I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 511
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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 511
Enrique seemed satisfied with my answer, breaking into a broad smile.
The dinner remained warm and convivial throughout.
Enrique guided the conversation with jokes, keeping his claws hidden beneath the surface.
“You seem to be quite popular, Jeon Sung-guk. Everywhere you go, I imagine. Do people in Korea not ask you to run for president?”
“Politics is outside my interests.”
“I suspect you’ll receive endless political proposals in the future. I certainly have.”
Enrique Nieto, with his handsome features, had already won the affection of the Mexican people even before his presidential candidacy.
Soon, traditional Mexican cuisine and Don Julio tequila arrived in succession.
Jeon Tae-guk seemed to have fallen completely under the spell of tequila since arriving in Mexico.
“Tequila is truly a captivating spirit.”
“It’s an honor beyond measure that even the heir to Samsung recognizes its quality. And now the CEO of FaceNote wishes to acquire Don Julio as well.”
I too drained my glass of Don Julio tequila.
Until now, tequila had been beneath my notice.
But Don Julio tequila revealed greater charm with each sip.
If not for Jack Dorsey, I might have been content to acquire Don Julio and keep it for myself.
At that moment, Enrique gazed at me with a full smile, like a man harboring hidden desires.
“Jeon Sung-guk, shall we wrap up our business discussion?”
[Enrique, didn’t we finish our discussion earlier?]
I watched him quietly.
It seemed the tequila had made me underestimate politicians.
They grasped and manipulated people relentlessly until they achieved what they wanted.
I had learned this well enough in my previous life.
“If you freeze their bank transactions, Don Julio will have nowhere to turn. Then I can quietly proceed with the acquisition. Is there another issue?”
“What if I leaked this same acquisition deal to others on identical terms?”
The dinner table froze instantly at his words.
[Politicians truly cannot be trusted….]
But I was living my second life.
I calmly downed my tequila in one shot, while Jeon Tae-guk alternated his gaze between us, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow.
Enrique waited for my response, his smile never wavering.
[Enrique, keep smiling like that and you’ll get a cramp….]
In situations like this, everything hinged on who remained more composed.
Enrique clearly wanted something.
“Mr. President, is there something specific you desire?”
Enrique rose quietly from his seat.
“The dinner seems to have reached its natural conclusion. Since we’ve satisfied our appetites, shall we retire to a quieter place for another glass of tequila?”
Jeon Tae-guk and I exchanged a brief glance and nodded.
Having come this far, I couldn’t refuse Enrique’s invitation.
* * *
“This is Don Julio’s premium tequila line. The Don Julio CEO actually supported me tremendously during the presidential election.”
[So that’s it… he wants political funding?]
I listened quietly to Enrique’s words.
Though there was an interpreter present, since this was a political issue and a sensitive matter, Enrique was doing his best to convey his opinions in English.
Jeon Tae-guk was also watching the situation carefully.
The Samsung factory in Mexico was inseparably linked to political issues as well.
I took a sip of tequila and fell into thought.
Even though I had lived a previous life, I couldn’t quite remember Mexico’s presidents clearly.
Which meant I had no way of knowing whether the president would change or remain the same.
Enrique smiled faintly, his gaze alternating between Jeon Tae-guk and me, both of whom were visibly tense.
“You both seem far too stiff. Actually, what I want is….”
That was when it happened.
Someone knocked on the door of the room where only Jeon Tae-guk, Enrique, the interpreters, and I were gathered.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Enrique answered in a loud voice as if he had been expecting this.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and two teenage girls appeared.
In that moment, I couldn’t help but smile.
[No matter where I go in the world, I have my fans….]
I brushed my hair back slightly, and Jeon Tae-guk, noticing this, smiled and nudged my side.
“Sung-guk, they seem to be your fans. Enrique, you should have mentioned this sooner. Why did you drag out such a strange story and make people nervous?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
I quickly straightened my jacket and, replacing my glass of alcohol with orange juice, smiled toward Enrique’s two daughters.
Enrique brought his two daughters over and introduced them to Jeon Tae-guk and me.
“These are my daughters. This one is my eldest, Maria, and this one is my second daughter, Himena.”
The names reminded me of the Mexican drama I used to watch as a child, “Chorus of Angels.” But I kept my mouth shut.
Because right now, I’m from the class of ’91!
I looked at Enrique’s daughters while smiling as naturally as possible.
“Hi, I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
[Of course you’ve heard a lot about me, right? I’m the co-CEO of FaceNote, the CEO of Instagrim and YouTube. Plus, I’m the CEO of TikTok, which is starting to boom these days. I’ve been named several times in various magazines as one of the world’s sexiest men, but you two are still teenagers, so you wouldn’t know about such things.]
It was a perfect one-sentence introduction that didn’t require any further elaboration.
The moment I finished speaking, the two girls practically shrieked and rushed toward me. Then they cried out.
“Min-guk from Sevens! That’s you, right?”
“I follow your younger sister Ji-hee’s Instagrim. How is she so pretty, smart, and well-dressed? She’s my role model!”
[Wait, you two. Did you forget something? I’m Jeon Sung-guk, remember? Last year’s one of the world’s top ten sexiest men according to People magazine. Haven’t you seen it?]
I waited silently for Enrique’s daughters to say more.
They were clearly embarrassed about mentioning Min-guk and Ji-hee’s names.
Maria, the eldest daughter, thrust her phone toward me and spoke fluently in English.
“Min-guk is my absolute favorite. My phone’s wallpaper is Min-guk too. Min-guk, you’re so cool.”
Enrique stopped his two daughters like an ordinary father.
“Sung-guk, my daughters are truly huge fans of Sevens and your younger sister.”
[What is this deflating feeling?]
I maintained my composure and forced a smile.
“I had no idea Sevens was so popular even here in Mexico.”
“I only found out through my daughters, but the Sevens songs are wonderful, and everyone is captivated by their dancing. And how is your younger sister so remarkable? Chairman Jeon, you seem like someone who has gained everything in the world. Or rather, your parents are the ones who have everything. As a parent myself, I can’t tell you how envious I am of your parents.”
I nodded listlessly at Enrique’s words.
“My parents don’t seem to realize it, perhaps because they have a son like me.”
“They must be truly exceptional people. If I were in their position, I’d be bragging about it twenty-four hours a day. The eldest son is a world-renowned entrepreneur, the second son is a world-renowned idol, and the youngest daughter is a world-renowned influencer.”
As I made a dejected expression, Jeon Tae-guk beside me chuckled and spoke to Enrique.
“I also tell Chairman Jeon that I’m really envious of him in that regard. He’s famous himself, but his two younger siblings have also carved out their own paths so well.”
[I opened those paths for them!]
I downed the tequila in one gulp and regained my composure.
With Enrique bringing his two daughters, the conversation about acquiring Don Julio kept getting pushed further back.
I quietly asked Enrique.
“Enrique, when shall we continue with what you were saying earlier? It seemed like you were about to discuss options regarding the Don Julio acquisition.”
Enrique smiled quietly and gestured toward his two daughters.
“Chairman Jeon, living as a father has taught me that sometimes there are things more necessary than money. Would it be possible to hold a Sevens concert here in Mexico as well? I’ll provide full support. Actually, Maria has already attended a concert in the United States, but I’ve been quite anxious about it.”
“And?”
“And please arrange a brief meeting between my second daughter Himena and Ji-hee, who is her role model. Actually, Himena had nothing to do with studying, but after making Ji-hee her role model, she’s been studying hard, saying she wants to go to Stanford too.”
The Sevens concert in Mexico and a meeting with Ji-hee were the conditions Enrique had set.
“Mr. President, if I can just get confirmation on these two things, there will be no difficulty in me acquiring Don Julio, correct?”
“Of course!”
Enrique answered heartily.
* * *
Bang Mu-hyuk’s excited voice came through the phone.
– Sung-guk, a Mexico concert? And the president himself proposed it?
“Yes, Sevens is quite popular in Mexico. I think it would be good to plan a Central and South America tour as well, sir.”
– Wow, that’s amazing…. I can’t say anything else.
“Sir, I think we need to give a definite answer… Can we hold it within this year?”
– I’ll prepare for it. I’ll give a positive response first, and I’ll send you a tour plan by the end of this week.
“Please prepare thoroughly. And make sure Min-guk goes on a diet.”
– You’re a scary hyung, I tell you. Got it, don’t worry.
Sevens was easily resolved.
After all, they were already getting reactions from overseas, and an international tour was already in the planning stages.
A concert held under the patronage of the Mexican president… there was no reason to decline.
Now all that remained was the prickly Ji-hee.
I called Ji-hee.
As always, Ji-hee answered curtly.
– Oppa, what’s going on?
“Ji-hee, it looks like Min-guk will probably have a concert in Mexico sometime toward the end of this year.”
– What does that have to do with me?
[Let me finish speaking, Ji-hee!]
I suppressed my irritation and continued.
“This concerns me because the president’s daughter here has made you her role model. She’s been saying she desperately wants to meet you. So why don’t you come to the concert, see Min-guk, and have a meeting with the president’s daughter?”
– Older brother, isn’t that a decision rather than a proposal?
Ji-hee didn’t really have the right to say no.
I needed to make this deal happen one way or another if I was going to acquire Don Julio.
“Honestly, yes. Your answer will be exactly one thing: Yes! And let me add that this is the price you owe for freeloading at my home.”
– The price I owe…
Ji-hee fell silent for a while.
After a few sighs, she finally spoke.
– Older brother, Min-guk and I don’t follow your words because of money.
What was she suddenly saying?
I waited silently for Ji-hee to continue.
– You’re the pillar of our family, and honestly, you’ve worked that hard for it. Mom and Dad are always talking about your sacrifices. You might not realize it, but… that’s why they always tell us that we live comfortably because of your hard work, so we should listen to you our whole lives.
Fortunately, my parents understood my struggles.
– So, older brother… you don’t need to talk about owing your keep anymore. I know that the things you ask me to do are never wrong, and that they ultimately help you or our family.
My chest tightened at Ji-hee’s words.
I could finally glimpse the reason my younger siblings had trusted and followed me all this time.
– Older brother, if I go, this will help you, right?
“Yes.”
I answered briefly.
– Understood. I’ll go. If you ask me to, I have to do it. Since I was born as your younger sister…
[Thank you, Ji-hee.]
But in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say those words aloud before hanging up.
That’s just how the firstborn son of South Korea is.
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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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