I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 172

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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 172
Marshall Islands.
A place with an unfamiliar name.
An island nation where few people even knew its location.
Elon, the team leader of SpaceZ, and team members all in their twenties had gathered here.
Honestly, the moment I set foot on this land for the first time, I had one thought.
[This is a disaster….]
The tropical rainforest climate.
The wind blowing from the sea was hot and humid.
Elon scratched at his receding hairline and introduced SpaceZ to me.
“This is the cheapest place to launch spacecraft, you see.”
“Elon, if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean nobody comes all the way out here to launch spacecraft?”
“As expected… Sung-guk, you have a sharp eye for these things.”
Elon chuckled awkwardly and led me to SpaceZ’s office located at the space launch facility.
“The dormitory is right next to the office, and the office is right next to the dormitory. Well, think of it as a structure where you wake up and immediately get to work. Sung-guk, as you know, both I and all our employees have staked our lives on this place. In return, I’ve promised to give proper compensation to everyone who suffers here when we succeed.”
[I know you took care of the stock options properly, Elon.]
I pushed through the oppressive heat and entered the office.
The employees all looked like castaways, with thick beards and bare chests, sitting in front of their computers.
A man who appeared to be the team leader glanced at Elon and me. His face was etched with exhaustion, but the moment he saw me, color returned to his expression.
“Elon, did you bring another new member?”
“Tom, not a new member yet….”
“Then?”
“Just someone who’s very interested in our SpaceZ. By the way, you know FaceNote, right?”
At that moment, a red-haired employee who had been hunched over his computer suddenly jumped to his feet. Then he stared at me intently.
“Wait… Could it be… Could it be Jeon Sung-guk?”
“You know me?”
“Wow. It really is! Of course only I would know. Every time I get depressed here, FaceNote is what I look at. I can see at a glance how my friends are living. By the way, should I show you my FaceNote too? Or… will you be my friend?”
“Jim, slow down. Let’s talk about that later.”
Elon restrained the red-haired Jim.
But because of what Jim said, I could feel all the employees’ gazes pouring toward me.
Tom scratched his oily hair and looked at me.
“I don’t use it, but Jim’s always going on about FaceNote. Are you some kind of internet star? I mean, just looking at your face, you probably are popular. Elon, we don’t need an internet star, do we?”
I could see Jim’s hips squirming. He raised and lowered his hand several times before he couldn’t hold back anymore and blurted something out.
“Tom, Sung-guk is an internet star too.”
“Jim, stop it. This young man will speak for himself.”
Tom spoke with a hint of irritation.
It seemed I needed to step in.
I extended my hand to Tom.
“Hello. I’m Jeon Sung-guk, founder of FaceNote. I’m friends with Elon. In exchange for listening to him complain, I’m receiving Tesla stock.”
Tom looked genuinely surprised.
“You’re here to listen to Elon’s complaints?”
Elon laughed and gripped my shoulder firmly.
“Sung-guk, there’s no need to say such things. Anyway, Tom. Sung-guk and I are friends. Age doesn’t matter between us. The reason Sung-guk came here is simply because he has tremendous interest in SpaceZ.”
“Ah… I see. I know it’s rude to ask on first meeting, but I genuinely can’t gauge your age. How old are you?”
“I just turned thirteen after my birthday.”
“What?!”
Tom’s face was one of disbelief.
Jim finally unleashed a barrage of information about me.
“And he was the prom king at Phillips Academy and a Harvard student!”
“Good heavens. I thought only Elon was a genius, but here’s another one.”
“Tom, he’s just as crazy as I am.”
“Of course. That’s why he flew all the way here from the States at the end of the year to see SpaceZ.”
Tom shook his head in amazement.
Elon rubbed his hands together and looked at the employees.
“Since we have a guest this evening, let’s all gather and enjoy some good food. I’m sorry we couldn’t spend Christmas together.”
“Elon and everyone at SpaceZ. Please allow me to treat you all to dinner as a gesture of greeting! And drinks too, even though I can’t have any myself!”
The SpaceZ employees erupted in wild cheers at my words.
* * *
As night fell, the temperature dropped and the heat subsided.
The humid breeze now felt refreshingly cool.
As the employees skillfully lit the fire pit, a rattling truck arrived and unloaded various meats, seafood, and alcohol.
Tom approached me.
“This place obviously doesn’t feel like America. Whenever we need something, we ask the local residents and they deliver supplies like this. Thanks to you, we’ll have a proper feast for once.”
“Tom, how long have you been here?”
“We haven’t been here that long. About three months. We moved here to prepare for our first launch next year, and if that succeeds, we’ll all be able to escape this Marshall Islands.”
[Tom, you have no idea those three months will become three years….]
I smiled bitterly.
Elon gestured as he lit the barbecue grill.
“Come on, Tom. Help me with this.”
“Got it!”
As Tom hurried over, the red-haired Jim appeared beside me.
Jim had red hair with freckles densely covering his face, and he wore large horn-rimmed glasses.
“Sung-guk, I’m a huge fan of yours. I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you like this.”
“I’m not really a star.”
“Come on. I’ve read every single post on your FaceNote from the beginning. And honestly, the reason I joined SpaceZ was because of you.”
Jim continued speaking enthusiastically.
“I wanted to do what you do—create something from nothing. The conditions at SpaceZ weren’t great, but after reading your FaceNote, I decided to dedicate my twenties to achieving what no one else has accomplished. And now Sung-guk is interested in SpaceZ too. I have a feeling my choice wasn’t wrong.”
[You’ll need to wait and endure a long time to prove that….]
Jim handed me a beer.
“I know you don’t drink because you’re underage. But this is the Marshall Islands. Everyone drinks here.”
“It’s fine. I prefer water.”
I declined politely.
Jim laughed awkwardly.
“Did I talk too much?”
“Not at all. I’d love to chat with you more at leisure.”
“Oh, I haven’t shown you my FaceNote yet. Would that be alright?”
“We have time before dinner, so please show me.”
Jim led me to his desk in the office.
Then he showed me his FaceNote on the computer.
“I post about my daily life here… but all I ever do is fish.”
Indeed, Jim’s FaceNote was filled with nothing but various tropical fish.
Still, there was a relationship status displayed.
“Jim… it looks like you’re in a relationship?”
“Yes. She’s an alumna from Northwestern Polytechnic. She’s working in Silicon Valley now, and she actively supported me joining SpaceZ. When I told her I was moving to the Marshall Islands, she said she’d wait for me.”
[She probably didn’t expect it would take three years….]
I took a sip of cold water.
Jim talked endlessly about how he met his girlfriend, how they started dating, and how much he loved her.
“Sung-guk, I’m sorry. I talk too much, don’t I? The truth is, I only ever talk to fish, so whenever I see a person, the words just pour out.”
“It’s fine.”
Fortunately, Elon’s shout that the meat was ready came at just the right moment.
* * *
After dinner, Elon and I took a brief walk along the beach.
“Sung-guk, can I ask what you think of SpaceZ now that you’ve seen it firsthand?”
“Hmm… it’s less like hell and more like the military.”
“The military?”
“Every South Korean man has to serve in the military when they become adults as a national duty. When you join the military, everyone spends a certain period living communally. Of course, they’re not conducting research to launch rockets like the SpaceZ employees, but the structure is similar.”
Elon clapped his hands together.
“That’s awesome! So our SpaceZ employees are like a special forces unit—gathered from only the most exceptional talents among soldiers.”
[He sure does have a way of spinning things….]
Elon smiled broadly.
“Sung-guk, I still think about that young kid I met at the expo venue who told me to invest in electric vehicles. Do you really have an interest in SpaceZ?”
“Of course. But I don’t think there’s much for me to do here.”
I spoke honestly.
[I’m a humanities major, after all….]
There wasn’t much a humanities major could do among engineers gathered to launch rockets.
Besides, I couldn’t remain trapped on these Marshall Islands until SpaceZ successfully launched its rocket in 2008.
Elon nodded at my words.
“You’re too talented to be stuck here, Sung-guk.”
“Instead, Elon, I’d like to become an investor in SpaceZ.”
Elon hesitated slightly.
Among the three companies Elon had invested in—including Tesla and SolarUniverse—SpaceZ was the venture he cherished with an almost obsessive perfection.
Because of this, he had carefully selected investors, and as a result, Elon’s stake in SpaceZ exceeded 50%.
It reflected Elon’s unwavering determination to wield absolute authority over this enterprise.
Elon’s face bore the expression of someone struggling to reach a decision.
“Sung-guk, since you’re the one I vent to, I’ll be honest with you. I consider SpaceZ to be another version of myself. That’s why I haven’t taken on additional investors yet and I’m pouring every last penny of my fortune into it. Truthfully, I simply cannot place myself under anyone else’s control.”
[Hmm… He really is a magnificent madman, Elon.]
I listened to Elon’s words in silence.
“Sung-guk, could you give me a little time to think things through?”
“Of course. I’d like to stay here for a while and get to know SpaceZ better myself.”
“Sung-guk, this place is hell, but when you look up at the sky like this, it’s also heaven.”
Elon tilted his head back, gazing up at the night sky.
Countless stars shimmered above us.
“When we finally reach that universe, it’ll probably feel just like entering heaven. I truly want to reach heaven.”
[Elon. You’ll achieve that dream, I’m certain of it!]
* * *
A week in the Marshall Islands.
Each morning when I woke, I would take the fishing rod Jim had lent me and spend the entire day pulling fish from the beach.
Before long, my FaceNote feed, much like Jim’s, had become filled with tropical fish.
Mark, in particular, left mocking comments as if to show off.
– Sung-guk, have you decided to become a fisherman?
– You haven’t been stranded on some island in the Pacific, have you? At least the island has internet, so that’s something.
– Sung-guk, stop playing Robinson Crusoe and come back. We can still take you in.
[Mark, it seems you miss me….]
I chuckled softly and cast the fishing rod out again.
Just then, a notification sounded from the laptop I had brought.
It appeared something had been updated on Jim’s FaceNote.
I quickly checked Jim’s FaceNote.
What was this?
Jim’s heart icon was shattered.
[Wait, did he break up with the girlfriend who supported him so much?]
I hastily checked Jim’s Girlfriend’s FaceNote.
There was a photo of Jim’s Girlfriend holding hands affectionately with an unfamiliar man.
An ominous feeling began to creep over me.
At that moment, I heard Tom’s voice calling for me from a distance.
“Sung-guk! Sung-guk! Have you seen Jim?”
[Damn it…]
Elon’s special forces operative had deserted because of love.
Elon came rushing out urgently as well.
“Sung-guk, have you seen Jim?”
“I haven’t seen him except when he lent me a fishing rod this morning. Elon, it looks like Jim’s Girlfriend just notified him of their breakup.”
“This is troublesome… Sung-guk, help us out. We absolutely must find Jim. He’s one of our core researchers!”
“Elon, I’ll help you find Jim. In exchange, accept me as an investor.”
Elon looked momentarily taken aback, but then he gripped my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, are you confident you can find Jim?”
“You said all South Korean men must serve in the military. When girlfriends have a change of heart, desertion happens fairly often in the South Korean military.”
[Elon, truthfully, I have no confidence. I was a former chaebol, so I was exempt from military service.]
But regardless, I had to find Jim by any means necessary!

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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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