I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 422

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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 422
How had this happened?
“Brother… how are you here?”
“How? Our place is right next door, Sung-guk.”
Jeon Tae-guk broke into a grin.
“So… you knew this was the house I’d be living in? How did you find out?”
“Ah… I asked Secretary Kim Mi-so. Actually, Secretary Park Sung-hee and Secretary Kim Mi-so went house hunting together. They accommodated my requirements very precisely.”
“What were your requirements?”
“Since Sam, Adam, and I would be living together, we needed at least three bedrooms. The most important thing was that it had to be next door to Sung-guk.”
[Secretary Kim, why didn’t you tell me this?]
I exhaled deeply.
It was obvious without even thinking about it.
Jeon Tae-guk must have told Secretary Kim Mi-so to keep it secret from me.
“Did you ask Secretary Kim Mi-so to keep it a secret from me?”
“Of course. Oh, I called Secretary Kim and Secretary Park too. I told them to come have dinner with us.”
“They’ve already left work though. Just let them be.”
“Don’t worry. Both of them got rooms in an officetel just across the street from our apartment complex. Since they just moved and found cooking a hassle, Secretary Park said he’d come, so I told him to bring Secretary Kim along.”
[Secretary Park and Secretary Kim are in the same officetel?]
Jeon Tae-guk walked naturally into my home.
“Our place still doesn’t have the table and other things set up yet, but yours has everything. Let’s eat dinner here.”
He immediately called a Chinese restaurant.
“This is Purne Apartment 104 Building Unit 2501 near Pangyo Station. Five jajangmyeon, one jjamppong. Sweet and sour pork, spicy stir-fried chicken, and kung pao chicken. And three bottles of baijiu, please. …Yes, please deliver it quickly.”
* * *
Ding dong!
My doorbell had already rung exactly three times.
The first time was when Sam and Adam arrived, the second was when the food from the Chinese restaurant came.
Finally, Secretary Park Sung-hee and Secretary Kim Mi-so had just walked in. Both were dressed comfortably since they’d left work.
Secretary Kim Mi-so was holding a package of tissues.
“CEO, congratulations on your move.”
“Secretary Kim even found the place for me… you didn’t need to bring anything.”
“It’s only proper to bring something when visiting a new home for the first time.”
I approached Secretary Kim Mi-so quietly and whispered.
“Secretary Kim, why didn’t you tell me beforehand that you were finding a house with my brother Tae-guk? Isn’t that a breach of our contract?”
Secretary Kim Mi-so, who had originally been Samjeon’s secretary, had signed a separate contract with me to inform me of all Samjeon’s instructions until I went to the United States.
In exchange for that contract, Secretary Kim Mi-so would get a job at FaceNote’s headquarters in the United States.
“Executive Director Jeon Tae-guk asked me not to say anything, and I considered telling you, but I thought it would be better for you to have someone you know nearby rather than being alone in Pangyo like this. People like you who are such severe workaholics tend to have sudden deaths and things like that.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so gave me a subtle smile.
[Sigh, if only I could say something.]
“You two, stop whispering so affectionately… come eat the jajangmyeon! It’s getting cold!”
Jeon Tae-guk shouted.
“CEO, I have jjamppong, so I need to get going faster.”
“Yes, go ahead and enjoy your meal, Secretary Kim.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so walked briskly toward the table.
My first time living alone, and yet… Jeon Tae-guk lives right next door. Across the street are Secretary Kim Mi-so and Secretary Park Sung-hee….
Can this really be called independence?
As I took my seat, Secretary Kim Mi-so handed me chopsticks.
“CEO, please eat.”
“Secretary Kim, you don’t need to look after me after work hours.”
I felt Secretary Park Sung-hee’s gaze fixed on Jeon Tae-guk at those words.
Jeon Tae-guk casually slurped his jjajangmyeon.
“Slurrrp— Secretary Park, slurrrp— I’m exempt from that statement. I’m a typical South Korean chaebol, after all. The probability of me causing trouble after work is higher, so my secretary has to be on standby at all times. That’s why I pay an enormous salary. Great benefits too.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee began eating her jjajangmyeon with a resigned expression.
“But if you and Secretary Kim are in the same officetel, are you on the same floor?”
Jeon Tae-guk looked between the two of them with curious eyes.
[Surely they’re not on the same floor too, Secretary Kim?]
I found myself waiting for her answer.
“No, Director. I’m on the 7th floor, and Secretary Park is on the 11th.”
“We went apartment hunting together….”
Secretary Park Sung-hee continued from where Secretary Kim Mi-so left off.
[They went to look at offictels together?]
“There weren’t any units available on the same floor. Besides, you know how it can be dangerous for a woman living alone in an officetel these days. I thought if we were on the same floor, there might be ways I could help, so I tried to look for units on the same floor.”
[Why would she help? Are they dating?]
I slurped my jjajangmyeon while perking up my ears.
“Secretary Park, are you and Secretary Kim flirting or something?”
Jeon Tae-guk asked the question I was dying to ask. It was exactly what I wanted to know.
“Director Jeon Tae-guk, I hope you won’t frame us that way. Secretary Kim and I simply help each other out because our schedules and personal matters often overlap. Nothing more, nothing less.”
[What are you saying, Secretary Park Sung-hee? If you deny it so seriously, what does that make our Secretary Kim Mi-so? Objectively speaking, Secretary Kim Mi-so is far more appealing!]
Of course, Secretary Kim Mi-so wasn’t the type to just sit there and take it.
“Secretary Park Sung-hee isn’t my type. I prefer men’s faces.”
Jeon Tae-guk burst out laughing.
“See, Secretary Kim Mi-so has such great sense. Now I understand why Sung-guk favors her so much.”
“Secretary Kim Mi-so is simply good at her job. That’s all there is to it.”
I deliberately drew a clear line.
“Say what you will. She has good sense, so she serves you well, and you trust Secretary Kim Mi-so in return.”
[Did I draw the line too hard again?]
I glanced at Secretary Kim Mi-so.
Secretary Kim Mi-so was eating her jjamppong with an unbothered expression.
* * *
Only after finishing three bottles of baijiu did Jeon Tae-guk, Sam, and Adam return to their home—the apartment right next to mine.
Secretary Park Sung-hee had left midway through due to work, leaving only Secretary Kim Mi-so behind.
“CEO, I’ll just tidy this up and head out. Starting tomorrow, a housekeeper will come to handle the cleaning and laundry.”
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, you should go home too. I’ll take care of this.”
“This isn’t secretarial work. Besides, I ate dinner here too. So I should help clean up. And there’s something I wanted to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“About what you said earlier regarding the contract violation….”
“It’s fine. I’ll let it slide. I know Jeon Tae-guk didn’t act with malicious intent. But! Going forward….”
“Yes, I’ll report every single instruction from Samjeon without fail.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so spoke with crisp determination, then rolled up her sleeves and began separating recyclables and clearing away food scraps. I helped diligently beside her.
“CEO, you’re quite good at cleaning?”
“I lived in a dormitory for several years in the United States. After that, I lived with Mark for a long time too. Until FaceNote grew, I didn’t have the means to afford a housekeeper, so I handled all the housework myself.”
“If you studied abroad at such a young age, you must have had to solve everything on your own.”
“Well, yes.”
I answered casually.
Of course, internally,
[Secretary Kim, you have no idea how much I suffered. Running the washing machine all through high school… cleaning. Mark’s specialty was making messes, so without me it would’ve been a pigsty, Secretary Kim. When I lived with Mark, I even developed eczema on my hands from doing dishes.]
Secretary Kim Mi-so finished cleaning and dusted off her hands.
“CEO, then I’ll be going.”
It was past 11 o’clock.
“It’s gotten quite late. Let me drive you to the front of your officetel.”
“There’s no need. It’s just across the street.”
“Actually, I’m trying to digest a bit. Chinese food for dinner is too greasy, after all.”
“I see….”
Secretary Kim Mi-so nodded in understanding.
* * *
From the apartment complex, Secretary Kim Mi-so’s officetel was visible right across the way.
It truly was just one street crossing away.
In fact, this was the first time I’d walked alone with Secretary Kim Mi-so at night.
“By the way, your mother really loved the carnations. Ji-hee was delighted with the earrings too.”
“I’m glad. I put some thought into it.”
“Secretary Kim, did you visit your parents over the weekend?”
“Ah… my parents recently closed their restaurant and moved down to Jeju.”
From what I knew, Secretary Kim Mi-so’s father had run a small restaurant in Gyeonggi Province, and her younger siblings were attending university.
“Jeju?”
“They’d bought a small tangerine orchard there before. It looks like they’re planning to farm and open a restaurant in front of it.”
Now that I thought about it, I suddenly wondered how things were progressing with Father’s Uncle Won’s Bossam Jeju branch.
“What about your siblings?”
“I was sharing a two-room apartment in Seoul with my siblings. I gave up that place. It’s quite a distance from Pangyo.”
It seemed Secretary Kim Mi-so was even paying the monthly rent for her siblings’ shared apartment with her salary.
I didn’t press further.
A crosswalk appeared before us.
“CEO, I think this is far enough.”
I came to a halt.
“Oh, Secretary Kim Mi-so.”
“Yes, CEO?”
“Come with me on this trip to the United States.”
“For the listing?”
“Yes, things will be hectic in the United States as well. Since my family is coming too, I need someone to take care of things. It won’t be a vacation—it’ll be incredibly demanding.”
A smile bloomed across Secretary Kim Mi-so’s face.
“I’ve always wanted to visit a place of historical significance! CEO, thank you so much!”
Secretary Kim Mi-so bowed and hurried off toward the officetel.
I slowly turned my steps homeward.
* * *
I turned on the lights and lay down on the bed.
For the first time in my life, I was truly alone.
After living cramped with my parents in that tiny room in Suyu, then sharing space with Mark and Jeon Tae-guk during my studies abroad, the nights I’d spent sleeping alone could be counted on one hand.
Yet now I was alone in this vast house.
In my past life, I’d lived alone in an even larger mansion.
Of course, bodyguards were stationed nearby, but inside the house, I was utterly solitary.
Back then, I slept soundly…
But tonight felt strange.
Sleep eluded me, and I tossed and turned endlessly.
[Is it because everything feels unfamiliar? Jeon Tae-guk, Sam, and Adam probably sleep just fine.]
I found myself thinking of the apartment next door.
Yet I couldn’t live in that bustling chaos with them forever.
This was how it would be… again… becoming a man.
A yawn escaped me, and sleep finally began to pull me under.
But why did my eyes feel hot?
[It must be from the yawn… just the yawn….]
* * *
Ding dong!
Six in the morning.
The doorbell rang.
Normally, I’d already be awake and finished with my workout by now. But after tossing all night, I barely opened my eyes at the sound.
Who could it be at this hour?
I checked the intercom with a disheveled face.
It was Secretary Kim Mi-so.
Didn’t she know the passcode to our home?
I opened the front door.
“Secretary Kim, don’t you know our home’s passcode?”
“I set that password myself, so I was wondering if you might have changed it. And I realize I didn’t mention this morning that I’d be entering with the code.”
“Ah, I see. Secretary Kim, but why aren’t you coming in?”
Secretary Kim Mi-so handed me a bag containing the latte and sandwich she always prepared from Starbucks.
“Since it’s my first day, I’ll just deliver this and head to the company.”
“Alright. I didn’t sleep well last night… Secretary Kim, just come straight to the company today at your leisure.”
“Then I’ll see you at the company.”
Secretary Kim turned to leave but suddenly grabbed the door again and looked at me.
“Secretary Kim, do you have something to say?”
Secretary Kim let out a low sigh with a serious expression.
What’s going on?
“It seems your preference is for square-cut, sir. I didn’t know that and bought all triangular ones. I apologize. I’ll go to the department store today and exchange them for square-cut right away.”
No way.
I immediately looked down.
I’d forgotten that I’d thrown off my pajamas in the middle of the night because I was hot.
And in that spot were only the stretched-out square-cut underwear….
“I’ll close the door now, sir.”

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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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