I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 304

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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 304
There was a faint glimmer of hope in Charlie Jobs’ voice.
In truth, Charlie Jobs in 2010 looked unwell to anyone who saw him. His weight had dropped considerably, and his face was gaunt.
Charlie Jobs made one final proposal to me.
– Sung-guk, I was wondering… would it be possible to video call with Lucas using the new Apple phone that launches that day?
“You mean at the product showcase, Charlie?”
– Exactly. That way, I can demonstrate how excellent the video call quality and connection stability are on my new Apple phone, and you’ll get proper publicity out of it too.
[Charlie, why are you only suggesting this brilliant idea now?]
But I made sure not to show my enthusiasm too openly. I didn’t want Charlie to become overconfident.
“Charlie, I’ll do my best to convince Lucas.”
– Then I’m counting on you, Sung-guk.
“I’ll give it my all, Charlie!”
And then I hung up the phone and smiled.
* * *
The moment I walked through the doors of FaceNote headquarters, all eyes fixed on me.
It seemed everyone’s nerves were on edge—worried that if I hadn’t achieved satisfactory results from yesterday’s endless meetings, they’d all be subjected to the same ordeal again.
I wanted to savor this atmosphere as much as possible.
My grandfather from my previous life, Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, the founding chairman of Samjeon Group, used to say often that employees must never lose their sense of tension.
And for that to happen, the owner had to remain tense as well.
I walked in slowly, grabbed a cup of coffee, and even popped a cookie I rarely ate into my mouth.
And I deliberately let out a long sigh.
“Sigh… what on earth…”
I even muttered something along those lines.
The office atmosphere froze instantly.
[Everyone’s tense now…]
Just then, the door clicked open and Jeon Tae-guk walked in.
Jeon Tae-guk stared at me with an excited expression. Ominously so…
“Sung-guk! Did you contact Lucas? Is it true that Charlie Jobs wants to video call with Lucas during the showcase?”
[Sigh…]
I exhaled a deep breath rising from my core.
At the same time, I could see the office atmosphere rapidly loosening.
An employee hurriedly asked Jeon Tae-guk.
“William, does that mean it succeeded?”
“Huh… didn’t Sung-guk tell you?”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with a bewildered expression.
And simultaneously, all eyes turned toward me.
I shrugged as casually as I could.
“During the Apple phone product showcase, Lucas has agreed to reveal his FaceNote account. Well, since William already heard about it, you all probably know by now…”
Cheers erupted from various corners of the office as if on cue.
“But!”
I couldn’t simply bask in this atmosphere of victory. The battle wasn’t over yet.
At my words, the office fell silent again.
“Everyone’s happy just because Lucas gave his approval, but that’s not enough. FaceNote could be exposed during the Apple phone demonstration without generating any advertising benefit. So understand that this matter isn’t perfectly concluded yet.”
I looked at Susan.
“Susan, send Charlie Jobs the materials about Lucas.”
“Yes, Sung-guk.”
“And we need to coordinate right now whether we can arrange a video call between Lucas and Charlie Jobs. Please prepare that.”
“Yes, Sung-guk.”
“And! This isn’t just for Susan—it’s for the entire marketing team. Come up with ways to make our FaceNote stand out during the Apple demonstration, and we’ll have a meeting in 3 hours from now.”
[It’s not over until it’s over, people!]
I could see the employees looking flustered at my expression.
“Alright then. See you in 3 hours. Everyone must attend without exception… and the meeting continues indefinitely until we have a solution we’re satisfied with.”
* * *
Lucas readily agreed to the video call with Charlie Jobs as well.
And after a grueling 7-hour marathon meeting, we finalized several strategies and proposals to make the FaceNote app shine most brilliantly, completing all the preparations.
Everyone looked exhausted.
“Susan, send the organized materials to Charlie Jobs’ team, and keep coordinating while reporting back to me immediately. Understood?”
“Yes, Sung-guk.”
Susan also appeared completely drained.
But in 4 days, it would be the Apple phone demonstration.
Charlie Jobs was a terrifying man who practiced and practiced again for demonstrations.
To match his perfectionism, we had to prepare and prepare as well.
Just then, a message came from Charlie Jobs.
– Sung-guk, we’re doing a rehearsal the day before the demonstration. You’ll come, right?
– Of course! I’ll attend every rehearsal, Charlie.
The reason I’m going to such lengths is because this demonstration holds the fate of FaceNote’s expansion into Asia.
And just now, another person came to mind—someone I needed to contact for help.
It was Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung of Samjeon Group.
* * *
Five o’clock in the afternoon.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung adjusted his shirt collar.
Secretary Yang handed him his jacket from beside him.
“It just arrived from Itaewon.”
“No matter how much they work with fabric directly imported from Italy, lately the timeline seems precarious.”
“Should I look into another tailor shop?”
“You can’t get complacent just because they’re a regular. Narrow down a few places, send them my measurements, and have them each make me a suit.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“And here are the guests attending tonight’s business dinner.”
Secretary Yang quietly handed the invitation list to Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s gaze fixed on the name of Han Myung-hee, the representative of Hanseong Group.
“How is Hanseong’s Twitter acquisition progressing?”
“According to internal sources, the final contract has already been exchanged. There were some differences in position regarding Asia regional shares, but it seems they’ve reached an agreement. I heard the contract signing is scheduled for tomorrow.”
“Hmm… Isn’t Apple’s new product demonstration tomorrow as well?”
“Yes…. I deliberately leaked this information to Park Secretary, who serves Chairman Han Myung-hee, around lunchtime today.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung smiled mysteriously.
“Let’s go for now. It seems I’ll have much to discuss with Han Myung-hee today.”
Last night, Sung-guk had called me.
Sung-guk informed me that during Charlie Jobs’ Apple phone demonstration, the FaceNote app would be featured on the first screen, and Charlie Jobs would even have a video call with Lucas, a FaceNote user who had childhood cancer.
While Twitter’s app had been exposed during previous Apple phone demonstrations, now it was FaceNote that would be showcased.
This fact also meant that the dominant SNS platform was shifting from Twitter to FaceNote.
Korea had entered the SNS era one step behind, but from now on, Korea would adopt the SNS that the entire world uses faster than anyone else.
As Sung-guk conveyed this information, he made one final request.
– Chairman, could you arrange for Hanseong to sign the contract after watching the Apple phone demonstration?
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung deliberately paused for a moment, but Sung-guk already knew his answer.
Whether he was successful or not, Tae-guk was his son and the successor to the Samjeon Group.
As long as Tae-guk was on FaceNote, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was merely a helpless father.
In the end, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung expressed his consent to Sung-guk’s proposal as diplomatically as possible.
– I’ll do my best to make it happen.
* * *
A private banquet hall at the Samjeon Hotel.
Through the windows overlooking the garden, a pianist whom the Samjeon Group had consistently sponsored was playing soft music.
There were roughly thirty businesspeople gathered at this venue.
In short, they were the top thirty corporate figures in South Korea.
All wore gentle smiles, yet regardless of age, they treated each other strictly according to economic hierarchy.
Among them, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung of the Samjeon Group occupied the apex of this pyramid.
Without needing to greet anyone first, everyone was doing their best to exchange even a single word with Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung slowly sipped the champagne he had personally selected.
And at that moment, Chairman Han Myung-hee of Hanseong—someone who would normally never initiate conversation—approached him.
It was clear he had heard the information that Park Secretary, who served Chairman Han Myung-hee just as Secretary Yang served me, had leaked.
“Chairman, it’s been a while.”
“Chairman, you look well.”
Chairman Han Myung-hee was the same age as the late Chairman Jeon Ju-shin.
“Me? Always the same. What’s good about being old? People say Samjeon has become young under your leadership.”
“I’m doing my best.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung revealed little of his true thoughts.
That way, the other party would grow impatient and pursue him.
Chairman Han Myung-hee drank champagne in succession, then asked subtly.
“Say… my Park Secretary was mentioning something….”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung quickly glanced around.
Fortunately, the piano music was appropriately preventing the conversation from spreading.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re going to promote FaceNote at the Apple phone demonstration?”
“Hmm….”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung neither denied nor confirmed.
“It’s a company your son works at. You can’t claim ignorance, can you?”
“That’s my son’s matter, after all.”
“Ha ha. Look at this fellow…. The information Park Secretary heard came from Samjeon, and I know full well what I’m asking about.”
“If you know, then that must be correct.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung slipped away as smoothly as an eel.
Chairman Han Myung-hee, a man of hot temperament, began breathing harder.
“Those Samjeon people are all Seoul schemers anyway. Fine, I’ll ask you directly. You know we’re going to invest in Twitter, right?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“What should I do?”
Finally, Chairman Han Myung-hee had fallen into the trap laid by Sung-guk and Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung took a sip of champagne and opened his mouth slowly.
“Tomorrow is the Apple phone new product demonstration. I’m not sure when the contract signing date is, but perhaps you should postpone it until after.”
“Hmm… thank you for the advice.”
Chairman Han Myung-hee turned away, having gotten what he wanted.
And Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung sent a message to Sung-guk.
– Chairman Han Myung-hee will certainly change the contract date. The outcome now rests in your hands. I wish you luck.
* * *
Gucci’s new suits lined up and entered the office.
This was clearly something Jeon Tae-guk had arranged.
I sipped my morning coffee and scratched my head.
All I’d managed was watching the rehearsal the day before, organizing revisions, coordinating opinions with Charlie Jobs, and napping against the sofa for about thirty minutes.
Though exhausted, I wasn’t on death’s door, which meant youth really did have its advantages.
Soon Jeon Tae-guk entered the office looking impeccable.
“Sung-guk, go shower and pick any of these to wear.”
“William, I’m going in a hoodie.”
“Sung-guk, you appeared in Bug. People no longer want to see you as a genius boy in hoodies and jeans—they want to see a man.”
“I don’t care about that….”
That single remark meant I had to endure Jeon Tae-guk’s nagging for the rest of the time, and I eventually gave up.
“Fine. I’ll wear it. Happy now?”
“Sung-guk, I’m doing all this for you. I’m William, the regional manager for FaceNote in Asia. Would I wish anything bad for you?”
“William, please just the first verse.”
“Alright. Anyway, I’m going to Apple today and buying all the Apple products I’ve missed.”
“Tomorrow the articles will be crazy. Is the Samjeon son a traitor to his country? That kind of thing.”
“That’s all to provoke Samjeon.”
Sometimes Jeon Tae-guk seemed like a genius.
I quickly picked out one of the Gucci suits and put it on.
And for the first time in a while, I gripped the keys to my Porsche.
“William, Jin-seo… and Susan!”
Everyone’s attention turned toward me.
“Well then, shall we go?”
I headed toward Apple’s new product demonstration venue, my nerves wound tight as a coil.
The fate of FaceNote in Asia would undoubtedly be decided by today’s presentation.

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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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