I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 450

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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 450
The weather had turned quite crisp.
Only a few days of 2012 remained.
Ji-hee was waiting for her entrance exam results, but she’d already declared she would pass the bar exam and thrown herself into solitary study.
Min-guk was spending a busy end-of-year season as Sevens climbed the rookie award nominations at various music award ceremonies.
And I was heading to Samcheongdong with Jeon Tae-guk.
“I wanted to get an early look at next year’s fortune predictions, so I’m going too… But what are you curious about?”
“I’m curious about how TikTok will turn out.”
Isn’t romance what you’re really curious about? Honestly, you haven’t even had a fling since Emma Watson, have you?”
“Isn’t that what you’re curious about, hyung?”
“Of course. Setting aside marriage, I need to at least experience romance to see what the future holds.”
Jeon Tae-guk let out a quiet sigh.
Neither of us spoke further, and the car turned into the Samcheongdong alley.
I could feel Secretary Park Sung-hee glancing at us through the rearview mirror.
“You two seem awfully quiet.”
“Right, Park. Why don’t you get a reading too? I’ve already made a reservation for you.”
“But I attend church.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee was still the type to speak her mind freely.
“Master Lee of Samcheongdong says plenty of churchgoers come to him. And Master Lee of Samcheongdong doesn’t do divination or anything like that. He bases everything on statistics and probability.”
“Then I’ll go ahead and get one, sir.”
In the distance, Master Lee of Samcheongdong’s traditional hanok house gradually came into view.
* * *
Whether in my past life or this one, my connection with Master Lee of Samcheongdong ran quite deep.
In my past life, I’d sought him out whenever Samjeon faced major matters and received his counsel, and in this life, having become entangled with the Samjeon family by chance, I’d come to see him again.
A young man who appeared to be Master Lee of Samcheongdong’s disciple guided us to the inner quarters.
“He’s waiting for you inside.”
Jeon Tae-guk, Secretary Park Sung-hee, and I followed the young man into the inner quarters.
As we approached the inner quarters, Master Lee—who had grown noticeably older over the years—greeted us.
“Welcome. It’s been quite some time.”
“You’ve been well, I trust?”
“Indeed, young master. I see you’ve brought Sung-guk with you today.”
I gave a brief bow of acknowledgment.
“By the way, Master Lee, I’d also like you to read for Park, my secretary who works with me.”
“Ah, so this is the additional person you mentioned.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee also gave Master Lee a brief bow.
“Come inside, all of you. Since it’s winter, I’ve prepared some warm ginger tea.”
We followed Master Lee’s guidance inside.
* * *
Secretary Park Sung-hee went first.
Secretary Park Sung-hee glanced sideways at us.
“Aren’t the two of you heading out?”
“Park Secretary, I’m the one paying here—surely I can listen in? After all, you and I might not be compatible, and you could end up causing me harm.”
I stifled a laugh.
As Jeon Tae-guk grew older, he was increasingly putting his mind to use.
Jeon Tae-guk seemed eager to understand the compatibility between himself and Secretary Park Sung-hee.
Secretary Park Sung-hee let out a deep sigh.
“Executive Director, that’s abuse of authority.”
“Park Secretary, accepting my abuse of authority is part of what your salary covers.”
Jeon Tae-guk had grown quite shameless.
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong, observing this, smiled subtly.
“Young Master Tae-guk has become more confident in my absence. You used to be so cautious before.”
“Park Secretary trained me well. Master, please read Secretary Park’s fortune. I won’t suffer any misfortune because of this fellow, will I?”
“One moment….”
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong examined Secretary Park Sung-hee’s birth information, then studied her face carefully once more. Then he smiled knowingly.
“I believe I said something similar when Sung-guk recommended Secretary Park Sung-hee for employment.”
“What was that?”
Secretary Park Sung-hee seemed quite curious about something she was hearing for the first time.
“Secretary Park Sung-hee is like a brake for Young Master Tae-guk—absolutely necessary. And while brakes can wear down or deteriorate, Secretary Park Sung-hee has such an upright character that this won’t happen. If you keep her by your side always, she will serve as the proper brake when Young Master Tae-guk strays from the path. That’s what I told you then. And that compatibility remains unchanged.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked inwardly satisfied.
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong continued.
“Young Master Tae-guk, if Secretary Park Sung-hee advises against something, it would be wise to truly reconsider it. This will hold true going forward as well.”
“Master, won’t Secretary Park Sung-hee abuse this advice?”
“Heh heh. If she were that sort of person, she likely wouldn’t be here now. And it’s quite significant that Sung-guk recommended Secretary Park Sung-hee to you.”
“The person who introduced her matters?”
“Yes. Sung-guk is, after all, bound to you by karmic debt….”
[Karma indeed….]
I nodded slightly.
“Since Sung-guk is repaying the karmic debts of his past life, you should always heed his words, Young Master.”
Then Secretary Park Sung-hee raised his hand.
“Master, I came to have my fortune read. It seems you’re speaking more about the Executive Director.”
“Heh heh. My apologies. In any case, the two of you have excellent compatibility, and there will be no major troubles between you next year. Now then, let’s examine Secretary Park Sung-hee’s fortune for the coming year.”
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong then carefully studied Secretary Park Sung-hee’s birth information.
“Heh heh. Secretary Park Sung-hee, you will become a father next year.”
At those words, Jeon Tae-guk and I looked at Secretary Park Sung-hee with startled eyes.
“If I’m to become a father next year, shouldn’t I already be in a relationship, Master?”
“Judging by how surprised the two of you are, it seems you’ve kept this quite hidden.”
My heart suddenly began to race.
Surely not Secretary Kim Mi-so, who lives in the same officetel? It couldn’t be…?
“Park Secretary, come on—tell us the truth!”
As Jeon Tae-guk pressed him, Secretary Park Sung-hee scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.
“Ah, well… it’s come out like this.”
“You’ve been dating without telling me?”
“It’s not that I was dating in secret. You weren’t interested in my love life anyway, were you?”
That was a fair point.
Jeon Tae-guk’s only concern was his own romantic affairs.
“Who is it? Do I know them? Huh?”
At this, Secretary Park Sung-hee gave a small nod.
Someone Jeon Tae-guk knew?
Was the unthinkable becoming reality?
My heart raced wildly.
“It’s Ham Se-young from the Planning Department….”
The person who came from Secretary Park Sung-hee’s lips was none other than Ham Se-young from Samjeon’s Planning Department.
Only then did I calm my startled heart.
“Ham Se-young? You’re telling me you’ve been dating that Ham Se-young who only knows work? When? How?”
Jeon Tae-guk was even more shocked than I was.
“Well… Ham Se-young only knows work, and you have no interest in work at all, so I’ve been discussing work-related matters with her on your behalf quite often.”
The situation unfolded predictably.
No matter how much Jeon Tae-guk sat as an executive director while treating the company as a hobby, he would never apply himself earnestly to company matters.
When communication with the executive director failed to materialize, Ham Se-young had apparently been having various conversations with Park Sung-hee, the director’s secretary, all this time.
“Sigh… In the end, I’m the bridge. Two people got together because of me. But are you already talking about marriage? Master Lee said he’d become a father next year.”
“Well….”
Secretary Park Sung-hee scratched her head with an even more embarrassed expression.
“Don’t tell me, Park Secretary?”
“I was planning to tell you anyway. It’s just coming out this way now. We’re looking to book a venue soon. Before Se-young’s belly gets any bigger.”
“Sigh….”
Jeon Tae-guk stared at Secretary Park Sung-hee as if he’d lost an entire nation.
“Going before me….”
“Hehe, Young Master. Once Secretary Park Sung-hee has a family, her life will stabilize and she’ll be of even greater help to you. Don’t worry.”
“It’s just a bit anticlimactic, I’d say, Master Lee. My closest aide was dating without my knowledge, and now she’s having a child… I’ve been trying so hard to find romance all this time.”
Samcheongdong Lee Master simply smiled at Jeon Tae-guk’s complaint.
“Well, let me offer you some auspicious dates.”
“For the wedding?”
“Yes, Secretary.”
Samcheongdong Lee Master produced several dates.
“Friday, February 1st next year. After that, Saturday, March 16th looks good.”
“I’d like to do it as soon as possible, but I’m not sure we can secure a venue.”
“Park Secretary, don’t worry about that. I’ll clear the Diamond Hall at Samjeon Hotel for you. Hold it there.”
“Director, that place is too expensive for us to hold a wedding.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee waved her hands in protest.
The Diamond Hall at Samjeon Hotel was famous for being expensive.
“Park Secretary, you think I’d just lend that to you? To my secretary. And Ham Se-young is my employee too…. I’ll cover the venue as a wedding gift instead of a congratulatory gift. We’ll do the best meal. I’ll arrange the flowers myself. Don’t worry about the money and just do it. It’s my wedding present to you.”
“Executive Director….”
Secretary Park Sung-hee was momentarily moved.
“How much are you planning to work me after this?”
“Let’s sign a lifetime contract, Park Secretary.”
“Executive Director, thank you so much.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee’s eyes soon reddened.
“Don’t thank me too much. I’ll give Ham Se-young proper maternity leave, but you don’t get that. If you get married and have kids and don’t work like you do now, you’re fired on the spot! Got it?”
“Yes, Executive Director!”
* * *
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong examined Jeon Tae-guk’s fortune reading.
“Hmm… Next year seems like it will be much the same as this year.”
“Does that mean I won’t get married next year either? Or no romance at all?”
“Young Master, your destiny is both near and far away.”
“Teacher Lee, what do you mean by that?”
“It means it will take time to find your destined connection.”
Jeon Tae-guk wore a look of despair for the second time today.
“Sigh… Teacher Lee, unlike my father, I have no interest in sponsoring female celebrities or anything like that. My small wish is to meet someone who genuinely loves me for who I am, not as the heir to Samjeon. Is that really so difficult?”
“Of course it is. Buying people with money is the easiest thing, and winning hearts is the hardest. You’re asking for that difficult thing right now.”
“Then when will that destiny appear?”
“Hmm… Not until at least four or five years from now….”
Jeon Tae-guk covered his ears.
“Teacher Lee, I didn’t hear that!”
“Hehe, Young Master. True destiny comes late, but there’s nothing quite like it. The finest destiny awaits you, so don’t be too impatient.”
“That’s not comforting at all.”
Jeon Tae-guk’s shoulders slumped.
Then Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong looked at me intently.
“I think I need to speak with Sung-guk quietly.”
* * *
After Jeon Tae-guk and Secretary Park Sung-hee left, I sat across from Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong.
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong carefully examined my birth chart.
“Born September 12th, 1991…. This birth chart is truly remarkable every time I see it.”
[I already know it’s remarkable, Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong. I was the heir to the Samjeon family, then born as the eldest son of a poor household and built the family up from nothing—where else would such a birth chart exist!]
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong looked at me.
“You didn’t come because you’re curious about business. This birth chart shows nothing but victory for the next ten years.”
“You said before, Teacher Lee, that I can only have a proper romantic relationship and marriage once I’ve fulfilled my responsibilities to my younger siblings.”
“Hmm….”
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong gazed at me intently.
“Sung-guk, this birth chart shows unbroken success in business. Nothing stands in your way, nothing remains unachieved. But as the saying goes, high mountains cast deep valleys. In exchange for your unstoppable success, there is clearly a debt you must repay.”
“Isn’t that my younger siblings?”
At my question, Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong smiled softly.
“It’s not just your younger brothers who carry karmic debt. I’m sure Sung-guk knows this well too.”
[Wait a minute! Teacher Lee, your words are different now!]

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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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