I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 62

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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 62
Koo Soo-young’s Wife felt her heart lighten considerably as she gazed at the painting titled “Resurrection”—a name Sung-guk had given it.
There were so many incomprehensible things in this world.
She had lost her son first, and then her father, who had been her steadfast pillar of support throughout life.
Though she had been born with more than most, the successive encounters with death had plunged her into a despair that made her feel like the most unfortunate person alive, struggling helplessly in its grip.
In that darkness, when she saw the woodblock print Damien Hirst had created by roughly sketching a skull, her mood had darkened further. For those who had never experienced death, it was an unknown realm and a source of artistic inspiration—but for her, death was only agony. Yet the title that followed completely transformed her perspective.
Resurrection… Death was not an ending but a new beginning….
Koo Soo-young’s Wife had never once conceived of it that way.
She had only ever thought of death as an ending and suffering, but the moment she heard that word, her chest swelled with emotion. It was as if a great knot within her heart was finally unraveling.
Her son who had gone before, her father too—they seemed as though they would find happiness and live anew somewhere.
Koo Soo-young’s Wife was holding her daughters’ hands as they browsed the children’s line in the luxury section of the Shopping Mall.
“Mom, why are you buying all the gifts yourself today?”
“I adore Sung-guk so much. The boy is so clever.”
Koo Soo-young’s Wife and her daughters carefully selected each gift for Sung-guk’s family one by one.
“Mom, what about wallets for Sung-guk’s parents?”
“They’re fine… Since Sung-guk is young, his parents must be young too. Your taste will suit them better than mine, so why don’t you pick something?”
“Mom, what about ours?”
Ye-ri pouted adorably.
“Pick one each for yourselves too.”
“Yes! Unnie, let’s choose quickly.”
While her daughters went to look at wallets, Koo Soo-young’s Wife headed toward the children’s section. Sung-guk was eight years old, and his younger brother Min-guk was six, she had been told.
‘They’re elementary school students now….’
Before long, nearly every item from the children’s line—from clothing to bags—had accumulated in front of Koo Soo-young’s Wife.
“Mom. What is all this?”
“Oh dear. I kept picking things I liked, and it ended up being this much. Isn’t it too much?”
Koo Soo-young’s Wife asked worriedly.
Ye-jung clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
“You know Mom’s generous heart is something else. Sung-guk’s family isn’t poor, and if you give this much, they might misunderstand it as pity.”
“You think so?”
“Mom, since Sung-guk is an elementary student now, let’s just give gifts that fit in this backpack.”
“You’re right, that’s better.”
Koo Soo-young’s Wife selected only clothes that would fit in a single bag. Min-guk’s gift was handled the same way.
“Mom, it’s time now. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Koo Soo-young’s Wife headed to the Restaurant with a lightness of heart she hadn’t felt in a long time.
* * *
It was a magnificent Restaurant with a view overlooking the harbor.
Sung-guk’s family was guided by the staff into a private room at the far end.
Min-guk let out exclamations of wonder one after another.
“Wow! Hyung, look at this.”
[Min-guk, stop being so uncouth. Have some dignity.]
I quickly tried to restrain Min-guk, but a six-year-old was hardly going to listen.
Soon a staff member opened the door, and Koo Soo-young, his wife, and their daughters rose to greet us warmly.
The Koo Soo-young household had an unpretentious atmosphere that belied their status as a chaebol family.
“Oh my, so you’re Sung-guk.”
Koo Soo-young’s Wife recognized me first.
[It’s been a while, ma’am.]
I bowed respectfully at the waist.
In my previous life, she was my friend’s mother, and I had seen her often. Unlike the Iron Lady, she had always treated me with warmth.
“My, what excellent manners. Your parents have raised you well.”
“Sung-guk has grown up wonderfully.”
Mother smiled brightly.
“Wow, Sung-guk’s mother, you’re truly beautiful. Right, sister?”
“Sung-guk takes after his beautiful mother and handsome father. I’m so jealous.”
“Daughters, what are you so envious of?”
“Dad, if we were even half as pretty as Sung-guk’s mom, we wouldn’t need to spend money on our faces.”
At the Youngest Daughter’s remark, laughter erupted in the private room.
“Please, have a seat. We’ve been talking too much after inviting you here.”
As we sat down, the pre-ordered dishes began to arrive.
I gazed at the familiar menu of this household and smiled contentedly.
“Sung-guk, do you like dim sum?”
“I’ve never tried it before.”
In this life, it truly was my first time, so it wasn’t a lie.
“Is that so? Then follow how this grandfather eats and try some.”
“Yes!”
Koo Soo-young was a deeply considerate man.
For Mother and Father, who seemed unfamiliar with the setting, he personally taught me the order and method of eating dim sum while eating himself. Mother and Father quietly followed his lead.
Koo Soo-young’s family members kept looking after Min-guk as well.
“Sister, Min-guk’s cuteness is really something else.”
“If I’m going to have such a pretty child after I get married, my husband has to be handsome.”
“Daughters, please find boyfriends already.”
Mother and Father chuckled at Koo Soo-young’s words.
Min-guk also blew on the dim sum before eating, clearly enjoying it.
“By the way, the reason we asked to meet today…”
Koo Soo-young broached the subject naturally.
It was quite different from Jeon Jae-hyung of Samjeon, who spoke directly and to the point.
“Actually, we’re planning to establish a scholarship foundation under the Hyojin Group. It’s a difficult matter to discuss, but I’ll be honest with you. Our eldest son passed away in a traffic accident last year.”
Mother and Father’s eyes widened in shock.
Min-guk, not understanding what was happening, simply looked around the now-silent room.
I quietly observed the situation.
“I’m aware that Sung-guk receives sponsorship from Samjeon. But I’ve recently heard that he rejected their support. May I ask why?”
“Well, Sung-guk’s resolve was quite strong.”
Father opened his mouth slowly.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Sung-guk is a blessing beyond measure to us. Both my wife and I are orphans, so we married young and built our family early. Thanks to Sung-guk, we established ourselves quickly. On top of that, we’re both ignorant about education, but Sung-guk taught himself by watching television and reading books. He learned English and French entirely through self-study.”
“Sung-guk, did you really teach yourself English?”
“At first I did it alone. Then I improved by talking with my teacher at kindergarten.”
Koo Soo-young, who had seen the interview with Damien Hirst, found it hard to believe. He’d heard the boy was a genius, but a true genius…?
“Mother, isn’t a child like Sung-guk what you’d call a genius?”
“No. He simply has a quick learning capacity.”
At Father’s words, my shoulders drooped.
[Dad’s right. I’m not a genius. My IQ is only 121!]
I pressed my lips together.
Koo Soo-young and his wife both looked at me with wonder in their eyes.
Koo Soo-young’s Wife posed a question to Mother.
“Samjeon must have wanted him desperately. Why did you really turn them down?”
“Because Sung-guk wanted to study on his own. We felt he needed to engage in social life, so we wanted to send him to school no matter what. But Sung-guk’s stubbornness was extraordinary.”
“So he doesn’t attend school now?”
“No. Sung-guk wanted something, so we made that his condition for attending an elementary school near our home.”
Koo Soo-young looked at me and asked a question.
“Sung-guk, what was it that you wanted?”
“Land!”
I answered with complete confidence.
Upon hearing my answer, Koo Soo-young and his family all broke into smiles.
“Why did you want land, Sung-guk?”
Ye-jung looked at me with curious eyes.
“When you deposit money in a bank, you only receive interest according to a fixed rate, right? But land and stocks can generate even greater returns.”
I answered as slowly as possible to avoid being called a child who only understood money.
“Sung-guk, I’m impressed you think that way.”
Koo Soo-young actually praised me. In a chaebol family, having a keen eye for investment was indeed something to be commended.
“Sung-guk, may I ask where the land you recently purchased is located?”
“Do you know about Pangyo?”
I asked carefully, enunciating each word.
Koo Soo-young, though he’d already heard this, glanced briefly at his wife and chuckled.
“Sung-guk, may I ask why you bought that land? Do you think it will appreciate in value?”
“Seoul’s land prices are too expensive and the market is saturated. In the future, large corporations needing many employees will need land in the suburbs of Seoul where all the infrastructure is complete, and in Gyeonggi Province where they offer many incentives. After looking at several locations, I thought Pangyo was close to Gangnam where many major corporate headquarters are located, and with Seongnam as a satellite city, development would happen naturally.”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Koo Soo-young even applauded now.
“Dear, did you hear what Sung-guk said?”
“How on earth does he think like this at such a young age?”
[These two were born with nothing and thought that was rock bottom, but they’ve never lived a life where there’s a basement below. You have to roll up your sleeves and invest at eight years old just to eat and survive.]
Koo Soo-young’s two daughters gazed at me with curiosity.
Koo Soo-young regarded me with a pleased expression and continued his praise.
“I’ve heard James Lee speak highly of Sung-guk quite often. He said Sung-guk has a different sense of economics.”
“He’s still just a child. He plays around, always bickering with his younger brother.”
[Dad, I’m just playing with Min-guk. That rascal needs to burn off energy during the day so he’ll fall asleep early.]
“Now I understand why Sung-guk doesn’t want to go to Elementary School.”
Koo Soo-young gazed at me with a benevolent smile.
“Sung-guk is certainly a different child from others. He’s a child who will learn different things and walk a different path—not one who should be forced onto the same path as everyone else.”
[Exactly!]
I nodded vigorously in agreement.
In my previous life, having received all manner of chaebol education, there was no way school could be interesting to me.
“Chairman, the truth is my wife and I had our child very young, and we haven’t learned much ourselves. We’re often confused about what constitutes good education.”
“What if we served as that guide for Sung-guk?”
“That is… well, we’re already in a position where we’ve had to decline sponsorship from the Samjeon Group.”
Father was flustered.
“I understand that point well. From what I know, the Samjeon Group’s sponsorship approach is very aggressive—they send gifted children abroad for study or provide gifted education programs to make them even more brilliant. But my thinking differs. I believe a child should grow into someone who pioneers their own path, rather than simply becoming brilliant. Sung-guk will certainly be unsatisfied with Elementary School. As he grows older, that dissatisfaction could manifest as rebellion. We simply wish to serve as a guide for Sung-guk whenever such moments arise.”
Indeed, Koo Soo-young’s Hyojin Group embodied a human-centered enterprise.
Father looked at me.
“Sung-guk, what do you think?”
“Chairman, may I think about it for a moment? It’s possible I might not need a guide at all.”
“Haha. That’s true. Very well, let’s do that. Oh, Sung-guk.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Where would you like to invest in the future?”
“Hmm… The aftermath of the IMF crisis is significant, but around summer when restructuring and bankruptcies continue, I think the KOSPI will hit bottom.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded slightly.
I could never forget this period.
“At that time, I’d like to buy stocks, focusing on blue-chip companies.”
“Haha. This boy knows stocks well too. What if you lose money?”
“Long-term investment is the foundation.”
“Haha. Look at this boy.”
Koo Soo-young laughed even more heartily. Koo Soo-young’s Wife gazed at me with warm eyes.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Sung-guk’s Father, please think carefully about what Sung-guk said. Even if you don’t accept our sponsorship, if you feel you need help, please contact us. My secretary will visit you in a few days.”
“Ah, yes… Thank you so much for the meal today and for such a generous offer.”
“Mister, can I go see Sung-guk?”
The thoughtless Youngest Daughter asked eagerly.
“Aren’t you busy with studying?”
“We’ve given up on studying in our family. I’m going abroad next year to study in a different country with my older sister.”
“Sister, I’m busy with my studies.”
The adults burst out laughing at my words.
Koo Soo-young’s Wife quickly grabbed my cheek and pinched it gently.
“I’ll buy you lots of delicious things. You still don’t like me?”
“I’ll think about it.”
I remained defiant to the end.
I had a strong premonition that I would become entangled with this family quite often.

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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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