I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 403

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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 403
Click.
I opened the door to my home.
Today had been strange.
It was the first time in a long while that I’d felt such palpable tension throughout an entire day.
Jeon Tae-guk had successfully recruited Secretary Park Sung-hee, whom I had planted, to his side, and I had recruited Secretary Kim Mi-so, whom Samjeon had planted, to mine.
[A draw with Jeon Tae-guk….]
My pride was oddly wounded.
I removed my shoes and stepped inside the house.
Just then, I heard a phone ringing from somewhere.
[That’s Jeon Tae-guk’s ringtone….]
In that moment, the door opened and Jeon Tae-guk emerged.
“Yeah, got it. I’m swamped next week, can’t make it. Hey, I’m not just pretending to be busy—I really am slammed…. You focus on running your own company. Yeah, let’s talk again.”
Jeon Tae-guk ended the call and looked at me.
“Sung-guk, you’re quite late.”
“Work kept me occupied.”
My gaze naturally drifted toward Jeon Tae-guk’s phone.
What he held in his hand was an Apple phone.
“Brother, didn’t you switch phones earlier today?”
“Sung-guk….”
Jeon Tae-guk called me quietly.
“Once an Apple person, always an Apple person until death. I just need to use a Samsung phone at work! Apple phones aren’t something you can easily give up, you know.”
My brow furrowed in that instant.
I had thought Jeon Tae-guk had been completely reborn today, but now I realized all my assumptions had been wrong.
“Sung-guk, come on in. Adam went out to get chicken for a late-night snack. Let’s have some chicken and beer.”
Just then, my phone rang repeatedly.
Jeon Tae-guk casually pulled out a phone from his pocket. This time, it was a Samsung phone.
“Yeah, Secretary Park, got it. Get me a list of anticipated questions the reporters might ask during next week’s Pyeongtaek factory site inspection, and we’ll do a fitting for what I’ll wear tomorrow.”
Jeon Tae-guk ended the call and shrugged his shoulders.
“My plan going forward is to use a Samsung phone publicly and an Apple phone privately. What do you think, Sung-guk?”
“What if you get confused and mix them up?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, you’re not exactly sharp, are you.]
Jeon Tae-guk scratched his head as well.
“That’s the thing I’m worried about… but it’ll work out fine, I guess.”
Soon Adam and Sam came in carrying chicken and beer.
On any other day, I would have gone to my room to rest, but today was different.
I wanted to observe Jeon Tae-guk’s behavior a bit more.
* * *
“This place really does have the best chicken.”
Jeon Tae-guk seemed no different from any other day.
“Sung-guk, there are four legs, so you should eat one too.”
I grabbed one of the chicken legs Jeon Tae-guk offered me.
[Is Jeon Tae-guk acting right now? Subtly?]
I furrowed my brow and took the chicken leg he extended.
Adam and Sam also bit into their chicken legs.
“Sung-guk, I really didn’t know how delicious Korean chicken legs were until I came to Korea.”
Adam spoke as he always did, and Sam chimed in appropriately from beside him.
For some reason, tonight felt strange to me alone.
I took a sip of beer.
“Sung-guk, next week I’m visiting the Pyeongtaek factory site. Want to come along?”
[Hmm… is this your real purpose, Jeon Tae-guk?]
“Hyung, I’m not even a Samjeon employee, and it would be awkward for me to visit a semiconductor factory site with you. There will probably be a lot of reporters there.”
“Hmm… I suppose so. It’s my first time going to something like that alone. I always went with Father or… I’m a bit nervous.”
Jeon Tae-guk whined unnecessarily.
“You’re going to be the face of Samjeon now. You need to adapt.”
“I suppose I do…”
Jeon Tae-guk tore into his chicken leg with a listless expression.
I quietly rose from my seat.
According to Secretary Kim Mi-so, Jeon Tae-guk had instructed her to report my every move. Yet now he was acting no different than usual.
[Jeon Tae-guk, when are you going to bare your teeth?]
“Sung-guk, done eating?”
“Yes, I’m tired today, so I’ll turn in early.”
“Let’s commute together tomorrow morning too. Understood?”
“Yes, hyung….”
* * *
They say to keep your enemy closer to know them better.
I woke up earlier than usual.
I opened the door and stepped out to find Secretary Park Sung-hee already at the house.
[Has Jeon Tae-guk already woken up?]
“Hyung, are you awake?”
I asked Secretary Park Sung-hee more cautiously than usual.
Secretary Park Sung-hee nodded with a stern expression.
“Executive Director, he woke up a moment ago and is washing up. Sung-guk, we’re having sandwiches for breakfast this morning. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
“That’s what I always eat anyway. Have you had breakfast, Secretary?”
“Yes, I’ve eaten.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee seemed slightly more rigid than usual.
“Secretary Park, now that hyung is actively working as the successor publicly, you must be very busy, right?”
“It’s only natural for a secretary.”
“I… have something I’m curious about.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Secretary Park Sung-hee, are you planning to continue working as a secretary? I know it’s a position I recommended, but you had other dreams too, didn’t you?”
Secretary Park Sung-hee smiled briefly.
[What does that mean?]
“Sung-guk recommended this position, and back then the Presidential Secretariat wasn’t the right fit for me, so I came here… but it seems I’m better at this work than I expected. I don’t have any major complaints now.”
“The compensation is good too?”
“Of course. As you know, the treatment for a personal secretary to an executive at Samjeon, especially the Executive Vice President, is no worse than that of executives at other companies.”
“That’s true.”
I didn’t ask any further questions.
Secretary Park Sung-hee was clearly satisfied with her position, and if I pressed further, she might catch on that I was watching Jeon Tae-guk.
Soon, Jeon Tae-guk emerged from washing up. His face was full of drowsiness.
“Ugh… Sung-guk, how do you always wake up so early and head to the office? I just can’t keep up with you.”
“Let me eat breakfast quickly and head to the office. I have a meeting with Mark.”
“Right… Oh, I specially ordered hamburgers for lunch today. Let’s eat together.”
“Sure, hyung.”
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk gazed down from the Strategic Planning Team Executive Vice President’s office.
It wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet.
The surroundings were still quiet.
Knock. Knock.
A knock sounded, and Secretary Park Sung-hee entered, handing him a coffee.
“Executive Vice President, that’s your second cup already.”
“Since I woke up at an unusual hour and came in early, I don’t think I can make it without more coffee.”
Jeon Tae-guk gulped down the coffee.
“But… Secretary Park….”
“Yes, Executive Vice President.”
“Do you think Sung-guk has caught on?”
Jeon Tae-guk asked carefully.
“The only person who knows Sung-guk’s true thoughts is probably himself. He’s the type who doesn’t reveal what he’s thinking….”
“That’s true….”
Jeon Tae-guk let out a deep sigh.
“Man, it’s not easy living like Jeon Sung-guk!”
Then he vented his frustrations with an irritated tone.
“Executive Vice President, you don’t need to match your arrival time with Sung-guk’s, do you? It’s natural for Sung-guk to come in early and leave late because of the time difference with the United States, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I just want to look a bit more impressive like Sung-guk….”
Jeon Tae-guk drank down the rest of his coffee.
“This is going to hurt my health. By the way, what happened with the instructions I gave to Secretary Kim Mi-so through the Secretariat?”
“I instructed Secretary Kim Mi-so to carefully monitor Sung-guk’s movements. Especially who he meets and things like that.”
“Anything unusual?”
“This is Sung-guk’s schedule from yesterday.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee handed over Jeon Sung-guk’s schedule that she had received from Secretary Kim Mi-so.
Jeon Tae-guk rubbed his sleepy eyes.
“Is this a schedule a human can actually pull off? And why are there so many meetings… and why do I keep running into so many people in between?”
“Well, sir, you’re publicly running three companies. On top of that, there are numerous branch meetings, and the number of people you meet related to those is almost as much as Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s. And lately, with Min-guk’s debut overlapping everything, your schedule has become absolutely insane.”
Jeon Tae-guk let out a deep sigh.
“Keeping up with Sung-guk is tough, really tough.”
“Director, you don’t necessarily have to follow in CEO Sung-guk’s footsteps, do you?”
“Secretary Park, I’ve told you before. I know my own limits well. The only reason I don’t hear the word ‘reckless’ as much and why I’m in this position at all is because of Sung-guk. If I can just chase after even a tenth of what Sung-guk does, that alone guarantees a successful life.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee nodded. Then she whispered quietly.
“Director, still, don’t make it so obvious. Sung-guk said something strange this morning.”
“What did he say?”
Jeon Tae-guk’s ears perked up.
“He asked me why I keep working as a secretary. He said that while he was the one who suggested this position in the first place, he wondered if I didn’t have other dreams.”
“Did Sung-guk notice that I’m copying him?”
Deep wrinkles formed across Jeon Tae-guk’s brow.
“Director, in any case, be careful. As you know, Sung-guk really hates it when people copy him.”
“Yeah, got it. Let’s move as carefully as possible!”
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
“Secretary Kim, did you report my schedule yesterday exactly as I gave it to you?”
“Yes, I reported it exactly as you said to Secretary Park Sung-hee.”
“What was her reaction?”
“Nothing significant so far.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so hesitated for a moment, then looked at me.
“But CEO, there’s something odd.”
“What is it?”
“At first, I thought it was strange that the Samjeon Secretariat was directly requesting detailed information about your schedule.”
“And then?”
“But yesterday, the person who took that schedule was Secretary Park Sung-hee. While Secretary Park Sung-hee belongs to the Samjeon Secretariat, she exclusively handles Director Jeon Tae-guk, so her line of command is completely separate from ours. So I decided to cross-check Director Jeon Tae-guk’s movements.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so handed me the organized record of Jeon Tae-guk’s movements.
“He commutes with you and has lunch with you, but other than that, there haven’t been any significant separate movements so far. And when Secretary Park Sung-hee received yesterday’s schedule, she asked this question.”
“What question?”
“She asked what you do during your breaks or when you have free time.”
“So what did you tell her?”
“I told her honestly. That you read books or go through economic news and interviews.”
At that moment, a realization struck me.
It was a conclusion that completely reversed everything I had suspected.
[Jeon Tae-guk, is he copying me?]
I looked at Secretary Kim Mi-so with a faint smile.
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, please leak the two books I’m currently reading to Secretary Park Sung-hee.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And he also said this: today, right after lunch, he’s planning to run on the treadmill in the in-house gym for thirty minutes.”
“You want me to leak that now?”
“Yes, please do.”
“Understood.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so left the office with a bewildered expression.
* * *
The hamburger served for lunch today was American-style with a thick patty that was truly exceptional.
And Jeon Tae-guk sat down with one of the books I had deliberately leaked tucked conspicuously beside him.
I ate only half my hamburger and quickly rose from my seat.
“Brother, I think I’m done eating.”
“Huh? Something come up?”
Jeon Tae-guk asked despite knowing exactly where I was headed.
[Even a dog at a village school can act a little, huh?]
I smiled faintly.
“Nothing really. I’ve just been eating too much at lunch lately. I’ll see you at home later.”
“Ah… okay.”
* * *
With thirty minutes of lunch break remaining.
I stepped onto the treadmill and increased the speed.
Since I’d only eaten half the hamburger, it didn’t feel burdensome at all.
Then I heard someone approaching from behind.
I could tell who it was without even looking.
“Sung-guk, if you’re going to the gym, you should say something. Why are you going alone?”
“Brother, you don’t even exercise. What’s this about?”
“I’m thinking of exercising in my spare time now too.”
I pressed my lips together to suppress my laughter.
Jeon Tae-guk was following my lead. Trying to become like me, or at least chasing my heels.
[Well then, should I turn up the speed a bit more?]
I increased the speed and began running lightly.
“Brother, that’s good thinking. You need to manage your fitness now too. Physical stamina is important in business.”
“Ah… that’s true.”
Jeon Tae-guk glanced at my speed and quickly matched it.
Then he soon began panting heavily.
“Sung-guk, are you okay? Huff— huff—”
“Brother, stop talking and just run properly.”
“Uh…”
I could see Jeon Tae-guk clenching his teeth as he ran.
[Jeon Tae-guk, did you think becoming like me would be easy?]
That was the moment.
Jeon Tae-guk’s face flushed crimson, and he quickly lowered the speed. Then I saw him cover his mouth and dash toward the restroom.
It seemed the hamburger I’d eaten for lunch was coming back up.
I stifled a laugh and gradually slowed my pace.
That’s when it happened.
A cry that was almost a scream erupted from the restroom in the in-house gym.
“S-save me!!!”
What was going on?
I rushed frantically toward the restroom.
Jeon Tae-guk was gripping the toilet bowl, struggling to expel the hamburger.
“Ugh- ugh- ugh-”
“Hyung, are you okay?”
“Sung-guk… doctor, get a doctor….”
I quickly called for a doctor and began patting Jeon Tae-guk’s back forcefully as he clung to the toilet.
“That’s what you get for running right after eating! You could’ve seriously hurt yourself!”
“I just… wanted to be like you….”
Before he could finish his words, Jeon Tae-guk simply collapsed backward onto the floor.
Soon the company doctor arrived in response to the call and examined Jeon Tae-guk’s condition.
“It appears to be acute indigestion, but fortunately he’s expelled everything, so there shouldn’t be any serious complications. He should be fine with some rest.”
Jeon Tae-guk was carried on a stretcher to the medical office.
[A crow trying to walk like a crane ends up splitting its legs—so this is what that means.]
What I confirmed today was that Jeon Tae-guk was still, thankfully, just a fool trying to imitate others.

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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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