I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 273

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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 273
Abdul posted a photo of the Bugatti I’d sold him on FaceNote.
– The car that Jeon Sung-guk, CEO of FaceNote and YouTube, used to drive is now in my hands. May divine blessings accompany it.
In front of the Bugatti, Abdul and I shook hands with satisfied smiles on our faces.
– Everything becomes expensive the moment Sung-guk touches it.
– Selling a Bugatti! Sung-guk, are you in your right mind!
– If I had a Bugatti, I’d sell my soul for it.
– Nobody’s buying your soul anyway, so that’s the problem.
FaceNote was buzzing with activity once again.
Abdul seemed to be enjoying this attention.
Perhaps he hadn’t bought the Bugatti at all—he’d bought this attention for 1.2 billion.
* * *
After selling the Bugatti and settling everything, I had nine million dollars.
I gazed at the Patek Philippe watch Myung Hae-jin had left behind.
[Hmm. This alone would buy quite a bit of Apple stock.]
But I decided to set aside my greed and awaken Jeon Tae-guk to his responsibilities.
This was all karmic debt from my past life.
After all, it was my idea to push forward the marriage with Myung Jin Group in my previous life.
Since I brought them together then, I should do it again in this life.
I placed the Patek Philippe watch in a box and closed it.
Then I stood in front of Jeon Tae-guk’s room.
Knock. Knock.
“Who is it?”
“Hyung, it’s me.”
“Sung-guk, come in.”
I opened the door and entered.
Jeon Tae-guk was busy preparing to return to Korea.
Of course, Jeon Tae-guk wasn’t the one packing, but he did personally gather his cherished belongings.
Jeon Tae-guk ran through his suits, then glanced at me.
“Sung-guk, my suits probably won’t fit you, right?”
“Probably not.”
[I’m taller than you and have broader shoulders.]
“Then I’ll give them to Mark.”
“Hyung, those are Gucci, aren’t they?”
“Father says not to wear anything that screams brand like Gucci. When going to Samjeon, wear something extremely expensive but with no visible branding. That’s what he says.”
“I see.”
Now that I thought about it, I was the same way.
The Samjeon family wore clothes so expensive that their price couldn’t even be compared to well-known luxury brands, yet their origins were obscure.
Jeon Tae-guk looked at the Gucci suit with regret and smacked his lips.
“Gucci is my style.”
“Hyung, did you know the founder’s son of Gucci was murdered for hire?”
“What?”
Jeon Tae-guk stared at me in shock.
“Maurizio Gucci—the heir to the family that created the Gucci brand—was assassinated. Right in front of his own home.”
“Who killed Maurizio Gucci? No, wait—who hired the assassin?”
“His ex-wife.”
“What? His ex-wife ordered it? That’s insane!”
“Yes. But the two of them shared a love that transcended social class. A laundromat owner’s daughter and a law student fell in love at first sight and defied all boundaries.”
“And then?”
“Naturally, Maurizio married the laundromat owner’s daughter despite his family’s fierce opposition. Once she became the daughter-in-law of the Gucci family, she was consumed by extravagance and vanity, while the former law student began to tire of the woman he’d fallen for at first glance.”
“This is like a morning drama. So what happens?”
“Eventually, everything he once found attractive about her repulsed him. Her vivacity transformed into vulgarity. Love withered away. She divorced him and received alimony, but she couldn’t stop yearning for her position as the Gucci family’s daughter-in-law. She desperately tried to win his heart back.”
Jeon Tae-guk listened to my story with rapt attention.
“And then? What happens next?”
“Maurizio Gucci refused to take her back, so she hired someone to murder the man she could never have again.”
“Sigh… love truly becomes terrifying when it changes.”
I nodded in agreement.
[Love has always been terrifying, Jeon Tae-guk.]
Jeon Tae-guk stood up and hurriedly rummaged through his closet.
“Hyung, what are you doing?”
“I need to give Mark all my Gucci clothes, socks, everything.”
“Hyung, just throw away the underwear and socks!”
“Ah, I got too excited… But Sung-guk, did you come here just to tell me about Gucci?”
“No.”
I handed Tae-guk the watch box.
“Sung-guk, what is this?”
“Patek Philippe.”
“Patek Philippe? A watch?”
“Yes.”
Jeon Tae-guk suddenly looked at me with tears of emotion in his eyes.
“Sung-guk, don’t tell me…”
[Why is this happening? This feels ominous.]
“Sung-guk, is this… my graduation gift?”
“Well…”
For a moment, I was caught off guard and lost for words.
In truth, I had planned to tell him that Myung Hae-jin had given me this watch as a gift, and to ask him whether he’d accept her as a daughter-in-law of the Samjeon Group.
Myung Hae-jin wasn’t the laundromat owner’s daughter who married Maurizio Gucci, but I intended to warn him that she was just as terrifying a presence.
The choice would be his to make, but I had decided to tell him anyway—a way of repaying the karmic debt from my past life.
But Jeon Tae-guk looked genuinely happy right now.
Happy that I, who used to extort money from him every day, had prepared such an expensive gift.
[Perhaps ignorance is bliss.]
Jeon Tae-guk had already opened the watch box and was happily fastening it around his wrist.
“Sung-guk, I really love this. I was actually eyeing this exact one at the department store….”
Myung Hae-jin’s taste was impeccable.
When I checked at the department store, it was a watch worth over 100 million won.
I had genuinely suffered from the temptation to sell it and buy stocks instead, but I had resisted and handed it to Jeon Tae-guk.
It wasn’t meant as a gift—I had planned to tell him the truth and ask him to decide whether to discard the watch or accept a woman like this.
In that moment, Jeon Tae-guk suddenly embraced me.
“Sung-guk, thank you so much. I had no idea you cared about me this way.”
“Hyung, I’ve always thought of you.”
As karmic debt from my past life.
Either way, it seemed I had to let this matter slide.
“Sung-guk, I’m genuinely moved. For someone as stingy as you to give such an expensive watch….”
[Stingy? Ugh.]
I clenched my teeth tightly.
In any case, I had decided to keep my mouth shut about this.
Even if Myung Hae-jin saw Jeon Tae-guk wearing the watch she had given me, she wouldn’t dare say a word.
I simply patted Jeon Tae-guk’s back.
“Hyung, congratulations on your graduation.”
“Sung-guk, thank you so much. I’ll wear this watch every time I go to work at Samjeon.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“By the way, Myung Hae-jin said she felt bad about freeloading on dinner last time, so she’s treating us to dinner on the last evening of 2009. Sung-guk, are you free?”
“Of course.”
I was very curious to see Myung Hae-jin’s face when she noticed the watch Jeon Tae-guk was wearing.
* * *
December 31st, 2009.
The atmosphere at FaceNote and YouTube was more vibrant than ever.
FaceNote’s user base was approaching 800 million, and YouTube was on the verge of turning profitable.
To commemorate the final day, Mark and Lim Mi-mi had made pizza and champagne available throughout the company.
“Sung-guk, that woman who came by last time is treating us to dinner tonight, right?”
“Yeah. Just eat some pizza. She made a reservation at an incredible restaurant.”
True to her status as the daughter of a conglomerate built on seasonings, Myung Hae-jin had booked an exceptionally fine restaurant.
“Got it. I should tell Mi-mi too.”
Mark hurried over to Lim Mi-mi.
And I picked up the champagne and headed toward Adam, offering him a glass.
“Adam, we should have a toast.”
“Sung-guk, thank you.”
I looked at the potted plant on Adam’s desk.
It was the same plant Adam had brought to me on the day we negotiated salary and conducted layoffs.
It had grown considerably, and its leaves had become larger.
“Adam, this little one is growing well.”
“Of course. He seems to really like it here. Now he’s putting down roots with peace of mind.”
That was also Adam’s own story.
I had nearly doubled Adam’s salary in recognition of his dedication all this time.
But Adam still refused to replace his beloved Jenny.
“Adam, don’t you think you should replace Jenny? Jenny is a threat to your life.”
“Sung-guk, Jenny is my first car.”
“Wasn’t that just for driving practice, Adam?”
“Well, yes… but I’ve grown attached to her.”
“Adam, as your boss, your life is my top priority. If you’re going to work here with me for a long time, think it over carefully.”
At those words, Adam’s expression grew dejected.
Just then, Sam, who was passing by, looked at Adam and me.
“Sung-guk, Adam. What are you doing this evening?”
“I have plans today.”
“Sung-guk, are you going on a date?”
Sam and Adam looked at me with surprised eyes.
“Not a date. I’m having dinner with Mark and some friends.”
At that moment, Sam and Adam’s eyes relaxed with relief.
[What’s with these two?]
“Adam, you’re working today too, right?”
“Probably, Sam.”
“Sam, Adam. Please, both of you go home and rest today instead of working. It’s the last day of 2009. If other people see this, they’ll think I’m an unscrupulous employer.”
I tried to stop them.
But both of them firmly shook their heads.
“Sung-guk, don’t worry. Actually, I prefer being at the company. What’s the point of going home on a day like this when the TV just shows couples kissing to ring in the new year?”
“That’s right, Sung-guk. Don’t worry about us. Adam, Sam, and all the single people at our company will probably stay here, finish off the leftover pizza, drink champagne, and ring in the new year together.”
“Just don’t get too drunk. And happy new year. That’s how we say it in Korea.”
“You too, Sung-guk!”
* * *
I entered the restaurant Myung Hae-jin had reserved with Mark and Lim Mi-mi.
Jeon Tae-guk, who had arrived early, greeted us.
“Sung-guk, Mark, Lim Mi-mi, over here!”
We went inside and took our seats.
“Hyung, where is Myung Hae-jin?”
“She said she’d be here soon.”
Jeon Tae-guk was wearing the watch I had given him, as expected.
And soon Myung Hae-jin arrived.
Myung Hae-jin was clearly dressed to the nines.
I caught a faint whisper from Lim Mi-mi to Mark.
“Hae-jin is really beautiful. Don’t you think so, Mark?”
“Mi-mi, I only have eyes for you.”
I deliberately rolled up the cuff of my hoodie slightly.
It was to show Myung Hae-jin that there was nothing on my wrist.
Myung Hae-jin’s expression stiffened slightly as she looked at my bare wrist.
And at that moment, Jeon Tae-guk rolled up his sleeve and extended his wrist adorned with a Patek Philippe watch toward us.
“Hae-jin, what do you think of this watch?”
“…What watch is that?”
“Sung-guk gave it to me as a graduation gift.”
“Tae-guk, really? Cheapskate Sung-guk actually gave you such an expensive watch?”
Mark asked in surprise as well.
“He really did.”
“Wow, our boss knows how to spend money when it counts.”
Of course, it wasn’t my money, but he was right.
At that moment, Myung Hae-jin suddenly grasped Jeon Tae-guk’s hand tightly.
Jeon Tae-guk wasn’t the only one startled. I, Mark, and Lim Mi-mi—all of us watching were equally shocked.
And then Myung Hae-jin looked directly at Jeon Tae-guk as if to make a point.
“Tae-guk, shall we date?”
“Uh… well…”
“You don’t want to?”
“No. No! I’d love to!!!”
Jeon Tae-guk shouted so loudly that the entire restaurant echoed. Eventually, we were kicked out of the Michelin Restaurant for being too loud.
* * *
Myung Hae-jin left in Jeon Tae-guk’s car, and Mark and Lim Mi-mi got in as well.
Mark rolled down the car window and asked me again.
“Sung-guk, are you really not going to watch the New Year’s countdown at our place?”
“I don’t want to intrude on a couple’s time.”
“Boss, where are you going?”
“To a place where people are happy to see me. So don’t worry—you two enjoy your intimate time together!”
With that, I sent off Mark and Lim Mi-mi and got into my car.
* * *
As I opened the door and stepped inside, Sam and Adam were just pulling out beers.
“Sung-guk…”
“Do you have any leftover pizza?”
“Of course. Sung-guk, but… didn’t you have plans today?”
“I thought watching the New Year’s countdown with other single people would be more fun.”
Sam handed me the pizza.
The pizza had gone cold and soggy, but hunger is the best seasoning.
Single people who had stayed at the office began gathering around me one by one. Someone turned on the New Year’s countdown on a large monitor.
Adam smiled broadly and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, it’s actually comforting to know that even a handsome guy like you is single.”
I simply ate my pizza.
And so I welcomed my twentieth birthday surrounded by single friends.
Ding.
At that moment, a message notification chimed.
Who could it be?
It was Mother and Father.
– My beloved son. Your mother and father went through quite a bit of trouble to send this at the right time in US time. Our proud son, happy twentieth birthday!
“Sung-guk, let’s do the countdown now!”
All the single friends linked arms and began the countdown.
“10, 9, 8, 7 … 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!”

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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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