I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 477

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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 477
December 2014.
I had just arrived at San Francisco Airport, a city where snow rarely fell.
Secretary Kim Mi-so was by my side, as promised.
My military service had finally ended, and I had entrusted the management of all Korean operations, including Alpha, to their respective leaders before returning to the United States.
Mark was waving from a distance, waiting to greet me.
“Sung-guk! Over here!!!”
Mark had become a father of two children.
As expected, the second child was also a daughter.
In the end, the name “Sung-guk” couldn’t be used for the second child either.
“Mark! Congratulations on the birth of your second child. Her name is Rose, right?”
“Yeah. Mi-mi had a dream where she received a bouquet of roses, so we named her Rose. Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Thank goodness. At least it’s not Sung-guk….”
“I’m disappointed, though. Next time I’m definitely having a son! And I’m absolutely going to use the name Sung-guk then, so don’t let your guard down.”
As Mark clenched both fists, Secretary Kim Mi-so laughed.
“Mr. Mark, you’ll need to discuss a third child with Mi-mi first.”
“You’re right. But Mi-mi actually wants children even more than I do. Since she’s a defector from North Korea with no relatives in this country, she wants to have as many children as possible.”
Mark continued chattering away with his freckled face still beaming.
Mark’s cheerful chatter.
And the San Francisco air I couldn’t feel back in Korea!
I had finally returned to the United States!!!
* * *
While searching for a house, Secretary Kim Mi-so and I decided to stay at Mark and Lim Mi-mi’s home.
I rushed to Rose’s room as soon as I washed my hands.
Rose, who resembled both Mark and Lim Mi-mi equally, had just woken from sleep and looked at me.
“Rose, it’s Uncle. Say uncle.”
Mark approached and tapped my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, Rose hasn’t even reached her hundredth day yet.”
“Ah, so it’s too early for her to talk.”
[I had already said everything I needed to say at that moment….]
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I looked for Mark’s first daughter, Olivia.
“Where did Olivia go?”
Mark let out a deep sigh.
“That little one saw you and got shy, so she’s been clinging to Mi-mi’s side. Sung-guk, I’ve been curious about this since high school.”
“Curious about what?”
“What is it like to live a life receiving the love of women all at once?”
“Well….”
The affectionate gazes women directed at me.
And the envious looks from men when they saw such women around me.
Of course, there were times I felt proud, but often it was just bothersome.
I tapped Mark on the shoulder.
“Mark, I actually envy you more.”
“What are you talking about? Since high school, every girl I’ve had a crush on has liked you instead.”
“That’s not the point. The thing is, I never liked any of those girls. Mark, you’ve found your lifelong partner, built a home, and had children. Isn’t that enough?”
Mark broke into a smile, revealing his neat teeth.
“You really know how to leave me speechless.”
Then he glanced around cautiously and whispered.
“Sung-guk, anyway, I envy you. I envy your good looks, and I envy that you’re not married.”
“Mark… I’ll keep this conversation secret from Lim Mi-mi. In exchange, please remove my name from your children’s name list.”
“That’s… a really difficult request. I’ll talk it over with Mi-mi.”
As Mark chattered away about this and that, it truly felt real that I was back in America.
“Come on, you two gentlemen. Stop gossiping and come downstairs to help set the table!”
Lim Mi-mi’s thick voice echoed from the first floor.
* * *
Over pizza and beer, Mark, Lim Mi-mi, Secretary Kim Mi-so, and I shared stories about what had been happening.
“Sung-guk, TikTok still isn’t getting the response you’d hoped for, right?”
“It’s underperforming expectations, but the environment still hasn’t fully adapted to TikTok’s system yet.”
“Sir, I actually find TikTok fun. Since the videos are short, it’s easier and more enjoyable. While I was on parental leave, I’ve been filming videos with the babies and uploading them. It’s simple and entertaining.”
“Since Lim Mi-mi finds it enjoyable, I’m planning to maintain it despite the current losses.”
I was being overly modest.
And I had truly missed being able to have these comfortable conversations in a place like this.
“Mark, Sam and Adam are coming next week.”
“Why aren’t they coming together?”
“Sam and Adam want to spend one last week in Korea eating Korean food to their heart’s content before coming over. They said they’ll do plenty of shopping too. And there’s an A-Punk concert this weekend, so they’re planning to watch that before heading over.”
“Those two are impossible to control. Are Sam and Adam not dating anyone?”
“Sam and Adam say they’re happier with fan activities than dating.”
Sam and Adam had truly immersed themselves in everything related to girl groups while they were in Korea.
“Speaking of fan activities, sir, your younger sibling is in a group, right?”
“Sevens?”
“Yes! Sevens. While I was resting at home after giving birth to Rose, I only watched Sevens’ music and videos. Those girls really have great songs… they’re so charming. They all have such distinct personalities… Sir, did you calculate all of that too?”
“No, that wasn’t intentional.”
I shook my head.
Was the response starting to build in America as well?
Mark chimed in.
“Sung-guk, don’t even get me started. Mi-mi is a huge fan of someone from Sevens—Jung-woo. She’s so obsessed that she’d sell her soul if even one of our daughters could marry him.”
“Is that really how much you like him, Lim Mi-mi?”
“I’m already married to Mark. If I’d delayed getting married just a little, I would have hacked all of Jung-woo’s social media accounts… It’s such a shame.”
A thought befitting a hacker from North Korea.
At that moment, Lim Mi-mi’s gaze turned toward Secretary Kim Mi-so.
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, will you continue working as the sir’s secretary here in America?”
“I’ll need to discuss it with the CEO, but I suspect he’ll want to find a secretary better suited to American operations while he’s in the United States. I’m thinking of starting work in the marketing department, which I’ve wanted to do for a while.”
“Secretary Kim Mi-so, you’ll need to find housing as well.”
“The two of you have let me stay here for now, but I’m going to start looking for a place soon.”
Secretary Kim Mi-so hadn’t found housing yet in this area.
And the same was true for me.
“Sung-guk, you need to find a place too.”
“Yeah, I should.”
“Do you have anywhere in mind?”
“Hmm… I’m going to start looking now. I want somewhere comfortable to live alone….”
I paused mid-sentence.
I was now among the wealthiest individuals even within the United States.
On top of that, I was the CEO of YouTube and Alpha.
I couldn’t even estimate how much accumulated in my account every single day.
So wouldn’t it be okay to flex a little now?
“Mark, I think it would be nice to get a place around this area.”
“Sung-guk, good thinking. Since I’ve lived here, the security is great. Plus, being surrounded by nature really appeals to me. Oh, and Elon has a few properties around here… I ran into him by chance recently, and he said he’s selling his houses in this area. Why don’t you meet with him? Seems like his company is struggling a bit these days.”
Tesla still hadn’t produced electric vehicles that could appeal to the mass market.
Just as TikTok would take several years, Tesla would also need to endure for just a few more years.
“I should contact Elon.”
And I looked at Secretary Kim Mi-so.
“Secretary Kim, the company will provide sufficient housing support, so please look for a safe place.”
“Yes, CEO. Actually, my younger sibling came here for language studies and has decided to study abroad at a nearby school, so I’m looking for a place for us to live together.”
[Hmm… why do I feel disappointed hearing this?]
I answered as calmly as I could.
“Since it’s a place for two women to live, I’ll make the same request to the staff member when I’m looking for housing.”
“That would be so helpful, CEO.”
Whether it was Secretary Kim Mi-so, me, or our siblings—we were all clearly bound by karma.
* * *
The pizza was nearly gone.
Empty beer bottles stood haphazardly across the table.
Secretary Kim Mi-so, exhausted from jet lag, had gone to bed first, and Lim Mi-mi had retired to the bedroom because of her two daughters.
Mark and I, after a long time, drank beer alone together and became pleasantly tipsy.
“Sung-guk, I’m so happy you’re back here.”
“Mark, if you say that one more time, it’ll be the ninety-eighth time.”
“Sung-guk, I love that you haven’t changed like this.”
Mark seemed quite drunk.
“Mark, you’ve worked hard all this time. From now on, I’ll make sure to properly support the management side of FaceNote in the United States as well.”
“What are you talking about? You do everything! I just want to focus on development.”
“Mark, FaceNote is something we founded together.”
“Back then, you handled all the management anyway, and I just did the development.”
It seemed Mark had borne considerable emotional burden during my absence.
“Mark, look at how brilliantly you’ve led FaceNote these past years while I was gone. We’ve gone public, and we’ve become among the wealthiest people in America—no, in the entire world.”
[Though I planned it all, of course.]
At that moment, Mark scratched his head.
“Oh, Sung-guk. Something came to the company for you and me. Hold on a second….”
Mark stood up and returned from the living room with a single envelope.
“What is that, Mark?”
The Harvard seal was clearly visible on the envelope.
“It came addressed to both you and me, so I didn’t open it. I was about to just now.”
Mark opened the envelope and read a few lines before looking at me with widened eyes.
“Sung-guk….”
“What is it, Mark?”
“Harvard… Harvard is giving us honorary degrees.”
“Honorary degrees?”
“Yeah. We both dropped out of Harvard.”
I extended my hand with an expression of disbelief.
“Mark, let me see the letter.”
“Sure, here.”
I read through the letter Mark handed me once more.
Just as Mark said, it clearly stated that we were being appointed as honorary graduates.
It was because Harvard recognized the achievements we and Mark had accomplished through FaceNote.
Mark looked at me with an excited expression.
“Sung-guk, so now we’re not Harvard dropouts anymore—we’re graduates?”
“Hmm… I guess so, Mark?”
“That’s awesome. So now we can tell Olivia and Rose that their dad graduated from Harvard!”
Mark threw his hands up in celebration.
Looking at this letter, I thought of Father.
He had opposed my studying abroad most of all, yet when I got into Harvard, he was happier than anyone.
It was Father who closed the Bossam Restaurant—a place that had never shut its doors—and led the family to my Harvard entrance ceremony.
And when I told him I was dropping out of Harvard to focus entirely on business, he was the most disappointed.
For Father, who had never been able to pursue the education he wanted, I had been his dream.
I quickly called Father.
It was probably early morning in Korea.
Soon I heard Father’s voice through the phone.
– Sung-guk, you arrived safely, right?
“Yeah, Father. Father… I think I’m going to graduate from Harvard this time.”
I heard Father’s faint laughter.
– Sung-guk, did you have some drinks with Mark? How are you graduating from Harvard when you never even attended?
“Well… Harvard decided to give me and Mark honorary degrees. They’re recognizing the achievements of FaceNote that we created… so now Mark and I are no longer Harvard dropouts but graduates, Father!”
– Sung-guk, is that really true?
“Yes! I just saw the letter from Harvard that Mark sent me. Father, the graduation date hasn’t been set yet… but I think it’ll be on Harvard’s graduation day. Next summer, around then. Father, even though it’s the day I receive my honorary diploma, you’ll come to the graduation ceremony, right?”
– Of course. My son is graduating from Harvard—I have to be there. Sung-guk….
Father fell silent for a while. Then he uttered just one sentence.
– My son, I’m so proud of you….

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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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