I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 384

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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 384
So this is what older brothers’ hearts are like….
Min-guk and I tracked the tall man walking affectionately with Ji-hee while maintaining a distance from her.
The two of them entered the movie theater near the Hagwon District, just as Ji-hee had said.
“Min-guk, I’ll go park the car and come back… You follow him secretly.”
“Got it, hyung!”
Min-guk nodded and got out of the car immediately.
* * *
I parked the car in the Underground Parking Lot and hurried up to the movie theater.
The theater was bustling with people who had come out to enjoy Christmas Eve.
I quickly sent Min-guk a message.
– Min-guk, what movie does Ji-hee seem to be watching?
Min-guk’s reply came soon.
– She seems to be booking Sherlock Holmes, so I booked it quickly too, hyung.
– I’ll head over soon.
I quickly headed to the theater showing Sherlock Holmes.
* * *
Min-guk had pulled his hoodie over his head, and I lowered my head as much as possible to hide my outstanding appearance.
But just as we were about to enter the screening room, someone recognized me and shouted.
“It’s Sung-guk!”
With that, people around us began to murmur.
“Wow. He’s really handsome.”
“Wow… it’s Sung-guk. That handsome lunatic.”
[A handsome lunatic?]
The moment I involuntarily bristled and raised my head, Min-guk grabbed my sleeve. He whispered quietly.
“Hyung… we’re caught red-handed.”
Among the crowd of people, Ji-hee was staring at me sharply.
Ji-hee walked toward us with a cold expression.
“Big brother, little brother. What are you two doing here?”
“Uh… well, my hyung asked me to watch a movie….”
Min-guk made an excuse for me.
[Jeon Min-guk, how could you….]
I panicked and searched for an excuse.
“Ji-hee… we just came to watch a movie purely. But didn’t you say you were watching a movie with Mi-ra earlier? Where is Mi-ra?”
At my question, Ji-hee’s eyes narrowed.
I was probably the person in this world who knew Ji-hee second best, after Mother.
Ji-hee had the most similar temperament to me in this household.
She was probably searching her mind for a way to outmaneuver me.
“Mi-ra was busy….”
I suppressed a smirk internally and crossed my arms.
“Ji-hee, Mi-ra isn’t really 180 centimeters tall, is he?”
“Oppa, were you following me?”
“Following you? Min-guk and I went to pick you up from the academy on Christmas Eve because you were studying. We just happened to witness it.”
“You followed me after you ‘witnessed’ it.”
Ji-hee wasn’t backing down.
“After witnessing it, Min-guk and I came to catch a movie anyway.”
Ji-hee snorted.
Just then, the problematic Mi-ra appeared, holding an enormous bucket of popcorn.
“Ji-hee….”
[So you’re Mi-ra!]
Min-guk and I simultaneously crossed our arms and fixed our gaze on the problematic Mi-ra.
“Hyung, aren’t we both taller?”
“Of course we are.”
Ji-hee, wearing an exasperated expression, gestured to the problematic Mi-ra.
“Min-ho, come here for a second.”
[Well, that makes sense. There’s no way he could be Mi-ra….]
Min-guk muttered beside me.
“Hyung, his name is Min-ho.”
“Right. So Mi-ra turned out to be Min-ho.”
A flustered Lee Min-ho shuffled forward toward Min-guk and me.
“Min-ho, say hello. These are our older brothers.”
“Ah… Hello. I’m Lee Min-ho.”
[Should we even bother being nice? She studies hard, she’s smart, and while her face is the least impressive in our family, she was once called the little Kim Yeo-na. What makes you think you’re worthy of her?]
In my mind, I was already threatening Lee Min-ho, intimidating him, and trampling him mercilessly.
But there was no way I could do that in a place crowded with people.
Besides, everyone here knew exactly who I was now.
I looked at Lee Min-ho with eyes that were as kind as possible, yet cautious.
“Lee Min-ho, you said?”
“Yes, I attend the same middle school as Ji-hee. I’m Lee Min-ho.”
“Are you in the same grade?”
“Yes….”
Just then, Min-guk jabbed me in the ribs and whispered.
“Hyung, what era are we in? You’re way too much like a historical drama.”
I cleared my throat and looked Lee Min-ho up and down.
“It’s Christmas Eve today. Why are you two watching a movie together?”
“Well, that’s….”
I could see Lee Min-ho was flustered.
[Did I come on too strong?]
Just then, Ji-hee shook her head.
“Oppa, let me explain everything. Min-ho is in the class next to mine, and he lent me his Korean notes last time, so I promised to take him to a movie as a thank you.”
I was the only one who caught something strange in this situation.
Ji-hee borrowing a Korean language notebook from Min-ho?
Though I’d been too busy with company matters to pay close attention to Ji-hee’s studies, it wasn’t like her to create a reason to borrow a notebook based on her personality.
And she borrowed it from Min-ho, who was in a different class?
That meant she couldn’t have borrowed it from someone in her own class.
I nodded slightly at first.
“Ji-hee, after you watch the movie with Min-ho, let’s grab dinner together. I’ll buy you pizza.”
“That’s very kind of you, but since it’s Christmas Eve, I need to head home after the movie. Please buy Ji-hee and me pizza another day when academy ends early.”
“I see….”
I forced the most benevolent smile I could muster.
* * *
After the movie ended, Min-guk and I took Ji-hee home.
Min-guk teased Ji-hee the whole way back, saying she’d grown up so much, but my heart wasn’t in it.
I parked the car in the Underground Parking Lot.
“Min-guk, take Ji-hee upstairs first.”
“What about you?”
“Tae-guk, Sam, and Adam will be at our place. They asked me to pick up some more makgeolli.”
“Okay, it’s cold so hurry back.”
After sending Min-guk and Ji-hee up first, I walked toward the Convenience Store.
There was Tae-guk’s request for more makgeolli, but I had something else to do.
I needed to call Min-ho.
After the movie ended, Min-ho had handed me a slip of paper with his phone number.
The ominous feeling I’d gotten from Ji-hee’s words seemed to be proving correct.
I called Min-ho from a secluded spot. Soon, his voice came through.
– Hello, sir.
“Did you get home safely?”
– Yes, sir….
“You seem to have something to tell me. It’s about Ji-hee, isn’t it?”
– Yes….
Min-ho trailed off.
“Can you be honest with me? I actually got a sense of it from our conversation earlier.”
– Ji-hee studies the best in our grade. Actually, she’s incomparably ahead of everyone in the entire school. Oh, I’m sorry. That slang term means….
“I know what that means. Keep going.”
– Ah, yes…. Ji-hee is so smart and pretty too.
[Hmm… I still can’t accept the rest as her older brother.]
– She’s popular with the boys. But since Ji-hee only focuses on studying and shows no interest, the other students get really jealous.
I was starting to get a clearer picture.
I too had experienced envy and jealousy everywhere because of my exceptional appearance and grades.
“Is it possible that her classmates are bullying Ji-hee?”
At my question, Lee Min-ho fell silent for a moment. It seemed that was the case.
– Last time, Ji-hee’s Korean notes disappeared. The teacher said this final exam would focus on what he marked as important during class. Ji-hee’s notes were famous for being so well-organized, but it seemed someone took them. On purpose.
“Min-ho, I’m going to ask you directly. Is our Ji-hee being bullied?”
– At least it seems that way in Ji-hee’s class. Hyung, if Ji-hee finds out I told you this, she’ll be upset with me.
“Min-ho, don’t worry. And thank you for looking out for our Ji-hee. This is advice from someone older than you—save dating for college.”
– Yes, hyung.
Min-ho hung up the phone hastily.
* * *
Knock. Knock.
I knocked on Ji-hee’s door.
“Yeah, come in.”
As I opened the door and stepped inside, Ji-hee looked up from her studies and turned to face me.
Ji-hee sighed, as if she already knew why I had come.
“Oppa, Min-ho told you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“It’s nothing serious. Besides, you can go to school even without friends.”
I nodded.
“Ji-hee, it’s something I’ve long known. People like us who excel always face envy and jealousy from others. But there’s no reason to tolerate it.”
For a moment, Ji-hee looked at me.
“Oppa, I’m going to drop out. Then I’ll take the GED and go to Seoul National University. There’s no point wasting time at school.”
“Ji-hee… do you know who took that Korean notebook?”
“Hmm… I have a pretty good idea.”
“Ji-hee, there’s a saying in life: you reap what you sow.”
“What you plant, you harvest.”
“Exactly. Anyone can feel envy and jealousy. But just because you feel that way doesn’t mean you should act on it.”
“Even if I hate someone to death, killing them would be murder, right?”
“Our Ji-hee is truly smart. So you’re talented, intelligent, and even though you’re lacking in some ways, you’re quite pretty too.”
“Oppa, it’s true that I’m talented.”
Blood truly runs thicker than water.
Ji-hee was definitely my sister.
“Right, Ji-hee. They can feel envy and jealousy because you’re talented. But that doesn’t mean they can make your notebook disappear or lead bullying campaigns. Has anything else happened?”
“Small things—items in my pencil case keep disappearing. Last time, my schedule changed, but they didn’t tell me, so I ended up waiting alone in the music room.”
“Evidence?”
“I screenshotted the group chat. And I’ve recorded them lying to me whenever these things happened.”
“Good job, Ji-hee.”
Just then, I felt a sharp gaze from behind me.
Jeon Tae-guk had been listening to our conversation from behind.
“Hyung, what are you doing there?”
“Oh… I was heading to the restroom, and the door was open, so I overheard by accident. But… what were you two talking about?”
“Hmm… hyung, please pretend you didn’t hear anything.”
“How can you unhear what you’ve already heard?”
“Mom, Dad will worry if he finds out. So could you just close the door for me?”
Jeon Tae-guk closed the door at my words and stepped fully into the room.
“Sung-guk, from what I’m hearing, Ji-hee is being bullied at school, isn’t she?”
“Tae-guk oppa, it’s a bit awkward to call it by that name…”
“Sorry, Ji-hee.”
Jeon Tae-guk quickly scratched his head.
Ji-hee pulled out various pieces of evidence she’d collected from a drawer locked with a key.
Malicious notes like “Get lost!” and “Drop dead!” emerged.
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“Ji-hee, the evidence seems sufficient… What do you want to do?”
“Oppa, I’ve thought about it too… Before I withdraw, I think we need to open a School Violence Committee hearing and teach these kids a lesson.”
“I agree. If you disappear, these bastards will just find another target.”
“Oppa, I want to do this without Mom and Dad knowing. You’ll help me, right?”
“Of course. From now on, I’m your guardian.”
Jeon Tae-guk, who had been listening beside us, stepped forward.
“Sung-guk, I’ll help too. Ji-hee’s school is International Middle School, and those families are no joke. Of course, your power is formidable, but having Samsung backing us won’t hurt.”
“Hyung, I was counting on that.”
I smiled warmly at Ji-hee.
“Ji-hee, let’s make this Christmas gift about rewarding good and punishing evil.”
Ji-hee nodded.
“We start supplementary classes next week.”
“Should I go to school with oppa on Monday?”
“Yes!”
Ji-hee nodded.
* * *
Back at my home in Hannam-dong, I stepped onto the terrace and drank a cold beer.
Soon Jeon Tae-guk came out to the terrace.
“Sung-guk, it’s cold and you’re drinking cold beer?”
“Hyung… Revenge is always best served cold.”
“Sung-guk, do you realize how terrifying you are right now?”
“Hyung, in this life, the most important thing to me is family in first place, family in second place, and family in third place. Anyone who touches our family will be hunted to the ends of the universe and made to pay.”
I took a long drink of the cold beer.
* * *
Ji-hee and I stood hand in hand in front of the Principal’s Office.
Behind us was Kim Sung-taek, the lawyer who had resolved Jung-woo’s Mother’s traffic accident before.
I looked down at Ji-hee.
“Ji-hee, are you ready?”
“Yes, oppa! All set!”
Ji-hee’s grip on my hand tightened with determination.
I squeezed Ji-hee’s hand tightly once more.
“Ji-hee, this battle may be exhausting and grueling. But I’ll always be by your side, so don’t worry.”
“Oppa, don’t forget that I’m here for you too when you’re tired and worn out!”
I nodded and pushed open the door to the Principal’s Office!

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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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