I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 238

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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 238
San Francisco Airport.
Jeon Min-guk and I waited anxiously for the gate to open.
“Hyung, you have to speak well to Mom and Dad so I don’t get in trouble. Got it?”
“Then why did you run away in the first place?”
“Hyung, I didn’t run away because I wanted to. I was just in a slump.”
“A slump is something people like Michael Jordan fall into. People who’ve achieved great things in their field. You haven’t accomplished anything, so what slump are you talking about?”
“Oh, the door’s opening over there.”
I glanced at the gate, but it still remained closed.
[Sigh… I’ve been fooled by Jeon Min-guk.]
Min-guk stuck his tongue out at me.
“I’ll never understand someone like you, hyung.”
And then, the gate truly opened, and out came Mother, Father, and Ji-hee, whom I’d been waiting for.
“Oppa!”
[How long has it been since I heard that voice!]
I rushed over and scooped Ji-hee into my arms.
“Oppa, are we really going to the White House? The American President’s home?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, I’m so excited!”
Ji-hee squirmed happily in my embrace.
Behind me, I could hear Jeon Min-guk getting scolded.
“Jeon Min-guk! You’re going to get it from Mom and Dad.”
“Dad, let’s talk about it at home. We’re at the airport.”
Now it finally felt real that my family was together.
[Family is best when you’re bickering and carrying on.]
* * *
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was receiving a report from Secretary Yang.
“The young master is attending Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony with Sung-guk.”
“Tae-guk is going to a place where even I, the chairman of Samjeon Group, wasn’t invited?”
“Sung-guk was invited, and it seems the young master added himself to the guest list.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung scratched his temple with his fingers.
“I wonder why Sung-guk is taking Tae-guk to such a place.”
“I’m not sure, sir.”
Secretary Yang refrained from answering such a question.
The chairman wasn’t asking for information—he was organizing his own thoughts.
“I think he’s showing us something.”
“Chairman, what do you mean he’s showing us?”
“His position. Where he stands now. He’s someone who can attend a place where even Samjeon Group wasn’t invited, and at the same time, he’s someone who can bring whoever he wants with him.”
“Chairman… aren’t you viewing Sung-guk too negatively?”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung shook his head.
If I were Jeon Sung-guk, I would certainly have taken Jeon Tae-guk to the presidential inauguration for exactly this reason.
“Secretary Yang, have Park Secretary cover all the expenses for this Washington visit. And for his family as well….”
“Is that really necessary, sir?”
“It’s a reminder of who our Tae-guk is.”
* * *
Secretary Park Sung-hee was relaying instructions that had come down from the company.
“Sung-guk, first-class airfare to Washington, and Samjeon Group will cover all accommodation and expenses during your stay there.”
“Hmm….”
The reason Samjeon was being so generous was painfully obvious.
Jeon Tae-guk hadn’t received a separate invitation—he was tagging along because of me, and that seemed to have irritated Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
Just as I was bringing Jeon Tae-guk to the presidential inauguration to signal my position to Samjeon, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung wanted to remind me that I still didn’t belong to Samjeon.
He had been my father in my previous life, and the person who had watched over me longer and more closely than anyone else.
It was easy to anticipate this much.
“Thank you, Secretary. Since you’re offering to cover everything, there’s no reason to refuse. Since it’s from Samjeon Group, I’d appreciate the finest accommodations.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
That should do it.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s greatest weakness was that he sometimes resorted to bluffing to intimidate others.
Thanks to that bluff, this family trip was shaping up to be quite interesting.
The door burst open and Jeon Tae-guk walked in.
Jeon Tae-guk, who had gained national recognition playing the villain on The Intern, was living a hectic celebrity life these days.
“Sung-guk, I got another offer for a reality show. Want to take a look?”
“What is it?”
“It’s called So Hot—a dating reality show. They basically lock men and women on some isolated island and have them choose partners… Sung-guk, do you think I could find love on this?”
“Hyung… that doesn’t seem like the kind of show for dating beginners like you. And you’re already popular from The Intern—women are lining up for you.”
There were plenty of women in the world who liked Jeon Tae-guk.
Of course, it was because of his background and the image he’d created through The Intern.
“Sung-guk, ever since The Intern, I can’t just meet anyone. The villain character was all manufactured anyway.”
“Hyung, if it were me, I wouldn’t do this show. The Intern will be helpful later when you become the successor, but a third-rate dating show like this will obviously destroy the image you’ve built.”
“Is that so?”
So Hot—I’d heard the name before. Back then, the show was basically just men and women barely clothed, doing nothing but sex appeal.
“Hyung, you’re the successor to Samjeon Group. You just recovered your image from the nude leak scandal with The Intern not long ago.”
“Sigh… I guess there’s no helping it. Sung-guk, by the way, what are you going to wear to Barack Obama’s inauguration? You’re not planning to wear a hoodie, are you?”
“Hmm….”
I actually wanted to, but that wouldn’t be proper.
Jeon Tae-guk grabbed the back of my neck.
“Let’s go buy some clothes.”
Just then, Ji-hee walked out through the door.
Ji-hee looked at me with her round eyes.
“Oppa, where are you going?”
“To buy some clothes.”
“Can Ji-hee come along too?”
It was Jeon Tae-guk who responded to Ji-hee’s question before I could.
“Ji-hee, let’s go! Your oppa will buy you clothes. No, actually, I’ll buy you everything you want!”
* * *
“Our Sung-guk has really grown into a proper adult now.”
Mother gazed at me in my suit with a proud expression.
“How tall are you exactly?”
“I think I’m around 184 centimeters.”
At that moment, Father came and stood beside me.
“Now you’re even taller than your old man.”
[If Father had been born into a good family and eaten well growing up, he would’ve been taller than me.]
Father patted my shoulder.
“Father, I bought clothes for you and Mother too. Since I didn’t know much, I bought them according to the shopping assistant’s recommendations.”
“Sung-guk, but aren’t we imposing too much on Tae-guk?”
[Father, I’m the one who made Jeon Tae-guk who he is. And what we spent today isn’t even one hour’s worth of interest from Tae-guk’s bank account.]
The door swung open and Min-guk emerged in a suit as well.
With Min-guk dressed in a suit, he looked quite dashing.
“Mom, Dad. How do I look?”
“Our Min-guk looks handsome too. He’d look even better if he just listened a bit more.”
“Mom always picks on me like that.”
Sensing the early signs of Min-guk’s teenage rebellion flaring up again, I quickly changed the subject.
“Mom, Dad. Min-guk even took a photo with Michael Jackson. Min-guk, show them that.”
“Oh, that’s right!”
Min-guk quickly ran to his room and came back with a digital camera to show off.
“Mom, Dad. I even ate bibimbap with Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson said he’s going to hold concerts again soon. I told him I really wanted to see his performances.”
“It really is Michael Jackson.”
“Mom, when I go back to Korea, I’m thinking of getting more serious vocal training.”
“Vocal training? But Min-guk’s dream was always to be a rapper like Eminem.”
“Michael Jackson told me how many people find comfort in his songs, and now I want to become someone like that too.”
Min-guk had a good tone even when rapping, so he showed potential as a vocalist.
“Hyung, send Michael Jackson my regards often. Tell him I’ll definitely become a singer and come back.”
“Ah….”
Hearing Min-guk’s words, I realized Michael Jackson’s death was approaching.
June 25th, 2009.
Since I was a fan in my previous life, I remembered Michael Jackson’s death date precisely.
* * *
In the deep of night when everyone was asleep, I sent Michael Jackson a message.
– Michael, it’s Sung-guk. Are you available to talk? I wanted to wish you a happy new year.
As soon as I sent the message, Michael called me.
– Sung-guk, I was actually curious to hear from you after that.
“Min-guk wants to sing now. But Michael, you haven’t slept until this hour?”
– I’m a bit sensitive. Lately, sleep hasn’t been coming easily, so I barely manage to close my eyes in the morning.
I finally spoke the words I had kept buried in my heart all these years.
“Michael, what if you changed your primary physician?”
– My primary physician?
“These days there are many different medications available, and when used appropriately, they can greatly help with sleep and depression. You’ve been receiving treatment from the same physician for so long that you might have developed a tolerance to the drugs he prescribes.”
– Hmm… that could be possible. But I prefer someone I’m familiar with.
Stars who have reached the pinnacle often make such mistakes.
Because they’re constantly surrounded by people trying to extract money from them, they rarely try to change those they’ve come to trust.
I let out a quiet sigh.
“Michael, sometimes change is necessary.”
– Thanks, Sung-guk. I’ll think about it.
After that, we exchanged brief pleasantries.
Michael Jackson ended the call after insisting he would invite me and Min-guk to his concert.
I gazed out at the dark window with a heavy heart.
[Will Michael listen to me?]
Honestly, I wasn’t confident.
* * *
The moment we stepped off the airplane, reporters waiting at the airport unleashed camera flashes toward Jeon Tae-guk.
They were clearly mostly Washington correspondents from Korean media outlets.
Not a single reporter from American media was present.
[Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung really knows how to use his head.]
Reporters who had clearly been paid by the Samjeon Group bombarded Jeon Tae-guk with questions.
“Jeon Tae-guk, we heard you received a VIP invitation to President Barack Obama’s inauguration. How do you feel about it?”
Normally, a proper journalistic question about receiving a VIP invitation to such a momentous event as President Barack Obama’s inauguration would be about the circumstances of how the invitation came about, not how it felt.
But these reporters already knew that Jeon Tae-guk had received the VIP invitation to President Barack Obama’s inauguration through me by sheer luck, and they cleverly redirected their question.
That question probably came from the Samjeon Group as well.
“Well, I’m honored to be attending such a prestigious event.”
More questions immediately followed.
“Jeon Tae-guk, we heard you unfortunately didn’t make it through the Intern program. There’s talk that succession training has already begun through that program. What do you think about that?”
The questions grew increasingly absurd.
And without even seeing it, I could already picture tomorrow’s Korean newspaper headlines.
– Samjeon Group’s Successor Receives VIP Invitation to President Barack Obama’s Inauguration.
– The Intern Program Proves the Samjeon Group Successor’s Qualifications!
I quietly slipped out of the airport with my family first.
Mark and Lim Mi-mi followed behind us.
Secretary Park Sung-hee, who was already here due to schedule coordination, greeted us.
“Sung-guk, I’ll escort you and your family to the hotel first.”
“Thank you.”
And just as I was about to get into the car, someone came running toward me.
“Sung-guk! Jeon Sung-guk! That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Mark Hemingway from Time Magazine. I wanted to run a special feature article about you.”
“About me?”
“It’s for our special issue on President Barack Obama. From my perspective, the photograph of him eating a hamburger with Dick was what skyrocketed his approval ratings. I believe you’re the person who made Barack Obama president.”
[Hmm… I’ve finally met a proper journalist!]

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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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