I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 451

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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 451
My heart sank at Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong’s words.
I barely managed to suppress the flood of questions rising within me.
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong glanced at my expression and took a sip of ginger tea.
“You must have many questions you’d like to ask?”
“Ah, yes….”
I answered reluctantly, but outwardly I sipped my ginger tea with composure.
“Sung-guk, you are truly exceptional.”
[Teacher Lee, that’s something even I know, and the whole world knows it too. Please, spare me these cryptic riddles! Sigh… why is this ginger tea so hot? My insides are burning….]
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong continued, whether he sensed my thoughts or not.
“The reason I asked to see you alone was to offer you some counsel.”
“What kind of counsel, Teacher?”
“In this lifetime, you will receive help from many people.”
[Rather than me helping them?]
I listened quietly to Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong’s words.
“You may believe that people follow you because you are talented, but remember this: without their help, there would be no you. Just as your journey to the United States would have been impossible without Chairman Koo Soo-young of Hyojin Group’s assistance.”
But didn’t they help me precisely because I am capable?
Still, I remained silent and listened to Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong.
“Sung-guk, I hope you will not take their help for granted.”
“Are you saying I should repay the kindness of those who have helped me?”
“Yes, and only then will your fortune grow greater.”
“Teacher Lee, what I wanted to ask you was….”
“I know. You asked before, didn’t you? I said that only by fulfilling your responsibility to your siblings could you have a proper romantic relationship and marriage, and you’re curious about when that might be?”
“Yes….”
I answered honestly.
Jeon Tae-guk and Secretary Park Sung-hee were not present.
“Hehe. It’s only natural that a hot-blooded man in his twenties would be curious.”
[Of course!]
I could only agree silently.
“That is to say….”
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong trailed off teasingly.
I opened my eyes wide and stared at Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong.
[Teacher Lee, look me straight in the eye and tell me!]
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong merely smiled mysteriously.
“Hehe. How is it that young master Jeon Tae-guk and you have such remarkably similar destinies?”
[What is he talking about? Is he comparing me to that fool?]
“Your connections are both close and distant. Just as you must repay your karmic debt, so must he… and so that connection will take some time.”
Thump.
My heart plummeted.
Secretary Kim Mi-so still had two younger siblings attending university.
So you’re saying that my connection with you will only continue if those younger siblings establish themselves.
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong smiled as he observed my expression.
“It seems you already understand the nature of our connection, so I won’t ask. Sung-guk, I’ll just ask one thing of you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sung-guk, follow your heart.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When you act according to your own will, everything works out well for you. No matter how much others interfere or try to dissuade you, if that’s what your will dictates, then that’s what you must do. The same applies to connections. Act according to your heart. But now is not the time.”
* * *
So I should follow my heart, but now isn’t the right time?
Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong’s words are truly impossible to understand sometimes….
While I was lost in thought, Jeon Tae-guk was already planning out Secretary Park Sung-hee’s wedding and honeymoon.
“Secretary Park, I hear people are going to the Maldives for their honeymoon these days?”
“Director, as you know, Se-young isn’t alone… The flight to the Maldives is too long, so we’re not considering it.”
“Really? What about Bali then?”
“Bali is also seven hours of flight time….”
“Then don’t cause any accidents!”
Jeon Tae-guk was actually getting upset.
“Director, it feels like you’re getting too involved in my wedding.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee drew the line sharply once again.
“Well… I just want to take care of things.”
“Aren’t you going to follow us on our honeymoon like you did with Mark’s wedding?”
“Secretary Park Sung-hee, Mark is an old friend of mine, but you and I are connected through work. If I follow you even on your honeymoon, that would be an imposition.”
Jeon Tae-guk actually had a good sense of the situation.
“Director, I’ll decide on the honeymoon after discussing it with Se-young. Please don’t worry.”
“What about Jeju Island?”
“That’s also under consideration.”
“Then decide soon. I’ll have the Samjeon Hotel Jeju branch reserve a suite room for you.”
“Director, I’ll tell you after giving it proper thought, so please don’t rush me!”
While the two of them bickered, we arrived at the apartment in Pangyo.
Jeon Tae-guk was still asking Secretary Park Sung-hee various questions.
“Where are you planning to set up your newlyweds’ home, Secretary Park?”
“I’ve signed a lease contract for a 24-pyeong unit in this apartment complex. So! Please don’t meddle in this too, Director!”
“Ah, I understand. I’m just envious. Getting married and becoming a father at the same time….”
It seemed like I finally had something to contribute.
“Secretary Park, this apartment—why are you doing a lease instead of a purchase?”
Pangyo in 2012.
Property values hadn’t risen yet, and this was actually a time when they were undervalued.
“Ah, well… there isn’t much difference between property prices and lease prices… but with the newlyweds’ situation and a child on the way, taking on more debt seems impossible.”
I looked at Jeon Tae-guk.
“Hyung, arrange an interest-free loan through the company’s welfare program for him.”
“Why is that?”
“Pangyo is undervalued right now, but looking at the atmosphere here, it seems like it’ll become the hub of IT in the future. As jobs increase, people naturally gather, and property values rise.”
Secretary Park Sung-hee’s eyes sparkled at my words.
“If that’s what you say, I should discuss it with Se-young!”
“You never listen to what I say, but you hang on Sung-guk’s every word? I’m hurt, Secretary Park.”
I grabbed Jeon Tae-guk’s shoulder.
“You’re a chaebol, so you don’t really understand how the real economy works.”
“I do understand. I even went to the supermarket yesterday and bought beer myself.”
Then Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with curious eyes.
“Sung-guk, what did Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong say? He told me and Secretary Park to leave.”
“It wasn’t anything special.”
“What, are you having romance troubles like me?”
[Sigh… my situation is similar to a dog at a village school….]
I clenched my teeth and shook my head.
“That’s not it. I’m just going through a period with a lot of work concerns. TikTok’s future is uncertain too….”
“Anyway, you’re a workaholic. Sung-guk, should we head down for some chicken and beer? Sam and Adam wanted to do that today.”
“Well….”
Suddenly, Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong’s words came to mind—that I should always repay kindness to those who help me.
“I’ll buy the chicken. But I need to see Secretary Kim about work, so I’ll join you a bit late.”
“Sure, Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong’s fees are expensive anyway, so might as well get some free chicken.”
* * *
Secretary Kim Mi-so came down to the cafe on the first floor of the officetel in casual clothes.
“CEO, what brings you here on a day off?”
“I’m sorry for calling you in on your day off.”
“It’s fine. I was studying English at home. Most of the FaceNote employees are native speakers, so I’m worried I might not be good enough.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so was studying without rest even on weekends to go to the FaceNote headquarters with me.
Seeing that she only studied even on weekends, it was clear she didn’t have a boyfriend.
“Then let’s order a sandwich and coffee. It’s nice to eat while studying.”
“I’ll order right away with the company card. A warm latte for you, right?”
“Yes.”
Now, no one knew my preferences as well as Secretary Kim Mi-so did.
Secretary Kim Mi-so soon returned with a warm latte.
“CEO, what did you want to talk about?”
“Well… Since I’ve been supporting my younger siblings lately, I got curious about how your siblings are doing. You must be busy supporting yours too.”
“Is that why you came?”
“Christmas is next week, and you’ll be going home. Since you always take good care of me, I wanted to repay you in some way.”
Lies flowed easily from my lips.
What I really wanted to know was the situation with Secretary Kim Mi-so’s siblings. How long would she have to support them? That’s all I was curious about.
“My siblings are doing well in college. One of them wants to go on a language exchange program, so I’m looking into different regions and schools.”
“Are you planning to cover the costs too?”
“I’m just helping out a bit. I took a leave of absence last semester and worked part-time, so I managed to save up quite a bit of money.”
[She’s got practical sense, this friend.]
I felt a bit more reassured.
“If it’s alright with you, would you like me to arrange for you to do some simple part-time work at FaceNote while attending a language academy nearby?”
In that instant, Secretary Kim Mi-so’s eyes widened.
“CEO… Really?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I want to repay Secretary Kim Mi-so, and next week is Christmas anyway.”
[Hmm, Christmas makes quite the romantic excuse.]
“My younger brother will be so happy about this. I’ll tell him when I go home next week.”
[So she’s spending Christmas with her family….]
That was a bit disappointing.
But now is not the time!
Following the words of Teacher Lee of Samcheong-dong, I ended the conversation there and stood up from my seat.
“Secretary Kim, finish your studies. I can’t have you coming to FaceNote with me and causing trouble, can I?”
“Yes, CEO! I’ll study hard!”
I swept my hair back and left the cafe.
[Yes, just this far for now….]
* * *
My mother called me early Sunday morning.
I set down the coffee cup I was about to drink and answered her call.
“Mom, what’s going on so early in the morning?”
– Sung-guk, there’s something I need to discuss with you.
“What is it?”
– A publishing company contacted me about writing a book.
“What kind of book?”
– Something about the secrets to raising three children as gifted prodigies, that sort of thing….
I scoffed.
[Gifted prodigies? I raised them as geniuses!]
“Mom, the book concept is wrong.”
– What’s wrong with it?
“Mom, Min-guk, Ji-hee, and I are all geniuses in our respective fields. We’re not gifted prodigies.”
– Jeon Sung-guk!!!
My mother’s voice erupted through the phone.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
– All three of you are geniuses, but I think I must have done something wrong with my prenatal care. How can you be so lacking in humility? Ji-hee is the same way.
“Mom, I’m just stating facts. And… there’s something more important.”
– What?
“Mom, do you even want to write a book like that?”
– Honestly, I don’t want to. I raised all three of you. You all grew up well on your own. Your father and I just made sure you ate well.
[Mom, that’s the most important thing.]
Mother and Father had always been our most steadfast shelter and our greatest supporters.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”
– That’s right. Even though the publisher kept pressing me, I suppose I hesitated for a moment. No, I shouldn’t do it. Oh, Sung-guk. You’ll come home for Christmas next week, right? It’s not like you have a date anyway.
She hit the nail on the head.
“Mom, I’ll bring all the people here who don’t have dates.”
– Great, bring Sam and Adam and Tae-guk too. Dad will prepare delicious bossam for everyone.
“Sounds good!”
* * *
December 25th, 2012.
Christmas had arrived once again.
And this Christmas too, Sam, Adam, Jeon Tae-guk, and I were all single.
Jeon Tae-guk’s hands were heavy with gifts, and Sam and Adam had also prepared presents.
“Sung-guk, why are you empty-handed?”
“According to a 2012 survey, the number one gift parents want to receive from their children is cash. I’ve already transferred it to them.”
“How heartless.”
Sam and Adam nodded in agreement beside me.
“If you all keep looking at me like that, you might never get to taste our house’s bossam again.”
“You’re really shameless, threatening us with bossam.”
Jeon Tae-guk grumbled but hurried into our home.
Sam and Adam followed inside, and just as I was about to take off my shoes, a message came from Secretary Kim Mi-so.
– CEO, I told my younger sibling about working part-time at FaceNote while studying abroad, and they’re so excited. They said they’d apply on their own if you just point them to a job opening. They’re also looking into language academies themselves.
[Secretary Kim really does have self-reliant siblings, just like him.]
A smile crept across my lips.
– I’ll reach out as soon as a part-time position opens up. Tell your sibling not to feel too pressured.
– CEO, thank you so much. My sibling also sends their thanks. And CEO, have a happy Christmas.
[Secretary Kim too….]
But I never did send that message.

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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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