I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 329

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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 329
Jeon Tae-guk shot up from his seat.
“What about Sung-guk? Adam, I need to go. Can you wrap things up here?”
Jeon Tae-guk bolted from the table without another word.
Everyone stared at Adam with bewildered expressions.
Adam offered an awkward smile and reached for his water bottle.
“Don’t worry, everyone. Let’s just enjoy ourselves tonight.”
“Yes…”
But their responses lacked conviction.
Adam found himself thinking about Sung-guk at the Military Training Center too.
* * *
Four weeks had already passed at the Military Training Center.
I was gradually growing accustomed to the regimented life—sleeping, waking, eating at set times.
I was beginning to think I’d want to live this orderly even after leaving the training center.
“Trainee number 187.”
Before breakfast began, the Drill Sergeant called me aside.
What was this about?
I jumped to my feet and approached the Drill Sergeant.
“Trainee 187, Jeon Sung-guk, reporting as requested, sir!”
“Follow me.”
“Yes, sir!”
This had never happened before.
Being called out before breakfast?
What on earth was going on?
The Drill Sergeant led me down the corridor toward the Counseling Room.
Had I made a mistake on the aptitude test last time?
I tilted my head in confusion but continued following him.
The Drill Sergeant paused at the Counseling Room door, turned to face me, and spoke in a gentle tone unlike his usual military bark.
“Trainee Jeon Sung-guk… I hope you’ll compose yourself today and come back well.”
The Drill Sergeant even patted my shoulder.
“When you look back, love is nothing extraordinary, is it?”
[Is the Drill Sergeant really going to engage in Zen riddles with me right now?]
The Drill Sergeant opened the Counseling Room door and gestured for me to enter.
“I’ll wait outside, Trainee Jeon Sung-guk.”
“Yes, understood, sir!”
I stepped into the Counseling Room.
But there was someone I hadn’t expected inside.
It was Jeon Tae-guk and Adam.
“Brother? Adam? What brings you both here?”
Jeon Tae-guk approached with reddened eyes and embraced me tightly, then patted my back.
“Sung-guk, I came because I was worried about you.”
“Jeon Sung-guk, train… no, hyung. There’s nothing for you to worry about…. I’m doing really well at the Military Training Center…. What’s going on?”
“Sung-guk, are you really okay?”
Jeon Tae-guk asked again.
[Jeon Tae-guk, stop dragging this out and just say it!]
The anger I’d been suppressing threatened to boil over because of Jeon Tae-guk.
“Sung-guk, Emma…”
“What about Emma?”
“Emma’s found another man.”
In that instant, my mind went blank—that’s what they say happens.
When you have no idea what emotion to feel, what words to say, when everything becomes incomprehensible.
That was my state now.
My mind had gone white, and even the name Emma sounded foreign to my ears.
[Emma’s found another man? Ah… so this is what they call getting dumped in the military….]
I exhaled deeply.
In my previous life, I was exempt from military service, so I never experienced heartbreak while serving. But I know it well enough.
When love begins, you don’t think about its end, but any love can end.
And when it does, you don’t look back with regret.
That was my style of love—Jeon Sung-guk’s way.
Jeon Tae-guk asked me carefully.
“Sung-guk, you didn’t know?”
[Of course I didn’t know! There’s no phone or internet at the Military Training Center!]
There was no way Jeon Tae-guk, who’d never even been near a military base, could understand.
“Hyung, this is the Military Training Center. There’s no phone or internet here.”
“Ah… I see.”
Jeon Tae-guk’s face finally showed understanding.
“So… well, now that you know… Sung-guk, are you really okay? You must be so shocked you can’t speak, right?”
[So, I’m shocked and can’t speak. Did you come all the way to the Military Training Center because of Emma, Jeon Tae-guk?]
“Should I ask Father to get you a few days off? He could manage that much.”
I gripped Jeon Tae-guk’s shoulder firmly.
“Hyung, I’m really okay. I love Emma, but if Emma chose another man, I have to respect that. That’s what love is.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
[Jeon Tae-guk, this is what love looks like in my second life.]
Of course, Jeon Tae-guk still looked unconvinced.
“Sung-guk, you don’t have to pretend you’re okay.”
“Hyung, I’m really okay. And what matters more to me is our Alpha. Did you investigate Han Myung-seok’s background?”
“Well… the investigation showed that a year ago, when he was at Google, he accumulated quite a bit of debt through stocks.”
“Stocks… that’s pretty predictable.”
Just then, Adam called out to me.
“Sung-guk… I had some drinks with Han Myung-seok yesterday.”
“Sung-guk, I came up with the idea. I thought we should get Han Myung-seok drunk at the company dinner and find out what he’s really thinking. So while we were having dinner yesterday, I saw a photo of Emma Watson embracing another man at a party posted online.”
[Embracing another man? Ugh… Jeon Tae-guk, you didn’t need to tell me that!]
I suppressed my anger and looked at Adam.
“Adam, so did you find out anything?”
“William got flustered and left yesterday… the atmosphere at the dinner was terrible. But I did my absolute best to keep things going by talking about Misfit.”
[The mood must have completely tanked.]
Adam wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued.
“Han Myung-seok, who’s usually quiet, talked quite a bit yesterday because William gave him some good wine. He even mentioned that these were wines he used to drink frequently when he worked in Silicon Valley. So I quietly asked him why he quit Google.”
“And what did he say?”
“Well… right then, Lee Sun-hwa happened to suggest a toast, so the conversation got cut off.”
“So in the end, you didn’t find out anything.”
Adam nodded, looking embarrassed.
“Listen, brother and Adam… we have one week left. Please, just wait for me during this week without doing anything else. Especially, please drop any excessive interest in Han Myung-seok. He’s a perceptive person. He might get suspicious.”
“Ah, you’re right…”
Jeon Tae-guk finally understood.
“Sung-guk, I’m sorry. We just thought it would be good to know more about Han Myung-seok before you came out.”
“Adam, I appreciate the thought. And everyone, please just go back. Heartbreak means nothing to me. Breaking up and meeting people—it’s all natural, isn’t it?”
Jeon Tae-guk suddenly hugged me and patted my back.
“That’s right. That’s the real Jeon Sung-guk.”
* * *
When I entered the barracks, all the trainees stared at me sideways.
Though there was no internet or phones, if even one person had noticed my heartbreak, the rumor would have spread even faster.
The fact that a photo of Emma Watson leaving a school party embracing another man had circulated was far too perfect a clue to deduce what came next.
And everyone looked at me with pitying eyes.
The trainee next to me quickly laid out a blanket on my bunk.
[What are they doing?]
Then the Drill Sergeant approached and tapped the blanket with his hand.
“Trainee Jeon Sung-guk, you’re excused from training today. Rest here.”
[Why is everyone doing this?]
“Trainee number 187, Jeon Sung-guk! I’m fine! I’ll participate in training as usual!”
Murmurs echoed from all around.
Then one trainee with a youthful face and glasses raised his hand eagerly.
“Trainee number 183, Kim Byung-jin! I enlisted after breaking up with my girlfriend! She said she couldn’t wait while I was in the military and dumped me!”
“Oh my…”
Soon words of consolation came from the other trainees.
Then another trainee raised his hand eagerly.
“Trainee number 172, Bang Seok-joong! My girlfriend was supposed to come with me to the Military Training Center, but she blocked my phone on the morning I enlisted. I thought something had happened, so I contacted my friends, and they told me she’d been dating my close senior since yesterday!”
“Oh no…”
Sighs came from everywhere.
And then testimonies about heartbreak began pouring in one after another.
“Trainee number 179, Han Jae-seok! I went to my girlfriend’s house after three years of dating, and there was another man in her closet! That bastard was even wearing my underwear!”
After hearing the worst story yet, I slowly opened my mouth. Everyone’s eyes fixed on me, and I felt compelled to speak.
“Trainee number 187, Jeon Sung-guk! My entire romantic life—from beginning to end—was mediated by the media. In other words, even strangers who don’t know me are aware that I dated and broke up with Emma Watson!”
The trainees all gasped in shock.
[That’s what celebrity romance is like.]
I continued.
“And when I arrived at the Military Training Center, the world found out about my girlfriend’s new boyfriend before I did. In short, I got completely dumped right after enlisting!”
As I finished speaking, someone began to sing.
“Leaving home, boarding the train….”
And soon everyone was singing at the top of their lungs.
I bit my lip hard, trying to hold back tears until the end, but I finally broke down at the sound of their voices.
“Sniff—”
The trainee beside me was also crying, patting my back.
“Trainee Jeon Sung-guk, cry all you want. We’re here for you! Camaraderie! Love for our country!”
“Sniff— Th-thank you!”
Click—
At that moment, the barracks door opened and the Drill Sergeant poked his head in.
It was the same Drill Sergeant who had brought me to Jeon Tae-guk this morning.
The Drill Sergeant looked at us, now a sea of tears in rhythm with the song, and pressed his cap down firmly. Then he spoke in a calm voice.
“Today’s training has been changed to mental education for everyone. And Samjeon Group has agreed to provide special meals every day for the remainder of your training period, so make sure you all eat well!”
“Yes, sir!”
Those who had been crying wiped their tears and answered loudly.
“By the way, today’s lunch is Korean beef steak!”
“Woohoo!!!”
* * *
The firmly closed gates of the Military Training Center opened.
I stepped outside, running my hand through my hair that had grown considerably over the past month.
Jeon Tae-guk’s Mercedes was visible in the distance.
“Sung-guk, over here!”
[I thought my parents would come, but Jeon Tae-guk showed up instead….]
I walked toward Jeon Tae-guk.
“You came to pick me up?”
“Father can’t close the restaurant. Mother has to take Min-guk and Ji-hee to school. Of course I came to pick you up.”
[The karma from my past life has paid off with a well-raised younger brother….]
“Get in.”
Jeon Tae-guk even opened the door for me.
“Brother, there were no major issues at the company while I was away, right?”
“We’ll talk about that on the way.”
* * *
As we headed toward Seoul, Jeon Tae-guk relayed the information he had gathered about Han Myung-seok.
“After that, I personally investigated Han Myung-seok in detail. It turns out he bought an apartment in Beijing not long ago.”
“Not long ago?”
“He didn’t come straight back to Korea after leaving Google. He stopped by Beijing first and bought a high-end apartment there. He only put down a deposit and came here with that.”
“So he’s already laid the groundwork to flee to China.”
“That’s how it looks. On top of that, he lost a lot of money in stock issues—where would that money have come from?”
“According to Sergey, there doesn’t seem to be any information stolen from Google?”
“Even if no information was stolen, it seems like he received some kind of advance payment.”
“Advance payment?”
“Yes.”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“A company willing to pay such a substantial advance would have to be fairly large.”
“I’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities, but I’m not certain.”
“What on earth could Han Myung-seok be trying to steal from our fledgling company?”
That was something we’d have to figure out from here on.
“Hyung, let’s head to the company first.”
* * *
Father called me while I was in the car heading to Seoul.
– Sung-guk, you’re out of the Military Training Center now, right?
“Yes, Father.”
– Have you seen the article?
“Not yet. I’ve been busy with company matters.”
– Once you see the article… could you come by our restaurant when you have time?
“Right now?”
– Yes.
Father hung up with a heavy tone to his voice.
What on earth was going on?
“Hyung, is there an article about me?”
“I’m not sure…”
Jeon Tae-guk searched for articles on his phone, then looked at me with a startled expression.
“Look at this.”
– Emma Watson, who wore her rubber shoes backwards, secretly visits Korea!
– Is this a move to win back the heart of Jeon Sung-guk, the CEO, on the day he’s discharged from the Military Training Center?
– Emma Watson’s destination is none other than Uncle Won’s Bossam, run by Jeon Sung-guk’s father!
I read through the articles one by one, then called Father back.
– Oh, Sung-guk. Did you see the article?
“Emma, is she there?”
– Yes, she’s been waiting for you since earlier. She says she has something to tell you.
“Father, could you put Emma on?”
– One moment.
Soon I heard Emma’s voice. Unlike usual, it sounded timid.
– Sung-guk, it’s me… I was worried you might be misunderstanding something.
“Misunderstanding what?”
– That photo. I really just went to the School Party, got drunk and stumbled, and that friend helped me steady myself… but the photo happened to be taken at that exact moment… It’s all just a misunderstanding, Sung-guk….
Emma made her excuses.
Emma had always been impressive—the kind of person who didn’t resort to excuses like these….
“Emma… I’m not going to Father’s Restaurant anymore, and I won’t see you again.”
– Sung-guk… Please, just listen to me.
“Emma, I was only at the Military Training Center for four weeks. If you can’t endure even that short span without needing someone else’s comfort, then I have to decline. I’m swamped with company work and can’t visit Father’s Restaurant right now. Don’t interfere with my father’s business, and I hope you move forward with your own life.”
– Sung-guk, how could you do this to me?
They always said the same thing whenever I remained cold after they forgot their own transgressions.
“Emma, you’re the one in the photo. But I won’t forget the time we loved each other. I hope you grow even bigger as an actress. Find a good person… Well, I’m busy, so I’ll end the call here.”
– Sung-guk….
I hung up decisively.
“Sung-guk, but Emma’s going this far… shouldn’t you give her another chance?”
“Brother, someone I know once said this: a person who betrays you once will betray you again.”
It was a saying from Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, the founder of Samjeon Group.
Only then did Jeon Tae-guk nod in agreement.
“Brother, from now on, there’s no romance in my life. I’m only going to work.”

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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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