I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 182

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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 182
Mother rushed over with a startled expression and stared at me.
“Sung-guk, what’s your relationship with that woman?”
“Mom, what do you mean by relationship? I’m only fifteen years old.”
“I know you’re fifteen, but how on earth did you manage to get that woman to give an interview like that? Did you two actually meet?”
“Mom, that woman just invited me to a BloodTherapy party, and I went. You know, one of those parties with tons of people. We just had a conversation there.”
I left out the part about eating pizza separately so Mother wouldn’t worry.
But truthfully, as heaven and earth could attest, nothing had happened between Ashley Holmes and me.
In that moment, I glanced at Jeon Tae-guk.
[Could it be… that Samjeon Group made a move with Ashley Holmes to cover up the fact that Jeon Tae-guk gave me a three-hundred-million-won diamond ring?]
Noise is drowned out by noise.
In this current situation, neither Jerry Chang’s investment from Yahoo nor the diamond ring Jeon Tae-guk gave me had become an issue.
The problem was Ashley Holmes’s remarks about me, a minor.
[She called me a man of fatal charm! It’s true that I am a man of fatal charm! But broadcasting that on television is a problem.]
Just then, Father emerged from the room, having finished preparing for work. His face was completely hardened.
“Sung-guk, come by Father’s Restaurant this evening.”
“Yes, Father.”
Father was clearly furious.
Jeon Tae-guk slowly rose from his seat and patted my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, you’re still a man that Ashley acknowledged. I’m jealous—a man of fatal charm.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, I can see you gritting your teeth and holding back your laughter.]
I calmly asked Jeon Tae-guk.
“Hyung, could it be… that Samjeon Group had a hand in this?”
“Hmm… I’ll look into it. But… from what I can see, Ashley Holmes seems to know the media well. Using you, the co-founder of the hot ‘FaceNote’ in America, is better than focusing on Jerry Chang, who was kicked out of Yahoo, or some uninteresting Eastern conglomerate heir.”
[Jeon Tae-guk is pretty sharp, isn’t he?]
Jeon Tae-guk’s analysis helped me calm my anger. Then I looked at Mother.
“Mom, did you hear what Hyung said?”
“Sung-guk, I’m still worried. That woman has been in the news a lot in our country lately. She’s not a strange person, is she?”
“She is strange… but don’t worry. That woman will probably spend the rest of her life dealing with lawsuits and being under police surveillance.”
At that moment, Ji-hee tugged my hand again.
“Ji-hee, what is it?”
“Oppa. A man of fatal charm. What does that mean?”
“Well, that’s…”
Jeon Tae-guk stepped in.
“Ji-hee, it means your oppa is popular with girls.”
“Hmm…”
Ji-hee suddenly stroked her chin and wore a serious expression.
[Ji-hee, why are you suddenly getting so serious?]
Then she looked up at me.
“Oppa, you must never forget that you’re my man.”
“Of course!”
[Once I’ve set up Ji-hee like this, if she goes to some other guy later, I’m going to be absolutely furious….]
* * *
[Mega Hit….]
Bang Mu-hyuk had finally left JP Entertainment and started his own talent agency.
It was a small building in Gangnam.
Min-guk grabbed my hand and pointed to the second-floor window.
“Hyung, it’s over there.”
“Hmm… can a small talent agency like this actually develop proper idols?”
Jeon Tae-guk had followed us all the way here and was grumbling.
“Tae-guk hyung, aren’t you going back to your place?”
[My patience has its limits, Jeon Tae-guk.]
Jeon Tae-guk patted my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, don’t you remember? We made a contract that when Min-guk debuts, he absolutely has to be a model for Samjeon Electronics. He’s a future advertiser, so of course I need to see how systematically well our idol is being trained.”
Min-guk tugged my hand urgently.
“Hyung, I’m going to be late for practice.”
“Let’s go then. But what are you practicing today?”
“The CEO said my voice is deep and stable, so rapping suits me. I’ve been learning rap constantly these days.”
“Show me later.”
“Okay!”
Min-guk nodded confidently.
* * *
“The world’s most charismatic man, Jeon Sung-guk, actually came to this humble place. What an honor!”
“Don’t tease me, PD Bang. Or should I say, CEO now?”
Bang Mu-hyuk greeted me with a smile, noticeably heavier than before.
“Yeah. CEO in name only. I’m pouring all the money I’ve saved into this place. But where’s Min-guk?”
“Min-guk went straight to the practice room.”
“I see.”
Behind me, Jeon Tae-guk was clearing his throat awkwardly, waiting for an introduction.
“CEO, this is Jeon Tae-guk hyung, the heir to Samjeon Group and the one who gave Ashley Holmes a three-hundred-million-won diamond.”
Jeon Tae-guk shot me a glare, but I pretended not to notice.
“Ha ha. Both of you seem to have connections with that Ashley Holmes woman. Nice to meet you. I’m Bang Mu-hyuk. It’s an honor to meet the heir to Samjeon Group.”
“I’ve always had a strong interest in the entertainment industry.”
[He’s probably interested in the women in the entertainment industry.]
While Jeon Tae-guk and Bang Mu-hyuk chatted, I scanned the office.
There were only three employees.
Moreover, all the office furniture appeared to be secondhand.
It was clear to the eye that funding wasn’t flowing smoothly.
“Uncle Mu-hyuk, how are you conducting Min-guk’s lessons?”
“Basically, I have him learn dance, singing, and rap. Lately, Min-guk has shown talent in rap, so I’ve been paying rappers I know hourly rates to teach him. Sniper told me that Min-guk has a gift for writing rap lyrics. He has good sensitivity and writes excellent lyrics.”
[Of course. With an IQ over 160, I should be able to pull off something like this!]
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk, who had been looking at photos of the agency’s artists, smiled faintly.
“You’re preparing a girl group as well?”
“Yes, we’re working on a group right now. Would you like to take a look?”
“Sure, I’d love to.”
Bang Mu-hyuk showed Jeon Tae-guk and me the girl group they were currently preparing.
“It’s a four-member group. Instead of a fairy-like image, we’re going for a girl crush vibe. Strictly mysterious concept.”
[Ah, that legendary group that got buried under the mystery concept…]
Bang Mu-hyuk waited anxiously for our evaluation.
“Sir, you don’t have songs yet?”
“We’re in the middle of recording now. They’re hip-hop based tracks, so they’re on a completely different level from what typical girl groups sing. Just look at the image first. Sung-guk’s a businessman, and this one’s the heir to Samjeon Group, so we all have an eye for these things.”
Bang Mu-hyuk exuded confidence.
[Bang Mu-hyuk, I’d bet my entire fortune that this group will flop.]
I waited subtly for Jeon Tae-guk’s assessment.
Lately, many of Jeon Tae-guk’s actions had been quite sound.
He’d made a deal with me over jjajangmyeon, and this morning he’d accurately grasped Ashley Holmes’s intentions.
After much deliberation, Jeon Tae-guk opened his mouth.
“Hmm… it’s really a rare group these days. They all have great visuals. I really love the girl crush vibe you mentioned, Director Bang. Especially this member here. I quite like her. How should I put it… she seems genuine.”
[Sigh… as expected… Jeon Tae-guk, that’s the member who later tried to extort money from a famous celebrity and ended up dragging the entire group down with her.]
This girl group would become Bang Mu-hyuk’s dark history.
Though Bang Mu-hyuk had invested considerable effort into creating the group, they would disband due to a scandal with a famous celebrity before they could even properly debut.
[Should I tell him or not…]
I hesitated briefly, but I kept my mouth shut.
It was better to experience painful failures early on.
“Sung-guk, what do you think?”
“Well… it seems a bit out of sync with current trends. But let’s trust your instincts for once. There’s no industry where trends change as frequently as entertainment, right?”
Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I took the call and stepped out into the hallway.
The caller was Mark.
“Mark, what’s going on?”
– Sung-guk, have you checked FaceNote lately?
“I’ve been busy since coming back to Korea yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance.”
– Your FaceNote is going absolutely crazy right now.
“Is it because of that charming guy thing or whatever Ashley Holmes mentioned?”
– Obviously.
“I think Samjeon Group paid Ashley Holmes to spread that to cover up Tae-guk’s issue.”
– Really? Then they actually helped us out?
Mark spoke cheerfully.
“What are you talking about?”
– Just check it out. Right now, all kinds of media outlets are calling the company wanting to interview you. The company’s operations are practically paralyzed. Plus, FaceNote traffic has skyrocketed.
If anything, Ashley Holmes’s statement seemed to have created an advertising effect for FaceNote.
“Mark, I’ll set up the interview once I’m back in the United States. Let me know if anything too strange comes out.”
– Got it. Rest well in Korea and come back, alright?
“I’ll get going.”
I hung up the phone.
* * *
“Sir, may I use that computer?”
“Yeah, that’s my computer.”
I accessed FaceNote on Bang Mu-hyuk’s desk computer, but error codes kept appearing.
[Must be because I’m overseas….]
Just then, a message came from Mark.
– Sung-guk, FaceNote is down. I’ll get it back up right away. Thanks to you, we’re hitting record daily sign-ups for FaceNote right now. Looks like we really hit the jackpot.
Jeon Tae-guk, who had come to my side, handed me various photo files transmitted to his phone.
“Sung-guk, it looks like you really need to do a proper clarification interview. These are what Secretary Yang sent from the United States for you to see.”
I read through the articles one by one.
[What? They’re calling me a cougar killer?]
The tabloids were packaging me like some modern-day Casanova.
I quickly urged Mark on.
– Contact me as soon as the site is restored.
– Got it, Sung-guk. Looks like there’s a lot you’ll need to clarify personally… but right now FaceNote is in festival mode. Everyone’s thrilled that we got free advertising without spending a dime.
I rubbed my throbbing forehead.
Just then, Min-guk, who had finished his rap lesson, came rushing into the office.
In his hand were the rap lyrics he’d written today.
“Hyung, want to hear the rap lyrics I wrote today? Teacher Sniper said I wrote it really well.”
“Sure… let me hear it.”
I finally managed to calm down and took a seat.
As Bang Mu-hyuk and Jeon Tae-guk sat down beside me, Min-guk cleared his voice and looked at us.
“The title is about our hyung.”
[Something about this title feels ominous….]
“Hmm. Okay. Then, let me start now.”
Min-guk found his rhythm and began rapping.
“September 12th, 1991. Our hyung, born as the eldest son of a poor family. A family that was poor from childhood. Our hyung, who decided alone to lift it up, carrying all the world’s burdens on his shoulders. Hyung, I’ll succeed and become your support now. Hyung, now lean on me. Hyung, now Min-guk is here!”
My heart clenched.
Min-guk finished his rap, and the eyes of Bang Mu-hyuk, Jeon Tae-guk, and I all grew red, and no one could speak up easily.
[This kid Min-guk, he knew all about hyung’s struggles?]
My heart clenched once more.
Bang Mu-hyuk swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“Min-guk has the ability to write lyrics that move people’s hearts.”
“CEO! I have one more line at the end!”
“Go ahead.”
Bang Mu-hyuk gestured, and Min-guk delivered the final rap with a solemn expression.
“Ashley Holmes even mentioned the charismatic man. But our hyung is a hopeless romantic with zero experience. Hyung, please stop working now. Please, just try dating!”
At that moment, I shot up from my seat.
“Delete the last part!”
* * *
Bang Mu-hyuk lavished praise on Min-guk, saying he showed real potential in diss rap.
Even in the taxi heading to Father’s Restaurant, Min-guk kept spitting out his own rap, so much so that even the taxi driver learned I was the charismatic man Ashley Holmes had mentioned.
I could only sigh deeply as we made our way to Father’s Restaurant.
Since it was past the dinner rush, the restaurant had quite a few empty tables.
I looked at Jeon Tae-guk and Min-guk.
“Tae-guk hyung, the Chairman must have left the country.”
“Let’s grab some ssam first and then check. Min-guk, let’s go in.”
“Yeah, hyung!”
Both my brother from my past life and my brother in this life were truly my rivals.
With heavy steps, I opened the door to Father’s Restaurant.
Judging from Father’s stern expression this morning, I was going to get a thorough scolding today because of the Ashley Holmes situation.

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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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