I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 496

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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 496
The party wasn’t large in scale, but it was lavish.
Kim Mi-so, who had once worked as Jeon Mi-jin’s personal secretary, understood her tastes perfectly.
Everything had to be expensive and extravagant first and foremost.
From the decorations to the food.
Even the champagne was top-tier.
Jeon Tae-guk drained his champagne glass with a satisfied expression.
“Sung-guk, Kim Mi-so really knows Mi-jin’s preferences.”
“She was Mi-jin’s personal secretary, after all.”
“Oh, that’s right!”
“Brother, she even confessed to Mi-jin back then… She should at least know this much, right?”
“Sung-guk, why do you remember everything? Can’t you just forget some things for my sake?”
[I remember my past life too, so how could I forget something that happened so recently? You fool.]
Jeon Tae-guk exhaled a long sigh.
“And I’m telling you, the old me who fell in love hastily doesn’t exist anymore. I’m older now, and I’ll be more thoughtful about the people I meet.”
[You fool, I hope that’s true….]
I sipped my champagne and surveyed the surroundings.
Mark had arrived with Lim Mi-mi, and Sam and Adam had also shown up. But Mi-jin still hadn’t appeared.
“Brother, is something wrong with Mi-jin?”
“Ji-hee dragged her away earlier. They must have something to settle between them. Maybe Mi-jin owed Ji-hee some money and couldn’t pay it back… something like that.”
Ji-hee dragged Mi-jin away?
A confrontation between my younger sister from my past life and my younger sister from this life…
“Brother, I’ll bring them both down.”
“Take it easy, Sung-guk.”
I headed to the Guest Room on the second floor of Jeon Tae-guk’s home.
* * *
“Hmm… I don’t think this is it either….”
Ji-hee was scrutinizing Jeon Mi-jin’s dress with a critical eye.
The assumption that they were fighting for some reason turned out to be completely wrong.
“You’re 170 centimeters tall with a slim figure, but I’m not. Please don’t judge me by your standards.”
“Unni, it’s not about your body—it’s about choosing clothes and colors that suit your figure. Don’t just pick the most expensive thing.”
“I know that already. I majored in fashion, you know.”
Ji-hee shrugged and held out a red dress that fit the body snugly. It extended all the way to the ankles.
“Unni, try this on. With heels, it’ll make you look taller and slimmer.”
“Isn’t it too simple?”
“Since it’s red, a simple dress design works best.”
Jeon Mi-jin tilted her head, then put on the red dress Ji-hee offered. She slipped on high heels.
Soon, Jeon Mi-jin’s expression became quite satisfied.
“Not bad…. Ji-hee, what are you going to wear?”
“Well….”
Ji-hee selected the simplest black dress from the several options Jeon Mi-jin had brought along. The knee-length cut gave it a tastefully collegiate design.
“I’ll wear this one, unnie.”
“Hmm, you do have an eye for fashion. It shows off your figure just right.”
Ji-hee and Mi-jin had naturally fallen into helping each other choose, even offering posture advice.
“Ji-hee, take this small clutch. It’s essential for a party like this.”
Just then, I heard footsteps approaching from the second-floor hallway.
“Who is it?”
* * *
I stood before the guest room where Jeon Mi-jin was staying and knocked.
Soon, Jeon Mi-jin’s voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Sung-guk. Ji-hee’s in there too, right?”
“Just a moment… we’re all ready.”
The moment she finished speaking, Jeon Mi-jin opened the door wide.
Jeon Mi-jin in a red long dress and Ji-hee in a black mini dress stepped out simultaneously.
[Hmm… they weren’t fighting after all?]
Ji-hee looked at me coldly.
“Big brother, did you come to pick us up because you were worried we might fight?”
“You two were taking too long. Most of the guests have already arrived.”
I felt caught, but I played dumb.
Just then, Jeon Mi-jin naturally linked her arm through mine.
“Sung-guk, will you be my partner tonight?”
“Why should I?”
Ji-hee pushed me from behind.
“Brother, be Mi-jin unnie’s partner. It’s her party, after all.”
I was beginning to feel increasingly manipulated by these two women.
I approached Ji-hee quietly.
“Jeon Ji-hee, I think you’re helping Jeon Mi-jin quite a lot right now. But you’re not the type to do something like this without conditions, are you?”
“Mi-jin unnie said she’d make some donations in my name. I can do more good that way. Besides, Mi-jin unnie isn’t as stubborn as I thought—she actually listens to other people’s advice.”
[That can’t be right….]
Had Jeon Mi-jin changed as she got older?
Just then, Jeon Mi-jin tugged at my arm.
“Sung-guk, let’s go. People are waiting.”
Jeon Mi-jin walked forward with more confidence than ever before.
The Jeon Mi-jin who used to hesitate even around rookie designers seemed to be gone.
As she walked with her arm linked through mine, Jeon Mi-jin whispered.
“Sung-guk, thank you for that advice earlier. Both you and Ji-hee are so confident, but I couldn’t be like that… it made me think a lot.”
Jeon Mi-jin smiled softly.
Could it be that Jeon Mi-jin had finally matured….
But I couldn’t let my guard down.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Jeon Mi-jin could occasionally say something sensible too.
* * *
When Jeon Mi-jin appeared with her arm linked through mine, cheers erupted from all around.
Of course, the one who found this scene most absurd was Jeon Tae-guk.
Jeon Tae-guk approached me and whispered urgently.
“Sung-guk, what’s going on? What dirt does Jeon Mi-jin have on you?”
“It’s not me—apparently she promised to make additional donations under Ji-hee’s name. I got caught off guard, so there was nothing I could do about it, hyung.”
Soon I spotted someone frantically snapping photos on their phone.
Jeon Mi-jin approached me again and linked her arm through mine once more. Then she whispered.
“Sung-guk, look over there and smile.”
“Don’t tell me you hired a photographer?”
“Of course I did. Who posts hastily taken photos to Instagrim these days? Everyone does it this way now. This is Instagrim’s positive function, after all. Creating jobs for photographers who shoot content for celebrities. I get beautiful photos out of it.”
Instagrim required users to convey their image through a single photograph.
Short videos were beginning to appear, but their usage remained limited.
After taking several photos with me, Jeon Mi-jin, befitting the party’s host, approached the famous guests she’d invited and engaged them in conversation. Of course, her personal photographer captured every moment.
Jeon Tae-guk shook his head in disbelief.
“Sung-guk, you’ve completely transformed party culture itself. Before, people just gathered, exchanged pleasantries, and drank while chatting. Now everyone’s scrambling to take photos for Instagrim.”
Jeon Tae-guk was right.
Everyone at the party, not just Jeon Mi-jin, was busy taking photographs.
Ji-hee mingled with various people, constantly snapping photos.
They would all add hashtags and post photos from today’s party alongside the people they’d met.
A single social media platform was now reshaping society’s culture and industries.
Standing awkwardly amid all this were Mark, Sam, and Adam.
I approached the three of them.
“Mark, where’s Lim Mi-mi?”
“The defector seems more of a social butterfly than I am.”
Lim Mi-mi was attending the party without her children for once, conversing with numerous guests.
“That murderous glare Lim Mi-mi used to have is gone now, Mark.”
“I actually liked that intensity. Too bad….”
Lim Mi-mi seemed to have fully integrated into American society now. Though she remained the mother of two children, still adorned with numerous piercings.
I awkwardly approached Sam and Adam, who were merely sipping champagne.
“Sam, Adam… why don’t you talk to some people?”
Among those Jeon Mi-jin had invited were quite a few women—influencers and fashion magazine journalists.
[Sam, Adam. Meet women at the party. In the real world, not the virtual one!]
Then I spotted someone whose face was extremely familiar.
“Isn’t that Jessie?”
Mark nudged me with a surprised expression.
“Jessie should be at the White House….”
Jessie, who had worked at prestigious magazines and broadcasting stations, was now employed as a public relations officer at the White House. Her presence here was unexpected.
“Mark, Sung-guk!”
Jessie approached us with that same radiant smile.
“Jessie, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be at the White House?”
“There’s a presidential election next year, and honestly, things at the White House are winding down anyway. I decided to leave and explore other companies. Plus, I’m really getting into Instagrim. Sung-guk, you don’t have an Instagrim account?”
“Haven’t created one yet.”
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t heard from Jessie in quite some time.
Jessie showed me her Instagrim on her phone. She’d already posted photos taken with Ji-hee and Jeon Mi-jin.
“Over 300,000 followers?”
Mark’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I just started, but it’s grown pretty fast. I posted a photo with Ji-hee today, and it seems to be growing even more. Based on this, I’m planning to do some influencer work while looking for broadcasting opportunities again.”
It seemed Instagrim was becoming a portfolio of sorts for people in broadcasting and fashion.
“By the way, Sung-guk. Your younger brother is Min-guk from Sevens, right?”
“Yeah.”
“The Barack Obama challenge video has been causing quite a stir. The broadcasting station wants to do some K-pop coverage lately, and I’m wondering if there’s an expert available. I’m freelancing for some broadcast work these days.”
“Jessie, you’re in luck—there’s an expert right here.”
I gestured toward Adam.
“This is Adam, the brains of our company. He stayed with me in Korea and became completely obsessed with K-pop. He never misses a K-pop concert—he’s a true fanatic. Adam, come over and tell her about it.”
Adam shuffled awkwardly toward Jessie, but he couldn’t make eye contact with her at all.
His greatest weakness was becoming uncomfortable whenever he stood in front of a woman.
“Adam, this is Jessie, my high school classmate. She’s looking for a K-pop expert.”
“Oh, well… Sung-guk, I’m not really an expert.”
“You’re definitely an expert.”
He knew every girl group in South Korea inside and out—that made him an expert by any measure.
I quietly tipped Jessie off.
“Adam specializes in girl groups, but he also knows male idols like Sevens pretty well.”
“That sounds perfect—I can learn about Sevens while getting the broader K-pop picture?”
Jessie approached Adam with eager anticipation, and though he kept backing away, the two of them ended up having quite an in-depth conversation.
Sam, who had been chatting with them, suddenly excused himself and came over to me.
“Sung-guk, Adam is talking so much. He’s going through K-pop history and even explaining K-pop’s unique culture, so I bowed out. And from what I can tell… Adam is incredibly shy. He usually gets tongue-tied around women, but the way he looks at Jessie is like how he looks at girl group members. His eyes are absolutely sparkling.”
“Hmm….”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
Jessie, the most popular girl at Phillips Academy and prom queen, and Adam?
It was a combination I’d never imagined, but it wasn’t impossible.
After all, both Jessie and Adam were single.
The difference was that Jessie was a popular single, while Adam was an unpopular one.
Mark approached me with a glass of champagne.
“Sung-guk, I’ve never seen Adam talk to a woman for this long before.”
“Right….”
“Has Jessie changed?”
Mark tilted his head curiously.
“Back in the day, you wouldn’t have given a nerd like me a second glance. But with Adam, you’re making eye contact and actually listening to what he says?”
“Is it because of work? Or maybe….”
“No way, it can’t be.”
“Right?”
Mark and I fell into deep contemplation.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope.
Jessie and Adam….
A beauty and the beast couple….
Nothing’s impossible in this world!

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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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