I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 369

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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 369
Charlie Jobs’ funeral was held privately.
The location was not disclosed to the public.
Only Charlie Jobs’ family and a select few attended the funeral. I was among them.
Charlie Jobs’ funeral resembled his usual style of dress remarkably. It was minimalist, yet distinctly his own.
Everyone mourned his passing and lamented the loss.
It was sorrow over the disappearance of an icon who had led an era.
Apple’s stock temporarily declined, but I wasn’t overly concerned.
The foundation Charlie Jobs built for Apple was far more solid than one might think.
After all the funeral proceedings concluded, Charlie Jobs’ lawyer approached me.
“Hello, CEO Jeon Sung-guk. I’m Gail Brown, one of Charlie Jobs’ lawyers.”
“Hello.”
I offered a brief greeting out of courtesy.
Today wasn’t a day I wanted to speak at length with anyone.
“If you don’t mind, would you be able to stop by our law office this afternoon?”
“What is this regarding?”
“Charlie Jobs left a few things for you, CEO Jeon Sung-guk. Nothing major—he left a letter for you. I’m simply here to deliver it according to proper procedure.”
“Then I’ll visit this afternoon.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
I greeted Laura, now a widow, and left the funeral hall.
* * *
As I entered the hotel room, Jeon Tae-guk was gazing out the window with a bewildered expression.
From his face, it seemed he hadn’t fully sobered up yet.
“Sung-guk, did you see Charlie off well?”
“Yes, hyung….”
“I can’t believe I won’t see Charlie anymore. He was my idol….”
“Many people will feel the same way. Hyung, stop drinking. There are plenty of excuses these days, but we need to return to Korea tomorrow.”
The separation from Jin-seo, coupled with the death of Charlie Jobs, my idol….
Jeon Tae-guk was going through trying times.
“Sung-guk… aren’t you sad? Charlie cared for you so much.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
“Of course I’m sad….”
But Charlie Jobs, too, surely had a small hope that he could live a different life alongside me, and that hope dulled my grief somewhat.
“Still, we have to go on living.”
“When I see you like this, you really seem heartless….”
Then he suddenly looked at me.
“Right, Mark called earlier. About Dennis.”
“Why Dennis?”
“Dennis tried to contact you, but you weren’t answering. Mark said to check your phone.”
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t turned my phone back on since I’d switched it off for the funeral.
I quickly turned on my phone.
There was a message from Dennis.
– Sung-guk, it’s Dennis! Call me back when you see this.
I immediately called Dennis.
Dennis Chazelle had been my roommate at Harvard Dormitory.
Since college, he’d written countless screenplays and worked tirelessly to become a film director. But so far, he hadn’t achieved any notable success.
The dial tone cut off and I heard Dennis’s voice.
– Sung-guk!
“Dennis….”
– I heard from Mark. You were at Charlie Jobs’s funeral?
“Yeah. It just ended. Dennis, what’s going on?”
– Mark told me you’re heading back to Korea tomorrow?
“Right. I’m in the middle of military service in Korea. I can’t be away for long.”
– I’m heading to San Francisco right now, so clear your schedule for tonight.
Suddenly?
I asked with a puzzled tone.
“Dennis, what’s this about?”
– Remember that screenplay we wrote in college? The one called 【Whiplash】….
Of course I remembered.
It was a screenplay I’d encouraged Dennis to write. It would later become his directorial debut.
– Sung-guk, I finished that screenplay. But… ah, I keep rambling. I sent the script to your email, so read it when you have time. We’ll talk about the rest tonight when we meet.
“Alright, see you tonight….”
I hung up and checked my email.
Dennis Chazelle had finally completed the screenplay for 【Whiplash】.
“Sung-guk, what did Dennis say?”
“He asked me to read his completed screenplay.”
“Dennis hasn’t made his directorial debut yet, right?”
“No.”
“It’s already difficult to debut as a film director in Korea, so it must be even harder in Hollywood… Tsk, tsk….”
[Jeon Tae-guk, don’t worry. Dennis will make his debut with this work and become a world-renowned director….]
I read through the screenplay Dennis had sent.
An idea that began in college was finally coming to light.
A college student devoted to drums and the conductor who gaslights him.
[Hmm… the conductor character is a bit weak… I just need to strengthen that part.]
I smiled contentedly as I looked at Dennis’s finally completed screenplay.
* * *
From Gail Brown’s law office, the panoramic view of San Francisco was clearly visible.
“Sung-guk, have some coffee.”
“Thank you.”
Gail Brown handed me a cup of coffee.
“Charlie often talked about Sung-guk.”
Charlie Jobs had apparently shared stories about me with those around him far more than I’d expected.
I sipped my coffee slowly, my thoughts drifting to my previous life.
After I died in that life, how had people evaluated me?
Unlike Charlie Jobs, I was born as the eldest son of a chaebol family, and I did my best to inherit the Samjeon group. Yet the media criticized my autocratic management style as antiquated.
But regardless, Samjeon experienced its golden age during my lifetime.
“Gail, what did Charlie leave behind?”
“Charlie said that Sung-guk is similar to him in that you’re not particularly interested in small talk. He appreciated how you always communicated in the most efficient way possible.”
[Gail, life is short and there’s much to do.]
I simply smiled.
Gail Brown handed me an envelope.
“This is a letter Charlie left for Sung-guk. There are two pages—one he wrote as his condition deteriorated rapidly, and the other he wrote just before his passing.”
The letter written before his death appeared to have been composed after I said goodbye to Charlie.
Perhaps through this letter, I could understand whether Charlie had grasped what I meant.
Gail then handed me another document.
“Gail, what is this?”
“Officially, all of Charlie Jobs’ estate was inherited by his widow, Laura. That way, there are no messy complications, you see. But… Charlie left something for Sung-guk as well. Open it…”
I stared at the document Charlie had left, bewildered.
“This is…”
“Apple stock. Charlie Jobs left Sung-guk 10,000 shares of Apple.”
[10,000 shares? 10,000 shares!]
I was too stunned to say anything.
10,000 shares of Apple stock, currently trading around 100 dollars!
Since Apple would undergo two more stock splits in the coming years, this alone represented an astronomical sum.
Gail Brown smiled warmly.
“Actually, Charlie had been preparing this inheritance for a long time. And he wanted to give it to Sung-guk as a surprise gift.”
“Charlie…”
I couldn’t find the words.
“Surprised?”
“Yes…”
I simply nodded.
[If you were going to do this, you could have at least given me a heads up!]
“Honestly, 10,000 shares isn’t an enormous amount, but I think it was his way of saying he wanted Sung-guk to remember him. And Charlie always did love surprises.”
Gail Brown patted my shoulder twice as I remained speechless.
“Sung-guk, I’ll step out while you read the letter. Take your time.”
“Thank you, Gail.”
Gail closed the door and left.
In Gail’s office overlooking the San Francisco skyline, I opened the final letter Charlie Jobs had left behind.
As Gail said, the letter consisted of two pages.
I opened the shorter message first. It appeared to be written after I confessed the truth about my second life.
Within it was a message that Charlie, facing death, had pressed down carefully with all his might.
– Sung-guk, I believe your words. And… I truly hope we meet again.
[Charlie….]
Charlie believed in me.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he hoped it would be so.
I gazed down at the panorama of San Francisco with a heavy heart for a moment.
I understood why Gail had insisted I come to the lawyer’s office to receive this letter.
Looking down at the world from this height, all my trivial worries seemed like nothing at all.
After composing myself, I opened the letter Charlie Jobs had written previously.
The moment I read that message, a smile spread across my face.
– Sung-guk, when I see you, it’s like seeing myself, so this is my advice.
It was as if Charlie Jobs himself were alive, speaking to me.
– Living as though I were the only one who mattered, I’ve come to realize that in the end, all that remains for someone facing death is friends and family. Sung-guk, take my words to heart and remember them well.
“Charlie, I will.”
I carefully folded Charlie Jobs’ letter and placed it back in the envelope.
[Charlie, but I’ve died too. So I understand it better than you do. How precious family and friends truly are….]
* * *
“Sung-guk!”
Dennis, who had been waiting at the restaurant, raised his hand high.
Dennis looked more like a tormented artist than when I’d last seen him. His hair, grown out haphazardly, was disheveled, and his beard was thick and unkempt.
I quickly shook hands with Dennis.
“Dennis, how have you been?”
“Same as always. Did you see my screenplay?”
“It’s urgent, but let’s order food first.”
I ordered the finest course for Dennis, who was undoubtedly a hungry aspiring director.
“Dennis, would you like a glass of wine?”
“Sung-guk, if it’s alcohol offered by a successful businessman, I’m always game!”
Dennis readily accepted.
And soon we discussed the screenplay while eating.
“Dennis, I absolutely love that screenplay.”
“Sung-guk, really?”
“Yes.”
But Dennis’s face was not bright.
“Actually… I’ve shopped the finished screenplay around to several places. But they all say it’ll end up on the blacklist.”
In the American film industry, being on the blacklist meant a screenplay with high quality but poor commercial prospects.
Dennis seemed discouraged by this fact.
“No film companies interested?”
“They’re all interested, but they’re telling me to shoot a different work first. They say to film this one after I succeed with something else first…. You know what that means….”
In short, it was a rejection.
“From what I see, if you strengthen the role of the conductor a bit more, it would dramatically enhance the overall quality….”
“I’ve thought about it too. And I’m revising it right now….”
Dennis was truly destined to become a great director.
He understood precisely what was lacking in his own screenplay.
Dennis took a few sips of wine, then smacked his lips.
I had already guessed why Dennis had flown here from Los Angeles in such haste.
It was obvious he wanted to meet with his successful businessman friend to seek investment advice on a screenplay that every film company had rejected.
I took a sip of water.
No matter how important friends and family were, investment was another matter entirely.
“Dennis… I’ll be honest with you.”
Dennis seemed slightly nervous at my words and gulped down his wine.
“Honestly, the screenplay is really excellent. The fact that you’re revising the parts you felt were lacking makes me think it’ll become even more impressive…. So here’s the thing….”
I paused for effect.
Dennis’s eager expression was quite amusing to me.
“Dennis, I’m going to invest in that film.”
“Sung-guk….”
Dennis was so shocked that he remained silent for a moment before finally collecting himself and opening his mouth.
“Sung-guk, honestly, I came to you to… to explore investment options… but are you saying you’ll invest directly?”
“Yeah. I just came into some spare cash today.”
“Sung-guk… th-thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
[Dennis, I should be the one thanking you. That film is going to be such a massive hit!]
I was planning to invest an amount equivalent to the 10,000 shares of Apple stock that Charlie Jobs had left behind into Dennis’s film.
Just as Charlie Jobs said, in the end, the most precious things are friends and family…

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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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