I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 19

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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 19
I began singing while clapping my hands.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, we love you.”
“Manager Kim, happy birthday.”
Mother and Father sang the rest together.
Father hurriedly placed the cake on the table. A single candle stood atop it.
“We need to light the candle, dear.”
“Yes… yes.”
Father frantically lit the candle.
Kim Mi-young looked at Mother and Father with an astonished expression.
“You mentioned in passing last time that your birthday was a week after Sung-guk’s first birthday celebration. So you said it was wonderful to celebrate it together during his party. Since you couldn’t celebrate your own birthday anyway, you felt like you got to have a birthday too while celebrating someone else’s.”
[Ah. So that’s why she brought meat to my first birthday party.]
I had long wondered about Kim Mi-young’s actions that day.
Now the mystery was finally solved.
“Well, but still…”
Kim Mi-young’s voice wavered slightly.
[Why get so moved over something so trivial? This cake is from the bakery across the street. It didn’t cost much.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Before I knew it, one hand was already reaching for the boiled pork belly.
[They say the body remembers flavors.]
I put a piece of the tender boiled pork that Father had prepared into my mouth and savored it.
“Manager, make a wish and blow out the candle.”
“Thank you so much. Both of you. And Sung-guk too.”
[Well, of course you should be grateful. My modeling fees are no joke, and I even sang for you myself. Manager Kim, you owe me your loyalty from now on.]
Kim Mi-young closed her eyes and blew out the candle with a whoosh.
At the same moment, Mother and Father burst into enthusiastic applause.
Min-guk giggled away, oblivious to everything.
I pushed the bottle into Min-guk’s mouth.
[You and I should just keep quiet and eat peacefully—that’s how we help Mom and Dad. Got it, Jeon Min-guk?]
Whether Min-guk understood or not, he sucked on the bottle contentedly.
“Sister, please eat.”
“Thank you so much. After my parents passed away, my friends looked after me, but once I got married… it became hard to even see their faces. After that, I gave up on birthdays and everything else.”
“Sister, from now on we’ll take care of you.”
“Just hearing that means so much. Please, eat.”
Everyone began eating.
Once Mother and Father had a drink, they started exchanging awkward stories—who made the first move in their relationship, or who was more popular before marriage.
[Sigh, people in their twenties are still just children, really.]
I rolled over and patted Min-guk’s belly as he finished his bottle and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
[Sleep now, little rival. Once you’re asleep, I get to rest in Mother’s arms tonight.]
Pat, pat.
Min-guk’s eyes gradually closed.
I could see his dark eyelashes trembling softly.
His small nose, like a single garlic clove, and his pouting lips were quite adorable.
[He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?]
I snapped back to my senses.
This kid could become a rival who might one day covet all the wealth I’ve built.
[Get a grip, Jeon Sung-guk.]
* * *
While Mother and Father went out to buy more beer, Kim Mi-young and I were left alone.
Since Min-guk was sleeping, I didn’t count him as being there.
I noticed Kim Mi-young’s eyes were slightly reddened.
Then she looked at me intently.
“Sung-guk.”
[Why are you calling me?]
“To be honest, I really disliked your parents at first. Young people without any sense of responsibility, living in a cramped one-room apartment and carelessly having a child. What would happen to the kids? That’s what I thought deep down.”
[I thought the same way.]
I nodded vigorously.
“But your parents are truly good people. Despite their poverty, they don’t waste money on frivolous things for your sake, and they save every penny you’ve earned. Sung-guk, you’ve really been blessed with wonderful parents.”
Kim Mi-young seized the moment when no one was around to bare her heart.
Of course, I understood everything she was saying.
When I was first born into this impoverished household, all I saw was despair.
A five-pyeong one-room apartment with parents who were orphans.
A kitchen assistant job with an uncertain future.
South Korea was no longer a land of possibility.
It was a country where the spoon you were born holding determined your entire life, and their future seemed predictable without even looking.
That was life. That was reality.
But these people were different.
They wrapped me in love and treated me with genuine sincerity.
Is this what real parents are like?
I fell into thought.
Kim Mi-young, slightly tipsy, poked my cheek.
“Sung-guk, let’s only be happy from now on. Don’t forget about me.”
[Of course I won’t forget. Manager Kim, I have one principle. I never betray those who extend their hand to me first. You’re the only person in this world besides Mother and Father who reached out to me first. So let’s do well going forward. Our beginning may be humble, but our end will be glorious. Just wait and see.]
I extended my small hand forward.
Kim Mi-young, not understanding, firmly grasped my hand.
[Contract complete!]
I grinned widely.
* * *
Jeon Sung-guk, exclusive model for Samjeon Electronics!
An unprecedented offer!
They graced the front pages of every major newspaper.
To gauge who was most popular during this period, one only needed to check the newspaper stands.
My name—three characters written in bold clarity—was displayed there.
Mother beamed as she spotted my name in the sports section, gently stroking my head.
“Sung-guk, I’ll keep this safe. When you grow up and learn to read, I’ll show you this front-page sports article about you.”
[I can already read, Mom. And trust me, bigger headlines are coming. Just not scandals, okay?]
I broke into a bright smile.
“Come on, Sung-guk. We need to head to the film set. Shall we get ready?”
Okay!
Mother quickly washed my face and dressed me.
“Sung-guk’s grown so much—I really need to buy him new clothes. This one should go to Min-guk now.”
Mother murmured as she noticed my undershirt riding up past my wrists.
Just then, there was a knock at the front door.
“Oh, it must be the unni.”
Mother quickly opened the door.
Kim Mi-young entered carrying a large shopping bag.
“Sung-guk’s mother, please dress Sung-guk in these.”
“What is this?”
“We received sponsorship for children’s clothing. There are no broadcast exposure conditions or anything like that, so I brought a few sets.”
I immediately crawled toward the shopping bag.
Mom, you should know—when I was a conglomerate heir, I was a total fashionista. I even made the list of well-dressed executives.
“Hnngh!”
I gathered all my strength and flipped the shopping bag over.
The French chic-style children’s clothing suited my taste quite well.
Today I’d wear this shirt with jeans.
I tossed the shirt and pants I liked onto the floor.
[Mom, I’m wearing these.]
Mother quickly picked me up.
“Unni, is it really okay to just wear them like this?”
“I’ve checked several times, and they said it’s just a sponsorship. If Sung-guk’s photo gets taken while you’re out, that’s great, but it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t.”
I quickly checked the brand.
Petit Cochon. A baby pig? I’ll remember that.
“We were going to buy Sung-guk clothes anyway, so this works out perfectly.”
Mother quickly dressed me in the outfit I’d chosen.
“Sung-guk has good taste in clothes too.”
Kim Mi-young patted my back.
“By the way, Sung-guk’s mother, today’s filming seems to be with the Just members.”
“Really?”
Mother’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
When the Just filming ended, Mother was the one who felt most disappointed.
“Sung-guk’s mother, you’re excited about seeing Beom-seon, aren’t you?”
“Sister, is it that obvious? Beom-seon is really such a genuine person, and so handsome.”
Mother’s lips curved upward continuously.
Mother was a woman too, after all.
[Mother, I’ll introduce you to even more impressive people in the future. Keep your dignity.]
I patted Mother’s back.
* * *
It was the Samjeon Electronics Advertisement Studio, which I was visiting for the first time in half a year.
It was only natural that my status had changed in those six months.
A private waiting room with a nameplate reading “Jeon Sung-guk” had been prepared, and inside were all sorts of fruits and snacks that I enjoyed.
Mother offered me a banana.
“Sung-guk, let’s eat a banana.”
“No thanks.”
I shook my head vigorously.
It would be troublesome if my face puffed up before filming.
“Sung-guk, you need to eat something before filming.”
[Mother, I’m a professional. I photograph better when I look gaunt.]
Only Min-guk, who had come along for filming, was eagerly munching on snacks.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
At the sound of knocking, all the members of Just entered the waiting room.
“Sung-guk!”
Lucas, whose muscles had grown even larger in the time we hadn’t seen each other, rushed in and lifted me up.
“Sung-guk, you’ve gotten so heavy.”
[Of course. I’m fifteen kilograms now.]
Tae-hyung, the leader, quickly took me into his arms.
“Jeon Sung-guk, you little blessing. Sung-guk, the song you picked, ‘It’s a Lie,’ has been number one for five consecutive weeks.”
[Why thank me for something like that.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Lucas pinched my cheek lightly.
“This guy’s so smug. Sung-guk, didn’t you miss your hyungs?”
Hehe.
I smiled ambiguously.
When it was difficult to answer, smiling solved everything.
“You did miss us?”
“Yes!”
[There, I answered. Happy now?]
Beom-seon took me from Lucas’s arms.
“Sung-guk, you’re really heavy now. Since we’ve gotten so many number ones thanks to you, what’s your favorite thing? Should I buy it for you?”
[Land and stocks. How about buying me those?]
“What are you muttering about, you little rascal.”
Jae-hyun leaned in from beside me, his face somehow even more beautiful than before.
The Assistant Director entered.
“We’ll do a rehearsal in thirty minutes.”
“Yes!”
I raised my hand eagerly along with Just.
As the leader, Tae-hyung went over to Mother and explained today’s shoot to her.
“Mother, you’ve seen the storyboard, right?”
“Yes.”
“We’re supposed to play around with Sung-guk and mess up the living room, then clean it up with a Samjeon Electronics vacuum cleaner.”
“Please take good care of Sung-guk.”
“We need to make a good impression on Sung-guk. After all, we’re only doing this commercial because of him.”
I nodded in agreement.
Since I had signed an exclusive model contract first, and then Just signed afterward, all of this was thanks to me.
But I didn’t see Michael.
“By the way… where’s Michael?”
Kim Mi-young read my mind and looked for Michael.
“Actually, Michael has decided to leave Just.”
Really?
That was quite surprising.
From what I remembered, Michael left Just after their third album.
“The music we want to make just doesn’t match with what he wants to do, so he consulted with the company and decided to leave. The announcement will come out next week, but since the commercial airs next month, we decided to film it with just us.”
“Oh, what a shame.”
Mother looked disappointed.
[Mother, we don’t need Michael.]
I felt as relieved as if I’d finally lost a troublesome tooth.
One of the things most demanded of South Korean businesspeople and entertainers was morality. Michael was someone who lacked that entirely.
“Wow, it’s been so long!”
Director Kwak, who had overseen my first Samjeon Electronics commercial, approached to embrace me.
He had grown more facial hair and gained a bit of weight since I’d last seen him.
[Director, no matter how much you stand behind the camera, you really should go on a diet.]
“This Sung-guk, still chattering away like always—he sure talks a lot.”
“Hello.”
I greeted the director with a clumsy three-year-old’s pronunciation and a deep bow.
“My goodness, your speech has really improved so much.”
The director’s gaze shifted to Min-guk, who was crawling around.
“So this must be Sung-guk’s younger brother.”
“Yes. This is Min-guk.”
“The younger brother takes after your parents too—he’s quite handsome.”
[Director, but he’s still not as good-looking as me, right?]
“If the opportunity comes up, you should have Sung-guk’s brother try this line of work too.”
The Director broke into a broad grin as he looked at Min-guk.
I studied Min-guk carefully as he sucked on a candy, his cheeks working steadily.
His features weren’t quite as refined as mine.
He still seemed a bit dim-witted, but when he grinned widely like that, he was almost passable.
He didn’t possess my star quality, but he wouldn’t be terrible as a child model either.
Could someone with a mediocre mind still make a living off their face?
“Hmm.”
As I stroked my chin thoughtfully, Director Kwak looked at me with sudden interest.
“Sung-guk, could you do that pose again?”
This?
I stroked my chin while adopting a serious expression.
“Yes! That’s it, Sung-guk! You can do this pose in front of the camera later, right?”
[Is that even a request, Director? I’m Jeon Sung-guk.]
Director Kwak’s voice grew louder.
“When we shoot the messy living room scene, this pose will be perfect. Alright, we’re rolling in 10 minutes. Everyone, get ready!”
The Director hurried out of the Waiting Room.
I quickly looked in the mirror and stroked my chin with my fingers.
[I’ve got this one down.]
In truth, this was my signature pose from my days as a tycoon.
A photograph of me doing this at a parliamentary hearing during those days had once flooded the internet.
Contemplative Chairman Jeon Sung-guk, Chairman Jeon Sung-guk suppressing a smile, Chairman Jeon Sung-guk applying lip balm—all sorts of ridiculous captions had been attached to my poses, and they’d become a trend.
I glanced one last time in the mirror and flashed my signature pose.
[Perfect as always. Now, let’s get this shoot started!]

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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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