I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 405

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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 405
Jeon Tae-guk was more serious than ever.
“Sung-guk, even if my acting seems a bit awkward, people will see through it, won’t they?”
“You’re always awkward in front of the camera anyway, hyung, so it’ll be fine.”
“But what if that reporter claims it was all an act—that I did it to cover up Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s scandal? Won’t public opinion turn against me?”
“The reporter signed a contract, and according to its terms, he’ll go bankrupt in South Korea if he exposes anything. Even if years later he drunkenly confesses to someone and it becomes a news story, people will have hazy memories of this by then, and they’ll probably support your actions. After all, you coordinated with the reporter and promoted the Samjeon phone to cover up your father’s scandal.”
Of course, the reporter would never expose anything.
In my previous life and in this one, the contract the reporter signed was airtight.
And the reporter was already scheduled to become a foreign correspondent in the United States next year.
Jeon Tae-guk let out a heavy sigh and stood up from his seat.
“The position of Samjeon’s successor is truly a heavy burden….”
I brought up one concern that weighed on me.
“Hyung, the enemy you need to be careful of isn’t external—it’s internal.”
“Mi-jin?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“Your mother.”
Jeon Tae-guk froze.
“Your mother is making Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s situation worse, that’s a fact. The important thing is making sure you and Mi-jin don’t become puppets in your mother’s hands.”
“Sung-guk, are you saying my mother will manipulate us?”
“There’s something from the Joseon Dynasty called Suryeom Cheongjeong.”
“What’s that? I didn’t even finish middle and high school in South Korea, so history is completely beyond me.”
[This is common knowledge, Jeon Tae-guk.]
I sighed quietly to myself and continued.
“It’s when a young crown prince ascends the throne and the queen dowager or grand queen dowager rules the country in his stead. Essentially, the young crown prince becomes a puppet in their hands.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, listen to what I’m saying. Watch out for the Iron Lady!]
Jeon Tae-guk seemed to understand what I meant. His expression grew serious, unlike his usual demeanor.
“Maybe Mother wants to push forward a successor who’ll listen to her better—whether that’s me or Mi-jin.”
Jeon Tae-guk was reading the situation correctly.
It was still difficult to judge whether Jeon Tae-guk or Jeon Mi-jin possessed real management capabilities.
They weren’t perfect like I had been in my previous life….
In this life, Samjeon could very well fall into the Iron Lady’s hands.
Jeon Tae-guk, overflowing with gaps in his armor, and Jeon Mi-jin, full of vanity, were perfect playthings for the Iron Lady.
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with pitiful eyes.
“Sung-guk, would you come with me that day?”
[Hmm, I’d like to see Jeon Tae-guk’s acting, but….]
“Hyung, if it becomes known that I attended that meeting, the Iron Lady will grow suspicious. She’ll wonder if you took my advice.”
There was no way the Iron Lady would approve of me being by Jeon Tae-guk’s side.
“You’re right about that.”
Jeon Tae-guk left the room with his shoulders slumped.
* * *
The Iron Lady watched a television program where current affairs commentators were spouting their opinions.
Of course, these commentators were also people she had brought under her influence.
– Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s charisma, who said to change everything except family, is surely being tarnished. He was a businessman who emphasized family so much, yet he spent the night at a hotel with a young woman!
– But nothing has been confirmed with certainty yet, has it?
Of course, there were those who disagreed.
– Is there anyone in Korea who doesn’t know Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung? Once you see the video, it’s all clear!
The Iron Lady let out a scoff.
Not a single day had been peaceful since her marriage.
Now, at last, the day of revenge she had longed for seemed to be arriving. And it felt as though the day when she would finally step into the spotlight at Samjeon was also drawing near.
She recalled the words of the late Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, who had told her to run a gallery and focus on supporting her family now that she had married into the Samjeon clan.
In that moment, a bitter smile spread across the Iron Lady’s lips.
“I contributed to making Samjeon this large. So from now on, I’ll claim my rightful place.”
* * *
The Alpha Office was in chaos from Monday morning.
Next month, we would be showcasing TikTok for the first time at the Silicon Valley IT Expo Venue.
“Sam, Adam. Are the preparations for the TikTok presentation at the IT Expo in Silicon Valley next month coming along well?”
“Of course! But there’s something I’m worried about.”
Adam scratched his head.
“What is it, Adam?”
“It feels like our product is still premature. People are filming videos on their phones a lot these days, but we still can’t create and upload content completely freely, you know?”
It was 2012.
Of course, TikTok was still premature.
“Adam, what’s important is that we’re capturing this market first. I’ll be honest with you. It might be difficult for several years. But we have the funds to endure that time. And we have talented people like you and Sam, don’t we?”
Adam grinned.
“Sung-guk, our contract feels like a slave contract. Why is there no end date?”
“Adam, since you brought it up, let’s talk about our salaries. You too, Sam.”
I laughed, and both their faces hardened.
In fact, Adam and Sam had been working as full-time employees at FaceNote and YouTube for a long time. They were among the highest-paid programmers.
They were equally sincere and dedicated in their work for the company.
“See you in the conference room in five minutes.”
* * *
While waiting for Sam and Adam to arrive, I had a brief call with Jeon Tae-guk.
– Sung-guk, I’ve got about ten minutes left before I arrive at the Pyeongtak Factory. Think I can pull this off?
“Hyung, just do what you normally do. The reporters will be filming a lot of video anyway, so I’ll check that out.”
– Yeah, got it.
Right after hanging up with Jeon Tae-guk, I heard a knock.
Sam and Adam entered simultaneously.
“Sam, Adam. Come in. Why do you both look so frozen?”
“Well… I keep thinking about what Sung-guk said earlier.”
[What did I say?]
I stared at the two of them with a bewildered expression.
“What do you mean, Adam?”
“TikTok is premature right now. It might be difficult for several years. To endure those years, high earners like us need to leave first, right?”
“Adam! What on earth were you thinking?”
I asked with an astonished look on my face.
“Well, that’s… Sam and I have been working overtime, eating a lot, and having late-night snacks….”
“Sung-guk, I’ve gained 11 pounds since coming to Korea.”
Sam also wore an apologetic expression.
“You two, did it seem like I called you here to fire you right now?”
“It’s just that Sung-guk was talking so pessimistically about TikTok….”
[I wasn’t talking pessimistically—I know the future! It’ll take years before it becomes a trend!]
I really wanted to blurt it all out.
I let out a low sigh and looked at the two of them.
“Sam, Adam… you still don’t understand? You two are indispensable to this company, second only to Mark. FaceNote, YouTube, Instagrim, and now TikTok. Is there a single project that didn’t have your efforts behind it?”
Sam and Adam just scratched their heads.
[These nerds, really!]
“Sam, Adam. I called you because it’s time for us to negotiate your salaries!”
“Ah….”
Only then did the two of them let out sighs of relief.
“Sung-guk, I’m happy with my current salary. Just having you help with my hobbies is bonus enough.”
“Me too. Honestly, since coming to Korea, I don’t have much to spend money on. You feed us, give us a place to sleep… and Tae-guk even surprises us with gifts sometimes.”
Adam and Sam remained refreshingly innocent.
I wrote numbers on a piece of paper.
Adam and Sam’s eyes began to widen as they looked at the numbers.
“Wait… Sung-guk, is this number….”
“How many zeros are there….”
Sam counted the zeros and couldn’t close his mouth.
“Sam, Adam, you know FaceNote is going public this time, right?”
“Yes…”
They had a share in it as well.
Of course, it wasn’t much since they weren’t employees from the start.
That part bothered me a little. So I decided to give them a solid raise this time.
“Sung-guk, did you write this down wrong?”
Adam asked with a bewildered face.
“I wrote it correctly. One million dollars. In Korean won, that’s about 1.2 billion. Plus, of course, there’s a performance-based bonus. And we’ll negotiate stock options separately based on TikTok’s future IPO.”
Adam kept rubbing his cheeks, and Sam couldn’t close his mouth.
Eventually, Adam’s eyes grew red.
“Sung-guk… just not getting laid off back then was enough for me to decide to bury my bones in this company… how can you give me so much money?”
“Then bury your bones here, Adam. Don’t cry.”
This time, Sam’s tears began to flow.
“Sung-guk saved me when I was being bullied on YouTube and gave me recognition… I came here and even dated, though it didn’t work out.”
“Sam, don’t cry either.”
But the two of them weren’t listening to me.
Well, there’s nothing for it then!
“Sam, Adam. Stop crying right now. Otherwise, I’ll have you thrown out of the company!”
At those words, Adam and Sam’s tears dried up instantly.
“To be honest, you’re happy about this salary, right?”
Adam scratched his head awkwardly.
“I got emotional thinking about all the hardship, but of course I’m happy.”
“Me too, Sung-guk.”
“Then that’s settled. What I want is to compensate people fairly for their work. In that spirit, are you both prepared to work without a single day off until next month’s IT Expo?”
“Of course!”
Sam and Adam quickly signed the salary contracts and left.
I reviewed both contracts with a satisfied expression.
Chairman Jeon Ju-shin, the founder of Samjeon, always emphasized that losing people means losing everything. And he also said never to be stingy with those I keep by my side.
I set down the contracts and checked the time.
It was 4 p.m.
This was the timing when Jeon Tae-guk would finish inspecting the Pyeongtak Factory site and hold a brief press conference.
[Jeon Tae-guk… he mustn’t make a mistake….]
* * *
Everything had proceeded according to plan so far.
He’d inspected the Pyeongtak Factory site and exchanged meaningless pleasantries with executives.
The reporters had been following along, taking photos of Jeon Tae-guk and the executives without asking questions yet.
Then Secretary Park Sung-hee approached Jeon Tae-guk’s side.
“Executive Director, we’ll proceed with a brief interview with the reporters. I’ve already informed them that questions about Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s video incident are off-limits.”
“Understood.”
Jeon Tae-guk gave a short reply and approached the reporters to greet them.
“It’s cold today, thank you all for your hard work.”
And the scheduled interview began.
“When do you plan to break ground on the Pyeongtak semiconductor factory?”
“According to our plans, we’re anticipating around 2015. We aim to start with three production lines and gradually establish a total of six lines in phases.”
Jeon Tae-guk’s interview was composed.
That’s when it happened.
Someone suddenly threw a question at Jeon Tae-guk.
“It seems Samjeon has been quite turbulent lately because of Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s video. Isn’t the semiconductor factory construction that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was pushing forward being delayed because of this incident?”
Jeon Tae-guk smiled faintly for a moment, then glanced at the reporter.
“Reporter, what brand is that phone you’re holding?”
“Oh, that’s… it’s an Apple.”
The reporter’s bewilderment was evident.
“I’ll only take questions from reporters using Samsung phones!”
The reporters burst into laughter at his words.
Riding this momentum, Jeon Tae-guk shouted to the assembled journalists.
“Come on, only reporters with Samsung phones—ask me your questions. You’ll want to get going before the highway gets congested.”
Questions from the Samsung phone-wielding reporters followed immediately, and after responding to the interview, Jeon Tae-guk deliberately caught Secretary Park Sung-hee’s eye with a knowing glance.
Moments later, Secretary Park Sung-hee
returned carrying a box of Samsung phones.
“The reporter who asked a question earlier with an Apple phone!”
“Oh, that’s me?”
The reporter from before hesitantly raised his hand.
Jeon Tae-guk casually handed the Samsung phone box to the journalist.
“As you know, I used to be an Apple devotee. But after trying a Samsung phone, I found it incredibly convenient and excellent. Give it a try.”
Simultaneously, camera flashes erupted from all directions.
Emboldened by the barrage of flashes, Jeon Tae-guk bellowed to the reporters.
“I’m going to distribute the latest Samsung phones to everyone here!”

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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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