I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 302

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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 302
Jeon Jae-hyung stood by the window, listening to Secretary Yang’s report.
“Hanseong Group is considering an investment in Twitter. Of course, Young Master Tae-guk has already been informed of this.”
“What’s the current situation?”
“They say the contract terms are nearly finalized. The public impression is that they’re about to sign, but according to our intelligence team’s internal investigation, there appears to be some lingering tension over the final profit-sharing ratio.”
“What are the specific details?”
“Hanseong wants a higher domestic revenue percentage, while Jack Dorsey wants it set equal to other investors in the United States.”
“Do you think they’ll reach an agreement?”
“Jack Dorsey asked for more time to consider. From his perspective, Korea’s position in the Asian market is probably smaller than expected. Japan exists too. But if he sets a precedent in Korea, he’ll worry it could disadvantage him when expanding into other Asian regions.”
“A few days, then… Is there any possibility the situation could shift?”
“Once Jack Dorsey makes his decision, Hanseong appears ready to invest immediately.”
Jeon Jae-hyung stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Hanseong investing in Twitter…
It was clearly an attempt to counter me for opening a personal SNS account on FaceNote.
Moreover, since Jeon Tae-guk, the Asia-Pacific General Manager of FaceNote, was my son, they’d concluded it would be difficult to penetrate FaceNote.
“What’s FaceNote’s next move?”
“Young Master Tae-guk said it’s confidential, but I’ll share it with you, Chairman.”
“I’m not the type to block my son’s path forward.”
“Young Master Tae-guk has been so anxious about it. This is the first time I’ve seen him work so diligently.”
Jeon Jae-hyung smiled faintly instead of answering.
He’d planned to secure a position for him at Samjeon Group after graduation.
Even if he was foolish, surrounding him with smart and trustworthy people would let him fulfill his role as a figurehead.
But his son was changing, thanks to Jeon Sung-guk.
“Go on.”
“A few days ago, he contacted me to book a first-class ticket to San Francisco.”
“He’s going back to the United States?”
“Apple’s new product announcement is next week.”
Apple?
Just hearing that name made Jeon Jae-hyung’s brow furrow.
“And?”
“It seems Sung-guk and Lim Jin-seo from FaceNote are going together. When I asked why, it appears something will happen at Apple’s new product announcement.”
“Hmm… Did you find out exactly what?”
“Young Master Tae-guk wouldn’t tell me about this one.”
“That loose-lipped fellow?”
“Young Master Tae-guk is really changing a lot. Oh, and he also asked if I could find out the exact date of the Hanseong-Twitter contract signing. This is just my speculation, but something will happen on the day of Apple’s product demonstration, and after that, he seems to be waiting for Hanseong’s reaction.”
Jeon Jae-hyung wore a thin smile.
This was clearly a plan born from Jeon Sung-guk’s mind.
But watching Jeon Tae-guk follow closely in his footsteps didn’t displease him.
“Are you sending San Francisco office staff to Apple’s product announcement?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Make sure Tae-guk and Sung-guk are closely supported and prepared.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And report to me in detail depending on the situation.”
“I’ll prepare everything.”
After finishing his response, Secretary Yang glanced cautiously at Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
They had worked together for decades now.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung sensed that Secretary Yang was hesitating about something.
“Secretary Yang, do you have something to say?”
“Chairman, Samjeon could directly invest in FaceNote or make other proposals, but I was wondering if I could ask why there hasn’t been any movement since opening the SNS account?”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung scratched his temple slightly before answering.
“Well… even if I were to invest, Sung-guk would never accept that proposal. Twitter is probably considering accepting Hanseong’s capital right now because it’s struggling in Korea at the moment, but the basic concept of SNS is a platform for free communication. Once capital enters, that concept disappears.”
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
Secretary Yang nodded slowly.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung knew better than anyone that Jeon Sung-guk would only use him and nothing more. Perhaps because of this, he was even more curious about how Jeon Sung-guk would overcome the crisis that lay ahead.
* * *
First class heading to San Francisco.
Lim Jin-seo’s eyes widened as she continuously sipped champagne.
“Sung-guk… no, from now on I should call you CEO.”
“Our company policy is to use first names, Lim Jin-seo.”
“You’re putting even regular employees in first class, so of course I want to call you CEO.”
Lim Jin-seo, slightly tipsy, was getting into the spirit of things.
“You should thank William for that. I told William to book business class, but he said he’s never flown business in his entire life, so he upgraded it to first class and made the reservation.”
“Lim Jin-seo, thank me. Like Sung-guk said.”
As soon as we boarded the airplane, Jeon Tae-guk was already drinking champagne one after another and was in quite high spirits.
Moreover, there were only three of us in first class—me, Jeon Tae-guk, and Lim Jin-seo.
“Wow, being a chaebol really is nice. William, you’ve been treated like this your whole life, right?”
“This kind of treatment? This is just my everyday life, Lim Jin-seo.”
Jeon Tae-guk drank his champagne in one smooth gulp.
Lim Jin-seo followed suit and downed her champagne in one shot, then looked at me.
“CEO, you should have a glass of champagne too. Why aren’t you drinking?”
“Hmm… there’s something I forgot to mention.”
I spoke to the two of them while looking at my laptop screen.
“What is it, Sung-guk?”
“When we arrive in San Francisco, Mark will be there to pick us up. We’ll go straight to Apple’s headquarters and have a meeting about the FaceNote app that will appear when Charlie Jobs presses it during Apple’s new product presentation. Since this is important business, it will be a meeting with over twenty people participating, including staff from FaceNote’s marketing and development departments.”
Even without looking, I could sense the panic in both of their expressions.
I continued without hesitation.
“That means you two don’t have time to drink champagne like that right now. If you don’t want the Korean office staff to be called idiots during the meeting, starting now, find the most effective FaceNote strategy, research the reasons behind it, contact methods with the relevant parties, and possibilities—then write up a report.”
“Sung-guk! Why are you telling us this now!”
Jeon Tae-guk whined.
“When the fire is at your feet, that’s when work gets done best. I don’t care if everyone drinks champagne or eats caviar. Just finish the work properly. The meeting starts exactly two hours after we arrive in San Francisco.”
“This is seriously too much!”
“I agree!!!”
I heard their complaints, but I simply shut my ears to them.
With Charlie Jobs himself on board, there was no way I could let this opportunity slip away so easily.
* * *
“Sung-guk!!! Tae-guk!!!”
Mark greeted us enthusiastically.
“Mark, call me William from now on. It’s my English name.”
“Tae-guk, you used your Korean name constantly in the United States, but now you’re using an English name in Korea? What’s that about?”
Mark hit the nail on the head.
“Because I’m a FaceNote employee now in Korea.”
“Anyway, everyone’s worked hard.”
I patted Mark’s shoulder.
“Mark, I heard you bought a new car recently.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not the type to change cars so easily. You know that….”
That meant I’d have to ride in Mark’s used car to FaceNote headquarters today.
“You know that Porsche I left for you to use.”
“I wasn’t used to it and didn’t drive it much. But I’m getting the hang of driving now, so I’ll get you to the company safely. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, this is Lim Jin-seo. She handles various responsibilities at our FaceNote Asia branch.”
I quickly introduced Lim Jin-seo.
After Mark and Lim Jin-seo exchanged greetings, we headed straight to headquarters.
* * *
[How long has it been since I felt California’s sunshine like this….]
As I entered FaceNote headquarters, Sam and Adam greeted me enthusiastically.
“Sung-guk!!!”
“Sung-guk, it’s been so long!!!”
FaceNote’s two famous enthusiasts greeting me so warmly felt oddly surreal.
[I’m supposed to be the ultimate social butterfly….]
I could feel Lim Jin-seo stifling her laughter behind me. If that’s the case!
“Everyone ready for the meeting? At Apple’s new product presentation next week, Charlie Jobs will feature our app prominently. And we’ve already made promises to others. So what do we need to do now?”
“We need to promote the hottest SNS!”
Someone shouted from the back.
“Exactly. From now on, we’ll start an unlimited meeting to find that hottest SNS. Everyone, fill your cups with coffee and let’s meet in the office instead of the conference room. Share your ideas freely in this relaxed atmosphere.”
Mark shook his head in disbelief.
“An unlimited meeting with a relaxed atmosphere? This is practically locking us in a prison camp and forcing us to have meetings….”
“Mark, don’t even dream of skipping out because you’re on the development side.”
At that moment, Lim Mi-mi raised her hand.
“Boss! I can’t leave my computer due to security concerns, so I won’t be able to attend the meeting.”
“Lim Mi-mi, but be prepared if any security issues arise!”
“Of course!”
And so the endless meeting began.
* * *
Famous influencers.
Famous entrepreneurs.
Famous politicians.
The same tired, predictable ideas kept flowing throughout the entire meeting.
“If we contact Barack, he’ll obviously agree. But isn’t Barack getting a bit stale? Besides, Barack’s been actively using Twitter anyway.”
In fact, he’d been using Twitter even more diligently lately.
With each criticism I leveled, the employees’ faces grew progressively paler.
We were already five hours in.
It had been continuous meetings except for restroom breaks.
[And I hadn’t even taken one!]
I drained my coffee cup after cup.
“I need fresher ideas, new personalities! Compelling narratives! Don’t you have anything like that?”
But the room remained silent.
Mark grabbed my shoulder firmly.
“Sung-guk, you need to eat something for your brain to work properly.”
“Fine, I’ll have pizza.”
“You’re impossible. Anyway, let’s just take exactly one hour to eat pizza and rest. Got it?”
“Okay.”
I reluctantly agreed.
* * *
After taking my first bite of pizza in a while, I let out a long breath.
After shouting and pushing for five straight hours, I could feel my own energy completely drained.
I quietly took a slice of pizza and stepped out into the garden. The employees seemed so intimidated seeing me after such a long time.
[Really, all they could talk about were predictable things….]
I sighed deeply and then took another bite of pizza.
That’s when I heard quiet footsteps behind me.
Who could that be?
I turned around to find an unfamiliar woman standing there.
She wore glasses and braces—she looked like the archetypal outcast from a teen movie.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, Sung-guk… I’m Susan. I was hired for the marketing team after you went to Korea.”
“Susan, what’s the matter?”
“I… everyone was talking so enthusiastically earlier that I couldn’t share my opinion. They only mentioned really famous people.”
I studied Susan carefully.
“Susan, if this isn’t important, you’ve just stolen my precious meal time.”
“Oh… then, I won’t say anything.”
What’s this?
“Susan, just tell me!”
“Ah, yes… well, rather than words, please take a look at this.”
Susan showed me a FaceNote user on her phone.
A young child who appeared to be in their early teens. Yet the background was unmistakably a Hospital Room.
“Who is this child?”
“This friend… is currently battling pediatric cancer. They spend twenty-four hours in the Hospital Room, and our FaceNote is their only means of connection.”
My eyes widened in an instant.
[This is it, exactly!]

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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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