I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 297
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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 297
After Kim Yeo-na and Ji-hee finished their shoot, Huin-dung-i’s filming began.
Compared to Kim Yeo-na and Ji-hee’s shoot, which had gone smoothly, Huin-dung-i’s was proving to be quite the struggle.
Unlike his usual cheerful demeanor, the moment Huin-dung-i stepped in front of the camera, he froze completely.
All the staff members on set swarmed around him, trying to coax him with cute gestures, but nothing worked.
Huin-dung-i kept backing away and barking in fright, hiding behind Ji-hee.
“Woof—arooo!!!”
His sharp barks startled the staff members.
One exhausted advertising staff member let out a long sigh.
“I’m telling you, babies and animals are the hardest to film. We’re going to be here all night again.”
Babies and animals, huh….
Hearing that brought back memories of when I was just past one year old, filming a Samjeon Electronics commercial.
[I had a rough time back then too!]
I went over to Director Kim Se-bang and asked for his understanding.
“Director, would you mind if I have a word with Huin-dung-i for a moment?”
“Pardon? CEO Jeon, how would talking to Huin-dung-i make any difference?”
“Just let me try.”
I quickly scooped Huin-dung-i into my arms and walked into the back room.
Then I closed the door.
Click.
As I deliberately shut the door with a sound, Huin-dung-i tensed up, his ears perking straight up as he stared at me.
I gazed into Huin-dung-i’s dark eyes.
“Baek-dung, listen carefully to what I’m about to say. Do you understand that you’re here filming a commercial with our family name on the line?”
“Whimper….”
At my words, Huin-dung-i’s tail drooped. He looked utterly deflated.
“Do you have any idea how much you’re holding up this shoot right now?”
“Whimper. Whimper.”
Huin-dung-i seemed to have something to say too.
Of course, the lights were harsh, and repeating the same movements over and over would be tedious.
But humans would never understand such complaints.
I’d given him enough of the whip; now it was time for the carrot.
I began stroking Huin-dung-i’s head.
“Huin-dung, your big brother understands how you feel. I’ve been through filming commercials before, and there were more than a few times I wanted to just walk away because it was so hard. But you know this is all for our family, right?”
“Whine.”
Huin-dung-i nodded his head. It was as if he understood my words.
“Baek-dung, don’t forget that you’re the youngest in our household.”
Then I pulled out Huin-dung-i’s favorite treat from my pocket and placed it on the floor.
Huin-dung-i rushed over and devoured the treat in an instant, then licked his chops.
Then he looked up at me with bright, sparkling eyes.
“You want more?”
“Yelp!”
Baek-dung seemed to have regained his energy considerably.
“Baek-dung, you’ve had your snack, so now it’s time for you to work too. You need to start earning your keep. Got it?”
“Yelp!”
Baek-dung nodded vigorously.
* * *
– Kim Yeo-na’s choice: ‘FaceNote’. What kind of SNS did the queen select?
– The ‘Five Men and a Baby Basket’ craze is sweeping back! From the nation’s baby to the nation’s son, Jeon Sung-guk has now transformed into the nation’s boyfriend!
– Born as the eldest son of a poor family, Jeon Sung-guk has become a phenomenon that changed the world. The dream of Daechi-dong mothers everywhere.
The FaceNote advertisement featuring Kim Yeo-na created a sensation.
The Twitter advertisement, which launched a day earlier than the FaceNote ad, was honestly exactly what everyone expected.
An outdated Just song played as background music, and Just showed off Twitter while claiming they communicate with fans through SNS.
On top of that, they even dissed FaceNote by claiming Twitter was the original SNS.
Either way, it was an old-fashioned and stodgy advertisement.
I was actually worried that Just, who filmed the Twitter ad, might end up being the one hurt by it.
[What kind of world are we living in.]
I shook my head in disbelief.
And the click count on Kim Yeo-na’s advertisement that I uploaded to my personal YouTube channel had already surpassed a hundred thousand in just a few hours.
At this rate, breaking a million views seemed like it would happen in no time.
This was truly the moment when Queen Yeo-na’s power was on full display.
* * *
I stood by the office window, gazing at the Twitter advertisement outside.
At first, I’d considered a counter-strategy of putting our own advertisement on the front of the building, but I was glad we didn’t.
There was no need for a pointless battle of pride—Twitter would only continue to decline from here on out.
“Sung-guk, did you see this article?”
Jeon Tae-guk approached with a newspaper in hand.
“What article?”
“They’re asking who ‘Little Kim Yeo-na’ really is.”
“Who’s Little Kim Yeo-na?”
Jeon Tae-guk pointed directly at Ji-hee in one of the scenes from the FaceNote advertisement featured in the article.
[No way they’re calling our third child, Jeon Ji-hee, ‘Little Kim Yeo-na’. That’s ridiculous!]
“Who else? They’re talking about Ji-hee. All the articles are going crazy calling the little girl who appeared in the advertisement with Kim Yeo-na ‘Little Kim Yeo-na.'”
“William, don’t say such ridiculous things. With Jeon Ji-hee’s looks, how could she be ‘Little Kim Yeo-na’?”
I spoke as objectively as possible, and Jeon Tae-guk clicked his tongue.
“Sung-guk, you’re the only one who won’t acknowledge Ji-hee’s beauty, you know?”
“William, to be honest, it’s a fact that Ji-hee is the least attractive in our family.”
“Sung-guk, Ji-hee’s still just a child. Our mother used to say that children’s faces change twelve times as they grow up.”
“I was already a finished product from childhood, William.”
“I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”
Just then, Lim Jin-seo called out to me.
“Sung-guk, interview requests are flooding in. Something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fashion magazines are requesting interviews, sure… but what’s strange is that education-related interview requests are pouring in. I think it’s because you’re a successful case of early study abroad, plus you’re the youngest to be admitted to Harvard—basically all the elements that Korean mothers obsessed with education love. How should we handle these education-related interview requests?”
“Hmm….”
[I went to Harvard after living two lifetimes, but how am I supposed to explain that?]
In this life, I’d worked just as hard as I had in my previous one, but it was also true that the various private education I’d received in my past life had brought me this far. Though I suppose that counts as effort too.
I glanced back and forth between Lim Jin-seo and Jeon Tae-guk.
“Lim Jin-seo, and William—what do you think about doing education-related interviews?”
“Well, it’s natural that Korean mothers are interested in education, but I’m worried that the image you’ve built up so far might become pigeonholed in that direction.”
“I agree with Lim Jin-seo. I’m not particularly keen on being highlighted that way either.”
That’s when Jeon Tae-guk interjected.
“Sung-guk, if you want my opinion, I’m absolutely against it!”
At Jeon Tae-guk’s objection, Lim Jin-seo looked at him with curiosity.
“William, what’s your reason for opposing it?”
“Because if people hear about how hard Sung-guk studied, they’ll all think he’s annoying, right? You need to emphasize Sung-guk’s visuals as much as possible and carefully edit the interview content to focus on company-related matters. Otherwise, he’ll definitely come across as unlikeable.”
[What is this, Jeon Tae-guk? When did you figure me out so perfectly?]
Lim Jin-seo nodded in agreement.
[Why is everyone like this?]
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. You were born with a good mind, after all.”
[My intellect isn’t that exceptional!]
“And you’ve clearly put in the effort too. But what I’ve felt working with you is…”
Lim Jin-seo paused for a moment.
[Lim Jin-seo, why do you look so ominous?]
“How should I put it… You have everything, and you know you’ve worked hard. But because you’re so aware of it yourself, there’s something subtly off-putting about it.”
[Wait, did everyone forget that I’m the CEO of FaceNote?]
“Exactly what I was thinking!”
Jeon Tae-guk nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Alright then, let’s not do education-related interviews.”
I quickly ended the conversation.
“By the way, Lim Jin-seo. Instead of spending time analyzing me, I hope you’ve prepared thoroughly for the next step?”
Of course, I had quite the petty streak in me.
“Of course!”
“Then I hope you’ll brief without any mistakes in front of that person as well.”
“Naturally.”
Our next step was none other than Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk walked into the Chinese Restaurant at Samjeon Hotel with a slightly nervous expression.
Lim Jin-seo and I followed behind him.
Jeon Tae-guk, leading the way, glanced back slightly and asked with a worried face.
“Our father doesn’t know that I chose the name William for myself, right? Will that be okay?”
[Of course it’s not fine.]
“You know your father better than anyone, hyung.”
I chose my words carefully.
“Exactly. I’m just worried, that’s why I’m asking.”
“William, regardless of the fact that he’s your father, we’re meeting him on business today. Please don’t worry too much. Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung will see it the same way. From now on, there’s only one thing we need to remember. The person we’re about to meet is Jeon Jae-hyung, Chairman of Samjeon Group, one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Jeon Tae-guk and Lim Jin-seo answered simultaneously.
I smoothed down my stretched-out hoodie and entered the Chinese Restaurant at Samjeon Hotel.
* * *
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung reviewed the materials Lim Jin-seo had prepared and listened to the entire briefing. Then he looked at me.
“So… you’re telling me to open a personal FaceNote account right now?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Our next step was for Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung to open a personal FaceNote account.
The representative of Samjeon Group—a man the public only knew through news articles.
What could his private life possibly be like?
People were just as curious about tycoons as they were about celebrities.
“Hmm… I’d like to hear the reason for this proposal from Jeon Sung-guk himself.”
“Chairman, you’re the head of Samjeon Group, which represents our nation. People are curious about you. What do tycoons eat, what do they wear, where do they go? What leisure activities do they enjoy, just like ordinary people?”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung listened to my explanation, then nodded firmly.
Then his gaze shifted to Jeon Tae-guk.
Jeon Tae-guk hadn’t said a word since entering the private room at the Chinese Restaurant.
The look in Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s eyes suggested it was time for him to speak.
Jeon Tae-guk rinsed his mouth with tea, then opened his mouth.
“Hello, I’m William Jeon, serving as the General Manager of FaceNote’s Asia Division.”
At those words, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s right eyebrow raised slightly.
Seeing this, Jeon Tae-guk seemed to tense up.
At that moment, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung spoke first.
“I’d like to hear William Jeon’s thoughts as well.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung wanted to hear from William Jeon, the General Manager of FaceNote’s Asia Division—not from his son.
Jeon Tae-guk swallowed hard several times before speaking.
“I was born into wealth and have lived as a tycoon my entire life. Everyone around me—my acquaintances—are also so-called tycoons or people in power, so I naturally assumed everyone lived like me. But through FaceNote, I learned how people my age actually live and what concerns them. It made me realize how much of a frog in a well I’ve been. I believe that if you use FaceNote, Chairman, you’ll not only appear more approachable to the public than your current image, but you’ll also gain insight into what people truly need.”
I looked at Jeon Tae-guk again, having just finished speaking.
[Jeon Tae-guk, that was quite impressive.]
And after hearing Jeon Tae-guk’s words, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung nodded firmly.
“Hmm, I understand everyone’s perspective well. I’ll make a decision and contact you through Secretary Yang by the end of this week. And….”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung looked at me.
“I thought SNS was a waste of time, but the idea that it could be a space for communication really impressed me. Well then, go ahead and have your meal comfortably without me.”
With those final words, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung left his seat.
At that same moment, I had a strong feeling that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung would indeed open a FaceNote account.
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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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