I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 391

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 391
“Well, I’m heading into the kitchen now to prepare our Galmaegizip’s lunch special—black pork kimchi stew.”
The Restaurant Owner whistled as he disappeared into the kitchen.
“The owner seems delighted. He received a generous price relative to market value, and got a good offer too.”
Go Mi-ju, who had helped with today’s contract, was with us as well.
“It’s fortunate that both parties are satisfied with the contract.”
Father surveyed his surroundings with a satisfied expression.
“The meat from this place last night was delicious too….”
[How did I not think of that sooner!]
I quickly looked at Father.
“Father, honestly, Galmaegizip’s black pork grilled meat was more delicious than any other place we’ve eaten at. Since the owner is taking over the kitchen, what if we open a grilled meat restaurant alongside it?”
“A grilled meat restaurant too?”
“Two restaurants on this Aewol beachfront line—Uncle Won’s Bossam and Galmaegizip. People tired of grilled meat would visit Uncle Won’s Bossam, while those still craving black pork grilled meat would go to Galmaegizip.”
Go Mi-ju also supported my idea.
“Father, I think the Chairman’s idea is excellent. Jeju residents really love Galmaegizip’s meat. The only reason they don’t come often is the poor accessibility. If it were closer, I’d want to come every week.”
Aewol beachfront certainly had poor accessibility.
Moreover, in South Korea where the formula “pork belly with soju” is sacred, it was difficult for people to make a special trip to eat black pork grilled meat in a place without good public transportation.
“It was delicious though….”
Father seemed to be contemplating.
[Aewol will boom in just a few years….]
If that was the case, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Father, Uncle Won’s Bossam is already operating well under direct management. Everyone has settled in nicely. More and more people who visit Jeju will come to Seoul and still crave that black pork taste. Considering that demand, what if we reopen Galmaegizip?”
“It’s a good idea, but that requires the owner’s permission. The restaurant name too. The seasoning sauce and side dishes used at Galmaegizip all contain the owner’s thoughts and handiwork.”
As someone in the food business, Father believed that obtaining a restaurant name and recipes filled with such care for free was not right.
[Then we’ll solve it with money.]
Just then, Jeon Tae-guk, Sam, and Adam walked in.
“We must have arrived at the perfect time—I can smell something delicious.”
“Tae-guk, welcome. The owner just went into the kitchen to prepare black pork kimchi stew.”
Sam and Adam seemed pleased at the news.
Jeon Tae-guk called out toward the kitchen.
“Owner, we’re here! Please give us black pork kimchi stew and some black pork with soju. We ate all night yesterday, but the moment I woke up, I was craving it again.”
“Coming right up. Just wait a moment.”
The owner’s cheerful voice came from the kitchen.
Jeon Tae-guk, Sam, and Adam sat at the same table.
“Father, Mother, Min-guk, and Ji-hee went for a walk on the nearby Olle Trail. But we couldn’t help ourselves—the thought of this place’s kimchi stew and black pork kept haunting us.”
I looked at Sam and Adam.
“Sam, Adam. Did this place’s meat really leave that much of an impression on you?”
“Sung-guk, out of the five places we ate at yesterday, this place’s meat was the best. Even after eating so much yesterday, I woke up thinking about it.”
Adam gave high praise.
Adam had come to Korea before Sam and had a body well-trained by years of pork belly and soju.
As a hobby enthusiast, I had become obsessed with grilled pork belly and spent considerable time hunting down the best samgyeopsal restaurants across Seoul. Adam’s recommendations had never led me astray.
I quickly turned to Adam with a question.
“Adam, what makes this place special? We visited quite a few black pork restaurants yesterday.”
“Hmm… I can’t quite put it into words precisely, but the meat itself was exceptional… and even after grilling, it maintained this springy, tender texture. When Go Mi-ju grilled it, it was delicious, but when the Restaurant Owner grilled it, the taste was truly different.”
I relayed Adam’s observations to Father.
Father listened to everything Adam had to say, then nodded thoughtfully.
“Quality meat grilled with proper heat control. It’s fundamentally sound, and this place executes it perfectly. Or rather, the Restaurant Owner executes it perfectly.”
Just then, the Restaurant Owner emerged with a stone bowl of black pork kimchi stew.
“This is our lunch special—black pork kimchi stew. Please try it!”
The kimchi stew served in the stone bowl looked so appetizing that it was impossible not to want to taste it.
Aged kimchi, deeply fermented and tender, paired with black pork meat simmered to silky perfection.
Everyone exclaimed in delight the moment they took their first bite.
“Restaurant Owner, we need more rice!”
Jeon Tae-guk cried out immediately after tasting the stew.
“Eat first, then ask. We have plenty of rice.”
“Hehe. That’s just how crave-worthy this tastes.”
Jeon Tae-guk grinned playfully.
After finishing the black pork kimchi stew, Father suddenly set down his spoon and stood up abruptly.
“Father, what’s wrong?”
“Sung-guk, you were right—I need to acquire Galmaegizip as well. It’s unthinkable to lose access to this stew and meat. This is a legacy of flavor that must be preserved.”
Father’s expression turned resolute as he followed the Restaurant Owner into the kitchen.
It seemed I needed to step in.
* * *
“What? You want to preserve Galmaegizip’s legacy, sir?”
The Restaurant Owner looked flustered, glancing back and forth between Father and me.
“But… weren’t you planning to change it to Uncle Won’s Bossam?”
“Of course we’ll operate Uncle Won’s Bossam, but we’d also like to run Galmaegizip next to it. It would be a shame to let your secrets disappear like this.”
“I’ve been so tired of running a meat restaurant that barely breaks even. I’m grateful everyone enjoyed it so much, but honestly, we were just scraping by.”
In truth, the Galmaegizip Restaurant Owner had been rather unlucky.
For years, Jeju had been overlooked due to high living costs and outdated facilities.
Recently, with the opening of the Olle Trail and an influx of tourists, outside capital had also arrived—and he’d been outcompeted by it.
Father quickly grasped the Restaurant Owner’s hand.
“Restaurant Owner, we can’t let Galmaegizip close like this.”
[Father, you can’t just appeal to sentiment.]
I quickly looked at the Restaurant Owner.
“Restaurant Owner, we’ll purchase Galmaegizip’s secrets as well.”
“What? There’s nothing special about it. We just source meat from a good farm, maintain proper aging temperatures… grill it with appropriate heat… that’s all there is.”
“Restaurant Owner, that is the secret.”
“If that’s all it is, I’m happy to share it. You sold me that land that wasn’t moving, and you even gave me a job at Uncle Won’s Bossam. I’ll just teach you.”
“Restaurant Owner, we need to handle this properly with fair compensation.”
The Restaurant Owner broke into a hearty laugh.
“This young man with the face of a legendary gisaeng’s brother has quite the personality. Alright, I’ll sell it. I’ll sell everything!”
This sort of thing needed to be documented.
I quickly called Jeon Tae-guk.
“Tae-guk, we should probably contact Kim Sung-taek about this.”
Jeon Tae-guk came into the kitchen, curious as well.
“Sung-guk, what’s going on?”
“Brother, we just bought the secret recipe for Galmaegizip.”
“Really?”
“Yes. In cases like this, I think we should have Kim Sung-taek investigate how contracts are typically structured in the industry, what the deposit and final payment amounts usually are, and then have him prepare and send us a contract.”
“Why not just have Kim Sung-taek come down to Jeju?”
“That would be even better. Please tell him we’re grateful for helping with Ji-hee’s situation, and that I’d like to treat him to some delicious black pork.”
Jeon Tae-guk immediately called Secretary Park Sung-hee.
“Hey, Park Secretary, have Kim Sung-taek come down on the earliest flight. Oh, and Sung-guk is acquiring a restaurant, so have him investigate the details and bring that information down with him.”
The Restaurant Owner, listening to Jeon Tae-guk’s call, looked at us with a puzzled expression.
“Your father runs a small business, but he has lawyers at his beck and call and secretaries too. Is that what happens on the mainland when people make a bit of money?”
“Well…”
Father couldn’t finish his sentence.
Jeon Tae-guk hung up and clapped his hands together.
“I was a step too late. I should have bought this place myself.”
“Heh heh, our young man who looks like a dolharubang. Young man, you can’t just spend money like that. Your father runs a small business—you’ll break his back.”
“My father doesn’t even care about this level of spending. My aunt runs the Jeju Island hotel, and Father is always telling her that the money a hotel like that makes doesn’t help the Korean economy anyway.”
“Your aunt runs a hotel? What, a pension?”
“No, it’s Samjeon Hotel.”
The Galmaegizip Restaurant Owner blinked slowly.
“Samjeon Hotel? That expensive hotel in Jungmun? Or… isn’t that the hotel run by Samjeon Group?”
“That’s right.”
Jeon Tae-guk answered calmly.
The Galmaegizip Restaurant Owner suddenly stared at me.
“This handsome young bachelor who looks like a legendary gisaeng’s brother. I can’t understand what this young man is saying. If Samjeon Hotel is run by his aunt…”
“Ah, this gentleman is the only son of Samjeon Group.”
“What?”
The Galmaegizip Restaurant Owner’s shock was understandable.
Jeon Tae-guk looked at the Restaurant Owner with composure.
“I apologize for not mentioning it earlier, sir. But truly, this is the best black pork I’ve ever had. Please sell it to Sung-guk’s place so I can keep eating it. Understood?”
“Ah, yes… young master.”
“Young master? Just call me the dolharubang bachelor like you did before.”
“But… young man. All the kitchen appliances here are Samjeon brand, and the small kitchen refrigerator broke down. They said the service would be delayed, so… would it be alright to ask you about this?”
“Is that so?”
Jeon Tae-guk immediately called Secretary Park Sung-hee.
“Park Secretary, this is Galmaegizip and their refrigerator is broken. Just send them a new one.”
Then I turned to look at the Restaurant Owner.
“Owner, could you give me a lot of meat today?”
“Of course… no, young man. I’ll give you plenty. Actually, I’ll grill it with all my heart and soul. The taste of meat I grill, nobody can match it, I’m telling you.”
“Hehe, thank you so much.”
Jeon Tae-guk rolled up his sleeves and followed the Restaurant Owner as he headed out.
Father and I, left alone in the kitchen, locked eyes.
“Sung-guk, we made the right call acquiring this place, didn’t we?”
“Father, just trust me. Have you ever seen me invest in something that doesn’t make money?”
“Never. Anyway, Sung-guk, we came here for a family trip… what do we do? Your mother seems absolutely furious….”
“Hmm… Father, I can handle everything else, but I don’t think I can handle that one. You’ll have to figure that out yourself.”
I quickly slipped out of the kitchen.
* * *
“Honey, and Sung-guk…. We came here for a family trip, remember. To celebrate Min-guk’s high school graduation.”
Mother’s face was burning with anger as she looked back and forth between Father and me.
“And now, on our second day in Jeju, I’m barely seeing your faces? And both of you completely drunk at that….”
Father and I reeked of alcohol from learning the secret recipe for black pork grilling at Galmaegizip while sipping soju.
“So-young, we didn’t drink because we wanted to drink… it just happened while we were learning that restaurant’s secret recipe.”
Ji-hee, watching us, shook her head disapprovingly.
“Father, excuses won’t work.”
When Ji-hee was like this, she really was the spitting image of me—heartless and tearless.
“Sung-guk, you’re the same way. Did you really have to work even after coming all this way? I’m honestly so hurt by you two….”
“Mother, that’s why Father and I prepared something.”
“What is it?”
Father grinned sheepishly and pulled out a document from his pocket.
“So-young, look at this.”
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
Mother began unfolding the document.
“Honey….”
“We didn’t just drink. Sung-guk and I purchased some additional land near Galmaegizip. We’re planning to build a hotel there later—the one with the best breakfast in all of Jeju. And… we put it under your name in the contract.”
Today, Father and I had purchased some additional land near Galmaegizip.
As Father said, we ate at Uncle Won’s Bossam and had a glass of soju at Galmaegizip, slept, and woke up to build a hotel with the best breakfast in Jeju.
And the person whose name was on the land contract was Mother.
Father called out Mother’s name softly.
“So-young, when I had nothing and you married me, you said that, didn’t you? That you wished I had a house or land in South Korea under my name…. This isn’t even joint ownership. It’s a gift from me to you for all the hardship you’ve endured raising Sung-guk, Min-guk, and Ji-hee.”
“Honey….”
Mother couldn’t finish her words and suddenly threw her arms around Father with a moved expression on her face.
I finally let out a sigh of relief.
[Mother, I spent quite a bit of money to get her to forgive us.]

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————