I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 328
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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 328
I kept running my fingers through my unfamiliar short hair.
Emma stood before me, beaming with a radiant smile as she watched me.
“Emma, does it look strange?”
“No… Sung-guk, you look just like a chestnut.”
Emma reached out and touched my bristly hair.
“It’s really prickly….”
I found Emma’s luminous smile utterly irresistible and immediately pulled her into my arms.
“Emma, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Sung-guk, I’ve missed you too….”
We gazed at each other like lovers reuniting after a long separation.
And then…
The doorbell shattered our passionate moment.
Ding-dong.
I whispered into Emma’s ear.
“Let’s ignore it….”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from outside.
“Hyung! It’s me, Min-guk!”
A long sigh escaped me involuntarily.
[Min-guk can be ignored. Yes, let’s ignore him.]
I whispered into Emma’s ear again.
“Emma, about Min-guk….”
At that moment, another voice called out.
“Sung-guk, it’s Mom….”
[Sigh… I can’t ignore Mom.]
* * *
When I opened the door, my entire family was standing there.
Mother and Father, Min-guk and Ji-hee, and now even our youngest, Huin-dung-i.
“Oh my, Emma’s here. Didn’t you say you couldn’t come….”
Mother looked at Emma with surprised eyes.
“Emma had to rush back from her overseas schedule, Mom.”
Father quickly held out the bag he was carrying.
“Since our son is heading to the Military Training Center tomorrow, Father prepared some homemade bossam for him to eat before he goes. Share it with Emma. We should get going now, alright?”
Father pressed the bag firmly into my hands, then hurriedly turned Min-guk and Ji-hee around.
“Let’s go now.”
Emma, flustered, grabbed my arm.
“Sung-guk, tell your parents not to leave. They came specially because you’re entering the Military Training Center.”
“Well, that’s true….”
[But then we won’t have time alone together!]
Against my wishes, Emma was already pulling Mother along by the hand.
“Mom, Dad… let’s eat bossam together.”
“Mom, Dad. Emma wants to eat bossam with us.”
Min-guk had a ghostly talent for interpreting at moments like these.
“Hyung, I need to tell Emma about the Harry Potter series I’ve watched. Can you ask her if I can take a photo with her?”
“Min-guk, ask her yourself in English. You’re spending money on it—you should be using English.”
“I’m going to learn English so fast and tell Emma all about your prickly personality, hyung!”
“Please do….”
The moment Min-guk kicked off his shoes, he rushed over to Emma and thrust his phone at her, while Ji-hee handed me Huin-dung-i.
“Oppa, watch Huin-dung-i while Emma and I play.”
I found myself cradling Huin-dung-i instead of Emma.
Huin-dung-i wagged his tail at the sight of me.
[If only Baek-dung were Emma….]
Father nudged my back.
“Sung-guk, let’s go in and eat the bossam while it’s still warm.”
“Yes….”
I answered listlessly.
I’d barely managed to send off the military guys with gift cards, and now the real family had arrived.
* * *
The day I was to report to the Military Training Center.
I opened my heavy eyes.
I’d barely slept at all.
After eating bossam with my parents, Mark and his group showed up.
In the end, not a single person who came to the house last night had left.
And I fell asleep holding Huin-dung-i instead of Emma.
“Sung-guk, I made your favorite abalone seaweed soup. Wake up!”
Father’s voice came from outside.
I woke up still cradling Huin-dung-i.
At my feet, Min-guk, Jeon Tae-guk, Mark, Sam, and Adam were sprawled out sleeping.
“Sigh….”
It was a situation that made sighing inevitable.
Then I nudged Min-guk with my foot.
“Jeon Min-guk, wake up. Let’s eat.”
“Since you’re going to the military, you eat. I want to sleep more.”
“Fine, do as you like.”
I headed to the dining table with Huin-dung-i in my arms.
Emma, already awake, greeted me with a bright smile. I was grateful she was here at least.
“Sung-guk, I’ve never seen this seaweed soup before.”
“In Korea, we mainly eat it on birthdays. It’s good for your health and tastes great too.”
“Your mother taught me the recipe. I’ll make it for your birthday next time.”
[There’s really no one like Emma….]
I wanted to rush over and kiss Emma on the cheek, but Baek-dung was already doing that for me.
Just then, my phone rang loudly.
Was it my phone?
But my phone was silent.
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk jumped up and grabbed his phone.
“Yes… okay… just wait a moment, Park Secretary.”
Jeon Tae-guk rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at me.
“Sung-guk, Park Secretary is on the line.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because you need to go with us to the Military Training Center. It looks like we won’t have enough cars, so I asked him to rent a few vans for celebrities. And we have a real actress here, you know.”
Jeon Tae-guk smiled at Emma.
“Emma, after we send Sung-guk off, let’s go to Samjeon Hotel and have a meal with us.”
“I think I need to head straight to the airport after seeing Sung-guk off. I’m sorry.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that. Sung-guk, get ready quickly.”
I began eating the abalone seaweed soup my mother had prepared. Suddenly, my eyes grew red.
[Four weeks without seeing my family….]
At that moment, my mother stroked my back with her hand.
“Sung-guk, you’ve been running nonstop all this time. Go to the Military Training Center and don’t think about anything—just get through it well and come back. Understood?”
“Yes… Mom.”
* * *
– Jeon Sung-guk, CEO, enters the Military Training Center with the farewell of Emma Watson and Koo Soo-young, Chairman of Hyojin Group, and Jeon Tae-guk, heir to Samjeon Group. True world-class certification!
– Even with short hair, CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s beauty hasn’t faded.
– CEO Jeon Sung-guk shares a passionate kiss with Emma Watson in front of the Military Training Center!
– Emma Watson bids farewell to her boyfriend, CEO Jeon Sung-guk, with tears!
Screech— As soon as I entered the Military Training Center, the gate closed with an ominous sound.
I was finally disconnected from the world for a while.
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk, along with Adam who remained in Korea, oversaw the training of a total of twenty new and experienced employees at Alpha.
Rather than discussions about what development the company would pursue as Sung-guk had instructed, it was general training focused on basic company operations and program understanding over four weeks.
And the time emphasized communication with the employees they would be working with.
And already three weeks of this training had flown by.
Adam had just finished a general lecture on FaceNote’s programs.
“Adam, let’s have a cup of coffee.”
“Sounds good, William.”
Jeon Tae-guk handed Adam a mix coffee.
Adam, who loved K-pop, had become obsessed with mix coffee right after his favorite tteokbokki.
“Korean mix coffee really is the best in the world, you know. By the way, Tae-guk….”
Adam glanced around slightly.
“Adam, everyone’s in training… and besides, we’re in a soundproof conference room. Speak freely.”
“I’m always cautious anyway. That Han Myung-seok you mentioned. The investigation results came back, right?”
“….”
Jeon Tae-guk nodded heavily.
“What kind of person is he? Is he really making contact with people in China?”
“According to what our company discreetly investigated, Han Myung-seok apparently lost a significant amount of money through stocks while working at Google about a year ago.”
“Hmm… that’s certainly a situation where someone could be tempted by money.”
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head slowly.
“For what amount would he do that… Honestly, I think selling one’s conscience for money is truly despicable.”
“William, that might be a realm you simply don’t understand because you have more than enough money.”
“Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, the founding chairman of Samjeon Group and my grandfather, once said this: if you’re going to sell your conscience, sell it at the highest price possible.”
“Indeed, that’s quite the entrepreneurial mindset.”
“That’s why I respect my grandfather more than my father.”
“So, what do we do about Han Myung-seok now?”
“Hmm….”
Jeon Tae-guk pondered for a moment, then moved closer to Adam. Adam immediately took a step back.
“William, you clearly said this conference room was soundproof….”
“Adam, what I’m about to say is extremely important. No one else can hear it.”
Jeon Tae-guk lowered his voice further.
“What is it, William?”
“Sung-guk will be out of the Military Training Center in a week. What if we tail Han Myung-seok until then and find out who he meets and where he goes?”
“We do?”
Adam asked with a surprised expression.
“Yes, Adam.”
“William, aren’t there professionals who handle that sort of thing?”
“There are. But honestly, we don’t have much to do these days. Aren’t you bored?”
“William, I’m not bored because I’m obsessed with Miss Eight… and don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“Jin-seo’s been incredibly busy lately. Adam, let’s tail Han Myung-seok together.”
“William, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You and I stand out too much.”
Jeon Tae-guk stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Ah… I didn’t think of that. Then, what if we use today’s company dinner as an excuse to get Han Myung-seok drunk and see what he reveals?”
“William, my constitution has changed lately and I can’t drink.”
“Adam, just trust me!”
Just then, newly hired employees who had just finished their training began pouring out of the conference room.
Jeon Tae-guk quickly winked at Adam, then opened the conference room door and called out.
“We have a company dinner today. Does everyone have time? Just so you know, our company operates on the principle that attendance at company dinners is voluntary, so there will be no disadvantages if you can’t attend.”
At Jeon Tae-guk’s sudden dinner invitation, some of the new employees seemed hesitant.
Then Jeon Tae-guk continued.
“By the way, you all know I’m the only son of Samjeon Group, right? And since I’m quite picky about food, I was thinking of having today’s dinner at the Samjeon Hotel Chinese Restaurant. How does that sound?”
“I’ll attend!”
“Me too!”
As expected, the Samjeon Hotel card that Jeon Tae-guk had played proved successful.
Finally, Han Myung-seok also expressed his intention to participate in the company dinner.
* * *
As we entered Samjeon Hotel, the general manager courteously guided Jeon Tae-guk.
“Young Master, the Chinese Restaurant was fully booked today, so we’ve prepared the Suite Room instead. I thought it would be more appropriate for a company dinner with the staff.”
“Thanks. Bring all the food at once, and you know my wine list, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Send up twenty bottles every hour. Actually, I’d like to drink some wine before the food arrives. Send them up first.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
As Jeon Tae-guk issued his instructions appropriately, the female staff members behind him cheered.
“Young Master, you’re so cool!”
“Well, this much is nothing….”
Jeon Tae-guk shrugged his shoulders and quickly drew a line.
“But I have a girlfriend.”
“I also have a boyfriend, William. Don’t worry.”
As Lee Sun-hwa shot back, laughter erupted from all around.
“Well, I see… Then, shall we all head up?”
Jeon Tae-guk and his group all went up to the Suite Room.
Once all the staff were seated at the table that had been pre-arranged in the center of the Suite Room, the wine that Jeon Tae-guk had ordered began to arrive.
The staff drank the wine on empty stomachs.
Jeon Tae-guk glanced at Han Myung-seok while drinking wine.
Han Myung-seok drank the wine cautiously, and beside him was Adam, who couldn’t hold his alcohol well.
Jeon Tae-guk subtly encouraged drinking, and the staff consumed the expensive wine without hesitation.
Adam, tense, gulped down water and refilled Han Myung-seok’s wine glass whenever it emptied.
“Can’t Adam drink alcohol at all?”
“I get allergies when I drink. It’s a big problem.”
Adam deliberately pretended to be even more unable to drink.
“Then I won’t encourage you.”
“It seems Han Myung-seok drinks quite a bit?”
“I’m not very good at it either.”
“By the way, I heard you used to work at Google, and I wanted to talk about that. Let’s talk a lot today.”
“Of course.”
Han Myung-seok drank his wine, unaware of anything.
But then, Lee Sun-hwa let out a scream.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Lee Sun-hwa, what’s wrong?”
“William, what do I do about this?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Look at this.”
Lee Sun-hwa held out her phone to Jeon Tae-guk. On it was an article about Emma Watson.
– Emma Watson had a change of heart in just three weeks? Caught in deep physical contact with another man at a school party!
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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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