I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 242

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

Chapter 242
Apgujeong Hyunsung Apartments.
A historic complex built by Hyunsung Construction that opened the door to Gangnam’s renaissance.
At the same time, due to the preferences of that era favoring south-facing units, the Han River could only be glimpsed through a window off the kitchen—a notable drawback—but regardless, it was undeniably one of Seoul’s most prestigious addresses.
Built by Hyunsung, which was called the twin pillar alongside Samjeon Group, it was always one of the apartments I kept a close eye on.
Of course, in my previous life, I never actually lived in or owned this apartment.
But this life is different.
This is a life where I must climb from the bottom.
If that’s the case, the opportunity to purchase Apgujeong Hyunsung Apartments—a prime candidate for redevelopment—might not exist a few years later, once the economic crisis triggered by the Lehman Brothers collapse began its downward trajectory.
People could tell me.
Now that I’m the CEO of FaceNote and about to become YouTube’s major shareholder, with investments in countless lucrative ventures, am I really just coveting a redevelopment apartment?
That’s how the truly wealthy are.
Gather ten won scattered on the ground, and it becomes a hundred won; gather a hundred won, and it becomes a thousand; gather a thousand, and it becomes ten thousand—and that’s how seed capital is born.
[I’m still hungry for more!]
Father looked slightly taken aback.
“Apgujeong Hyunsung Apartments? That place is incredibly expensive.”
“Father, not right now, but I think it would be nice to buy it in about two years, around when I finish my role as YouTube’s CEO and return to Korea.”
That period was the darkest time for real estate in Korean history.
And news of that magnitude reaches the ears of conglomerate families too.
“Hmm… but why specifically choose that place? Once you become an adult and move out on your own, or after marriage, wouldn’t a newer building be better?”
“Father… I just really like the location there.”
I didn’t explain the details to Father.
Because once redevelopment discussions begin, it would become Korea’s most premium location.
[Hyunsung really did excel at real estate investment, didn’t they….]
I swallowed a bitter smile.
“All right, once we’re back in Korea, I should study real estate a bit too, just as you say. Truth is, it’s a downturn now, but during those years when real estate was booming… Father struggled quite a bit.”
Father gradually began to open up about what was on his mind.
“As real estate prices rose, the commercial tenants I leased to kept asking for higher rents… construction materials, labor costs—nothing stopped going up. Some days I barely made any margin at all. Sung-guk, if I’m really going to do the business I want, I think I need to build up solid capital that can weather any crisis.”
[Now Father and I are finally on the same wavelength…. Should I start laying out the real plan?]
I began methodically mapping out the future.
“Father, if you have time, I think it would be good to buy some land in Magok and more apartments in Pangyo.”
“Sung-guk, didn’t you already buy some land in Magok before? But people were saying it’s not great because it’s near Gimpo Airport….”
“Father, think about Seoul. People keep flowing in, but there’s no empty land left. Sure, Mokdong also has airplane noise, but once the school district formed, it became a solid neighborhood. I see Magok as the only remaining large-scale development opportunity in Seoul.”
Father looked at me again with astonished eyes.
“Sung-guk, when did you even study such things?”
“Even though I’m in the United States, I keep up with Korean news. Pangyo will face a cold wind for a while during this downturn, but major IT companies will relocate their headquarters there en masse… and it’s only natural that population follows jobs, and property values rise.”
“You really are remarkable in unexpected ways. But I’m truly grateful about one thing—it seems you do have marriage on your mind, and that’s really reassuring.”
[What is he talking about?]
“You chose Apgujeong Hyunsung Apartments as the house to live in after marriage.”
[Sigh… Father, that’s just… an excuse!]
Father smiled softly.
“I’ve never regretted marrying young, not even once.”
[That’s only because I’m the eldest son. I was crawling around and earning money since my first birthday, Dad. There’s no other K-eldest son in South Korea like me.]
Father continued speaking, whether he knew my thoughts or not.
“I thought I was truly blessed just to have met a woman as thoughtful and beautiful as So-young, and then you were born at just the right moment. Dad felt like he had nothing to envy in the world. You’re smart, handsome too. Honestly, from when you were little, except for changing diapers, you figured everything out on your own.”
Father’s words were growing longer.
“And Min-guk is adorable in his own way. The eldest son never gave me headaches, so this younger one makes up for it by causing some, but that’s the fun of raising children too. And now that we even have a daughter, Dad truly has nothing to envy. Sung-guk, you’ll probably be busy with business in the future, but once your family is stable, it’ll be much easier for you to succeed in business. So when you become an adult, meet a girlfriend and get married soon. I’ll definitely buy you the Apgujeong Hyunsung Apartments!”
* * *
Father and I bought burgers for the family and headed home.
The moment we opened the door, Min-guk quickly snatched up a burger as if he’d been waiting, and Ji-hee followed suit.
They were just like baby birds with their mouths open, waiting for their mother bird to bring food.
Mother came over and picked up the last burger.
“Sung-guk, did you eat?”
“Yeah, Dad and I each had two sets.”
“Good job.”
Mother only began unwrapping her burger after hearing that I’d eaten.
[So she was going to give it to me if I hadn’t eaten… Mothers are all the same.]
I quickly handed Mother the fries as well.
“Mom, eat the fries while they’re still warm.”
“Only our eldest son takes care of his mother like this.”
Mother patted my bottom the way she used to when I was little.
Father quickly took Mother’s hand.
“So-young, Sung-guk is nineteen now. He’s not a child anymore.”
“He still looks like a child to me, what are you talking about.”
“So-young, Sung-guk specifically asked me today to buy him an apartment for when he gets married. He’s at the age to think about marriage, so our Sung-guk has grown up.”
[Dad, that’s just an excuse!]
Contrary to my inner protests, Father continued telling Mother that I was thinking about marriage.
Just then, I heard crying from somewhere, and Ji-hee came running.
“Wahhhhh! Oppa… oppa… are you getting married?”
“Ji-hee, your oppa still has a long way to go before marriage.”
“But you said you’d buy a house if you got married?”
“That’s later. Much later. When our Ji-hee grows up.”
“Wahhhhh! Oppa, don’t get married and live with Ji-hee forever.”
Ji-hee threw a tantrum and tears streamed down her face.
Father quickly picked Ji-hee up.
“Ji-hee should live with Dad forever. Dad won’t let anyone take you away.”
“Sniff. Sung-guk oppa too!”
Just then, Min-guk came over and handed me his phone.
“Hyung, the CEO said to show you this. And he wants you to contact him.”
“Okay…”
I watched a YouTube video that Min-guk had shared with me.
It was a video of a young man with a youthful face singing.
And I already knew who he was.
* * *
Bang Mu-hyuk found me at the FaceNote office.
“Sung-guk, did you see that video?”
“Justin Bieber?”
“Yeah. What do you think of him? He’s incredible, isn’t he?”
“I think he’ll become a huge star. Are you interested in him, sir?”
“I’m interested, but… I don’t have the money. With such a massive market in the United States, why would he come to South Korea to sing?”
“Sir, you never know. Maybe later when you’ve made a lot of money, you could recruit him.”
“That’s nice to hear, at least.”
[I wasn’t just saying that to make him feel good. I meant it.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Sung-guk, still, I’d really like to meet this kid… could you help me out?”
“I’ll try to reach out to him.”
I answered immediately.
And an interesting idea occurred to me.
“Sir, what if Justin and Min-guk recorded a cover song together and each uploaded it to their own YouTube channels?”
“Is that even possible?”
“We’ll make it possible.”
If it really became possible, this video would go down in history.
In a few years, just this one video alone would generate enormous revenue for the YouTube channel, so Min-guk wouldn’t have to worry about making a living.
I quickly sent a message through the YouTube channel manager asking for Justin’s contact information.
Justin left his phone number, and I called Justin Bieber right in front of Bang Mu-hyuk.
The phone rang a few times, and then an unfamiliar woman’s voice answered.
– Hello?
“Hello, this is Jeon Sung-guk, CEO of YouTube.”
– I’m Justin’s mother. What are you doing to my child?
The woman spoke in an angry, accusatory tone.
“I… there seems to be a misunderstanding. I’m really Jeon Sung-guk, CEO of YouTube. I saw Justin singing and wanted to reach out. If you search for me, you’ll see.”
Just then, I heard Justin’s voice from the video in the background.
– Mom! Mom! He really is the YouTube CEO. Look at this. There’s an article about it.
– How can I trust that?
After some back-and-forth, Justin’s mother picked up the phone again.
– I got a message from the manager, and it does seem legitimate. Justin left his phone number without my permission, so I couldn’t verify it beforehand.
“I saw the video and thought he’s very talented, so he’ll probably get contacted from all sorts of places. Would it be possible for us to meet?”
– Well… we live in Canada.
Of course, I already knew that.
And I was well aware of Justin Bieber’s family circumstances at this time.
“We’ll provide airfare and hotel accommodations on YouTube’s behalf.”
– But why would you provide those things for us?
“The condition is that you come to our company and do a collaboration song with an aspiring singer from Korea.”
– Hmm… I have work I need to attend to.
It was clear that taking time off work just for video filming would be difficult.
“And we also have someone we’d like to introduce to Justin.”
– Who?
“Someone from the entertainment industry.”
Justin’s Mother, who had been hesitating, exchanged a few words with Justin before picking up the phone again.
– We’ll go. When would be a good time?
“How about this coming weekend?”
– Sounds good. Justin and I will visit.
As I hung up the phone, Bang Mu-hyuk stared at me with a bewildered expression.
“Sung-guk, I wouldn’t have suggested meeting someone all the way in Canada. Airfare and hotel… aren’t you spending too much?”
“Sir, Min-guk is heading back to Korea soon anyway. I wanted to create a memory for him.”
[Of course, the bigger reason was to set up Min-guk’s YouTube monetization five years down the line….]
I shrugged my shoulders.
It was the heart of South Korea’s eldest son to feed and care for even the weakest finger.
“But… who is this entertainment industry contact you’re introducing?”
“There was someone who wanted to meet Min-guk when he first uploaded a video to YouTube. I’m planning to introduce them.”
“Who is it?”
“Scott Brown.”
He was originally the producer who discovered Justin Bieber through YouTube.
And the scenario I envisioned was also a meeting between Bang Mu-hyuk and Scott Brown.
About ten years later, Bang Mu-hyuk would make money through Sevens and buy Scott Brown’s company.
* * *
Min-guk kept gazing nervously out the window.
“Min-guk, are you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
[The kid and his bravado.]
“What song did you decide to sing with Justin?”
“We’re going to sing Michael Jackson’s ‘Heal the World’ together, hyung.”
Once Justin Bieber confirmed he would come, I informed Min-guk about the video shoot.
Min-guk contacted Justin Bieber, selected the song, and then locked himself in his room for days, practicing relentlessly.
And then, the door opened and Justin Bieber entered with his mother.
“Justin, hyung.”
Justin Bieber greeted us with a shy smile.
“Hello, I’m Justin.”
“Welcome, Justin. And to you as well, ma’am. This is my younger brother and an aspiring singer from South Korea, Jeon Min-guk.”
Min-guk spoke to Justin in his limited English.
“I’ve watched so many of your videos. I’m a huge fan.”
“Thanks, I’ve watched a lot of yours too… I really wanted to sing together with you.”
Justin Bieber flashed a shy smile.
“Scott said he’ll arrive in about thirty minutes. So, shall we chat for a bit and then run through a rehearsal?”
Min-guk and Justin nodded simultaneously.
Both of their faces were flushed with excitement.
I gazed at the two of them with satisfaction.
In a few years, this video would become a legend on YouTube.

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