I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 282

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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 282
[Failure? That can’t be right.]
For a moment, Jack and I stared at each other with blank expressions.
As we both waited to see who would speak first, I decided to break the silence.
I was curious about his next move.
“Jack, what’s Twitter’s next step now?”
“Well, I don’t really dwell on results, Sung-guk. I genuinely enjoyed this process, and if I lose Kim Yeo-na, so be it. It’s beyond my control. The same goes the other way around. Don’t you think so, Sung-guk?”
“….”
When I said nothing, Jack patted my shoulder.
“You always win, Sung-guk. I used to be like that too. I never lost. I was always first. But as I’ve lived, I’ve realized there are moments when you have to lose. You can’t win forever either, so practice losing.”
“….”
Instead of speaking, I nodded.
Jack Dorsey quietly left the cafe.
[Jack, from now on you’ll only know defeat… but I’m sorry, that’s not me.]
Just then, a cafe employee approached and handed me a piece of paper.
[Even in Korea, everyone recognizes me….]
I smiled at the employee.
“Would you like me to sign something?”
The employee looked slightly flustered before responding.
“You need to give me your card first.”
“Pardon?”
“For payment. Your card, and then you can sign.”
Wait a minute!
“Did someone leave without paying?”
“Ah, yes….”
I clenched my teeth and pulled out my card.
Then I looked at the red bean shaved ice that Jack Dorsey had eaten.
[He ordered the most expensive thing and left me to pay! I can’t forgive this! Jack Dorsey!]
* * *
After meeting Kim Yeo-na’s Father, I was honestly nervous.
I’d tried the same approach that Jeon Tae-guk had used to win over my parents, but Kim Yeo-na’s parents weren’t the type to fall for such shallow tactics.
[Did I actually make a mistake….]
I felt a bit anxious.
“Son, is something wrong?”
My Father, who’d left work early because of me, asked with a worried expression.
“It’s nothing….”
“You said you were meeting someone important today and even packed freshly made bossam carefully. Did that not go well?”
“I’m not sure, Father.”
“What is it?”
“Well….”
[Should I really open up about this…?]
I had never once confided in my family about work matters or sought their counsel.
I simply made decisions based on my own judgment and acted on them.
And I had always made the right call.
Because I had lived through the future!
But this time, my mind felt tangled. Matters involving family were still difficult for me.
Just then, Father pulled a cold bottle of soju from the refrigerator.
“Sung-guk, let’s talk over a drink….”
[Ah, alcohol is dangerous… I might ramble on about my true feelings like yesterday….]
But I’d already swallowed hard.
Father deftly opened a can of sea snails and made a simple noodle dish with them.
“Sung-guk, your mother and I used to make this all the time when you were little. Whenever we’d eat this and chat, you’d stare at us with those wide, round eyes.”
[Dad, I remember it all. Back then, such crude food didn’t suit my palate….]
Now my mouth was watering.
I wanted to take a bite immediately.
Father quickly tossed the boiled noodles in the seasoning and served them in a bowl.
Then he poured cold soju into my glass.
“By the way, Dad… why is the house so quiet today?”
“Oh, Tae-guk took the whole family to Samjeon Hotel for jjajangmyeon. Min-guk and Ji-hee were so excited they went along. Tae-guk really takes good care of our family.”
[Disloyal bunch… and you know how much I love Samjeon Hotel’s jjajangmyeon….]
Father gazed at me intently.
“With everyone gone, I get this quiet time alone with our Sung-guk, which is nice. Yesterday there were so many people around… Tae-guk was here too…. I wanted to have a drink with my son, just the two of us. Your old man did.”
“Dad, if Tae-guk is inconvenient, I’ll tell him not to come anymore.”
“No, no. Tae-guk adores Ji-hee and Min-guk, and he’s been a great help to you too.”
[Dad, I practically raised Jeon Tae-guk….]
I poured soju into Father’s glass.
“Anyway, even a son needs these quiet moments with his father sometimes.”
“Yeah, Dad….”
“So… Sung-guk, tell your father whatever’s troubling you. I may not be well-educated, but I’ve had a long career in the working world… and I’m ready to listen to whatever worries our Sung-guk has.”
“No, Dad. Dad, should we do a shot together?”
“Where did you learn that?”
“I remember doing shots with Mom and Dad when I was little.”
Our smart Sung-guk is too much for this old man to handle.”
[Dad… the truth is… I’m not that smart….]
Suddenly, a wave of sorrow washed over me.
[How could I possibly be less intelligent than Jeon Min-guk!]
Father quickly clinked glasses with me.
“Now, Sung-guk. Only do shots in front of your father… drink slowly with other people. Understood?”
“Got it!”
I downed the soju in one shot.
[Wow—in my past life, I wouldn’t have even glanced at soju, but… is it really this sweet?]
* * *
“Father… so basically, Jack Dorsey or whoever came all the way to Korea to recruit Kim Yeo-na. That’s why I… bought your bossam and went to Kim Yeo-na’s Father’s iron factory.”
“Oh my, my son went out until dawn with bossam and traveled all the way there?”
“Yeah. I was exhausted!”
“Who’s making my son work so hard! Tell Father everything! I’ll take care of it all! Understand?!”
In that moment, I felt as though I’d gained the most reliable support in the world.
“Father, what if I fail this time?”
Father looked at me with a serious expression.
“Sung-guk, it’s okay even if you fail. Failure makes people stronger. And never forget that your family will always believe in you, no matter what you do.”
“Father…”
My chest swelled with emotion.
Just then, the door opened and Mother, Ji-hee, Min-guk, and Jeon Tae-guk entered.
“Honey…”
Mother was so startled she forgot what to say.
Five bottles of soju were sitting on the table.
“Mother, how much did my brother and Father drink?”
Ji-hee came running over and looked back and forth between Father and me.
Mother quickly made a request to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Tae-guk, I’m going to put the children to bed. Can you stop those two?”
“Don’t worry, Mother!”
And Jeon Tae-guk immediately joined our drinking session.
* * *
30 minutes later.
“Father! Is this soju really supposed to taste this good?”
“Tae-guk, you’ve never had soju before?”
“Father, I’m the heir to the Samjeon Group, the richest company in South Korea. I’ve only tasted it a few times, but it wasn’t my preference, so I didn’t drink it… but eating it with the seasoned snails you prepared, Father—this is absolutely delicious! By the way, Father, this is my first time trying seasoned snails. How can common food taste this good, yet my mother won’t even let it touch her lips?!”
Jeon Tae-guk, drunk, was praising Father.
Click—
Just then, the bedroom door opened and Mother came out.
Her face had already turned fierce.
“Jeon Ji-sung, Sung-guk’s father, if you don’t get up right now and shower, I’m changing the house lock tomorrow!”
“So-young…”
Father called Mother’s name plaintively.
“Don’t even call my name—get up this instant!”
“Yes, understood!”
Father bolted into the bedroom faster than Usain Bolt.
“Tae-guk, if you don’t get up right now and take Sung-guk with you, you’re banned from our house forever!”
“That can’t happen, Mother!”
Jeon Tae-guk, drunk and swaying, helped me to my feet.
“Sung-guk, snap out of it! Go to your room and sleep. Your house doesn’t have the boiler on in March anyway. You’ll end up with a twisted mouth!”
“And one last thing, Jeon Sung-guk!”
“Yes, Mother!”
I even gave her a salute.
“My goodness… it’s a shame to let you go unseen. Jeon Sung-guk, from now on, whenever you come to Korea, you’re absolutely forbidden from drinking. Understood?”
“Yes, Mother!”
I answered through the haze of alcohol and was dragged into the room by Jeon Tae-guk.
* * *
The next morning.
My stomach was in turmoil, and my head throbbed as if struck by a hammer.
And my memories had vanished without a trace.
“Tae-guk, what did I say yesterday?”
“Sung-guk, you don’t remember anything at all?”
“I vaguely remember drinking five bottles of soju with Father and Mother coming in to scold us…”
It was the greatest humiliation of my life.
Last night’s events were hazy, as if filtered through a fog.
“Actually, I… started doing shots the moment I sat down, so my memory’s fuzzy too… but I remember this clearly. Your mother said if you didn’t go to your room right then, you’d be banned from your house….”
[Too bad. I could have kicked out the servant.]
“And she also told you that from now on, whenever you come to Korea, you can’t drink. And you said you understood….”
I grabbed my hair in despair.
What on earth had I said yesterday?
What started as one drink of soju with Father over spicy snails and noodles somehow became two bottles, then three… and it seemed like the story about meeting Kim Yeo-na’s Father had spilled out.
I could only hope Father was too drunk to remember.
[I’ve never drunk so freely even in my past life.]
So it seemed I’d overdone it.
Jeon Tae-guk cracked open the door and peeked outside.
“Sung-guk, Mother’s in a terrible mood today. Father left for work without even eating breakfast. Let’s quietly get dressed and head to Samjeon Hotel for a hangover cure. We’re supposed to meet Kim Yeo-na tonight anyway.”
“Understood, hyung.”
I even lowered my voice unnecessarily.
* * *
Samjeon Hotel Suite Room.
After my hangover cure, I anxiously checked the time.
What kind of contact had Jack Dorsey attempted with Kim Yeo-na’s side? He definitely said we’d meet formally tomorrow…
All manner of thoughts churned through my mind.
Soon Secretary Park Sung-hee arrived with clothes to wear for the evening.
“This is a limited edition Gucci suit that the young master specially ordered. There’s also one in your size, so please wear this.”
“Thank you, even for mine.”
“Think nothing of it.”
I put on the Gucci suit that Secretary Park Sung-hee had brought.
I tied my necktie and looked in the mirror.
My expression was grim.
I was anxious that Kim Yeo-na might be stolen away to Jack Dorsey.
If I lost this time… it might be my first failure in life.
Still, I straightened my shoulders and adjusted my necktie.
[Do your best even if you lose, Jeon Sung-guk!]
* * *
The door to the Chinese Restaurant opened.
Inside the pre-reserved restaurant were Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung and Kim Yeo-na’s Mother.
Jeon Tae-guk and I greeted them respectfully.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung introduced Jeon Tae-guk and me naturally.
“This is my son and the successor to Samjeon Group, Jeon Tae-guk. He recently graduated from university and is working at Samjeon Group’s San Francisco branch.”
Kim Yeo-na and her mother exchanged brief greetings with Jeon Tae-guk.
Now it was my turn.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung introduced me as I was.
“This is Jeon Sung-guk, who created an SNS called ‘FaceNote’ used by young people in America, and is currently the representative of both that company and YouTube. You already know him, don’t you, Kim Yeo-na?”
“Yes, we took photos together during the Vancouver Olympics. We’re also friends on FaceNote.”
I greeted Kim Yeo-na with the brightest smile I could muster.
“It’s been a while, Kim Yeo-na.”
“Sung-guk, we saw each other just a few weeks ago. Have you been well?”
“Of course.”
[The truth is, I haven’t been well because of you….]
I did my best to hide my discouragement.
“Well then, let’s sit down and have dinner. The cuisine at our Samjeon Hotel Chinese Restaurant is quite famous. Today, the chef has specially prepared low-calorie Chinese dishes for Kim Yeo-na.”
Now that Kim Yeo-na had finished the World Championships and felt relieved, she ate well, letting out short exclamations of delight as each dish arrived.
Between bites, conversation continued, but it was all superficial chatter.
[When should I make my move on Kim Yeo-na’s Mother?]
As I was waiting for the right moment to approach her, Kim Yeo-na’s Mother spoke to me first.
“I was impressed when Yeo-na told me about you, Sung-guk. At such a young age, you went to America alone to study and founded a company? That’s truly remarkable.”
“Thank you, but I think Kim Yeo-na is even more remarkable. In our country, which was a barren land for figure skating, no one could have predicted that such a champion would emerge. She’s like a legend who turned the impossible into the possible.”
“My, you certainly have a way with words.”
Kim Yeo-na’s Mother showed favor toward me.
It was the kind of affection a mother shows toward another family’s well-raised son around her daughter’s age.
“By the way… you met Yeo-na’s Father, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yes… but I think I made a mistake. I was so eager to have Kim Yeo-na as a FaceNote model before Twitter that I got ahead of myself.”
I saw Kim Yeo-na and her mother smile faintly.
Why were they smiling?
“Actually… this morning, Sung-guk’s Father visited my husband’s iron factory, or so I heard.”
“What?”
This was completely unexpected.
Father had seemed to leave for work earlier than usual today, but I never imagined he would go to meet Kim Yeo-na’s Father.
“Sung-guk, your father came to see Yeo-na’s father and mentioned that you had a difficult time meeting him yesterday. It seems they talked quite a bit. He said there were moments when he felt like an inadequate father raising such a brilliant son, and that he worried his own shortcomings might be holding you back—that he felt unworthy of being your father….”
[Father….]
“But he also said you’ve been quite depressed lately because you really wanted to bring Kim Yeo-na on as a model, but it doesn’t seem like it will work out. He said this is the first time he’s seen you like this. It seems they had quite an extensive conversation. My husband felt exactly the same way while raising Yeo-na as your father does with you. Two parents raising genius children—they shared that common ground, that mutual understanding of what it means to nurture such exceptional talent.”
At that moment, Kim Yeo-na looked at me with a subtle smile.
“Sung-guk, I’m a devoted user of FaceNote, so why would I advertise for Twitter?”
“Yeo-na, does that mean… you’re agreeing to work with us?”
“Of course!”
Kim Yeo-na nodded emphatically.

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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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