I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 305

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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 305
One hour before Apple’s new product presentation.
The final rehearsal had just ended.
Everything was perfect.
Charlie Jobs’ meticulously calculated gestures, his gaze… every single detail was flawless.
Throughout the entire rehearsal, I couldn’t take my eyes off Charlie Jobs for even a moment.
[So that’s what true genius looks like….]
Finally, as the lights of the final rehearsal dimmed, Charlie Jobs’ gaunt face brightened as he raised both hands and shrugged his shoulders, then shouted at the top of his lungs.
“That’s it for rehearsals, people! This is no time to be standing around like zombies! The real show is right around the corner! One last time—check the lighting, the screens, the control room! Make sure everything matches the final rehearsal down to the millimeter!”
Well, his personality hadn’t changed one bit.
I started clapping.
Charlie Jobs quickly stopped me.
“Sung-guk, save the applause for after the real show.”
“Then I’ll hold it in reserve.”
“Did you see the video call with Lucas? How did it look?”
“Yes, it was natural. Lucas seemed excited too.”
“When the demonstration starts later, Lucas won’t get startled by the crowd, will he?”
“The Lucas I know would never be that kind of person.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Charlie Jobs finally descended from the stage with a stern expression.
And he gave me a subtle wink.
“For the next hour, I want to unwind and work out anything that felt off during rehearsal… would you keep me company, Sung-guk?”
“Of course.”
Every minute with Charlie Jobs felt precious.
* * *
Screeeech—
The old iron door on the building’s rooftop closed behind us.
“Charlie, is this the waiting room?”
Charlie Jobs had brought me to the rooftop of the Apple Building.
“After finishing the final rehearsal, I come up here to breathe freely. That’s how I get the energy to take the stage.”
“So you do experience nervousness, Charlie.”
“Nervous? Me, Charlie Jobs? I don’t know what that means.”
In moments like this, Charlie Jobs really did seem like a precocious teenage boy.
“That’s just what you say….”
At my words, Charlie Jobs smiled faintly.
“Keep my secret hideout to yourself, alright?”
“Of course.”
Charlie Jobs adjusted his glasses, then stretched his entire body as if absorbing the sunlight, and took several deep breaths.
Like a plant undergoing photosynthesis, he stood in the sunshine for a moment before looking at me.
“Sung-guk… I wish my son were your age….”
What do you mean?
“Sung-guk… how do I look to you today?”
“What are you talking about, Charlie?”
“Don’t I look like a sick man?”
Honestly, he did look ill. Very much so.
Though he was undergoing treatment, compared to a few years ago when he stood tall with a robust frame and sharp features, he now appeared gaunt, his once-piercing gaze dulled. He looked fragile, like a castle on the verge of collapse.
As I chose my words carefully, Charlie Jobs pressed me.
“Sung-guk, I don’t trust flattery. So tell me only the truth.”
“I’ll be honest with you. Charlie… you look sick. Very sick.”
“Hmm… the truth hurts, doesn’t it.”
Charlie Jobs laughed weakly.
“Charlie… there’s something I honestly want to ask you.”
I broached the subject with difficulty.
“When am I going to die? That’s what you want to know, isn’t it?”
That was essentially the point.
Charlie Jobs seemed to relax now, his sharp demeanor from the rehearsal stage softening.
“Well… is this what they call cruel hope? I feel like I might live. But the hospital says it’s impossible….”
As I suspected.
The future hadn’t changed.
That meant Charlie Jobs had perhaps a year left at most.
“Sung-guk… I’ve watched you since you were about this tall.”
Charlie Jobs gestured to his waist.
“Charlie… when I first met you, I was already much taller than that.”
I’d already surpassed 170 centimeters back in my teens.
“That’s right… you’re correct. Memory is always distorted, after all. That’s why I don’t trust people. But I trust machines.”
Charlie Jobs now began speaking with his characteristic acerbic wit.
“Sung-guk, here’s the thing… strangely, when I look at you, I’ve never felt envy or jealousy. I’ve spent my whole life envying others, always needing to be better than them to feel satisfied.”
[Is it because I’m too exceptional, Charlie?]
“But from the moment I first met you, whether it’s because I fell ill or because you’re young enough to be my son… I’ve always felt more generous when I’m around you.”
I listened to Charlie Jobs in silence.
Now was certainly not the time for arrogance.
“Sung-guk… when are you going back to the United States?”
“After I properly establish Face Note in Korea and Asia.”
“How long do you think that will take? I don’t have much time.”
“The plan was six months, Charlie.”
I paused and looked directly at Charlie Jobs.
Charlie Jobs.
A revolutionary who changed this era, a madman, a genius….
No words could adequately describe the man who now stood before me in weakness.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“Actually, I think today’s demonstration is a crossroads for FaceNote’s expansion into Asia, Charlie.”
“Does that mean FaceNote rests in my hands?”
“However you’d like to interpret it.”
Charlie Jobs smiled comfortably.
“Sung-guk, this will probably be my last demonstration.”
“….”
Since it was true, I couldn’t say anything.
“Sung-guk… once you succeed in bringing FaceNote into Asia and return, I’d like you to oversee the compilation of my autobiography.”
“Your autobiography?”
I already knew Charlie Jobs was writing an autobiography, but I pretended not to.
“I’ve been organizing the story of my life for the past few years. I think only a genius like you can ensure that autobiography is proceeding properly.”
“Charlie, is that the only reason?”
Charlie Jobs patted my shoulder with his hand.
“When death approaches, Sung-guk, a person sometimes grows weak in spirit… and in my view, you’re the only one who can push me forward through that.”
“Are you telling me to become a second Charlie Jobs and drive forward?”
“Of course, I’ve heard plenty about how you’re just as obsessive as I am… but I hope that through my autobiography, you don’t become a second Charlie Jobs, but rise up as Jeon Sung-guk. I’ll share my own story in the autobiography, but I’ll pour out all my philosophy and wisdom about management. That’s the legacy I’m leaving you.”
[A legacy is money, Charlie.]
But just as Charlie Jobs said, hearing everything from him was itself an honor and an immense legacy for me.
Charlie Jobs patted my shoulder again.
“Sung-guk, today will probably be my last demonstration. That’s why I want it to be more perfect than ever, and it will be perfect, and it must be perfect.”
“Charlie, I believe in you.”
“Then, shall we go make a legend?”
“Let’s do it!”
* * *
Charlie Jobs’s final demonstration.
Of course, I was the only person in this world who knew for certain that this demonstration would truly be the last.
As always, there was murmuring before the start, but overall the demonstration hall was quiet.
Everyone’s faces were filled with tension and excitement.
My palms were sweating too.
Charlie Jobs’s final demonstration. And the crossroads for FaceNote.
Jeon Tae-guk, sitting beside me, was even trembling in his legs.
“Sung-guk… I’m completely nervous.”
“William, didn’t you go shopping?”
For once, there were no shopping bags around Jeon Tae-guk.
“Well… I swept through once and already had it sent home through Samjeon’s secretarial team. I’ll sweep through again right after this demonstration ends. But the new iPhone model requires a few more days of waiting. I’m going back to Korea…. This is troublesome.”
“You have Samjeon’s secretarial team.”
“Oh, that’s right! I’m so nervous my head isn’t working at all.”
[It never was working anyway, William.]
I shook my head.
At that moment, all the lights inside went out.
Is the legend finally making an appearance?!
As the spotlight pierced down, Charlie Jobs emerged in his signature black turtleneck and jeans, greeted by the roaring cheers of the waiting crowd.
* * *
Charlie Jobs picked up the new iPhone and pulled up the home screen.
“The iPhone isn’t new anymore, is it? Not for you all, right?”
The audience erupted in laughter.
“It’s not new to me either. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder what else we can even add to it. So this time, I wanted to try something different.”
Everyone wore bewildered expressions at Charlie Jobs’ cryptic remarks.
Charlie Jobs held up the iPhone and showed the home screen.
Of course, the FaceNote app was displayed right in the center.
“When the iPhone first came into this world, the internet environment was limited, and what you could do with an iPhone was essentially just express our thoughts in a few words.”
He was referring to Twitter.
“But now we’ve come to realize that a few words aren’t enough to express ourselves. We want to upload photos, write longer posts, and… we want to do all of that on this new iPhone!”
When Charlie Jobs tapped the FaceNote app, everyone let out a brief exclamation.
At the same time, the screen displayed Lucas, a childhood leukemia patient and FaceNote user.
“Now we can hear this boy’s story through a phone held in one hand. Honestly, that would have been difficult with the original iPhone.”
Charlie Jobs even criticized the early iPhone he had developed, and the audience laughed continuously at his sharp wit.
And just like during rehearsal, the phone began to ring.
Charlie Jobs stared at the phone with a puzzled expression, then pressed the video call button. Lucas appeared on the screen from inside the sterile hospital room.
“Wait… are you Lucas?”
Charlie Jobs acted with natural ease.
– Charlie, I’m Lucas. Wow, I can’t believe you look exactly the same on the phone as you do in person!
Lucas was equally a master of brilliant acting.
He spoke more naturally than during rehearsal, and while the audience initially laughed, as the conversation with Lucas continued, they began to shed tears.
And Charlie Jobs ended the call at just the right moment.
* * *
Thunderous applause erupting from the crowd.
People cheering.
Charlie Jobs had completely dominated the room.
And as always, he made a dismissive gesture and gracefully descended from the stage.
I quickly checked YouTube’s view count.
Millions of people were watching Apple’s new product reveal, which was exclusively broadcast on YouTube.
YouTube was becoming a more powerful medium than any other media outlet.
I immediately stood up and applauded Charlie Jobs’ final performance. And I made sure the YouTube camera captured me.
Until just moments ago, Charlie Jobs had been the star of this event.
But now it had to be me.
* * *
Chairman Han Myung-hee watched Apple’s new product demonstration being broadcast live on YouTube in the early morning hours, bringing all his grandsons with him.
Even his grandsons, still in their early twenties, were yawning constantly.
But Chairman Han Myung-hee didn’t move an inch, his eyes fixed on Jeon Sung-guk, who appeared at the very end of the live broadcast.
And he looked at his own children and grandchildren, who were merely numerous in number.
“You inherited wealth from your parents. You received proper education with that wealth. You enjoyed every luxury others couldn’t even dream of while studying. Tsk, tsk, tsk. And you can’t even match this one person?! Huh?”
“Father, Twitter is still ranked first domestically.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Haven’t I always told you? Don’t look at what’s happening right now—look ahead! What did Charlie Jobs choose right now?!”
“That is….”
Chairman Han Myung-hee shot up from his seat.
“Withdraw the Twitter investment. Immediately!”

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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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