I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 439

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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 439
When I arrived in New York, Peter was waiting for us at the airport himself.
“Sung-guk, Mark! Welcome!”
Peter greeted us with his characteristic warmth, then leaned in and whispered quietly to me.
“Grace arrived safely, I hear.”
“Thank you, Peter.”
Mark probably had no idea that his beloved sofa was being discarded at that very moment.
Peter quickly turned to greet Mark as well.
“Mark, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Is it from wedding preparations?”
“I’m experiencing morning sickness on Mi-mi’s behalf, Peter.”
“Oh my! I’ve made reservations at a Michelin Restaurant in New York. Will that be alright?”
“As long as there’s beer, I think I’ll manage.”
Mark laughed brightly, completely oblivious to what was happening.
* * *
Lim Mi-mi rolled up her sleeves as she looked at Mark’s cherished sofa.
“Today is the day I finally get rid of this sofa.”
“Oh my…”
Grace, who had just arrived, and interior designer Rachel Cox stared at the sofa in disbelief.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sofa in this condition. Let’s get rid of it right away!”
Rachel Cox rolled up her sleeves as well.
Grace whispered quietly to Secretary Kim Mi-so.
“It looks like Rachel and Mi-mi are getting along well.”
“They seem to be, Grace.”
Soon, workers came in and began removing the sofa and all the furniture from the house.
“Secretary Kim, we can see the new house tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. And since we’ll have nowhere to stay once the furniture is gone, the CEO has already made reservations at a nearby hotel for us.”
Grace nodded.
“When Sung-guk talks, he seems self-centered and cold, but he actually takes really good care of the people around him. Don’t you think?”
“That’s the CEO’s charm.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so answered without even realizing it.
And Grace smiled with an enigmatic expression.
* * *
Twelve hours before the live broadcast of the American presidential debate on YouTube.
I completed the final checks for the presidential candidate debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the temporary YouTube office.
Due to the special circumstances of Central Park in New York, both candidates had paid particular attention to security.
Tomorrow, the first public YouTube debate for the American presidential candidates would be held at Central Park in New York.
I placed my hands on my hips and reviewed the order and questions one last time.
Liam Jackson, who handled political issues well, would serve as the moderator, and the weather forecast predicted clear skies in New York from morning onwards.
Everything was truly perfect.
At that moment, the door burst open without a knock, and Aiden Moore, the overall producer of this broadcast, entered.
Aiden Moore’s face was clouded with bewilderment.
“Aiden, what’s happened?”
“Sung-guk, we have a serious problem. Liam Jackson, who was supposed to moderate the social issues segment, just ruptured his appendix and is being rushed to the Hospital. He needs emergency surgery right away!”
Liam Jackson’s appendix ruptured?
While many news program anchors covered political issues, none were as sharp and incisive as Liam Jackson.
That’s why we’d specially invited him for this YouTube presidential debate, and the contract fee had been astronomical.
Aiden continued urgently.
“Liam Jackson’s agent said that with emergency surgery, it’s essentially impossible for him to moderate tomorrow’s debate.”
I pressed my forehead with my hand.
I couldn’t ask someone who’d just had emergency appendix surgery to moderate a presidential debate starting at 7 a.m.
Then….
We’d normally prepared two or three backup moderators for situations like this.
“Aiden, we need to contact another anchor right now! This isn’t the time to be sitting around!”
“Sung-guk, that’s….”
From Aiden’s expression, I could tell we were facing the worst-case scenario.
“Joe took the day off for vacation, and Lopez gave a speech supporting Mitt Romney, so he can’t moderate.”
“What other options do we have?”
“Well, this is just my thought, but what if you took over as moderator?”
“Me?”
This was a development I hadn’t anticipated.
“Honestly, there aren’t many moderators available to handle a presidential debate at 7 a.m. tomorrow.”
“There has to be someone if we look. Tell them we’ll keep Liam’s terms the same. If that doesn’t work, offer more money!”
“We could find someone with those terms, but would any moderator we scramble together tomorrow know the two candidates as well as you do?”
Aiden’s face had grown increasingly earnest.
As Aiden said, no one knew the two candidates better than I did.
“Besides, you’re not American, Sung-guk. I think that’s actually more appealing.”
“You mean I could view both candidates impartially?”
“Exactly! And presidential elections always capture global attention. If a non-American like you moderates a U.S. presidential debate, people’s curiosity will only grow even more.”
Aiden continued persuading me.
“Sung-guk, honestly, Amy Prom contacted us wanting to moderate. We didn’t reach out to her—she seems to have called after hearing that Liam collapsed.”
“Amy Prom? Isn’t she the woman who hosts a dating show on morning broadcasts?”
“Yes. She’s always been interested in politics, and it seems she wants to use this opportunity to rehabilitate her image.”
“So you’re saying Amy Prom is the only moderator available right now?”
“Yes.”
Aiden stated it definitively.
While Amy Prom was a dating show host, she could actually be one of the best moderators available.
But the problem was that Amy Prom frequently received viewer complaints for excessive ad-libbing during broadcasts.
It was because of crude jokes or punchlines that didn’t fit the situation.
I couldn’t put such a frivolous person in front of the cameras as moderator for this crucial debate, whether male or female.
Aiden looked at me anxiously.
It was time for me to make a decision.
“Sung-guk… what do we do?”
I let out a long sigh.
“Sleep is off the table tonight.”
“Sung-guk! You’re doing it, right?”
“We have no choice. Aiden, you’re not sleeping either. Get his wardrobe and makeup prepared from scratch!”
“Yes, Sung-guk!”
Aiden Moore rushed out of the office.
I checked the time.
It was already past seven in the evening.
We were supposed to have dinner at the Michelin Restaurant at eight….
It seemed I’d have to give up on tonight’s dinner.
* * *
Peter and Mark burst through the office door in New York with flushed faces. Mark was carrying a box from a nearby pizza restaurant.
“Sung-guk, you’re hosting? What happened?”
Peter asked in surprise without preamble.
“Liam Jackson’s appendix ruptured. But what are you two doing here? You should be having dinner without me.”
“Sung-guk, honestly, I prefer pizza anyway. I brought this to share.”
Mark set the pizza on the table and handed me the largest slice.
“Eat this and get to work.”
“Thanks, Mark….”
Peter grabbed a slice of pizza as well.
“Sung-guk, is there anything I can help with?”
“Apparently Aiden said that Liam Jackson’s costume coordinator refused to lend clothes since it’s not Liam’s event. So he’s been running around everywhere right now. Can you help, Peter?”
Peter grinned and shrugged.
“The vice president of Pauls is my friend. I’ll call him and have him send all the outfits with Pauls’ designer.”
Pauls was the most American brand there was.
It was perfect for this YouTube broadcast.
“Peter, thank you.”
The wardrobe was taken care of now.
Mark spoke up while crunching through his pizza.
“Sung-guk, I’ll help too. Just tell me what you need.”
“Mark, can you check the video materials that will be used during tomorrow’s debate?”
“Of course.”
“Aiden’s doing the final check, but things got hectic because of the host situation, so it seems a bit behind.”
“Got it, I’ll rush over and help!”
Finally, things were starting to get resolved one by one.
* * *
– Sung-guk, so you’re hosting tomorrow? Go easy on me.
A message came from Barack Obama, who had heard the news.
It was the same on Mitt Romney’s side.
– Sung-guk, I’m Michael Joe, the publicist for Mitt Romney. We were informed that Liam Jackson is unable to proceed due to appendicitis, and you’ll be hosting instead. We’re counting on a fair discussion.
I didn’t respond to anyone.
I had no intention of going easy on Barack Obama, nor did I plan to treat Mitt Romney unfairly.
YouTube broadcasts fundamentally had to differ from terrestrial television.
The discussion needed sensational content compelling enough to click on, yet I had to maintain appropriate boundaries.
Liam Jackson’s script was closer to broadcast television than I’d expected, so it took considerable time to overhaul it.
What I wanted was simple.
Massive viewership numbers!
* * *
5 AM.
Click.
The office door swung open as a woman wheeled in a clothing rack laden with Pauls garments.
“Hello, I’m Choi Ye-sun, a designer at Pauls.”
“You’re Korean?”
“Yes. I received an urgent call, and when I heard it was for CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s outfit, I volunteered. I thought a Korean would have a better eye for dressing another Korean than an American would.”
Choi Ye-sun hadn’t brought many clothes.
“There aren’t as many options as I expected.”
“Don’t worry. I follow your SNS regularly, sir. Your skin is fair and clear, so I thought white tones would suit you well, which is what I prepared. Of course, I coordinated with both Barack Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s teams to ensure our colors don’t overlap.”
Choi Ye-sun had prepared her selections with meticulous care.
“Polo shirt and denim—a common combination, but it can easily look tacky if done wrong. How many times you roll up the sleeves matters too.”
I selected the white polo shirt and dark denim she offered.
Choi Ye-sun scrutinized me from head to toe with a discerning eye.
“Sir, your face truly is the finishing touch to any outfit.”
Choi Ye-sun looked satisfied.
* * *
6 AM.
Central Park was bright, and the area around the debate venue was under airtight security.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney wore outfits in colors symbolizing their respective parties. The white shirt I’d chosen proved to be an excellent decision among them.
After finishing makeup, I first sought out Barack Obama in the makeshift waiting room.
Barack Obama flashed his characteristic bright smile.
“Sung-guk, why didn’t you respond to my messages? Are you planning to go hard on me?”
“Barack, you should be mentally prepared when you appear on a YouTube debate.”
The question sheet you gave me in advance was quite aggressive too. If it’s you, you’ve probably prepared something else as well, haven’t you?”
“Who knows.”
I answered vaguely.
Of course I’d prepared other material, and Barack Obama likely anticipated that I wouldn’t limit myself to purely policy-based questions.
Shortly after, I visited Mitt Romney’s waiting room as well.
Mitt Romney also greeted me with a bright smile.
“Sung-guk, I’m feeling a bit nervous. Please make sure today’s debate is fair.”
“Of course. I’m neither a politician nor an American, after all. I’m here in my capacity as the representative of YouTube. Matt, don’t worry too much.”
“Hearing that puts my mind at ease.”
I reassured both of them and left the waiting room.
* * *
7 a.m.
Finally, YouTube’s first-ever U.S. presidential debate had begun.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney exchanged brief greetings, and I offered mine as well.
“Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk, the representative of YouTube, and I’ll be moderating today’s U.S. presidential debate.”
Then I dove straight into the matter at hand.
“There’s a Korean saying that it’s better to take a blow first.”
At my words, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stared at me with tension written across their faces.
“So, Barack. Let’s watch this video first.”
The screen displayed footage of Barack Obama entering a hotel with a woman.
In that instant, YouTube’s concurrent viewer count began skyrocketing wildly.

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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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