I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 406

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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 406
– Jeon Tae-guk presents Samjeon Phone to a reporter using Apple Phone. Jeon Tae-guk’s sensible handling!
– Desk directive: all interviews with Jeon Tae-guk from now on must use Samjeon Phone!
– Jeon Tae-guk fills the void left by Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung at official events.
I scrolled through the internet articles.
My prediction was spot on, as always.
Of course, what Jeon Tae-guk had just done was something I’d done in my previous life.
The difference was that I had given a Samjeon Phone only to the reporter holding an Apple Phone, while Jeon Tae-guk distributed them to all the reporters.
Once the Kim Young-ran Act is enacted, even this won’t be possible, so this incident will be discussed for years to come.
[Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung must be starting to feel the pressure now….]
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was not an ordinary father of a household.
He was the man who moved Samjeon, a major conglomerate. During those few days of his illness, the succession structure of Samjeon had become clear, and the spotlight was already shifting to Jeon Tae-guk.
Click.
The conference room door opened without a knock. The person entering was none other than Jeon Tae-guk.
Unlike yesterday, Jeon Tae-guk’s face was beaming with smiles.
“Did you see the article, Sung-guk?”
“Of course I did.”
“Sung-guk, the Secretariat told me that Father’s video completely disappeared from the news. They’re monitoring all internet communities, and everyone’s talking about me.”
“You even got a nickname, hyung.”
“What is it?”
“The Affable Tycoon. It’s because you handed out Samjeon Phones to all the reporters yesterday.”
Jeon Tae-guk chuckled.
“Either way, unlike Father, I’m approaching people in a more relatable way.”
That much was certain.
Jeon Tae-guk was appealing to people through his characteristic lack of pretense.
“Hyung, we need to finalize our deal now.”
“Of course! I’ll secure the main spot for TikTok at next month’s Silicon Valley IT Expo! Don’t worry! I’ll even mobilize all the Samjeon employees in San Francisco. And… Sung-guk, I’m planning to go to that expo next month too.”
“You too, hyung?”
“Now that the Samjeon Phone image is soaring, I want to go to America and show people using Samjeon Phone.”
“What about the Apple Phone you use personally?”
“Sung-guk, I think I’m starting to understand myself now…”
I waited silently for Jeon Tae-guk’s next words.
“I’m kind of sloppy, aren’t I?”
[You’re only realizing that now?]
“Using two phones doesn’t really suit me. I think I should just stick with Samjeon Phone from now on. It’s a shame, but….”
“You made the right call, hyung.”
“By the way, you’re definitely going to the Silicon Valley IT Expo, right?”
“Of course.”
The truth was, this expo schedule was incredibly packed with no breathing room.
I had to launch TikTok globally on the first day, attend Dennis’s film audition, have final discussions with Mark about FaceNote’s listing, and I even had an interview scheduled with Steven Spielberg about my film.
“Sung-guk, while you’re out there, why don’t you take some time to rest for once?”
Jeon Tae-guk’s excitement about the business trip was unmistakable.
“Brother, I’m far too busy. You go ahead and relax on your own. And now you’re standing in for Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung. Be careful of the cameras.”
I wasn’t speaking idly.
From this moment forward, public attention would shift from Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Oh, and Brother, why not capitalize on this momentum and have photos taken of you at the airport—both departure and arrival shots?”
“I’m not a celebrity or anything…. But that does sound interesting, doesn’t it?”
“Since you don’t contribute much to management anyway, it might be worthwhile to establish your image as the face of Samjeon.”
Most people would have taken offense at such words, but Jeon Tae-guk was different.
“Sung-guk, you’re a genius. Honestly, the work gets done by the people below me anyway. From now on, I should focus on media exposure. I’ll need to diet a bit before I leave next month….”
Jeon Tae-guk waved his hand and left the conference room.
I watched his retreating figure for a moment.
It was clear that the Samjeon under Jeon Tae-guk’s management would be quite different from the one I had run.
* * *
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung scanned through articles from his hospital room.
“It appears the Executive Director handled the situation swiftly and skillfully this time. Favorable public opinion seems to have formed around his witty demeanor at official events.”
At Secretary Yang’s explanation, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung furrowed his brow.
“Did you confirm who leaked my video from Hannam-dong?”
“Yes… Chairman.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung now referred to his wife by her neighborhood.
“It appears the Madam took advantage of the timing of your collapse.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung rose from his seat.
“Is she trying to become the real power behind Samjeon now?”
“We confirmed that she indirectly told the Executive Director that she could give the successor position to Mi-jin.”
There were no secrets in this family.
“What’s Tae-guk’s reaction?”
“There’s nothing to worry about. The person the Executive Director chose was not the Madam, but Jeon Sung-guk.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung smiled faintly.
“Did Jeon Sung-guk plan the Pyeongtak Factory interview incident as well?”
“It appears so. We confirmed that the reporter is being dispatched to the United States as a correspondent next month.”
“A fitting reward.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung recalled his words to his son about keeping Jeon Sung-guk by his side. Of course, at that time, he hadn’t anticipated facing such a crisis so quickly.
“While I’ve damaged my image with that video, Tae-guk has taken my place…. Secretary Yang, is there anything about the Madam’s private life in Hannam-dong that I should know?”
“It will be difficult to find anything. She barely moves beyond her home, gallery, and travels.”
“What about her companions on those trips?”
“There are no suspicious relationships.”
The Iron Lady was thorough.
As if she had been waiting for this day all along.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung scratched his head.
His position within the company remained intact for now, but the media spotlight had certainly been stolen by Jeon Tae-guk.
Jeon Jae-hyung could not tolerate it.
“Secretary Yang, can you gather evidence that Hannam-dong instructed this video?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Gather as much as you can.”
Secretary Yang looked at Jeon Jae-hyung with unease.
“I think I should go through with a divorce.”
“Chairman….”
“I can’t keep a wife who stabs me in the back.”
Jeon Jae-hyung was determined to end his tedious marriage.
And it was also his way of reclaiming the media spotlight for himself.
“Once we have evidence that Hannam-dong instructed this video, I’ll leak it to the press quietly… and prepare my divorce lawsuit in secret. Hannam-dong won’t catch on.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Jeon Jae-hyung stretched languidly.
It was time to return as Samjeon’s chairman.
* * *
The day of departure finally arrived.
From morning, Secretary Park Sung-hee bustled back and forth to Jeon Tae-guk’s room.
I sat in the living room wearing my usual hoodie, skimming through the news articles.
Jeon Jae-hyung had made his return in the meantime, but he showed no signs of movement.
[That’s not like the Jeon Jae-hyung I know….]
Jeon Jae-hyung was not the type to hand anything to his son.
The reason I was recognized as his successor and could reach the pinnacle of Samjeon in my previous life was because I never fell out of Jeon Jae-hyung’s favor.
No matter how much of a son he was, Jeon Jae-hyung could not tolerate anyone, especially his own child, receiving more media attention than himself.
Since the Samjeon Phone interview, Jeon Tae-guk had been receiving unprecedented media attention.
Photos and posts about Jeon Tae-guk appeared frequently across various social media platforms.
“Sung-guk, how does this outfit look?”
Jeon Tae-guk emerged draped in luxury brands despite his failed diet.
“Brother, wouldn’t it be better to wear something at a price point ordinary people can afford?”
“Why should I?”
“If it’s said that Jeon Tae-guk wore it and it sold out completely, that would be great, wouldn’t it?”
“Exactly!”
Jeon Tae-guk quickly returned to his room and came back wearing a casual jacket.
“This is the cheapest thing I have.”
“It looks better than the luxury brands. Brother, can we leave now?”
“Of course! But what about Sam and Adam?”
“They worked late yesterday, so they’ll come straight from the office.”
* * *
The airport was crowded with reporters eager to capture photos of Jeon Tae-guk’s departure.
The moment he stepped out of the car, the reporters unleashed their flashes as if they’d been waiting.
Jeon Tae-guk, now accustomed to the barrage of cameras, waved his hand naturally.
“Jeon Sung-guk! Look over here, please!”
Of course, the reporters didn’t overlook me either.
“Sung-guk, if this keeps up, comparison shots of you and me are going to flood the internet.”
“Brother, your approachable image is really shining through.”
“Somehow it feels irritating.”
“Smile, brother.”
At my words, Jeon Tae-guk waved his hand again.
I struck a few poses for the cameras myself, but for some reason, an uneasy feeling lingered.
[The Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung I know wouldn’t just sit idle like this….]
Jeon Tae-guk had stolen all the spotlight, and the Iron Lady had stabbed Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung in the back.
In my previous life, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had expelled the Iron Lady from the Gallery over this incident.
Expelling her from the Gallery was essentially cutting off his hands and feet for managing slush funds.
But in this life, there hadn’t been any moves from him yet. Like a tiger without teeth….
“Sung-guk, what are you thinking so hard about?”
“Just my head feels a bit complicated….”
“Looking at your schedule, your head should feel complicated…. Sung-guk, my airport fashion photos are already up….”
Jeon Tae-guk eagerly searched for the articles.
“Wow, the comparison shots are already up too. ‘Approachable-looking Executive Director Jeon Tae-guk standing next to CEO Jeon Sung-guk.’ The comments are insane. ‘Jeon Sung-guk is from the heavenly realm, and he’s from the human realm.’ ‘First time seeing a chaebol who’s actually human….’.”
Jeon Tae-guk kept chattering beside me, but it wasn’t registering.
[If Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung is going to make a move, now would be the perfect time… with Jeon Tae-guk and me both out of the country….]
* * *
The flight attendants were preparing for takeoff.
First class was occupied entirely by me, Jeon Tae-guk, Sam, and Adam.
Sam and Adam had to continue working on the airplane due to the IT Expo presentation issue, and it was necessary for security reasons.
Jeon Tae-guk was sipping champagne while continuously reading the articles about himself.
“Sung-guk, I don’t think I should diet. People are saying it’s nice to see a chaebol being so approachable….”
“Never succeeding at it anyway, not even trying is one way to go about it.”
“Sung-guk, something’s off about you today…. Ever since earlier, you’ve seemed like your mind is somewhere else….”
“I’m just nervous about TikTok.”
Of course, it was a complete lie.
That’s when it happened.
“What is this?”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at something and turned to me with a shocked expression.
“Brother, what’s wrong?”
“Father filed for divorce from Mother.”
Divorce?
This was something I had never anticipated.
And it hadn’t happened in my previous life either.
Was the future of Samjeon changing because Jeon Tae-guk wasn’t living as a reckless fool in this life, but becoming a proper successor instead?
“I’m probably the only person in South Korea who finds out about their parents’ divorce lawsuit through a news article.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, this doesn’t seem like the right time to be saying such comfortable things….]
“Brother, but doesn’t the timing seem a bit odd?”
Jeon Tae-guk sipped his champagne with a composed expression.
“I always thought it was strange that our parents didn’t divorce. Father endured for a long time too. Honestly, Mother orchestrated this video from behind the scenes.”
“That’s not what I mean. Why did this article come out precisely when you and I weren’t in Korea?”
“What do you mean?”
Jeon Tae-guk blinked innocently.
“You really don’t understand?”
“Is it a father’s desire to shield his son from divorce news?”
“No. It’s an attempt to reclaim the spotlight that’s been focused on you.”
“Through divorce?”
“Probably… your mother will leak to the media that she was involved in the video incident. To rebuild Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s damaged image.”
Jeon Tae-guk scratched his head.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Your mother wanted Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung to step back and you to become the face of Samjeon.”
“That’s right.”
“But Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung doesn’t want that. Which means your succession is also being shaken.”
“Surely… Father has always positioned me as his successor. Don’t worry.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, you really don’t know Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung at all….]
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung is a man who would abandon his wife and children to protect his own position.
Something unexpected had occurred in this life.
Yet it was becoming increasingly fascinating.
Would Jeon Tae-guk truly be able to maintain his position as Samjeon’s successor?

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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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