I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 57

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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 57
The Real Estate Agent stared at me with a bewildered expression as I pointed at the map with my finger, then alternated his gaze between Mother and Kim Mi-young.
“Forgive me, but you two came to purchase land, correct?”
“Ah, yes. However….”
Mother trailed off mid-sentence.
Likely, no real estate agent would believe that I was the one trying to buy land.
“Sir, the child overheard our conversation. Is there any land available in this area?”
Kim Mi-young quickly interjected.
“The kid’s quite sharp.”
The Real Estate Agent chuckled and reviewed his inventory list.
“Hmm… 300 million won seems difficult… why don’t you spend an additional 50 million?”
I shook my head slightly and tugged horizontally on Mother’s skirt—a clear signal of absolute refusal.
Mother quickly handed her business card to the real estate agent.
“Sir, please try speaking with the owner. Interest rates are absolutely insane these days. There won’t be many people readily stepping forward to buy land.”
“That’s true, but….”
The Real Estate Agent’s eyes wavered.
Typically, real estate agents demand a certain price when selling land, keeping a portion for themselves. The lower the sale price, the smaller the commission the agent receives.
“Sir, I’m asking as a favor.”
“Understood. I’ll try to talk to them. Ah… you’re a team leader at an Entertainment Agency. Which celebrities do you represent?”
“You know Lim Sun-mi, right?”
“Of course I do!”
The Real Estate Agent’s expression brightened dramatically.
And now it was my turn to step in.
“I’m here too!”
I raised my hand enthusiastically.
The Real Estate Agent looked at my face, then tilted his head in confusion before suddenly clapping his hands together.
“You’re… that kid… aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m… that kid… exactly.”
I answered promptly.
“My goodness, such famous people visiting… I’ll search for other properties and contact you.”
“Thank you so much.”
I bowed respectfully with proper etiquette.
A famous child was truly useful in moments like these.
* * *
We visited five more real estate offices.
This was entirely due to Kim Mi-young’s judgment.
Having left a women’s college and purchased a one-room apartment building through auction, Kim Mi-young proved genuinely helpful on the real estate tour. Mother tactfully left her business card at each location.
Mother and I got into the car that Kim Mi-young was driving.
“Sister, you’re truly amazing. You’ve been doing this difficult work all this time.”
“It’s not difficult—it’s enjoyable.”
Bingo!
Just as studying becomes easier when it’s enjoyable, earning money flows naturally when you find it engaging.
Pounding the pavement, haggling over prices—if none of this excited me, making money would be no different from hell itself.
I fastened my seatbelt in the back seat and gripped Mother’s hand tightly.
“Mother, is this tiring for you?”
“No, I’m enjoying this too.”
[Thank goodness. At least Mother has an interest in this sort of thing.]
I smiled contentedly.
If I ended up like Father—knowing nothing but cooking—I’d be born with a wooden spoon and consider upgrading to a bronze one a lifetime achievement. I mentally rehearsed the arguments I’d use to persuade Father.
I felt oddly nervous.
I’d given countless presentations in my past life, but this one felt different.
If I failed to convince Father, all my efforts would crumble to dust.
* * *
Jeon Jae-hyung was lost in thought.
The IMF was demanding sweeping restructuring of Samsung Automotive, and the task force was pushing for either restructuring or sale. But the executives’ resistance was formidable.
They cited the will of Jeon Ju-shin, the founding chairman.
Secretary Yang offered him a cup of coffee.
“Chairman, have some coffee.”
“….”
Jeon Jae-hyung took a quiet sip without responding.
“What’s troubling you?”
“Samsung Automotive. I believe we should sell it. But the executives are opposing it fiercely. If this continues, we’ll only end up draining resources from other divisions to keep Samsung Automotive afloat….”
Secretary Yang simply listened attentively.
“The problem is that Father passed away suddenly, and I couldn’t completely overhaul the executive team.”
“The early retirement applications have already concluded, and restructuring is about to begin. Some executives have taken early retirement, but most of Jeon Ju-shin’s close associates are holding their positions. Why not use this restructuring opportunity to your advantage?”
Secretary Yang offered timely counsel.
Jeon Jae-hyung took another sip of coffee. If only I had a dependable son at times like this…. In his childhood, Jeon Jae-hyung had always voiced his opinions beside his father. Much like Jeon Sung-guk….
‘Why am I thinking like this….’
Jeon Jae-hyung snapped back to reality.
According to Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong, in this life, the child Jeon Sung-guk was someone who could threaten him.
* * *
I waited for Father to come home from work.
The restaurant business had been sluggish because of the IMF, but Father rarely came home early.
Exactly 10:30 PM.
Father opened the door and stepped inside.
I quickly rushed over to greet him with a bow.
“Welcome home, Father.”
“Yeah.”
Father’s response was unusually terse.
He must have heard from Mother about viewing the land in Pangyo. And it was clear he still opposed my investment ventures.
Mother came out of the room after putting Min-guk to sleep.
“Honey, go wash up. Sung-guk has something to tell you.”
“Got it.”
The moment Father stepped into the bathroom, I grabbed my laptop and headed to the living room. I reviewed the proposal I’d been preparing for days one more time.
Jeon Sung-guk’s total assets: 570 million won.
Of this, 300 million for land in Pangyo.
200 million for Samjeon stock purchases.
I’d prepared materials explaining why now was the time to buy land and stock.
Father came into the living room, toweling his hair dry.
I knelt down and sat before him.
Father glanced at me, then sighed.
“Go ahead.”
“Yes, Father.”
I quickly turned the laptop screen toward him.
“Father, this is our country’s export index.”
“Export index?”
“Yes. We’re in the IMF crisis right now. Companies that were poorly managed are collapsing, and the smaller subcontractors beneath them aren’t receiving proper payment, so they’re going under in a domino effect.”
“Son, I don’t know much about that stuff.”
[Father, you find this difficult too? If we’re going to run a restaurant chain business later, this is basic knowledge…]
I deliberately kept my composure and pointed to the export index again with my finger.
“Despite the IMF crisis, South Korea’s export index continues to grow.”
“You’re right, it really does.”
Mother deliberately answered in support from beside me.
“What this means is that South Korea’s economy won’t collapse. With exports doing this well, there’s no reason for it to fail, and the debt from the IMF will be repaid soon.”
“So?”
Father stopped toweling his hair and focused on me.
“Our country will overcome the IMF soon. When that happens, real estate and stocks that have hit rock bottom now will rise again. Even higher than before, much higher.”
“So we should invest now?”
“Yes, Father.”
I answered firmly.
Father dried his hair with the towel again.
“Sung-guk, can you give Father some time to think about this?”
I nodded eagerly.
[Of course, Father.]
“And even if Father doesn’t approve, you’re still going to elementary school, right?”
[Sigh… Father, I’ve already learned everything I need to learn in my previous life. The private education expenses I received alone could have built a building in Gangnam.]
Instead, I gave Father a different answer.
“Father, please give me some time to think about it too.”
“Alright, let’s both think it over fairly. You’ll give Father a kiss, right?”
“Yes!”
I quickly got up and kissed Father on his rough cheek.
[Ah, even at eight years old, life is so exhausting. This is tough.]
Father patted my bottom playfully.
“So we’ve made up now, haven’t we?”
[I wasn’t the one sulking—you were.]
But right now, what I needed most was to move forward.
I quickly nodded and even delivered my secret weapon—a kiss.
Mwah.
Father’s face broke into a smile in an instant.
* * *
“So-young, do you think we should do what Sung-guk suggested?”
Ji-sung turned to look at So-young.
The soft snoring of Min-guk drifted from beside them.
“Honey, I think it would be nice to let Sung-guk do what he wants. Setting aside the fact that it’s money he earned… Sung-guk is truly a special child. He was born into nothing, into us, and he’s brought us this far. Even if we lost everything, we’ve already gained so much.”
“….”
Ji-sung said nothing.
So-young was right.
A one-room apartment in Suyu. A monthly salary barely reaching fifty thousand won. Yet because of the child born to them in such circumstances, they now had a home and a restaurant.
Ji-sung squeezed So-young’s hand tightly.
“So-young, when you married me, did you ever imagine we’d live this well?”
“Back then, I was just happy to be with you… I only dreamed that maybe in about ten years we could afford a two-room place. That’s all I thought about.”
“Me too… I never even dreamed we could buy a restaurant or a car.”
Ji-sung smiled at the memory of those old days.
“Honey, do you remember what that Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong said?”
“What did he say?”
“That I’m the mother of a future prime minister.”
“Surely you’re not supporting Sung-guk just because of that, are you?”
“Well, that’s part of it too.”
So-young laughed bashfully.
“Oh, I should participate in the gold-saving campaign. Sung-guk doesn’t have a gold ring, but we did receive some when Min-guk was born.”
“Right, I’ll collect it tomorrow and take both the kids to the bank. It’s good for them to experience these things.”
* * *
I perked up my ears at the sound of Mother and Father’s voices coming from the master bedroom.
At first I was listening to their conversation, but soon their giggling made me uneasy.
[This can’t be… are we really going to have a third child like that teacher said? That would be a problem….]
I sighed.
It really seemed like I was the only one in this household thinking about how to feed the family.
Born into a family perfect for winning first place in a “dirt spoon” competition, I’d worked so hard to secure a home and set up Father’s restaurant….
And I’d put in so much effort coaching Min-guk in acting just to make him earn money….
Suddenly, a wave of emotion washed over me, and I found myself thinking of wine.
I wish I could have had a glass of wine and gone to sleep in a moment like this.
I sat on the bed, gazing blankly out the window.
Suddenly, the notion of prayer came to mind.
I had no religion in my previous life either.
I was the heir to the Samjeon Group, died of a heart attack, and was reborn into a poor family—if God existed, I had nothing but resentment, so I never prayed.
But today, I desperately wanted to pray.
I quickly sat upright and clasped my hands together. Then I closed my eyes and prayed.
“Whoever you are, please hear my prayer. Please make my family happy and healthy. And please change Father’s mind so he invests for sure.”
* * *
Mother and Min-guk arrived at a bank where a gold collection campaign was in full swing, hand in hand.
“Mother, did we come to participate in the gold collection?”
“Yes. Our country is struggling, so we should help.”
[Ordinary people really have no choice. The ones suffering most right now are ordinary people! Mother, we’re ordinary people!]
But I quickly flashed a bright smile and walked into the bank. I had spotted a Broadcasting Station camera.
While Mother searched for the gold collection counter, a Broadcasting Station staff member approached us.
“Aren’t you Sung-guk?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You came to participate in the gold collection campaign, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Would you mind doing a brief interview?”
“Yes! I’ll do it!”
I answered quickly.

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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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