I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 281

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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 281
I pressed a hand to my startled chest, trying to calm myself.
[Sigh… I need to be more careful.]
Click—
The master bedroom door opened, and Mother emerged with a disheveled face.
“Sung-guk, are you still drinking?”
“Just finishing what’s left before bed, Mother.”
“How can you drink so much when you’ve only just learned? You’re going to become a complete drunkard!”
Smack—
Mother’s sharp hand came down at the same moment.
“Now get inside and sleep. But… where is Tae-guk?”
“Over there….”
I pointed to Jeon Tae-guk sprawled out in the hallway.
“Sung-guk, wake Tae-guk up and bring him inside. How much did you all drink….”
“Mother, let me help you clean up.”
“Never mind… if you break a glass while drunk, it could be dangerous. I’ll take care of it. You go to bed. You have so much work, yet you drank so much.”
Mother pushed me toward the bedroom.
But I didn’t dislike any of this.
Not Mother’s gentle push, nor the slight buzz warming my head….
I woke Jeon Tae-guk, who was sprawled in the hallway.
“Hyung, you’re in the hallway. If you sleep here, your mouth will go numb. Our house doesn’t run the boiler from March onwards!”
“What?”
Jeon Tae-guk rubbed his eyes and sat up.
“That’s strange… I was dreaming I was sleeping on the ice in Antarctica… and suddenly a polar bear came walking toward me.”
“Hyung, you said Antarctica? There are penguins in Antarctica, not polar bears.”
“Sung-guk, if dreams made sense, would they be dreams?”
“Hyung, stop talking nonsense and go to bed.”
I pushed Jeon Tae-guk toward the bedroom.
[Is it just me, or is that fool getting smarter these days?]
* * *
After eating Mother’s refreshing hangover soup with thick dried pollack, my mind finally cleared.
“Sung-guk, would you like another bowl?”
“I’m fine.”
“Mother, I need more!”
“It’s nice to see Tae-guk eating so well.”
Jeon Tae-guk perked up at the smell of hangover soup and had already emptied his third bowl.
“Sung-guk, what are you doing today? I was thinking of buying some clothes to wear when I meet Kim Yeo-na over the next couple of days….”
“Hyung, you bought so much before coming here… are you buying more?”
“How can I meet our Kim Yeo-na wearing just any clothes? That wouldn’t be proper….”
“I have things to do today.”
“What’s that? Should I tag along?”
[A servant dog shouldn’t follow where the master goes. Just go shopping today.]
“Hyung, I need some time to myself too.”
Jeon Tae-guk let out a long sigh.
“I don’t need any ‘time to myself’… Why does Park Secretary and you all need alone time? I’m getting lonely….”
Suddenly, Jeon Tae-guk looked at Min-guk.
“Min-guk! Don’t you need clothes?”
“Hyung! I really need clothes! Mom and Dad are total cheapskates—they only buy me one outfit per season.”
“Min-guk, let’s go shopping with your hyung today. Aren’t I the heir to Samjeon Group? What does that mean?”
“It means you’re the richest person in South Korea and spend the most money. Right, hyung?”
“Bingo!”
At least the two of them got along perfectly.
* * *
I looked at the address Park Sung-hee had given me and entered the narrow alley of an old iron factory district in Munrae-dong.
This was where Kim Yeo-na’s Father’s iron factory was located.
As I ventured deeper into the cramped alley, a banner hanging in front of one factory caught my eye.
– Congratulations on Athlete Kim Yeo-na’s Vancouver Olympics Gold Medal!
It was unmistakably Kim Yeo-na’s Father’s iron factory.
[There it is!]
Just as I was about to head in that direction, I spotted a tall man with a thick, unkempt beard loitering around the area.
Could it be… Jack Dorsey?
The moment the man turned around, everything became clear.
It was definitely Jack Dorsey.
Jack Dorsey was wearing his usual black t-shirt and jeans, slouching as he glanced around nervously.
[Should I hide somewhere….]
But Jack Dorsey had already spotted me.
“Sung-guk!!!”
Of course, Jack Dorsey and I were meeting for the first time.
But just as I knew his face, he knew mine.
[Sigh… Enemies really do appear regardless of time or place.]
I sighed and approached Jack Dorsey.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
“Wow… to meet someone who speaks English here of all places… I’m a lucky man. Is there really such luck in this world?”
[That luck won’t last long, just wait and see.]
“Sung-guk, I’m Jack Dorsey. You know, the CEO of Twitter?”
“Of course.”
Jack smiled and asked me point-blank.
“Sung-guk, you know the iron factory run by Kim Yeo-na’s Father, right? As a Korean, it should be easier for you to find than for me.”
“Jack… did you come alone?”
“Of course. I find entourages terribly bothersome.”
“Then find it yourself.”
Jack laughed cheerfully.
“Sung-guk, come on. Let’s play fair.”
[Fair play means finding it on your own. If I tell you, how is that fair play?]
I clamped my mouth shut and deliberately walked down a different path.
I couldn’t just hand Jack Dorsey the location of the iron factory run by Kim Yeo-na’s father on a silver platter.
Jack Dorsey followed me at first, but when I turned into a narrow alley, he stopped and seemed to be checking his location on his phone.
[This won’t work….]
It seemed nearly impossible to shake off Jack Dorsey in this cramped alley.
I quickly turned back to Jack Dorsey and extended my hand.
“Jack, the fair play you mentioned. Shall we try it?”
“Sung-guk, I’m already prepared.”
Jack took my hand.
“If I tell you where Kim Yeo-na’s father’s iron factory is, what will you give me in return? Fair play means if you give one thing, you receive one thing.”
“As rumored, you don’t make a deal where you lose anything, do you, Sung-guk? Fine. If you tell me where Kim Yeo-na’s father’s shop is, I’ll give you something else.”
“You should give me that something else first.”
“I’ll give it to you after we meet.”
“I don’t do business on credit.”
Jack Dorsey laughed pleasantly.
Jack Dorsey’s cheerful laughter was merely a gesture to conceal his true intentions.
“I understand. This is really useful information, but… Sung-guk, about Kim Yeo-na’s father. He won’t even meet with someone carrying something in their hands.”
What?
Jack Dorsey proudly displayed his empty hands.
Then he glanced at the large shopping bag in my hand.
“Sung-guk, why would I come empty-handed? I came to sign Kim Yeo-na, but… the Korean agency I contacted told me this. Kim Yeo-na is excellent, but her parents are even more excellent.”
I shrugged.
“Jack, let’s go try it. This isn’t a bribe anyway.”
“Is that so, really?”
Jack Dorsey smiled broadly.
“But… where is Kim Yeo-na’s father’s iron factory?”
“Right here.”
I pointed to the iron factory with the banner hanging on it.
Jack stared at me with a bewildered expression.
“We were almost there! Sung-guk, isn’t this too much? You couldn’t even tell me where it was when it was right under my nose?”
“Jack, let’s play fair from now on. It seems we’ve exchanged things evenly.”
And I quickly turned around and headed straight into Kim Yeo-na’s father’s iron factory.
* * *
“Hello!”
I entered Kim Yeo-na’s father’s iron factory with a loud greeting in Korean.
Jack Dorsey followed right after, greeting awkwardly in broken Korean as he entered.
“H-hello there!”
A few men who appeared to be employees glanced at us with puzzled expressions.
Then one of them stepped forward to greet us.
“What brings you here?”
[Blood truly runs thicker than water….]
I recognized Kim Yeo-na’s Father at a glance.
“Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk, CEO of FaceNote. You must be Kim Yeo-na’s father, correct?”
“Ah… well… what is this about?”
I quickly introduced Jack Dorsey as well.
“This is Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter.”
“Are you two colleagues?”
Kim Yeo-na’s Father looked between us alternately.
“Actually, we’re competitors.”
“Pardon?”
My candid answer seemed to surprise Kim Yeo-na’s Father.
And I presented him with the very bribe he supposedly despised.
“This… is a bribe, you see.”
And I stated it quite brazenly and shamelessly.
“Ah… wait a moment. I’m not sure what this is about, but I don’t accept such things.”
I smiled warmly and replied.
“Have you ever heard of Uncle Won’s Bossam?”
“Ah, yes. It’s a bossam restaurant, isn’t it?”
At that moment, several middle-aged men in work clothes in the background reacted to Uncle Won’s Bossam.
“That place is absolutely delicious. The owner came from an orphanage and built himself up from nothing.”
“That’s right! I even went all the way to Jamsil to eat there once.”
“Yeah… I heard his son is quite an impressive person too….”
And all eyes turned toward me.
[That impressive son—that’s me.]
I smiled and greeted him again.
“Sir, this isn’t a bribe. My father runs a bossam restaurant. So I brought this for you to taste. Please accept it as a gesture of goodwill.”
“Sigh… what do I do with this.”
“Manager Kim! Let’s eat some of that delicious bossam. It’s not that expensive anyway.”
And I added further.
“By the way, I extracted the meat and packed it fresh just an hour ago. This bossam is something you can’t even taste unless you’re my father’s son.”
“Manager Kim! If it bothers you, just pay for it!”
His colleagues continued to urge him from behind.
Kim Yeo-na’s Father looked at me with an awkward expression.
“Kim Yeo-na has brought honor to South Korea. My father was so delighted that this is truly bossam with no strings attached. Please enjoy it with your colleagues.”
“Sigh… I suppose I have no choice.”
Kim Yeo-na’s Father accepted the bossam and handed it to his colleagues.
“Eat up for now. I need to have a word with these folks.”
“We’ll keep eating, so take your time and chat away!”
* * *
Jack Dorsey and I sat across from Kim Yeo-na’s Father at a small café tucked away in a nearby alley.
“I’m at a loss for words that you’ve gone to such trouble to find us.”
I gave him a brief explanation of the current situation.
“As you know, the United States is currently a battleground for various social media platforms. Those platforms are now turning their attention to Asia. Jack’s Twitter and my FaceNote are both targeting the Korean market, and we’d like to make Kim Yeo-na our model, which is why we’ve come to you.”
“This Jack person… he can’t even speak Korean, so how did he come alone?”
As I translated Kim Yeo-na’s Father’s words, Jack smiled softly.
“I have a meeting scheduled with Kim Yeo-na in two days. I thought it was only proper to greet you first, and I believe that even when words don’t connect, sincerity does.”
I translated his words faithfully without any embellishment.
[Jack, fair play? Let’s try that.]
“In any case, I appreciate both of you coming to find me, but it won’t help. I simply support my Yeo-na quietly from behind.”
I handed Kim Yeo-na’s Father a prepared document.
“What is this?”
“Charts and data showing the recent growth rates of FaceNote and Twitter users in the United States. Kim Yeo-na is already using FaceNote.”
“Ah… the one who took photos with our Yeo-na… that’s the right one, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Our Yeo-na really praised you a lot, saying you’re a remarkable person from South Korea.”
At that moment, Jack Dorsey, sensing something odd, interjected.
“Sir… Kim Yeo-na uses Twitter too, doesn’t she?”
But her usage was minimal compared to FaceNote.
I relayed this as well.
“So both of you came to find us because you want to use our Yeo-na as your model?”
I translated this for Jack Dorsey, and we both nodded simultaneously.
Kim Yeo-na’s Father smiled briefly, then stood up from his seat.
“I understand why you’ve come. However, when it comes to advertising and such, I prefer to let Yeo-na decide based on her own opinion and image rather than mine. So while I appreciate you coming, both of you are wasting your effort. I’ll be going now.”
With that, Kim Yeo-na’s Father left the café without ceremony.
[Wait… could I have… actually failed?]
If I couldn’t secure Kim Yeo-na as the face of FaceNote, this would be the bitterest pill I’d swallow in this lifetime.

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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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