I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 41

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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 41
I boarded the first-class cabin.
As a scion of Samjeon Group, business class was simply unthinkable.
I had the occasional memory of taking economy seats for appearances’ sake or to experience commoner life, but those were one-off exceptions.
In my previous life, I had meticulously accumulated airline miles and preferred flying alone in first class to avoid encountering ordinary people who had scraped together enough points for an upgrade.
I presented my ticket with practiced ease and boarded the aircraft under Secretary Yang’s guidance.
[Where is my seat?]
As I glanced around uncertainly, Secretary Yang checked the ticket and smiled knowingly.
“Sung-guk, you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
Once I settled into my seat, a flight attendant came to organize my luggage and fasten my seatbelt. Fortunately, Jeon Mi-jin was seated directly in front of me. Still, she kept turning around to wave at me.
“Sung-guk, sit next to me.”
[No, I’ll decline.]
I smiled and shook my head.
Secretary Yang quickly distracted Jeon Mi-jin.
“Miss, shall I put on an animation for you?”
“Snoopy.”
“One moment.”
Thanks to Secretary Yang redirecting her attention, I was able to read the newspaper provided.
1996 was the last brilliant flame before the IMF crisis. Not a single article showed any awareness of the impending economic catastrophe.
With small hands, turning the pages was difficult.
“I’ll do it for you.”
[That’s not Secretary Yang’s voice. Who is this?]
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung turned the page and sat down in the seat next to me.
[Did he deliberately choose to sit next to me?]
First class didn’t have many seats, but there was no particular reason for him to sit beside me.
Secretary Yang hurried over to finish arranging Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s belongings, setting out various newspapers and financial publications. Then he handed over a file.
“Chairman, here is your United States itinerary.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung settled into his seat and leisurely sipped his coffee.
I felt oddly tense, unable to focus on the newspaper articles.
My father from my previous life. Spending a long flight to Los Angeles with him in this life made me somewhat anxious.
The announcement for takeoff came through, and I checked my seatbelt once more. Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung looked at me and reached over to touch my seatbelt.
“Is this your first time on an airplane?”
“Yes.”
I answered as politely and coldly as possible. I didn’t want to engage in much conversation.
In my previous life, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had never shown me such consideration. He was stingy with praise and affection. So why was he being so kind to me in this life? Ultimately, it was because I was a talent Samjeon needed.
The aircraft took off smoothly.
Once the seatbelt sign turned off, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung ordered ice cream for me and sipped champagne while reviewing his itinerary again.
I glanced sideways at Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s schedule.
It detailed Samjeon Electronics’ international expansion plans.
At this time, when semiconductors were being actively cultivated, most of the meetings were with companies in that sector. Among the notable items was a gathering in Silicon Valley to meet with startup ventures.
Jeon Jae-hyung paused in thought, then called over Secretary Yang, who was sitting behind him.
“Chairman, what’s the matter?”
“There’s something about the schedule that doesn’t sit right with me. You know, that meeting with venture companies here in Silicon Valley? We have semiconductor-related meetings in the morning, and the timing seems too tight, so let’s skip that event this time.”
[Samjeon is all size and no substance—their entry into new fields is sluggish. They need to jump into electric vehicles and things like that faster!]
I shook my head.
“Sung-guk, what’s wrong?”
[Did he just see me?]
Jeon Jae-hyung leaned his body toward me.
I broke into a smile.
“I like ventures.”
“Sung-guk, do you know what a venture is?”
“Jobs started with a venture too.”
I spoke with deliberate clarity.
“Sung-guk, you know about Jobs?”
“Yes! New ideas change the world.”
Jeon Jae-hyung wore a momentarily surprised expression, then glanced at Secretary Yang.
“Keep the schedule as is.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Oh, and give me two copies of the venture company roster and field descriptions for that day.”
“Understood, Chairman.”
I quietly turned the pages of my newspaper.
Just then, I heard Jeon Jae-hyung calling his son Jeon Tae-guk.
Jeon Tae-guk had been watching an animation and clearly resented being summoned.
“Dad, what is it?”
Jeon Jae-hyung handed the venture company roster that Secretary Yang had given him to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Tae-guk, look through this and check if there are any companies worth investing in.”
“Right now?”
Jeon Tae-guk’s voice was full of complaint.
If it were me, I would have eagerly accepted and checked it.
“Go on.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Jeon Tae-guk returned to his seat, and Jeon Jae-hyung handed me the venture company roster as well.
“Sung-guk, would you like to take a look at this?”
A test?
I calmed my racing heart and accepted the file.
“Sung-guk, after looking this over, would you circle any companies that seem interesting?”
“Yes!”
I gripped the pen tightly in my hand and opened the first page.
I carefully read through more than half the roster, but no company caught my eye. Only near the very end of the file did I discover a company that seized my attention—T.com!
I quickly circled T.com multiple times.
T.com was the predecessor to Python, a simple payment system, and this was the famous venture company founded by Elon Musk.
[Will Elon Musk be there too? I’d love to see his face.]
Even when I was Vice Chairman of Samjeon Group, I had never met Elon Musk separately.
[Are there any other better companies?]
I flipped through a few more pages. And I discovered another big fish just as impressive as T.com.
“Google.”
I murmured to myself while circling it again and again. My heart began to race.
To find two companies that would dominate and transform the future world right here!
The late 1990s were certainly a time when the world was changing.
Mobile phones had emerged, and this device that fit in one’s palm would later create an effect where everyone carried portable computers in their hands.
Python and Google would become the center of the world in one’s palm.
As I closed the final page, I smiled contentedly.
When these companies went public, my task would be to buy up their stocks.
“Sung-guk, did you finish looking?”
“Yes!”
I handed the file to Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung with a sense of pride.
If Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung recognized the value of T.com and Google, his vision was worth noting.
[Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung, from now on, I’m the one conducting the test.]
If he was skeptical about the value of these two companies I had chosen, then Samjeon Group’s future was predictable.
I shrugged my shoulders with joy.
Jeon Tae-guk brought the list more than an hour later.
It was painfully obvious he had just been killing time.
[He’s been pathetic since childhood, Jeon Tae-guk.]
“Father, here it is.”
“Tae-guk, Father will stay at the same hotel on the first day. Let’s have dinner together.”
“Yes, Father!”
Jeon Tae-guk returned to his seat happily at the mention of having dinner together.
Sleep began to overwhelm me.
It was later than my usual bedtime.
Since this was a flight with five-year-olds, not only Secretary Yang but also a dedicated nanny accompanied us. They were private nannies, not from Samjeon Group. While seated, the nannies took care of the children’s meals and bedtime.
I stretched and lay down in the first-class seat with my legs extended.
But why do I keep missing Mother and Father? And why do I miss Min-guk?
Mother and Father said several times while packing my suitcase that they couldn’t even go to Jeju Island. Naturally, they said they had never even been on an airplane.
[I should withdraw some money from the account and take them to Jeju Island at least….]
With such thoughts, I drifted into sweet sleep.
* * *
As soon as we arrived at the hotel in Los Angeles, Jeon Mi-jin and Jeon Tae-guk met the Iron Lady who had arrived earlier and went up to the suite first.
Secretary Yang distributed room assignments and the United States itinerary.
The itinerary Secretary Yang distributed had rest on the first day, followed by a Universal Studios tour the next day.
[I’ve been there so many times it’s boring.]
I gazed at the itinerary with a sullen expression.
If this were my first life, Universal Studios would be thrilling, but in my previous life, I’d grown sick of the place long ago.
What I truly wanted to visit was the venture business expo that Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung would be attending.
Secretary Yang looked after Sung-guk.
“Sung-guk, since your nanny couldn’t come, you’ll be sharing a room with me.”
“Okay!”
Of course, I could manage perfectly well alone, but my short limbs made things somewhat inconvenient.
Kim Ju-sung stared at me with a smug expression.
“Sung-guk, why are you on the 15th floor? We’re all on the 17th.”
[I’m completely grateful for that. Better not to run into you lot.]
My position in the advanced class could now be accurately described as being ostracized.
They didn’t openly disrespect me because of my genius, but they quietly excluded me from everything. Whenever that happened, Jeon Mi-jin would get angry, but honestly, that annoyed me more. Playing with children held no appeal for someone who’d lived forty years in a past life, and being alone felt far more comfortable.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Secretary Yang answered his phone, hung up, and approached me.
“Sung-guk, the Chairman wants to have dinner together. Should we head up and get ready?”
“Yes!”
I raised my hand eagerly.
[Why on earth does he want to eat together?]
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s intentions were impossible to fathom.
While I was still bewildered, Kim Ju-sung whined to his nanny.
“What about us? We’re hungry.”
“We’ll proceed with the original plan at the hotel restaurant, young master.”
“Can we order room service?”
“I’ll arrange it for you, young master.”
[Tsk tsk. Such immature children.]
* * *
Secretary Yang took me to a suite in the hotel.
“Sung-guk, you’ll be having dinner with the Chairman here.”
“Yes.”
I was beginning to feel uneasy about seeing my father from my past life—now a stranger—so frequently.
The door opened and I entered the suite. It was a familiar place.
Whenever I came to Los Angeles, I always stayed in this hotel suite.
“Why is he showing up again?”
Jeon Tae-guk was present at this dinner as well.
[He’s saying exactly what I was thinking.]
“Come here, Sung-guk.”
At Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s call, I quickly went to the dining table and sat down.
“I thought Sung-guk would like hamburgers, so I ordered one for you along with the young master’s meal.”
[Secretary Yang, I prefer that steak.]
But a five-year-old ordering steak was unrealistic. I had no choice but to settle for a hamburger.
Once the food arrived, Jeon Jae-hyung, who had just finished a business call, joined us at the table.
In Jeon Jae-hyung’s hands were the two lists we’d filled out on the plane.
“Well, are you hungry? Let’s eat dinner.”
Jeon Jae-hyung took his seat and reached for his fork first.
Jeon Tae-guk and I waited, then grasped our hamburgers in both hands. We opened our mouths wide and began chewing eagerly.
Jeon Jae-hyung ate a few pieces of steak, then alternated his gaze between Jeon Tae-guk and me.
[What is this situation? What exactly is my previous life’s father scheming?]
Jeon Jae-hyung slowly opened his mouth.
“It feels good to have a meal with you two like this.”
“Dad, next time let’s have Mother, Mi-jin, and you join us too. But not Sung-guk.”
“I’ll look into the remaining schedule.”
That meant there would be no meal with the Iron Lady.
“By the way, I found the lists you two checked on the plane quite interesting. First, Tae-guk selected quite a few fascinating companies.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung flipped through Jeon Tae-guk’s list quickly. It was his way of saying there wasn’t much worth seeing.
“Dad, the companies I picked were interesting, weren’t they?”
“Tae-guk has excellent fundamentals when it comes to investment.”
[That can’t be right….]
“In high-risk, high-return ventures, the most important thing is genuine interest. How fascinating is this field, and how much potential does it have for future growth? That’s what truly matters.”
“Hehe.”
Jeon Tae-guk grinned widely.
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung was searching hard to find and praise Jeon Tae-guk’s strengths.
“And as for you, Sung-guk… you only picked two companies. May I ask why?”
“From the news lately, it seems like everything will be done on phones in the future. Banking and… um… finding information too.”
I answered as five-year-old-like as possible.
Unlike with Jeon Tae-guk, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung said nothing.
“Let’s eat again.”
What? I wasn’t expecting praise, but was he really dismissing my eye for picking Google and T.com?

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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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