I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 426

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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 426
Barack Obama’s expression became noticeably more at ease.
Security concerns were a sensitive matter for both the United States and South Korea.
“Sung-guk, I have a meeting right away, so I don’t have time. But I’ve made a reservation at a fine restaurant nearby. You can have dinner there and then head to San Francisco. My private jet will get you there safely.”
“Thank you, Barack.”
“Oh, and if you don’t have anyone to dine with… my eldest daughter has been dying to have a meal with you, so I promised to arrange it.”
Barack Obama let out a sigh.
“That girl just happens to be on a school camping trip today. But! Instead, there’s a new staff member at the White House who knows you well. She just joined our PR Team….”
As Barack Obama finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
And the moment the door opened, a familiar face appeared.
“Jessie?”
“Sung-guk, it’s been a while.”
Barack Obama smiled broadly.
“So you two were high school and university classmates?”
“Yes, I was the prom queen. And Sung-guk was the prom king.”
Jessie answered quickly.
It seemed Jessie had joined Barack Obama’s PR Team based on her experience working at fashion magazines and broadcasting stations.
She was still beautiful and refined in appearance.
“Sung-guk, my eldest daughter will be disappointed. But have a wonderful time with Jessie.”
“By the way, my secretary is coming with me too.”
“Don’t worry. I made the reservation with plenty of space.”
“Thank you, Barack.”
Barack leaned in close and whispered to me.
“Sung-guk, next time you absolutely must go on a date with my daughter. My reputation as a father is on the line.”
“Of course. I’ll see her when I come back to the United States.”
* * *
Jessie and I walked through the corridors of the White House for a moment.
“Sung-guk, how old are you now?”
“Twenty-one in Korean age, but twenty in American age.”
“You’re really an adult now.”
Jessie looked at me discreetly.
[Still unable to escape my charm, Jessie.]
“Sung-guk, it’s amazing that you took FaceNote public at that age.”
“I did it together with Mark.”
“By the way, how is Mark doing?”
“Good, it looks like he’ll be getting married soon.”
I shared news about Mark as well.
“Oh my, that’s wonderful. Sung-guk, I heard you had a scandal with Anne Hathaway before…”
“That was just a brief encounter.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
I felt like I’d become a bad man, and my shoulders tensed involuntarily.
“By the way, who’s the secretary you came with?”
“My personal secretary. She handles my schedule and takes care of various things.”
“Right, with your schedule, you’d definitely need a personal secretary.”
“Jessie, you must be seeing someone, right?”
[Jessie, this is just a polite question. Don’t get the wrong idea.]
Jessie smiled faintly and looked at me.
“I’m not seriously seeing anyone either. I just have casual relationships. And since I haven’t been in Washington long, I’m still adjusting, so I don’t really want to see anyone right now.”
Jessie subtly hinted that she was alone.
With Jessie’s looks and credentials, there would be almost no man who wouldn’t fall for her if she came on this strong.
But I would never waver.
[Sorry, Jessie. In this life, you’re not my type.]
Just then, I spotted Secretary Kim Mi-so waiting in the distance.
“Ah, there’s our secretary.”
“I see….”
Jessie quickly scanned Secretary Kim Mi-so from head to toe.
Secretary Kim Mi-so saw us and approached.
“CEO, did your meeting finish?”
“Yes, Barack made a lunch reservation for us. Let’s go eat together. And this is Jessie, my high school and college classmate. She currently works for the White House PR Team.”
Jessie quickly extended her hand.
“I’m Jessie Schwartzman.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Mi-so. I’m assisting CEO Jeon Sung-guk.”
The two shook hands.
Secretary Kim Mi-so was bright and cheerful, but tension was evident in Jessie’s eyes.
“Well, let’s talk over dinner.”
I quickly headed toward the restaurant.
* * *
The restaurant Barack Obama had reserved was an exceptionally upscale establishment befitting the class of the President of the United States.
Jessie looked at the menu and handed it to me.
“Sung-guk, how about lamb? I came here before, and the lamb was excellent.”
“Sure, I’ll have the lamb then.”
“The oysters for a starter were pretty good….”
At that moment, Secretary Kim Mi-so interjected.
“CEO, you got norovirus the last time you had oysters and suffered quite a bit. Just to be safe, let’s choose something else for the starter.”
“I’ll start with a simple salad. What about you, Secretary Kim?”
“I’ll have the same as you, CEO.”
I looked at Jessie.
“Jessie, oysters?”
“No, I’ll start with a salad too… whatever.”
Though I told Secretary Kim Mi-so to eat comfortably, I could feel her looking after me throughout the meal.
And Jessie watched his every move with keen attention.
“Sung-guk, remember our high school graduation? You and I were prom queen and prom king.”
“Yeah, I remember….”
It wasn’t a party I particularly wanted to recall.
Looking at the photos from back then, I’d always been bothered by how much baby fat I had.
“Secretary, have you heard this story before?”
“No, this is the first time I’m hearing it. The CEO doesn’t usually share such stories.”
“Sung-guk was incredibly popular in high school.”
“That means you were quite popular too, Jessie.”
“I suppose I was.”
Jessie subtly wove in her boasts.
Of course, given her stunning beauty and impressive career, she had every right to be proud. But why did I sense anxiety beneath her words?
Secretary Kim Mi-so, meanwhile, responded to Jessie’s remarks with ease, keeping the conversation flowing.
“With your looks, Jessie, you must have been very popular.”
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, you must have a boyfriend, right?”
Finally, Jessie revealed her true intentions.
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s unbelievable! Since we’ve met like this, it must be fate. Would it be alright if I introduced you to a friend of mine who works on Wall Street?”
“That’s very kind of you to offer. But as you know, I have work in Korea. A friend on Wall Street would be quite far away.”
[Secretary Kim Mi-so, nice move!]
I continued eating leisurely while listening to their back-and-forth exchange.
“Sung-guk, once you finish your military service, you’ll be coming to the United States, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what happens to Secretary Kim Mi-so?”
“I think she’ll probably come with me. I imagine she’ll be working at the FaceNote headquarters.”
I stated the facts plainly.
Jessie tensed slightly, then quickly recovered with a relaxed smile.
“Oh my, if you still don’t have a boyfriend by then, I’ll introduce you to someone.”
“Yes, I’ll take you up on that then.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so answered out of courtesy.
[Secretary Kim, was that really just a polite response?]
I couldn’t shake the feeling about Secretary Kim Mi-so’s answer. But I didn’t let it show.
“I have so many wonderful friends I can introduce you to. Let’s stay close. Oh, can I follow you on FaceNote?”
“Of course. Though I barely post anything.”
“You’re the CEO of FaceNote’s secretary—you should be more active. So, let’s be friends now.”
“Yes.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so replied to Jessie without losing her composure.
* * *
Before boarding the private jet, Jessie suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace.
It could have been a typical greeting, but she pressed her body against mine more closely than usual.
“Sung-guk, I’m really going to miss you.”
[Jessie, it’s not like we’ve been in constant contact anyway.]
“Mark, I’ll see you at the wedding.”
“Of course I’ll be there.”
I gently nudged Jessie away.
Once I released her, Jessie began making a fuss with Secretary Kim Mi-so as if they were parting ways after ten years of friendship.
“Secretary Kim, I’m going to miss you so much too. Let’s definitely see each other again.”
“Yes, take care of yourself.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so never lost her smile until the very end.
* * *
“Secretary Kim, you’ve worked hard.”
As soon as I boarded the airplane, I spoke to Secretary Kim Mi-so.
“Your friend Jessie is quite pleasant and entertaining. Of course, she’s also beautiful and talented.”
“Yes, she’s an extraordinary friend in many ways.”
“She seems to be very popular too.”
“Secretary Kim, are you envious of Jessie?”
“A little.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so envies Jessie?
I looked at Secretary Kim Mi-so with a puzzled expression.
“Why would you envy Jessie, Secretary Kim?”
“Because she seems so confident. I’m not as confident as Jessie is. Not about my feelings, nor about my situation.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so offered an ambiguous smile.
“CEO, why don’t you rest during the flight?”
“You should rest too, Secretary Kim Mi-so.”
I took my seat.
Behind me, I felt Secretary Kim Mi-so settle into her seat as well.
Secretary Kim Mi-so envying Jessie… it was unexpected… and her words kept circling in my mind.
Not confident about her feelings or her situation.
[Secretary Kim, could it be… that you like me?]
But I didn’t let it show.
* * *
“Mark, let me know once you set a wedding date.”
“Yeah, got it. I should probably visit Korea to meet your in-laws.”
“Yeah, let’s see each other soon.”
Mark and I embraced warmly before parting ways.
Now it was finally time to return to South Korea.
And I had a mission that Barack Obama had given me.
“Secretary Kim, contact the VIP Secretarial Office and tell them I’m heading to South Korea with Barack Obama’s proposal. Schedule the appointment to match my arrival time at the airport.”
“Yes, understood.”
The party was over, and now it was time to return to my daily life.
* * *
The moment I stepped off the plane at the airport, people from the Presidential Secretariat were waiting to greet me.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk, I’m Kim Mu-hyuk, secretary from the Presidential Secretariat. The VIP is waiting for you.”
“Let’s head over right away.”
I climbed into the car prepared by Cheong Wa Dae.
Secretary Kim Mi-so was with me as well.
Kim Mu-hyuk, seated in front, provided a brief briefing.
“The VIP has already received a general overview through the White House.”
“Yes, I’ll discuss the rest directly with the VIP.”
“Understood, CEO.”
I could see Secretary Kim Mi-so sitting with visible tension.
“Secretary Kim, while I’m in the meeting, please confirm the Alpha schedule.”
“Yes, CEO.”
* * *
The door to the Cheong Wa Dae conference room opened.
Since this was sensitive discussion with the VIP, only we and the Secretary Director were in attendance.
The door closed, and the VIP extended his hand.
“CEO Jeon Sung-guk, we meet again.”
“I hope you’ve been well?”
“I’ve been doing fine. I saw you ringing the bell in New York. Quite impressive, wasn’t it?”
“What comes next is what matters. Well then, let’s skip the pleasantries and get down to business.”
“As expected—straight to the point. I like that.”
I took my seat and explained the proposal for hosting an international conference on nuclear stability agreements.
“Barack Obama sees significance in South Korea—a nation facing North Korea—hosting this conference.”
“I understand that, but…”
The VIP’s expression grew contemplative.
While the rationale for hosting an international conference was sound, there were numerous concerns to manage.
“We were hoping for July of this year.”
“That’s far too rushed…”
The VIP trailed off, then revealed his true concern.
“It’s just that we don’t seem to gain much from hosting it, CEO Jeon Sung-guk.”
[Of course I brought the carrot.]
It was also the real reason Barack Obama had sent me.
“If I’m not mistaken, you have a presidential election later this year.”
“That’s right.”
“Just before this international conference, the United States will break news about North Korea’s nuclear tests.”
I looked directly at the VIP.
“A unified conservative front. Isn’t that what you want?”
Only then did the VIP’s furrowed brow relax.
“That’s exactly what we need!”

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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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