I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 510
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 510
A night filled with tension had passed.
When I checked the time, it was already past 5 a.m.
Daniel, Diego, four employees from Samsung’s Mexico branch, and I had practically stayed up all night.
We had contacted Mexican media outlets throughout the night and searched for places to run Stephanie Mayor’s story.
Fortunately, the major media outlets, quick to grasp the situation, promised to cover Stephanie Mayor’s article.
I quietly rubbed my tired eyes.
Daniel yawned continuously.
“Sir, wouldn’t it be better to get some rest?”
“Sir, our Samsung team will send replacement staff soon. We can check the media articles in the morning, and in the afternoon there will be interviews with Stephanie Mayor at major broadcasting stations and media outlets. You should be able to get some sleep in the morning.”
The Samsung employee added their thoughts as well.
Everyone showed clear signs of exhaustion.
“Diego, there’s been no particular contact from Stephanie, right?”
“No. She seems to be resting in her hotel room. We’ve assigned bodyguards to her, so if anything happens, they’ll contact us right away. Please don’t worry too much.”
I nodded heavily.
“Then… let’s just finish checking the articles that will go up in the morning, and everyone get some rest.”
* * *
– The misdeeds of Don Julio, known as a national enterprise. The story of Stephanie Mayor, who was reassigned to a minor position because she was pregnant and eventually suffered a miscarriage, comes to light.
– It was revealed that Don Julio suppressed all articles about Stephanie Mayor with money at the time of the incident.
– Don Julio is currently facing a sale crisis due to mismanagement by its executives. However, the executives are using the fact that Don Julio is synonymous with tequila and a national enterprise of Mexico to request government support.
– Mismanagement. A blind spot in human rights. Yet the Don Julio CEO is living a luxurious life abroad!
The pressure that had built up all this time exploded in an instant.
With Stephanie Mayor’s case as a catalyst, the incompetence of Don Julio’s executives and their collusion with the government came to the fore, and the government quickly cut ties with Don Julio.
– The president declares there will be no favorable government support for Don Julio!
This was what had happened during the three hours I had managed to get some sleep.
Daniel checked the articles in real-time with disbelieving eyes.
“Sir, the Mexican people are truly remarkable. It seems like all the emotions that had been suppressed exploded in an instant.”
“It’s easy to heat up, but it will cool down just as quickly. We absolutely cannot miss this window of opportunity.”
Just then, Diego entered with a disheveled face.
Diego had also managed to get only a few hours of sleep.
“Sir, Stephanie says she wants to see you.”
Could it be?
Was she suddenly going to refuse to do the interview…?
I quickly stood up and headed to the room where Stephanie Mayor was staying.
* * *
As I opened the door and entered, Stephanie Mayor stood there looking neat and composed, unlike last night.
When Diego said something to her in Spanish, Mayor’s eyes quickly became red. Then she murmured something to Diego.
Daniel, who had been listening quietly beside me, whispered in my ear.
“Sir, it doesn’t seem to be something you need to worry about.”
After finishing her words, Stephanie Mayor suddenly grasped my hand tightly. And Diego provided interpretation from beside her.
“CEO, Stephanie was genuinely moved by the articles that came out this morning. She lost a child, and no matter how many interviews she gave, they were never reported anywhere. The emotional wound ran deep, but thanks to you, it seems that knot has finally untied. It’s as if she’s apologized to her deceased child as well.”
“Diego, tell Stephanie this: I hope she’ll properly tell the story of the women laborers in Mexico who fall through the cracks of human rights protection. That way, the lives of other women laborers will improve too.”
Stephanie nodded after hearing Diego’s interpretation.
“CEO, Stephanie says she’ll do her best.”
Then I saw Stephanie say something to Diego.
Diego smiled faintly and looked at me.
“CEO, this is just a side note, but it seems many of Stephanie’s relatives still work at the Don Julio tequila company. She thinks it would be wonderful if someone as good as you would acquire Don Julio.”
I smiled instead of answering.
Of course I would acquire it. Quietly.
And I would exchange it for Jack Dorsey’s Twitter. Without anyone knowing.
That was my plan.
[Stephanie, I’m sorry, but… I need Twitter more.]
* * *
Stephanie Mayor left for the interview venue with Diego, guided by Samsung employees.
The front of the hotel was packed with reporters who had gathered to cover Stephanie Mayor.
Mexico itself was in turmoil.
Perhaps everyone had known, but as the web of corruption they had pretended not to see was exposed, the Mexican people were rising up.
I looked down at the crowds gathering from the hotel window.
“Daniel, I’m a bit worried. It’s as if Stephanie has become a warrior.”
“From their perspective, that’s probably how it seems, CEO. By the way, Samsung asked when they should run the article about Stephanie’s employment.”
“Hmm… let’s run it right after the dinner with the president. We’ll frame it so that Samsung made this proposal first at the meeting with the Mexican president. Then Samsung’s image will soar, and the president who accepted it will gain popularity too.”
“Yes, I’ll convey that.”
While Daniel left the hotel room, Jeon Tae-guk visited.
A suitcase was in Jeon Tae-guk’s hand.
“Sung-guk, you didn’t bring clothes to wear to the dinner, did you?”
“Thank you, hyung. I didn’t expect things to get this big.”
“What would you do without me?”
[A dog at a village school—you’d be in more trouble without me than I would be without you.]
I opened the suitcase Jeon Tae-guk had brought first.
“Hyung, this isn’t… Gucci, is it?”
Jeon Tae-guk had been a Gucci fan for a very long time. So all the clothes he’d worn at official events until now had been Gucci suits.
“I guess I’m getting older now. Clothes more subdued than Gucci have started catching my eye.”
Jeon Tae-guk was now thirty years old by Korean age.
“Hyung, for something like that, this is still… a famous luxury brand.”
Originally, in my past life, I preferred custom suits made by Italian craftsmen.
The price was beyond luxury brands, and it wasn’t something you could easily obtain even with money.
But Jeon Tae-guk still preferred brands that anyone could recognize at a glance.
“Still, Hermès is more sophisticated, isn’t it? Since you said you’d wear it, the Hermès staff member personally selected these. Even the necktie.”
“Anyway, I’ll wear it well.”
“By the way… it’s not an official visit, but if you go with me, there’s no way we won’t be photographed, right?”
Jeon Tae-guk’s question was astute.
“Of course I’ll be photographed. And being photographed should keep me safer in Mexico.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“A cornered rat will bite anything, as they say.”
I spoke with composure, but there was one thing that troubled me.
The Don Julio CEO was likely facing both public condemnation and government pressure simultaneously at this very moment.
And he would surely suspect that I was behind it all.
No matter how thorough the security detail, a gang attack could happen anytime, anywhere.
Jeon Tae-guk looked at me with visible alarm.
“Sung-guk, what if you skip the presidential dinner tonight?”
“No, I have to go. I need to be photographed plenty, and I should have a proper conversation with the Mexican president. The Don Julio CEO will have no choice but to sell Don Julio to me.”
* * *
The Mexican president was a relatively young man in his late forties.
His name was Enrique Nieto.
He had become president at a young age and carried the hopes of the nation, but he had achieved little since then.
With Mexico’s economy deteriorating as well, his approval ratings had been hitting rock bottom day after day.
For this reason, Samsung was now an indispensable presence to him.
When Jeon Tae-guk and I arrived by car, Enrique came out personally to greet us.
I brought Diego along as my interpreter.
While the Mexican president had his own dedicated interpreter, no one in Mexico could be easily trusted.
Enrique greeted us in broken English.
“How wonderful that the heir to Samsung has come to visit us personally!”
Enrique embraced Jeon Tae-guk with exaggerated gestures, then glanced at me sideways. It was clear he had no idea who I was.
“And this person beside you….”
“Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk. I’m not with Samsung—I’m the CEO of FaceNote.”
At that moment, Enrique’s large mouth fell open in shock.
“FaceNote? My daughters use that all the time! What an honor!”
He pulled me into a warm embrace as well.
The waiting reporters snapped photographs relentlessly.
“I was only told that the heir to Samsung and a distinguished guest of equal standing would be attending, but I never imagined that distinguished guest would be the CEO of FaceNote. Please, come inside. Let’s enjoy the dinner and have a good conversation.”
We followed the Mexican president’s guidance into the hall where the banquet was being held.
* * *
With his term winding down and the next presidential election looming, Enrique spoke without restraint, revealing his true thoughts.
“I cannot tell you how much Samsung’s construction of a factory here has helped our economy. There is no better place than Mexico for penetrating the North American market. Your labor costs are incredibly low, are they not?”
“Which is why many problems arise as well.”
Jeon Tae-guk drew an appropriate boundary with Enrique.
“In fact, the Stephanie Mayor incident has thrown the Mexican people into turmoil. We’ve decided to revoke all the government benefits we’ve previously granted to companies like Don Julio that engage in such human rights violations.”
“I also have a proposal to make.”
Jeon Tae-guk brought up the matter of Stephanie Mayor as promised.
“Samsung would like to provide employment for Stephanie Mayor. We maintain the same working conditions in Mexico as we do in Korea.”
“That’s truly a remarkable decision!”
Enrique Nieto responded with exaggerated gestures as before.
Now the timing was finally approaching for me to reveal my true purpose.
After finishing his discussion about the Samsung factory and Stephanie Mayor’s employment, Enrique Nieto fixed his gaze upon me.
“Mr. Jeon, FaceNote is truly revolutionary! We’re all friends there, aren’t we?”
[Enrique Nieto, spare me the pleasantries.]
I drained the tequila in one gulp and looked at Enrique Nieto.
“I’d also like to contribute somewhat to Mexico’s economy.”
“That matter….”
A broad smile spread across Enrique Nieto’s face.
He seemed to be hoping for something like a massive investment, similar to what Samsung had done.
“There’s a company I’d like to acquire. However, there are various obstacles for a foreigner to acquire a Mexican company. Starting with tax issues.”
“Mr. Jeon, tell me anything. I’ll help you bypass the entire process.”
Indeed, in a country rife with corruption, loopholes worked remarkably well.
“But… which company have you been keeping an eye on?”
“Don Julio.”
“The tequila company?”
Enrique Nieto’s eyes widened.
“I want to acquire that company. Can you help me? And if possible, I’d like to acquire it quietly. Without anyone knowing.”
“Are you concerned that the people might resent a foreigner buying Don Julio since it’s considered a national company?”
“Even though Don Julio’s image has plummeted, I don’t think they’d welcome it.”
Enrique Nieto nodded in understanding.
Just as Don Julio’s CEO had exploited Mexico’s media through political corruption, I was now using that same method in reverse.
If the media simply didn’t cover the issue of Don Julio being sold, ordinary people would have no way of knowing.
“I’ll have the government cut off all funding to Don Julio. There are plenty of reasons to freeze their bank accounts given the numerous irregularities they’ve committed.”
Enrique Nieto was offering even better terms than I had anticipated.
“If it can be arranged that way, I’ll acquire Don Julio immediately!”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————