I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 449
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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 449
South Korea’s 2013 College Entrance Exam was scheduled for Thursday, November 8th, 2012.
And now, exactly one month remained.
We had fully entered autumn of 2012, and today was the day the final mock exam scores would be released.
On this day, Ji-hee summoned our entire family to our home.
She was quite the dramatic test-taker.
I couldn’t even enjoy a leisurely weekend morning and got out of bed.
As always, when I tried to have a cup of coffee, Jeon Tae-guk naturally entered our house using the security code.
“Sung-guk, you’re going to the family home today, right?”
“How did you know that, hyung?”
“Didn’t you see Ji-hee’s study log on FaceNote?”
[Did Ji-hee really post something like that?]
I scratched my head.
“Isn’t it true that as an older brother, you’re not paying enough attention to your test-taking sister’s studies?”
[Jeon Tae-guk, that’s not something you should be saying. Are you even managing Jeon Mi-jin’s grades?]
I calmly sipped my coffee.
A dog at a village school barks or doesn’t bark…
“From what Ji-hee posted on FaceNote, it looks like she made a mistake in the language section.”
“She said she got one question wrong.”
Ji-hee had gotten one question wrong on the mock exam. And it was one of the easiest questions in the language section at that.
“From my analysis, Ji-hee seemed nervous during the first period, so I’ve hired a top-tier language instructor.”
“Why did you do that, hyung?”
I genuinely wanted to ask.
[Jeon Tae-guk, why you?]
Jeon Tae-guk shrugged.
“I’ve known Ji-hee since she was little, so she’s like my own sister. She studies well and is such a capable girl, but getting one question wrong in the first period because of nervousness made me feel even more sorry for her.”
I stroked my chin for a moment.
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong had said it.
That I could only date and marry after finishing supporting my younger siblings.
Min-guk had just spread his wings with the Give Me The Money runner-up finish, and if I just got Ji-hee into Seoul National University, wouldn’t dating become possible for me too?
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong had definitely said that if I fulfilled my responsibilities, dating and marriage would be possible.
With Jeon Tae-guk, the heir to Samjeon, personally spending his own money to hire a top instructor, there was no reason to refuse.
“Hyung, please come to the family home with me and explain this in detail to Ji-hee.”
“Of course! I’m really determined to get Ji-hee into Seoul National University.”
“Hyung, Ji-hee will obviously get into Seoul National University. The real question is whether she scores a perfect on this year’s exam or not.”
“Ah, is that so…”
Jeon Tae-guk scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
* * *
Mother, Father, Jeon Tae-guk, and I all sat around the dining table in response to Ji-hee’s summons.
Only Min-guk was absent due to his busy overseas schedule.
Jeon Min-guk had raised his profile through Give Me The Money, but his domestic recognition still lagged behind idols from major talent agencies.
However, I decided not to grow impatient.
Sevens’ success story wasn’t about debuting and achieving instant fame—it was about climbing one step at a time, steadily and deliberately.
While I was lost in thought about Min-guk, Jeon Ji-hee handed her mock exam score report to Mother and Father.
“Mom, Dad. My final mock exam scores.”
Of course, Mother and Father broke into bright smiles the moment they received the report.
“Our Ji-hee only got one question wrong in the language section. You must have been so busy with the GED exam, yet you’re truly remarkable. Our daughter.”
Father, as always, was overly emotional.
And he was far too easily satisfied.
[Dad, Ji-hee isn’t satisfied with this score!]
Mother nudged Father’s side gently from beside him.
“Honey, Ji-hee is a bit upset.”
“Why?”
“Because she got one wrong.”
“Getting only one wrong is doing incredibly well, isn’t it? She’s already in the top 10 nationally. With this level of performance, if she just avoids careless mistakes on the actual exam, Seoul National University is practically guaranteed, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
As Mother trailed off, Jeon Ji-hee let out a sigh.
“Dad, my goal isn’t Seoul National University—it’s a perfect score on the exam. That way, my name will appear in various newspapers and news outlets, and I’ll go down in history as a perfect scorer for the 2013 school year exam.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting how remarkable our children are.”
Jeon Ji-hee continued her explanation calmly.
“Since everyone is here now, I’d like to share what’s been concerning me.”
Jeon Ji-hee even spoke in formal language.
“I think I get nervous during the first test period. Looking at the question I got wrong, it was actually very easy. It’s a problem I would never miss under normal circumstances. That’s why I called everyone here today—I’d like to get a psychiatric consultation.”
“A psychiatric consultation?”
It was natural that Mother and Father were startled by the mention of psychiatry.
In those days, psychiatry was truly a place only for people with serious mental illnesses.
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk raised his hand.
“Ma’am, Sir. Please don’t be too alarmed. Psychiatry isn’t just for people who are ill. People like Ji-hee who get particularly nervous during exams or anxious before presentations also go there.”
“That may be true, but… with only a month until the exam, I’m not sure if it will be effective.”
I understood Mother’s concern.
There was no guarantee that Ji-hee’s habit of missing exactly one question in the first period would improve with just a month of treatment.
Jeon Tae-guk observed everyone’s expressions before speaking.
“Sir, Ma’am, and Ji-hee….”
Everyone’s attention focused on Jeon Tae-guk.
“Since Ji-hee seemed to have this concern, I initiated a Jeon Ji-hee One-Month Exam Preparation Project through Samsung’s planning team, where all the top strategists gather.”
[Jeon Tae-guk, is this really something you should be doing to this extent….]
Unable to discern Jeon Tae-guk’s true intentions, I listened silently to what he had to say.
“According to professional exam analysts, when someone like Ji-hee misses exactly one question—and an easy one at that—it’s likely due to the tension of the first test period. While there may be psychological factors involved, they advised that rather than psychiatric treatment just a month before the exam, it would be better to take classes from a renowned top-tier instructor to ease the tension around the exam itself. So I’ve arranged for one such instructor….”
Jeon Tae-guk’s gaze turned toward Jeon Ji-hee.
“Ji-hee, would you like to meet them?”
“Hmm….”
Ji-hee paused for a moment.
Ji-hee often attended academy classes and watched online lectures and educational broadcasts, but they were all courses and instructors she had personally selected.
Ji-hee looked at Jeon Tae-guk as if she had made a decision.
“Tae-guk oppa, I’ll give it a try. My goal isn’t Seoul National University—it’s a perfect score on the college entrance exam. Honestly, I have plenty of time left over when solving other subjects. But the fact that I only get nervous during the first period language section suggests I probably need some help.”
“Good thinking. I’ll get right on preparing for you!”
“Tae-guk, thank you so much for taking care of our family like this.”
Father expressed his gratitude to Jeon Tae-guk.
“Father, it’s nothing. My wish is to eat this house’s bossam with this family for the rest of my life. You treat me like family, so this much is the least I can do for Ji-hee. Honestly, since Ji-hee is already good at studying, I’m only helping her this much—if she weren’t doing well, I would’ve hired all the top tutors in Daechi-dong to make her study.”
I nudged Jeon Tae-guk’s side lightly.
“Hyung, couldn’t you pour some of that dedication into Jeon Mi-jin too?”
Suddenly, Jeon Tae-guk’s eyes narrowed.
“Sung-guk….”
“Yes?”
“Jeon Mi-jin is a competitor before she’s family. Do you think I’d want to see my competitor succeed?”
“….”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
Since when had Jeon Tae-guk started viewing Jeon Mi-jin as a competitor?
It was surprising in its own way, and it seemed that Jeon Tae-guk was steadily establishing his position within Samsung.
* * *
The day of the 2013 college entrance exam finally arrived.
Thursday, November 8th, 2012.
The phrase “entrance exam cold wave” seemed to be a thing of the past—the weather was milder than expected.
Over the past month, Ji-hee had attended lessons and consultations with the top-tier language section instructor that Jeon Tae-guk had arranged, easing much of her nervousness before entering a nearby high school to take the exam.
Both Mother and Father saw her off from home, careful not to burden her with unnecessary pressure.
And then the sun was finally setting.
Jeon Tae-guk entered our home with an anxious expression and looked at me.
“Sung-guk, Ji-hee must have done well on the exam, right?”
“Hyung, you seem more nervous than anyone.”
“I arranged a top-tier instructor for a whole month, so if the results aren’t good, it feels like it’s my fault….”
[Jeon Tae-guk, aren’t you getting a bit too involved in someone else’s sibling’s affairs?]
I held my tongue.
“Oh, and… I had the college entrance exam answer key sent to your parents’ home by courier. Did they receive it okay?”
“They called a while ago. They said they received it fine. They said Ji-hee hasn’t come home yet, so they’re waiting.”
Suddenly, I became curious about Jeon Tae-guk’s true intentions.
Since the exam was over, it seemed like I could ask now.
“Hyung….”
I called out to Jeon Tae-guk softly.
“What is it, Sung-guk?”
“Hyung, I’m genuinely curious about this. Why are you being so good to Ji-hee? I don’t want to hear the ‘like a real sibling’ talk—I want to know your real intention.”
I threw a direct question at him.
Jeon Tae-guk wasn’t the type to understand indirect hints.
Jeon Tae-guk paced anxiously around the room before stopping abruptly. Then he looked at me.
“Well… actually, the thing is…”
[Don’t drag this out, Jeon Tae-guk!]
Jeon Tae-guk sighed repeatedly.
“I met Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong early this year.”
Visiting Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong for fortune-telling at the start of the year was a tradition in the Jeon family.
“Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong told me that if I wanted to maintain my connection with Jeon Sung-guk, I had to treat my younger siblings well.”
That was obvious enough.
[If I mistreat my younger siblings, I’m out—no matter if I’m Jeon Tae-guk, heir to Samsung!]
“But what does that have to do with Ji-hee’s college entrance exam?”
“Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong specifically said I should treat Ji-hee especially well. He said you’ve already grown well on your own, so meeting me won’t bring much benefit to Samsung, but if I invest effort in Ji-hee, she’ll become a noble person who helps Samsung.”
“A noble person?”
“Ji-hee’s goal is to pass the bar exam, right? I figure if Ji-hee becomes a prosecutor, she won’t be harsh on Samsung after all the effort I’ve put in. Or maybe she’ll become an outstanding lawyer and help Samsung… But prosecutor and lawyer seem too weak. Right, Ji-hee seems like she’d be good at politics too.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
So all that effort he’d been putting into Ji-hee was ultimately for Samsung’s future.
I’d honestly suspected Jeon Tae-guk had ulterior motives toward Ji-hee, but that wasn’t it.
[Thank goodness…]
Just then, my phone rang.
The caller was Ji-hee, and it was around the time she’d finished the college entrance exam and roughly graded her answers.
I answered the call quickly.
“Hey, Ji-hee.”
– Oppa…
Ji-hee’s voice was trembling.
Could it be she didn’t get a perfect score?
“Ji-hee, speak comfortably. Did you make a mistake or something?”
– How could I? My preliminary score is perfect. I’m Jeon Ji-hee, after all!
“Ji-hee…”
– Yeah, oppa.
“Why are you bragging about something so obvious? In our family, getting a perfect score on the South Korean college entrance exam is hardly something to boast about.”
– Ugh, you really are the source of my competitive spirit. I’m going to say exactly what you just said during the perfect score interview!
Ji-hee hung up the phone abruptly.
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“Sung-guk, wasn’t that too harsh on someone who just took the college entrance exam?”
“Hyung, I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
I shrugged.
* * *
– This year’s college entrance exam produced six perfect scorers in total. Among them, only one was female.
– Jeon Ji-hee, the younger sister of FaceNote CEO Jeon Sung-guk and younger sister of Sevens member Jeon Min-guk, was revealed to be the sole female student to achieve a perfect score on the college entrance exam.
During Jeon Ji-hee’s interview, her older brother had merely dismissed her perfect score on the 2013 College Entrance Exam, asking what there was to boast about.
The 2013 College Entrance Exam results came out, and Ji-hee received a perfect score, exactly as she had predicted.
Among six perfect scorers, she became the sole female achiever, securing her place in history just as she had wished.
She applied to Seoul National University as planned, and though the results hadn’t been announced yet, a score like hers guaranteed admission.
Min-guk’s Sevens had been nominated for Rookie of the Year at various award ceremonies, and Ji-hee was merely awaiting her Seoul National University acceptance.
[As the eldest son, I’ve fulfilled my responsibilities….]
I smiled faintly and called Jeon Tae-guk.
“Brother, could you set up an appointment with Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong for me?”
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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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