I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 263

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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 263
– Hyung, please contact me as soon as the results come in.
But no answer came from Tae-guk.
“Sung-guk, shall we board now?”
“Yes….”
I boarded Air Force One, something I’d only ever seen in movies.
Advisors and reporters accompanying Barack Obama on his Asia visit had already taken their seats. I sat by the window, guided there by Gary Oldman.
Barack Obama boarded the plane last.
And the aircraft took off shortly after.
Our first destination was China.
* * *
Barack Obama was naturally preoccupied with meetings throughout the flight, discussing the itinerary and issues to be addressed in each country with his various advisors.
The reporters organized such moments intermittently, and I found myself briefly liberated from work for the first time in a long while.
I was still receiving reports, but Mark had taken over FaceNote and Sam had taken over YouTube.
Perhaps Barack Obama’s Asia tour was like a vacation for me—a genuine vacation after such a long time.
As the plane passed somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, Barack Obama approached my seat with a cup of coffee.
“Sung-guk, you look like you finally have some leisure time.”
“I’m taking a break from work… and organizing my thoughts.”
“The China and Japan schedules are flexible, so during our Korea visit, I’d appreciate it if you could serve as a bridge between me and the Korean president.”
“Of course.”
Barack Obama took a sip of his coffee, then looked at me as if he had something to say.
[Barack, go ahead and say whatever’s on your mind.]
“Actually… Sung-guk… do you know that I’m called the poorest president in American history?”
“….”
I nodded slightly.
The collapse of Lehman Brothers last year had plunged the American economy into its worst crisis.
It was only natural that Barack Obama, who became president at this time, had limited funds at his disposal.
“Barack, but you’re still the president of the United States.”
“Sigh… that’s true, but… honestly, if previous American presidents wielded the economy as a weapon in their relations with other nations, I’m in no position to do that.”
[Barack, I know all about your policies.]
Barack Obama, as president of an economically devastated America, pursued American interests by exploiting the weaknesses and relationships of other nations.
He used the comfort women issue in Korea-Japan relations as merely a political tool.
And he exploited the incompetence and political mistakes of the former president’s daughter, President Baek Geun-hee, who would take power after Lim Myung-baek, to coerce negotiations on settling historical grievances with Japan.
Could I actually accomplish anything in this life?
I asked him directly.
“Barack Obama, what do you want from me?”
In truth, since I was accompanying him as a special envoy on this Asia tour, he must have wanted something from me.
“Honestly, I can’t claim to have a perfect understanding of Asia’s economic knowledge or its overall culture. What I most want right now is to check China’s influence and strengthen the Korea-US-Japan relationship. Especially since Korea has China and Japan on either side, and North Korea above, I think it would be helpful if you could teach me about Korean culture and historical relationships.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“And… I heard that Sung-guk was a scholarship student of Hyojin Group. Hyojin and Samjeon are now global enterprises, not just in South Korea. I’d appreciate it if you could help me a lot during meetings with Korean business leaders.”
“Of course.”
[Barack, but remember—I’m Korean. Never forget that.]
I smiled without revealing my true thoughts.
* * *
Air Force One touched down in Beijing.
Only after the state reception concluded did I and the other aides and reporters disembark from Air Force One.
Just then, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
I turned to see a woman with glasses and short hair calling out to me.
“Is there something you need?”
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you since earlier. You’re Jeon Sung-guk, the representative of FaceNote and YouTube, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hello, I’m an intern aide who just started working at the White House. I got assigned to this overseas trip, but honestly, there’s not much for me to do.”
The woman had a scattered way of speaking.
How did someone like this end up working at the White House?
And an intern followed the American president on an overseas trip?
My confusion dissolved the moment she introduced herself.
“Oh, by the way, my name is Christie Kennedy.”
“Kennedy, you say?”
Christie grinned and whispered her response.
“Yes… my great-grandfather was President John F. Kennedy.”
The Kennedy family remained like royalty in America.
Christie continued talking.
“Actually, I was Sung-guk’s classmate at university. You didn’t know?”
“Harvard?”
“Yes… Of course, I knew Sung-guk very well, but I figured it was natural that Sung-guk wouldn’t know me.”
“I didn’t spend much time at Harvard, so I didn’t make many friends.”
“Still, Sung-guk was always surrounded by Mark, who works with you on FaceNote, and Dennis, who aspires to be a film director. Oh, and Jessie, who’s now a reporter at Bella.”
“You know quite a lot about me.”
[Please don’t be a stalker.]
Christie Kennedy laughed bashfully.
“I’m pretty good at fan-girling, you see. Sung-guk was so cool that I was always hanging around. Of course, it wasn’t anything creepy!”
[This is getting more suspicious by the second….]
Christie saw my expression and waved her hands dismissively.
“Sung-guk… you know how it is. When you’re interested in a boy, you naturally end up hovering around him, and before you know it, you just happen to know things about him.”
“Is this meeting also something you arranged that way?”
“Of course not! I really did join the White House as an intern. Since our family is the Kennedys, my father pulled some strings to help with the trip.”
[Connections matter everywhere, even in America.]
“Why am I even saying all this?”
Christie Kennedy muttered to herself, embarrassed.
“Christie, so to sum it up—you’re working as a White House intern, came along on this trip thanks to your father’s connections, and now you’ve even met me, someone you were interested in back at Harvard?”
“That’s right! Sung-guk!”
Christie Kennedy’s face went pale.
“Oh my… you caught me being interested.”
“It’s fine. I’m not interested.”
“Wow… to hear Sung-guk say this to me… it’s an honor.”
“Honestly, I still don’t fully understand my role, so I’m not that busy. You’re probably the same, right?”
“Until we go to Korea, things shouldn’t be too hectic.”
“Then, would you like to travel with me through China and Japan? The other aides are swamped with work. I only have to go when they call for me.”
Getting to know the Kennedy family didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
“By the way, Sung-guk… I lived in China, Japan, and Korea for a few months each during college. I even spent six months in Korea.”
“Was that because of me?”
“At first, I became interested in Korea because of you… sorry, but I’m not a fan of yours anymore.”
[What? This woman? Why does she keep picking people up and dropping them?]
“Then, who are you a fan of now?”
“Through you, I became interested in K-culture. Then, while watching a drama by chance, I met my ideal type of man. Want me to show you?”
“Go ahead.”
I nodded indifferently.
[What? There’s another person in South Korea worth being a fan of besides me, Sung-guk?]
Christie Kennedy handed me a photo saved on her phone.
“His name is Lee Jae-hee. He started as a child actor and seems to be around the same age as you. He played the male lead’s younger version in 【Early Autumn Tale】. Not a young child actor, but more like a high school-aged one. But… isn’t he charming?”
[Could it be… the Lee Jae-hee I know?]
“Christie, since you’re a fan, you must know his profile well, right?”
“Of course. Originally, he was the grandson of Deokpung Paper Company, a solid mid-sized enterprise. But his grandfather fell for a woman like a femme fatale and didn’t give his children a single penny before dying, so he’s been living as the breadwinner of his family since childhood.”
[So… it really is that Lee Jae-hee I know.]
He was the one who made me taste bitterness for the first time in my life, and also the one who punched Lim Sun-mi’s nose, giving me the greatest opportunity of my life.
Christie Kennedy continued muttering beside me.
“But after 【Early Autumn Tale】, his activities became sparse.”
“Christie, but why is this guy so charming?”
Honestly, Lee Jae-hee, now the same age as me, had looks that were slightly lacking to become a rising actor.
[Even back then, his appearance wasn’t close to mine.]
“He’s cute!”
“You like cute guys, Christie?”
“I liked you because you’re handsome and cool… but with him, he just feels familiar, like someone who’d live next door.”
[How would someone like Lee Jae-hee live next door in America!]
Christie Kennedy giggled while looking at Lee Jae-hee’s photo.
“Sung-guk, when you go to Korea, could I possibly run into this guy on the street?”
“You’ll find out once you live there, but South Korea isn’t that small.”
“Sigh… that’s sad.”
“But I think I might be able to introduce you.”
“How would you do that?”
Christie Kennedy’s eyes widened.
“I know someone in the entertainment industry. If I reach out to them, I might be able to get their contact information.”
And now was the right time to meet Lee Jae-hee.
* * *
Once I arrived at the hotel room, I called Bang Mu-hyuk.
– Sung-guk, you’re in China right now?
[Sigh… Has news about me already spread there? This man’s popularity is something else….]
“Uncle Mu-hyuk, how did you know?”
– How did I know? You posted your entire schedule on Face Note.
[Right. So it wasn’t from the news articles.]
Soon, Bang Mu-hyuk’s low chuckle came through the phone.
– Though it did make the news too. Everyone’s talking about how you’re participating as a special envoy in Barack Obama’s Asia tour, and you’re Korean no less. Plus, that photo spread of you in Bella? It sold out completely in Korea. But… what’s going on?
“Uncle Mu-hyuk, I was wondering if you could help me find someone.”
– All of a sudden? And how would I do that?
“It’s a friend who’s in the entertainment industry. Have you ever seen Early Autumn Fairy Tale?”
– Of course! I cried so much watching that drama. The female lead had an older brother she grew up with as a child, but it turned out he wasn’t her real brother!
Bang Mu-hyuk enthusiastically recounted the entire plot of Early Autumn Fairy Tale.
– Later, the female lead dies while being carried on that older brother’s back… I sobbed my heart out that day.
[Early Autumn Fairy Tale or whatever—it’s definitely not my type of show.]
– But why are you asking about that drama?
“The child actor who played the male lead in that drama….”
– Lee Jae-hee?
Bang Mu-hyuk asked before I could even finish.
“Uncle, you know him?”
– Jae-hee came to our agency for an audition not long ago.
“Really?”
– Yeah… He’s got a cute vibe, and while he can’t make it alone, I think he’d work well as part of a team. Plus, since he majored in dance, his movements have a unique quality to them.
“Uncle, could I see Jae-hee sometime? He has a fan.”
– I was thinking of seeing him again anyway. But… who’s Jae-hee’s fan?
“Christie Kennedy.”
– Really?
“Yes, she’s a friend of the Kennedy family—President Kennedy is her great-uncle.”
– Ah… Then I’ll ask to see him one more time. You just coordinate the schedule for when you come back to Korea and we can set up a meeting.
“Yes, please do that.”
After making those arrangements, I quickly contacted Christie Kennedy.
– Sung-guk! This is amazing! Thank you so much! Seriously, there’s nothing impossible when I’m with you. How can I ever repay this favor?
“Don’t mention it.”
– Sung-guk, let me treat you to dinner tonight. Come out with me.
“Sounds good!”
[From now on, you can repay my kindness gradually through your connections rather than just today’s meal.]
In truth, I’d investigated Christie Kennedy the moment I arrived at the hotel.
Christie Kennedy was quite famous among K-culture enthusiasts throughout the United States.
She was regarded as one of the most devoted fans with both the prestige of the Kennedy name and impressive information-gathering abilities.
It seemed Bang Mu-hyuk’s children—Sevens—were beginning to gather.
Their entry into the American market would be made possible precisely because of K-culture enthusiasts within American culture.
I had no doubt that Christie Kennedy would play a crucial role in that endeavor.
[Christie, please take good care of Sevens! My younger brother is a member too!]

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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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