I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 342

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 342
Ding.
When I didn’t respond, Min-guk sent me a barrage of messages, childishly quoting song lyrics.
– What I want is the lottery numbers!
– Hyung, what are this week’s lottery numbers?
As I furrowed my brow, Jeon Tae-guk glanced at my messages from beside me and burst out laughing.
“Sung-guk, is Min-guk seriously asking you for the lottery numbers right now?”
Adam stared at me with a bewildered expression.
“Sung-guk, why is Min-guk asking you for the lottery numbers?”
“Well, since you predicted earthquakes and all, he probably thinks you might know something. Ha.”
Jeon Tae-guk could barely contain his laughter as he explained.
“I’m really not like that! Adam, I think I need to post something on FaceNote that you mentioned so people stop thinking I’m strange. Can you give me some materials?”
“Of course, Sung-guk!”
* * *
– Since I mentioned having a dream, it seems many people are interpreting it as a prophecy or something similar. So I looked into some materials.
These are materials our company employees found for me. On March 9th, the day I posted about my dream on social media, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake actually occurred in the Sanriku Sea Region around 11:45 AM.
Since the earthquake occurred at sea, there were no major aftereffects.
If this earthquake was a foreshock, then my dream wouldn’t be completely baseless, would it?
I posted the Japanese news video from March 9th that Adam had found, along with my message.
Then comments began pouring in in real time.
– Jeon Sung-guk, please stop spouting nonsense and go to a psychiatric hospital.
– It’s true that foreshocks happen before major earthquakes.
– Japan is the land of earthquakes. Don’t you think they would have accounted for an earthquake of that magnitude?
– CEO Jeon Sung-guk, I run a travel agency specializing in Japan. Because of you, we’re getting flooded with cancellation inquiries right now! Please just shut your mouth!
While angry comments dominated overwhelmingly, there were also many posts about people canceling or postponing their Japan trips this weekend.
All I wanted was for people to see my social media and avoid traveling to Japan this weekend, and for people already in Japan to suffer minimal damage.
But the media relentlessly mocked me.
On one talk show, a psychologist came on to analyze me.
– CEO Jeon Sung-guk is a typical person with narcissistic personality disorder. People with these characteristics have success as their life goal and constantly crave attention from those around them. It seems he gained worldwide attention through his relationship with Emma Watson, but when that attention faded due to heartbreak, he may have resorted to this behavior.
[What the hell!]
I turned off the TV.
Narcissistic personality disorder?
Did they really think I did all this just because of a breakup?!
It was truly astounding how quickly people could make someone out to be a fool.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was the secretary of Chairman Koo Soo-young from Hyojin Group.
I sighed and answered the call.
“Yes, this is Jeon Sung-guk.”
– Hello. This is Secretary Cha Eun-su, Chairman Koo Soo-young’s secretary. I apologize for calling so late.
It was past 9 PM.
– If you don’t mind, would you have a few moments available right now? The Chairman said he has something urgent to discuss with you.
“Yes… Where should I go?”
– We’ll send a car within twenty minutes. The Chairman will be waiting for you in the Samjeon Hotel Suite Room.
“Understood.”
I hung up the phone listlessly.
[Does everyone really think I’m crazy now….]
* * *
By the time I arrived at the Samjeon Hotel Suite Room, it was well past ten at night.
Secretary Cha Eun-su, Chairman Koo Soo-young’s secretary, guided me to the suite.
The door opened, and the nightscape of Seoul unfolded before my eyes.
Chairman Koo Soo-young greeted me with a benevolent expression.
“Sung-guk, welcome. Secretary Cha, wait in the lobby.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Secretary Cha Eun-su quietly closed the door and left.
Chairman Koo Soo-young poured a glass of wine he’d already opened and handed it to me.
“You have a lot on your mind, don’t you?”
“Yes… quite a bit, actually.”
“The industrial espionage situation was quite the headache, wasn’t it?”
“That’s been resolved well. Thanks to Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung, we made sure justice was served.”
“Right, I’ve heard all about that. By the way, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was supposed to come as well. It seems his meeting is running late.”
Even Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was coming… Everyone’s reaction to my mention of him was sensitive.
I slowly savored the wine.
[Hmm… this is Château Margaux, the wine I used to enjoy….]
“Sung-guk….”
I quickly pulled my attention away from the Château Margaux and looked at Chairman Koo Soo-young.
“Chairman, you contacted me because of the news, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I was quite surprised, I’ll admit. But I know better than anyone that you’re not strange, despite what the media is saying.”
At the Chairman’s words, my heart suddenly swelled with emotion.
“Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung also said it was nonsense. He said that even though he traveled to Beijing with you, you never displayed any strange behavior or said anything odd.”
[Yet that same person tried to send me to Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong, Chairman Koo.]
Despite what Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung said, he must have harbored doubts. The Samjeon Group’s paranoia was legendary across generations.
“To be honest, posting about the dream was rash on my part, but I had my own analysis for it.”
“Could you tell me about that?”
“The truth is, I’m not sure if I have precognitive dreams or anything like that. When I was young, I occasionally had vivid dreams that turned out to be accurate.”
I added a bit of a lie to my explanation.
Chairman Koo Soo-young’s eyes grew more serious.
“But they weren’t major things. Most were trivial matters that I barely remembered. Like dreaming about a car accident and then experiencing a minor fender bender.”
“Hmm… that happens sometimes.”
Chairman Koo Soo-young nodded.
Even ordinary people often experienced this level of precognitive dreaming.
“That night, I had another dream—a massive earthquake struck Japan. It was so vivid. When I searched for it, the earthquake had actually occurred. That’s when I thought it might be a foreshock. So I posted about it on a whim.”
“I believe you, my friend. Honestly, we businesspeople don’t put much stock in such things. But no matter how talented our people are or how fiercely we compete for information, when it comes down to it, luck always plays a decisive role.”
Chairman Koo Soo-young took a sip of wine and continued.
“That’s why I’ve decided to support your opinion by postponing all of Hyojin Group’s business trips to Japan until after this week.”
“Chairman….”
“Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung arranged a meeting with Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong for you, didn’t he?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“It seems Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung saw your post and immediately went to Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong. He was planning to depart for Tokyo this weekend for the expo.”
That expo was the one I had proposed to Alpha’s staff.
“Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung trusts you, so he rushed to see Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong. And apparently, Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong said that luck would be extremely unfavorable this weekend—an ominous day that occurs only once every few years.”
“Did Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung cancel his trip to Japan?”
“That’s what I heard. I’m not sure about his employees’ business trips, but it seems Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung won’t be going to Japan.”
“It’s not because of me—it’s because of Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong.”
I shrugged my shoulders somewhat awkwardly.
“I thought you might have too many worries on your mind if you were alone at home, so I called you here.”
“Thanks to you, Chairman, my heart feels much lighter.”
This was sincere.
I was grateful that he believed in my rambling post, but Chairman Koo Soo-young’s resolve to postpone even his employees’ business trips to support my opinion had truly put my mind at ease.
It’s going to happen anyway, and there will be many casualties.
But at least the people who listened to my words will have their lives spared.
“Are you tired?”
“A little.”
“I had Secretary Cha prepare a few bottles of wine. Take them home and share them with Jeon Tae-guk.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”
I left the suite right then.
* * *
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the lobby.
As the doors opened, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung stood there, his face weary.
I quickly bowed in greeting.
“Sung-guk, you’re leaving already after talking with Chairman Koo?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong wants to see you once.”
“I heard about it through Jeon Tae-guk.”
“And… Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong said something to me. He said that the reason you have such dreams is because your spirit is exceptionally clear. To hear ghosts, one needs to have the mark of a ghost gate, but you don’t have any of that, he said. He told me to put my mind at ease.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung seemed relieved as he said this.
If rumors spread that the representative of a company jointly invested in by Samjeon and Hyojin was possessed by a ghost, it wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“Chairman, there’s truly nothing to worry about.”
“I trust you. Now, go home. I’ll see Chairman Koo before I leave.”
“Yes, please go ahead, Chairman.”
* * *
March 11, 2011.
– Samjeon Group and Hyojin Group cancel all Japan-related events and business trips this weekend. Is this loyalty to CEO Jeon Sung-guk, or blind faith?
– Major corporations swayed by a single SNS post.
From morning, the cancellation of business trips by Samjeon Group and Hyojin Group became the hot topic of the day.
Jeon Tae-guk watched the news and let out a soft chuckle.
“Sung-guk, there’s another interpretation—that this actually proves SNS has tremendous influence. Because of one post you made, Japan trips are being canceled domestically, and companies are being cautious about business travel. I hear there’s a lot of talk in Japan too about avoiding travel to the northeastern regions.”
I said nothing.
“While it’s best if nothing happens, if it does, we should at least minimize the damage.”
“Right… But are you going to the office today?”
“I have to.”
“Sung-guk, I know this because our father has always run a business… On days like this, you really need to be careful. You understand, right?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, I’m your senior in this.]
I pressed my lips together and nodded.
In any case, caution never hurt.
* * *
On the way to the office, Mother called.
– Sung-guk, are you okay?
“Mom, don’t worry. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
– No, I’m most concerned about your heart. I’m worried people might have hurt you.
My chest tightened.
My heart trembled once more.
– Your father has been agonizing over the things he said to you too. You understand your father’s heart, don’t you?
“Yes.”
I answered while concealing my emotions as much as possible.
“Good, that’s enough. Just come home safely from work, and come home this weekend. I’ll make your favorite boiled pork and stir-fried vegetables.”
“Yes.”
I hung up the phone.
Even if everyone turned their backs on me, my family had always been on my side.
That alone made my chest swell with pride.
I parked my car in the parking lot and walked leisurely toward the elevator.
[Soon everyone will know that I was right….]
That was when it happened.
Someone called out my name.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk.”
A calm voice, yet brimming with intensity.
In that instant, Jeon Tae-guk’s words from this morning came to mind.
That I needed to be careful on days like this.
I turned my head toward whoever had called me, tensing as much as I could.
There stood an unknown man.
“Who are you?”
That’s when it happened.
The man pulled something from his pocket and hurled it at me while shouting.
“Jeon Sung-guk, do you have any idea how many trips I’ve had to cancel because of you!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————