I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 357

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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 357
Min-guk called me first thing in the morning.
What was going on?
I answered his call with a drowsy voice.
“Min-guk, what’s the matter so early in the morning?”
– Hyung… no matter how much I think about it, something feels off.
“What is?”
– I mean, the Saudi Arabian royal family watched us practice and left… we even hit number one in the trending videos across the Middle East. But… why isn’t a single article coming out in our country? I’ve been digging through every internet article since this morning, hyung.
[Hmm… I suppose it’s time to have a difficult conversation….]
I explained the situation to Min-guk in a calm voice.
“Min-guk, you haven’t debuted yet….”
– Even if we haven’t debuted, trainees from other major talent agencies get articles written about them and have fan clubs from their trainee days.
Min-guk’s voice carried a note of disappointment.
Of course, I understood his perspective.
“Min-guk, listen to me carefully.”
– Mm-hmm.
“To be honest, Bang Mu-hyuk’s talent agency doesn’t have the money or connections to ask the media to write articles about you guys. You know that, right?”
– Yeah.
Min-guk’s voice grew quieter.
“But the reason I got you into Bang Mu-hyuk’s talent agency was because of his abilities. Singers need to be recognized for their talent, don’t they? And even though you guys are idols created by the agency, I wanted you to become singers who have your own voice.”
– I know that too…. I….
“Right, you know it. If you go into a major talent agency, they’ll make you do what they want rather than letting you have your own voice.”
Min-guk listened to me in silence.
“Min-guk, I want you to succeed as an idol more than anyone else… but I also want your life to be happy. And if you want to be a singer for a long time, skill is what matters most. Journalists won’t write articles without being paid, but you guys have already torn up the Middle East with your talent.”
– You’re right. We did tear it up….
“So don’t be so impatient. Success comes slowly and quietly, without anyone noticing.”
– Hyung….
Min-guk called out to me.
“What is it, Min-guk?”
– I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re my sponsor. You know I love you, right?
[Hmm… Min-guk’s acting suspicious now….]
“Jeon Min-guk, what do you want?”
– Hehe. Hyung, you know I still have that card you gave me back then, right?
I hadn’t been able to grab a separate card that day because I was busy.
– Hyung, could we have another pork belly dinner today? The guys are probably all disappointed like me that not a single article came out.
[Yeah, this is when I need to be a good hyung.]
“Alright. Just eat enough that it doesn’t interfere with your diet. Got it?”
– Yes! Hyung! I love you!
After I hung up, I heard a knock on the door.
The door opened slightly, and Jeon Tae-guk poked his head in.
“Sung-guk….”
[Is my current life brother leaving, or is my past life brother arriving….]
My head suddenly throbbed.
“Brother, what’s going on?”
“You know I’m going to the United States today, right?”
“Yes. Didn’t you say it was an afternoon flight?”
“Yeah, but before that, I have something to give you, Adam, and Sam. Come on out.”
What on earth was happening this early in the morning?
When I stepped into the living room, the center was piled high with various foods, shopping bags, and miscellaneous household items.
What was all this?
Jeon Tae-guk picked up the shopping bags and handed one each to me, Adam, and Sam.
“Brother, what is this?”
“Open it.”
Inside the shopping bag were hoodies I liked to wear, underwear, and socks.
“William, this is the checkered shirt I love.”
Adam pulled out his favorite checkered shirt from the shopping bag and was already tearing up.
“I figured you’d all just keep wearing the same clothes every day without me around, so I asked Secretary Park to pick out things tailored to each of your tastes. There’s enough for two weeks of fresh clothes every day, so don’t wear the same outfit twice. Oh, Sung-guk. Secretary Park is coming to the United States with me, and Samjeon will assign a new secretary here instead. The aunts working here and everyone else will manage things, so don’t worry.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, are you immigrating somewhere? Why are you acting like this for just two weeks?]
I stared indifferently at the other items.
Jeon Tae-guk picked up shampoo and body wash, then handed them to Sam.
“Sam, you said your skin got sensitive from the water change when you came to Korea, right?”
“William….”
“Try this. If it still doesn’t work, I’ll have our secretarial team find you a dermatologist, so don’t worry about money and just go to the hospital. Got it?”
“William…. Thank you.”
Sam’s eyes were already reddening.
[Why is everyone doing this? Jeon Tae-guk will be back in two weeks!]
Jeon Tae-guk handed Adam various photocards and merchandise from Misseight.
“Adam, don’t be too lonely without me… listen to Misseight’s music while you wait.”
“William, who am I supposed to have chicken and beer with if you’re not here?”
“Sam’s here, and Sung-guk’s here too.”
“It’s only fun when we’re all together! We can’t have anyone missing!”
“I’ll be back in two weeks, so don’t worry, Adam.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me now with glistening eyes.
[Jeon Tae-guk, I’m not falling for this.]
“Sung-guk… don’t let people nag you too much while I’m gone.”
“The only person who nags me is you, brother.”
“Don’t skip meals while I’m away.”
“Brother, don’t worry. You seem to keep forgetting that our family runs a restaurant.”
“Sung-guk… even without me… ugh.”
Jeon Tae-guk swallowed his runny nose and rushed to the entrance, grabbing his suitcase. Then he glanced back slightly.
“I’ll head to the airport alone. Everyone take care!”
[He’s going with Secretary Park, so what’s this about going alone….]
I muttered to myself.
“William….”
“William!”
Adam and Sam chased Jeon Tae-guk to the entrance.
But Jeon Tae-guk, holding the door, stopped them.
“Please don’t come out. It’s the weekend—rest well and stay healthy!”
Bang!
The entrance door slammed shut loudly.
Adam and Sam wiped their glistening eyes and returned to the living room. Then they looked at me.
“Sung-guk, William really cares about us that much.”
“Adam, he’ll be back in two weeks.”
I shook my head slowly.
“Sung-guk, William always says things like that, but he even looks after our skin… he really seems like a good person.”
“Ah, I’m already missing William… who am I eating grilled pork belly with today.”
“Adam, eat with me.”
“Let’s do that, Sam. Sung-guk, you’re coming too, right?”
“No. I have work. I’ll see you tonight.”
* * *
When I stepped outside the house, a secretary from Samjeon that Jeon Tae-guk had arranged was standing there.
Surprisingly, she was a female secretary.
“Hello, you’re CEO Jeon Sung-guk, correct?”
“Yes. You’re from Samjeon?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Kim Mi-so, and I’ll be assisting CEO Jeon Tae-guk for two weeks in place of Secretary Park Sung-hee.”
“Thank you for your help.”
Kim Mi-so skillfully opened the rear car door.
“I’ll handle this, so you don’t need to. I’m not your secretary, after all.”
“Understood.”
Kim Mi-so bowed respectfully and took the front passenger seat.
In my previous life, from the moment I had memories, I’d received this kind of treatment, so everything felt natural. But this life was different.
Come to think of it, I’ve already lived more than twenty years in this life….
[Sigh… I’ve really lived a long time….]
Kim Mi-so turned around and offered me a coffee.
“I heard you like coffee. Especially Starbucks lattes.”
“How did you know that? Secretary Park Sung-hee isn’t usually that detail-oriented….”
“Young Master Tae-guk explained CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s habits and preferences in detail. He said to assist you without any inconvenience for these two weeks.”
[Jeon Tae-guk really is something else….]
Kim Mi-so gave me a brief briefing about myself.
“You prefer jjajangmyeon from Samjeon Hotel and bossam from your father’s Bossam Restaurant most, and after drinking a glass of water in the morning, you eat an apple—so he instructed me to always keep apples in stock. He also asked me to prepare both a Starbucks latte and an Americano for your commute, whichever you prefer on any given day.”
[When did Jeon Tae-guk become so meticulous?]
I scratched the bridge of my nose.
“Since you usually eat lunch alone—just a salad or simple Korean boxed lunch—he instructed me to check 30 minutes before lunch and prepare accordingly.”
Now that I thought about it, Jeon Tae-guk always came to me 30 minutes before lunch to ask what I wanted to eat.
Each time, I’d mention a salad or a Korean boxed lunch.
I didn’t want to waste time going to and from a restaurant, and sitting all day made greasy delivery food feel burdensome.
“Since you work overtime like it’s nothing, he said not to forget about dinner either. Whenever you come home early, you apparently order chicken with your coworkers Adam and Sam, so he gave me a list of your favorite chicken place and the Korean BBQ restaurant you frequent.”
“Hmm… you don’t need to worry about my meals. I manage fine on my own.”
“Ah… I’m sure if I say this, you’ll respond coldly that you manage fine and not to worry. But he told me absolutely not to believe that—to manage your meals thoroughly for two weeks. Young Master Jeon Tae-guk said so.”
I took a sip of my Starbucks latte.
I’d always thought I was managing Jeon Tae-guk, but had he been managing me all this time instead?
“Kim Mi-so, you don’t need to attend to my personal matters in such detail.”
“I’ll do my job, and I think it would be better if CEO Jeon Sung-guk focuses on your own work. After all, my superior is Young Master Jeon Tae-guk.”
Samjeon’s secretaries truly had no flexibility.
“Then… where is Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung waiting right now?”
“Pyeongtaek.”
Pyeongtaek?
[So Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung is finally building a semiconductor factory in Pyeongtaek.]
* * *
A barren wasteland.
Luxury vehicles lined up perfectly in a place that epitomized desolation.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was in one of them.
As I stepped out of my car, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung emerged from another.
The door of the car directly behind opened, and Muhammad bin Salah descended, escorted by bodyguards.
Muhammad bin Salah approached with a pleased smile and took my hand.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk, it’s wonderful to meet you again like this.”
“The pleasure is mine. Thanks to your daughter, the practice videos of the group my brother belongs to have been skyrocketing in popularity across the Middle East.”
“My daughter is similar to me. She has a talent for spreading good things far and wide.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung, unusually displaying a gentle smile across his face, positioned himself between us.
“Muhammad wanted to hear CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s opinion specifically… I apologize for calling you out on a weekend.”
“Please don’t mention it. If there’s anything I can help with, I should do so.”
Muhammad bin Salah and other Saudi Arabian dignitaries remained in Korea, still unable to finalize their decision regarding investment in Samjeon.
Because of this, an anxious Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had called me directly last night to arrange this meeting.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung began explaining directly to Muhammad bin Salah in English about the semiconductor factory that would be built in Pyeongtaek.
“There’s nothing here yet, but we plan to build Asia’s largest Samjeon semiconductor factory on this site.”
“That’s impressive.”
Muhammad bin Salah gazed out at the barren expanse, then suddenly asked me in French.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk, what do you think? We’re currently deliberating between investing in Taiwan or Korea.”
Muhammad bin Salah already knew I spoke French fluently, and had already investigated that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung did not speak French.
I answered smoothly in French.
“Muhammad, both Taiwan and Korea have their vulnerabilities. Taiwan has China, and Korea has North Korea.”
Muhammad bin Salah nodded slightly.
“If you were to ask me where to invest, I would naturally choose Samjeon.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I am Korean.”
Muhammad bin Salah’s eyes narrowed.
And I continued.
“Muhammad, all Korean people think this way. We believe we can do anything for our country. Even if it means taking a loss myself. Won’t you trust in this national character just once?”
Muhammad bin Salah finally understood my meaning and nodded.
[Jeon Tae-guk. Don’t forget that I’m looking out for you!]

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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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