I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 262

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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 262
The night after the match ended.
I returned home and sat alone in my room.
Mark and Jeon Tae-guk had asked me to grab dinner with them, but I wasn’t in the mood.
Of course, part of it was because I’d lost, but for the first time in my life, I felt like I’d encountered a wall I couldn’t overcome.
Until now, there was nothing I couldn’t achieve.
Outstanding looks, memories from my past life.
With those, I’d lived a life of unbroken success.
But against Mike Tyson, I was nothing more than a pathetic existence.
Then my phone rang.
It was Father.
[He’s probably going to tear into me.]
Needless to say, news of my defeat had surely reached Korea by now.
After the ringtone had gone on for quite a while, I answered.
Father’s calm voice came through the phone.
– Sung-guk….
“Father….”
– Are you okay?
What?
This wasn’t what I expected to hear.
I’d assumed Father would naturally scold me for fighting such a reckless match. But instead, he asked if I was alright.
“Father….”
– Mike Tyson is the heavyweight champion, for crying out loud. Are you hurt?
“Yeah, Father. I’m okay.”
– Any injuries?
“No.”
[Father, my eye is torn, and I got beaten up so badly that everything hurts.]
But I said nothing.
Still, Father seemed to understand everything in my heart.
– Sung-guk, I won’t say much. Eat well, and if anything hurts even a little, go to the hospital right away. You know Mother and I are worried, right?
“Yeah. Father.”
For a while, Father and I said nothing.
Later, I heard from Min-guk that Father had watched my match against Mike Tyson live and held his breath, crying every time I got hit.
“Father, hang up. The phone bill will be huge.”
– Alright, Sung-guk. Take care of yourself.
“Yeah, Father. You too.”
– Okay….
After hanging up, I gazed blankly out the window.
So this is what it means to become a man….
* * *
A month had passed since my match with Mike Tyson.
Min-guk called me early in the morning.
I could guess why Min-guk was calling.
Today was June 25th.
The day Michael Jackson, Min-guk’s idol, died.
Of course, every television network in the United States was broadcasting the news of Michael Jackson’s death.
Though I already knew what would happen, I couldn’t help but harbor a faint hope.
I had called Teddy, Michael Jackson’s manager, and Michael Jackson directly several times to check on them, and I’d even recommended good doctors.
But in the end, Michael Jackson never changed his personal physician.
After decades in the entertainment industry, Michael Jackson had experienced countless betrayals, so he trusted only those who had been by his side for years.
His personal physician was one of them.
But as the saying goes, stagnant water grows foul—old relationships inevitably deteriorate.
I sighed and listened to Min-guk’s sniffling voice through the phone.
– Hyung… hyung… Michael really died?
“I’m afraid so.”
– Really… really… he’s dead?
“Min-guk… I know you’re sad… but nothing in this world lasts forever.”
– What are you saying! Why wouldn’t it last forever! Michael Jackson’s music will be eternal.
So this is when you use that phrase about a foolish question receiving a wise answer.
[Yes, Min-guk… Michael Jackson will be eternal.]
I heard Min-guk sniffling through the phone.
“Min-guk, if you become a famous singer like Michael Jackson, that would solve it.”
– Sniff. Hyung… that’s impossible.
“Sung-guk, just as nothing in this world lasts forever, there’s nothing in this world that’s truly impossible.”
[This kid—after all the money I’ve invested!]
I clenched my teeth and continued.
“So… practice hard. When you become a famous singer and sing Michael’s songs, Michael in heaven will be happy too.”
– Really?
“Of course…”
Min-guk sniffled a bit more, then spoke.
– Hyung, I’ll really become a great singer.
“Yes… I only believe in our Min-guk.”
Then I hung up the phone.
* * *
July passed in the somber atmosphere of mourning Michael Jackson, and the August issue of Bella was published.
– The hottest man in America, Jeon Sung-guk! An in-depth exploration of the man who met Mike Tyson in the ring!
Lim Mi-mi came in with Bella and made a fuss.
“Boss, have you seen the Bella issue?”
“Jessie sent a few copies to my house.”
“Boss, this is truly a career-defining photoshoot.”
[I saw it too, and his chocolate abs looked absolutely fantastic.]
The Bella photographer captured the match against Mike Tyson in black and white.
In the photograph taken before getting punched by Mike Tyson, showing my pristine appearance, there was a hint of tension in my expression, and the abdominal muscles I’d cultivated over a month blended perfectly with the overall composition.
Mark made a sullen face beside me and pouted.
“Mi-mi, I’m right here and you’re getting that excited about Sung-guk?”
“Mark… isn’t the boss really cool?”
“I know he’s handsome and cool too. But Mi-mi, don’t you remember? You dumped Sung-guk because he was boring.”
[Mark, I did that on purpose!]
I clenched my teeth hard.
“Boss, but… can I be honest with you?”
“Lim Mi-mi, when have you ever held back from being honest?”
“I suppose not…”
Lim Mi-mi chuckled softly and turned to the next page.
The photo spread showed me in the boxing ring before the match, during the match, and finally after the match.
After the match, my eye sockets were torn, my face was swollen, and there was nothing left of my pre-match appearance.
But in that exhausted state, sitting there breathing heavily, there emanated a profound sense of resilience and determination.
“Boss, what on earth were you thinking at that moment? When you were sitting there after losing to Mike Tyson?”
In truth, I had been thinking something back then.
If I had been born as the eldest son of the Samjeon Group, I wouldn’t have gone through all this hardship.
“Sung-guk, I’m curious too. What were you thinking about after losing that made you sit like that?”
“Hmm… I was just so exhausted that I couldn’t think about anything.”
“I really love this photograph. Even though it’s your first defeat in life, it doesn’t feel like a loss at all. It feels like through this, this person will become even greater. That’s the kind of aura I sense from it.”
[Lim Mi-mi, you’re quite perceptive.]
Through this incident, I had explosively increased YouTube’s subscriber count and was now on the verge of profitability.
“Come on, everyone stop because it’s embarrassing. Let’s just focus on work.”
Mark and Lim Mi-mi reluctantly returned to their seats, and I quietly changed my computer’s wallpaper to my photo spread.
Certainly, this life had better aesthetics for face and physique compared to my previous life.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was a familiar number.
I quickly answered the call.
– Sung-guk, this is Gary Oldman, special advisor to President Barack Obama.
“Hello.”
– Sung-guk, I’m calling regarding President Barack Obama’s upcoming Asia tour schedule.
I had already promised to accompany him when Barack Obama visited Korea.
– I understand you’re busy, but we’re counting on you to accompany us as a special envoy for the diplomatic relations between the United States and Korea.
“Of course I should go.”
[This is my chance to ride Air Force One.]
* * *
November finally arrived, the month when Barack Obama would embark on his Asia tour.
I packed my clothes into a small travel suitcase.
At that moment, I heard a knock on the door, and Jeon Tae-guk opened it and looked at me. Unlike usual, his face looked haggard.
“Sung-guk, are you really taking Air Force One to Korea?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, I’m completely jealous.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with envy.
“Brother… how are your graduation preparations going?”
“And you’re asking me that after looking at my face like this?”
Jeon Tae-guk was finally facing his college graduation.
Normally, he should have graduated long ago, but now he was only just about to graduate.
If he didn’t graduate this year, he’d fail and have to attend university for another year.
If that happened, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had threatened to remove him from the family register, so he absolutely had to graduate this year.
“Brother, I hope you graduate for sure this time.”
“But why don’t I feel happy at all?”
“About graduation?”
“Yeah. Once I graduate, I’ll have to go back to Korea and give up the freedom I’ve enjoyed in America, then join Samjeon and take some position. Commute by 9 a.m. Leave at 6 p.m. Overtime is a given. On top of that, I have to attend countless business meetings….”
[Jeon Tae-guk, that’s exactly what life as the heir to Samjeon Group is. Get a grip!]
Jeon Tae-guk came in with a vacant expression and glanced through my luggage.
“I knew it. You only packed hoodies and jeans?”
“That’s enough.”
“You’re visiting South Korea as a state guest right now. You should at least wear a Gucci suit. Let’s go shopping tomorrow. I’ll buy you clothes.”
“Brother, you’re busy with graduation preparations… do you have time for shopping?”
“Well….”
[There’s something you want from me, isn’t there, Jeon Tae-guk?]
I pressed my lips together and looked at him. Then Jeon Tae-guk approached urgently and grasped my hand firmly.
“Sung-guk, teach me how to study, will you?”
“Brother, then you must trust me completely.”
“Of course…. But… Sung-guk, why are you speaking so intimidatingly?”
“Brother, studying is no joke. Are you confident you can handle it?”
“…Yeah, that’s… okay, I’ll try to handle it!”
I loosened my neck slightly.
“Then, from now on, you must trust me completely.”
I wanted to use this opportunity to test Jeon Tae-guk, the heir to Samjeon Group.
* * *
The university Jeon Tae-guk attended was a four-year institution located in San Francisco, but it wasn’t particularly renowned.
It was just an ordinary university with no particularly distinguished departments.
And Jeon Tae-guk was the one who had been attending this university’s business program for several years already.
This was despite being exempt from military service due to a herniated disc!
I flipped through the textbooks Jeon Tae-guk was studying.
[This is completely basic material. But he finds this difficult?!]
“Sung-guk, just teach me how to study efficiently. You know I only need to graduate. Actually, the San Francisco Branch employees have been diligently doing my assignments, so if I just pass this exam, I think I’ll be fine.”
“Hyung, why can’t you study at all?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, I’m serious about this. I genuinely want to know how it’s even possible to be this bad at studying.]
Jeon Tae-guk stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Sung-guk, you were born a genius, so that’s why.”
“Hyung, you were born as the heir to the Samjeon Group.”
“There’s no law saying the heir to the Samjeon Group has to study well.”
“Why not? The family provides so much financial support.”
“Sung-guk, all those tutors only worked in Korea anyway.”
“Hyung, didn’t you come study abroad because you had no hope in Korea?”
“You really can’t let anything go! If you don’t want to teach me, then don’t. I’ll just do it myself. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just stay another year, so what.”
Jeon Tae-guk turned away in a huff and sat down.
Life really is all about karma.
“Hyung… listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked up at me with glistening eyes.
“Sung-guk… are you finally going to teach me?”
“From now on, you need to trust me completely. The foundation of studying is concentration. For the next fifty minutes, you’ll sit at your desk and read your textbooks. Begin!”
“Begin!”
Jeon Tae-guk rushed over and grabbed his textbooks, sitting down.
In truth, there wasn’t much else to the secret of studying.
If your backside is heavy enough, you’re already halfway to success.
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk’s final exam had begun.
During that time, Jeon Tae-guk managed to study through my surveillance rather than my study methods.
[It should be ending soon.]
Just then, Gary Oldman arrived and guided me to Air Force One.
“Air Force One consists of two identical aircraft that take off simultaneously. Only one of them carries the President, but no one knows which one. Today, you’ll be boarding the same aircraft as the President.”
“Ah, yes….”
But I couldn’t focus on Gary Oldman’s explanation.
[Why isn’t Jeon Tae-guk contacting me….]
Then it happened.
A message arrived from Jeon Tae-guk.
– Sung-guk! I think I did really well on the exam.
I want facts, not feelings!

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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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