I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 290

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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 290
A high-rise building in the heart of Gangnam.
Jeon Tae-guk pushed open the building’s door with unbridled enthusiasm.
Then he proudly showed me the Seoul Gangnam skyline sprawling before us.
“Sung-guk, what do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”
“Brother… you’ve worked so hard. A high-rise building of this caliber would have been difficult within our budget.”
“Sung-guk, who am I?”
“The heir to Samjeon and the overall manager of FaceNote’s Asia division.”
I gave Jeon Tae-guk a subtle boost of flattery.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had promised full support on the condition that Jeon Tae-guk personally scout and select the location himself.
True to form, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung knew how to train people.
Jeon Tae-guk swept his gaze across the entire space with a satisfied expression.
“Samjeon presented several options, and honestly, I just had to pick the best one among them. It’s a twenty-minute drive from our apartment that we’ll be moving into next week. All the related vendors are nearby too… plus, it’s the most comfortable and spacious office. Of course, we barely managed to stay within budget.”
It was obvious that Samjeon had covered the budget for us.
Either way, I had nothing to lose in this situation.
“Brother, you’ve done great work. By the way, at our company in the United States, we call each other by our first names instead of titles. I’ll call you Tae-guk at the office.”
“No, call me William.”
“William?”
“Yeah… it’s my English name.”
“Brother, you have a separate English name?”
Until now, Jeon Tae-guk had used his Korean name as-is in America, just like I did.
“Honestly, I wanted to use it from the day I went abroad, but the family opposed it so strongly that I couldn’t. William—doesn’t it sound cool?”
“But why William?”
“Because there’s a prince named William in England. Blonde hair, tall, handsome…”
[And bald.]
But I didn’t voice that thought aloud.
“If I’m reborn next time, I want to be born like Prince William.”
“Hmm… well, at least be satisfied with the name in this lifetime. William.”
“Thanks, Sung-guk!”
Soon Jeon Tae-guk was humming and rattling off office plans.
“Let’s design the FaceNote Korea office with the same free-spirited atmosphere as the US headquarters.”
“Sounds good. We’ll put a ping-pong table over there… and a comfortable sofa for breaks.”
“Coffee and beer on unlimited tap!”
Jeon Tae-guk moved through the office with more energy than ever before.
I watched him with my arms crossed.
[William, in about six months you might actually be able to catch fish….]
Just then, my phone rang loudly.
It was Kim Yeo-na’s agency.
“Hello, this is Jeon Sung-guk.”
– Hello, this is Kim Yeo-na’s agency. I’m Lim Jin-seo, the staff member assigned to Kim Yeo-na. I’ve reviewed the final contract for Kim Yeo-na and wanted to contact you to confirm we can proceed as planned.
“Then, when shall we sign?”
– Kim Yeo-na returns to Korea next week. How about Wednesday?
“That works perfectly. And please tell Kim Yeo-na that our Uncle Won’s Bossam is ready as well.”
– Understood.
After I hung up with Lim Jin-seo, Kim Yeo-na’s staff member, Jeon Tae-guk appeared right in front of me.
“William, you startled me.”
“Sung-guk, are you signing the contract with Kim Yeo-na next week?”
“Yes, that’s what we decided.”
“No way—so I’m going too, right?”
“Of course. We only have one employee at our company, so you have to come along.”
“Sung-guk, there’s something we need to do first.”
“What’s that?”
“Get business cards made. From now on, I’m William Jeon!”
I shook my head in disbelief.
* * *
“Hello, I’m William Jeon, and I’ll be working alongside Sung-guk, the representative of FaceNote, from now on.”
Jeon Tae-guk handed the business cards he’d had made recently to Director Kwak and Kim Mi-young.
Both Director Kwak and Kim Mi-young seemed uncertain who Jeon Tae-guk was.
“Ah, Mr. William Jeon.”
“Yes, Director. I’ve heard much about you—you’re the legendary director who shot so many iconic commercials for Samjeon Electronics. Especially that ‘Father’ advertisement featuring our representative, Sung-guk, is still considered a legendary commercial to this day.”
“Ha, a young fellow who knows about old commercials.”
“Of course. My father is Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.”
Jeon Tae-guk revealed his identity without the slightest hesitation.
In that instant, I could feel both Director Kwak and Kim Mi-young’s surprise.
[This is my moment to step in.]
“Director, allow me to introduce him. This is William Jeon, who serves as our Asia-wide manager at FaceNote’s Korean headquarters. His Korean name is Jeon Tae-guk. As you’ve heard, he’s the renowned only son of the Samjeon Group.”
“No wonder he looked familiar.”
Director Kwak smiled and exchanged proper greetings with Jeon Tae-guk.
Kim Mi-young gazed at me with a proud expression.
“Sung-guk, how long has it been since we last saw each other?”
“I apologize. Even after returning to Korea, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to visit you.”
Kim Mi-young patted my back as a mother would.
Kim Mi-young, who had once been a one-room apartment owner and a woman in her thirties, was now in her mid-fifties.
As I had grown, Kim Mi-young had aged, and Director Kwak was now approaching sixty.
“Director, actually, I wanted to consult with you today about the FaceNote advertisement we’ll be filming with Kim Yeo-na.”
“With me?”
Director Kwak showed reluctance.
“I don’t know much about Korean circumstances. It would be even better if you could do it, Director.”
“Sung-guk, that’s not it. Commercials must be shot when a director’s sensibilities are at their peak. I’m completely washed up now—I don’t have that kind of touch anymore. But I can introduce you to a CF director who’s really hot right now.”
“Hmm… then I suppose there’s no help for it.”
“Really, is this brat the same baby who was crying ‘Dad’ back then? He understood everything so well and was so clever. I was filming an advertisement with a genius!”
Director Kwak suddenly brought up old memories.
“You’re right, watching children grow up really does make you realize how fast time flies.”
Kim Mi-young agreed with Director Kwak’s sentiment.
“You two are exactly the same as before. Really.”
“Look at this. The kid who wore diapers now lies through his teeth without even moistening his lips.”
Director Kwak patted my shoulder.
* * *
We moved to the Chinese Restaurant at Samjeon Hotel and continued our conversation.
Director Kwak opened up about his concerns regarding an upcoming film project.
“I’m currently torn between two scenarios. One is about a real Joseon king… you could think of it as a Joseon era version of The Prince and the Pauper. It has some modern-day satire woven in, it’s appropriately humorous, and it has a decent amount of humanism.”
[Could it be… the story of King Gwanghae?]
“And the other one is a melodrama… honestly, I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, but I’m really drawn to melodramas these days.”
“What’s the title of that one?”
“【Love in Spring】. What do you think? The title itself feels warm, doesn’t it?”
[The title alone screams disaster. Director Kwak, why have you lost your touch like this?!]
I put down my noodles and quickly raised my hand.
“Director, surely you’re not thinking of making a melodrama?”
“I haven’t made a final decision yet… but my heart seems to be leaning that way.”
“Director, may I offer some advice as a businessman?”
“Of course, let’s hear what our Sung-guk has to say. Representative Kim, this Sung-guk has made everything he’s touched succeed since childhood.”
“You really do need to listen to Sung-guk’s advice. Just look at how your recent films have performed.”
Director Kwak had made two feature films recently, but neither had been particularly successful at the box office.
“Don’t touch a sore spot.”
Director Kwak whined.
“Director, I’ll just speak to you from a businessman’s perspective. The truth is, society is in considerable turmoil right now. Citizens went out to the squares holding candles, but they only got hit with water cannons and it ended there—their frustration is immense. In times like these, audiences will want to watch films that satirize the current situation rather than love stories.”
“Director Kwak, I don’t know much about film either, but 【Love in Spring】 feels too outdated. Starting with the title itself.”
Jeon Tae-guk also offered a proper opinion for the first time in a while.
Director Kwak scratched his head awkwardly.
“Is that so….”
“Of course, you should make the work you want to make, but between the two projects you mentioned today, I prefer the first one.”
“Alright, Sung-guk. Let me think about it.”
* * *
I waited for Kim Mi-young to come out of the restroom.
Kim Mi-young emerged from the restroom and stopped when she saw me waiting.
“Sung-guk, why are you out here?”
“Representative, please make sure the director does that film.”
“The King Gwanghae story?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“I think that film would be better too, but Director Kwak is incredibly stubborn.”
“Then, what if we did this?”
Kim Mi-young looked at me.
“If the Director decides to make that film, I’ll invest under SKJ’s name, where I have a stake.”
“Really?”
“You haven’t invested in your husband’s films until now, have you?”
“That’s because they didn’t seem viable. And in reality, they weren’t.”
“If you do ‘The Tale of Gwanghae’ this time, I want to support you with everything I have. But absolutely not that melodrama.”
“Got it. I’ll do my best to convince him. Let’s go back inside and finish our wine.”
“Yes!”
* * *
“Hello, Kim Yeo-na. I’m William Jeon, serving as the Asia-wide Manager assisting CEO Jeon Sung-guk at FaceNote.”
Everyone at the contract signing was barely holding back laughter at Jeon Tae-guk’s introduction.
Kim Yeo-na also suppressed her smile as she accepted the business card.
“Oh, hello. But aren’t you the Samjeon Group heir I met at Samjeon Hotel last time?”
“Please forget about that Jeon Tae-guk. From now on, just remember William Jeon. Kim Yeo-na.”
“Ah, yes.”
This situation clearly needed to be wrapped up quickly.
“Kim Yeo-na, thank you so much for wrapping up the contract with us so smoothly.”
“What are you saying? I’m eager to film the FaceNote commercial. By the way, am I really going to my Sung-guk’s father’s restaurant today to eat bossam?”
“Of course. My father is actually boiling the meat right now especially for you. Let’s head over immediately. The CF director handling this commercial should already be there at the restaurant.”
“Really?”
“Yes, since we’re working with you on this commercial, FaceNote is planning to actively reflect your opinions.”
“I have some ideas I’ve been thinking about, and I’ll share them with you.”
“We’d be honored.”
I quickly called out to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Tae-guk.”
But Jeon Tae-guk didn’t even look at me.
I clenched my teeth and called out to him again.
“William.”
“Yes, Sung-guk.”
“Let’s head to Uncle Won’s Bossam main branch now.”
“All the protocol vehicles are ready downstairs. Let’s go, Yeo-na.”
Jeon Tae-guk escorted Kim Yeo-na downstairs.
I smoothed down my hoodie and let out a sigh.
Just then, a familiar voice approached me.
It was Lim Jin-seo, who was handling Kim Yeo-na at the agency.
“Kim Yeo-na has never been this satisfied with a contract. The terms are great, but it seems she’s pleased with various other aspects of the situation.”
“That’s thanks to how cleanly you handled everything, Lim Jin-seo.”
Lim Jin-seo, who managed Kim Yeo-na, had graduated from university in the United States and was fluent in English and Japanese.
Thanks to that, I was able to provide considerable support to Kim Yeo-na, who faced constant pressure from the Japanese players.
“By the way, Representative. I’m a FaceNote user too. You’ll accept my friend request, right?”
“Of course.”
“And I have a proposal I’d like to make….”
A proposal?
I turned my body slightly to look at Lim Jin-seo.
“What kind of proposal?”
“I’ve been seeing FaceNote’s Asia branch hiring announcements lately. How about someone with skills like mine?”
“….”
Faced with this unexpected proposal, I paused to choose my words carefully.
I already knew Lim Jin-seo’s basic qualifications, and having worked together on Kim Yeo-na’s contract issue, I’d seen how cleanly and efficiently she handled matters.
“Then, let me ask you a simple question. Why do you want to apply to FaceNote, Lim Jin-seo?”
“I have a feeling FaceNote will become the dominant force in the future.”
Lim Jin-seo had a remarkably accurate eye for the future.
“But if you want to work at FaceNote, there are some things you’ll need to accept.”
“What would that be?”
“You’d have to work alongside a representative who thinks he’s the best in the world, and a blundering third-generation chaebol heir who’s desperately trying to forge his own path. Would you be okay with that?”
“Hmm… that’s quite a difficult problem. But… wherever you go, there are obstacles like that.”
I quickly extended my hand to Lim Jin-seo.
She was exactly the talent we were looking for, and since she was willing to work even after seeing me, Jeon Tae-guk, and William, it seemed unlikely she’d run away after just a few days of work.
“Lim Jin-seo, let’s work together.”
Lim Jin-seo took my hand.

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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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