I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 448

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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 448
The semifinal against Honey Donut was finally drawing near.
Despite Psycho being a formidable championship contender in the other semifinal, all eyes were fixed on this matchup.
A one-on-one battle between Jeon Min-guk and Honey Donut, who had been openly declaring that the championship was already Min-guk’s—naturally, everyone’s attention converged on this clash.
Moreover, Min-guk was now recognized as Eminem’s protégé, which only heightened the anticipation.
Yet sitting in the Waiting Room, Min-guk trembled from the weight of his nerves.
Having always performed on stage with seven members, stepping up alone each time was inevitably nerve-wracking. The burden of carrying the entire performance by myself was inescapable.
Knock. Knock.
The knock sounded, and the door opened. It was Jung-woo. The camera naturally followed him inside.
Jung-woo handed Min-guk a thermos.
“Your mother brewed this quince tea for you. It’s good for your throat.”
“Hyung… thank you.”
Jung-woo had been eliminated in the quarterfinals last time, so he came here today to cheer Min-guk on.
Min-guk felt a twinge of guilt that he had advanced thanks to favorable matchups instead of Jung-woo, the main rapper of Sevens.
“Min-guk, want me to take a listen?”
“If you listen, hyung, I’d feel amazing.”
Min-guk mustered his energy and performed the rap he’d prepared for today in front of Jung-woo, who broke into a satisfied smile.
“Min-guk, that’s incredible.”
“Really? Since you approve, hyung, I feel so much better.”
“You know all our members are rooting for you just for making it this far, right? So relax. Got it?”
“Yeah, hyung!”
With that, Jung-woo left the room.
Min-guk’s individual interview began shortly after.
“Sevens performs as seven members, doesn’t it? How does it feel to stand on stage alone?”
“I’m incredibly nervous. Our members are really tight-knit, you know. After we perform and come down, they give me really solid feedback, and even though I’m standing alone on stage, it’s really the same as all seven of us going up together. Today, I’ll do my absolute best to fill in for hyung Jung-woo too!”
Min-guk made a firm vow.
* * *
– Honey Donut’s complete defeat! The championship is already Jeon Min-guk’s, right?
– Honey Donut, lay down a mat instead of rapping!
– All of Korea is currently suffering from “the championship is already Jeon Min-guk’s” syndrome.
Min-guk thoroughly crushed Honey Donut and advanced to the finals with an overwhelming vote margin.
– Jeon Min-guk of Sevens, writing the miracle story of a mid-tier idol group! Could he actually win the championship?
– Jeon Min-guk finally shedding the label of “Jeon Sung-guk, the FaceNote CEO’s younger brother!”
– The star of Give Me The Money Season 4 is undoubtedly Jeon Min-guk!
Interest in Min-guk reached an all-time high since his debut.
Jeon Min-guk and Sevens dominated the real-time search rankings across every internet portal day after day.
PD Lee Sung-gyun checked the viewership ratings with a satisfied expression in the Broadcasting Station office.
Give Me The Money Season 4 was breaking its highest viewership records daily.
“PD, the finals will have even higher ratings, won’t they?”
“Of course. Jeon Min-guk, who’s the current sensation, is performing on the final stage.”
“But PD, I had no idea Min-guk was this talented. Most idol rappers can’t sing, so that’s why they rap, right?”
“Min-guk is even the main vocalist and sub-rapper for Sevens.”
The youngest writer quickly added from beside him.
“So our youngest writer is a Min-guk fan too?”
“I became a fan through Min-guk, but now I’m diving deep into Sevens as well. And there are quite a few people like me.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun wore a bitter smile.
As I reflected on everything, I finally felt the sensation of being a puppet in Jeon Sung-guk’s hands.
On the day I attended the gathering arranged by Jeon Tae-guk, Jeon Sung-guk guaranteed Eminem’s appearance.
As the producer of Give Me The Money, Eminem was a big fish I couldn’t afford to lose.
And Jeon Sung-guk, without attaching any conditions, used alcohol as an excuse to elaborate on his younger brother’s relationship with Eminem.
I listened to the story—told by a global entrepreneur like something straight out of Hollywood news—completely mesmerized, and the next morning at the office, I immediately thought I should use this story for this season of Give Me The Money.
‘I’ve fallen right into the trap designed by CEO Jeon Sung-guk.’
PD Lee Sung-gyun took a sip of coffee. It tasted a bit more bitter than usual today.
“PD, will all the family members come to the finals? Will CEO Jeon Sung-guk be there too?”
“Well, he’s such a busy person… Check with him. We need to prepare for the interview.”
“Yes!”
The youngest writer answered energetically.
* * *
A call came from the youngest writer of Give Me The Money.
– Hello, this is Lee Sol, a writer for Give Me The Money. Is this CEO Jeon Sung-guk?
“Yes, what can I do for you?”
– Since you’re busy, I’ll keep this brief. We were wondering if you could attend Jeon Min-guk’s final stage. All the other family members said they would be attending.
I paused for a moment.
Of course, I was planning to go anyway.
But I didn’t want to seem too eager.
“Hmm… I’m quite busy, actually.”
– Then we’ll mark you down as not attending….
“No, that’s not what I meant!”
[This youngest writer is quite impatient.]
“I’ll go. I’ll definitely be there.”
– Really? I use FaceNote so much. CEO, I really wanted to meet you! I’ll see you at the finals!
The youngest writer hung up the phone hastily.
I grimaced.
I had an unfortunate premonition that Min-guk would become more famous than me, at least domestically.
* * *
The final stage took place at a small concert venue.
Countless fans who had been waiting since morning were still outside, and my family and I all stood in our designated seats.
Mother, Father, and Ji-hee were all there together.
Of course, Mother and Father were just as nervous as Min-guk.
“Our Min-guk has to do well….”
“Mom, don’t worry so much. Min-guk will do great.”
I gazed calmly at the stage.
Of course, I was trembling terribly myself. But I couldn’t let it show.
And then, finally, host Kim Seok took the stage.
“We have such a tremendous turnout today. It really makes you feel the popularity of Give Me The Money. Especially today, we have a showdown between Min-guk from Sevens, who has shown the greatest growth on this season of Give Me The Money, and Psycho, who has never once relinquished his first-place position through sheer skill. First, let’s begin with Min-guk from Sevens.”
Kim Seok stepped back, and Min-guk’s figure emerged on stage.
He was dressed impeccably in the outfit Jeon Tae-guk had provided.
At the same time, he embodied the image of a perfect rapper commanding the stage alone.
Min-guk gripped the microphone and swept his gaze across the spectator seating.
“My family is here too. Dad, Mom… and my older brother, Ji-hee. And Huin-dung-i at home. This song is dedicated to my beloved family.”
The beat dropped simultaneously, and the crowd erupted in fervor.
And all of us in our family felt our eyes grow moist.
* * *
– Min-guk’s autobiographical lyrics have the entire audience in tears!
– Particularly striking are the lyrics about his older brother, the FaceNote CEO. Respect to the eldest son of a poor household who gives his all to lift his family up!
– Even Jeon Sung-guk, the CEO of the world’s most famous corporation, cheers for his younger brother from the spectator seating!
– Min-guk’s flawless first performance. Defeated by Psycho by just ten votes!
– The championship may have gone elsewhere, but the real winner is Jeon Min-guk!
Give Me The Money Season 4 came to an end.
Min-guk’s performance was flawless, but he finished as runner-up.
Still, it was a competition where he gained far more than he lost.
Both Min-guk and Jung-woo earned recognition for their skills as rappers, and Sevens became known once again as a group with genuine talent.
Whether by fortune or misfortune, Sevens’ first album began selling again, and “Family,” the song Min-guk performed in the finals, surpassed the winning song by Psycho and claimed first place on music streaming sites.
I was now sitting at the Samjeon Hotel, waiting for PD Lee Sung-gyun.
After Give Me The Money Season 4 wrapped, PD Lee Sung-gyun had suggested we meet.
I had some idea of what this was about.
Knock. Knock.
I heard the knock, and PD Lee Sung-gyun entered.
He seemed less nervous than at our first meeting. And today, Jeon Tae-guk wasn’t here either.
“CEO, I ordered the menu on my way in. You’re fine with alcohol, right?”
“Of course.”
The moment PD Lee Sung-gyun sat down, the drinks arrived first. He seemed to need a bit of liquid courage today.
After several rounds of drinks, PD Lee Sung-gyun’s face had flushed slightly. Then he finally spoke with difficulty.
“CEO, I’m the type who can’t help asking when I’m curious. That’s why I arranged this meeting.”
“What is it you’re curious about?”
“Well… when we first met, I naturally assumed you’d come with Executive Director Jeon Tae-guk, so I thought you were going to ask me a favor.”
“About Min-guk?”
“Yes.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun nodded.
“There’s no reason for me to ask a favor regarding Min-guk. You saw his skills yourself.”
“That’s right. In terms of skill, Min-guk performed well. But honestly… the cameras did follow Min-guk around quite a bit. At first, it was because he’s from Sevens, and the fact that a sub-rapper rather than the main rapper was participating in Give Me The Money became a hot topic.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun took another sip of his drink.
“And the fact that he’s CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s younger brother became a huge issue too.”
I nodded while taking a sip of my drink.
“But Eminem… you deliberately cast him on our show, didn’t you?”
“Of course. I mentioned it at our first meeting too. I wanted to boost the ratings for the program my younger brother was appearing on.”
“That’s not what I mean… let me just ask you straight. Since the group Sevens that Min-guk belongs to came out as a hip-hop idol and faced backlash, you planned this to offset that, right?”
“Hmm… I didn’t intend it that way, but that’s how it turned out in the end.”
I pretended not to know.
PD Lee Sung-gyun chuckled at my words and took another drink.
“CEO Jeon, you’re really not an ordinary person. This whole game wasn’t something we orchestrated—it was you who orchestrated it.”
“The ratings came out well, Min-guk proved his star potential, and Sevens gained recognition for their skills. Nobody lost in this game.”
PD Lee Sung-gyun looked at me with admiring eyes.
“CEO, how about we set up another game with us?”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s do a reality show with us. People are incredibly curious about something like ‘A Day in the Life of CEO Jeon Sung-guk.'”
PD Lee Sung-gyun revealed his true intentions under the guise of drinking.
“PD, do you happen to watch Sevens’ YouTube?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Since Sevens is actually a mid-tier idol group without many broadcast appearances, they upload a lot of self-produced content on YouTube.”
“I’ve watched it. There was that episode where they went to New York after debuting and having two layovers. I really enjoyed watching that. The chemistry between the members is great. They don’t seem like other idols—they eat without restraint on their mukbang videos.”
“Eminem’s daughter saw those mukbang videos and kept demanding that I buy her Korean ramen. So I even sent some directly to the United States.”
“Really?”
PD Lee Sung-gyun was gradually becoming absorbed in my story.
“Honestly, since I’m just an ordinary person, a reality program with me wouldn’t be very entertaining. But I think it would be great if the Sevens members’ self-produced content could be aired by the broadcasting station.”
“Since Min-guk is trending right now, a reality program would be perfect!”
PD Lee Sung-gyun had completely taken the bait.
* * *
– Sevens’ Turbulent New York Reality Program Achieves #1 Late-Night Ratings Riding on Min-guk’s Popularity!
– An Idol Like Sevens Has Never Existed Before. Bare Faces and Mukbangs! Sevens Armed with Uninhibited Charm Sees Explosive Rise in Popularity!
– No Longer “Jeon Min-guk, Jeon Sung-guk’s Younger Brother,” But “CEO Jeon Sung-guk, Jeon Min-guk’s Older Brother!” Sevens’ Min-guk Completely Sheds the Label of Being CEO Jeon Sung-guk’s Younger Brother!
[Min-guk is finally finding his place.]
I felt a weight lift from my shoulders.
And now, Ji-hee’s college entrance exam was just one month away!

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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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