I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 452

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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 452
A miracle happened on Christmas.
Dennis’s film, “The Whip,” had been invited to the Sundance Film Festival.
Dennis called me with an excited voice.
– Sung-guk! I can’t believe it. I’ve been invited to the Sundance Film Festival….
[Dennis, if you’re going to dominate the Academy Awards in the future, you shouldn’t get this emotional over something like this.]
The Sundance Film Festival was an international film festival that showcased independent films from around the world. Many renowned directors had debuted through this festival.
– Sung-guk, you know you have to come since you’re an investor, right?
“When is the festival?”
– It opens on January 15th. I’m planning to go from the first day and watch some films. Can you make it?
“I’ll try to make time. Dennis, and congratulations on being invited to the Sundance Film Festival.”
– I haven’t even won an award yet, so why. I’m just getting an invitation, so it’s embarrassing.
“This is how everything starts. Dennis, have a good Christmas.”
– Yeah, you too!
After ending the brief call with Dennis, I turned around and saw Ji-hee standing right in front of me with wide, sparkling eyes.
“Jeon Ji-hee, what’s the matter?”
“Oppa, can’t I go to that film festival too?”
“You want to go to a film festival?”
Ji-hee had asked me for help with her studies before, but she’d never asked for something like this, so I was a bit taken aback.
“Once you enter university, you’ll need to seriously prepare for the bar exam.”
“Ji-hee, you know you need to complete at least 35 credits in law subjects to be eligible for the bar exam, right?”
“Oppa, I’m Jeon Ji-hee.”
[I never thought I’d hear those words come from Ji-hee’s mouth….]
“Oppa, I’m actually quite interested in the arts.”
This was something I had no idea about.
“You are?”
“Yeah. Min-guk oppa is a kind of artist, after all. Korea’s cultural content industry is going to grow tremendously in the future.”
Since childhood, I’d sometimes wondered if Ji-hee was also living a second life.
Today was no exception.
In the future, Korea’s cultural content would spread across the world under the name of the Korean Wave.
K-pop, films, dramas—all would enjoy phenomenal popularity. That’s why I had stubbornly pushed Min-guk into Sevens.
Ji-hee continued.
“When that happens, legal issues will naturally arise. Copyright and things like that. I want to study law not just to make money, but to work in fields that genuinely interest me.”
“So you want to become a lawyer specializing in cultural content?”
“Yeah, oppa.”
Ji-hee’s words made sense.
“Alright, then let’s go to the film festival together this time.”
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk, who had overheard our conversation while heading to the restroom, chimed in.
“Me too!”
[Sigh… I really have to take all these burdens to America again….]
* * *
On an airplane heading to the United States.
The Sundance Film Festival was held in Park City, located in Utah.
The moment I boarded the plane, I handed Ji-hee a pamphlet.
“What’s this, oppa?”
“It’s a list of films screening at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. And it looks like there will be an investment market there too. Read through the description and pick out some films worth investing in.”
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me and clicked his tongue.
“Sung-guk, the way you operate really reminds me of our father….”
[Well, who do you think I learned it from?]
When I attended Samsung Kindergarten, I had come on a training program to the United States.
At that time, Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung handed me a list of companies at an IT expo and asked me to pick out the ones that interested me.
The companies I selected were Google and Elon’s Tesla, which were just gaining attention as startups.
“Hyung, Ji-hee said she wants to work in cultural content in the future. It’s good for her to develop an eye for these things from a young age, don’t you think?”
“You two are quite remarkable siblings, in any case.”
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head in disbelief.
* * *
Park City in Utah, where the festival was held, was blanketed in snow.
Tourists who had come to ski and people who had come to see the film festival were all crowded together in a bustling mess.
Dennis, who had come to pick us up, warmly welcomed Ji-hee, who had grown so much taller.
“Ji-hee!”
“Dennis oppa, how have you been?”
“I heard you got a perfect score on the college entrance exam? Your family is truly remarkable.”
“Oppa says I shouldn’t brag about getting a perfect score on the Korean college entrance exam anywhere.”
“Haha. Sung-guk would definitely say something like that. Ji-hee, just follow me around during the festival. I’ll escort you.”
Hearing this, Jeon Tae-guk let out a deliberate cough.
“Ahem. Dennis, do you have that much free time as a director attending the festival?”
“I just screen my film and do a few interviews. I don’t have much else to do.”
“Sounds busy then. Ji-hee, you stick with this oppa instead.”
Ji-hee looked back and forth between Dennis and Jeon Tae-guk, then let out a low sigh. Her expression made it clear she found them pathetic.
“Sigh… I have homework that Sung-guk oppa gave me, so you two do whatever you want.”
Ji-hee brushed past the two of them and headed toward the dormitory.
Moments like this made her unmistakably my sister.
Dennis approached with an awkward expression.
“Ji-hee has really grown up.”
“She’s still a minor, though.”
“Sung-guk, are you already keeping tabs on Ji-hee?”
“Just saying, Dennis. By the way, when is your film screening?”
“Saturday evening this week.”
Just then, a familiar-looking person walked toward us from a distance.
That distinctive radiant face and the noticeably fuller hair.
“Sung-guk! What a surprise running into you here!”
“Elon, what brings you to this place?”
“Just needed to clear my head for a bit. What about you?”
“I’m here because a film I invested in is being screened at the festival.”
“Sung-guk, is there anything you haven’t invested in?”
“Who knows.”
I laughed ambiguously.
Elon and I shared similar tendencies.
We invested in anything that could turn a profit!
* * *
Dennis headed off for an interview while Elon and I wandered through various sections of the Sundance Film Festival.
Of course, the investment booths captured our primary interest.
The investment booths at the Sundance Film Festival handled consultations not only for films being screened there, but also for distribution and investment opportunities related to other films.
“Sung-guk, I honestly don’t understand films at all.”
“You shouldn’t say that when you’re dating an actress.”
“Ha ha. That news made it all the way to Korea?”
“Of course it did.”
Elon Musk had recently gone through a divorce and, despite his thinning hair, was now dating an actress.
Life truly was full of unpredictable turns.
As I browsed through several film booths, one animation caught my eye by chance.
To be precise, it was an animated film, and I spotted Ji-hee loitering in front of the animation booth.
I quietly approached from behind her.
Ji-hee was asking questions with impressive diligence.
“Animation relies heavily on character design, but if the protagonist freezes the entire world, doesn’t that make her a villain?”
“We had many concerns about that initially. But I think it’s more accurate to describe her as someone who has suffered emotional trauma rather than as a villain.”
The staff member answered Ji-hee’s various questions with equal kindness.
Elon sidled up next to me and tapped my shoulder.
“That lady looks familiar for some reason.”
“She’s my younger sister.”
“That explains it.”
After finishing her consultations, Ji-hee spotted me and approached, though her expression wasn’t bright.
“Ji-hee, what were you consulting about?”
“That animation looks incredibly promising… but I don’t have enough money to invest in it myself and bring it over.”
“Ji-hee, you were planning to invest in it yourself and bring it here?”
“I wanted to… but I don’t have the money.”
Ji-hee’s shoulders drooped.
[Jeon Ji-hee, are you really living a second life?]
The animation Ji-hee was looking at was “Frozen,” Disney’s globally blockbuster animated film.
Created with inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen’s masterpiece “The Snow Queen,” this animation would go on to attract over ten million viewers domestically.
I knew it well because in my previous life, the children had become so obsessed with this animation that we rented out the movie theater multiple times for extended runs.
Ji-hee sighed with a melancholy expression, then looked at me.
“Why can’t you import this animation, oppa?”
“Are there no other films that caught your eye besides this one?”
“Most of the others are Marvel films, so they’re just so-so. This one has fresh content that really grabbed my attention… Oh, and Director Nolan’s 【Interstellar】 also looks quite good, oppa.”
[This girl has a discerning eye.]
I smiled faintly and asked Ji-hee.
“Ji-hee, if I import this animation into Korea, do you have any conditions in mind?”
“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure, but in cases like this, since I gave you proper advice, how about 20% of the profits?”
[Look at her, making deals now.]
20% wasn’t a bad proposal.
Even without Ji-hee’s advice, I would have imported 【Winter Palace】 if I could, but I had to acknowledge that Ji-hee had noticed it and brought it to my attention.
And it was about time Ji-hee, like Min-guk, needed to achieve economic independence.
Min-guk would strike it rich with 【Sevens】, but a lawyer’s salary was pocket change compared to that.
“Then, let me consult on it and import it if possible.”
I smiled faintly and walked toward the 【Winter Palace】 booth.
Elon saw this situation and grabbed my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, are you going to invest like this? Just trusting your sister’s word?”
“Elon, investment is always high risk, high return anyway. I also want to test Ji-hee’s foresight once.”
“Billionaires really are different.”
“Elon, we’re going to compete over the billionaire rankings from now on. Don’t say things like that.”
Elon laughed pleasantly.
Tesla still hadn’t established itself yet, so there was a gap with FaceNote. But I knew. I knew that Elon would surpass me.
“Now I want to try some money splurging myself.”
[Elon, it’s not money splurging. You’ll see soon enough.]
I approached the 【Winter Palace】 booth with ease. And I introduced myself.
“Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
In that moment, the female staff member sitting at the booth covered her mouth.
“Wow, you’re the FaceNote CEO, aren’t you? Right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. My younger sister consulted here a moment ago.”
“Oh my, that cute female student was your sister?”
The woman was startled again.
“My sister said this film looks quite interesting and told me to import it into Korea.”
“Ah… we do have a separate distributor, but let me look into it more carefully with my superiors!”
“Then, I’ll wait for your contact.”
* * *
Elon disappeared with his actress girlfriend, and Dennis, Jeon Tae-guk, Ji-hee, and I all gathered for dinner.
When I mentioned at dinner that I wanted to import 【Winter Palace】, Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with the most puzzled expression.
“Sung-guk, are you importing films now too?”
“【Winter Palace】 looks interesting.”
“But… Disney has an exclusive import contract with a subsidiary company that Uncle runs, from what I recall….”
It was a story I knew well.
In my previous life, Uncle had been involved with that company too.
That company had secured exclusive import and distribution rights for Disney films in Korea and Southeast Asia through bold investment.
But back then, excluding Japan—the largest market in Asia at the time—exclusive import and distribution rights were considered worthless, and the company faced nothing but criticism.
In truth, Uncle had made the decision because he needed Disney’s name as a long-established animation powerhouse to inflate his performance metrics.
Even when the contract was signed, it was admittedly an unfair deal.
And to this day, they hadn’t made significant profits from that contract.
Jeon Tae-guk continued speaking as he ate.
“But that deal from back then is basically just on paper. As far as I know, they haven’t even recovered the money they’ve invested so far….”
“Hyung, could I possibly acquire that subsidiary of your uncle’s?”
“Really?”
“Of course, really.”
“That won’t make any money though.”
“Ji-hee has a lot of interest in cultural content. In cases like this, you do unprofitable ventures too.”
I smiled warmly at Ji-hee.

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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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