I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 435

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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 435
6:00 AM.
As always, I woke up, exercised, and finished preparing for work at the company.
Beep beep beep beep.
The sound of a password being entered echoed through the apartment, and Secretary Kim Mi-so walked in.
As always, Secretary Kim Mi-so carried a Starbucks latte and sandwich in her hands. But today, there was one more item.
“CEO, I heard Ji-hee is staying with you?”
“How did you know?”
“Executive Director Jeon Tae-guk called me yesterday. He said Ji-hee is with you, and since Sung-guk isn’t the type to look after his younger sister, he asked me to help with breakfast instead.”
Jeon Tae-guk was more thoughtful than I’d given him credit for.
“Executive Director Jeon Tae-guk really takes good care of all your siblings.”
Click.
The guest room door that Mark used to occupy opened, and Ji-hee emerged with a fresh, composed expression.
Secretary Kim Mi-so smiled warmly and handed the sandwich to Ji-hee.
“Ji-hee, you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you?”
“No, unni. I was studying since early morning and got hungry, so I opened the refrigerator, but there was only bottled water and beer.”
“CEO, you handle all your meals outside anyway. If you need anything, just ask me.”
[What are you talking about, Secretary Kim!]
I quickly interjected.
“Secretary Kim, you’re my personal secretary, not my family’s secretary, are you? Please just focus on your actual responsibilities.”
“It’s not a waste of time since I’m already buying bottled water and beer for you anyway. I can just grab some for Ji-hee too. She’s a student preparing for exams—I can’t let her worry about these things. I have two younger siblings myself, so I understand.”
Was Secretary Kim Mi-so genuinely kind, or was this sophisticated workplace strategy?
I fixed Ji-hee with a stern gaze.
“Only ask Secretary Kim for what you absolutely need. Understood?”
“Don’t worry, oppa. By the way, oppa, I have a favor to ask you too.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Please leave as early as possible and come home as late as possible. I usually wake up at 5 AM to start studying and go until 10 PM. After that, I exercise for tomorrow’s conditioning and fall asleep around midnight… so it would be great if you could come home around 10 PM.”
I crossed my arms and let out a derisive snort.
[Jeon Ji-hee, are you seriously making excuses about studying? How pathetic.]
“Ji-hee, I also wake up at 5 AM to exercise, drink a latte and eat a sandwich at 6 AM, then head straight to work. By the time I finish all my meetings and conferences, it’s usually 9 PM. Then I come home and handle additional meetings accounting for the time difference with America, and deal with work—if I want to sleep early, it has to be by midnight. So understand that you’re not the only one living like this in this house. And another thing: when I’m on video calls, I can’t have rustling sounds in the background, so you study as quietly as a mouse!”
* * *
On the drive to work, Secretary Kim Mi-so kept giggling to herself.
“Secretary Kim, what’s so funny?”
“CEO, you’re really something. How do you never give an inch to your younger sister?”
“There are so many test-takers in South Korea. Starting from high school seniors, then civil service exams, bar exams, judicial exams—there are countless tests. If everyone studied like Ji-hee, making a fuss, families would be torn apart.”
“But Ji-hee is still young.”
[When I was Ji-hee’s age, I was grinding away in America until my backside was covered in blisters, and I met Mark and developed FaceNote!]
“Secretary Kim, I think you’re too soft on your siblings.”
“I suppose I am.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so nodded in agreement.
“Secretary Kim, I don’t think you should see me as just a younger brother. Society is harsh, after all. To adapt to this unforgiving world, family must evaluate us thoroughly.”
“But CEO, when we’re wounded by that harsh society, family is the only place we can lean on.”
“….”
I found myself at a loss for words.
In front of others, I was someone who would stop at nothing to push through my opinions, yet Secretary Kim Mi-so’s words often left me speechless.
Just then, my phone rang.
An early morning call came from a familiar number.
– Sung-guk!
The moment I answered, I heard Mark’s tense voice.
“Mark, what’s wrong?”
– Sung-guk, I don’t know what to do…
Mark’s voice was trembling.
Something serious had clearly happened.
“Mark, what is it?”
– Mi-mi… Mi-mi….
“What about Lim Mi-mi?”
– I think she might be pregnant. What do we do in Korea?
“What?”
Pregnant….
My mind went completely blank for a moment.
I stared at Secretary Kim Mi-so with a dazed expression.
“CEO, what’s the matter?”
“Lim Mi-mi appears to be pregnant.”
“Oh my, congratulations!”
Secretary Kim Mi-so offered her congratulations into the phone.
[Secretary Kim, save the congratulations for later.]
“Secretary Kim… what should we do now?”
“I’ll call Lim Mi-mi right away. I think there are things better discussed between women. Besides, I’m the bride’s attendant.”
“Ah, that’s right. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, CEO!”
* * *
Mark paced frantically around my office.
It seemed the nail-biting habit he’d abandoned after meeting Lim Mi-mi had returned—he was practically gnawing his fingers off.
“Mark, please calm down.”
“Sung-guk, you don’t understand what this means. I might become a father.”
Lim Mi-mi, who hadn’t been feeling well, had apparently woken up at dawn to use a pregnancy test and was so shocked she’d called Mark immediately.
[Mark, I’ve done all of this in my previous life.]
In my past life, I’d gotten married and become a father.
Though the marriage lacked affection, the experience of becoming a father was so vivid it remained etched in my memory as something transcendent.
“Sung-guk, but why haven’t we heard anything? Is the hospital crowded? Shouldn’t we head to America right away?”
“Mark, calm down. Secretary Kim Mi-so took her to the best hospital, and we’ll hear from them soon. South Korea’s medical standards are world-class. So please, just take a breath.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
He said he understood, but Mark continued pacing back and forth across the office. Occasionally, he even banged his head against the wall in self-reproach.
“I should have been with Mi-mi….”
Mark was definitely my karma incarnate.
As Mark paced anxiously across the office, he suddenly looked at me.
“Sung-guk, hey… I’m curious about something.”
“What?”
“If I have a son… could I name him after you?”
“You’re going to name your son Sung-guk?”
“People usually name their kids after someone they admire or want them to resemble, right?”
“Mark, you don’t even know the baby’s gender yet. Make sure you discuss the name with Lim Mi-mi first.”
“Right. We don’t know the gender yet….”
Just then, Mark’s phone rang.
He stopped mid-pace, took a deep breath, and answered the call.
“Mi-mi…. It’s me, Mark.”
Soon after, I could see his eyes reddening.
It seemed the pregnancy was confirmed.
“Mi-mi… I love you. I miss you so much. I’m coming right now. Yeah, I got it. Sob… I’m not crying. I’m just so happy… sob.”
[You’re definitely crying, Mark.]
Mark was practically sobbing.
“I got it, Mi-mi. I’m with Secretary Kim. I’m coming right now.”
Mark hung up and blew his nose.
“Mark, is she pregnant?”
“Yeah, she’s only eight weeks along, so I have to be really careful.”
I quickly hugged Mark.
“Mark, congratulations on becoming a father.”
“Sung-guk… I can’t believe it. I’m going to be a dad.”
But why is my shoulder getting wet?
[Mark, are you wiping your tears and snot on my shoulder right now? I’ll let it slide just this once.]
* * *
Following Lim Mi-mi’s craving for Pyongyang-style cold noodles, Mark, I, and Secretary Kim Mi-so all gathered at a famous Pyongyang cold noodle restaurant located on Eulji-ro.
“Congratulations, Lim Mi-mi.”
Lim Mi-mi scratched her short hair shyly.
“Boss, I’m sorry for causing trouble at the company when you’re so busy.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve worked so hard all this time—you deserve a break.”
Following the doctor’s orders for absolute bed rest, Lim Mi-mi was planning to stay in Korea for about another month before returning to the United States.
Mark carefully attended to her every need, worried she might be uncomfortable.
[When did that reckless kid grow up like this?]
“Mark, what are you going to do? Don’t you need to go back to the United States first?”
“While Mi-mi stays at her parents’ home, I’ll go to the United States and come back a month later to pick her up. The doctor said she should eat well and rest as much as possible.”
Soon, the Pyongyang cold noodles and bulgogi we’d ordered arrived.
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, if there’s anything you’d like to eat, please let me know anytime.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so also took careful note of everything from her seat beside us.
“Thank you so much for today. With my parents here, I won’t have to worry about meals for the next month.”
“Then, I’ll make sure to help on the days you go to the hospital. That’s fine, right?”
“It’s shameless of me to accept, but I appreciate that.”
Lim Mi-mi twirled the Pyongyang cold noodles she hadn’t had in ages before taking a bite.
Mark followed suit, eating the Pyongyang cold noodles beside her, then furrowed his brow slightly.
For an American like Mark, Pyongyang cold noodles were a challenging dish.
“Mark, try some bulgogi.”
“Oh, Sung-guk….”
Bulgogi was a more approachable option than the cold noodles.
Mark ate the bulgogi and soon his lips curved upward in a smile.
“Lim Mi-mi, if you need anything while you’re in Korea, please contact me anytime.”
“Thank you, Restaurant Owner.”
Lim Mi-mi’s eyes suddenly reddened.
“Restaurant Owner, when I defected from the North, I never dreamed I’d live like this… It’s all thanks to you.”
“Lim Mi-mi, what are you saying? It’s because of your talent—the skilled hacker who broke into FaceNote—that FaceNote has come this far.”
“By the way, Restaurant Owner… if the child in my belly is a boy, would it be alright to name him Sung-guk? I heard people do that in America, naming children after people they know.”
They say couples grow to resemble each other.
Mark and Lim Mi-mi’s thoughts were identical.
Mark’s eyes sparkled.
“Mi-mi, I brought that up to Sung-guk this morning too. He said I should definitely discuss it with you first… and we still don’t even know the baby’s gender yet.”
“It seems you two are starting to think alike now.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so gazed at the couple with envy.
Now it was my turn to make a decision.
“Mark, Lim Mi-mi… I’ll give you my permission. My name. Please use it freely if it’s a boy!”
“Sung-guk, thank you!”
“Restaurant Owner, I’ll use the name well.”
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk paced through his living room with a listless expression.
“It was nice having Mark around, but he’s going to the United States after staying at Lim Mi-mi’s parents’ place?”
“Of course. Lim Mi-mi is in her early pregnancy, so she needs to be careful.”
“Sung-guk, I’m really envious of Mark… He has a life partner and a child on the way.”
“Hyung, you can make it happen if you try.”
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head.
“Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong said so himself. That my marriage would be late….”
“Hyung, try to meet someone with genuine sincerity. Don’t just confess based on how you feel that day.”
[Please, just get rid of that tendency to fall head over heels, Jeon Tae-guk.]
This was sincere advice.
In any case, in this lifetime, Jeon Tae-guk had gained far more than he’d lost.
“I’ve decided to leave things to fate now. By the way, summer’s coming soon… Ji-hee, I mean. Won’t studying be difficult for her? Let me take her to the Korean herbal medicine clinic our family uses.”
“Brother, Ji-hee is my younger sister. I’ll take care of her myself.”
“You say that, but you forgot to prepare Ji-hee’s breakfast too.”
“Brother, you should take care of your own younger sister first.”
Jeon Mi-jin had returned to New York and was barely scraping by with passing grades each semester.
“If my younger sister were as capable and sharp as Ji-hee, I’d take care of her well too. But Mi-jin is impossible to look after no matter how hard I try. She’s just too lacking.”
[That applies to you too, Jeon Tae-guk.]
“If I had a younger brother like Min-guk who’s an idol, or a smart younger sister like Ji-hee, I’d have nothing more to wish for.”
[If that were the case, the Samjeon Group successor position would’ve gone to your siblings, Jeon Tae-guk. You should be grateful that Jeon Mi-jin is foolish.]
Just then, I heard the sound of a password being entered, and Ji-hee opened the door and came in.
I looked up at Jeon Tae-guk with a bewildered expression.
“Ji-hee said there’s nothing to eat at your place, so I told her our fridge is full and she can come raid it anytime.”
Ji-hee came in familiarly and opened the refrigerator.
“Oppa, you bought orange juice.”
“Of course. Didn’t you say you wanted orange juice?”
Jeon Tae-guk took out the orange juice Ji-hee liked from the refrigerator.
“My real oppa takes care of me less than you do.”
Ji-hee said this with a fresh, deliberate expression.
“Ji-hee, I wish I had a younger sister like you. You’re smart. You’re pretty. You’re sharp. Sung-guk doesn’t even realize how lucky he is to have a younger sister like this.”
“Oppa, I want to eat tiramisu.”
“Should I buy it for you now?”
“No, tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll tell Park Secretary to buy it and have it ready, so eat it when you get hungry while studying.”
“Okay!”
At that moment, my brow furrowed.
Was Jeon Tae-guk trying to take my place right now?
I quickly snatched the orange juice that Tae-guk had given Ji-hee and put it back in the refrigerator.
“Jeon Ji-hee, this isn’t organic. A test-taker shouldn’t drink this! I’ll go to the department store right now and buy you organic orange juice, so drink that and study!”

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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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