I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 34

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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 34
I am not a genius.
Seven in the morning. My eyes fluttered open.
Suddenly, the English that had come so easily vanished, and I couldn’t utter a single word—a nightmare that left my back drenched in sweat.
I bolted upright in bed. My throat was parched.
I hurried to the Kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
Mother, preparing breakfast, turned around in surprise.
“Sung-guk, what are you looking for?”
“Water.”
“Cold water isn’t good for you.”
Mother poured room-temperature water into my personal Disney character cup and handed it to me.
I grasped the cup with both hands and gulped it down eagerly.
“My goodness, Sung-guk. Are you sick?”
Mother touched my sweat-soaked clothes in alarm, then felt my forehead, neck, arms, and legs with her hands. But there was no fever.
[Mom, I’m not sick. I just had a nightmare.]
I wanted to say this, but I didn’t.
How could I explain that I’d had a nightmare after discovering I wasn’t a genius?
I changed clothes with a dejected expression and turned on the television.
I couldn’t miss the morning economic news.
It was my only window into how the world truly worked.
The news covered economic prosperity and the emergence of Generation X.
[Tsk, tsk. The IMF crisis is coming soon. Remember—there’s no soft landing in a crash.]
The stock market report appeared next.
It was still a bull market. Samjeon Electronics stock was performing quite well.
After catching the economic news, I crunched on the banana Mother had given me and opened a book.
In this life, I was born with an ordinary IQ of 121. To overcome this ordinariness, only effort will save me!
Build a solid foundation first!
Mother, who had approached without my noticing, looked at me with concern.
“Sung-guk, are you feeling unwell? Should you skip kindergarten today?”
I shook my head firmly.
[I need to learn as much as I can. Kindergarten offers free English conversation classes, Mom. Languages fade if you don’t use them.]
* * *
A car—the only one of its kind in South Korea.
Bulletproof glass was standard, and a vehicle with security befitting a president pulled into the parking lot of Samjeon Kindergarten.
As the car came to a stop in front of Samjeon Kindergarten, the waiting Kindergarten Principal hurried to the rear door and opened it. The Iron Lady descended from the vehicle with practiced grace.
From the opposite side, Jeon Mi-jin, dressed in the kindergarten uniform and carrying a luxury brand bag, stepped out holding a kindergarten teacher’s hand.
A scarf with an ornate pattern on a black base, a bag that few could afford, and killer heels that completed her ensemble.
The Kindergarten Principal greeted the Iron Lady with a beaming smile.
“It is an honor that you would grace us with your presence.”
The Iron Lady was a being who received the most exalted forms of address—the kind reserved for kings and queens, not even for royalty of the Joseon Dynasty.
Perhaps everything bearing the name Samjeon was part of their empire.
“I wanted to observe my daughter’s class directly.”
“Yes, we received advance notice. We’ve prepared everything so you can observe without any inconvenience.”
The Iron Lady followed the Kindergarten Principal’s guidance into the kindergarten.
Class A was located in the Annex House, separated from where ordinary employees of the Samjeon Group attended.
There was a dedicated playground and equipment exclusively for these children.
The Iron Lady had come here in person for one reason: to observe Sung-guk.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of the Iron Lady’s high heels echoed through the corridor, and beyond the window, I could see Sung-guk.
Excellent looks—enough to be a Samjeon Electronics advertisement model—and on top of that, a genius?
The Kindergarten Principal approached the Iron Lady’s side and whispered quietly.
“English class will begin shortly. Teacher Lee Ji-eun, who oversees his instruction, will arrive and answer all the questions you have.”
A slight nod.
The Iron Lady didn’t open her mouth.
Soon Thomas entered the classroom, and Teacher Lee Ji-eun quietly slipped out through the back door.
Lee Ji-eun greeted her quickly and stood one step behind the Iron Lady.
“I… heard you were curious about Jeon Sung-guk’s academic achievement and relationships with his peers.”
“I’m worried about Mi-jin. I wanted to know if he’s an appropriate friend to have by her side.”
“At first, the children didn’t mesh well because of their different backgrounds. But now Sung-guk is fluent in both English and French, our second language, and he blends in seamlessly with the other children.”
“What level would you say his English and second language are at?”
“According to Thomas, his English teacher, he has no difficulty whatsoever in everyday conversation and can read original works without any problem. What’s remarkable, he said, is his attitude toward learning. Despite already commanding an impressive adult-level vocabulary, he makes endless effort. The same goes for French.”
The Iron Lady had witnessed his French firsthand.
“What’s the next class?”
“Piano lessons, which were paused briefly due to the teacher’s circumstances after the fall semester began.”
“So this will be Sung-guk’s first time, then.”
“Yes.”
The Iron Lady crossed her arms and watched Sung-guk.
A poor child could be born a genius by chance.
But the arts were an absolute privilege that poor children could never afford.
* * *
Thomas handed me an English copy of “The Catcher in the Rye.”
“Sung-guk, you asked to borrow this book, right?”
“Yes!”
I nodded.
A few days ago, I’d told Thomas I saw it on TV and wanted to read it, and he readily said he had a copy and would lend it to me.
“You think you can read this?”
Thomas asked with some concern.
[Can I read it? If you want to know how much I love this book, you’d be better off just asking.]
In my previous life, I read this book dozens of times over.
At first, I encountered it through a translation, and later I read the English original.
I had even visited New York in the dead of winter just to see the frozen Central Park depicted in this book.
Where on earth had all those ducks flown to?
During my adolescent years, I had endured the academic stress by reading this very book.
The only real difference between me and Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, was our academic performance.
While Holden Caulfield was a failing student, I had never once relinquished first place, even in my previous life.
I accepted the book with genuine delight and flashed Thomas a knowing smile.
“Thanks so much, Thomas!”
Thomas beamed at my killer smile, seemingly having already forgotten his earlier question about whether I could read this book.
“Sung-guk, always ask if there’s something you don’t understand.”
“Of course!”
I nodded and returned to my seat, practically trembling with anticipation to read this book.
I was just turning the first page of The Catcher in the Rye.
Lee Ji-eun entered the classroom with a young man.
I recognized him instantly.
He was Cho Sung-won, the pianist who had also been my piano teacher.
The first South Korean to win the Chopin Competition and a world-renowned pianist.
[Sam, it’s been a while!]
Cho Sung-won stared at me intently for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“Hello.”
Cho Sung-won greeted me in a quiet voice.
[Did he just greet me?]
My face froze in shock.
In this lifetime, we had no reason to know each other over the past five years.
“So you’re Sung-guk.”
[How does he know me?]
“I’ve seen you on TV. I’m a fan of yours.”
My tense heart finally relaxed.
Lately, buried in studies, I often forgot that I had been a fairly popular child actor.
Cho Sung-won sat at the piano in the classroom and played a Chopin Ballade for us. Then he looked at us.
“Has anyone heard this music before?”
Five children, excluding me, raised their hands eagerly.
Of course, I knew this music well too.
It was Chopin’s Piano Ballade No. 1. This piece in G minor was one I often played myself.
But I kept my mouth shut and didn’t pretend to know.
I knew the Iron Lady was watching from outside the window.
There was only one reason the Iron Lady would observe this class.
She wanted to know whether I was a child worth keeping in check or not.
I innocently blinked my eyes and simply listened to the music.
“Is this your first time hearing it, Sung-guk?”
“Yes!”
I answered with confidence.
Not knowing something isn’t a sin. There’s no shame in a five-year-old not knowing Chopin.
Kim Ju-sung, who had been quiet during other classes, suddenly started showing off.
“Sung-guk, doesn’t your family listen to classical music?”
[My parents’ taste runs to Seo Taiji and Boys and Next. Who knows what you all listen to. Later, K-POP will take the whole world by storm, you guys. I’m holding back from talking about classical music because I’d feel sorry for you.]
I smiled ambiguously.
“Since some of our friends aren’t familiar with it, why don’t I explain this piece and then we can each try playing a measure?”
I cracked my knuckles under the table.
I was somewhat excited at the thought of playing piano again, but I had to act as if I’d never touched one before.
[I thought once I retired from child acting, I wouldn’t have to act anymore….]
This entire life was a performance.
As I loosened my fingers, I listened carefully to Cho Sung-won’s explanation about Chopin.
The children took turns going up and receiving instruction from Cho Sung-won.
After Jeon Mi-jin, it was my turn.
Jeon Mi-jin played clumsily, banging away at the keys.
Just as before, Jeon Mi-jin’s output never quite matched her input.
Jeon Mi-jin was probably taking private piano lessons from Cho Sung-won too, yet her skill was only at that level.
“It’s Sung-guk’s turn now.”
Cho Sung-won hooked his hands under my armpits and lifted me onto the piano bench.
Black and white keys stretched out before my eyes.
[I really wanted to play….]
I gazed at the piano intently, then spread my small, chubby hands wide and placed them on the keys.
Cho Sung-won spoke gently.
“You said this is your first time playing piano, right?”
“Yes! It’s my first time.”
“This is middle C. Why don’t we try playing the scale with your right hand, just like I do?”
Cho Sung-won played a continuous scale with his right hand.
I immediately played the scale with my right hand, matching Cho Sung-won’s tempo.
Cho Sung-won’s eyes began to sparkle.
“For your first time… you’re really quite good.”
Next, we practiced the left hand separately.
My small hands had their limits in reaching the keys, but I managed to play the scale with my left hand without difficulty.
“You’re really playing well for a first attempt.”
Cho Sung-won praised me again.
Though he was clearly trying to contain his emotions, his astonishment was evident.
“Hehe.”
I laughed brightly.
When in doubt, smiling was always the best approach.
Seeing me like this, even the Iron Lady probably felt a bit of relief in her heart.
Everything seemed perfect, yet ultimately lacking in cultural refinement—a child from a poor family.
That must have been what the Iron Lady wanted to confirm.
* * *
A gentle smile played across the Iron Lady’s face.
Her suspicions had proven correct.
It was obvious that the child, raised in poverty, was touching a piano for the first time in her life. She followed along well enough, but that was simply because she had strong learning ability.
And to think she’d never even heard Chopin before. The Iron Lady felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She realized just how absurd her imagination had been.
‘What was I even thinking, suspecting a mere five-year-old?’
A faint, hollow laugh escaped her.
The Iron Lady had come to view Sung-guk, who enjoyed Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s unwavering support, as a threat to Tae-guk’s position as heir.
Tae-guk had fallen short of expectations in many ways, and it had been a long time since Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had looked upon him favorably.
The Iron Lady had asked for a bit more time, since Tae-guk was still in his teens, but both she and Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung knew the truth: true talent shows itself from the very beginning.
Ever since she’d glimpsed Sung-guk’s genius by chance, she’d felt an inexplicable unease.
She worried that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung might be considering Sung-guk as a potential successor to lead the Samjeon Group in the future.
But for now, he was not yet such a threatening presence.
He was simply a bright child born into a poor family.
The classroom door slid open, and Cho Sung-won emerged.
The Iron Lady regarded him with an air of composure.
“Thank you so much for making time during the recital. How did today’s lesson with the children go?”
“Jeon Mi-jin seems to be following along very well.”
“I was planning to have Mi-jin pursue the arts anyway. What do you think about piano?”
“I’m not sure.”
Cho Sung-won smiled ambiguously.
As a world-renowned pianist, he had no intention of offering hollow flattery, even to the wife of the Samjeon Group chairman.
“By the way, is there a talented child in this class? I’d like to give the mothers’ group a hint or two.”
“They all have some skill since they’re already taking lessons, but… from what I observed, Sung-guk showed real talent. He reminded me exactly of myself when I first started piano.”
The Iron Lady’s smile vanished in an instant.

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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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