I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 445

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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 445
Lee Sung-gyun blinked repeatedly behind his glasses.
Eminem appearing on Give Me The Money… it was almost like a dream. And naturally, there was no reason to refuse.
Lee Sung-gyun quickly composed himself.
Jeon Sung-guk was no ordinary person. I couldn’t fathom what lay behind that proposal.
“Sir, I may have misspoken….”
“Not at all. My younger brother is an idol group member, and he’s even appearing this season, so it’s completely understandable to be confused.”
Fortunately, Min-guk had beaten Dohyung and applied with Jung-woo for Give Me The Money Season 4.
Knock. Knock.
The ordered dishes and drinks arrived.
Jeon Tae-guk quickly picked up the bottle.
“Producer Lee, relax a bit. We’re not bad people. I’m a genuine fan of this program, and Sung-guk set up this meeting because of Eminem.”
“Ah, I think I’ve misunderstood quite a bit.”
Jeon Tae-guk promptly filled Lee Sung-gyun’s glass.
“Producer, you must get a lot of requests like this, right?”
“Not none, certainly. People ask me to push their agency’s singers to a certain rank, or to be careful with editing so they don’t get cut. Those kinds of requests are common.”
Lee Sung-gyun relaxed and spoke freely.
“But this kind of favor is a first. Eminem is someone we couldn’t cast even if we wanted to. If anything, I should be the one making requests….”
“I’ve known Eminem since America originally.”
“Really?”
My words sparked curiosity in Lee Sung-gyun.
“Min-guk even learned rap from Eminem.”
“Seriously?”
Lee Sung-gyun’s eyes grew increasingly filled with curiosity.
My only task at this gathering was this: to leak juicy details that would captivate Lee Sung-gyun.
Without even making a formal request, Lee Sung-gyun would have no choice but to feature Min-guk on camera after hearing my story.
And with Eminem appearing on the broadcast, there was no way he could avoid showing Min-guk’s connection to him.
[Now let me really open up the story….]
I took a sip of my drink.
“Eminem’s daughter was a fan of mine. At that time, I even became her friend on FaceNote and told her to study hard. And Eminem is absolutely crazy about his daughter.”
The conversation deepened.
“Oh, I got a message from Eminem… he said he’s been obsessed with Sevens lately.”
“Has Sevens become known overseas, sir?”
“Sevens is actually a mid-tier idol group. Sigh….”
I let out a quiet sigh.
Just mentioning mid-tier would probably make Lee Sung-gyun understand the whole situation.
“I’m not sure why it turned out this way, but honestly, unless you’re from a major agency, it’s become incredibly difficult to get on broadcast these days.”
I shared the current situation with Lee Sung-gyun.
“But sir, Sevens has Jeon Sung-guk… Min-guk, your younger brother, has the kind of face that even major agencies would covet, and he has talent too. Why did you just leave him under Bang Mu-hyuk’s agency? Honestly, you’re already one of the richest people in America—you could start an entertainment company yourself.”
“When Min-guk first started as a trainee, FaceNote wasn’t at this level yet.”
“That’s true.”
Lee Sung-gyun nodded.
“And I believe singers need genuine talent. I’ve known Bang Mu-hyuk since childhood, and he’s the best in this field.”
“The problem is the company lacks financial resources. Plus, Director Bang has such an upright character that he doesn’t network at all. There’s been talk among producers about him being too rigid.”
“That’s precisely his charm.”
I took another sip of my drink.
Bang Mu-hyuk’s strategy would shine in the future.
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk interjected.
“Producer, this is purely a fan’s question.”
“Yes, Executive Director. Ask away. I’ll tell you everything.”
“In Give Me The Money, they give you 24 hours to write lyrics and complete the song, right? Do you really only give them that much time?”
“Haha. Everyone asks that a lot.”
“I’m really curious too, Producer.”
“Most missions are exactly as shown. Sometimes 24 hours feels short, but these guys have lived and breathed hip-hop their whole lives, so they always manage to pull it off within that timeframe. We’re constantly amazed when we give out missions.”
Beyond that, Lee Sung-gyun shared many other details about the program.
In the preliminaries, skill matters, but having a personal story gives you an advantage in advancing to the finals.
Trying too hard to stand out for the camera often backfires and makes viewers dislike you.
Looking at previous seasons, viewers prefer characters who start off rough but gradually improve their skills.
And you must always be humble. That’s what makes both viewers and judges like you more.
Unintentionally, I was picking up tips about Give Me The Money from Lee Sung-gyun.
I immediately relayed this information to Min-guk.
– Keep it secret and share it with Jung-woo. Got it?
[Min-guk, this is what your brother prepared for you.]
Soon a message came back from Min-guk.
– Hyung, that’s all stuff you can figure out just by watching the program. What secret is this!
It seemed all younger brothers shared the trait of not understanding their older brother’s deep intentions.
I drained my glass of baijiu.
* * *
Lee Sung-gyun entered the Conference Room at the Broadcasting Station, clutching his head that felt like it might split from yesterday’s drinking.
The moment he saw the waiting directors and writers, Lee Sung-gyun opened his mouth.
“Eminem’s doing a concert in September.”
“We all already booked tickets.”
One of the writers answered curtly.
It was natural for those working on a hip-hop competition program to attend Eminem’s Korean concert.
“That’s not it… Eminem can apparently appear on our broadcast.”
“What?”
The writer who had answered curtly stared at Lee Sung-gyun with bewildered eyes.
Eminem, the legend of hip-hop, the idol of rappers, appearing on a mere Korean broadcast?
That was exactly the expression on his face.
“Producer, didn’t you drink too much yesterday and have a dream?”
“No, I’m serious. I met Jeon Sung-guk yesterday.”
“Really?”
The female writers looked even more shocked at the mention of Jeon Sung-guk than they had at Eminem.
“I’m talking about Min-guk’s older brother—the one appearing on our program.”
“Of course we know! He’s the CEO of FaceNote! PD, did Jeon Sung-guk ask you to take care of his brother? To make sure Min-guk does well?”
A young male writer with glasses fired off the question rapidly.
“Is Eminem appearing on the show in exchange for pushing Min-guk into the top rankings?”
Lee Sung-gyun waved his hands frantically.
“That’s not it!!! Everyone, please listen to me!!!”
As Lee Sung-gyun’s voice rose, everyone turned their attention to him.
“I met Jeon Sung-guk purely because of Eminem’s appearance. There was absolutely no request about his brother.”
“I see… Jeon Sung-guk must be quite cold-hearted then. But he really is handsome, isn’t he?”
“He is handsome, annoyingly so. And his manners are impeccable too. Tall, wealthy… the world really is unfair.”
Lee Sung-gyun let his true feelings slip out.
“PD, does that mean we’ll get to see Jeon Sung-guk too?”
“Writers, let’s keep our personal interests in check. But if Min-guk climbs high enough, his family will likely need to appear for interviews, so there’s a chance we’ll meet him.”
“What? Then we have to push Min-guk high enough to do a family interview.”
The female writers had already mentally claimed Min-guk as their favorite.
“By the way, Min-guk—Jeon Sung-guk’s younger brother—apparently learned rap directly from Eminem in America when he was young.”
Lee Sung-gyun was now sharing the story he’d heard from Jeon Sung-guk with the writers.
And the writers absorbed his words endlessly, like fish biting at bait.
* * *
Lee Sung-gyun adjusted the schedule after the preliminaries to align with Eminem’s broadcast appearance, moving things up gradually.
Fortunately, both Min-guk and Jung-woo passed all the preliminary rounds safely.
But now the real challenge was about to begin.
Min-guk started warming up his voice early in the morning to prepare for the broadcast.
I deliberately didn’t mention anything to Min-guk about Eminem’s appearance. Today was the day Eminem would arrive in Korea for his concert.
“Hyung, I’m heading out.”
“Yeah, have a good day!”
“Do well on the recording.”
“Got it!”
I left through the front door as usual.
Just then, the neighbor’s front door opened and Jeon Tae-guk came out.
Jeon Tae-guk, who once dreamed of becoming a rapper following Eminem, remained an ardent fan of his.
And in exchange for introducing Lee Sung-gyun to me, he wanted to join us during Eminem’s Korea tour.
[That kid’s learning to make deals now…]
Jeon Tae-guk waved cheerfully.
“Sung-guk, how do I look today?”
“You look great.”
“Do you know Jung Yun-sik, the stylist?”
In my previous life, she had been my stylist as well. But today was a time to pretend I didn’t know her.
“No.”
“I figured you’d say that. I asked her to dress me in Eminem style, and it looks good, doesn’t it? If I were just ten years younger, I’d definitely pursue a career as a rapper.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, you have absolutely zero talent in that direction.]
I shook my head firmly.
“Hyung, we’re going to be late. Let’s go.”
“But where does Eminem want to sightsee? Gyeongbokgung Palace?”
“Well, where Eminem wants to go is…”
“Where?”
“Gwangjang Market.”
* * *
We picked up Eminem straight from the airport and headed to Gwangjang Market.
Inside the car on the way to Gwangjang Market, Eminem showed me several photos on his phone.
They were pictures of famous restaurants at Gwangjang Market—live octopus, beef tartare, and mung bean pancakes.
There were also photos of street food like tteokbokki and kimbap.
“My daughter asked me to make sure I eat these in her place.”
“Eminem, do you think you’ll really be able to eat all of this?”
I was genuinely worried.
“My daughter wants me to taste everything and report back to her. She says the Sevens members are always eating this kind of stuff on YouTube. Oh, and there’s also ramen—do you know about Buldak sauce ramen?”
“Hmm… I’ve heard of it. It’s famous for being incredibly spicy. Does she want you to try that too?”
“Yeah! She even wants me to buy a whole box of it. She says it’s hard to find in the United States.”
I haven’t checked Sevens’ YouTube myself, but it seemed they frequently posted videos of the members eating together.
“But Eminem, will you be okay eating all this before the concert?”
“Let’s start with the milder flavors today.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll treat you to the Buldak ramen on the day the concert ends. And I’ll prepare a gift for your daughter as well.”
Eminem broke into a bright smile.
“By the way, Sung-guk… what exactly is this favor you need? Something about appearing on a Korean broadcast for a bit?”
I told Eminem about Give Me The Money through FaceNote.
Min-guk was going to appear on it, and I asked him to go on the show, meet Korean rappers, assess their skills, and offer them advice.
“Just go on and do what you normally do, Eminem.”
“You want me to unleash my harsh critiques, Sung-guk?”
“That’s fine too.”
“Really?”
“Just one thing… very subtly… mention your connection with Min-guk in your comments.”
Only then did Eminem smile knowingly.
“For me, my daughter is the universe. For you, your younger brothers are that kind of existence.”
“I suppose you could call it the karma of life.”
I shrugged my shoulders.

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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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