I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 424

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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 424
After ringing the bell, Mark and I embraced.
And this photograph graced every media outlet across the United States.
– A moment that will become a footnote in history unfolded today in New York. ‘FaceNote’ goes public!
I gazed at the photograph with satisfaction, studying it again and again.
Just then, I heard Secretary Kim Mi-so’s voice from behind me.
“CEO, you’re going to burn a hole through that photo.”
I quickly closed my laptop.
“Secretary Kim, what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? This is the Hotel Lobby, and I’m waiting for your parents.”
“Ah, I see… I’m sorry. Where are you planning to go with them?”
“They wanted to tour some of New York’s famous steakhouses. By the way, would you like to join us if you have time?”
“Well, that’s…”
The truth was, I had time to spare.
I had expected that after the IPO, I’d rent out one of New York’s famous clubs and pop some champagne, but instead Peter had uncorked champagne modestly at the office, and Mark, who hadn’t slept all night, had gulped down glass after glass before passing out cold.
Peter, also exhausted, said we should have the party tomorrow and headed home.
I’d already been wondering what to do about the evening.
“Secretary Kim, didn’t you already make a reservation for that number of people?”
“Actually, I made a reservation for four because Jeon Tae-guk said he’d join us, but Secretary Park Sung-hee told me he ate lunch and got indigestion, so he can’t move from his room right now.”
Now that I thought about it, Jeon Tae-guk hadn’t contacted me either.
I’d imagined that after going public, we’d pop champagne like in the movies and go to a club to party wildly for a day… but everyone’s tension had eased, leaving them either passed out or feeling ill.
A life like in the movies didn’t exist.
“Then I’ll join you too. Everyone’s tired today and getting some early rest.”
Just then, Mother and Father came downstairs.
“Sung-guk!”
Mother had dressed in a black dress she rarely wore and was carrying the luxury handbag I’d bought her long ago.
“Mom, you look absolutely stunning today.”
“Secretary Kim helped me pick this out at the department store. I wanted to look nice for dinner tonight.”
“Your mother is such a beauty that everything suits her perfectly.”
[Secretary Kim certainly knows how to say the right things.]
Mother waved her hand dismissively.
“Secretary Kim, don’t flatter me too much. People might think you’re being sincere.”
“Madam, what are you talking about? Where do you think the CEO and his sons got their looks?”
Father chuckled happily beside her.
“Secretary Kim, actually, my wife was famous in high school. She was known around the neighborhood for being beautiful.”
[He’s really shameless…]
I grabbed Father’s arm and pulled him along.
“Dad, I’m hungry.”
“Alright, alright.”
* * *
The steakhouse I had reserved was only a five-minute walk from the hotel.
Mother and Father walked out arm in arm, with Secretary Kim Mi-so and me following behind them.
Secretary Kim Mi-so and I maintained a respectful distance as we walked.
“CEO, I sincerely congratulate you on your listing. I feel like I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier.”
“I’ve received plenty of congratulations.”
[Hmm… was that too blunt?]
I ended up speaking rather curtly to Secretary Kim Mi-so.
“CEO, I actually bought some stock today as well.”
“I told you not to overextend yourself.”
“It’s because I believe in you, CEO. FaceNote will definitely rise further. When it does, I’m planning to sell this stock and move my siblings to a better place than the two-bedroom they’re living in now.”
“Both your siblings are in university, right?”
“Yes, one is already a senior, and my youngest is a sophomore. They’re both earning scholarships and working part-time hard, so our parents have finally been able to relax a bit.”
It seemed Secretary Kim Mi-so’s siblings were just as capable and sharp as she was.
“By the way, I’m heading to San Francisco the day after tomorrow. Why don’t you come with me?”
“Me too?”
“We need to see the FaceNote headquarters. You’ll be going with me after I finish my military service anyway.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so’s eyes sparkled.
“What about your parents, CEO…?”
“Jeon Tae-guk said he needs to enlist right away. I can ask Secretary Park Sung-hee to help. As for New York, they’ve been there a few times, and Ji-hee and Min-guk will take good care of them. Min-guk ran away to America in middle school, after all.”
“Your family seems really fun, CEO.”
[Living as a family isn’t always fun, Secretary Kim.]
I shook my head.
Just then, I heard Father’s voice from behind.
“Sung-guk, isn’t it here?”
“Huh?”
When I turned around, I realized I had walked right past the steakhouse while talking with Secretary Kim Mi-so.
“Oh my, I just walked right past it. I’m so sorry.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so quickly hurried back.
I awkwardly scratched my head.
[If Secretary Kim also walked past it… does she enjoy being with me…?]
Just then, Mother quietly approached my side.
“Sung-guk, I was watching from behind… you two look really good together. Secretary Kim is twenty-four this year, right? A three-year age gap isn’t even considered older these days.”
“Mom… it’s not like that.”
“I know. I just hope you meet someone who understands your work and can support you, rather than some glamorous Hollywood actress.”
“Mom, I’m too busy to even have time for that.”
Father gestured for us to hurry over.
I gently pushed Mother forward.
“Come on, Mom. Let’s eat the steak. I really love this place’s steak!”
* * *
“Min-guk. You can take good care of Mom and Dad, right?”
“Brother, it’s me, Jeon Min-guk. I’ll take full responsibility and bring Mother, Father, and Ji-hee back to Korea safely.”
[That’s right—when the eldest is away, the second son must look after the parents.]
I gripped Min-guk’s shoulder firmly.
Min-guk glanced around before stepping closer to me.
“Brother… could you lend me a card? I want to buy some gifts for our Sevens members at the duty-free shop.”
“Min-guk, you’ll pay me back once you’re making good money, right?”
“Of course.”
I slipped a card into Min-guk’s hand.
It was a card I’d prepared in advance, with the limit already capped to prevent exactly this kind of situation.
“Min-guk, you know that it’s the thought behind a gift that matters, right?”
“Of course, brother. Don’t worry about Mom and Dad—you go ahead to San Francisco.”
Min-guk, oblivious to the card’s limit, walked into the airport with a bright smile, holding Mother’s, Father’s, and Ji-hee’s hands tightly.
* * *
On the airplane heading to San Francisco, Jeon Tae-guk sat with a gaunt face, sipping only sparkling water.
“Brother, are you really feeling okay?”
“How could I possibly miss the FaceNote listing party? I even went to the hospital yesterday and got an IV. Don’t worry.”
Jeon Tae-guk had deliberately extended his business trip to attend the listing party being held at FaceNote’s headquarters.
“Sung-guk, I used to work at FaceNote too, you know.”
“Brother, our party isn’t anything fancy like that. We’re just having pizza and beer with the staff—you know how we do things.”
“I know… that’s why I asked you to prepare something.”
[What else has Jeon Tae-guk prepared?]
Worry washed over me first.
“Brother, did you have the Samsung representatives do something?”
“Do something? I just asked them for a favor. I figured you and Mark would definitely order pizza and beer, so I had them take care of the food and drinks.”
I stared at Jeon Tae-guk for a moment.
[Is Jeon Tae-guk genuinely congratulating me?]
Though Jeon Tae-guk had once worked at FaceNote, there was no reason for him to spend money on a party.
In this life, Jeon Tae-guk’s actions sometimes confused me.
In my previous life, he was a useless younger brother, but in this one, he’d often been helpful. Though that was thanks to Samsung’s power.
Secretary Kim Mi-so approached from the side.
“CEO, this is for you.”
“What is it?”
“Vitamins and fatigue recovery supplements. You’ve barely slept these past few days, and once we arrive, there’s the FaceNote listing party right away, so you won’t have time to rest.”
“Thank you. Please take care of yourself too, Secretary Kim.”
“Yes, CEO.”
I watched Secretary Kim Mi-so disappear out of the corner of my eye.
And there was one other person watching her along with me.
“Sung-guk, about Secretary Kim…”
[Why is Jeon Tae-guk bringing up Secretary Kim’s name?]
“What is it, brother?”
“Secretary Kim seems like such a good person. He really takes great care of you. I guess I’m getting older now. Back in the day, I liked lively, energetic women… but these days, I prefer warm-hearted ones.”
“Jeon Tae-guk, Secretary Kim isn’t warm-hearted. He’s just good at his job.”
“Either way. She’s beautiful… works well… and if she made it into Samjeon’s Secretariat, she’s definitely talented…”
“Hyung, you look tired. Why don’t you get some sleep? That way you’ll be ready to enjoy the party.”
“Yeah, you’re right….”
Jeon Tae-guk slowly closed his eyes.
I gazed thoughtfully at the vitamins and fatigue-recovery supplements that Secretary Kim Mi-so had given me.
* * *
“Boss!!!”
The first person to greet me as I entered FaceNote’s headquarters was Lim Mi-mi.
Lim Mi-mi had been leading FaceNote’s headquarters while Mark was away in New York.
“Mi-mi, the person you should be looking for first isn’t me—it’s Mark.”
“What are you talking about! Who recognized my abilities and brought me this far? It was you, boss!”
Mark grabbed my shoulder firmly.
“For Mi-mi, the boss will always be you alone. I’m just her man.”
At those words, Lim Mi-mi immediately kissed Mark deeply.
[A North Korean who’s become fully American….]
I shook my head and looked at the FaceNote employees.
All the employees were gazing at me with excited faces.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes!”
Warm greetings erupted from all around.
“Sung-guk, you look even taller since we last saw you.”
“You’ve gotten more handsome!”
“Are you not dating Hollywood actresses these days?”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Now that FaceNote’s going public, I don’t even have time to date. You all know that.”
“Sung-guk, are you even joking now?”
I shrugged. Then I swept my gaze seriously across each employee.
From those who’d been with me since the beginning to the newly hired staff.
There were so many now that I couldn’t possibly remember all their names, but FaceNote wouldn’t exist without them.
Of course, there were the familiar faces of Lim Mi-mi, Sam, and Adam….
“Today is FaceNote’s day and your day! Is everyone ready to have fun?”
“Yes!!!”
* * *
A DJ came to spin music, and pizzas and beers were piled high like mountains at the party.
This was the party Mark and I had prepared.
On top of that, Jeon Tae-guk had arranged champagne and caviar, along with all manner of delicacies. The men and women serving throughout were all model-like in appearance.
The employees were eating, drinking, and enjoying a rare moment of joy.
Jeon Tae-guk approached me with a glass of champagne.
“Sung-guk, congratulations. I really mean it.”
“Thank you, hyung.”
“I can’t believe you’ve come this far… It feels surreal.”
[I don’t quite feel it myself.]
I took a sip of champagne.
Even as I did, my gaze kept drifting toward Secretary Kim Mi-so.
Secretary Kim Mi-so, looking noticeably more relaxed than she had in a long time, was enjoying champagne while chatting with the staff about this and that.
“Sung-guk, I’m seriously thinking… about considering Secretary Kim Mi-so.”
What?
[Jeon Tae-guk, are you really muddying the waters at such a perfect party?]
I waited silently for Jeon Tae-guk to continue.
“The atmosphere tonight is great. Should I confess?”
“Hyung… Are you serious about this?”
“Of course. Honestly, I’ve been watching Secretary Kim Mi-so all this time. Don’t you think she wouldn’t reject someone like me? I’m the heir to Samjeon, after all.”
[A gold-digger at heart. He hasn’t changed one bit.]
“Hyung, are you even thinking about marriage?”
“Secretary Kim Mi-so comes from an ordinary family, but seeing our parents, I don’t want to do something like a marriage of convenience. That just ends in divorce anyway.”
Jeon Tae-guk seemed genuinely serious.
And for some reason, I was curious about Secretary Kim Mi-so’s reaction too.
“If that’s what you want to do, hyung, then you should do it.”
Before I could even finish speaking, Jeon Tae-guk downed his champagne in one shot, then pushed through the crowd toward Secretary Kim Mi-so.
I watched as the two of them walked out into the garden together.
I quietly followed them.
If Secretary Kim accepted Jeon Tae-guk’s proposal, my contract with her would become void.
* * *
I hid myself in the darkness and watched the two of them.
I could faintly hear Jeon Tae-guk’s voice.
“Secretary Kim, or rather… Mi-so. Do you happen to be seeing anyone these days? A boyfriend?”
“No. Why do you ask, Executive Director?”
“Ah… well… Secretary Kim, what do you think of me? The truth is, I’ve been watching you all this time.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, you’re really rushing this….]
Secretary Kim Mi-so appeared flustered.
“Um… Are you perhaps asking if I’d consider you as a boyfriend?”
“Of course. Not just a boyfriend—actually, I’m thinking about marriage.”
[This is way too fast….]
Secretary Kim Mi-so remained silent for a long moment.
Jeon Tae-guk, waiting for her answer, looked anxious, and I myself was dying of curiosity.
[Why aren’t you answering, Secretary Kim?]
Then Secretary Kim Mi-so folded her hands neatly and bowed respectfully to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Executive Director, I apologize. I have no thoughts of marriage or romance at this time.”
“Is there perhaps another man in the picture?”
[That’s right, Jeon Tae-guk. That’s what I wanted to ask!]
“No, nothing like that. I’m a firm believer in remaining unmarried.”
[Nice! Secretary Kim won’t be leaving for Samjeon then!]
Yet in that moment, an inexplicable disappointment pierced through my chest.

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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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