I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 253

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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 253
Christopher looked bewildered.
“Sung-guk, you really want to invest in that film? Do you even know what it’s about?”
“I’ve seen it mentioned in Hollywood trade publications. The premise intrigued me. It’s about entering someone else’s dreams and altering their thoughts, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s scheduled for release next year, so honestly, we’re swamped with post-production work right now… and now this novel flu outbreak… I feel pathetic about myself.”
Christopher Nolan exhaled deeply.
“Christopher, there’s a Korean saying: the more urgent, the more you should take the long way around. If you take Tamiflu diligently, you won’t have to worry about the novel flu. Why don’t we both take a breather and proceed with work at a steadier pace?”
“Hearing you say that makes me think you’re right. Honestly, I’ve been completely scattered lately. Sung-guk, should we talk more about Interstellar?”
“Of course!”
That’s how I spent the entire night discussing Interstellar with Christopher.
* * *
My phone rang loudly.
It was Mark.
I answered Mark’s call with a drowsy voice.
– Sung-guk, are you okay?
“Yeah, I’m fine. How are the company people?”
– We did a full disinfection yesterday and had everyone drink ginger tea continuously. And this morning, anyone with elevated temperature was switched to remote work….
“Mark, are you okay?”
– Mi-mi keeps making me drink ginger tea at home, so I’m fine.
“I’m jealous. Having a girlfriend who takes care of you like that….”
– Right? I told you I was worried and going to the hospital. Is the hospital food decent?
“Regular bland meals come out on schedule.”
– Is your body okay?
“The fever seems to have stopped now, but just to be safe, I should probably stay a few more days.”
– Sung-guk, the company is a mess without you.
“Mark, what are you talking about? You’re the co-CEO—you’re at the company.”
I heard Mark’s heavy sigh.
– I’ve just been handling program development… I never imagined you wouldn’t be there. You handled all the employee management and everything.
[No one can match my charisma.]
– Now that you’re gone, I don’t even know where to start.
Eventually, when I go into military service in Korea, FaceNote would have to run for two years without me.
“Mark… use this opportunity to run FaceNote in your own style while I’m away. Of course, you don’t have the charisma I do, but you have your own approachable image.”
– Sung-guk, how do you manage to brag even while you’re sick? Actually, without that, you wouldn’t be Jeon Sung-guk. Without you chattering away beside me, the company doesn’t feel like itself.
“Mark, stop complaining to a patient. When I get out of the hospital, I’d like to see the initial work on Instagram.”
– You’re impossible. Fine, I’ll push the employees in my own way. But the whole country is in chaos over the novel flu now, so there will be disruptions to our work. Don’t push too hard. And! Think about your health first!
“Thanks, Mark.”
After hanging up with Mark, I heard a knock, and the hospital breakfast arrived.
I handed the breakfast to Christopher Nolan.
“Christopher, how’s your body feeling?”
“The Tamiflu seems to be working well. I feel much lighter than yesterday. How about you, Sung-guk?”
“I feel the same way.”
“But this Tamiflu isn’t a treatment for the new influenza, is it?”
“It’s not a treatment per se, but it does seem to help appropriately.”
Tamiflu was a flu treatment that had already been released before the new influenza outbreak, but once it was recognized as a treatment for the new strain, its stock would skyrocket later.
“If this Tamiflu actually becomes a treatment for the new influenza… those holding its stock will be laughing all the way to the bank. Should I buy some stock in the manufacturer right now? What do you think, Sung-guk? I looked you up yesterday, and it seems you’ve never had a failed business venture?”
“That’s not quite true. There are still many more ventures I need to launch.”
“Give me some advice. Should I buy the stock or not?”
“I’ve already bought some. Does that answer your question?”
Christopher Nolan burst into laughter.
“That’s impressive. You were thinking about that while you’re sick?”
“Just as Christopher thinks about movies whenever he’s awake, I think about making money every single moment I’m conscious.”
“Hearing you say that, I suppose I should just focus on making movies.”
Christopher Nolan laughed weakly.
[The fastest way to make money is to do what you’re best at, Christopher. You’re good at making films, so you make money through films. I’m a businessman by nature, so I make money through business.]
I took another bite of the tasteless hospital bread.
* * *
Day three of isolation.
Tasteless hospital meals and endless doses of Tamiflu.
My fever hadn’t spiked further, but the spread of the new influenza was extending the isolation period.
Christopher Nolan was nearly completing the screenplay for Interstellar in this hospital room.
I received work reports via video call and gave instructions from beside him. I also occasionally filmed videos to upload to my YouTube channel.
Christopher showed considerable interest in YouTube.
“Sung-guk, about that YouTube thing. How long are videos typically uploaded for?”
“I usually upload around ten minutes. That seems to be about how long people can maintain their focus.”
“Hmm… that’s shorter than I expected.”
“Movies are watched in a theater, a confined space where people can concentrate at their best, but YouTube is different. People watch it at home, while studying, or on the go. It’s a medium for watching in spare moments.”
Suddenly, an idea struck me.
“Christopher, would you be interested in participating in something like ten-minute film production on YouTube?”
“Ten-minute films? Like those short films I made back when I was an aspiring director after college?”
“Even shorter than that would work. What do you think, Christopher?”
“It’s an interesting project. But no matter how short the film, production costs for planning, production, and filming won’t be cheap.”
“Don’t worry about that. YouTube will cover it.”
And I thought of another person who would be most interested in this kind of project.
“Wait, I think there’s one more person who would be very interested in this project. If we collaborate with that company, it would be even more perfect.”
“Who would that be?”
Instead of answering, I made a phone call.
Charlie Jobs’s voice came through the phone.
– Sung-guk, it’s been a while. I saw on FaceNote that you caught the new influenza. Are you doing okay?
“Yes, Charlie…. How have you been lately?”
I felt awkward even asking.
Charlie was fighting pancreatic cancer right now.
– I’m fine, Sung-guk. When people hear I have pancreatic cancer, they all look at me like I’m about to die any moment. But I’ve been living perfectly fine for years now. Anyway, what’s going on suddenly? The hospital called me and….
“Charlie… do you know who’s in the same hospital room as me right now?”
– Who knows. Jeon Sung-guk is close with the President of the United States, so I don’t think anything would surprise me at this point.
“It’s Christopher Nolan.”
– Christopher Nolan from The Dark Knight? That crazy director?
“Yes, Charlie.”
Christopher Nolan was incredibly curious about who Charlie was.
“Sung-guk, who is Charlie?”
“Charlie Jobs.”
As I spoke quietly, Christopher’s eyes widened in shock.
“Charlie Jobs from Apple?”
“Yes, let me make a call first.”
“Go ahead.”
Christopher fell completely silent.
I continued my conversation with Charlie Jobs.
– Sung-guk, you’re with Director Christopher Nolan? In the same hospital room right now?
“Yes, we both caught the new strain of influenza.”
– My goodness. Are both of you doing okay?
[I don’t think you should be worrying about others right now, Jobs.]
“Yes, we’re fine. It seems that if you take Tamiflu early for the new influenza strain, you recover well.”
– Hearing that, I should probably get my doctor to prescribe me a bunch of Tamiflu.
Charlie Jobs was trying to sound cheerful on the phone.
But his voice was different from before.
Very slowly… it felt like death was approaching him.
“By the way, Charlie… I have an interesting proposal for you.”
– Coming from you, Sung-guk, I’m excited. What is it?
“What if Director Christopher Nolan filmed a movie on an iPhone and uploaded it to YouTube?”
The moment I said that, I heard Charlie Jobs’ laughter through the phone.
After stopping his laughter, Charlie Jobs answered cheerfully.
– Sung-guk, you’re not just sometimes a genius… you’re always too much of a genius. If I disappear from this world, you’ll probably become the smartest person on Earth. And at the same time, the most eccentric!
“Hearing you say that, it seems I still have a long way to go before becoming the smartest person in the world.”
– That’s true. Sung-guk, the fourth generation iPhone will be released next year. What if we do a project where famous directors, including Christopher Nolan, film movies with the iPhone 4 as promotional material? Of course, we’d only release them through YouTube.
“Charlie, you really are a genius!”
– Hearing that makes me think I’ll definitely live longer than you. Alright, let’s move forward with this project. You try to convince Director Christopher Nolan first. Apple and YouTube will naturally cover the production costs.
“Christopher will do it.”
– Perfect. Sung-guk, when you get out of the hospital, let’s grab dinner and talk about various things.
“Yes, Charlie.”
[Charlie… please let me see you for a long time in this life.]
I couldn’t bring myself to say that last thought aloud. I said goodbye to Charlie Jobs and hung up the phone.
Christopher Nolan stared at me with disbelief in his eyes.
“Sung-guk, you really just talked to Charlie Jobs from Apple, right?”
“Yes… Charlie actually helped a lot during the founding process of FaceNote.”
He’d even provided the office space rent-free.
And he was the only eccentric that Charlie had ever acknowledged.
“Sung-guk… you… really….”
“Impressive, right?”
“So impressive that it’s actually infuriating.”
“I hear that often, Christopher.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
* * *
Day four of quarantine.
Christopher Nolan and I had already been eating tasteless hospital bread for four days straight.
Christopher muttered quietly.
“The moment we get out of here, I’m taking you to the best restaurant in San Francisco and ordering the finest tasting menu, Sung-guk.”
“Hmm… should we really do that?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Instead of just talking about it, we should actually do it.”
“The problem is, reservations there are booked months in advance. It’s more of a wish than anything….”
“Christopher, think of this as part of the contract payment for filming a movie with the iPhone 4 next year.”
I felt slightly uneasy since it was only a verbal agreement.
[You have to keep people fed or they’ll complain later.]
As soon as I finished speaking, I called Tae-guk.
– Sung-guk! Why won’t you answer my calls?!
Tae-guk’s voice came through, full of anger.
“Hyung, I’m fine. Mark must have told you everything, right?”
– Still, you should answer your phone. Do you know how hurt I’ve been?
“Hyung, I want the first person I meet when I leave the hospital to be you.”
– Really?
Tae-guk answered innocently.
“Yes, because what I’ve eaten here for four days has been absolutely terrible. Could you make a reservation at your favorite restaurant?”
– Sung-guk, what is this? You’re using me again?
Tae-guk spoke with a sullen tone.
Of course, I was using Tae-guk right now.
Honestly, Tae-guk had little use beyond that purpose.
“Hyung, but I’ll bring a world-famous director with me instead.”
– Oh right. You’re with that director Christopher Nolan from Bat Man, aren’t you?
“Yes. What do you think?”
– Sung-guk, didn’t I tell you to use me anytime, 365 days, 24 hours!
Tae-guk was also a huge fan of Bat Man.
I hung up the phone and looked at Christopher Nolan.
“Christopher, I’ve also reserved the restaurant. Let’s make a film together next year!”
“If you just keep me away from this bread, I’d do even more than that right now, Sung-guk!”
Christopher Nolan broke into a radiant smile.

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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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