I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 397

—————

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

—————

Chapter 397
“Happy New Year, Mother and Father!”
Min-guk, Ji-hee, and I lined up in our traditional Korean hanbok and bowed respectfully to our parents.
Our parents then presented us with envelopes they had prepared.
“May this year bring health to all of you, may Sung-guk’s endeavors flourish, may Min-guk’s debut go smoothly… and Ji-hee, let’s make sure you get into Seoul National University next year as promised!”
“Yes!”
We all answered in unison and accepted our New Year’s money.
Watching this scene, Jeon Tae-guk eagerly stepped forward.
“Father, we’d like to offer our bows as well.”
“I’ve already prepared money for that. Go ahead, everyone.”
Jeon Tae-guk, Sam, Adam, and Dennis all performed the traditional bow somewhat awkwardly but respectably, having watched it on YouTube.
Seeing this, Steven Spielberg tilted his head and asked me.
“Sung-guk, should I offer a bow too? Would I receive spending money then?”
[Hmm… even a multimillionaire can’t resist free money.]
“Steven, the bow is something younger people offer to their elders. Since you’re the oldest person here right now…”
I thoroughly crushed Steven Spielberg’s expectations.
“So if I receive the bows, that works?”
Steven Spielberg’s eyes sparkled.
“Steven, is the New Year’s money generous?”
“Of course. I’m a fairly successful director in Hollywood, after all.”
Steven Spielberg sat down with a broad smile on his face.
Then he called out to everyone.
“Come on, everyone below me, offer your bows to me!”
[Steven, you’re going to regret this….]
Because if we’re counting by age, our parents would also qualify as being “below” him.
Our parents, myself, Jeon Tae-guk, Adam, Sam, Min-guk, and Ji-hee.
[Steven, you’re about to get cleaned out today….]
The moment Steven Spielberg finished speaking, Min-guk and Ji-hee rushed toward him as if they’d been waiting for this moment and began their bows.
“Director, happy New Year!”
* * *
Steven Spielberg stared at his wallet with a bewildered expression.
“Sung-guk, I… well… this wallet was absolutely stuffed with hundred-dollar bills. I had at least ten more. But now there’s not a single one left.”
“Steven, being an adult is difficult, isn’t it?”
“Sigh… Korean New Year’s Day is a terrifying occasion.”
Steven Spielberg gulped down his beer and shook his head repeatedly.
Before departing for the United States tomorrow, Steven Spielberg wanted to conduct one final interview with me, so we slipped away from home and moved to a suite room at the Samjeon Hotel.
Steven Spielberg gazed out at the night view sprawling beyond the window.
“Seoul seems like a city where such diverse elements coexist. From here, you can see a skyline rivaling Manhattan, yet right below it are these charming old houses clustered together.”
“I think that’s Seoul’s strength. I myself was born in one of those clustered single-room houses and spent my childhood there.”
Just thinking of that single room brought tears to my eyes.
“Is family and poverty Sung-guk’s driving force?”
“Perhaps….”
I nodded slightly.
[There’s one more thing driving me, Steven. I’m living my second life.]
“Family and poverty… When I hear your story, it reminds me of The Godfather. The Italian mafia in The Godfather is built on immigrant society and deep family bonds.”
“There might be similar points, I suppose. The first moment I remember is a scene like that.”
Steven Spielberg looked at me with curiosity.
“The earliest moment I can remember in my life was a very small room. It reeked of poverty. So in that moment, I made a decision.”
“What was it?”
“To lift this family out of poverty!”
Without realizing it, I clenched both my fists tightly.
I heard Steven Spielberg’s low chuckle.
“Sung-guk… As soon as I get back to America, I’ll start planning with a screenwriter.”
[You’re going to need to hire an expensive writer, Steven.]
“Once we develop the direction with that writer, I’ll come back to Korea myself right away.”
“Steven, I… have a question.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Why are you so obsessed with my story?”
“Hmm… At first, it was just simple curiosity about Sung-guk. A young man from an unfamiliar country called South Korea, standing beside American presidents and their associates, and economic titans. When I looked into it, you turned out to be an extraordinary genius. The youngest admission to Harvard, founding FaceNote…. Honestly, I’ve been called a genius in the film industry too, but not to this extent. And what surprised me most was your age.”
[Steven, if you really knew my age, you wouldn’t be this surprised.]
Steven Spielberg took a long sip of his beer.
“So I started thinking about past lives. The existence of people like this in the world… it felt like something that couldn’t be explained by genius alone. But after actually meeting you, Sung-guk….”
“Did your thoughts change?”
“A lot.”
“In a good way?”
“Hmm… I don’t think I can say that right now.”
Steven Spielberg smiled faintly.
“But this much seems clear to me. Sung-guk is truly a remarkable person. Perhaps… the audiences who watch the films I make will feel the same way. That Jeon Sung-guk as a person is truly remarkable. For better or worse.”
Steven Spielberg never revealed how he would ultimately portray me.
Based on Hollywood’s taste, it didn’t seem like it would be entirely favorable.
After all, the Mark Zuckerberg film I saw in my previous life portrayed Mark as a complete loser.
“Steven, what do you think of this as a title?”
“What is it?”
“I Will Lift This Family Out of Poverty!”
Steven Spielberg burst out laughing.
“That’s a bit corny.”
I shrugged.
“Well, I’m not insisting on it.”
“Hmm… I do have a working title in mind.”
“What is it?”
“【Family Network】. I initially thought it was a touching drama, but when you really look at it, it’s actually the ruthless success story of a young entrepreneur. And when you dig even deeper, you realize the driving force behind it all was family. That’s the thing.”
“Twist upon twist. Not bad at all.”
A family network…
Something about it resonated with me in an oddly satisfying way.
* * *
Steven Spielberg and Dennis Chazelle returned to the United States.
The Lunar New Year holiday came to an end, and everyday life resumed.
And I still had unfinished business to attend to.
It was Jeon Min-guk!
The rumors about him being a school bully that had circulated on social media had shifted to sympathetic sentiment thanks to Min-guk’s pillow fight video, but this kind of matter needed to be addressed precisely and thoroughly.
Malicious comments expressing disbelief continued to pour in relentlessly.
And surprisingly, it was Min-guk himself who first suggested we get to the root of this and put it to rest.
Knock. Knock.
I heard the knock, and Min-guk poked his head in.
“Wow, hyung… is this your office?”
“It’s a conference room, but I use it as my main workspace.”
[The employees find it uncomfortable working in the same space as me…]
Min-guk entered and looked around with curious eyes.
“Wow, our practice room in Nonhyeon-dong is seriously run-down compared to this…”
[Min-guk, within ten years you’ll have a practice room in an even nicer building than this, so don’t worry.]
“Come here and sit down. The lawyer will be arriving in a bit.”
“Okay, hyung!”
Min-guk sat in front of me and pulled out his wallet from his bag.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to pay the lawyer’s fees.”
“Jeon Min-guk, do you have any idea how much this lawyer costs?”
“Hyung, I got paid three times my usual amount, and Mom and Dad gave me a generous sum too. And Tae-guk hyung is quite generous himself. Plus, Steven gave me two hundred-dollar bills. Hyung, I have over a million won. Isn’t that enough?”
“The person coming is, to exaggerate a bit, probably earning that much every time he takes a breath.”
“Huh?”
Jeon Min-guk’s eyes widened in shock.
“So put that money away.”
“No, then… at least let me contribute this much. Honestly, thanks to you, I got to go on English language training and prepare for my Sevens debut more smoothly than most people. But dealing with all kinds of malicious comments on social media, I’ve been gradually feeling like I want to step out of your shadow.”
[Jeon Min-guk, as long as you were born as my younger brother, you can never escape my shadow!]
But for now, I accepted the money.
Either way, I was proud of Min-guk’s determination to become independent.
“I’ll add it in. Fair enough?”
“Yeah!”
Knock. Knock.
At the knock, Lawyer Kim Sung-taek entered with a sly smile.
“Oh, sir!”
Min-guk pretended to recognize Kim Sung-taek, the lawyer.
They had already met once before on Jeju Island.
“Min-guk, it’s good to see you again.”
“Are you going to handle my case?”
“Yes. I’m exclusively handling CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s matters, so naturally I should take on this case as well since it involves his family.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. My brother says you make a million won with every breath you take. Is that really true?”
“Ha, your CEO brother was exaggerating quite a bit.”
“Sir, I’ve already given my brother over a million won. So squeeze money out of him without mercy!”
“Ha, the brotherly affection here is truly wonderful.”
Kim Sung-taek took a seat and soon handed over a file with a serious expression.
“Look at these. I’ve compiled the usernames and comments of people who left malicious comments on Jeon Min-guk’s videos. I’ve searched through YouTube and all sorts of online communities.”
“Did you do this yourself?”
“Not directly—my staff handled it.”
“Min-guk, let’s listen to what the lawyer has to say first.”
I stopped Min-guk from interrupting.
“Ha, unlike CEO Jeon, your younger brother has quite the charming and innocent personality.”
[That’s because I earned all the money and raised him. I wonder if Jeon Min-guk even realizes that.]
Just then, Min-guk laughed and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Sir, I turned out this way because of my brother.”
[Does he know?]
“Since I was young, my brother said I had to earn my keep, so he had me do child modeling and acting. You need a good personality to act on set while dealing with all the awkwardness.”
I quickly brushed his hand away.
“Let’s get back to the case.”
“Right, CEO. Even after filtering only the malicious comments severe enough to constitute defamation, we’re looking at nearly six hundred people. Of course, none of them left comments exclusively on Min-guk’s videos.”
“Hmm… Lawyer, I have no intention of settling with those who spread rumors about Min-guk being a delinquent or who attacked my family. Their petty money means nothing to me.”
“That’s precisely why I’m suggesting this.”
Kim Sung-taek looked back and forth between Min-guk and me.
“What if you two produced a video about this situation and uploaded it to YouTube?”
I smiled faintly.
In truth, I had suggested this idea to Kim Sung-taek yesterday.
If I proposed it to Min-guk directly as his older brother, it wouldn’t land at all, so I asked Kim Sung-taek to present it as his own idea.
And Min-guk took the bait immediately.
“Lawyer, what kind of video?”
“Well, this incident naturally involves a lot of issues surrounding your brother. Everyone sees Min-guk as someone born with a silver spoon.”
“Silver spoon? I’ve been breaking my body since childhood!”
“Right, exactly. So I thought it would be good to produce a serious video addressing this matter. It should also help with your future activities with Sevens.”
“But why film it with my brother?”
“I think it would be best if Min-guk gave a clear explanation about the delinquent rumors, and CEO Jeon Sung-guk announced that he would pursue legal action against the malicious commenters without mercy. Since you’re the CEO of an SNS company, it would carry more credibility.”
I nodded calmly.
“I’m in favor. I think we could even use this as a campaign video for FaceNote, YouTube, Instagrim, and the other companies I operate.”
“How about Min-guk?”
Lawyer Kim Sung-taek asked casually.
“I’m fine with it too, Lawyer! But… do I really have to be in the same frame as my brother?”
“I think it would be better to showcase that deep brotherly bond between you two.”
Min-guk’s face was troubled.
[Min-guk, I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re worried about being in the same frame as me, aren’t you? Afraid your older brother will look more handsome than an idol member like you?]
After much deliberation, Min-guk nodded.
“Let’s do it that way, sir.”
“Min-guk, are you really sure about this?”
I asked Min-guk in a gentle voice.
“Are you sure about it, hyung?”
“Of course I’m fine with it.”
“Sigh… Hyung, even though we’re only two years apart, your face has aged so much from all the hard work you’ve been doing. Don’t be too discouraged when you’re in the same frame as a fresh twenty-year-old like me!”

—————

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

—————