I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 486

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 486
Despite his polished appearance, Chu Shuru possessed a rather aggressive side to his nature.
Indeed, one couldn’t judge a businessman by appearance alone.
“How enviable—to have both time and money to spare.”
I deliberately steered the conversation in a different direction.
It was my own method for dealing with aggressive types.
They were impatient now, and the more desperate they became, the weaker they were against someone who remained composed.
“My goodness, here I am bragging about money in front of someone who became a global tycoon through FaceNote.”
“Not at all. I still find myself short on both time and money.”
Brad Young interjected between us.
“I’ve met Chu Shuru a few times when I was working in New York. Through that connection, I asked him to arrange this meeting with you.”
I sensed there would be much to discuss with Brad Young after this conversation ended.
Perhaps Brad Young’s earlier pressure on me had been a trap to sell TikTok to Chu Shuru.
Chu Shuru smiled faintly and feigned composure.
“I heard you’re building a new FaceNote office building.”
“The board that Brad belongs to hasn’t approved it yet.”
“I heard a bit about the wager between you two on the way here. If it were me, I don’t think I could have made such a bold proposal.”
“Thank you for viewing it favorably.”
Brad Young hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a smile.
“It seems the conversation isn’t flowing well because Chu Shuru is being too direct about what he wants. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t misunderstand, Mr. Jeon. I’m also one of FaceNote’s managing directors, and I’ve never leaked any information about TikTok.”
“Don’t worry about that, Brad.”
[Though I’m certainly suspicious enough!]
Brad Young, now more at ease, offered a different proposal.
“How about we keep today’s meeting brief and schedule something for next week? Perhaps over a meal?”
“Let’s do that. I’m quite curious about Xiaomi and your story.”
“I’ll tell you everything about it.”
As we were arranging the appointment, a commotion erupted from outside. What was that?
Just then, the door burst open and Jeon Min-guk waved his hand.
“Hyung, this is your office, right?”
“I’m in a meeting, Min-guk.”
“Oh, sorry. Hyung, Sevens is doing a tour of the FaceNote headquarters right now, and we’re streaming it live on YouTube. So you can’t get angry or be difficult.”
[Min-guk, are you deliberately trying to provoke me right now?]
Min-guk was publicly mocking me on the live broadcast that Sevens’ fans were watching, saying I had a quick temper and was difficult.
“Min-guk, business is business and life is life. Hyung is in a meeting, so close the door.”
“Oh… okay.”
After Min-guk left, I quickly apologized to Brad Young and Chu Shuru.
“I apologize for the disturbance. My younger brother is a member of a Korean idol group.”
“Sevens, right?”
Sevens rolled off Chu Shuru’s tongue instantly.
“How did you know?”
“How would I know? I’m a parent with a teenage daughter myself. My daughter attends an international school in Singapore, and her room is covered entirely with Sevens posters. Since they announced an American tour, I bought tickets and went to the New York concert with her.”
“It sounds like you’ll have plenty to discuss about Sevens at our next lunch.”
“It would be my honor.”
Min-guk actually becoming useful to my business—who would have thought?
I shrugged my shoulders with satisfaction.
Indeed, one well-raised younger sibling is worth ten ordinary ones.
* * *
After Brad Young and Chu Shuru left, I immediately summoned Daniel.
“CEO, did you need something?”
“Daniel, find me anything connecting Chu Shuru and Brad Young. I want a full report.”
“CEO, is this really something a secretary does?”
Daniel looked at me with surprise.
“Daniel, a secretary’s job is to support the CEO, isn’t it? Since I need this, just find it for me.”
At my words, Daniel broke into a grin.
“CEO, I’m just excited about this. It feels like some grand intelligence operation. Supporting your every move from beside you is wonderful, but investigating the backgrounds of people who move the business world is equally fascinating.”
“Daniel, we’re not making a movie here. Conduct your investigation within legal boundaries. And if you need help, reach out to Kim Mi-so.”
“Yes, CEO!”
Daniel left with enthusiasm, and I shook my head in bemusement.
Why on earth did Kim Mi-so hire Daniel?
I suddenly became curious.
And to satisfy this curiosity, I had no choice but to meet with Kim Mi-so.
[Not that I have any ulterior motives!]
I quietly sent Kim Mi-so a message.
– Kim Mi-so, how about lunch today? We need to discuss the Daniel situation.
Kim Mi-so’s reply came quickly.
– Yes, CEO. I’ll make a reservation at your favorite Eel Rice Bowl Restaurant.
Kim Mi-so had stepped down from her secretary role, but it seemed she hadn’t completely shed her secretarial instincts.
* * *
The restaurant Kim Mi-so had reserved was a famous Asian Fusion Restaurant near the office.
“Isn’t it difficult to get a reservation here?”
“Actually, my younger sister works part-time here. I took a shortcut.”
Kim Mi-so’s younger sister was still studying in the United States while working part-time.
“The seating isn’t ideal, though. We grabbed a cancellation quickly.”
“That’s fine.”
As we entered, the Manager guided us to a corner table.
The Manager glanced at me and brightened.
“Aren’t you Jeon Sung-guk, the CEO of FaceNote?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Our restaurant also promotes itself through FaceNote. When we first opened, we were struggling, but I can’t tell you how much SNS like FaceNote has helped us. Sorry for rambling. Please order.”
“I’ll have two Eel Rice Bowls, please.”
The Manager soon brought out the eel rice bowl, complimentary ramen, and the restaurant’s signature Asian noodles.
“This is on the house. Please enjoy it without worry.”
Once the Manager left, Kim Mi-so broke into a smile.
“Thanks to you, I get to try the Asian noodles too.”
Since I wasn’t receiving luxury goods or cash as a service, nor was I posting sponsored content, it seemed acceptable to accept this much.
“Kim Mi-so, how are you adjusting to the marketing work?”
“It feels strange that you don’t call me secretary anymore.”
“You’re not a secretary anymore, after all.”
Kim Mi-so nodded briefly before responding.
“I still have much to learn. I’m working hard not to be a burden to my teammates.”
Kim Mi-so was always humble.
From what I’d observed personally, she was adapting well to the Marketing Team, and with the diligence characteristic of Koreans, she was performing quite competently.
“Take it easy. I’d like Kim Mi-so to stay with our company for a long time.”
“Yes, sir. By the way, you wanted to have dinner together because of Daniel, right?”
Now we were finally getting to the main topic.
“Kim Mi-so, I’m genuinely curious—why did you hire Daniel as a secretary?”
Kim Mi-so smiled mysteriously.
“May I ask why you’re asking that question?”
“Daniel seems rather unusual.”
Kim Mi-so laughed brightly and took a sip of water.
“Actually… that’s precisely the part I liked most about him when I hired him.”
“You hired him because he’s unusual?”
“All his other qualifications were excellent too, but I thought that kind of personality would be good for assisting you.”
“I still can’t quite figure out what kind of person Daniel is.”
“Hmm….”
Kim Mi-so paused thoughtfully before speaking.
“The executive I serve is young in age but remarkably deep in thought. You don’t easily open up to those around you, yet once you do grow close, you lose sleep worrying endlessly about them.”
[I suppose I am rather altruistic.]
“You seem to care only about yourself, but that’s not actually the case.”
“But that doesn’t seem to be the reason you chose Daniel.”
At that moment, Kim Mi-so startled and took a drink of water.
“I’ve gotten off track with my explanation.”
[Hmm… Kim Mi-so, were you just sharing your impressions of me?]
I smoothly changed the subject to spare her embarrassment.
“How did you think Daniel would assist someone like me well?”
“If you’ve seen Daniel’s background, you’d know he was passionate about various external activities during university. For instance, he participated very actively in environmental protection movements. So it struck me as unusual that Daniel would turn down good job offers to apply to be your secretary.”
I nodded.
Honestly, even if someone from Stanford was considered an icon of the times, choosing to be my secretary wouldn’t have been an easy decision.
“So during the interview, I dug particularly deep into that point. He could have been a strange person, after all. But Daniel said something interesting—that he dedicates his passion to work and people that fascinate him. Throughout his university years, he did environmental activism through FaceNote and met related people. So when he suddenly saw the job posting, he thought: he wanted to meet the person who created FaceNote, the platform he spent his twenties with.”
Kim Mi-so explained Daniel’s motivation for applying calmly.
“I believe the most important thing in secretarial work is genuinely liking the executive you serve as a person. That’s how you can overcome any obstacle together. Daniel was the finest candidate in that regard. Of course, his other qualifications were excellent too.”
“I understand why Kim Mi-so selected him.”
“By the way, CEO. I heard you instructed Daniel this morning to investigate the relationship between Brad Young and Chu Shuru?”
“Did Daniel ask you about it?”
“I gave him a small tip.”
A small tip?
As I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Kim Mi-so smiled knowingly.
“I immediately provided him with Secretary Park Sung-hee’s contact information. Samjeon is far more reliable than some amateur detective agency.”
That was so typical of Kim Mi-so.
“Actually, there’s one more decisive reason why I selected Daniel.”
“What’s that?”
“During university, Daniel was involved in environmental activism and successfully passed one of the California regional bills. With that kind of determination and persistence, I felt he could accomplish anything.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Let’s grab lunch now.”
“Yes, CEO.”
Kim Mi-so’s eye for talent was never wrong.
I simply wanted to have lunch with Kim Mi-so today.
* * *
“CEO, I’ve investigated the relationship between Brad Young and Chu Shuru.”
Daniel burst through the office door and spoke hurriedly.
“A Samjeon intelligence source?”
“Ah… Kim Mi-so mentioned it?”
“Yes.”
Daniel placed a report exceeding twenty pages in front of me.
It had been only half a day since I’d instructed him to investigate the relationship between these two men.
“Daniel, you compiled all of this yourself?”
“Yes, I mobilized Samjeon’s intelligence network as well. During my environmental activism in university, I had a friend who studied Chinese companies and knew Chu Shuru well, so I asked for his help. As you know, Chinese industry operates without any environmental standards whatsoever. Xiaomi is no exception.”
I nodded.
Daniel’s approach seemed quite rational.
“As you can see, Brad Young briefly worked at one of Xiaomi’s investment companies, and it appears he formed his connection with Chu Shuru during that time.”
Daniel had investigated not only the relationship between Brad Young and Chu Shuru, but also their personal lives in general.
“CEO, after Brad Young met with you today, he went out and had lunch with Chu Shuru. There was another person present at that meeting.”
“Who was it?”
“A prominent Chinese politician.”
I stared at Daniel with astonishment.
“Daniel, how did you find out about this?”
This was something that couldn’t be known without conducting surveillance.
“The moment you gave me this assignment, I naturally assumed Brad Young and Chu Shuru would dine together, so I called all the famous restaurants in the area. Fortunately, I found one where Brad Young had made a reservation under his own name. I went to that restaurant at the scheduled time and had lunch there myself.”
Daniel possessed an even more tenacious streak than Kim Mi-so had anticipated.
“I confirmed an East Asian man was with them, and when I heard Chinese being spoken and someone call out the name Luo Zhijin, I thought he must be a prominent Chinese figure, so I asked Lim Mi-mi for some assistance. By the way, I studied Chinese in university, so I understand a bit of it.”
I was intensely curious about what Daniel would say next.
“Mi-mi discovered that Luo Zhijin is a high-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party Intelligence Department.”
“That’s impressive, Daniel.”
Truthfully, I hadn’t anticipated Daniel would investigate to this extent.
So the Chinese Communist Party was indeed behind Chu Shuru’s acquisition of TikTok.
Daniel smiled shyly and handed me a receipt.
“CEO, but that restaurant was incredibly expensive. I don’t think my salary can cover it. Would it be possible to process the expense?”
And he maintained a clear distinction between work and personal matters.
Kim Mi-so had certainly hired a competent secretary.
I glanced at the receipt and was slightly startled by the amount exceeding four hundred dollars, but I laughed casually.
“Daniel, process the expense. And going forward, process all work-related expenses.”
“Yes, CEO!”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————