I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 59

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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 59
I picked up a small branch and began running without hesitation.
From this very point where I was running to where I would stop—that was my land now!
“Huff. Huff. Huff.”
I came to a stop, breathing heavily.
Then I turned to look back.
Mother and Father were walking toward me.
Min-guk came waddling after me, determined to catch up.
“Hyung-ah!”
I beamed with a smile and waved my hand high in the air.
I truly felt as though I possessed the entire world.
It was a sense of accomplishment I could never have felt in my previous life.
In a life born with everything, there was more to protect than to achieve. I even had to compete with family.
But in a life with nothing, there was far more to accomplish than to lose. And realizing anew that I had a family to protect filled my chest with grandeur.
I swept my gaze across my land once more.
Well then, Jeon Sung-guk’s life begins now!
* * *
Father had brought a young sapling from the car.
“Father, what is that?”
“A pear tree.”
“What’s a pear tree for?”
“When I was young, there was a pear orchard in the neighborhood where I lived. Every spring when I passed by, the pear blossoms would bloom so beautifully. It was truly a sight to behold.”
I patted Father’s back three times.
[Father, stop selling sentiment.]
Father smiled faintly and looked at me. By now, the entire family had caught on to the meaning behind my gestures.
“Anyway… let’s plant this tree on Sung-guk’s land. It symbolizes that this land belongs to Sung-guk… and later, when the tree grows, we can eat the pears too.”
“Father, I’ll plant it.”
I quickly grabbed the shovel.
In my previous life, I had been exempt from military service, so I never had to dig in the army, but I had shoveled a few times at factory groundbreaking ceremonies.
As I dug into the soil, Min-guk came over with the sapling.
“Hyung-ah, can I help too?”
“Sure. Go ahead and carefully place the sapling in the hole.”
“Okay!”
Min-guk pushed the sapling into the hole with his small hands.
Father patted my shoulder.
“Sung-guk, now cover it back up with soil.”
“Okay!”
I shoveled the earth back in.
Thud—thud—thud—thud.
Father finished the final touches.
I tapped repeatedly around the newly planted pear tree with my shovel.
“So-young, water here.”
As Mother poured the water she had prepared around the pear tree, our family’s tree-planting ceremony was complete.
The weather was still bleak, but soon when spring arrived, this little tree would flourish, and my land value would soar!
“Sung-guk, you’re that happy?”
Mother stroked my cheek tenderly.
[Of course I am, Mother. Pangyo is land that ordinary people will never be able to afford if they don’t buy it now.]
I buried my face in Mother’s belly.
“I’m so happy!”
“Sung-guk, you need to study hard even after you start elementary school.”
[My level doesn’t match with elementary school kids, but since we bought the land, I’ll just endure it.]
Min-guk hugged me too.
“Hyung, me too.”
“Why do you always say ‘me too’?”
“Hyung, I want to go to school too.”
[You’re still too dumb for that.]
Father lifted Min-guk, who was clinging to me.
“Min-guk, let’s make sure you attend kindergarten well first.”
“I want school too.”
“You need to learn for two more years.”
“No way. No way.”
Min-guk was showing signs of throwing a tantrum. There was a sure-fire remedy for moments like this.
“Dad, let’s go eat jjajangmyeon.”
“Jjajangmyeon?”
Min-guk was the kind of child who would stop crying the moment jjajangmyeon was mentioned.
“You two really love jjajangmyeon that much?”
“Yes!”
As Min-guk and I answered simultaneously, both raising our right arms, Mother and Father broke into broad smiles.
* * *
Kim Mi-young hung up the phone with a puzzled expression.
“Unni, is something wrong?”
“Sung-guk’s mother. Hyojin Group wants to meet with us.”
“Hyojin Group?”
“Chairman Koo Soo-young—do you remember meeting him briefly at Samjeon Hotel at the end of last year?”
“He’s the one who wants to meet?”
“The secretary’s office called… When the secretary’s office reaches out, it usually means the chairman’s office is giving direct orders.”
At Kim Mi-young’s words, Sung-guk’s mother tilted her head in confusion.
“They didn’t say why, unni?”
“Well, they said it was about advertising… but if it were just about advertising, the secretary’s office wouldn’t contact us directly. Anyway, I’ve set up the meeting. They want Sung-guk to come along.”
“Well, let’s go meet them.”
The intercom outside the office buzzed. It was Lim Sun-mi.
Sung-guk’s mother quickly opened the door.
“What brings you here so suddenly without calling ahead?”
“There’s this panini place I love nearby. I happened to pass by and picked some up so we could eat together.”
Sung-guk’s mother eagerly accepted the panini.
Lim Sun-mi had recently reduced her workload and was preparing for marriage with her boyfriend, who worked at a Hong Kong securities firm.
“How are the wedding preparations coming along, Sun-mi?”
Kim Mi-young asked as she quickly arranged the panini.
“I think we’ll have to hold two ceremonies—one in Hong Kong and one in Korea.”
“Two ceremonies? Wow! I can’t even imagine it. I’ve never even had one wedding.”
“You should find someone nice soon too, Representative. Oh, both of you must come to the Hong Kong ceremony. And be sure to bring Sung-guk.”
“We will. I wish my husband could go too, but I have a feeling he’ll say he can’t because of the restaurant.”
“Sung-guk’s father is truly dependable.”
Kim Mi-young offered her praise as well.
“I wish my fiancé were as reliable as Sung-guk’s father. By the way, what flowers did you use for your bouquet at the wedding?”
“We didn’t have a wedding ceremony.”
Sung-guk’s mother laughed with embarrassment.
Lim Sun-mi looked startled and asked.
“I thought you just didn’t go on a honeymoon?”
“We couldn’t afford a ceremony, so we couldn’t go on a honeymoon either.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry.”
“Why would you apologize, Sun-mi? Everyone knows our circumstances. We’re both from orphanages, and we barely managed to rent a single room when we got married. How could we afford a wedding ceremony? And even if we had one, there would be no one to invite—we have no family. So it all worked out fine, really. Let’s not dwell on such heavy matters. But this panini really is delicious.”
Sung-guk’s mother deliberately changed the subject.
“Oh, by the way, Hyojin Group contacted us saying they’d like to see Sung-guk as a model. The call came from Hyojin Group’s secretariat. Sun-mi, does Hyojin Group usually work that way?”
“Hmm… that is strange. Hyojin Group has its own advertising agency… Oh, that’s right. Last year, Koo Soo-young’s son—he’s the chairman of Hyojin Group—died in a car accident in America.”
Lim Sun-mi seemed to recall something.
“That son was quite the talk among the chaebol families. Chairman Koo Soo-young is famous among the wealthy for taking good care of his family and not engaging in extramarital affairs. His eldest son was an excellent student, so he sent him to study abroad early. He even bought him a car as a Harvard admission gift, but he died in a car accident while traveling.”
“Oh my.”
Both Sung-guk’s mother and Kim Mi-young were at a loss for words.
“My best friend Mirae is the daughter of Hyojin Group’s vice president. Lately, it seems they’re establishing a foundation in that son’s name. But Chairman Koo Soo-young is truly a good man.”
“I should meet with him once.”
Kim Mi-young replied.
“By the way, Team Lead. When does Sung-guk’s father have time off?”
“Every Monday.”
“Then, would you help me out on Monday?”
“With what?”
“I need to go pick out a wedding dress. Come with me.”
* * *
Lim Sun-mi had apparently visited Father’s restaurant and asked him to spare some time on his day off, Monday.
She was asking him to take me and Min-guk to a wedding shop in Cheongdam-dong.
So I found myself dressed in a tuxedo.
“Oh my, Sung-guk looks absolutely stunning. I loved watching you on that program so much. How did you grow up so beautifully? You’ll walk in my fashion show later, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
I gave a perfunctory answer.
I had no intention of becoming a model or entertainer when I grew up anyway.
Alexander Kim was one of the few renowned designers in South Korea, known for his distinctive aesthetic.
There was a time when wearing Alexander Kim’s designs to a wedding was every woman’s dream.
I didn’t particularly care for Alexander Kim’s work, but I often tagged along because the Iron Lady adored him. He always gave me French macarons as gifts, and it was quite a shock when he passed away from a heart attack before even reaching fifty.
Min-guk stood beside me, adjusting his red bow tie.
“My goodness, how could two brothers be so handsome? Oh, that’s right. Sung-guk’s father, once you’re dressed in the tuxedo, please come out.”
“Teacher, I’m not sure if I’m wearing it correctly…”
“Just come out first.”
“Ah, yes.”
The dressing room door opened and Father emerged.
Tall and lean with no hint of a belly, and with his usual scruffy beard neatly trimmed, he had a face that rivaled any celebrity’s.
[Half of my facial features are unmistakably from Father.]
I marveled at Father’s appearance.
“Dad, do you look okay?”
Min-guk was so surprised he circled around Father.
“Min-guk, do I look strange?”
“No. I mean, you look amazing!”
Alexander Kim adjusted Father’s bow tie.
“My, both Sung-guk and Min-guk clearly inherited their looks from their father. If I could live just one day with that face, I’d have no regrets.”
“You’re too kind. So-young—I mean, Sung-guk’s mother was also famous for her beauty.”
“A handsome couple indeed.”
Father scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
Alexander Kim pulled at Father’s tuxedo waist.
“Hup!”
Father’s sudden exclamation burst out, and Min-guk burst into giggles.
“Jeon Min-guk, stop laughing. You’re embarrassing Dad.”
Father gazed at the mirror with a shy smile playing on his lips.
“Sun-mi begged me so earnestly to pick out the very best clothes for both of you. I really had my hands full. But you two really didn’t have a wedding ceremony?”
“No, we didn’t have the money. But thanks to Sung-guk, we’re doing well now. As for the ceremony, Min-guk came along before we knew it, so we kept putting it off, and here we are.”
“Sun-mi has such a thoughtful heart. You’ll live well together. Oh, and your wife doesn’t know that today is your wedding ceremony, correct?”
“That’s right. She’s probably looking at Sun-mi’s wedding dress right now.”
Father kept adjusting the tuxedo as if it felt strange, but his face never lost its smile.
* * *
The wedding venue was a small Italian restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.
It was famous for accepting reservations for only one table on special occasions.
Kim Mi-young handed small bouquets to Min-guk and me.
“Today, it’s just the two of us getting ready. When Mom arrives later, stand over there.”
I nodded.
I bobbed my head in agreement.
Living this long, I’ve done all sorts of things.
Father still stood with a tense expression on his face.
“Father, relax.”
“But I can’t relax. It really feels like I’m having a wedding.”
I poked Father gently in the ribs.
“Father, this really is a wedding.”
“Ah, that’s right. I suppose I’m just too nervous.”
Just then, the large van that Lim Sun-mi rode in pulled up outside.
Father’s hands trembled slightly from the tension.
I quickly grasped Father’s hand firmly.
“Sung-guk, am I shaking a lot?”
“Father, I’m here.”
“Father, Min-guk is here too.”
Min-guk took Father’s other hand.
And finally, the door of the black van opened.
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
The three men of our household gasped in unison.
I had always known Mother was beautiful, but I never imagined that Lim Sun-mi standing beside her would be breathtakingly gorgeous.
Lim Sun-mi held Mother’s hand as she stepped out in her elegant wedding dress.
Mother gathered the long train of her dress and descended slowly from the van, then turned toward us with a radiant smile.

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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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