I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 221

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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 221
Lim Myung-baek?
That was my immediate thought.
[So what? I’m Jeon Sung-guk.]
But I hid my true feelings and deliberately answered the call with studied indifference.
“Yes? Who is this?”
– This is Lim Myung-baek. You don’t know who I am?
[Oh, I know well enough. The man who opened South Korea to American beef imports. The one who sprayed water cannons on protesting citizens….]
I’d never met anyone who asked “don’t you know who I am?” without some ulterior motive.
“My apologies, but I’m in the United States, you see.”
– Ha, that’s true. My mistake for calling someone who’s been living abroad so long.
He was backing down—a clear sign he wanted something from me.
– I’m President Lim Myung-baek.
“Ah, I apologize. I just picked up the phone suddenly. It’s nighttime here.”
– I understand. I’ve been following your news quite closely through various media outlets.
“Thank you.”
I tried to keep the conversation brief and emotionally neutral.
– I called personally because I heard you’ve been bringing honor to our nation.
[It’s not about national honor, Lim Myung-baek. I’m just trying to live well.]
– So here’s what I wanted to ask….
Now Lim Myung-baek was finally getting to his real purpose.
– You predicted this American economic crisis too, didn’t you? I must say, your abilities are truly exceptional. By any chance, do you have a sense of who the next American president will be?
[I’m not a fortune teller. I just know the future.]
I chuckled softly and answered with false modesty.
“I’m not entirely sure myself. But based on current polling and the situation here in the United States, it does appear that Barack Obama is favored to win.”
– I’ve heard that much already. What I mean is…. You seem to have quite a close relationship with Barack. When the American presidency is decided, could you help facilitate the first Korea-U.S. summit meeting?
“Hmm…. As you know, I don’t understand politics very well. I’m just a businessman….”
– Didn’t I start as a businessman before entering politics? There’s a natural connection between the two, you know?
“Let’s wait for the results of the American presidential election first. And if you contact me again, I’ll do my best to help within my capacity.”
I heard laughter through the phone.
– Thank you. In any case, I wanted to have this conversation with you. I’ll contact you when I visit the United States.
“Yes, I understand.”
Click.
The call ended abruptly.
I thought that if I played the role of a bridge between Barack Obama and our government well, I could at least prevent the common people from suffering any disadvantages.
The door creaked open, and Jeon Tae-guk emerged, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
“Sung-guk, you’re still up?”
“I was just about to sleep. How was the recording, hyung?”
“Absolutely fantastic. After passing the first round, everyone’s treating me like some incredible villain…. I guess I’m just naturally cut out for playing the bad guy.”
[It’s not natural talent—that’s just who you are.]
“Hyung, please prepare to find us a new office building.”
“I’ll have the Samjeon people pull out all the stops and get you the finest office building that matches my concept.”
“And don’t forget three months’ worth of rent, sir.”
“Of course! Sung-guk….”
“Yes, hyung?”
“Thank you.”
[He’s not thanking me out of gratitude—he’s helping because he wants to collect that rent.]
But I pretended not to notice.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“The writer mentioned it. He said casting you as the villain would be really interesting.”
[I was trying to keep my left hand from knowing what my right hand was doing… but it’s not that easy.]
“Hyung, you’ll have to do better from now on.”
“Sung-guk, I’m going to make sure people really get to know me with this opportunity!”
Jeon Tae-guk looked fully resolved.
* * *
Morning broke.
Dennis woke me up.
“Sung-guk, get up.”
“Dennis, you know I went to bed late yesterday.”
“I know. But if you go out like this, no matter how handsome you are, the swelling won’t go down and you’ll look bad on camera. Sung-guk, get up and at least run around the neighborhood.”
[Letting this face look ugly on screen would be disrespectful to my parents.]
I jumped out of bed immediately.
Then I headed out for a jog in light clothes.
After running like a madman for thirty minutes, I came back drenched in sweat.
But Dennis applauded.
“Sung-guk, the swelling in your face is completely gone. Go wash up and let’s head to the shoot. The Apple filming crew will be arriving soon and they’ve sent word they’re ready to set up.”
Dennis managed every schedule and situation meticulously.
“Dennis, you’re directing me, right?”
“Sung-guk, I just want my actor to look his absolute best on screen.”
Dennis was truly a born director.
* * *
The FaceNote office was completely prepared for today’s shoot.
People who often came in to work even on weekends were bustling about, but this weekend everyone was given the day off.
Dennis set up the film set according to the layout he’d conceived over several days.
It was arranged so that FaceNote was visible in the background while Daddy King and I faced each other in chairs.
Daddy King arrived at the office earlier than the scheduled shooting time with slow, measured steps.
Daddy King looked around at various things and wore a pleased expression.
“It’s been a while since I’ve shot somewhere other than a studio… it brings back old memories and feels good. Is this the FaceNote office you run?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
I showed Daddy King around the FaceNote office, explaining various parts of it.
“You know, young people these days are different. Your way of thinking is nothing like ours… When you started this business, did you ever imagine it would grow this big?”
“Daddy King, are we starting the interview already?”
“Occupational hazard, I’m afraid.”
Just then, Dennis approached us with an unexpected proposal.
“Daddy King, Sung-guk. The way you two are naturally walking and talking right now—wouldn’t it be better to do the interview like this, moving naturally through the FaceNote office, rather than sitting stiffly in a formal setup? For the important questions, you could sit anywhere in the FaceNote office and have your conversation.”
The Apple film crew nearby heard the suggestion and nodded in agreement.
“That would actually showcase the Apple phone’s strengths better. You know, being able to shoot and edit anytime, anywhere.”
Daddy King smiled warmly.
“I’ll just focus on doing my part in this shoot. The filming suggestions should come from you young people. Now that we’re out of the studio, I want to try something new myself.”
“Daddy King, thank you for understanding. Let me quickly revise the shot list and show it to you.”
“Take your time.”
Daddy King approached the shoot with surprising composure.
Meanwhile, Dennis seemed to be coordinating with the Apple film crew to rework the movement plan.
Daddy King watched the scene with fascination.
“Filming on a phone and uploading it to the internet… I never imagined a world like this would come.”
“Daddy King, you’re opening the first chapter of that era right now.”
“An analog generation opening the door for the digital age? I’m just being carried along by you all.”
“Also… I was thinking it would be good to get some fresh perspectives by connecting with a few people by phone during the interview.”
“Phone connections?”
Daddy King looked at me with a puzzled expression.
This hadn’t been discussed beforehand.
During my call with Lim Myung-baek yesterday, certain people had come to mind.
“The United States is in the middle of a presidential race right now. I thought it would be good to call Barack Obama and hear his thoughts on how to handle this economic crisis.”
“Did Barack agree to do this?”
“Yes. I sent out an SOS, so to speak.”
Given the hamburger diplomacy I’d done for him, Barack Obama couldn’t possibly refuse.
“What about the Republican candidate?”
“Daddy King, wouldn’t it be better to just talk with the winning candidate?”
“My goodness, you’ve thought of everything.”
It was also the reason Barack Obama had accepted the sudden proposal.
Dennis shouted from across the way.
“Daddy King, Sung-guk. We’re almost ready to film. Let’s get set!”
* * *
I stood in front of Dennis’s Apple phone, dressed in my trademark hoodie and jeans.
Daddy King appeared in his trademark necktie and belt.
And then Dennis’s cue finally came.
“Rolling. Action!”
Daddy King naturally extended his hand to me.
“Good to meet you. So you’re the famous Sung-guk.”
“Hello, Daddy King.”
“I feel more like your grandfather than your father. How about you call me Grandpa?”
“My parents are orphans, so would you really become my grandfather?”
“Well… of course.”
The conversation began with my simple backstory.
I started introducing FaceNote according to the script Dennis had handed me.
Daddy King reacted with appropriate admiration as he looked around FaceNote, asking questions without hesitation.
“Why are young people these days so obsessed with SNS?”
“In the past, people only met others within the community or society they belonged to.”
“That’s true.”
“But in the world of SNS, regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, or religion, you can meet new people and understand their thoughts.”
“But that’s not necessarily all good, is it? Before, when I only dealt with people in my community, I didn’t suffer from relative poverty, but now through SNS I see people from different worlds, and I understand what it means to suffer from relative poverty.”
“But just because darkness exists, can we say it was right to cover our eyes and view the world that way?”
“That’s true.”
Daddy King nodded.
“Cut!”
Dennis’s voice rang out.
“Now let’s move on to showing Sung-guk’s office.”
“I’m quite curious about a young CEO’s office.”
Daddy King headed toward my office.
As Daddy King opened the door, he looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.
“Sung-guk, is this really a CEO’s office?”
Of course, Dennis was filming this entire scene.
“Yes, I mainly work here, and I have meetings with Mark and our security chief Lim Mi-mi over lunch.”
“Really?”
Dennis quickly snapped a photo of my office with his phone.
It was a space with just a computer and laptop sitting alone on a wide desk—essentially empty.
“I mainly work here, but I’m out a lot for external work, so it’s often vacant. During those times, employees use it as a meeting space.”
“So it’s your office, but also not your office.”
“That’s a much cooler way to put it, Grandpa.”
I smiled awkwardly and continued introducing FaceNote.
Just then, Charlie Jobs walked over from a distance.
It was one of the scenes we had coordinated beforehand.
“Isn’t that Charlie Jobs?”
As Daddy King greeted him, Charlie Jobs quickly shook his hand.
“I came out to do a mid-check. Grandpa, let’s review the footage together.”
Charlie Jobs watched the footage shot by Apple’s crew and Dennis with his characteristic serious expression, then began pointing out details.
Of course, this was all part of the concept.
“Dennis, from now on, think about the negative space on screen too. The corner of FaceNote here isn’t coming through perfectly.”
“Charlie, this is a scene where we need to focus on the person rather than FaceNote.”
“I know that, Dennis. I just want both the person and the FaceNote logo to come through clearly and sharply!”
After Charlie Jobs finished his pointed critique, the interview resumed.
Daddy King now asked what he truly wanted to know.
“Sung-guk, you predicted the exact date of the American economic crisis triggered by Lehman Brothers. Some people call it prophecy, others call it thorough analysis. I’m incredibly curious how you actually figured this out. Honestly, I think everyone watching this video will be just as curious about it.”
I received the question and adopted a quite serious expression. Then I slowly opened my mouth.
“Daddy, the truth is, I’m someone who came from the future.”
Hearing this, Daddy King was shocked, and Dennis clearly felt flustered as well.
This statement had never been mentioned even once during the pre-interview meeting.

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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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