I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 217

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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 217
The weekend before Lehman Brothers’ collapse was no different from any other.
The weather in Silicon Valley remained pleasant, and Mark and Lim Mi-mi wouldn’t give me a moment alone.
Lim Mi-mi had brought seaweed soup again.
“Lim Mi-mi, how much seaweed soup did you make?”
“I grew up in North Korea without eating it, so whenever I cook, I end up making too much.”
I shook my head.
“Lim Mi-mi, in South Korea, we eat seaweed soup on birthdays, but never when something important is happening. It symbolizes slipping.”
Mark looked at me in surprise.
“Sung-guk, so… the stocks might slip just like your prediction?”
“Mark, that’s just a saying. Seaweed soup is superstition, but my analysis is science.”
“Anyway, you’re so full of yourself. Sung-guk, what are you doing this weekend? Mi-mi and I are planning to go camping.”
“I don’t want to be a third wheel between a couple.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Mark stuck his tongue out playfully.
“Boss, if you have nothing to do, come with us. There’s no internet, and it’s really great for relaxing.”
“Jeon Tae-guk is busy with filming. This is the only time I can finally be alone, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
“You’re quite unique, boss.”
“Mi-mi, leave him be. Sung-guk being weird isn’t something new.”
Mark ate the seaweed soup quite well.
I gazed out the window for a moment.
Everything was peaceful.
As if nothing would happen come Monday.
Mark suddenly looked at me.
“Sung-guk… but will a massive crisis really come on the 15th like you said? With everything so ordinary like this, according to you, it’s like a nuclear bomb flying from Russia—a crisis of that magnitude. Suddenly… is such a thing even possible in this day and age?”
Just as Mark said, many people didn’t believe my analysis or the concerns raised by some financial publications.
“Mark, people fall into trouble not because they don’t know something, but because of the illusion that they know something for certain. Mark Twain said that.”
“So you’re saying we’re all under the illusion about America’s current economic situation?”
“All the economic indicators show it, but no one even thinks banks could go bankrupt.”
Mark fell silent for a moment.
“Like how I thought Nokia, an analog phone company, would continue to survive even as the world was changing?”
“Mark, you finally get it?”
“No! Sung-guk, if Nokia actually makes a comeback, I don’t know what I’ll do to you.”
“Both of you, stop arguing and just eat! We’ll see when Monday comes.”
I began eating the seaweed soup Lim Mi-mi had made.
Then my phone rang.
It was Jeon Tae-guk.
– Sung-guk, we’re selling bulgogi at the food truck… but our team is selling the least. What should we do?
“Did you promote it properly?”
– We walked around the streets handing out flyers and everything.
“It’s the weekend. Who’s going to see a flyer and come in? That’s exactly what Twitter and FaceNote are for.”
– Ah, that’s right! Thanks, Sung-guk!
[Jeon Tae-guk really is a handful….]
* * *
September 15th, 2008. 2 AM.
I waited for this historic moment with my eyes wide open.
The moment Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. And… the United States would plunge into chaos on this historic day.
The internet was silent.
As if nothing had happened, the American presidential election dominated the conversation.
Click.
The front door opened and Jeon Tae-guk and Secretary Park Sung-hee entered with exhausted faces after finishing their shoot.
“Sung-guk, you haven’t slept yet?”
“No, I was just about to. Did you finish filming, hyung?”
“Sung-guk, thanks for everything first. I barely avoided last place, but the team members were attacking me so much that we got into a fight.”
“What were they criticizing?”
“I’m going to shower and sleep. Ask Secretary Park Sung-hee for the rest.”
Jeon Tae-guk entered his room with an utterly exhausted expression.
Secretary Park Sung-hee explained what followed.
“You were so bulldozer-like with the bulgogi that you almost came in last place. You barely survived thanks to SNS promotion. But that promotion wasn’t even your idea—you asked the idea man from Samjeon Group for help. You got attacked pretty hard.”
“How did Tae-guk hyung respond?”
“He basically shouted that it was thanks to him that you didn’t get eliminated, so you should be grateful.”
That was so typical of Jeon Tae-guk.
It seemed Jeon Tae-guk would solidify his position as the clear villain of this season of The Intern.
Then, a fun idea suddenly occurred to me.
I quickly sent a message to Elizabeth Brown, the main writer of The Intern.
– Sorry for the early morning. What if it’s revealed that Jeon Tae-guk, the villain of this season, actually planted a spy among the writer group, and he gets eliminated midway for unfair play?
Of course, we’d need a stand-in to play the spy role. Jeon Tae-guk bribed an insider with money.
Although he gets eliminated because of this, he could dramatically rejoin through a loser’s bracket in the second half, radiating villain energy and dying a glorious death.
To build up this setup, make sure to capture scenes of Jeon Tae-guk frequently contacting someone on his phone during the project. And I think one episode should be structured so he can’t use his phone at all.
– Sung-guk, I was still awake working on the script. In this season of The Intern, it’s you, not Donald, who’s really making and breaking Jeon Tae-guk. I like this idea. It seems like it’ll add more dramatic fun. Have a good night, Sung-guk!
I checked the reply and lay down in bed. Then I closed my eyes.
* * *
September 15th, 2008. Monday.
A loud alarm sound?
Was this a phone call?
My eyes snapped open.
7 AM.
My phone was ringing frantically.
I barely reached out and checked the number. It was an unknown number.
After I declined, another call came in from somewhere else. Also an unknown number.
On top of that, dozens of messages had come in, but most were interview requests from media outlets.
I turned off my phone and opened FaceNote on my laptop.
The post I’d made had already become a sacred text, spreading everywhere, and the comments were countless.
I went to the living room and turned on the TV, where the news anchor was showing Lehman Brothers employees packing up and leaving.
The day had finally arrived.
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.
The doorbell started ringing, and Mark shouted from outside.
“Sung-guk, open the door quick!”
I opened the door and Mark rushed inside.
“Mark, wasn’t it good that we sold the Nokia stock?”
“Sung-guk, that’s not the problem right now!”
“Isn’t it a problem that everything I said turned out to be true?”
“There are reporters camped outside the condo trying to interview you!”
“What?”
I lifted the curtain slightly and looked out the window.
News vans and reporters filled the road below the condo, waiting for me.
[This is getting messy….]
Of course, I’d anticipated that interviews and coverage would pour in endlessly. But I hadn’t expected them to set up camp right outside my home.
“They’re probably camped outside the FaceNote office too, right?”
“Obviously. Sung-guk, what are you going to do now? The internet is going crazy with ridiculous rumors that you stole some kind of confidential information, or that you’re possessed by a demon. No, wait—you’re a prophet sent from heaven. It’s absolute chaos. What are you really going to do, Sung-guk?”
“Hmm… I didn’t think about this.”
“Really? So you have no plan?”
“Mark, I can’t turn my phone on right now. I need to contact Peter. Can I borrow your phone?”
“Oh, here….”
Mark quickly handed me his phone.
I called Peter using Mark’s phone.
Peter answered right away.
– Mark! I’ve been trying to reach Sung-guk, but….
“Peter, it’s me.”
– Sung-guk!
“Peter, I had no choice—too many calls were coming in.”
– Well, you caused quite a stir. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is to tell you that the situation is changing!
“Are the investors who withdrew coming back?”
– Exactly! Sung-guk, crisis has become opportunity.
Crisis became opportunity?
No, this was the perfect chance to filter out investors who could betray us at any moment.
– Sung-guk, are you listening? You no longer need to drain your personal funds to survive. Sung-guk, isn’t this wonderful?
“Peter, I’m going to clean house with all the investors who turned their backs on us this time.”
– What?
Mark, standing beside me, was equally shocked and repeated Peter’s question.
“What did you say, Sung-guk?”
Peter’s voice came through the phone.
– Sung-guk, you need to think rationally. Investors are just like that. When they see money won’t be made, they disappear. Using them well is how we increase our own value, isn’t it?
Peter was now coaxing me like I was a baby.
[Peter, why are you like this? I used to be a tycoon.]
I had no intention of backing down.
“Peter, I don’t expect loyalty from investors. But I believe mutual trust is absolutely necessary. Those who believed in me and waited will receive greater profits. Those who didn’t should face the consequences. I think we need to show this to other investors as well.”
– Sung-guk, but….
I cut Peter off.
“Peter, if there’s no trust and faith between a company and its investors, those investors can put me in danger again at any time. I oppose reinvestment from those who turned their backs. Mark would agree with me. Isn’t that right, Mark?”
Mark nodded at my question and spoke into the phone.
“Peter, Sung-guk is right about this. Sung-guk sold all his shares because of this situation, and so did I. Peter, we’re clever enough to survive without accepting those who abandoned us in a crisis!”
Mark was clearly furious about this situation too.
I continued speaking to Peter.
“Peter, even if they don’t come back, my value and FaceNote’s value will only rise from this, and investors will naturally flock to us. Peter, just prepare to separate the wheat from the chaff.”
– Sung-guk, I understand what you’re saying. I respect both of your opinions. But it’ll take a good two or three months for the investor base to turn over. You know that, right?
“Of course. We can hold out for that long. Peter, FaceNote isn’t that fragile. Oh, and please leak this to the media.”
– So you’re saying you won’t accept back the investors who turned their backs and will survive on your own strength?
“Yes…. Even if opportunistic investors abandon us, FaceNote will remain strong, and we won’t take back those who betrayed us. I’m going to show this to everyone this time!”
* * *
Peter fully accepted our position and hung up the phone.
[Those bastards who stabbed us in the back could do it again anytime….]
Mark looked at me with an uncomfortable expression.
“Sung-guk, do you think we can make it through this?”
“Mark, don’t worry. I’m here. Oh, I need to make one more call.”
“Okay….”
I immediately called Tim Burton, the director of The Intern.
– Sung-guk, I saw the article. It’s huge! The genius behind FaceNote made such an accurate analysis of America’s economic situation and even predicted what would happen… Our spinoff will be a massive hit the moment we start filming! Definitely!
“Tim.”
I called to him in a measured voice.
Tim must have sensed something in my tone because his excited voice died down.
– Sung-guk, tell me what conditions you want.
[As expected, these broadcasting people….]
I stated my conditions directly.
“Raise my appearance fee to match Donald Trumpet’s.”
There was a brief silence before Tim Burton finally spoke.
– Sung-guk, I’ll make a positive appeal to the broadcasting station!

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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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