I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 503

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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 503
On the screen, a scene of me having my diaper changed appeared.
“What? That’s not—Sung-guk, they’re showing footage of you getting your diaper changed?”
Jeon Tae-guk gasped while sipping soju.
Truly, all my embarrassing moments from the past were being revealed.
The pixelation wasn’t as meticulous as it would be nowadays, and there was no such thing as protecting an infant’s privacy back then. There were no exposures of sensitive areas, but practically every other scene made an appearance.
Min-guk and Ji-hee laughed while watching.
“Hyung, you were so adorable as a baby. How could a child smile so brightly like that? You’re completely different now.”
[That was all calculated laughter. I was cynical even back then.]
“What’s really remarkable about Sung-guk is that he smiled so well whenever he stood in front of the camera. He wasn’t a baby who smiled much otherwise.”
Mother fell into nostalgic thought.
[Mom, I was smiling because you were paying me.]
I gave up and sank into the corner of the sofa, gulping down soju.
Netflix’s documentary team diligently captured my family watching the broadcast.
Father rose from his seat with a satisfied expression.
“I found some sea snails at the Korean Mart and bought them. I’m planning to make sea snail noodle soup. Who wants some?”
“Father, I do!”
“Dad, me too!”
Honey, please make it!”
Everyone called out for Father’s sea snail noodle soup, and Jeon Tae-guk quickly retrieved more soju from the refrigerator.
“I had no idea 【Five Men and a Baby Basket】 was this entertaining. It’s like watching Sung-guk’s innocent days.”
[Like a dog at a village school—I wasn’t innocent even back then.]
I downed another glass of soju.
I was not innocent during those days.
After living as the heir to the Samjeon Family, I was suddenly born as the eldest son of a poor couple in a tiny one-room apartment. All I had in mind back then was the desperate need to succeed.
Rather, it was my young Mother and Father who made me pure.
That night, my family, Daniel, and Jeon Tae-guk admired my three-headed body proportions until the hours grew late.
* * *
The day to head to Harvard finally arrived.
Mark and I were to receive honorary diplomas and deliver speeches on Wednesday, but my family and I packed our bags early Monday morning and headed to the airport.
Mark, Lim Mi-mi, Olivia, and Rose had already arrived at the airport.
Since we’d had a barbecue party with Mark and Lim Mi-mi’s families over the weekend, Olivia and Rose rushed to embrace Min-guk and Ji-hee the moment they saw them.
Lim Mi-mi beamed broadly watching Olivia and Rose.
“Mark, I think we’ll be able to relax a bit during the flight.”
“Hmm… It’s nice at times like this that Sung-guk has so many younger siblings.”
Min-guk and Ji-hee each took charge of Olivia and Rose.
Mark approached with a carefree expression.
“Sung-guk, did you see my speech?”
“Yeah.”
“How was it?”
“It was just fine.”
“Not impressed?”
Mark looked at me with concern etched across his face.
Commencement speeches delivered by celebrities often remained memorable long after the event. Of course, not many people left behind such legendary addresses.
“Mark, just take it easy. You don’t need to create a historic moment.”
“Sung-guk, you’re not going to take it easy. You’ve prepared extensively, haven’t you?”
[Of course I have….]
I shrugged my shoulders.
Mark sighed just from looking at my expression.
“There’s really no stopping you.”
“Mark, let’s just board the airplane. It’ll be nice to see the Harvard Campus again after so long….”
“Yeah, let’s do that….”
Mark boarded the airplane without enthusiasm.
Just then, I heard Jeon Tae-guk running up from behind. Lee Kyung-soo was with him.
“I thought you’d miss the flight.”
“Brother, didn’t you leave before us?”
“I took a wrong turn. Got stuck in traffic… and had to go all the way around.”
Jeon Tae-guk and Lee Kyung-soo had followed me to see the Harvard Campus.
Five from our family, four from Mark’s family. Plus two additional people. And Jeon Mi-jin and two secretaries were already waiting at a hotel near Harvard.
* * *
While the families unpacked and rested at the hotel, Mark and I headed to Harvard alone.
We had things to discuss about the commencement schedule, and I wanted to take a walk around the school after so long.
Harvard in May was more vibrant than ever.
Events for graduating students were held throughout the campus.
Mark pointed his finger at a signboard announcing our honorary graduation ceremony.
“Sung-guk, that’s the board for our honorary degree presentation and speech announcement. If we’d graduated formally from Harvard like other students, this wouldn’t be happening, right?”
“Probably not.”
Mark was right—if we’d finished school like ordinary students, none of this would be happening to us.
Mark pulled out his phone and took a picture.
“I’ll show this to our daughters when they grow up. So they know how great their father is.”
“Mark, I’m sure they’ll naturally understand how remarkable you are as they grow up.”
“That would be even better….”
Mark and I bought coffee and sat on the campus grounds.
Students passed by carrying large backpacks.
“Sung-guk, it feels like just yesterday that you and I were walking around like that….”
We sat in quiet reflection, watching the students.
Then I noticed a group of students cautiously approaching us. One male student nervously stepped forward as their representative.
“Um… are you the CEOs of ‘FaceNote’? Mark Zuckerberg and Jeon Sung-guk?”
Mark and I smiled and nodded.
“That’s right. I’m Jeon Sung-guk, and this is Mark.”
As I answered, the students began murmuring among themselves.
“Wow, you’re a real fan!”
[Well, this sort of thing happens all the time….]
I cautiously reached for my phone.
It was obvious they’d ask for an autograph or a photo.
Just then, the male student who’d shouted about being a real fan strode directly toward Mark.
“I absolutely love the programming Mark has done. I’ve tried to follow his work and build things myself. For those of us in computer science, Mark is our role model.”
“Me? Not Sung-guk?”
Mark glanced at me with surprise in his eyes.
I pushed the phone I’d been about to pull out back into my pocket.
The male students swarmed around Mark, peppering him with questions.
Computer-related terminology I’d grown accustomed to hearing around Sam, Adam, and Mark erupted from all directions.
[It’s been a while since I’ve felt this left out….]
I awkwardly scratched my head and stood up.
At that moment, a group of female students approached from a distance.
If nerdy male students were clustering around Mark, the female students would certainly notice me.
“Oh my gosh, isn’t that Jeon Sung-guk?”
“No way. How is a Korean person so handsome?”
“Sung-guk’s younger brother is an idol too, right? I’m totally obsessed with K-pop lately, and his brother is seriously gorgeous.”
I heard these comments coming from all around.
I casually flipped my hair back.
The female students gathered around me as expected, requesting photos.
“Would you mind taking a photo with us?”
“Of course.”
And I smiled brilliantly—more brightly than ever before!
* * *
Surrounded by countless Harvard students on the campus, signing autographs, taking photos, and chatting, evening arrived before I knew it.
Darkness was settling over everything.
Then a female student approached.
“Hello, I’m Jenny From, a third-year history major. We’re having a party at our dormitory tonight. Would you be able to come?”
“Well….”
Mark scratched his head.
A married man with a wife and two daughters naturally had reason to hesitate.
“Sung-guk, what should we do?”
“I’d like to experience the atmosphere of college life again after so long, and I want to hear directly from college students about their views on SNS. Mark, ask Lim Mi-mi for permission.”
The Netflix documentary crew that had been following us all day seemed to quietly hope we’d accept the Harvard female student’s invitation.
“Just a moment. Let me make a call.”
Mark stepped away, finished his phone call with Lim Mi-mi, and returned shortly.
“What did Lim Mi-mi say?”
“She said to be back by ten.”
Mi-mi truly had something exceptional about her.
“Well then, should we check out a party for a change?”
“Sounds good!”
* * *
The moment I opened the dormitory door, the space was packed so tightly there was nowhere to stand.
At our arrival, both female and male students erupted in cheers. Most of them were already thoroughly intoxicated.
Soon enough, Mark and I each had a beer in hand.
Loud music blaring.
Voices debating and chattering from every corner.
Even amidst this cacophony, couples were flirting with one another.
Mark and I spent some time drinking beer and conversing with the college students about this and that.
They were particularly the age group that used SNS the most.
“I find the friend recommendations on FaceNote really inconvenient. These days there are so many ads mixed in. It feels like there’s no filter at all.”
“That’s why I’ve been using Instagrim more lately.”
“But Instagrim is just for show. There’s no depth to it. It’s just full of people trying to sell their aesthetics.”
“TikTok feels pretty fresh these days though.”
Everyone offered their take on the trending SNS platforms.
Many of the concerns that Mark and I were wrestling with came up in conversation.
People were even using the term “FaceNote pollution” because exposing personal information and schedules on FaceNote had become such a widespread problem.
I drained my beer and tapped Mark on the shoulder.
“Mark, should we head out soon?”
“Yeah. If we walk to the hotel, it should be around ten.”
* * *
Mark and I walked across the dimly lit campus for the first time in a while.
“Mark, what did you think after talking with those students?”
“Hmm… I got a bit worried because I could see our own concerns reflected in what they were saying. As FaceNote’s user base grows, all sorts of problems emerge. Ads, fake accounts, and people are even calling it pollution because of the notifications….”
We walked in silence for a moment.
The surroundings were quiet, and the night air was slightly crisp.
“Mark, I think we need to start preparing our next move.”
“Next move?”
“Yeah. What comes after FaceNote.”
Mark exhaled deeply.
FaceNote was like a child to Mark. I couldn’t ask him to abandon something so precious just because its popularity was waning.
“Sung-guk, do we really have to?”
“I’m not saying we should abandon FaceNote. We’ll need to keep refining it, but the decline in popularity is inevitable.”
“I suppose that’s true….”
Regret was evident in Mark’s words.
Everything that rises must eventually fall.
FaceNote was at its peak now. Which meant it could only decline from here….
“Sung-guk, do you have any ideas?”
“Well… I’m still thinking about it. I’m also considering acquiring Twitter….”
At that moment, the Netflix documentary director paused briefly.
“CEO Jeon, is it all right for that kind of content to be included?”
“It’s fine. By the time this documentary airs, I’ll have already completed all of it anyway.”
The director smiled at my words.
“As expected, people like us can’t keep up with you. I’ll just keep following along. Please speak freely.”
Mark and I nodded and continued our conversation.
“Sung-guk, people are already saying Twitter has had its day. Everyone’s moving toward Instagrim and TikTok anyway.”
“Mark, what I’m dreaming of is an SNS empire.”
“You’re going to monopolize SNS?”
“No….”
I shook my head and spoke slowly.
“When FaceNote, Instagrim, TikTok, and Twitter all merge together, the people who don’t use our SNS will be a minority. With that network as our foundation, we can do anything. We can handle banking, shopping, buy and sell stocks. One day, people will suddenly look at a single icon on their phone and tilt their heads in confusion. If they delete this icon, they won’t be able to do anything.”
This was my next objective.
To build a kingdom of SNS where people could eat, play, and work within it. That was the metaverse.

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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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