I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 349

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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 349
“Barack, is something urgent the matter?”
I continued the conversation with composure.
– I was curious about the situation in Asia. Since you’re not around, I had no one to discuss it with….
“Barack, would it be alright if I called you back? I’m in the middle of a meeting right now.”
At my words, the eyes of the Cheolsamhoe members widened once more.
Hanging up on the President of the United States… that was the look in their eyes.
– Of course. Sung-guk, my daughters are going crazy wanting to see you. When are you coming to the United States?
“Barack, I’m currently serving in the military in Korea. Even if I wanted to go to the United States, I need the nation’s permission. I can’t move so easily.”
– Don’t worry about that. I’ll make a call.
“Barack, that would be an abuse of power.”
– Hahaha. You’re always amusing. Sung-guk, let’s talk again soon.
“Yes, Barack.”
I ended the call.
Then I looked back and forth between Jeon Tae-guk and Han Tae-jin.
“Aren’t you going to take off the watch?”
“There are still 3 minutes left, Representative Jeon Sung-guk.”
Han Tae-jin held out to the very end.
“Tae-jin, even our nation’s president calling wouldn’t beat the President of the United States.”
“Would the UN Secretary-General need to call for that, then?”
Choi Gwang-mo and Shin Dae-sung egged Han Tae-jin on from the side.
Jeon Tae-guk looked at Han Tae-jin and removed his watch.
“Sung-guk’s unstoppable. Sung-guk, here… should I throw in a certificate of guarantee as well?”
[Jeon Tae-guk knows me far too well….]
Han Tae-jin had no choice but to remove his watch as well.
And now only 1 minute remained.
At that moment, Han Tae-jin’s phone rang.
Han Tae-jin quickly answered the call.
“Hello!”
– Hello, valued customer. This is Kim Mi-young. Do you perhaps need a loan?
“For crying out loud.”
– My, there’s no need to curse like that.
“That’s enough!”
Han Tae-jin burst out and hung up the phone.
And finally, the game time came to an end.
Han Tae-jin, his face flushed with anger, removed his watch and placed it on the table. Then he looked at me.
“Which one are you going to keep and which one are you going to destroy, Representative Jeon Sung-guk?”
“Of course I’m going to destroy Han Tae-jin’s watch.”
“Wow. Hold on… let me find something to smash it with.”
Choi Gwang-mo eagerly searched for something to destroy the watch with, more excited than anyone else.
Then I went to the kitchen and found a small walnut-cracking hammer.
“Representative Jeon Sung-guk, use this.”
I took the small hammer in my hand.
And without mercy, I brought it down on Han Tae-jin’s watch!
* * *
I fastened the watch that Jeon Tae-guk had removed onto my wrist.
Of course, in my previous life, there were times when I was obsessed with watches and cars.
But this life was different.
“Brother, this has a warranty, right?”
“If I contact the department store, they’ll give me one. Why, are you selling it?”
At that moment, Choi Gwang-mo’s and Shin Dae-sung’s eyes gleamed.
And Park Sung-hee didn’t miss this moment.
“It looks like there are about two people interested here?”
“Representative Jeon Sung-guk, how about selling that watch to me?”
It was Choi Gwang-mo.
“Hmm… well, I’m not sure.”
I knew Choi Gwang-mo’s personality better than anyone. He was extremely gullible.
[That’s why he believes fortune tellers and loses money on investments…]
Shin Dae-sung also showed interest.
“I heard that watch wasn’t planned to come into our department store… Representative Jeon Sung-guk, are you thinking of reselling it?”
“Of course. The only watch of its kind in the country. Plus, frankly, there’s a premium attached to it.”
At the word “premium,” everyone’s gaze focused on me.
“Whoever wears this watch is buying today’s story—how the heir of Samjeon Group bought this watch at Samjeon Department Store this morning, and I acquired it through a wager. When you wear this watch, that story will always follow you, and you’ll be able to tell the story of this game at any gathering.”
“Representative Jeon Sung-guk, who took a call from Barack Obama, ended up as the winner, and I bought that watch! Wow, this is incredible…”
Rich people always needed a story.
At drinking gatherings, business meetings, anywhere—a story that would capture people’s attention.
I had created that story now, and I was selling not just the watch but the story along with it.
“Tae-guk, what was the original price of that watch?”
“140 million won.”
“Representative Jeon Sung-guk, I’ll buy that watch for 150 million won.”
Shin Dae-sung moved quickly. But it was too stingy.
[He’s only adding a 10 million won premium?]
Then Choi Gwang-mo quickly raised his hand.
“Representative Jeon Sung-guk, I’ll add another 50 million on top of that. How about 200 million?”
[Better than Shin Dae-sung.]
Han Tae-jin watched this situation with his arms crossed.
I held the shattered watch in one hand.
“Two of these came into the country, but I destroyed one to make it the only watch of its kind in Korea?”
At those words, Shin Dae-sung pounced eagerly.
“300 million!”
The premium on both values was two thousand.
Shin Dae-sung remained stingy as ever.
Choi Gwang-mo smiled broadly and raised his hand.
“Representative Jeon Sung-guk, five hundred million won. I’ll buy that story!”
[Five hundred million won… there’s no reason to refuse….]
The stingy Shin Dae-sung would never call out five hundred million won.
I handed the watch to Choi Gwang-mo.
“Please transfer the funds immediately.”
* * *
On the way home, Jeon Tae-guk tilted his head curiously.
“Sung-guk, there’s something odd though….”
“What is it?”
“It feels like I’m the one doing the tricks while you’re the one earning the money. Is this right?”
“Brother, let me tell you a secret.”
“What secret?”
“Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung called earlier.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Jeon Tae-guk recalled the situation from earlier.
“Dad wouldn’t normally call me directly. And it felt strange that he called without any particular reason.”
“I asked him to do that before the game started.”
“What?”
Jeon Tae-guk stared at me in shock.
“There was a little free time before the game started. Han Tae-jin went to the restroom and seemed to be calling someone, so I called Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung and asked him for a favor. You don’t seem like the type to think of such things.”
“Han Tae-jin, you bastard!!! So, Sung-guk… if I hadn’t heard from Barack Obama, I would have won, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then, did you contact Barack beforehand too?”
I shook my head.
Barack Obama was truly an unexpected variable.
“Just know that I didn’t.”
Jeon Tae-guk suddenly looked at me with emotion.
“Sung-guk, did you… deliberately do that to make me win?”
“So it’s not that the bear does the tricks and I earn the money, right?”
“Five hundred million won—what’s that worth? It’s just the price of a car…”
[These Cheolsamhoe guys really have no sense….]
“Sung-guk, but what are you going to do with that five hundred million won?”
“Hmm… I have a use for it.”
To the wealthy, it might be merely the price of a car, but to someone else, it could be desperately needed money.
* * *
I opened the door to the Underground Practice Studio and stepped inside.
The smell of mold mixed with the scent of sweat hit me all at once.
Jung-woo and Jae-hee, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, waved their hands eagerly.
“Sung-guk!”
[They’ve all grown so much….]
I looked back and forth between Jung-woo and Jae-hee.
Jung-woo had transformed into someone quite tall with a well-built physique. His short haircut gave him a masculine appearance.
And Jae-hee had grown up maintaining that familiar image of a boy from the neighborhood, just like when we were young.
The way he smiled with his eyes was charming, and it seemed he could appeal to fans with that approachable image.
“How have you all been?”
“Good. I see your news on TV all the time. Seeing you in person like this feels like meeting a celebrity.”
Jae-hee laughed bashfully.
[In a few years, you guys will become real celebrities.]
Min-guk approached with his face glistening with sweat.
“Brother, what brings you here?”
“Where’s your father?”
“He said he’d come watch our practice in a bit.”
“Would it be alright if I watched you guys practice?”
Min-guk glanced at his teammates.
Jung-woo, the eldest member of the group, quickly shouted to the other members.
“Jeon Sung-guk is our investor too. Everyone, let’s show him what we’ve been practicing!”
“Yes!”
Min-guk hurried over and started the practice music.
* * *
As the music ended, Bang Mu-hyuk came down into the practice studio and stood behind me.
Soon the music finished, and the trainees looked at me and Bang Mu-hyuk, breathing heavily.
“Sung-guk, what did you think?”
“Sir, could we talk privately for a moment?”
“Sure….”
* * *
We walked down a street densely packed with talent agencies both large and small.
“Sir, may I be honest with you?”
Bang Mu-hyuk appeared tense at my words.
Since this was his first male idol group, he was bound to be sensitive about evaluations.
“Tell me everything honestly. Since we see those kids all the time, sometimes we can’t see the differences clearly.”
“Well… I’ll be honest with you. I really like them.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Bang Mu-hyuk finally wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“If Jeon Sung-guk, who even predicted the Great East Japan Earthquake, says so, I can trust it, right?”
“Of course. But there’s a problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your company is still a small-to-medium enterprise. It’s no exaggeration to say that three talent agencies dominate the entire idol industry in South Korea right now. Without one of those three agencies, it’s nearly impossible to appear on broadcast music programs, and even if you do, landing a proper stage is a struggle.”
“I know, that’s our concern too… No matter how many music competition shows I judge, I can’t ignore their capital.”
“But I actually think this could be an opportunity.”
“What do you mean?”
“The idol ecosystem won’t be built on television anymore—it’ll be the internet.”
Bang Mu-hyuk blinked his small eyes.
“The internet, you say….”
“YouTube.”
“YouTube isn’t widely used in Korea yet….”
“That’s exactly when you should move. Honestly, with the funding Samjeon provides and what I’m investing, breaking through massive capital is nearly impossible.”
Bang Mu-hyuk nodded.
“If you can’t break through massive capital, then circumventing it is a viable strategy, in my opinion.”
“Sung-guk, so you’re saying we should actively leverage YouTube?”
“Yes. Sir, the debut lineup is confirmed, right?”
“Well….”
“Then let’s start by filming practice videos of the confirmed debut members in that pathetic underground studio and uploading them.”
“That place is so run-down I was already planning to move soon anyway.”
“Sir… I believe idol groups need a story.”
“A story?”
Bang Mu-hyuk tilted his head in confusion.
“Idols from major agencies who went through trainee programs lack something that idols from small agencies need—a narrative. That becomes their competitive edge.”
“Hmm… that makes sense.”
Bang Mu-hyuk seemed to agree.
I continued.
“Because they’re from a small production company, they couldn’t train in the comfortable environments of major agencies, but they all practiced desperately in the underground studio with that sense of urgency. Yet, overshadowed by major agencies, they struggled to even get stage time, so they had to carve their path through YouTube and social media. That’s the story we create for them.”
“Sung-guk, you’re already so busy with work—how did you even think of this?”
“It’s Min-guk’s business, after all.”
I let out a quiet sigh.
Bang Mu-hyuk patted my shoulder.
“You’re truly the eldest son.”
“Sir, I’ve come into some money. I’ll invest it, so please push the kids harder with their choreography and vocal training.”
“Right… we’re business partners, after all.”
“Of course. Sir, with one year until debut, I’ll visit more frequently from now on to discuss strategy.”
“Sung-guk, thank you. Thank you so much!”
I had already decided to invest all 500 million won I’d won from the bet into Min-guk’s company.
Of course, buying more Tesla stock or more Samjeon stock could have yielded greater immediate returns.
But this was Min-guk’s company, and regardless, I had to fulfill my duty as the eldest son.
[I can’t even get married until all my younger siblings are settled!]
* * *
A week before Sam arrived, Mark reached out.
Mark’s voice was quite flustered.
“Mark, what’s wrong?”
– Sung-guk, could you come to the United States for a bit?
“What happened?”
– It’s just… I can’t handle this on my own.
“Mark, take your time and tell me what’s going on.”
– A sexual harassment incident occurred within the company… and it turns out we don’t have internal regulations to address such matters.
Mark’s voice was desperate.
A sexual harassment scandal right before our IPO next year… if mishandled, the entire listing could be postponed.
“Mark, I’m coming right away.”
I hung up the phone.
Then I called Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
At this moment, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was the only person who could help me get to the United States immediately.
– Sung-guk, what’s the matter?
“Chairman, I need to go to the United States.”
– So you’re asking for help.
“Yes.”
– Well, I have a condition too…
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was the perfect embodiment of the truth that nothing in this world comes free.
“What is it?”
– Would it be alright if I asked you to throw the ceremonial first pitch for the Samjeon Baseball Team at the professional baseball opening ceremony?
At the professional baseball opening ceremony, Samjeon played in Daegu while Hyojin Group played in Jamsil.
That meant he was asking me to choose Samjeon over Hyojin Group.
But I had no choice at this moment.
– Yes, I’ll throw the first pitch for Samjeon.

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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
—————