I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 390

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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 390
If you were born in South Korea, there was no one who didn’t know about the Dol Harubang.
Even Adam, born in the United States, had already become well-acquainted with what Dol Harubang looked like as soon as he descended the stairs at Jeju Airport, thanks to the row of statues lined up there.
[At this point, being compared to a gisaeng’s older brother almost sounds like a compliment.]
I shrugged my shoulders and took a sip of soju.
Jeon Tae-guk let out a heavy sigh.
“So I’m being told I look like a Dol Harubang… did I just ring the Golden Bell?”
“Brother, that’s just saying you look masculine.”
The Restaurant Owner quickly patted Jeon Tae-guk’s shoulder.
“A man should look like a man. All these pretty boys next to you will lose their charm when they get older.”
“Still, I wish I could live even for just a moment as a pretty boy, Restaurant Owner…”
Jeon Tae-guk downed his soju in one gulp.
* * *
The conversation between Father and the Restaurant Owner gradually deepened.
“When I go to the mainland, I visit many bossam and pork belly restaurants, but nothing compares to Jeju black pork. If you make bossam with Jeju black pork, it would have a completely different umami flavor.”
“Restaurant Owner, I’ve already visited five black pork restaurants just today, and the meat here was the best. So honestly, without any shame, I’d like to ask you where that farm is.”
“Sigh…”
The Restaurant Owner exhaled deeply.
“In the past, everyone abandoned Jeju Island and went to Southeast Asia, so the tourism industry here nearly died. These days it’s slowly recovering, but outsiders come in and open restaurants that only look good, so how are us poor locals supposed to survive? I’d hand over this restaurant the moment an owner appears… Actually, I’m planning to hand over the farm information along with it.”
At that moment, I downed my soju and surveyed the restaurant’s location.
A fantastic spot with a view of Aewol Beach.
Moreover, with nothing else built up around it yet, securing a parking lot seemed quite feasible.
But that’s where the problem begins.
If an outsider—especially a wealthy one—tried to buy this restaurant, the Restaurant Owner would surely quote a price above market value.
I casually asked the Restaurant Owner.
“Restaurant Owner, my father is looking to expand his business. But honestly, since Uncle Won’s Bossam doesn’t skimp on ingredients, he’s not making much money.”
I could see Father tense up slightly at my words.
“If you’re putting this restaurant up for sale, would it be alright to ask how much you’re asking for it?”
“Jeju people know that beachfront land goes for dirt cheap. This land was also owned by my maternal grandfather, but no one wanted to inherit it, so I took it and opened this black pork restaurant.”
“So if the right owner appears now, you’re thinking of selling it at market price?”
“Hmm… unfortunately, yes. Honestly, it’s so far out that even locals don’t come here much. Outsiders go to other restaurants that just look nice… I think I’d be better off selling this place and doing manual labor.”
Go Mi-ju had a very regretful expression.
“Restaurant Owner, you have a good eye for meat, but every single side dish is delicious too… it’s such a shame.”
“I started as a military cook and have been in the food business for 20 years, so I have to deliver that level of taste. These days, people who don’t even know taste shouldn’t be running restaurants.”
The Restaurant Owner had his own philosophy about food.
This was exactly what Father loved.
Father downed a glass of soju.
“I also learned cooking from someone like you in the past.”
[Hmm… Father, is this finally the start of telling a sob story?]
Father, as if lost in memories, began to tell the story of the Suyu Branch Manager at Uncle Won’s Bossam.
“I’m grateful that you hired me when I had nowhere else to go, and you even taught me all the secrets to making that restaurant’s broth.”
“He’s truly a benefactor in your life.”
“Absolutely.”
My father’s storytelling seemed to be working well on the Restaurant Owner.
I decided to observe my father’s narrative technique for a moment.
“That place used to be a folk pub, and they had bossam as one of their side dishes. But the bossam was incredibly delicious. So I suggested to the owner that instead of making various dishes for a pub, he should change it into a bossam specialty restaurant.”
[Dad, the spiced snails were still delicious though!]
“My goodness, that owner was blessed to meet such a benefactor….”
“No, sir. The remarkable thing is that the owner actually changed his business based on the suggestion of a young man in his twenties.”
“Then, how did Uncle Won’s Bossam come about?”
“That’s all thanks to my son.”
“This son who looks like a kisaeng’s older brother?”
“Sir, this kind of face is trendy these days.”
[Dad, that’s actually a good point for once.]
The Restaurant Owner laughed pleasantly and picked up his soju glass.
“I apologize for saying you look like a kisaeng’s older brother, sir. Whenever I see a handsome man, my judgment gets all twisted.”
“It’s fine.”
[It wasn’t fine earlier, boss.]
I accepted the drink the Restaurant Owner offered with good humor.
Of course, Jeon Tae-guk’s face twisted as he listened to this story.
“Sir, didn’t you just say that a real man should look like me?”
“That’s still valid. I still think a real man should look like you. What good is a man being pretty? It just makes women flock to him.”
Jeon Tae-guk’s face grew even more despondent at the Restaurant Owner’s words.
The night grew late, and it seemed we should start thinking about tomorrow.
“Sir, would it be alright if my father and I visited again tomorrow afternoon?”
“Of course. We serve black pork kimchi stew at lunch, so come by and try it.”
“We will.”
And so our black pork grilled meat restaurant tour came to an end.
Then Jeon Tae-guk pulled out his card with a bitter expression.
“Sir, all at once, please.”
“Just pay for what you ate. I’ll cancel the Golden Bell prize.”
“No, sir. If you knew who I am—”
At that moment, I jabbed Jeon Tae-guk in the ribs.
If it became known that Jeon Tae-guk was the heir to the Samjeon Group, the restaurant’s market value could suddenly skyrocket.
“Brother, just pay the bill.”
“Sigh… you won’t even let me show off. Sir, just charge us for everything. I got a decent bonus this month. But since I don’t have a girlfriend, I have nowhere to spend the money.”
“Alright. Since you rang the Golden Bell, come back tomorrow and eat lunch on the house. And whenever you want to eat black pork again, come by. While you’re in Jeju, it’s on me.”
“Sir, thank you so much!”
Jeon Tae-guk gladly swiped his card.
* * *
Back at the hotel, Father and I sat at an outdoor bar, just the two of us, nursing beers while continuing our business discussion.
“Sung-guk, what do you think of that restaurant?”
“Father, while it’s important to figure out which farm supplies the owner with meat, I’m really drawn to the location.”
“Isn’t it a bit too remote?”
“Once tourism picks up on Jeju Island, most visitors will be traveling by car. If the parking lot is well-maintained and there’s a beautiful ocean view, people will seek it out no matter where it is.”
“I suppose you’re right….”
[Father, just trust me!]
Father scratched his head.
“I think we’ll need to check the market price tomorrow….”
“Father, don’t worry about that. I already asked Go Mi-ju to look into it earlier.”
“That’s putting her out….”
“Market prices are more accurate when a local checks them directly. We can always compensate her with money when we leave.”
“You’re talking like a real businessman now.”
[Father, there’s something you don’t know. I’ve been doing business continuously since my previous life.]
I smiled and took a long sip of beer.
“Sung-guk, I’ve been thinking….”
I could sense what was troubling Father.
“Father, you want to give that restaurant owner the Jeju branch of Uncle Won’s Bossam, don’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“I was thinking the same thing. He takes pride in his cooking and has principles, but it seemed like he’s just been unlucky. I felt bad for him.”
“You really are my son. How did you come up with the exact same idea?”
“Initially, you’d need to come down and manage the restaurant and quality, but you can’t stay in Jeju forever. When I saw that owner, I felt confident we could trust him with it.”
“There’s one thing that concerns me though….”
Father drank his beer in one long gulp.
“Since he ran his own business before, I’m worried whether he’ll be willing to work under someone else.”
“Father, don’t worry about that.”
“Is there a way around it?”
“Of course there is, Father.”
I answered with complete confidence.
Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, the founding chairman of Samjeon Group, often said this.
– There’s no loyalty when money is on the table!
* * *
I woke up at 6 AM.
After an hour of swimming, I spotted Go Mi-ju hovering around.
“CEO, you’re here.”
“You seem to have known I would be.”
“Well, yes. Since it was early, I called your room and they said you’d already gone swimming. I thought you’d be curious about the market price.”
Go Mi-ju had sharper intuition than I’d expected.
“Of course I’m curious. But you came in late last night and left early this morning. When did you have time to look into it?”
“My uncle runs a real estate business. Jeju is small—everyone knows everyone through one connection or another. I called my uncle last night and he knew the exact market price. He said Aewol is trending lately, but prices haven’t skyrocketed yet. He thinks you should budget around 500,000 to 1 million won per pyeong.”
“The Restaurant Owner’s property is about three hundred pyeong…”
“Around that area, about a thousand pyeong all belongs to the Restaurant Owner.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, when I told Uncle that an important person wanted to know about it, he quickly made a call and looked into it for me.”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
With a thousand pyeong of land, I could build both the Uncle Won’s Bossam Jeju Branch and a cafe all at once.
“Go Mi-ju, thank you so much for guiding us around and taking on all these requests while we’ve been here. I’ll ask Tae-guk to give you special leave and a bonus.”
“CEO, I… I don’t need anything like that.”
Go Mi-ju looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
That expression with the sparkling eyes seemed oddly familiar somehow.
“Then… how about my autograph?”
“Pardon?”
In that moment, Go Mi-ju suppressed her laughter.
[Did I jump ahead again…?]
“CEO, you really are as self-absorbed as I’ve heard.”
“No, most people actually want that from me. Haha.”
I laughed awkwardly for no good reason.
“It’s something similar.”
Something similar?
“CEO, I’m going to Seoul next month for my vacation. Would it be possible for you to be my guide for just one day in Seoul then? Actually, I’m a fan of yours.”
Go Mi-ju made her request with a certain boldness.
She’d guided our family for two nights and three days, and on top of that, she’d immediately found out about the stores and land prices that Father had taken an interest in.
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
“Go Mi-ju, time is money for me.”
“Ah, I suppose my request was too much. I apologize.”
“If you want to avoid apologizing, could you prepare things so that my family and I can sign a contract for the Restaurant Owner’s property right away during our remaining one night and two days of vacation in Jeju?”
“I’ll contact Uncle right away. He’s well-connected and handles things meticulously.”
“Then let’s do that. We’ll sign the contract and have lunch at the restaurant.”
“Yes, CEO! And about our promise…”
“I’ll definitely keep it!”
* * *
One million won per pyeong.
It was slightly above market price.
But to secure the owner’s firm commitment, I had to make this bet.
I paid the deposit immediately, and Father examined the restaurant with a satisfied expression before looking at the owner.
It looked like Father was finally about to make his proposal.
“Owner, may I make a suggestion?”
“What kind of suggestion?”
“You said once you sell this place, you won’t do the restaurant business anymore and will just do manual labor, right?”
“Well, what else can I do? Even with the lump sum, I’ll pay off my debts and give my kids some money, and that’s it.”
“That’s actually why I’m making this proposal. How would you feel about working as the General Manager of our Uncle Won’s Bossam Jeju Branch?”
At those words, the Restaurant Owner’s expression darkened.
“Have I made an unreasonable request of you?”
“Ha! This guy. Even if I look like this, I have chef certifications in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine. A manager position? That doesn’t make sense. You should put me in charge of the kitchen!”
“So, you’re accepting the offer?”
“Absolutely! My lifelong dream has been to cook without worrying about managing the dining hall or dealing with staffing. Our young boss and his son have made that dream come true for me. I’ve truly met a noble person this year.”
The Restaurant Owner broke into a broad, beaming smile like a stone harubang statue.
“Now that the contract is settled, shall we have lunch? By the way, that bachelor who rang the Golden Bell yesterday—isn’t he coming?”
“He should be here soon.”
“I didn’t say it in front of him, but when he rang the Golden Bell, I held back a bit because by his appearance, he looked like he didn’t have much money. Did that bachelor go to a hotel yesterday and cry his eyes out?”
I suppressed my laughter and steadied my voice.
“Restaurant Owner, you can’t judge a person by appearance alone.”
“Is he the son of some wealthy family? He certainly looks poor though….”
“His father runs a small business.”
“It’s true—you can never really know a person just by looking. Just like how someone who looks like a penniless wanderer can turn out to be a capable young man.”
The Restaurant Owner laughed heartily.

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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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