I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 251

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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 251
I headed toward the Airport Parking Lot.
The San Francisco sky was clear, and the breeze was fresh.
But my worries hadn’t completely vanished.
I had been in close contact with a patient suspected of having a novel influenza strain on the airplane.
That meant there was a possibility I had contracted the novel influenza as well.
I started the engine of the Porsche that Chairman Koo Soo-young had gifted me, parked in the lot.
[Sigh… if only it weren’t for Jeon Tae-guk’s side effects….]
I gripped the steering wheel, trying to console my regrets.
Where I needed to go right now was the FaceNote Office Building.
* * *
Lim Mi-mi, who had just finished her hamburger, stood up and cleared away the trash.
“Mark, when is the boss coming?”
“He called earlier saying he’d just arrived at the Airport.”
“He’s coming straight to the office?”
“Why are you asking the obvious, Mi-mi.”
“Ah, I should go grab a coffee and get back to work. Mark, see you when I leave work later.”
Lim Mi-mi went off to work right after lunch as usual, and Mark moved around the office checking on the employees.
The employees worked freely in the open office space as they always did, discussing and snacking.
Two people stood out as particularly exhausted—Sam and Adam.
“Sam, you look tired. Are you okay?”
“Yes, Mark… I’m fine. Except that Sung-guk instructed me to increase YouTube streaming speed before going to Washington, so I haven’t been home for three days because of that.”
“Sam, your health is important too. Get some sleep.”
“Yes, Mark.”
Sam answered while yawning continuously.
Adam was no better off.
“Adam, you’re at least going home, right?”
“I go home just to sleep and barely manage to come back. Sung-guk is making a fuss about wanting to launch Instagram next year. He said if I miss the deadline, I’ll be fired along with the potted plant.”
“Adam, meeting the schedule is important, but… still take care of your health.”
“Thanks, Mark.”
Everyone showed clear signs of exhaustion from Sung-guk’s push.
At that moment, the office door opened and Sung-guk entered.
His hands were full of strange items.
* * *
“Mark, help me out!”
Mark approached with a puzzled expression.
“Uh… Sung-guk, what is all that?”
“This is a thermometer, and this is ginger tea.”
“Why do we need that?”
“Mark, ask questions later. Call the employees and install the thermometers at every office entrance. Have everyone drink the ginger tea whether they like it or not.”
Mark accepted the thermometer and ginger tea I’d brought with a bewildered expression.
“Sung-guk, I need to know the reason before I can tell the employees.”
“I met a patient with a fever on the airplane… something felt off about it. It felt like something was going to spread like Spanish flu.”
“The flu does spread every season, but it’s late March now… this isn’t the season for an outbreak.”
“Mark, if the flu spreads and the employees catch it, our current projects will suffer. This is just a preventive measure.”
Lim Mi-mi’s eyes lit up when she saw the ginger tea I was holding.
“Boss, that’s ginger tea! Wow, I drank a lot of it back in North Korea when I was young.”
“Mi-mi, what’s this good for?”
“It prevents colds and is good for your body. Mark, let me brew you a cup. Try it.”
“Mark, I bought all the ginger tea from the Korean Mart, so have everyone drink a cup right away! And everyone gather together to take their temperature!”
I quickly posted an announcement to the FaceNote employees.
– It looks like the flu is going to spread widely.
We’re distributing ginger tea, a traditional Korean cold-prevention drink, at the center of the FaceNote Office Building.
All employees should take their temperature and receive a cup of ginger tea.
It’s not mandatory, but catching a cold would be disadvantageous, wouldn’t it?
The employees who had been murmuring at the announcement gathered with curious eyes, or reluctantly like cattle being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
I began distributing traditional Korean ginger tea with Lim Mi-mi to the employees.
“Sung-guk, what is this?”
“It’s ginger tea made the Korean way. If it’s too bitter, just add plenty of honey from the container next to you.”
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
“Oh, and don’t forget to take your temperature. Anyone with an abnormal temperature will switch to remote work starting today.”
Some employees tried to deliberately raise their temperature, but the thermometer was accurate.
Then Mark looked at me with a strange expression.
“Sung-guk….”
“What?”
“Your temperature is the only one that’s high.”
“What?!”
“You’re at 38.1 degrees.”
I gulped down the ginger tea right there on the spot.
* * *
Mark followed me all the way to the parking lot.
“Sung-guk, can you make it to the hospital alone? Your fever seems to have gotten quite high… Let me drive you to the hospital.”
“Mark, if I’ve caught the flu, you need to stay healthy so the company can function. We can’t have both CEOs away from the office.”
Just then, Adam came running out from behind.
“Sung-guk… let me drive you.”
“Adam, you’re a key programmer for Instagram, our FaceNote’s top-secret project. You can’t get sick if we’re launching next year!”
“B-but… Sung-guk, your temperature is too high. It’s dangerous to drive in that condition.”
[Adam, I’m more afraid of your driving skills. Do you still not understand why I got my driver’s license?]
I backed away while shouting.
“I can still drive fine, so everyone stay far away from me. And you two, wash your hands as soon as you get back to the office and drink ginger tea for sure.”
Then I quickly shut the car door.
* * *
Inside the car heading to the Hospital.
My phone rang. It was an unknown number.
Who could it be?
I answered the phone immediately.
– Sung-guk? Is this Sung-guk? Do you remember me?
“Who is this?”
– I’m Noah Brown, the one you met on the airplane. You remember, right?
[Ah, that internist?]
“Yes, but what’s this about?”
– The patient who collapsed on the airplane is improving. It seems Tamiflu listened to what you said. So he wanted to contact you.
“Doctor, but I have something to tell you first.”
– Go ahead.
“I’m running a fever right now and heading to the Hospital. Can you prescribe me Tamiflu?”
– I’m at San Francisco General Hospital right now. Come here. I’ll make sure you can get examined and prescribed right away.
“Ah, thank you so much….”
Even as I spoke on the phone, I could feel the fever spreading throughout my body.
The mortality rate of the novel flu was around 0.3%.
It was significantly lower compared to COVID or other infectious diseases.
But it was still a disease that would make you suffer if you caught it, and if you were unlucky, it could kill you.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly and headed toward San Francisco General Hospital where Noah Brown was.
* * *
Noah Brown’s eyes widened when he saw me.
[From his reaction, my condition must look pretty bad….]
“Sung-guk! Are you okay? Your face is completely flushed!”
“I have a high fever. I think I need to get Tamiflu prescribed as well, Doctor.”
“This is a Hospital where my friend works. Don’t worry. The patient we met on the airplane had the same symptoms and got better after taking Tamiflu. Just a moment.”
Noah Brown guided me to his friend doctor, and the doctor examined my condition before furrowing his brow.
“Noah, that patient from the airplane and this person’s symptoms seem similar to the patient that occurred in San Diego last week.”
“What was the diagnosis of the patient from San Diego?”
“It seems to be a type of flu, but I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
[Yes, Doctor. This is exactly the novel influenza! Just prescribe Tamiflu already!]
Noah Brown grabbed his friend doctor and pleaded.
“Just prescribe Tamiflu for now. The symptoms are similar to the patient we met on the airplane, and he stabilized after taking Tamiflu.”
“Alright… It’s a new flu so there’s no established treatment, but since that patient stabilized significantly, I’ll prescribe Tamiflu first and have him rest. It’ll take some time to prepare a room. Until then, I’ll have him use a cot in the emergency room.”
“Thanks, Liam.”
I grabbed the doctor who was about to leave and asked.
“Doctor, you said this flu started in San Diego, right?”
“That’s the first recorded case. But I don’t know exactly where it originated. It’s recent news I heard. Similar patients, but the transmission speed is terrifying, they say.”
“There’s definitely no cure yet, right?”
“That’s correct. We’re still searching for one. Since Tomiflu has shown promise, let’s have you take it and monitor your condition.”
“I understand….”
* * *
I dragged my fevered body toward the cot.
“Sung-guk, I’ll bring the medicine. Just stay here until we arrange a private room.”
“Thank you, Noah.”
After Noah Brown disappeared, I immediately called Mark.
The novel influenza outbreak was beginning in earnest.
The dial tone rang several times before Mark answered urgently.
– Sung-guk, are you at the hospital? Are you okay?
“I’ve been prescribed medication for now. I’ll probably need to spend a day here at the hospital and then work from home depending on how I progress.”
– Is it that serious? Should I come right now?
“Mark, this virus spreads through the air. I wore a mask the entire time at the office, but I might have already spread the virus throughout the company. We need to ventilate immediately, call in a disinfection service for a complete sanitization… and take everyone’s temperature—send anyone with a fever home to work remotely. And make sure everyone drinks ginger tea!”
– Sung-guk, worry about yourself first. That’s it—I’m coming to the hospital right now.
“Mark, you’re the CEO of FaceNote. If I’m sick, you need to hold down the fort. Mark, FaceNote isn’t something we can just build in a dorm room anymore, laughing and fooling around. Hundreds of employees depend on their livelihoods from both you and me.”
– Sung-guk….
“Mark, I have one last request.”
– Sung-guk, what do you mean ‘last’? It’s just the flu—you can definitely beat it. You’re young and strong!
“Mark, I understand… but my request is this.”
– What is it? Tell me.
“Can you lend me some money?”
– What? Why are you suddenly asking to borrow money?
“I’ll tell you the reason once I recover. Mark, how much money can you lend me?”
– Hmm… right now, about fifty thousand dollars.
“Can you lend me all of it?”
– Of course.
In that moment, I felt moved by Mark.
Indeed, when it comes to money, human relationships reveal who is enemy and who is ally.
“Mark, transfer all of it to my account.”
– Sung-guk, what exactly are you planning to do with that?
“Cough—cough—cough—.”
I coughed a few more times for effect.
Then I continued in a voice that sounded terribly weak.
“Mark, just lend it to me without asking questions or reasons.”
– Okay, fine. I’ll transfer it right away.
“Thank you, Mark. Mark… please take good care of the company while I’m away.”
– Sung-guk, I’ll call you whenever I have time, so make sure you answer. Got it?
“Yeah….”
* * *
Shortly after hanging up the phone, Mark transferred exactly fifty thousand dollars.
I then took the Tamiflu that Noah Brown had brought and lay down on the cot.
Noah Brown looked at me with worried eyes.
“It seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer for a proper hospital room. Sung-guk, do you have a guardian or someone who can stay with you? I have some matters to attend to.”
“Teacher, please take care of your business. I’m fine on my own.”
“Don’t you have any friends?”
“My friends need to look after the company. Teacher, I’m really fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
The Tamiflu began to take effect, and drowsiness washed over me.
“Oh, by the way, your room will be shared with the patient who collapsed on the airplane earlier. The nurses will come shortly to move you.”
[Noah, please leave soon. I have something to do before I fall asleep….]
“Oh, and I did tell that patient your name, Sung-guk. And that patient is….”
Noah Brown mentioned the name of the patient who had collapsed on the airplane and then disappeared.
I forced my heavy eyelids open and pulled out my laptop.
I opened the stock market app and purchased fifty thousand dollars worth of Gilead Sciences stock before finally settling back onto the bed in comfort.
[Sigh… But what was that patient’s name Noah mentioned… Christopher Nolan? Hmm… it sounds familiar….]
I had no time to ponder further before slipping into a deep sleep.

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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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