I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 315

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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 315
Emma Watson stared at me with wide, round eyes before speaking first.
“Sung-guk, why aren’t you answering?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just so sudden. Of course, I’d love to. How should I contact you?”
Emma Watson held out Apple’s new smartphone.
“Sung-guk was the first person in the world to carry this product around, wasn’t he?”
“I received it from Charlie Jobs.”
Wait a moment….
Had Emma Watson been watching me all along?
My throat tightened slightly in that instant.
In my past life, I’d never flirted with or dated any famous Hollywood actresses, but I had met famous Korean actresses.
No matter how much they pretended to know me or sent seductive glances my way, I’d never experienced my entire body tensing up like this….
Something was definitely different.
Emma Watson raised her distinctive slightly curved lips and nodded.
“Please save my number quickly. If someone sees us standing this close together, we’ll be photographed and it’ll spread everywhere before we even eat, and there’ll be unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“I’m sorry. The music is too loud.”
I made an excuse and quickly saved her phone number.
Emma Watson winked at me this time.
“Then, I’ll see you in New York. I’ll contact you.”
And she disappeared gracefully into the crowd.
I stood dazed for a while, gazing out at the beach.
[Did Emma Watson just get my phone number?]
But unlike before, my body felt stiff.
After living without dating for twenty years, it seemed my instincts and skills from my past life had all withered away.
“Sung-guk, what are you thinking so hard about?”
Elon approached, offering me another bottle of water.
“I’m just happy to see the beach after such a long time.”
“Doesn’t Seoul have a beach?”
[Of course there’s the sea off Incheon.]
“You have to drive quite a bit to get there.”
Elon glanced around before asking me quietly.
“Sung-guk, how’s my hair?”
Indeed, it seemed he’d had hair implants in the meantime and was paying considerable attention to his appearance.
“Elon, whether you have a lot of hair or a little, you’re still Elon.”
“You’re still spouting childish wisdom like always. By the way, Charlie really pushed FaceNote hard this time…. Should I create an SNS too? I could advertise Tesla on SNS, advertise SpaceZ too, ramble about my own stories…. It sounds fun.”
[Maybe it’s time to light a fire under Elon….]
I took a sip of water and smiled slightly.
“Elon, how about becoming my competitor?”
“Competitor? What do you mean?”
“Starting a new SNS now seems like it would be at a disadvantage. SNS is ultimately based on social networks. It would be difficult to catch up with an SNS that’s already established and has the information of so many users.”
“Hmm… that’s true… then what about buying an already successful SNS platform?”
“Elon, have you made that much money already?”
Elon burst out laughing at my words.
“You’re saying I have big dreams for someone who just went public?”
“No. If it’s an already-established SNS, it would be FaceNote or Twitter, but I have no reason to sell FaceNote. And I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
“Hmm… so only Twitter remains?”
“You’re more active on Twitter than FaceNote anyway, Elon.”
Elon drank his champagne with a sheepish expression.
“I prefer tossing out short quips rather than writing long posts and carefully uploading photos. We can understand each other well enough just by exchanging a few words anyway.”
“Then Twitter suits your personality better.”
I subtly continued appealing Twitter to Elon Musk.
“I honestly don’t even know how Tesla will turn out yet… but you told me to dream big anyway. Maybe I’ll acquire Twitter someday.”
[Yes, that’s exactly how it’ll happen.]
I let a slight smile play at the corners of my mouth.
“By the way, Sung-guk. What were you talking about with Emma Watson earlier? I’m a huge Emma Watson fan.”
“We were just exchanging greetings.”
“You two are about the same age and seem like you’d be a good match. Sung-guk, are you starting to date now?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
But I couldn’t deny that my heart had begun to flutter inexplicably.
* * *
“Grace!”
“Sung-guk! It’s been so long.”
Grace greeted me warmly.
I had been invited to the apartment in New York where Peter and Grace lived.
“Sung-guk, you’re here?”
Peter poked his head out from the kitchen, still wearing an apron while cooking.
“Sung-guk, I’m preparing something special today, so wait just a moment.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Grace continued to gaze at me with admiring eyes.
“Every time I see you, I can’t believe it. When did that little eight-year-old grow up so much?”
“You haven’t changed at all, Grace.”
“Now you’re even flattering me—you’ve become quite the adult. This is your first time at our apartment, right?”
“Yes.”
Grace showed me around the apartment she shared with Peter.
From the living room, Central Park—New York’s iconic landmark—spread out in full view. The apartment was perfect and expensive, complete with a terrace.
Peter called out from the kitchen.
“Sung-guk, come on over. The cooking is all done!”
* * *
The meal Peter had prepared was simple pasta, steak, and salad.
“Sung-guk, listen to this. I’ve been absolutely obsessed with cooking lately.”
“This looks delicious!”
I quickly took a bite of the steak.
The juices burst perfectly—it was expertly cooked.
“Peter, when did you even start cooking?”
“Living with Grace changed me. When I was alone, I couldn’t be bothered and just bought takeout. But with someone to share it with, cooking became a joy. There’s someone to appreciate it, you know.”
“That’s why I feel like I’m gaining weight and dying these days.”
Peter squeezed Grace’s hand affectionately.
“Grace needs to gain a little. Korean women are always too thin.”
Watching the two of them together, they looked like the happy couple from a public service announcement.
Peter glanced at me with a mischievous smile.
“Sung-guk, Elon called yesterday and mentioned you talked with Emma Watson at his party?”
Elon really did have a big mouth.
“I just had a brief conversation with Emma Watson.”
“Sung-guk, I think you could start dating now and nobody would say anything.”
“Of course. Wouldn’t your parents worry if you weren’t dating?”
“Peter, Grace—I still prefer focusing on work.”
Peter burst out laughing.
“Sung-guk, nobody believes a twenty-year-old guy when he says that.”
[If only they knew there’s a man in his sixties living inside me….]
I simply smiled.
* * *
“Sung-guk, the legal team reviewed the YouTube contract with Google.”
After dinner, we discussed the Google contract in Peter’s study.
“The clause about transferring 3% equity for every million subscribers is vague at best. Honestly, they pointed out that applying such conditions to a platform with unlimited expansion potential targeting the entire world is fundamentally flawed.”
“Sergey must have confirmed that part too, right?”
“Of course. The legal team says we have the advantage, but given YouTube’s current growth trajectory, Google won’t back down easily.”
“This could turn into a prolonged battle, then?”
“Yes, I think so too. If a lawsuit with Google becomes public and drags on, it could damage YouTube’s platform credibility.”
I nodded.
I understood Peter’s concern.
“Having a global portal like Google behind it isn’t necessarily bad for YouTube either.”
“Peter, what do you think?”
“I’d like to find a compromise on the equity at a reasonable level. What’s your take?”
“Hmm… what level do you consider reasonable?”
“10%. How does that sound?”
I took a sip of warm coffee and gathered my thoughts.
My current personal stake is 45%. Adding 10% to that….
“Peter, let’s start with 15%. Negotiations are supposed to begin high and adjust from there, right?”
“I agree with you, Sung-guk.”
At that moment, my phone buzzed with a notification.
Who could it be at this hour?
– Sung-guk, I just arrived in New York. Are you in New York?
It was Emma Watson.
– I’m already in New York. Aren’t you tired?
– I’m exhausted. Sung-guk, what’s your schedule like tomorrow? I know a really great restaurant.
– My schedule is fine.
– Okay! Then let’s meet at the Corner Bookstore at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
– Sounds good.
At that moment, I felt Peter’s gaze on me.
I quickly put my phone in my pocket and looked at Peter.
“Sung-guk, you haven’t stopped smiling while texting… is it someone special?”
“Well…”
“Is it Emma Watson?”
“Yes, Peter.”
“Hmm… looking at your face reminds me of how excited I felt when I first started with Grace.”
“Peter, please stop looking at my face. So, shall we start negotiating with Google at the 15% mark?”
“Yeah. Since this is a legal matter, it’s better for both of us to have representatives handle it rather than us getting directly involved. Google will obviously do the same.”
“Yes, Peter. Let’s do that. But you know, right? We need to get as much as possible.”
“Of course. Sung-guk, you seem to be forgetting something. I’m a formidable investor on Wall Street.”
“I know!”
* * *
I dressed as casually as possible.
It was the hoodie I always wore, but today I put on the Gucci hoodie that Jeon Tae-guk had given me. And I even blow-dried my hair several times for no particular reason.
Of course, no matter what I did, I couldn’t help but look handsome.
With a small book tucked under my arm, I walked toward the Corner Bookstore that Emma had mentioned.
I heard all the noisy street sounds of New York, but my heart felt like I was walking along a beach with waves rolling in.
[Sigh… could I actually be excited right now… me, Jeon Sung-guk?]
I tried my best to suppress my feelings as I opened the door to the Corner Bookstore where I had promised to meet Emma Watson.
The Corner Bookstore was one of the oldest bookstores in New York.
Though small in size, it maintained its presence in the internet age through diverse books and various events like author meetings.
Emma Watson was reading a book between the shelves. It was a book called “Little Women.”
I approached quietly.
Emma Watson felt my presence and smiled brightly at me, whispering.
“Sung-guk…”
I checked the time.
There were still 10 more minutes until our appointment time.
“Emma, you came early.”
“I wanted to read a bit while waiting.”
“I didn’t come too early, did I?”
“No, that’s not it. Shall we go grab something to eat?”
“Sounds good.”
Then I retrieved Little Women from the shelf where Emma Watson had just placed it and brought it to the register.
Emma Watson asked with a puzzled expression.
“Sung-guk, are you buying this book?”
Instead of answering, I quickly finished paying and handed the book to Emma Watson.
“It’s a gift.”
“You’re buying it for me?”
“Well, someday when Little Women gets adapted into a film again, Emma might just end up playing one of the roles.”
Emma Watson broke into a radiant smile.
“I’d love that.”
[Emma, that’s exactly what will happen.]
* * *
Emma Watson and I left the bookstore and turned the corner to continue walking.
“Actually, there’s this little pizza restaurant I wanted to go to. It’s a place I visit every time I come to New York. Is that okay?”
“I love pizza too.”
Even if I didn’t, in this mood right now, I felt like I could easily devour a whole pie.
Emma Watson was still clutching Little Women, the gift I’d given her, close to her chest.
“Sung-guk, how much longer are you staying in New York? Do you have a lot of busy things to do?”
“I’ll be here until the weekend. What about you?”
“Me too. I need to go back to school next week because classes start.”
Emma Watson was attending Brown University.
Emma Watson hesitated slightly before looking at me.
“Sung-guk, while we’re in New York… would you like to visit an art museum together?”
[Is she really making a move like this…?]
I quickly broke into a bright smile.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, my phone rang loudly.
Who could it be? At this crucial moment!
“Sung-guk, go ahead and answer it.”
“I’m sorry.”
I quickly picked up the call, and I heard a familiar voice.
– Hyung, it’s Min-guk.
“Min-guk, what’s wrong?”
– Hyung, I’m at the police station right now…
“What?”
– Hyung, please help me out!
Min-guk was desperately calling out to me.
[Sigh, what trouble has this guy gotten himself into now!]

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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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