I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 487

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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 487
Click.
The office door swung open, and Min-guk poked his head in eagerly.
I was the one who had held back the Sevens from returning to Korea.
It was simply because Min-guk was essential for my meeting with Chu Shuru.
“Hyung, what about barbecue this evening? I was thinking we could do a live stream on YouTube….”
I looked at Min-guk.
“Min-guk, everyone in the world knows you’re the CEO of FaceNote, an icon of this era, and simultaneously one of the wealthiest young men in America—my younger brother.”
“Hyung, I’m genuinely curious. Doesn’t it feel embarrassing when you say things like that about yourself?”
“Why would it be embarrassing to speak the truth?”
Min-guk shook his head side to side.
[What’s so strange about a successful person acknowledging their success?]
“So what’s your point?”
“Think carefully about the Sevens’ concept.”
“Our concept?”
“Right now, you’re idols from a small talent agency just beginning to gain recognition. Looking at the image you’ve shown through your own content so far—the semi-basement practice room in Nonhyeon-dong, the dormitory where all seven of you sleep in one room.”
“That’s the truth though. Our representative didn’t have money, so we really suffered.”
“But coming to America and staying at my place, showing this leisurely concept of having barbecue—isn’t that completely different from the image you’ve built up until now?”
My words made Min-guk break into a bright smile.
“I knew you’d say that, hyung.”
[What? He’s already thought this through?]
Min-guk stepped forward and crossed his arms firmly.
“Hyung, you’re right about how the Sevens have been portrayed until now. So our concept for this American content is parasitism.”
“Parasitism?”
“Literally parasiting off you. And off Tae-guk hyung too. Everyone in the world knows I’m Jeon Sung-guk’s younger brother, so it wouldn’t make sense to come to America and deliberately live in poverty. Instead, we’re going with a concept where we parasitize off you and Tae-guk hyung. All of our members!”
I looked at Min-guk again.
[When did this kid grow up so much?]
Min-guk understood their image well, and he knew how to actively leverage it.
“Hyung, you’re a little surprised right now, aren’t you?”
“A little.”
I admitted it honestly.
Watching my younger brother grow was, after all, a joyful thing.
I quickly pulled a card from my wallet.
“Here, take this first.”
“Hyung… you’re giving me a credit card?”
“Film it from when you go to the mart with the Sevens members and buy stuff for the barbecue. The moment you swipe the card, I’ll call and nag you about it.”
“Wow, that’s proper parasite concept… hyung, you were always like that anyway.”
“Reality thrives on authenticity.”
[I used to be a reality show star back in the day, Jeon Min-guk.]
Min-guk nodded and took my card.
* * *
Five o’clock in the afternoon.
I left the office earlier than usual.
Tomorrow was the weekend, and there were pressing matters I needed to discuss with Mark and Lim Mi-mi before tonight’s barbecue party.
Soon Mark and Lim Mi-mi arrived with Olivia and Rose.
“Sung-guk, can you watch Olivia for a bit?”
“Uncle!”
Olivia, who was now speaking quite well, lisped the word as she ran toward me.
“Uncle, play with Olivia!”
“But your dad and I have some important things to talk about. What should we do?”
Just then, Daniel Kang and Kim Mi-so arrived as well.
Kim Mi-so naturally took Olivia’s hand.
“Olivia, want to play with me? How about it?”
“Okay!”
Daniel quickly scooped up Rose.
“Rose, let’s play with this big brother.”
In truth, Kim Mi-so and Daniel’s task for today was to look after Olivia and Rose.
I had sensitive matters to discuss with Mark and Lim Mi-mi, and hiring a babysitter would have been a security risk.
I handed beers to Mark and Lim Mi-mi.
“You both drink beer, right?”
“Sung-guk, I think I know why you called us here…”
Mark looked at me while taking a sip of his beer.
“It’s about Brad, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Daniel was asking about Luo Zhijin earlier today—that’s connected too, isn’t it, sir?”
“That’s right, Mi-mi.”
I took a sip of my beer.
One of our company’s key executives was connected to China’s Communist Party—a serious matter indeed.
If this scandal became public, it would undoubtedly damage FaceNote.
The most controversial issues in America always revolved around data breaches and communism.
This was precisely the issue Mark, being American-born, was most sensitive about.
“Sung-guk, we need to get rid of Brad quickly. Americans hate communism more than anything. The mere fact that a Communist Party official met with a FaceNote executive will set people off about data leaks, national security threats, you name it.”
“You’re right.”
I nodded slowly.
We were facing an extremely serious situation.
“Brad, what was he thinking?”
“In my opinion… of course, this is just speculation on my part.”
I took another sip of beer and continued.
“Popular SNS platforms like FaceNote and Instagrim are already too difficult to acquire. But TikTok is different. It’s still not profitable, and it’s only just beginning to gain recognition.”
“That’s right, sir.”
“Chu Shuru is from mainland China, but he’s been doing business back and forth between the United States and China for a long time. His nationality is even Singapore. It was the Chinese government that came up with the plan to acquire TikTok by putting Chu Shuru at the forefront. And Chu Shuru became the figurehead. If TikTok increases its subscriber base in the United States and gains influence, they’re planning to use that to extract information and manipulate public opinion. The world runs on SNS now, after all.”
At my words, both Mark and Lim Mi-mi’s faces darkened.
FaceNote was essentially our lives—mine, Mark’s, and Lim Mi-mi’s.
“CEO, what should we do? I looked into Luo Zhijin personally, and he’s apparently a very influential person even within China.”
Mark pressed his forehead.
“Sung-guk, I think it’s best to mention this quietly to someone on the government side. If you meet Chu Shuru a few more times, you could end up being suspected yourself. Technically speaking, you’re a foreigner.”
“Hmm… I should probably contact Barack.”
I took a sip of beer.
Just then, a notification alert chimed on my phone.
– HotMart charge: $2,098.
“Min-guk, you bastard! How much meat did you buy for a barbecue—over two million won!”
I immediately called Min-guk.
“In a country where meat is as cheap as America, how much did you actually buy!!!”
– Hyung, I’m sorry… There are seven of us. Plus Director Bang is here too. Hyung, I’ll grill the meat deliciously for you later.
I could hear the voices of the Sevens members in the background.
– CEO, we’ll clean up everything!
– We’ll be your house elves!
I let out a long sigh and hung up the phone.
* * *
The barbecue party was in full swing.
Bang Mu-hyuk, who had an eye for meat, was constantly grilling at the barbecue station, and Jeon Tae-guk and Lee Kyung-soo, who had joined a bit late, were eagerly eating meat alongside Mark, Lim Mi-mi, Daniel Kang, and Kim Mi-so.
The Sevens members had volunteered to be babysitters for Rose and Olivia for the day.
I quietly made my way to the study.
There was another reason I had approved Min-guk’s barbecue party today.
It was to prevent Brad Young and Chu Shuru from noticing my movements.
A weekend evening barbecue party with my younger brother, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.
Brad Young and Chu Shuru would surely think I was simply enjoying my weekend.
Click.
I locked the door and called Barack Obama.
The phone rang for a moment before Barack Obama answered late.
– Sung-guk, what’s the matter?
Barack Obama’s voice was always cheerful.
I could hear voices of people in the background. It seemed Barack Obama was also in the middle of dinner with his family.
“I have something urgent I need to discuss with you.”
– Don’t tell me it’s about Donald Trumpet? The media has been reporting every day that you’re unofficially supporting Donald Trumpet.
“You know how I am, Barack. I support whoever will win….”
– That sounds like you’re saying our Democratic Party will lose this presidential election.
“The future is uncertain.”
Though I know.
“Barack, the reason I called today is something different.”
– What’s the matter?
“It concerns U.S. national security.”
– Sounds important. Hold on a moment.
Through the phone, I sensed Barack Obama moving to a quieter location.
The murmur of voices faded, a door closed, and Barack Obama spoke again.
– Sung-guk, national security? What exactly is this about?
“Recently, a Chinese businessman trying to acquire TikTok came to see me. His name is Chu Shuru—a former CEO of Xiaomi, quite famous in China.”
– Go on.
“When Chu Shuru mentioned wanting to acquire TikTok, something felt off, so I did some digging. I discovered that Chu Shuru has been meeting with officials from the Chinese Communist Party.”
– Chinese Communist Party officials?
“Yes, Barack.”
I heard Barack Obama sigh.
– Sung-guk, this seems like something that needs to be handled at the national level.
“Barack, but I have a condition.”
– What condition?
“It appears that one of our company’s board members is connected to this matter.”
– That figures. In any organization, there are always people who think only of their own interests and ignore national security.
“If this becomes public, it could seriously damage FaceNote’s image.”
– Hmm….
Barack Obama would certainly understand what I was implying.
– In other words, you want this handled off the record?
“Yes, no media outlet should ever learn of it. In exchange…”
– In exchange?
“I’ll provide my full cooperation.”
– That’s music to my ears. I’ll gather my advisors after dinner with the family and discuss this, then contact you again. Of course, everything remains classified.
“Yes, Barack.”
I hung up the phone.
Then I went back outside and enjoyed the barbecue party as if nothing had happened.
* * *
Early the next day, someone from the U.S. National Intelligence Service arrived.
“Hello, my name is Everham Shawn.”
He was dressed as a janitor, and his name was certainly an alias.
Everham’s visit came after I had already received a direct call from Barack Obama.
“Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
“We know you very well, sir.”
Every word he spoke seemed weighted with meaning, but I let it pass without acknowledgment.
“On the way here, I checked the entire area around your residence. No surveillance detected.”
“The neighboring house is occupied by the heir to the Samjeon Group, famous in South Korea, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Thanks to Jeon Tae-guk, security was naturally thorough.
“The VIP will oversee this operation personally. Our final objective is to capture a Chinese Communist Party official named Luo Zhijin through Chu Shuru. Once we have Luo Zhijin, we should be able to identify all the companies contacted from China’s side and the collaborators hiding in Silicon Valley.”
Everham Shawn deliberately spoke while running the vacuum cleaner.
“What should I do?”
“CEO, it seems you should maintain contact with Chu Shuru as if you’re willing to sell TikTok.”
“That shouldn’t be difficult.”
“And….”
Everham Shawn quickly scanned the surroundings before speaking in a low voice.
“This operation is taking place on the West Coast of the United States where Silicon Valley is located, so the codename is ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’ Remember this. Only Barack Obama, myself, and CEO Jeon Sung-guk know about this.”
“Yes, I’ll remember.”
I naturally distanced myself from Everham Shawn. I drank coffee as usual, and Min-guk, who had woken up from the vacuum cleaner noise, came out and grumbled.
“Brother, did you call for cleaning?”
“Yeah, go back to sleep.”
“I can’t sleep because it’s too loud.”
“Then help with the cleaning. You said yesterday you’d help with housework after spending two million won.”
Everham Shawn appropriately handed a duster to Min-guk’s hands.
“The house is quite large. I can’t manage alone, so help me out.”
“Ah… brother, you had this all planned out.”
Min-guk grumbled and began dusting.
I stepped out into the garden and sipped my coffee.
And I gazed up at the clear California sky.
Soon, a war without artillery would begin here.

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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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