I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 442

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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 442
I quickly composed myself and offered a casual excuse.
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, you have a hair on your shoulder.”
Then I promptly brushed her shoulder, ostensibly removing it.
“It’s gone now.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so laughed awkwardly.
“Let’s go pick up Mark and Lim Mi-mi.”
“Yes, sir.”
I hurried toward Mark and Lim Mi-mi’s newlyweds’ home.
* * *
We arrived at the entrance of Mark and Lim Mi-mi’s newlyweds’ home, but the interior remained dark. It was already past eight in the morning.
Secretary Kim Mi-so looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Sir, why don’t I hear any signs of life? The makeup artist should be arriving soon.”
“That’s strange.”
I found it odd as well.
Had something happened?
I quickly pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang loudly, but there was still no sign of movement from inside.
What on earth was going on?
Had there been a break-in?
Just as countless worries flooded my mind, the door clicked open. Mark emerged with an exaggerated yawn, utterly unbothered.
“Sung-guk, Secretary Kim….”
“Mark, did you just wake up?”
“Uh… Mi-mi and I were talking about this and that yesterday, and before we knew it, we fell asleep at dawn. What time is it?”
“It’s past eight! Mark, you should have been done with all your preparations by now!”
“Sorry… I thought I set an alarm before sleeping…. It seems it didn’t go off.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so asked urgently.
“Don’t tell me Mi-mi is still sleeping too?”
“Yes…. I’ve heard that pregnant women tend to sleep more.”
“Then, I’ll just head inside.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so brushed past Mark and went straight in.
I let out a long sigh.
“Mark, should I say this is so like you….”
Was there anyone else in the world so carefree on their wedding day?
“Sung-guk, can’t I just wash up and put on a suit?”
“Yes, but first wash your hair.”
“Alright, I’ll shower and be right out.”
I followed Mark into the house.
At that moment, Secretary Kim Mi-so hurried out of the bedroom.
“Sir, couldn’t we take Mark to the hotel instead?”
“Why?”
“You promised to renovate the bathroom, so right now only the master bathroom is usable. Mi-mi needs to get ready, you know.”
Mark emerged brushing his teeth, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
“Sung-guk, Mi-mi needs to shower.”
“Come with me to our hotel, Mark.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s the way to go….”
Mark finished brushing his teeth with remarkable composure and followed me out.
* * *
The wedding was scheduled for exactly noon.
And it was now eleven o’clock.
I rushed out of the hotel with Mark, then climbed into the car that Jeon Tae-guk had prepared in advance. He was behind the wheel.
Surprisingly, Jeon Tae-guk was driving himself.
“Brother, you’re driving yourself?”
“Park Secretary left at the crack of dawn for the wedding venue. To handle all the wedding details….”
Secretary Park Sung-hee was essentially handling all the preparations for this wedding.
I was deeply concerned about Jeon Tae-guk, who hadn’t driven in the United States in a long time.
“Brother, can you make it to the wedding venue safely?”
“I have GPS. Let’s go. If we get stuck in traffic, the groom might be late.”
The calmest person in all this was Mark.
“Tae-guk, drive safely, please. I’d like to arrive at the venue alive.”
“Don’t worry, Mark. Trust me.”
Then the car finally departed toward the wedding venue.
* * *
With a loud screech, Jeon Tae-guk’s car barely made it to the venue.
It was ten minutes before the wedding was to begin.
I quickly grabbed Mark’s hand.
“Mark, hurry up!”
“Sung-guk, it’s fine. Let’s take it slow.”
“Mark, the groom can’t be late to his own wedding!”
“Well, about that….”
Mark scratched his head sheepishly.
“Mi-mi’s running even later.”
“What?”
“We overslept, you know. And women always need more time to get ready anyway. She’s just running behind….”
“How much later?”
“I got a message earlier… about thirty minutes late….”
I stared at Mark in disbelief.
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head in exasperation.
“Why does it feel like only the groom and bride are relaxed at this wedding? I have a feeling….”
Just then, Min-guk came running over.
Thanks to Sevens’ light schedule even after their debut, Min-guk had crossed over to the United States with his family to coincide with Mark’s wedding.
“Hyung! Isn’t the wedding at noon?”
“Yeah….”
I answered in a listless voice.
“But why doesn’t it feel like we’re about to start at all?”
“Well….”
At that moment, a brilliant idea struck me.
“Min-guk, want to do a quick job for me?”
“A job?”
“Lim Mi-mi said she’d be about thirty minutes late. Could you sing a bit while we wait?”
“Huh?!”
Min-guk looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression.
I knew that face all too well.
He was pretending to be flustered, but Min-guk would soon extend his palm to me.
Sure enough, Min-guk showed me his open hand.
“Hyung, you know same-day gigs pay more, right? And I’m a debuted idol now. The pay is different from when I was a trainee.”
Jeon Tae-guk stepped in quickly on my behalf.
“Min-guk, is there anything you want to buy?”
“There’s a Gucci bag I’ve been eyeing, hyung!”
“Just keep them entertained for thirty minutes.”
“Yes!!!”
Min-guk answered and rushed into the venue.
Soon, an announcement in Min-guk’s fluent English began.
“The wedding of Mark Zuckerberg and Lim Mi-mi, scheduled for noon today, will be delayed by approximately thirty minutes due to traffic congestion in San Francisco. Instead, for our guests who arrived on time, I, the main vocalist of Sevens from South Korea, will perform some songs for you. Please enjoy the prepared food!”
As soon as Min-guk’s announcement ended, I heard him clearing his throat, and sweet ballads began to flow.
By the time the first song was ending, Park Secretary found the backing track on YouTube and played it. Soon, the wedding venue was transforming into a concert hall.
Taking a breath of relief, I glanced at Mark.
Mark was sipping champagne with his necktie loosened.
“Mark, you’re not nervous at all?”
“Sung-guk, honestly… I’m incredibly nervous.”
Mark grinned sheepishly. When he did, his freckles became more prominent in the light.
“Even though it’s small-scale, I’m getting married in front of people. I’m definitely nervous, but more than that….”
More than that?
“I’m happier. I’m so happy that I’m forgetting to be nervous. So you find a good person and get married too, okay?”
“Yeah….”
[Someday I’ll do the same with someone….]
I let out a deep sigh.
Just then, I could see the bride Lim Mi-mi and bridesmaid Secretary Kim Mi-so running toward us from the distance.
“Mark, the bride has arrived!”
Jeon Tae-guk shouted.
Mark and I simultaneously began running toward each other’s positions.
* * *
August 15, 2012, 12:40 PM.
Mark was finally getting married….
Though the ceremony had started forty minutes late, Min-guk’s singing had actually elevated the guests’ spirits even higher.
Mark was preparing to make his entrance in the distance.
Uncomfortable with the formality, he kept scratching his head.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but smile.
I truly felt the weight of those words—how different this moment felt.
The Mark who once lived glued to his computer in the Philip Academy dormitory, with frizzy hair and a face full of freckles, was now getting married….
Soon the groom’s entrance was announced, and Mark walked down the aisle in a crisp suit for the first time in ages, moving to the rhythm of the wedding march. Of course, true to form, he stumbled midway and nearly twisted his ankle.
The guests burst into laughter.
“Is he showing his first-time jitters?”
“Mark, get it together!”
Good-natured jeers erupted from all corners.
The guest section was filled with our longtime friends.
Dennis was there, in the middle of filming a movie, and Jessie was visible as well, having come as a representative from the White House bearing Barack’s congratulations.
Everyone laughed warmly at Mark’s mishap.
Mark, whose face always flushed when embarrassed, arrived at the altar looking like a beet. Then, seeing me, he broke into an awkward smile and spoke to me for no particular reason.
“Sung-guk, I look good today, right?”
“Mark, focus. You need to greet the bride.”
“Oh, right….”
Mark quickly turned around to look at Lim Mi-mi, who was waiting for her entrance. She held her father’s hand.
When Mark saw Lim Mi-mi standing beneath the warm sunlight, his face grew even redder.
And Lim Mi-mi in her wedding dress was more beautiful than ever. Her face bore the most serene expression since he had known her.
Soon, the announcement of the bride’s entrance rang out, accompanied by the wedding march.
Mark stared at Lim Mi-mi walking toward him, his mouth hanging wide open.
“Mark, close your mouth!”
Teasing voices came from everywhere, but Mark paid them no mind.
And finally, he took Lim Mi-mi’s hand as her father offered it to him.
Mark and Lim Mi-mi gazed at each other for a moment.
In this instant, everything was truly beautiful in its own perfect way.
Except for Mark’s face, which resembled a beet!
The two then stood hand in hand before the officiant.
Bill Gates, who was presiding, shared a brief but beautiful story about marriage.
“The best thing I’ve ever done in my life is probably getting married. I hope this couple experiences days like that for the rest of their lives.”
Of course, Bill Gates would have a messy divorce about ten years later….
Now it was time to read the marriage vows.
I was preparing to hand the wedding ring to Mark.
My heart was pounding.
But then, Lim Mi-mi’s scream pierced through the wedding venue.
“Mark! Mark! Mark!!!”
Just as Mark was about to read the marriage vow, he collapsed.
I rushed over to Mark immediately, and people around us were calling 911.
Lim Mi-mi cradled the collapsed Mark in her arms, her face bewildered.
“Mark, snap out of it!!!”
What on earth had happened to Mark!
* * *
“Mark, you’re okay! It’s me, Sung-guk.”
In that moment, Mark’s eyes fluttered open and he glanced around.
Then he gestured for me to come closer.
What was going on?
I brought my ear close to Mark’s face so the others wouldn’t notice.
“Sung-guk, I think I drank too much champagne earlier. I suddenly felt so drowsy….”
[Surely not, Mark… you didn’t actually fall asleep at the wedding, did you?]
I sighed.
Then I gritted my teeth and spoke quietly.
“Mark, just say it was the sunlight that made you collapse. Understood?”
“Okay….”
The paramedics who had just arrived quickly checked Mark’s condition and smiled knowingly.
“You don’t need to go to the hospital, right?”
“That seems to be the case. The sunlight was so intense that I must have briefly lost consciousness.”
At those words, all the guests felt relieved.
“Mark, how can the groom be so frail!”
Dennis and his friends teased Mark.
Lim Mi-mi gave Mark a solid slap on the back.
“Mark, get it together! We haven’t even read the marriage vow yet!”
“Oh, that’s right!”
Led by Lim Mi-mi’s hand, Mark stood before the altar again, and the two of them finally exchanged wedding rings. Then they read the marriage vow and became true husband and wife.
* * *
The reception continued.
Min-guk, who had grabbed the microphone once and gotten a taste for it, was singing one song after another in time with the arriving band.
Fortunately, the guests’ reaction was not bad.
People ate, drank, and were happy.
And I stood in the corner, loosened my tie a bit, and sipped champagne.
Secretary Kim Mi-so, looking visibly exhausted, came to my side with a slice of wedding cake.
“CEO, you haven’t had any wedding cake yet, have you?”
“Thank you.”
Mark and Lim Mi-mi were dancing as though they hadn’t collapsed moments ago, and I observed them briefly alongside Secretary Kim.
“Secretary Kim, you’ve worked hard today.”
“CEO, you’re the one who deserves the credit. Today felt like an entire year compressed into a single day.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so seemed to finally be releasing a long-held breath.
I felt the same way.
Because of Mark, I couldn’t even remember how today had passed.
I watched Mark dancing with Lim Mi-mi, his energy seemingly boundless.
“If Mark ever gets married a second time, I’m cutting ties with him.”
I shoved a piece of Mark’s wedding cake into my mouth in one bite.
[Mark, congratulations on your wedding. Live happily!]

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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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