I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 444

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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 444
Bang Mu-hyuk scanned the members of Sevens with a slightly tense expression.
When Sevens was first conceived, the concept was hip-hop idols.
The first album also incorporated a lot of hip-hop music, but the underground hip-hop scene had mocked idols doing hip-hop quite a bit.
Perhaps Give Me The Money could be a good opportunity to break through such prejudices against idols.
“As you all know, Give Me The Money Season 4 is launching this time. You know that, right?”
“Yes!”
The members of Sevens answered loudly in unison.
The members had already discussed Give Me The Money among themselves in their group chat.
“It would be nice if everyone who wants to participate does, but since I have to consider the group’s image, I was hoping about two people would participate… What do you all think?”
At that moment, Min-guk raised his hand.
“Representative, we were actually just talking about this among ourselves. We thought it would be better if we didn’t all rush out together, but instead had those who want to go from within our group compete and decide internally.”
“Alright then, let’s first see who wants to participate by raising their hands.”
Three people raised their hands at Bang Mu-hyuk’s words.
It was Min-guk, Jung-woo, and Dohyung.
Bang Mu-hyuk had expected Min-guk and Jung-woo, but Dohyung was unexpected. Among the vocal members, he was the one who primarily handled the more lyrical parts.
“Dohyung, you want to participate too?”
“I may not have the skills, but I’d like to give it a try.”
“Alright, let’s see the skills of these three people at the practice room this Saturday. We’ll decide which two will go through an internal vote. Understood?”
“Yes!!!”
* * *
I watched through Give Me The Money Seasons 1 through 3 in their entirety.
Seasons 1 through 3 featured mostly rappers from the underground hip-hop scene or amateur rappers.
It felt like people who wanted to gain recognition but had never had the opportunity were appearing.
There were idol participants in the preliminaries, but most were eliminated. Not a single participant made it past the middle rounds.
Moreover, in the rappers’ lyrics, they often made a habit of mocking idols as puppets, scarecrows, and the like.
[If Min-guk goes out like this, his mental state will be completely shattered….]
I trusted Min-guk, but if he went out as things stood, he might truly return having only suffered humiliation.
Moreover, Min-guk had learned rap from Eminem and had studied hip-hop diligently in its birthplace during his time in the United States.
But they couldn’t know about Min-guk’s efforts.
It seemed like some special measures were needed.
The front door opened with a click, and Min-guk came in.
“Hyung, you were watching Give Me The Money.”
“Yeah. Have you decided who from Sevens will participate?”
“We decided to hold an internal primary this Saturday and narrow it down to two people. Those two will apply for Give Me The Money.”
“Do you think you’ll be picked as one of the two?”
“I’d like to be, but… Jung-woo hyung is on another level, so it’ll be hard for me to beat him… Dohyung is the problem.”
Dohyung was that visual member whom Ji-hee had once had a crush on.
“Dohyung? That friend is also competing in the primary?”
“Yeah. Dohyung has a deep, charming voice. He’ll probably be good at rapping too….”
Min-guk’s confidence had taken a significant hit.
“Hyung, I’m going to my room to practice for a bit.”
“Yeah….”
Min-guk entered his room quietly, unlike his usual self.
Watching his retreating figure, I felt a pang of sympathy.
Just then, a FaceNote notification popped up.
Who could it be?
When I opened FaceNote, there was a message from Eminem. It had just arrived.
– Sung-guk, I’m performing in Seoul this time. Show me around Seoul.
A short and intense message.
That was so typical of Eminem.
But Eminem was coming to Korea?
Somehow it felt like luck was finally coming Min-guk’s way….
– Eminem, when is your performance?
– Do you even check my FaceNote? We’re friends. The performance schedule is posted there, Sung-guk!
People shortened FaceNote to “FaceNote” in casual conversation.
I quickly checked Eminem’s FaceNote profile.
Eminem’s concert was scheduled for two days during the first weekend of September at the Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul.
– Eminem, I’ll clear my schedule.
– Awesome!
Eminem was coming to Korea. And to Seoul, no less!
Of course, he might just perform and leave, but I was planning to take him on a Seoul tour with me.
In that case, I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
Especially since Min-guk was going to be on Give Me The Money!
– Eminem, you remember Min-guk, right?
– Of course. He’s my protégé. My daughter is absolutely obsessed with Sevens, the group Min-guk debuted in these days.
As expected, Sevens’ popularity was beginning to spread overseas first.
– Min-guk is participating in a hip-hop battle happening domestically this time. Eminem, could you help him out?
– Sung-guk!!! It’s me, Eminem!
What did that mean?
Was he upset that I was asking him to help with some hip-hop battle in Korea that he’d never even heard of?
– Sung-guk! Of course I’ll help! But since my daughter likes him, can I take a photo with Min-guk?
Eminem’s love for his daughter was as strong as ever.
[He used to like me before….]
I pushed aside the bittersweet feeling and replied quickly.
– Eminem, anything is possible!
– Okay! Sung-guk, see you in Seoul.
Our conversation ended briefly.
Now all that was left was to motivate Min-guk.
Knock. Knock.
I knocked on Min-guk’s door and cracked it open.
Min-guk, who had just removed his headphones, looked up at me.
“What is it, hyung?”
“Min-guk, Eminem is coming to Korea.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s performing in September at Jamsil Sports Complex.”
“Let’s go to that concert together. It’ll help with Give Me The Money too.”
“I gave up on getting tickets because they’re so hard to find….”
[I’m Jeon Sung-guk.]
But Min-guk still had the Give Me The Money preliminaries ahead of him.
“If you want to see Eminem’s concert, you need to at least pass the Give Me The Money preliminaries.”
Of course, before the preliminaries, he had to pass the internal Sevens auditions first!
“Hyung, don’t worry! I’ll beat Dohyung no matter what and apply! Anyway, I’ll do my absolute best, so tell Eminem to wait for me.”
“Got it. Practice hard.”
Min-guk, unlike before, started practicing with renewed excitement.
[Min-guk, just practice hard. I’ll take care of the rest!]
* * *
Ding dong.
I pressed the doorbell to Jeon Tae-guk’s apartment, my hands heavy with alcohol and chicken.
Jeon Tae-guk came to the door shortly after.
He hadn’t even taken off his suit yet.
“Oh, Sung-guk… what’s all this?”
“Hyung, it’s still before dinner, right?”
“Yeah, I just got home from work.”
In truth, I had secretly asked Secretary Park Sung-hee about Jeon Tae-guk’s departure time and prepared everything while waiting.
I’d also heard that on his way home, Jeon Tae-guk had mentioned wanting to eat chicken today.
“I was actually planning to order chicken once Sam and Adam arrive….”
“They’re both working overtime, so they’ll be late.”
“Is that so?”
“Let’s have chicken and beer tonight, just the two of us.”
“Sung-guk, what’s gotten into you….”
Jeon Tae-guk’s eyes narrowed.
“You… want to ask me for something, don’t you?”
[Even a dog at a village school learns to recite poetry after three years, Jeon Tae-guk.]
“Hyung, let’s go inside and talk.”
I quickly thrust the chicken into Jeon Tae-guk’s arms.
* * *
Jeon Tae-guk stared at me with surprised eyes, a chicken leg in hand.
“Min-guk is going on Give Me The Money? But Min-guk has already debuted—doesn’t he not need to go on a show like that?”
“Sevens hasn’t fully taken off yet. He wants to go on the show to raise his profile and get some fresh stimulation.”
“I’m completely obsessed with that show too….”
“Hyung, do you happen to know the PD there?”
“So you’re bringing chicken and asking me to introduce you to the PD?”
“If possible, it would be great if you could arrange a meeting too.”
I stated honestly what I wanted.
“Well, it’s a broadcasting station Uncle runs anyway. I’ll just ask him to set something up.”
“Thanks, hyung.”
“But this isn’t really your style.”
Jeon Tae-guk stared at me with cold eyes.
“Hyung, what do you mean?”
“You’re not trying to meet with that PD to ask them to push Min-guk up the ranks, are you?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, you’re viewing me as some lowlife who makes requests through connections?]
I calmly grabbed a chicken wing and tore into it, then fixed Jeon Tae-guk with a cold stare.
“Hyung, do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“No… that’s not what I meant….”
Jeon Tae-guk’s voice trailed off.
“Then why do you want to meet?”
“Eminem is coming to Korea. I thought it would be good if he could make a brief appearance on the broadcast then….”
“You’re asking me to introduce you to the PD just for that?”
“Yes, hyung.”
Jeon Tae-guk’s brow furrowed.
It seemed Jeon Tae-guk had assumed I would meet with the Give Me The Money PD and propose getting Min-guk approved to advance to a certain level.
[Jeon Tae-guk, I’m not you. Min-guk’s advancement has to be one hundred percent based on skill!]
But it seemed like Sevens and Min-guk, who had risen through pure talent, deserved a little gift. And that gift was Eminem.
I continued speaking as I finished tearing apart the chicken wing.
“I don’t know how far Min-guk will go, but Eminem is an idol to rappers. If someone like that appears on the broadcast, it would help the other contestants too.”
“Ah… yeah…. I’ll tell Uncle about it.”
Jeon Tae-guk answered with a still bewildered expression.
For someone like Jeon Tae-guk, who had lived comfortably his entire life through various connections, effort might have been an unfamiliar concept.
* * *
Lee Sung-gyun scratched his head.
It had been a while since the Samjeon Hotel Chinese Restaurant, but today’s meeting felt incredibly burdensome.
Jeon Tae-guk, the executive director and heir to the Samjeon Group, had contacted him directly, and moreover, the person coming with him was Jeon Sung-guk.
The most famous entrepreneur in South Korea, no—in the world.
A global billionaire, handsome, and far younger than himself.
And from his considerable experience as a broadcasting station PD, meetings like this were always predictable.
They were always requests for favors.
Jeon Sung-guk’s younger brother was a member of the idol group Sevens.
He was also a contestant on Give Me The Money, which Lee Sung-gyun was directing.
Although auditions hadn’t even begun yet, he had confirmed that the member’s name was among the applicants.
Lee Sung-gyun glanced nervously at his watch.
Due to my nervousness, I had arrived thirty minutes early, so there was still no sign of Jeon Sung-guk.
* * *
“Sung-guk, I know I just said let’s grab a meal, but he’s probably incredibly nervous right now.”
Jeon Tae-guk chattered away as we passed through the Samjeon Hotel Lobby.
“Hyung, why did you call the PD in charge directly?”
“You asked me to help, so I had to step in myself. Besides, I’m a fan of that show too….”
Because of Jeon Tae-guk, the PD in charge was undoubtedly nervous enough to pull his hair out. And with both of us going together, it was clear that no matter what proposal we made today, the PD would find it difficult to refuse.
I followed the guide toward the private room where the PD in charge was waiting.
As the door opened, the nervous PD jumped to his feet.
“Ah, hello. I’m PD Lee Sung-gyun.”
“Hello. I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
“And I’m Jeon Tae-guk.”
“I’m already quite familiar with both of you.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun’s voice trembled noticeably.
We quickly took our seats and ordered food.
Jeon Tae-guk even ordered alcohol.
“You seem quite nervous. How about we have a drink and talk?”
“Ah, yes….”
PD Lee Sung-gyun kept watching our expressions carefully.
It seemed best for PD Lee Sung-gyun’s mental health to get to the main point first.
“PD, let me tell you why I wanted to meet with you first.”
“Ah, yes… Please, tell me anything.”
“Since you work on a hip-hop program, you know Eminem, right?”
“Eminem… Of course I do. But why Eminem all of a sudden?”
“Eminem is holding a concert in Korea this time.”
“Yes, I’m going that day too. I’m a huge fan.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun’s nervousness seemed to ease a little.
“I think I can recruit Eminem. He’ll make a brief appearance on Give Me The Money.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun’s eyes widened, and he asked blankly.
“Wait… You didn’t ask to meet because you wanted to ask a favor for your younger brother?”
PD Lee Sung-gyun inadvertently spoke his true thoughts and covered his mouth with his hand.
“That’s not it…. I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. It’s understandable to have such a misunderstanding. But your brother’s matters are his own responsibility. My only request is that you help make it possible for Eminem to appear on Give Me The Money.”

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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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