I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 44

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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 44
Secretary Yang finished his soju and slowly opened his mouth.
“What if we pushed forward with Sung-guk’s study abroad plans once more? During this trip to the United States, Sung-guk actually took a test from the American Gifted Education Organization. The results came back today, and they said they’d like to have Sung-guk study with them. We’ll cover all the expenses on our end.”
“Hmm….”
Sung-guk’s father pondered for a moment.
The boy was as stubborn as he was intelligent. Once he decided something was a no, it was a no.
“I’ll talk it over with my wife and Sung-guk again.”
“You should. I suspect Sung-guk wants to quit kindergarten because he dislikes being around children who aren’t at his level.”
Sung-guk’s father fell into contemplation.
Could that really be it?
* * *
My answer was clear and concise.
“Dad, I don’t want to.”
“Sung-guk, Secretary Yang said he’d sponsor everything for you to study in the United States.”
“I. Don’t. Want. To.”
[Dad, what I really want is to cut ties with Samjeon Group. Even if I accept their money and study, I’ll just become a cog for them!]
I clenched my fists.
“Sung-guk, I understand. But what about continuing kindergarten? You have friends there.”
[I can make friends through plenty of other opportunities later.]
Attending Samjeon Group’s kindergarten had taught me something crucial: in my previous life, I’d never had a single true friend.
I’d considered children from similar backgrounds who attended the same kindergarten and schools as friends, but our relationships had been purely transactional from the start.
I pulled out the plan I’d prepared from behind my back and handed it to Dad.
“Dad! This!”
Dad stared blankly at the paper I offered.
“A plan?”
“Yes!”
It was my life plan, scrawled in crayon with crooked letters. I figured showing them something like this would help Mom and Dad understand my resolve.
Jeon Sung-guk’s Life Plan
1. Quit kindergarten, then invest in stocks and real estate
2. Become a tycoon before turning twenty.
Dad looked at me with concern.
[Dad, why that face? Isn’t my plan to become a tycoon before twenty amazing?]
“So-young, come here and look at this.”
Mom came over from playing with Min-guk and looked at the plan, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Honey, did Sung-guk really write this?”
“So-young, I think it’s time we let Sung-guk quit Samjeon Kindergarten.”
[I knew Dad would understand my intentions.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Honey, Sung-guk is only five—he needs to go to kindergarten.”
“Let’s look into a regular neighborhood kindergarten. He’s been hanging around rich kids at that place and now he only cares about money. How can a five-year-old be talking like this!”
Father’s voice was trembling with emotion.
[Ugh, this isn’t the reaction I was hoping for. Dad, I’m from a chaebol family—I only know money. We’ve been taught our entire lives only how to protect and grow the wealth we have!]
“You seem right about that. Sung-guk does have plenty of opportunities, but it looks like he’s been subtly discriminated against there. I’ll look into other kindergartens right away. Sung-guk has saved up quite a bit of money anyway, so we can provide him with an education that suits him.”
“Let’s do that. I think we’ve relied too heavily on Samjeon Group all this time. No matter how poor we parents are, we can’t raise Sung-guk to be a child who only understands money.”
[Dad, Mom. Life is all about money!]
I was taken aback by my parents’ unexpected response and found myself at a loss for words.
Father rose from his seat and walked toward my room.
“I bought him every book he asked for because he’s such a smart child, and they’re all economics books. A five-year-old shouldn’t grow up like this.”
“No way!”
I quickly rushed over and blocked Father’s path.
“Sung-guk, Dad’s angry. Move aside.”
“No way!”
“Sung-guk, Dad’s really upset. Move.”
“I don’t want to!”
“Sung-guk!”
“I hate you, Dad!”
Father scooped me up and handed me to Mother.
“So-young, hold Sung-guk tight.”
“Honey, those are books Sung-guk loves. Let’s get rid of them gradually.”
Father seemed to be deliberating for a moment.
I quickly nestled into Mother’s arms and began to whimper.
“Mom, I want to go back on TV.”
“Sung-guk, do you really want to go back on TV?”
“Yes! Sniff sniff.”
I nodded while sniffling.
If quitting kindergarten wouldn’t work, I’d have to find another way.
“I hate you, Dad!”
I said this to Mother as if reporting on him, then buried myself in her warm embrace and began to cry earnestly.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
I cried as pitifully as I possibly could.
“Honey, I think Sung-guk wants to go back on TV because of this.”
“Either way, he can’t go to that kindergarten anymore. Sung-guk’s six now—he needs to grow up like a normal child. What kind of person becomes if he only understands money?”
“Honey, I understand. Let me comfort Sung-guk.”
The more they spoke, the deeper I burrowed into Mother’s embrace, casting an aggrieved glance at Father.
Father approached and lifted me up. I thrashed about desperately. Then Father held me close to his chest and patted my back.
“Sung-guk, Dad’s sorry for getting angry. I won’t touch the books. But… I wish you’d grow up like other children, playing and running around with your friends.”
[Dad, please acknowledge how special I am. Being ordinary isn’t good.]
Shortly after, Mother and Father sat me down in front of them and crossed their arms.
Father opened his mouth with a stern expression.
“Sung-guk, life isn’t something where you can do everything you want.”
[Dad, I already know that. It was the same when I was the heir to Samjeon Electronics.]
“Your mother and I believe children should receive education appropriate for their age. You should attend kindergarten at kindergarten age, and elementary school at elementary school age.”
[Dad, just get to the point already. I’m getting sleepy.]
I let out a wide yawn.
Children were instinctive creatures, so no one said anything about it.
“Sung-guk, I’d really like it if you continued attending kindergarten in some form. In exchange, I’ll allow you to appear on broadcasts.”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
Sleep continued to wash over me, and my mind wasn’t working clearly.
“Honey, I think Sung-guk is getting sleepy.”
“That rascal was throwing such a fit earlier.”
“Let’s just put the kids to bed for now and talk about it again tomorrow.”
“Alright, So-young. Let’s put the children down and have a beer.”
“Sounds good.”
Mother picked me up and headed toward my room.
Cradled in Mother’s arms, sleep came even more heavily.
Kindergarten and broadcasts, huh….
[Dad’s quite the negotiator too.]
I drifted smoothly into sleep.
* * *
After a long time, I sat in the SKJ Office, my talent agency, and gulped down a banana milk.
While Mother and Kim Mi-young were busy with company matters, I sat on the office sofa for a moment, flipping through various brochures.
Since I’d quit working, the agency had been operating like Lim Sun-mi’s solo agency, but lately it seemed they were focusing on recruiting new actors as Min-guk had started appearing in dramas.
I heard the sound of the door opening and a young woman’s voice.
“Hello. Is this SKJ Entertainment?”
Standing there was Song Hye-sun with a youthful face.
I raised my hand excitedly.
[Hye-sun, it’s been so long.]
“Oh my, aren’t you Sung-guk?”
Song Hye-sun approached me with a smile. Her short-haired style, round eyes, prominent nose, and straight lips—she was indeed a natural beauty.
Song Hye-sun looked at me with curiosity.
“Wow, you’re really pretty.”
Song Hye-sun was wearing a school uniform.
[Looks like she’s still in high school.]
Kim Mi-young approached upon seeing Song Hye-sun.
“What brings you here?”
“Hello. I heard you were recruiting new actors, so I came. I’m Song Hye-sun. Here’s my portfolio.”
“I’ll take a look. You’re not a complete newcomer, are you?”
“I’ve done a few school uniform modeling jobs.”
“I’ll review it and contact you.”
Song Hye-sun was leaving but paused, turned back, and bowed politely.
“I’d be grateful for the opportunity. I’m really a fan of Sung-guk, so I’ve been hoping to work with your company.”
“Thank you. We’ll review the portfolio carefully.”
Song Hye-sun waved goodbye to me and left.
Later, after she did several commercials for Samjeon Group and we shared meals together multiple times, we’d encounter each other at award ceremonies and similar events. Song Hye-sun eventually became the epitome of innocent charm among actresses.
“Sung-guk, did you finish your banana milk?”
“Yes!”
Mother approached me.
“How does it taste?”
“Delicious!”
“Sung-guk, you’re going to do a commercial for this. What do you think?”
[Wait. I’m doing a banana milk commercial?]
I did a little shoulder dance.
“Mom, I love it!”
Until now, there hadn’t been a single food product I genuinely enjoyed, but banana milk? I couldn’t have been happier.
Father and I reached a compromise: I would continue attending Samjeon Kindergarten in exchange for doing the commercial shoot. Father reasoned that while Min-guk was still a baby not attending kindergarten, I couldn’t afford excessive absences from wherever I was enrolled.
I reluctantly agreed to Father’s proposal.
After all, listening to various experts speak in the advanced class at Samjeon Group Kindergarten was far superior to mingling with kindergarteners who didn’t match my level.
Kim Mi-young arrived with a stack of portfolios and placed them on the table.
“Sung-guk’s mother, these are all the portfolios that came in this week. Let’s narrow them down here. These have some basic modeling experience, and the rest have no experience at all.”
I could see Song Hye-sun’s file among them—the one she’d just left.
Mother and Kim Mi-young flipped through the portfolios, discussing various candidates.
I also skimmed through all the portfolios that Mother and Kim Mi-young had reviewed. But no actress stood out quite like Song Hye-sun.
“Noona, what about this girl?”
Mother handed Kim Mi-young the portfolio of a strikingly beautiful woman.
“She looks decent, but being so beautiful, she’ll probably only get typecast roles.”
[Manager Kim Mi-young really knows her stuff. To be a leading actress in Korean dramas, you need someone like Song Hye-sun—pretty but with that protective instinct she inspires—rather than a beauty pageant winner. That image will work for at least the next ten years.]
Mother scratched her head.
“Now that I think about it, she’s a beauty pageant finalist too.”
“Right.”
Kim Mi-young rummaged through the portfolios and handed Mother Song Hye-sun’s file.
“She just came by. She looks like a student, but she seemed fine in person. I think she’ll photograph well, and her image is good too.”
“Isn’t she a bit short?”
Mother tilted her head questioningly.
[Mom, Song Hye-sun has an aura that more than compensates for her height.]
I raised my hand enthusiastically.
“Yes!”
“Sung-guk, what are you voting yes for?”
Kim Mi-young asked.
I pointed my finger directly at Song Hye-sun’s face.
“This one!”
“Sung-guk’s mother, it seems young Sung-guk has taken quite a liking to Song Hye-sun.”
[Manager Kim, this isn’t about personal preference. Song Hye-sun is going to earn me an enormous fortune.]
Mother pinched my cheek lightly.
“When did mother say she was the best thing in the world?”
“Mother is the best!”
I wrapped my arms around Mother in a tight embrace.

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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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