Mother.
“The coffee is quite delicious.”
“I worked in accounting after graduating high school. I’ve made plenty of coffee.”
[Sigh, Mother. That’s too much information.]
Secretary Yang would have known all of this before Mother even spoke.
A background investigation was essential for anyone becoming the face of the Samjeon Group.
Secretary Yang set the mug down on the floor and looked between Mother and Father alternately.
I recognized that look instantly.
It was the same gaze Jeon Jae-hyung wore when delivering instructions before my regression.
“I’ve come today not only to express gratitude for the contract, but also to offer you a gift.”
“But you already gave us the Korean beef.”
[Father, the beef isn’t a gift. That’s just a greeting—like a handshake.]
I stared at Secretary Yang with sparkling eyes. Gifts from the Samjeon Group were clearly in a different league.
Secretary Yang slowly opened his mouth.
“While the contract period has been shortened, we still offered 150 million won as the exclusive model fee, but you declined and accepted only 100 million won, did you not?”
“One should receive compensation proportional to the work performed.”
Father nodded firmly.
Secretary Yang smiled with satisfaction.
“Precisely. The Vice Chairman has prepared two gifts as a special token of gratitude.”
“Pardon?”
Father stared blankly at Secretary Yang, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
Secretary Yang calmly withdrew two brochures from his bag.
One was a brochure distributed at apartment model houses, while the other was a stock-related brochure.
[This is it!]
I immediately crawled toward the stock brochure with both hands.
At that moment, Father lifted me into his arms.
“Sung-guk, wait a moment.”
[How can you tell me to wait? I’m extremely excited right now. Do you know how much Samjeon Electronics stock will be worth in ten years, or even twenty years, Father?]
Father quickly patted my bottom.
“Sung-guk, shh!”
Secretary Yang looked at me and chuckled warmly.
“Then, allow me to explain. This brochure is for an apartment currently under construction by Samjeon Construction in Jamsil. The Vice Chairman wishes to offer you one unit through special allocation. It’s the 34-pyeong unit shown on page four.”
Mother and Father’s eyes widened at the mention of an apartment.
Samjeon Construction, one of the subsidiaries of the Samjeon Group.
Special allocation was a form of privilege extended to executives and employees of the Samjeon Group—essentially giving away an apartment built by Samjeon Construction.
Mother and Father merely blinked, unable to comprehend the implications.
After a moment of thought, Father carefully spoke.
“Secretary Yang, forgive me, but as you can see, we are not in a position to move to Jamsil. A Jamsil apartment would surely cost well over 100 million won. Even if we were to receive the allocation, we couldn’t afford the down payment. We’ve decided with my wife that Sung-guk’s modeling fees will be saved for his future. We won’t touch that money.”
Secretary Yang smiled warmly.
He immediately sensed that Father had misunderstood his meaning.
“Sung-guk’s father, what I mean is that we will allocate the apartment to you free of charge, provided Sung-guk serves as our exclusive model for two years. Of course, you will need to cover the minor taxes involved.”
“Pardon?!”
Father opened his mouth again but could say nothing.
Mother was equally speechless.
I shrugged my shoulders.
[To a conglomerate like Samjeon, one apartment is merely one grain of sand among countless others. Who would notice if one slipped through your fingers?]
I tugged at Father’s collar.
[Mother, Father, stop acting poor and accept it already. This is all thanks to me.]
Min-guk, who had begun crawling about, approached and tapped me with his tiny fist.
[This brat is interfering with my image management in front of adults. Get away.]
I gently pushed Min-guk away with my foot.
Delighted by this, Min-guk opened his toothless mouth wide and laughed.
“Hehehehe.”
[That’s excellent.]
Min-guk would break into a grin whenever he saw me.
[A man shouldn’t smile so freely like that.]
Secretary Yang, who had been watching Min-guk and me, wore a satisfied smile.
“Sung-guk is already taking good care of his little brother.”
Secretary Yang straightened his posture, finished the coffee Mother had brought him, and turned to Father.
Now came the main event.
[Come on, Secretary Yang. Tell us already!]
I urged Secretary Yang forward.
Secretary Yang slid one more brochure toward Father and Mother.
“We originally quoted 150 million won, but you negotiated it down to 100 million. We’d like to give you that 50 million won difference as stock. This is the second gift.”
[Jackpot!]
I leaped from my seat and began doing a little shoulder dance.
[Long live Secretary Yang! No wait—long live Samjeon Electronics! Long-term investment!]
Mother glanced at Father’s expression before speaking quietly.
“The stock will be registered under Sung-guk’s name, correct?”
“Our legal team will handle everything without issue, so please don’t worry about that.”
Father stared intently at Mother.
“So-young, do you know anything about stocks?”
“Not much, but Sung-guk watches the news all the time. Watching it with him, I’ve heard that Samjeon stock is always a must-buy these days.”
[It’s gratifying to see my news education of Mother bearing fruit.]
I quickly patted Mother’s back twice.
Father was the only one looking bewildered.
Secretary Yang gazed at our family with warm satisfaction.
“Mr. Sung-guk’s father, as long as the advertisements don’t overlap with our products, you’re free to take other work, but there is a clause requiring you to consult with us first.”
Samjeon Electronics always included such clauses.
If celebrities indiscriminately took on advertisements, they might end up promoting products that conflicted with or duplicated Samjeon Electronics’ image, diminishing advertising effectiveness.
Father nodded.
“Of course, I understood that from the start. It’s an exclusive modeling contract, after all.”
“Think of it as compensation for the restrictions imposed.”
Secretary Yang smiled benevolently.
“But… this seems too generous. It’s not just the money—an apartment and stock? Even with the restrictions, I’m overwhelmed. Would it be alright if we discussed this among ourselves for a few days?”
“Of course. Would a week be sufficient? We need to film the new product advertisement by early next month at the latest.”
“Yes, we’ll consult quickly and contact you.”
Father bowed respectfully to Secretary Yang as he left.
[My head is spinning.]
I grabbed the bottle beside me and gulped down the milk.
Mother rushed over in alarm.
“Sung-guk, are you hungry? That’s Min-guk’s bottle.”
[I’m not hungry—I’m anxious, Mother. Try to convince Father. Why would he turn down something free?]
Father closed the front door behind him as he entered.
“Honey, did they really say they’d give us the apartment for free?”
“But… Jamsil? I’ve never even been there, and it’s so far from the restaurant. I think we should turn it down.”
Just as I reached for Min-guk’s bottle, the little rascal snatched it away with surprising speed.
[My younger brother remains an eternal rival.]
“Honey, why don’t you consult with Kim Mi-young? She’s Sung-guk’s manager and knows far more about real estate and stocks than we do.”
“Of course. That’s why I didn’t answer right away. Honestly, these large corporations are so massive and intimidating. They wouldn’t just hand over something this valuable to people like us without reason.”
I crossed my arms and nodded in agreement.
[That’s a fair point, Father.]
I found it strange as well.
Even with the contract period shortened and the amount reduced, the deposit was among the highest for baby models, yet they called it a special gift.
Nothing in this world is truly free.
Mother scooped me up, lost in thought as I was.
“Let’s rest today. Tomorrow I’ll meet with your sister and discuss it.”
“Sung-guk, come to Father. You’re getting heavy for Mother.”
Father lifted me effortlessly into the air.
“Were you nervous too, Sung-guk?”
[It wasn’t nervousness—I was contemplating the hidden agenda behind this deal. The Samjeon Group is no ordinary company, Father.]

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————