I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 513

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 513
– I’m sure the Don Julio CEO would know. The person connected to the local gang is obvious enough.
Enrique didn’t mention the Don Julio CEO’s name directly, but he gave me a clear hint that it was him.
“Enrique, I’m going to make a call to Barack Obama.”
I couldn’t just sit idle either.
At my words, Enrique looked startled and asked without thinking.
– Sir, what do you mean by that?
Indeed, the name of the American president was quite useful in Mexico.
Enrique was aware that I had a very deep personal relationship with Barack Obama.
“Although I’m Korean, I’m the CEO of an American company. I’ve already informed Barack that I’m coming to Mexico, but just to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, I’m simply going to let him know my location.”
– Sir, I understand what you’re saying. And please don’t worry at all. I’ll dispatch a trustworthy special forces unit to that region immediately. At the same time, I’ll ban the Don Julio CEO from leaving the country and have him arrested right away.
“Yes, that would be appreciated.”
I hung up the phone.
The Don Julio CEO was a man who held grudges quite deeply.
His poor management had ultimately forced him to sell the family business, yet he was a typical loser who refused to acknowledge his own mistakes and blamed everyone else.
And such a person was born into Mexican wealth….
The world was truly unfair.
Jeon Tae-guk, who had been listening to my phone conversation, asked with a tense expression.
“Sung-guk, what on earth is happening?”
“It seems the blessing the Don Julio CEO gave me is this blessing—that I die and am buried forever in Tequila soil.”
I laughed as if in disbelief.
“Sung-guk, you’re laughing in a situation like this?”
“What else can I do? And don’t worry. Enrique won’t just leave us alone. With the Samsung heir and me here, if anything happens, it won’t just be a national embarrassment—there would be economic consequences to bear as well.”
Enrique’s approval ratings had originally been at rock bottom. However, recently, by managing the Stephanie Mayor incident reasonably well, they had risen slightly.
If another incident occurred in this situation, Enrique’s approval ratings would undoubtedly plummet even further than before.
“Brother, let’s get down and head to the Donzio Distillery. And please don’t worry too much.”
“Sung-guk, I’m worried. Mexican soldiers and police are notoriously corrupt, you know. I think I should contact headquarters and have them send bodyguards.”
“Then we’d just stay on the airplane, right?”
“What do we do….”
I called Diego over.
“Diego, since you know Mexican affairs well, can you tell us whether we can trust those soldiers and police?”
“Well, since the president sent them directly, I think you can trust them to a certain degree. And if you’re still not confident, I think it might be good to give them a little gratuity.”
“Hmm… that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
At that moment, Jeon Tae-guk, who had been listening to our conversation, shook his head vigorously.
“Sung-guk, I saw in a movie that Americans who gave money were taken hostage instead and extorted for more money?”
At those words, Diego appeared to be holding back laughter.
“Brother, that’s just a movie. Even though Mexican police and soldiers are corrupt, they won’t disobey the current president’s orders. And since special forces are coming now, if they take us hostage, wouldn’t they rescue us?”
Jeon Tae-guk continued to tremble, and Diego reassured him.
“Don’t worry. Mexican people aren’t that bad. It’s just that bad people show up sometimes. That’s the same in any country, isn’t it?”
“Brother, let’s go. Let’s have a glass of tequila and ease the tension.”
“Sigh… yeah, let’s go. We should drink some tequila already.”
Jeon Tae-guk descended from the airplane, his face still etched with worry.
* * *
Fortunately, the Mexico that Jeon Tae-guk had seen in movies didn’t exist here.
The soldiers and police protecting us were people with a strong sense of duty. Of course, Diego had distributed some gratuities along the way.
We climbed into the prepared armored vehicle and headed straight for the Don Julio Distillery.
Even after boarding the armored vehicle, Jeon Tae-guk remained tense.
“Sung-guk, we’re not going to get kidnapped like this, are we?”
And he deliberately spoke in Korean.
Only I and the Samsung employees could laugh at Jeon Tae-guk’s words.
“Brother, if we do get kidnapped like this, then it’s fate. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“I should have just stayed in Mexico City.”
“But you said you wanted to taste Don Julio tequila directly at the distillery.”
“I’m just so curious. What does tequila taste like when you drink it straight from the distillery….”
At those words, an idea suddenly struck me.
“Diego, do you have distillery tour programs here in the Tequila Region?”
“Tour programs?”
“In Tennessee in the United States, for example, there are many famous bourbon whiskies, so there are tour programs where you can visit distilleries directly, hear the stories of bourbon whiskey, and taste the liquor yourself. Just like how there are winery tours in France.”
“As far as I know, Mexico doesn’t yet have such tour programs, sir.”
“Hmm….”
Just then, exotic scenery unfolded outside the window, and I could see the blue agave that served as the ingredient for tequila.
Diego added an explanation.
“People simply know Mexico’s traditional spirit as tequila, but actually, tequila is a name that only applies to spirits produced in the Tequila Region of Jalisco State where we currently are, and specifically using that agave outside the window, which is called blue agave or tequila agave. It’s like champagne from France.”
“Diego, that was an excellent explanation.”
At my compliment, Diego smiled broadly.
“Sir, don’t forget that I met you because I was a travel guide.”
Now that I thought about it, Diego had been my and Daniel’s travel guide.
Fate was truly mysterious.
Small connections could stretch out into long threads.
I glanced briefly at Jeon Tae-guk.
Sometimes connections from a previous life persisted stubbornly.
Diego pointed out the window with his finger.
“Sir, that’s the Don Julio Distillery right there!”
The Don Julio Distillery came into view between the blue agave fields.
* * *
As the vehicle stopped, dry Mexican dust rose into the air.
The dust momentarily obscured my vision.
Then a loud noise began to sound. What was that?
“Sung-guk, what is that sound?”
Jeon Tae-guk grabbed my shoulder, his face filled with fear.
I felt a bit of tension creeping in as well.
Was the distillery really already occupied by local gangs, just like in the movies?
At that moment, Diego broke into a bright smile.
“CEO, don’t worry. That’s the sound of traditional Mexican instruments. It seems the distillery staff are welcoming you.”
As the dust settled, my vision cleared.
True to Diego’s word, the distillery staff were indeed welcoming us by playing traditional Mexican instruments.
Jeon Tae-guk finally relaxed and smiled.
“Sung-guk, I think I’ve been watching too many movies.”
* * *
A robust, middle-aged man greeted us.
“Welcome. I’m Jose Hernandez, the manager of this distillery.”
Jose Hernandez.
He was already someone my staff had investigated.
He had worked at Don Julio’s distillery since his late teens, accumulating deep expertise. He was also the distillery’s manager.
While Don Julio’s executives mismanaged the company, he had quietly continued crafting spirits—a true artisan.
These were exactly the skilled craftspeople I needed.
“I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
“I’ve already heard about you.”
Diego eagerly translated between us.
Jose Hernandez mentioned that his children all use FaceNote, and they had told him about me.
“CEO, Jose says that thanks to working here, both his daughter and son are now attending university.”
I surveyed the distillery workers who had come to welcome us.
From youthful faces to people as seasoned as Jose—the ages were quite diverse.
Surely all of them were supporting their families through work here.
“CEO, let’s take a tour of the distillery first!”
Jose Hernandez led us inside the distillery.
It was my first time witnessing the tequila production process firsthand. Jeon Tae-guk and the Samsung staff also looked around with fascination.
And then, at last, the tasting time arrived.
With confident expression, Jose brought out tequila freshly retrieved from the distillery and placed it before us.
“Don Julio may be facing controversy these days, but I assure you—the taste of Don Julio has never changed.”
Jose poured tequila into the empty glasses before us.
“Go ahead, try it. All at once. That’s how you drink tequila!”
Following Jose’s instructions, we all downed the tequila in one gulp.
“Ahh! One more!”
Jeon Tae-guk, the first to finish, immediately pushed his empty glass toward Jose.
“This fellow knows his spirits.”
“There’s really nothing quite like drinking spirits straight from the distillery.”
Jeon Tae-guk downed glass after glass of tequila.
I quietly tapped a Samsung employee on the shoulder.
“Please prepare some hangover remedies in advance.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
By the time the distillery tour ended, Jeon Tae-guk was already swaying his shoulders with unbridled enthusiasm.
The Samsung employee had managed only a single glass of tequila and was breaking into a cold sweat trying to keep up with Jeon Tae-guk.
“Sir, this way, please.”
“Tequila is definitely Don Julio. I should tell Father that we need to acquire a tequila company too.”
I shook my head firmly.
“Sir, I believe you should have a meeting with the distillery staff.”
“Yes, Diego. Oh, and please tell the factory workers not to give my brother Tae-guk any more tequila.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Jose Hernandez and the distillery’s long-time employees took their seats across from the table.
“It’s an honor to meet you like this. First, you’ve reviewed all the materials we sent, correct?”
The materials I had sent to the employees covered welfare benefits, including wage increases.
Diego promptly translated my words, and Jose Hernandez nodded in acknowledgment as the representative.
At that moment, Jose Hernandez’s eyes grew red.
“To be honest… we didn’t even know what kind of treatment we were receiving all this time.”
Jose Hernandez spoke his thoughts in a trembling voice.
He explained that they had worked at the Don Julio distillery and supported their families with that income, never realizing how unfairly they had been treated.
“Jose, and everyone here. Thanks to all of you, Don Julio has been able to produce quality tequila all this time. I want to provide you with treatment that matches your contributions.”
“Thank you.”
The employees spoke in unison.
“If you notice anything lacking or that doesn’t fit your circumstances while reviewing the materials, please feel free to tell Diego.”
“But… can men really apply for parental leave?”
A male employee beside him asked with a look of disbelief.
“Of course.”
“And annual leave and vacation time are guaranteed?”
Though these were such obvious matters, the workers who had been denied such treatment continuously asked Diego questions with expressions of incredulity.
Diego explained, but the workers’ faces remained skeptical.
“Everyone….”
As I spoke, the Don Julio workers’ attention focused entirely on me.
I looked at the Don Julio employees staring at me with bewildered expressions and offered one final statement.
“Everything written in that document will be honored, so don’t worry. And… from now on, these terms will become the standard at Don Julio!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————