I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 333

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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 333
Han Myung-seok stepped out of Daerim Station with his shoulders hunched.
He’d chosen this meeting spot because it felt safer than near the company—a place where Joseonjok and Chinese people congregated freely.
As I walked out of the station exit, I spotted the second-floor Chinese restaurant Wang Meng had mentioned.
Han Myung-seok glanced around nervously before stepping inside.
The door opened to a lively cacophony of voices, and Wang Meng was visible among the crowd.
As Han Myung-seok entered, Wang Meng caught his eye with a subtle gesture.
Han Myung-seok scanned the surroundings once more before taking a seat across from Wang Meng.
Wang Meng spoke to him naturally in Chinese.
“If you keep glancing around like that, people here will get suspicious.”
“Isn’t this place supposed to be safe?”
Han Myung-seok responded in Chinese.
“Who knows? Anyway, your Chinese has improved a lot.”
“I had to learn it to survive in Beijing.”
“Smart as always. You pick up languages so quickly.”
Wang Meng poured baijiu into the glass in front of Han Myung-seok.
“If I don’t hear from you by this week, I was planning to hand over that agreement to the guys at the errand center.”
Wang Meng was referring to the body donation agreement Han Myung-seok had written.
That agreement was already in the hands of the Joseonjok Errand Center operatives.
It was entirely up to Wang Meng whether the shot went in or not.
Han Myung-seok made excuses about the agreement.
“You know how it is. The CEO just came back from military training, and the new employee orientation got extended. The warm-up period was longer than expected.”
“That’s your problem, but you need to keep your promises. Right?”
“The CEO finally said today that he wants to work on a new item together.”
“Yeah?”
Wang Meng’s right eyebrow rose.
“Just give me a little more time. There’s no point in just getting the item. We need the program to develop to a certain stage.”
“True.”
“The value of the information needs to increase so both of us can make more money. Give me a bit more time.”
“Fine… but I can’t wait long. You understand?”
I nodded.
Han Myung-seok nodded and downed the baijiu in one gulp.
* * *
– Met with Wang Meng on the second floor of China Building near Daerim Station. Conversed for approximately 30 minutes, then left immediately and purchased beer at a convenience store near home before returning.
I checked the message Park Secretary had sent.
The empty company held only Adam and me.
Adam was upgrading the security on all the company’s computers. Since Han Myung-seok would obviously lay low if he found out, the work was being done in secret.
“Adam, aren’t you tired?”
“I’m exhausted, but Sung-guk is giving me concert tickets to the Misseight concert this weekend, and he’s even going to let me see the waiting room after the concert.”
“I’m not going. William will go with you. William still has more power than me in South Korea.”
I had contacted Park Jin-soo, the representative of JP Entertainment, after a long time to ask for a favor in advance.
Moreover, since Misseight was also handling advertisements for Samjeon Electronics’ mobile phones, the favor was arranged smoothly.
“Adam, if you need anything at all, just tell me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Sung-guk, then… I have a favor to ask.”
“Feel free to ask.”
“Would it be okay if we went to the Misseight concert together this weekend?”
“What? Adam, that’s your favor?”
“Sung-guk, you’re only twenty years old. At that age, it’s natural to like female idols and things like that.”
[Adam, listen. This is my second life. I died at forty, and by the time I’m forty again, female idols and celebrities will all seem dull.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Then Adam pleaded with an even more earnest expression.
“Sung-guk, let’s go together. I want to let everyone know what I like.”
“Well, it’s not difficult. Let’s go. Besides, I already got tickets because Min-guk and Ji-hee wanted to go too. It’s the Saturday concert, right?”
“Yes! Sung-guk!”
Adam broke into a bright smile and then immersed himself back in his work.
Sincere about work, sincere about his interests, and virtually no personal life.
Adam was truly the perfect employee.
* * *
Friday.
Three days had passed since the new project began.
So far, Adam had been handling the foundational work of the program and briefing me daily.
Once Adam’s briefing ended, I deliberately pressed him.
“Adam, Mark completed FaceNote in just two months after attending all those difficult classes at Phillips High School and coming back to the dormitory at night. You’re working all day in the comfortable office our company provides, yet the pace seems too slow.”
“I, I’m sorry, Sung-guk. I’ll try harder.”
Of course, I had already coordinated this with Adam beforehand.
But Adam genuinely looked apologetic, and the employees’ faces turned pale.
“Sung-guk, then… what if our team comes in over the weekend to work?”
Han Myung-seok looked around before speaking up.
“Han Myung-seok, I place great importance on work-life balance. There’s no need to come in on weekends. That will continue to be the case. With that in mind, since today is Friday, everyone should leave early and not work late.”
Once the employees left and the conference room door closed, Jeon Tae-guk burst out laughing.
“Sung-guk, it’s really strange hearing you say that.”
“Until we catch Han Myung-seok in his tracks, we can’t really get proper work done anyway.”
“But Adam, you acted really well just now. When Sung-guk was pushing you, you were actually breaking a cold sweat… I thought I’d die trying to hold back my laughter.”
“It wasn’t acting.”
Adam spoke in a noticeably calmer tone.
“It wasn’t acting?”
“William, Sung-guk always does that when pushing work. So it felt real, and I just… reacted naturally. It wasn’t acting. By the way, Sung-guk… I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Since we’re continuing to make a fake program, working in an open space makes me self-conscious.”
“I was already planning to set up a separate office for Adam anyway. It’ll make Han Myung-seok more curious. And until we start the real work in that office, focus on your interests. Once the real work starts, you won’t have time for that anyway.”
“Yes, Sung-guk!”
I patted Adam on the shoulder.
* * *
Friday night, Tae-guk and I deliberately left work on time and headed home.
Adam used the excuse of working on a program to stay behind at the office for overtime.
It wasn’t until after 10 PM that a message arrived from Adam.
– Sung-guk, I’m heading home now. Han Myung-seok is the only one left in the office. But he’s asking me to grab a beer with him.
– Drink moderately and come back. And go easy on the sauce too.
– Yes, Sung-guk. I was planning to diet for the Misseight concert tomorrow… but I guess that’s failed.
– Don’t worry. Only Adam’s mother would notice a single day of indulgence.
– Sung-guk, you really do speak beautifully. It’s the irony I learned since coming to Korea. See you later tonight then.
Knock. Knock.
I heard a knock on the door, and Tae-guk suddenly swung it open.
“Brother, could you please knock and wait about three seconds, or at least wait for me to answer before opening the door?”
“Sung-guk, how long have we been living together….”
“Brother, I moved out to be independent from you, so I’d really appreciate it if you’d respect my space now.”
“Sung-guk, you always speak so bluntly. Don’t you know what white lies are?”
“Why would I tell white lies? That’s just wasting energy.”
“Right, people don’t change. Sung-guk, but now I’m really scared of living alone.”
“Then there’s this thing called marriage.”
“Jin-seo says marriage isn’t part of her life plans yet.”
[Tae-guk, your marriage might not be part of her plans at all.]
But I didn’t voice that thought aloud.
[Jeon Sung-guk, you’ve grown up.]
I felt proud of myself.
In my past life, I would have just blurted things out, but now I actually think before I speak.
“Sung-guk, why do you look so pleased with yourself?”
“Brother, Lim Jin-seo is coming to the Misseight concert tomorrow too, right?”
I quickly changed the subject.
“Of course. But why does Adam hate the VIP seats? He keeps asking for front row seats. Isn’t it annoying to be packed in with everyone else?”
“That’s because Adam is a true fan. He wants to see her as close as possible, even if it’s just one step closer.”
“So anyway, Adam asked me to get you front row seats too, so I already booked them for you.”
[What?]
“Brother, I prefer watching comfortably from the VIP section. And I’m not even a Misseight fan!”
“I know. But Adam asked, and… actually, CEO Park Jin-soo asked too.”
Park Jin-soo?
“He said if a photo of you sitting in the front row at the Misseight concert gets out, it’ll automatically promote Misseight in the United States. CEO Park Jin-soo really does have a sharp mind for these things.”
Just then, a message arrived from Park Secretary, who had been tailing Han Myung-seok.
– Young Master Sung-guk, Han Myung-seok and Adam seem very close while drinking. It looks very suspicious.
– Hmm… Secretary Park, that’s already been reported to me by Adam. And please don’t suspect Adam.
In that instant, my heart sank.
Was I truly trusting Adam without any suspicion?
Certainly, Adam had been someone who took root in our company like a potted plant he carefully tended, working diligently all this time.
He had talent, and he wasn’t cunning enough to engage in side schemes.
But Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, the founder of Samjeon Group, had always said this.
– Trust no one.
* * *
Click.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when Adam finally opened the door and came in.
Adam seemed slightly startled to find me alone in the dark living room.
“Sung-guk, what are you doing there?”
“Adam, why are you surprised?”
“Well, of course I’d be startled—you’re sitting in a dark living room without even turning on the lights.”
I suppose that made sense.
I scratched my head slightly.
“Adam, what did you talk about with Han Myung-seok? All this time?”
“Ah, it turns out Han Myung-seok is a Misseight fan too.”
“He probably said that because he knew you were a Misseight fan.”
“Maybe… but he seemed to genuinely like them. He said his favorite member is Sujin.”
“Sujin is the first love of every man in South Korea.”
Adam didn’t understand what I meant.
Of course, it would happen a few years later, but Sujin would eventually leave Misseight and transition to acting, becoming the nation’s sweetheart.
“He really seemed to like her… Anyway, I thought it would be good if I got closer to Han Myung-seok, so I even gave him one of my precious photo cards. I wanted him to think that I was opening my heart.”
To Adam, a Misseight photo card was like life itself.
“Anyway, after giving him the card, he started saying that if I ever had too much work, I shouldn’t try to do it all alone—that since he had experience working at Google, I should delegate some tasks to him.”
Just as I thought.
[So Han Myung-seok finally reveals his true colors.]
“What did you say to him?”
“I told him that you’re somewhat obsessive about security, so it would be difficult for now, but once the basics are established, I’d be willing to share. It’s work that’s hard to do alone, after all.”
“Hmm… that was an appropriate response.”
“Sung-guk, and I ran into Park Secretary the other day.”
“Park Secretary?”
Park Secretary should have been tailing Han Myung-seok.
My mind grew complicated.
Could Park Secretary have ulterior motives?
At that moment, Adam handed me an envelope he was holding.
“What is this?”
“Park Secretary said to give it to you.”
The envelope had the Korean characters for “Electric Roasted Whole Chicken” written clearly on it.
“Why would he….”
“I broke up with Han Myung-seok and decided to diet, so I walked here instead of taking a taxi. It probably took about an hour. But I’m planning to sit in the front row tomorrow to watch Misseight, so I wanted to look as slim as possible.”
Adam laughed brightly and continued.
“So Park Secretary saw Han Myung-seok entering his officetel and was heading home, but he said he bought this chicken because it reminded him of you, Sung-guk.”
[Hmm… that’s strange….]
First of all, I didn’t usually eat late-night snacks, and I’d never been fond of roasted chicken.
But it seemed clear that Park Secretary had a message for me.
[Could it be… Adam….]
I picked up the roasted chicken and forced a smile.
“You won’t eat any because of your diet, right, Adam?”
“Of course not. Actually, I’ve eaten chicken with Han Myung-seok before.”
“Then I’ll quietly go into my room and eat alone. William is sleeping anyway.”
“Have a good night, Sung-guk.”
* * *
I quietly entered my room and opened the roasted chicken that Park Secretary had sent.
Inside was a perfectly roasted chicken, and… a photo card stained with grease. It was Sujin from Misseight.
Ding.
Just then, a message from Park Secretary arrived.
– He threw it in the trash before entering his home. It’s like his life to Adam, you know. And Sung-guk, I actually suspected Adam for a moment. Watching Adam approach Han Myung-seok while even giving him his precious photo card—Adam’s loyalty is real. Please make sure to return this photo card to Adam.

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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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