I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 27

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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 27
I regained consciousness gradually, having dozed off during the drive.
Seo Byung-gwan, the pediatrician who had been my personal physician in my previous life and a man with a pleasant demeanor, was examining me.
Seo Byung-gwan frowned slightly before turning his gaze toward my mother.
“Ma’am, did you feed him something unusual?”
“I gave him rice as usual this morning, and a banana with milk for a snack. He’s never had problems with these foods before.”
Seo Byung-gwan tilted his head in confusion.
“Did you give Sung-guk spicy kimchi or anything like that?”
My mother looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Sung-guk, when did you eat kimchi?”
“Kimchi. Tasty.”
I flashed a grin.
After emptying everything from my stomach and intestines in the Sampung Department Store restroom, and then sleeping soundly in Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s luxury sedan, my body had been recovering steadily.
Seo Byung-gwan pinched my cheek.
“You little rascal, you snuck it when your mother wasn’t looking.”
Hehe.
I smiled sheepishly.
My mother looked at me with relief washing over her face.
“Doctor, is he going to be alright now?”
“Young children who aren’t used to spicy foods often get sick when they eat it by mistake. But how much kimchi did this little one actually consume?”
Seo Byung-gwan shook his head in disbelief.
While my mother was busy preparing for filming, I opened the refrigerator and stuffed my mouth with bossam kimchi from my father’s bossam restaurant.
Honestly, I don’t even remember how much I ate.
My goal had been to eat as much as possible.
And for the perfect crime, I wiped my hands and even applied baby lotion before waiting for my mother with a composed expression.
My mother still wore a worried look.
“Doctor, this has never happened before. The kimchi is usually too spicy, so I always rinse it in water before giving it to him.”
“This little one will be so startled that he won’t go near kimchi for a while. Still, his condition isn’t good today, so let’s get him an IV drip and some medicine. Come back in about three days. I’ll make a reservation for you.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor.”
My mother carried me to get the IV drip.
A nurse smiled when she saw me.
“Ma’am, is this the famous Sung-guk?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder he’s so beautiful—you’re a complete beauty yourself. You must be so happy to have such a handsome son.”
“He’s usually very obedient, but I have no idea why he ate kimchi today when he normally doesn’t.”
“Well, at least Sung-guk ate kimchi. There are so many children who eat things they shouldn’t. No matter how carefully parents watch, kids cause accidents in an instant.”
“That’s true. I’ll need to be more careful going forward.”
That was when it happened.
Beepers suddenly went off simultaneously throughout the hospital.
Beep—beep—beep—beep—beep—.
“Oh my, what’s happened?”
The Nurse’s eyes widened in alarm as well.
Mother’s pager began to beep.
“Father just called.”
Kim Mi-young arrived late, her face drained of all color as she rushed over.
“Sister, what on earth is going on?”
“It’s Sampung Department Store. Sampung Department Store….”
Kim Mi-young couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Sister, what about Sampung Department Store?”
“…It collapsed.”
“What?!”
Mother cried out in shock.
Just then, an emergency news broadcast about the Sampung Department Store collapse began playing on the large television in the lobby.
Mother’s legs gave out beneath her, and she sank into a hospital chair while holding me close.
“Sung-guk’s mother… Sung-guk’s mother, are you alright?”
“Sister…. Sung-guk saved us.”
* * *
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s expression hardened as he walked through the Samjeon Hospital gardens.
Secretary Yang’s face had turned ashen as well.
“Vice Chairman, Sampung Department Store has collapsed.”
“I just heard. What about the remaining executives?”
“The Sampung Department Store executives received advance notice before the collapse and all evacuated. Since so many of our company employees live in apartments near Sampung, we expect significant casualties among their families.”
“Let’s head to the office.”
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung took a step forward, then suddenly stopped.
“By the way, how is Sung-guk doing?”
“Director Seo Byung-gwan called before we heard about the accident. He said Sung-guk has severe indigestion with signs of dehydration, but there’s nothing serious to worry about.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Vice Chairman, isn’t this strange? We’ve been watching Sung-guk for two years now, and he’s never been late to a shoot or complained once. So why would he suddenly get indigestion today, of all days?”
“….”
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung continued walking in silence.
It truly was an extraordinary coincidence.
Ever since becoming involved with the boy Sung-guk, not only had Samjeon Electronics’ image transformed, but his own position had solidified considerably.
And today’s events… he could only believe it was fate.
Of course, the management staff at Sampung Department Store had known in advance and evacuated, and he would have done the same, but that could actually invite criticism.
However, thanks to Sung-guk, he had already left before any signs of the incident appeared.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung turned to look at Secretary Yang.
“First, let’s have the group make a donation to help the Sampung Department Store disaster site and its victims, and look into other support measures.”
“Yes, Vice Chairman.”
“And another thing. Once things settle down a bit, what do you think about turning today’s incident with Sung-guk into a news story?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Secretary Yang asked carefully.
“If we publicize how the baby model suddenly fell ill, how you personally drove your car to Samjeon Hospital, and how this action saved a life, it could greatly benefit the Samjeon Group’s image. What do you think?”
“Since this incident is quite significant, there’s a possibility of backlash….”
“Monitor public reaction and proceed cautiously.”
“Yes, Vice Chairman.”
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung climbed into the car.
Click.
The car door closed, and he pressed his fingers to his brow.
Whenever he became entangled with that child Sung-guk, he found himself making decisions without fully understanding his own reasoning.
Today was no exception.
Normally, he would have simply sent the boy alone, but why had he accompanied him to the hospital himself?
What was even stranger was that in doing so, Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had not only saved a life but also absolved himself of any potential problems that might arise.
* * *
Drip. Drip. Drip.
An IV line was running into my arm.
In the private hospital room provided by the Samjeon Group, I lay receiving the IV.
When Father and Lim Sun-mi heard the news, they rushed over with ashen faces.
“So-young, I was at the store when I heard about the Sampung Department Store collapse, and I just froze right there.”
“Brother, I’m sorry. Sung-guk’s condition was so bad that I couldn’t think about anything else.”
Mother tried to call Father after hearing his beeper, but the line at the public phone was so long that it took quite some time before she could reach him.
The one who was truly shocked was Lim Sun-mi.
“Today was really strange. I’ve worked with Sung-guk for a long time, but this has never happened before… If Samjeon hadn’t canceled that schedule….”
Lim Sun-mi’s lips trembled.
I lay in bed with a heavy heart.
This was all I could do.
I couldn’t change the fates of countless people, nor could I alter history.
Mother stroked my head.
“Sung-guk, don’t worry. Mother and Father are here.”
[Sigh, this wretched shoddy construction. Mother, I’ve repaid my debt to you.]
The day I first acknowledged this young couple came to mind.
The path to the Supermarket, carried on Mother’s back to buy bean sprouts.
Mother had thrown her entire body in front of me to shield me from the collapsing building.
And today, in reverse, I had thrown my stomach and intestines out.
[Ah, my stomach is burning.]
My stomach and backside still stung from the spicy kimchi.
The TV in the private room continued to broadcast the collapse of the Sampung Department Store.
The Sampung Department Store, devastated as if bombed, with only parts of the building remaining.
The desperate cries of people searching for family members who had lost contact.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then, the announcer on screen reported that donations from corporations and various regions across the country were arriving to aid in the recovery of the disaster site.
I quickly sat up.
“Mother, me too.”
“Sung-guk, what did you say?”
“I want to do that too.”
I pointed at the TV screen showing the donation amount climbing higher.
“Sung-guk’s mother, it looks like Sung-guk wants to make a donation.”
Kim Mi-young quickly caught on.
Mother and Father exchanged glances before nodding at each other.
Father came to my side and squeezed my hand firmly.
“Sung-guk, I’ll make a donation in your name tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I nodded.
* * *
Five days had already passed since the Sampung Department Store collapse.
After the initial survivors were pulled out, there had been no further progress.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung flipped through several morning newspapers alternately.
Miraculously, survivors had emerged from the devastated ruins, and news broke that Sung-guk had donated ten million won to a relief fund for the Sampung Department Store disaster survivors.
At the same time, Sung-guk’s story from that day was also revealed.
“Young Jeon Sung-guk was heading to Sampung Department Store for a Samjeon Electronics catalog shoot and fan signing scheduled for that afternoon when he suffered severe food poisoning, which forced him to go to the hospital and inadvertently saved his life.”
Stories poured out—from how the most popular group Just skipped the fan signing due to scheduling conflicts and only shot the catalog, to how ordinary citizens narrowly avoided the disaster.
Public outrage erupted when it was revealed that Sampung Department Store management staff had known about the danger in advance and avoided it.
Now was the perfect timing to release the story about Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung and Sung-guk to the media.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung immediately summoned Secretary Yang.
Secretary Yang soon knocked and entered.
“Vice Chairman, you called for me?”
“I think it would be good to release an anecdote about Sung-guk to the press in a few days.”
“I was actually planning to mention that. And Sung-guk’s family has made a request.”
“A request? What kind of request?”
* * *
The second Uri Geller?
I let out a deep sigh.
When they couldn’t find the missing persons, shamans and all sorts of psychics appeared, and after failing to recruit Uri Geller, who was famous as a psychic, some blonde boy from a foreign country showed up and created an absurd spectacle.
“I can feel the energy here.”
[I could say that too, you fool!]
Time passed and people’s anxiety grew.
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand it.
News outlets were increasingly suggesting that since they couldn’t find the missing persons, perhaps the search should be concluded.
“This is a waste of budget!”
Whether then or now, politicians always trotted out the same tired rhetoric.
[Tsk tsk tsk.]
I couldn’t simply stand by and watch.
So after much deliberation, I devised a plan to ask Kim Mi-young for help.
At present, Kim Mi-young was the most influential person I could turn to.
On the evening Kim Mi-young came home for dinner, the news was once again reporting on the Sampung Department Store collapse.
“It seems like they’re not finding any more missing people now.”
“The search teams are growing weary, and relief efforts are dwindling. Some are even hoping to wrap up the incident quickly.”
At that moment, I quickly grasped Kim Mi-young’s hand tightly.
“No, can’t do.”
“Sung-guk, what are you saying?”
“Can’t do. Absolutely can’t do.”
“What are you talking about?”
“People still there. Waaahhh.”
I burst into tears.
In that instant, Mother and Kim Mi-young stared at me.
Kim Mi-young looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Sung-guk, what do you mean?”
“More days. More days. Samjeon more days. One. Two. Three. Four. Five more days!”
“Five more days?”
“Yes!”
I nodded my head.
After much thought, Kim Mi-young called Secretary Yang of the Samjeon Group.
* * *
“Sung-guk asked for the search to continue for just five more days?”
“Yes, Vice Chairman.”
“The child?”
“Perhaps….”
Secretary Yang trailed off.
“Secretary Yang, call Master Lee in Samcheongdong. Tell him I’m coming.”
“Yes, understood.”
The place Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung called Samcheongdong was where the Samjeon Group had consulted for divination for generations.
Since Chairman Jeon Ju-shin’s era, the Samjeon Group had especially relied on physiognomy and fortune-telling when recruiting executives and employees.
“It seems possible. However, Vice Chairman, what exactly are you curious about?”
“Hmm….”
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung fell silent for a moment.
In truth, what he was curious about was his relationship with this child named Jeon Sung-guk.
How this child kept appearing at his most critical moments.
And why those incidents affected Samjeon Electronics.
Was it mere coincidence that this child had saved his life at Sampung Department Store? All of it left him vaguely perplexed.
“Vice Chairman?”
When Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung didn’t respond, Secretary Yang quietly asked.
“Contact Sung-guk’s home and have them look into his birth chart as well. With this Sampung Department Store incident and all—it seems like that boy keeps getting tangled up in things, so I need to settle this matter first… and I should also probe into Father’s true intentions.”
“Yes, Vice Chairman.”
Secretary Yang bowed respectfully and left the Vice Chairman’s Office.
Jeon Jae-hyung found it strange that every time he became entangled with a boy named Sung-guk, precarious situations continued to unfold. Of course, thus far everything had favored Samjeon Electronics. But no one could predict what would happen next.
After all, the devil always offers candy first!
* * *
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung walked into an old Korean mansion.
The massive zelkova tree standing in the courtyard spoke to the history of this place.
For ordinary people to enter this house, they had to make a reservation and wait more than a year.
Neither money nor power could change the order.
Only the Samjeon Group in all of South Korea was exempt from this rule.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung passed through the pristine Korean garden, removed his shoes at the stone step, and ascended onto the wooden floor.
A woman with her hair neatly combed into a single braid silently guided him to the inner quarters without a word.
It exuded the atmosphere of an upscale traditional establishment rather than a fortune-telling shop.
All regular customers had been cancelled or turned away due to Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s visit, leaving the interior eerily quiet.
They reached the room at the far end.
As the woman opened the door, an elderly man with a benevolent face bowed deeply to Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
This was Master Lee.
“Vice Chairman, welcome.”
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung sat down respectfully before Master Lee.
The fragrance of chrysanthemum tea, which Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung favored, filled the room.
“The tea has steeped to just the right degree.”
Master Lee opened the lid of the tea cup for Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
“Master, have you examined the birth chart I asked you to look at?”
“The one born on September 12th, 1991, at the hour of the Rat, correct?”
“Yes.”
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea, steeped to perfect drinking temperature, and savored it.
The elderly man paused in thought, then looked at Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
“Vice Chairman, forgive me if this is presumptuous, but… could this be a hidden son of yours?”

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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
—————