I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 401

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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 401
“Min-guk, Dad really wants to congratulate you on your high school graduation. Today, Dad will treat everyone, so all the Sevens members, please eat as much as you’d like without worrying.”
“Thank you for the meal!”
The Sevens members, ranging from their teens to twenties, cheered and began eating the food laid out on the table.
Thanks to Jeon Tae-guk’s connections, we were able to reserve a private room at the Samjeon Hotel Chinese Restaurant during the busy graduation season.
Father gazed contentedly at us as we ate.
“Dad, you should eat too. The noodles are getting cold.”
“Right, I should. But just watching you all eat makes me full… I can’t believe our Min-guk has graduated from high school… I don’t know what to say, but I’m feeling a bit sentimental…”
“Honey, what’s wrong now?”
Father’s greatest strength and weakness was how easily he became sentimental.
[Dad, don’t start getting emotional again!]
I watched Father carefully while slurping my noodles.
Father smiled softly and swept his gaze across me, Min-guk, and Ji-hee.
“Once our youngest, Ji-hee, also graduates from high school… Mom and Dad will be able to work comfortably and travel and do things like that.”
“Dad, I’m going to pass my GED this year. So we can do that starting next year.”
Ji-hee answered with determination.
“That’s good. Let’s see how it goes. Don’t overdo it though.”
“It’s not overdoing it. Even studying six hours a day and sleeping, I’m studying more than when I was going to school.”
Since dropping out, Ji-hee had been studying with a thoroughly planned schedule.
She was truly my sister.
At that moment, Dohyung, a member of Sevens, quietly raised his hand and looked at Father.
“Sir, I’m curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“You became a father around our age, didn’t you?”
“Ah… yes, that’s right.”
“We really can’t even imagine that.”
[The Sevens members shouldn’t even be thinking about things like that yet!]
I watched Dohyung carefully.
Dohyung was the visual of the group, and with his quick-witted personality, he adapted well wherever he went.
He had once been the object of Ji-hee’s unrequited love.
Of course, Ji-hee had also liked Jung-woo.
The fortunate thing was that Ji-hee’s affections didn’t run very deep.
Father drank his beer in one long gulp with a contented expression.
“I really don’t know what I was thinking back then. Our So-young was so pretty, and I just wanted to start a family quickly.”
“Sir, who asked first—you or your wife?”
Dohyung continued asking questions to the sentimental Father.
I continued watching Dohyung.
[Mom, Dad, I don’t want to hear your love story!]
At that moment, it was Mother who opened her mouth with a smile.
“Of course, Min-guk’s father asked me first. No wait… he didn’t even ask me out… he confessed his feelings and then trembled terribly.”
“Really, Mother? So you accepted his confession?”
“At first I didn’t, but after entering society, I realized there was no one quite like Sung-guk’s father. A bit old-fashioned, but sincere. And handsome too.”
At those words, the Sevens members erupted.
“No way!!! Mother is even more beautiful!”
“Father saved the nation!”
The only ones who remained quiet were the three of us siblings.
We exchanged knowing glances with one another.
“Min-guk, I don’t want to know any more.”
“I don’t want to know about our parents’ romance either.”
“Same here!”
When Ji-hee agreed, we all turned to stare at Dohyung in unison.
Dohyung froze, sensing our gaze upon him.
“Uh… why is everyone looking at me like that?”
“Dohyung, how about we stop this and just eat? You said you need to head to the practice room after lunch, right?”
“Ah, yes. Hyung.”
Dohyung quickly grasped the situation and began eating his jjajangmyeon.
Father called to me in a much more relaxed tone.
“Sung-guk, are you embarrassed hearing about your mother and father’s romance? You rascal. When your mother and I saw the news about you dating Emma, we wondered if our son was really dating, and it felt so strange…”
“That’s exactly why, Father. Let’s not make things feel strange anymore. Father, I need to finish eating and get back to the company.”
“Alright, alright. So-young, let’s have a beer together this evening.”
“Sounds good.”
Mother agreed with Father’s suggestion.
“You two have such wonderful chemistry. Aren’t you going to have a fourth child?”
Jeon Tae-guk interjected without reading the room.
At the mention of a fourth child, Min-guk, Ji-hee, and I all tensed up immediately.
In truth, considering our parents were only in their early forties, a fourth child wasn’t entirely impossible.
Clack!
I heard the sound of Ji-hee setting down her chopsticks.
“Mother, Father. Our home already has three children: one who’s smart and accomplished, one who isn’t particularly smart but has talent, and one who’s smart, accomplished, and pretty. Three is perfect for me…”
Mother and Father looked quite startled at Ji-hee’s words.
“Ji-hee… don’t worry. Your mother and father are satisfied with you three and Huin-dung-i at home. But Ji-hee, you were the one who kept asking for a younger sibling before, so we got Huin-dung-i.”
“I was immature back then. Surviving in our household is harder than being first in the nation, isn’t it? There’s an older brother who was first in America. There’s an older brother who debuted as an idol… No matter how well I do, I’m just ordinary in our family.”
At those words, Jeon Tae-guk looked at Ji-hee with sympathy.
“Ji-hee, living in your household must be really tough.”
“It’s tough for chaebols too, isn’t it?”
“That’s true. Ji-hee, what if you go to Seoul National University’s law school later and become a lawyer? I think you’d do an impeccably good job.”
“Tae-guk, I grew up under my older brother who told me to earn my keep. I don’t want to defend wealthy people like that.”
“Then what?”
“I want to become a lawyer who helps society more. A public defender or…”
I quickly stopped Ji-hee.
“Ji-hee, you can think about that later after you get into Seoul National University and pass the bar exam.”
“Oppa, are you saying I’m doing something that doesn’t make money again?”
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk shook his head vigorously.
“Looking at just Sung-guk, it seems like he doesn’t even glance at anything that isn’t economically viable—almost like Father. Sung-guk, if people saw you, they’d think it was me who received an education from a chaebol family, not you.”
[That education… I actually received it first.]
The door to the room slid open, and Secretary Park Sung-hee entered with an urgent expression.
“I apologize for entering without knocking, and during your meal.”
Something seemed pressing.
“Young Master, please come with me.”
“Where?”
“I’ll explain once we’re outside.”
“Uh….”
Jeon Tae-guk followed Secretary Park Sung-hee without understanding what was happening.
[What’s going on?]
What happened at Samjeon Group in February 2012?
In that moment, an event came to mind.
[Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung….]
* * *
“Ah, Father…”
Jeon Tae-guk’s hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
“I’m fine….”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung, lying in the hospital bed, looked at the flustered Jeon Tae-guk.
It was the first time since the traffic accident ten years ago that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s face, which had always been robust, looked so worn.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was the one who had been healthier than anyone and maintained his health meticulously.
That’s why this situation felt even more shocking and unbelievable to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Father, what happened?”
Secretary Yang stepped forward instead of Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
“Young Master Tae-guk, please don’t worry too much. Director Kim examined the Chairman and said this is a temporary shock brought on by overwork lately. It seems the Chairman has been extremely busy with semiconductor factory expansions and such. Director Kim said he should be fine after resting for a few days.”
“Father, are you really okay?”
“Director Kim says I’m fine, but… Tae-guk, you know our family history, don’t you?”
Jeon Tae-guk nodded instead of answering.
Founder Chairman Jeon Ju-shin had also collapsed from a myocardial infarction and never rose again. Genetics could not be ignored.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung explained the situation as calmly as possible.
“Tae-guk… I’m still young, and I’ve been getting regular health checkups, but I can’t be at ease.”
“Yes, Father….”
“I called you because it seems I need to accelerate the succession plan. And the hospital told me to rest for a few days, so I am resting, but if rumors of my health issues spread, it will likely affect the stock price.”
“Yes… Father….”
“It looks like you’ll need to take over the executive meeting scheduled for tomorrow.”
“What?”
Jeon Tae-guk was stunned.
The executive meeting that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung mentioned was a gathering of the heads of each subsidiary within the Samjeon Group.
Jeon Tae-guk had only watched from the back row until now.
“You can do it, right?”
“Father, I’m still not ready… maybe tomorrow….”
“Tae-guk.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung cut off Jeon Tae-guk’s words sharply.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect beginning. Start from tomorrow. You’ve seen and heard enough by now.”
“Um… Father….”
Jeon Tae-guk reluctantly nodded his head.
“And… from now on, call me Father instead of Dad. And use formal speech. Whether we’re in public or alone together…. Do you understand?”
“Yes… no, yes. Father.”
Jeon Tae-guk quickly shifted his demeanor.
And he realized that the day he would lead the Samjeon Group was drawing ever closer.
* * *
“Sung-guk, aren’t you leaving work?”
Sam asked with a tired expression.
It was past 10 p.m.
“I have a video conference with Mark later. I’ll stay at the office a bit longer before heading out. Adam, you go ahead first.”
“Will do.”
I heard Sam and Adam leaving the office.
Now I was alone here.
I had just over an hour until my meeting with Mark.
With FaceNote’s NASDAQ listing in May approaching, the company was in a state like the eye of a typhoon.
We were driving a massive typhoon forward, but the center of the storm was quieter than ever. That’s why tension hung thick in the air.
I stood up from my desk and poured myself a cup of coffee.
And I fell into thought for a moment.
I still hadn’t heard from Jeon Tae-guk since he was called away during lunch.
Jeon Tae-guk usually left me messages on KakaoTalk whenever he was bored, but today not a single notification had sounded.
I sipped my coffee while gazing down at the city below.
In my previous life, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s deteriorating health played a decisive role in me inheriting the company at the young age of forty.
That’s also why I built my career within the Samjeon Group right after graduating from university.
I took another sip of coffee.
In 2012, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung collapsed for the first time.
For Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung, now approaching sixty, it was quite a wake-up call. With a family history of illness, he must have been even more afraid.
But all conglomerates prioritize succession plans and corporate value over their own health concerns.
Surely, this afternoon the Samjeon Group was operating frantically to establish Jeon Tae-guk’s succession more quickly and firmly.
Knock. Knock.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
When I turned around, Jeon Tae-guk stood there looking haggard, unlike at lunch.
“Hyung, what brings you to the office at night?”
“Ah… I was actually at the company all afternoon.”
Just as I suspected, my instincts were right.
I asked as calmly as I could manage.
“Brother, what’s wrong?”
“Well… something very serious.”
[So Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung collapsed….]
I took a sip of coffee.
“Sung-guk, you already look like you know something?”
“I can make an educated guess. The only reason they’d urgently summon you from the company is if something happened to Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.”
“As expected… I can’t even lie to you. Father collapsed. It’s temporary shock, but since our family has a history of myocardial infarction, he’s quite anxious about it.”
Father….
For the first time, Jeon Tae-guk referred to Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung not as Dad, but as Father.
“Father told me to attend the executive meeting tomorrow morning… honestly, I’m not confident, Sung-guk.”
“Brother, no one has a perfect first time.”
Hearing that, Jeon Tae-guk let out a small laugh.
“How do you always say the exact same things as our father?”
That’s because in my previous life, I heard this very words from Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung when I presided over an executive meeting for the first time.
“Sung-guk… what should I do? You’ll help me a lot, right?”
“Brother, there are plenty of people at Samjeon who can help you.”
“But you’re the only one I trust.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with pitiful eyes. And I slowly nodded my head.
“Brother… consult with me about anything. I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“Sung-guk, thank you. Really, thank you.”
Jeon Tae-guk gripped my hand firmly.
[Thank me? I’ll have much more to thank you for in the future….]
In any case, Samjeon will soon fall into Jeon Tae-guk’s hands.
All the initiatives I couldn’t push forward because Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was holding the reins can now be adjusted through Jeon Tae-guk.
And that was also the reason I’ve been carefully nurturing Jeon Tae-guk all this time.
[Alright, now it begins. Let’s do this well, Jeon Tae-guk!]

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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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