I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 218
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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 218
Mark’s face showed he was no longer surprised.
“Sung-guk, turning crisis into opportunity—it’s practically become your specialty at this point.”
“Mark, but how are we supposed to get past all those reporters?”
“Hmm… good question.”
Just then, Secretary Park Sung-hee emerged from the doorway, her face still drowsy with sleep.
“What’s all this commotion about so early in the morning?”
“Take a look out the window. Sung-guk’s prediction came true, and it’s absolute chaos out there right now.”
Mark filled her in on the situation outside.
Secretary Park Sung-hee pulled back the curtain and peered out, then let out a low whistle.
“Sung-guk, with that many people out there, shouldn’t you just work from home today?”
I fell into contemplation for a moment.
“But I really should do an interview…”
After all, I’d made such a public statement about this whole situation that it seemed I’d have to give an interview to someone.
“Sung-guk, America’s a capitalist country. You can sell exclusive interviews for premium prices.”
“Mark, that actually sounds pretty good.”
“So you’re really thinking about selling the interview exclusively?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have a network in mind?”
“Why would I need to pick a network? YouTube exists…”
As I shrugged, Mark immediately pressed down on my shoulder as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Sung-guk, no matter how brilliant you are, I know you inside and out—we were high school classmates. I can read your every move.”
Mark grinned widely.
“Mark, you’ve got spinach in your teeth.”
“Really?”
Mark rushed to the mirror, then turned back to me with an angry face.
“Sung-guk!”
Actually, there was no spinach.
I just wanted to mess with Mark. Childishly.
“Mark, you can’t get me like that. Let’s drop it. Mark, who’s the most credible talk show host in America?”
“Probably Daddy King, right?”
“Hmm… Daddy King…”
Daddy King was a legend in talk shows.
From American presidents to various celebrities, he’d interviewed all the major figures across every sector of society.
A meeting between him and me?
The whole world would be shocked!
I posted on FaceNote right in front of the reporters.
– Jeon Sung-guk’s interview will be exclusively released through YouTube very soon.
Once I made it clear that I wouldn’t be giving interviews to anyone else, the comments started pouring in like crazy.
At the same time, looking out the window, I could hear the disappointed sighs of reporters checking my FaceNote on their iPhones.
Some reporters packed up and left, but most remained steadfast, determined to capture at least one photograph.
Mark looked at me with concern.
“Sung-guk, will you be okay staying at home? What if those reporters or some intruder tries to break in?”
“Mark, do you know why I live with Jeon Tae-guk?”
“Well, you combined my room with Mi-mi’s, and Secretary Yang moved out, so there’s extra space.”
“Mark, there’s something you don’t know. Jeon Tae-guk’s Protocol Team monitors our house 24 hours a day. In other words, our home is one of the safest places in the United States.”
“Wow. Sung-guk, you knew that all this time and didn’t tell me or Mi-mi anything?”
Secretary Park Sung-hee asked in surprise as well.
“Sung-guk, how did you even know something like that?”
[Why are they like this? I was a former Samjeon vice chairman. Seriously….]
I crossed my arms.
“Mark, I’ll work from home for a few days. You won’t be able to reach me by phone….”
I suddenly looked at Mark.
“Mark, why don’t we take this opportunity to upgrade the FaceNote messenger function a bit?”
“More than it already is?”
“Yeah. Right now it’s just too simple. For example, the ability to create conversation groups or block people you don’t want to talk to. Let’s refine those features more. So we can showcase them to new investors.”
“So you’re saying I should complete that upgrade within a month or two?”
“Mark, I think you can do it if anyone can… or am I wrong?”
Mark shook his head vigorously.
“Sung-guk, you know you’re a completely ruthless boss, right?”
“Mark, I’ll take that as a compliment. Come on, Mark. Get to work. Let’s eat dinner together here.”
“Got it, got it.”
Mark left the house, and Secretary Park Sung-hee went to the kitchen to brew coffee.
“Sung-guk, when exactly do you sleep?”
“Secretary Park, I slept so much when I was little that I don’t need to sleep anymore now.”
[Back then I was so drowsy all day I thought I’d die. All I did was eat, sleep, and poop. Just three things. I can’t tell you how depressing that was.]
Secretary Park Sung-hee handed me the coffee.
“Oh, Secretary Park. I have a favor to ask.”
“Just tell me what it is.”
“Could you find Daddy King’s contact information through Samjeon for me?”
“So you’re really going to upload the interview with Daddy King to YouTube?”
“I find it uncomfortable when someone monopolizes information. That’s what becomes power and money in this world. If I upload it to YouTube, anyone can easily and conveniently watch my exclusive interview, and everyone shares information freely.”
[And while I’m at it, I’ll promote YouTube too, which is struggling. I own 5% of YouTube, after all!]
* * *
Daddy King’s secretary handed over the phone.
“Daddy, take this call. It’s the FaceNote representative.”
“The FaceNote representative? That person causing all the commotion today?”
“Yes, the call came through Samjeon, a Korean company. I think it’s safe to take it.”
“Hmm…. Give it here.”
Daddy King took the call.
“This is Daddy King.”
– Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk.
“Jeon Sung-guk?! You’re that charming man Ashley Holmes mentioned, aren’t you?”
– More than that, I’m now famous as the man who warned about Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy today.
“Ha ha ha. This guy here. Things must be absolute chaos today, yet you’re calling me of all people?”
– Would you happen to be interested in doing an interview?
“So you’re saying you want to appear on my show?”
– No. I’m planning to produce the interview myself. I need a host, and there’s no one in the United States who does it better than Daddy King.
Daddy King smiled in disbelief.
His show was one where not just anyone could appear in the United States. This young man, proposing a separate interview rather than appearing on his namesake show, suddenly piqued Daddy King’s curiosity.
“Sung-guk, as you know, I’m contracted with SNN. It’s difficult for me to work for another broadcasting station.”
– I’m not planning to release my interview through another broadcasting station, but rather for free on YouTube. Of course, I’ll need to pay Daddy King a appearance fee for hosting my interview.
“You’re releasing it on YouTube instead of a broadcasting station? For free? And you’re producing it yourself?”
Daddy King asked the same question three times in succession, as if he couldn’t believe it. Like an amateur.
And as if the other party understood Daddy King’s thoughts, he answered briefly and concisely.
– Yes.
Daddy King didn’t believe it, but he found himself increasingly curious about what this guy would say next.
“Sung-guk, I don’t do anything on weekends and just rest, but I’d like to meet you. Could you come to my home in Los Angeles?”
– Of course. I’ll visit you this week.
After Daddy King hung up the phone, unable to believe what had just happened, his secretary asked casually.
“Daddy, is that the guy?”
“Yeah. That’s him. This guy’s a lunatic, right?”
* * *
“The VIP has ordered a report on Jeon Sung-guk. Everyone, investigate him thoroughly without missing a single detail.”
The VIP Secretarial Office at Cheong Wa Dae in South Korea was in an uproar.
He had opposed the acquisition of Lehman Brothers, and it had actually gone bankrupt.
It was only natural that the VIP’s attention was entirely focused on this young man named Jeon Sung-guk.
The secretary-general pressed her throbbing temples with her fingers.
“What the hell is this lunatic doing? Is this even a real person’s resume?”
The secretaries began reciting the information they had found one by one.
“Oh my, isn’t this the baby from that movie with five men and a baby?”
“Yeah, that’s right. And he was also a model for Samjeon Electronics.”
“Wow, what? How old was he when he entered Harvard? I entered during my school lunch period. He’s younger than me!”
“That Ashley Holmes woman called him the ‘charming man,’ but wow, what? He’s a minor. And he’s really handsome. He’s 17 in American age… how tall is he exactly?”
The female staff member in the secretarial office kept exclaiming in admiration.
“Did you see the image that went viral? Why is my heart racing? Sir, could I be the one to investigate this guy? I’m quite the fan.”
“I heard he even had a private meeting with the previous president. Anyway, investigate him thoroughly. His family background, his relationships with women, his life in the United States, and so on!”
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
I grabbed my laptop and hurried toward San Francisco Airport.
Mark accompanied me on this trip as well.
“Sung-guk, did you ask Dennis for help?”
“Yeah. Dennis is apparently working as a film crew member in LA these days and writing scripts.”
I had been staying in regular contact with Dennis, my Harvard roommate, through FaceNote all this time.
Dennis had since graduated from Harvard and flown to Hollywood, where he was working on film sets. Of course, he was also diligently revising the screenplay for “The Whip.”
“Since Dennis is an aspiring director, we don’t need to worry about the filming.”
“Daddy King is the problem. A man who’s only hosted talk shows at SNN’s broadcasting station—would he really agree to conduct an interview with kids like us in a situation with just one camera rolling?”
“Sung-guk, that doesn’t sound like you—talking so uncertainly.”
“Mark, even I have moments like this sometimes.”
Honestly, even though I was living a second life, I couldn’t be certain about everything. Especially since this was the United States, and the people I was dealing with were those who moved the entire world.
In times like these, there was only one thing I could trust. Myself!
* * *
“Dennis!!!”
“Sung-guk! Mark!”
Dennis, who had come to pick us up at the LA airport, rushed toward us.
“It’s been forever! Sung-guk, what on earth happened to you in the meantime? You’ve really grown up now.”
[I really can’t hide my birth date from my previous life. They treat me like a kid every day….]
“Mark, you’re living with Mi-mi, right?”
“Yeah. I want to get married, but Mi-mi says I shouldn’t even dream about it until the company goes public.”
“That’s amazing. You two are really incredible!”
Dennis quickly led us to the car he had brought.
“Don’t curse at my car for being shabby.”
“Dennis, we’ve ridden in cars that Mark got scammed on through secondhand deals. Don’t worry.”
Dennis’s car was a used vehicle from quite a while back.
“Dennis, the air conditioning even works! What’s shabby about this car!”
“Mark, seeing you surprised makes me imagine just how shabby the car you bought must be.”
We teased each other as if we’d returned to our school days, heading toward Dennis’s place.
“But you really did arrange to meet Daddy King, right, Sung-guk?”
“Yeah. He told me to come to his house tomorrow. I told him I’d bring you two with me.”
“Actually meeting Daddy King. I couldn’t sleep a wink after hearing what you said, Sung-guk. Hey, should we drive past Daddy King’s mansion in Beverly Hills first?”
“Let’s do it, Dennis. I’m curious about those Beverly Hills mansions.”
Mark enthusiastically agreed.
Dennis turned the steering wheel toward Beverly Hills. It was a place with the grand mansions you only saw in movies.
Mark’s eyes widened in amazement.
“Wow, when will I ever get to live in a mansion like that….”
[Mark, once FaceNote goes public, you’ll live somewhere even better.]
I contentedly drove through Beverly Hills.
Just then, a police car approached from behind with its siren blaring.
Dennis looked at me with a flustered expression.
“It looks like they’re telling us to stop….”
“Dennis, we haven’t done anything wrong. Stop the car.”
As Dennis brought the car to a halt, two burly police officers emerged from the patrol car and approached our vehicle.
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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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