I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 299

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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 299
Where exactly had Ji-hee’s taste in men gone wrong?
Could it be that having such devastatingly handsome older brothers had skewed her perception, making ordinary faces seem attractive by comparison?
I found myself spiraling into serious contemplation.
“Ji-hee, listen to your oldest brother. You’ve been surrounded by such ridiculously good-looking brothers that maybe I just look average to you.”
“No!”
Ji-hee cut me off mid-sentence.
“I’m looking at you properly. Oldest brother, you’re not handsome!”
[Jeon Ji-hee, is this how you rebel against your brother for not letting you have ice cream?]
“Fine then, I’ll show you just how stunning I look in this photo shoot! And you—eat plenty of ice cream! I’m going to make you regret not listening to your brother.”
Min-guk and Jeon Tae-guk shook their heads beside me.
“Hyung, now you need validation from Ji-hee too?”
“Min-guk, leave him be. Sung-guk’s competitive spirit is unstoppable.”
“Seriously… even I, an idol trainee, just let things go.”
“Exactly….”
Jeon Min-guk and Jeon Tae-guk, arms crossed in identical postures, clicked their tongues in unison.
In my previous life, the greatest inheritance I received was the Samjeon Group.
But in this life, the greatest inheritance I received wasn’t money, land, or stocks—it was this face alone.
With this face, I built up this family and made it this far.
And now someone dares insult this face? That’s no different from insulting my parents who gave birth to me!
[Jeon Ji-hee, I’m going to prove it to you once and for all this time!]
* * *
The day of the Bug photo shoot finally arrived.
Thanks to a week of intense but brief workouts, my body had gained proper definition, and the slight puffiness in my face from the procedure had completely settled.
The sharp, focused image I desired had been perfected.
The editor in charge of Bug approached me with a slightly surprised expression.
[This reaction feels so familiar….]
I looked at the editor with the most composed expression I could muster.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk, your family is really something else.”
[Family? What’s this about suddenly?]
“I mean Ji-hee. We kept hearing ‘Little Kim Yeo-na, Little Kim Yeo-na,’ so I saw her in person, and she’s absolutely adorable with incredible aegyo. Her expressions are so varied too.”
“Our youngest?”
“Yes, CEO. We’ve all heard about how handsome and impressive you are, and now I’ve confirmed it with my own eyes, but your family is truly remarkable. Your younger brother is an idol trainee now, isn’t he?”
“Yes….”
“I think we should definitely run a special feature on your entire family next time. CEO, would that be alright?”
“That’s something I’d need to discuss with my family first.”
“Ah, of course. Anyway, we at Bug will push forward with a family special feature and propose it to you. Just wait!”
“Yes, I understand.”
Then the editor swept past me.
[Wait! You’re just going to say that and leave? Don’t I look impressive? Do you have any idea how hard I worked for today? I only ate one meal a day!]
Lim Jin-seo approached me with a gentle smile.
“CEO, you said to just take photos as usual, but looking at today, it seems you’ve prepared quite a lot over the past week.”
“If I’m the face of FaceNote, I can’t just do this half-heartedly, can I?”
“CEO, let’s start by taking interview photos first, and then we’ll proceed with the interview. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Knock. Knock.
At the sound of the knock, Ji-hee entered the Waiting Room carrying Huin-dung-i in her arms.
Ji-hee, dressed in a yellow one-piece dress and holding Huin-dung-i, looked quite adorable. But she still couldn’t compare to my childhood self or Min-guk’s child acting days.
“Oppa! When are you filming with Huin-dung-i and me?”
“After I film first….”
“Ugh, I’m bored.”
“Ji-hee, Huin-dung-i. Watch this oppa film from now on. See how cool this oppa is.”
The moment those words left my mouth, the editor opened the door.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk, are you ready?”
I raised my hand enthusiastically, just like when I filmed my first commercial back in the day.
“All set!”
* * *
After finishing the photo shoot and interview, I received a message from Mother.
– Our son, you must have worked hard with Ji-hee and Huin-dung-i today. Mom made samgyetang, so come eat it soon.
[Mother….]
Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes.
I hadn’t been eating properly because of the photo shoot—one meal a day—and now samgyetang.
I quickly grabbed my coat.
“Sung-guk, the Bug team made a dinner reservation for tonight. Let’s go together.”
“William can eat plenty on my behalf. I’m going to eat the samgyetang Mother made.”
Jeon Tae-guk’s eyes widened at those words.
“Sung-guk, then I want to go to your place and eat samgyetang too!”
“William, the dinner with the Bug team is work too. The CEO is tired and heading home first, so I hope you and Lim Jin-seo will wrap things up well.”
“Sigh… I suppose I can’t help it. It’s work after all.”
Jeon Tae-guk turned away with a bitter expression.
[So he’s learning to prioritize work now too.]
Is Jeon Tae-guk gradually becoming a better person?
I quickly called out to Ji-hee and Huin-dung-i.
“Ji-hee, Huin-dung-i! Let’s go home! Mother is waiting!”
* * *
The elevator arrived at the 26th floor of Samjeon Palace.
It was the home my parents had moved to.
The square footage was similar to our previous place, but the view overlooking Yangjae Stream was magnificent.
As the elevator doors opened, I stepped out carrying the sleeping Ji-hee in my arms and Huin-dung-i on a leash.
At that moment, the door of the neighboring apartment opened, and a woman who appeared to be in her early fifties emerged.
It appeared to be the apartment of the neighbors in the unit across from our new home.
I quickly greeted her.
“Hello.”
The Neighbor Woman in her early fifties looked me up and down.
“You’re the son of the family that just moved into the apartment across from us, right?”
“Yes, hello.”
“I had coffee with your mother earlier.”
But her tone was far from welcoming.
“You work somewhere, I heard?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I work at an IT company called FaceNote.”
“You look quite young—did you graduate from university before joining?”
“I dropped out.”
I answered honestly.
At that, the Neighbor Woman’s expression soured further, and she shook her head. Then she muttered quietly to herself.
“I suppose the parents lack education too. The children’s upbringing is a mess. This is why I can’t stand people who make a little money and buy apartments to move in. Our country should require resident approval before moving into apartments, just like America does. Really, anyone with money just barges in these days.”
[What did you just say, lady?]
Rage surged to the top of my head in an instant, but I held it back for the sake of sleeping Ji-hee.
Just then, the elevator arrived, and a man around my age stepped out.
“Oh my, my son. You’re home now?”
“Yeah, Mom. Why are you out here?”
“I was waiting because you said you’d be coming.”
He appeared to be the Neighbor’s Son.
He wore thick glasses and had the appearance of a model student.
“Well then, I should head inside.”
“Yes, let’s go in. Our son who attends Seoul National University~.”
The Neighbor Woman deliberately mentioned the university her son attended as she walked inside, making sure I heard it.
The world truly contains all manner of people.
Those who look down on and despise anyone who seems even slightly inferior to them. The Neighbor Woman was precisely that type.
* * *
“Sung-guk, that must have been exhausting?”
Mother always greeted us with the same radiant smile.
“Mom, Ji-hee fell asleep on the way here. The filming must have been tiring for her.”
“This rascal, making your sister tired.”
“No, Mom. I’ll put Ji-hee to bed myself.”
“Alright, just put Ji-hee down and come out quickly so we can eat the samgyetang. My son’s face has become half its size from all this stress.”
I quickly laid the sleeping Ji-hee down and headed to the kitchen.
Thanks to Secretary Yang from Samjeon taking care of the interior design, the furniture we’d used for over ten years in our previous home was nowhere to be seen.
To anyone’s eye, it was a modern and immaculate home.
I gave the tired Huin-dung-i his food and treats, then sat down at the table.
Soon Mother placed a bowl of samgyetang in front of me.
“Mother, aren’t you eating with me?”
“Of course I’m eating with you. How lonely would our son be eating alone?”
Mother returned with a bowl filled only with broth and sticky rice.
I quickly tore off a chicken leg and placed it in her bowl.
“Mother, eat this.”
“Sung-guk, porridge sits easier on my stomach.”
[A lie!]
The mother who once saved taxi fare to buy me bananas hadn’t changed one bit.
“Mother, one leg is enough for me.”
“Alright, I’ll eat it.”
I took a spoonful of the samgyetang Mother had lovingly prepared and savored the taste.
[This is truly Mother’s touch.]
While it might not match the famous samgyetang restaurants, Mother’s samgyetang had a flavor no one else could replicate.
“By the way, Mother. I ran into the neighbor woman from upstairs.”
“Oh my, how?”
“I was getting off the elevator when she came out. She must have been waiting for her son.”
“That family’s son is your age, Sung-guk. He goes to Seoul National University, and she was bragging about it endlessly.”
“Really?”
“And she said she graduated from Ewha Womans University, her husband graduated from Seoul National University, and he’s apparently some high-ranking executive at a company. When she asked what we do, I mentioned Uncle Won’s Bossam, and she said she doesn’t eat delivery food so she wouldn’t know.”
[Our bossam is incredibly delicious! That woman is really something else!]
I suppressed my irritation and tore into the chicken leg.
“Mom, you know what? You should have bragged about us a little. That neighbor woman seemed to be looking down on us.”
“Really? You usually hate it when I brag about you.”
[This is different from usual!]
I finished stripping the meat from the chicken leg.
“I was worried you’d dislike it, so I just said you work at a company and your brother is an idol trainee.”
“What did she say to that?”
“She assumed you both just work because you weren’t smart enough for college. So I didn’t bother explaining further—I was tired of it.”
Mother paused for a moment before speaking again.
“Sung-guk, I’m used to people like that and their judgments—they don’t bother me anymore. Honestly, it was worse back then. Your father and I were orphans with nothing, and we had children at such a young age. Back then, I was truly hurt when people looked down on our family, but now it doesn’t affect me at all. The truth is, we’ve done so well that no one can look down on our family anymore. You, Min-guk, Ji-hee… and even our Huin-dung-i—you’re all living better lives than anyone else.”
Mother smiled with genuine happiness.
Of course, there was a world of difference between having nothing then and now. But still, I couldn’t just let it slide.
“Mother, even so, we should correct things that aren’t true.”
“Sung-guk, your father and I are fine with it.”
“Mother, I’m not fine with it.”
[How dare she look down on me?]
I quickly finished the rest of my samgyetang, scraping the bowl clean.
* * *
The day before 【Bug】 magazine hit bookstores, the editorial team sent over several advance copies.
As expected, the photo spread captured me perfectly—a sharp-featured man who knew nothing but work. But it also beautifully portrayed the devoted older brother I was to my family.
The interview content was largely satisfactory.
I’d given proper promotion to FaceNote and strategically revealed just enough study secrets to satisfy South Korean mothers’ curiosity.
In the end, it all boiled down to two things: intellect and effort.
I tucked several copies of the 【Bug】 magazine into my bag and glanced at Jeon Tae-guk.
“William, would you like to have dinner at our place tonight?”
“Really? I can come?”
“Of course. Go grab your bag. Mother wants to grill some pork belly for dinner.”
“Cool!!!”
* * *
I encountered the Neighbor Woman on a Tuesday evening around 7:30 PM, right after the photo shoot.
It was the time when her son returned from school.
Today was Tuesday again, and the Neighbor Woman would undoubtedly be waiting in the lobby as she always did.
I lingered in the lobby for a moment.
“Sung-guk, I’m hungry. Let’s head upstairs.”
“Just a moment.”
Then I casually flipped open the 【Bug】 magazine.
Ding.
At that exact moment, the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, and the Neighbor Woman stepped out.
Simultaneously, her Seoul National University student son was entering through the entrance.
The timing was absolutely perfect.
Perfect for showing off, that is!
[Now, let’s knock that Neighbor Woman down a peg or two!]

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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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