I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 225

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 225
After Adam left, Mark gripped my shoulder firmly.
“Sung-guk, that was awesome!”
[When I’m cool, I’m a cool person.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Lim Mi-mi grabbed my shoulder with a sharp tap.
“Boss, maybe dial back the showing off a bit.”
Mark had my right shoulder in his grip while Lim Mi-mi had my left.
“I see—both of you are quite the burden on my shoulders.”
“Anyway, Sung-guk… Adam’s an employee I’m keeping an eye on too. He’s not the fastest developer, but he’s the type who wants to carve his own path. Guys like that tend to make a real splash down the line.”
“At least nobody showed up with a gun. Let’s grab some burgers. We need to be well-fed before shooting The Intern this afternoon.”
I ate a hamburger.
In times of crisis, allies and enemies became all the more distinct.
* * *
Thirty minutes before The Intern filming began.
This shoot was about Mark and me introducing the new headquarters that The Intern contestants had prepared.
We would choose one of three headquarters that had been selected, and whichever contestant introduced the chosen one would win.
Mark and I went through each of the headquarters buildings that the contestants would present.
Mark preferred the headquarters surrounded by forest.
“Sung-guk, isn’t this amazing? Working here would feel like working in nature. The phytoncides would be incredible, right?”
“Sure. Not just phytoncides—wild boars come out in the evenings too.”
“Sung-guk!”
“Mark, I’m joking. But look at the location. Isn’t it too remote? We have to think about the commute for employees.”
“What if we built a dormitory?”
Mark spoke with an excited expression.
“Mark, three years of high school. Plus, I know living in the Harvard dormitory was a good memory for you. But everyone except me is an adult. Would you yourself live in a dorm room separate from Lim Mi-mi?”
“Oh, that’s not it. What about only single employees living in the dormitory?”
“Mark, do you want to become an exploitative boss who traps single employees in the countryside and makes them work?”
“That’s absolutely not what I want….”
Mark quickly backed down.
I showed Mark two headquarters I liked.
One was a sleek headquarters close to a park with plenty of open space, which looked great for communicating with employees.
“Mark, I like this one the best.”
“Is that the one Jeon Tae-guk recommended?”
“No, Jeon Tae-guk’s introducing somewhere else. The place Jeon Tae-guk’s introducing is my second choice.”
Mark nodded after looking at the photo I handed him.
“This one’s nice too. But isn’t the headquarters Jeon Tae-guk’s introducing even more impressive? With the open space and wow, the garden here is incredible. I think I like that one better?”
“Hmm… I see your point. But the monthly rent there is much higher.”
“Really? If it’s a ten-thousand-dollar difference per month, honestly it’s hard to decide.”
“Jeon Tae-guk will cover three months, but after that we have to pay, right?”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that. Then I like the first option too.”
Mark agreed as well.
“Mark, then. Let’s prioritize this building and coordinate our opinions.”
“Okay!”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound of knocking echoed, and the door swung open.
The towering Winklevoss Brothers walked in.
“Sung-guk, the current office is actually pretty impressive, isn’t it?”
Tyler, with his natural charisma, flashed a smile and spoke first.
“We’re planning to expand our staff, so we want to move to a larger space now.”
“Yeah, the space does seem a bit cramped for the number of employees.”
Cameron, the more abrasive of the two, responded.
I quickly glanced at both Tyler and Cameron.
“You’re both going to look around before you leave, right?”
“Of course.”
“By the way, is it okay if you two are caught on camera?”
“You’re filming us observing?”
“Yeah.”
I asked the question with complete nonchalance and composure.
The Winklevoss Brothers seemed to deliberate for a moment before Tyler nodded first.
“Sure, Sung-guk.”
* * *
Tyler and Cameron looked down at the first-floor office from the second-floor railing, where the filming would take place.
Cameron asked Tyler with a slightly irritated tone.
“It’s better not to show your face on camera.”
“Cameron, whether we acquire this company or not, making Sung-guk an enemy would be foolish. Please, tone down your attitude.”
“But Tyler. What’s Sung-guk really up to? We confirmed that investors have turned their backs on him.”
Tyler stroked his chin.
“It’s true the investors turned their backs. But even after Sung-guk’s prophecy about the American economy made them come crawling back, they all rejected him anyway.”
“We’ve seen plenty of people ruin their companies out of sheer stubbornness.”
“Sung-guk isn’t stubborn like that.”
“Then?”
“It feels like everything is calculated.”
Cameron shook his head.
“Tyler, are you saying you think FaceNote will survive?”
“Yeah.”
“Then we don’t have a chance either.”
“Probably not.”
“Then why did you suggest coming here? Why pull this stunt?”
“Just. I wanted to keep being an eyesore to Sung-guk.”
Tyler stared at me with an unreadable expression as I continued filming.
“So you really spent money on Blind Site just to post things like that?”
“Yeah. You know how it is—the desire to be a thorn in someone’s side for the rest of their life.”
“Do you really think Sung-guk would care about us?”
“You never know what’s in someone’s heart. Even if he doesn’t care now, if we keep being obstacles like this, eventually he’ll find our existence inconvenient.”
Cameron shook his head.
“Even though we’re twins, I can never understand what goes on in your mind.”
“Anyway, let’s see how Sung-guk uses us today. We can always repay him in kind later.”
“But Tyler, why are you so obsessed with Sung-guk?”
“He’s younger than me, he’s Asian, and he comes from a dirt-poor background—yet he always outperforms us. I want to watch Sung-guk fall with my own two eyes.”
* * *
Finally, the filming began.
Mark and I first gave a tour of the current FaceNote office, showing it off piece by piece.
The camera captured every corner of the workspace.
“Right now, the layout makes communication between employees difficult. We need a more open structure, and since we’re planning to expand our staff, we also need a larger space.”
The Host added that FaceNote was growing at a frightening pace.
That’s when the camera caught the Winklevoss Brothers loitering around the FaceNote office.
“Oh, who are those two?”
“Ah, you don’t know the Winklevoss Brothers?”
“Are they perhaps the famous Winklevoss Brothers from Winklevoss Investment?”
“Yes, they’re classmates from Harvard.”
I simply explained that we were acquainted and quickly moved on to continuing the office tour.
Even in this brief moment, it was obvious that viewers would be left with the impression that FaceNote was a company coveted by America’s most prominent investment firms.
* * *
Now the Contestants from The Intern presented the new office buildings they’d found to Mark and me.
For the sake of the program’s entertainment value, only the Contestant who’d found the building I liked most and Jeon Tae-guk remained.
“Sung-guk and Mark, you both said you wanted a nature-friendly yet open space. The place I found is close to a park in the heart of Silicon Valley, and the interior is divided by temporary walls that can be opened up whenever you want. I consulted with the Building Owner, and he said that if FaceNote moves in, he’ll remove all the temporary walls for free.”
“Is there any room for adjusting the rent?”
At my question, the Contestant flashed a confident smile.
“I’ll do my best to negotiate. Actually, the Building Owner is apparently a huge fan of yours. He said that if you move in, he’ll adjust the price to whatever works best for you.”
Mark and I exchanged glances.
It was clearly an attractive space at a reasonable price.
Now, finally, Jeon Tae-guk presented the office building he’d found.
“Sung-guk and Mark, I mobilized every employee at the Samjeon Group’s San Francisco branch to find an office worthy of FaceNote’s reputation.”
Jeon Tae-guk was already playing dirty from the start.
Jeers erupted from the other Contestants.
But now that Jeon Tae-guk had truly embraced his villain role, he simply shrugged and accepted the jeers as if they were cheers.
“Everyone’s just jealous of me.”
“Contestant Jeon Tae-guk, please give us a detailed explanation of this building.”
Following the Host’s cue, Jeon Tae-guk began his explanation of the building.
“This is the best location in Silicon Valley, and it’s the most recently constructed state-of-the-art building. The ceiling height is impressive, the space is open-plan, and rather than just having a park nearby, it features an interior garden that’s even more spectacular than a park. Don’t you think FaceNote would flourish even more working in a place like this?”
“But the rent is ten thousand dollars more per month than the other contestant’s offer.”
“You’re really going to pass up this magnificent space just because of ten thousand dollars, Sung-guk?”
Just ten thousand dollars?
That was well over ten million won a month. With that amount, I could hire two capable developers.
[As expected, the wealthy truly have no sense of economics….]
As I shook my head, Mark stammered out a question.
“Tae-guk, is it possible to negotiate the rent, like the previous contestant did?”
“Mark, why would we negotiate the rent?”
“Well, it’s just… it’s expensive, you know? It’s the most impressive property we’ve seen today and I really like it, but it’s also the most expensive one, isn’t it?”
Jeon Tae-guk smiled wickedly and crossed his arms.
“If you choose my property, I’ll cover a full year’s rent for you!”
Immediately, jeers erupted from the other contestants.
“That’s impossible!”
“You’re lying!”
Then Jeon Tae-guk shouted back at the contestants.
“I’m the heir to the Samjeon Group! This is pocket change for me!”
I locked eyes with Mark at that moment and stood up. Then I shouted toward the contestants who were arguing loudly with each other.
“Our choice is the property that Jeon Tae-guk brought!”
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk walked into the office with a triumphant expression.
“Sung-guk! Congratulate me! I’ve advanced to the next round!”
“Hyung, if you spent that much money, you should win the whole thing. How much money did you actually spend just to advance to the next round?”
“I was going to cover three months anyway. What’s the difference in adding nine more months? Besides, when the company headquarters looks pristine, investments flow in better. No matter how much people deny it, they’re always swayed by appearances.”
What Jeon Tae-guk said wasn’t wrong.
People were kinder to handsome and beautiful men and women, and they offered them more opportunities.
The same applied to a company’s exterior.
People naturally trusted a company in a clean, pleasant space far more than one located in a crumbling, crime-ridden area.
“Hyung, we need to sign the contract.”
“Sung-guk, I’ll have my legal team send over the contract.”
“By the way, hyung. Can we move in next week?”
“Of course! The place is completely empty!”
* * *
That night, I checked the calendar.
It had been well over a month since Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.
My analysis predicting the American economy would collapse had already faded from people’s minds.
Mass layoffs continued, and the economy had truly reached its worst level.
Now it was time to plant the seeds I’d been holding onto.
I posted on FaceNote.
– Next Saturday at 6 PM, 【The Intern】 will broadcast FaceNote’s new headquarters search mission.
– Next Saturday at 8 PM, an exclusive interview with Daddy King on YouTube!
– By the way, we’ll also be doing a live tour of our new headquarters after the move. Looking forward to your support!
Comments began pouring in one after another.
– FaceNote doesn’t even flinch during an economic crisis.
– What more can you say when Jeon Sung-guk, the man who sees the future, is the CEO.
– But Sung-guk, I’m really curious about something… Do you not date?
Suddenly, the direction of the comments took a strange turn.
– At seventeen in America, you can do pretty much anything.
– Maybe it’s hard to find a girl when you’re too perfect.
– Sung-guk’s a narcissist. There’s no woman in this world he could love as much as himself.
I heard Mark’s footsteps as he came running over, laughing.
He opened the front door and shouted.
“Sung-guk, did you see the comments?”
“Yeah, I saw them.”
I responded as casually as possible.
“Sung-guk, everyone’s having a blast right now listing ten reasons why you can’t get into a relationship.”
“I’m a minor.”
“Sung-guk, in America, even middle and high school students date.”
“Mark, you didn’t!”
“I’m the exception!”
Mark didn’t back down either.
Just then, Lim Mi-mi poked her face in from behind, smiling.
“Sung-guk, want me to set you up on a blind date?”
[Hmm… a blind date, huh….]
“My development team’s youngest sister goes to a high school nearby, and she’s the same age as you. She’s a cheerleader, apparently. I saw her photo and she’s absolutely gorgeous. And she’s a good student too. What do you think?”
“Hmm… Sure, let’s try a blind date. Why not!”
Life needs its ordinary moments too, after all.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————