I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 66

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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 66
Hwang Chul-soo opened his mouth.
“I heard that Chairman Koo Soo-young mentioned sending me after your previous meeting.”
“I never expected you to actually come.”
Sung-guk’s father nodded.
“The Chairman doesn’t speak in empty words.”
“Ah, yes.”
“The reason I’ve come to visit you personally is because of Sung-guk.”
“I suspected as much.”
Sung-guk’s father accepted it calmly.
Sung-guk was no ordinary child as I had once thought. He was clearly different from other children. I felt that I was far too late in finally acknowledging this.
Secretary Hwang Chul-soo took a bite of the wrapped pork and smiled.
“I’ve heard the rumors, but it really is delicious.”
“Thank you. Would you like more?”
“Actually… I’ve confirmed what happened at the school.”
….
Secretary Hwang Chul-soo set down his chopsticks.
Sung-guk’s father remained silent.
“Sung-guk’s father, a special child like Sung-guk requires special education. Of course, I’m well aware that the Samjeon Group is also keeping a close eye on him. However, we are different from Samjeon. While Samjeon shows children the path to take, we aim for an education where we stand beside the child and support the path they choose to walk. And Chairman Koo Soo-young wishes to make Sung-guk the first recipient of the scholarship foundation being established in the name of Jun-ho, his eldest son.”
….
Honestly, this was far too difficult a conversation for Sung-guk’s father.
He came from an orphanage and was quite good at studying, but no one paid him any attention. Teachers at school told him to learn a trade instead of studying, simply because he was an orphanage child. That’s how he came to learn cooking.
Sung-guk’s father struggled to open his mouth.
“Secretary, let me be honest with you.”
“Please, speak freely.”
“I should probably ask Sung-guk for his opinion, but I’m now ready to acknowledge that he is different from other children. So… I hope he receives a different kind of education.”
Secretary Hwang Chul-soo smiled gently.
“Father, you’ve made a wise decision.”
“Oh, and this is a separate matter, but our group has a subsidiary called Home Food that handles food service. We’re planning to partner with famous restaurants and launch convenient meal options. Have you considered applying as well?”
“I’m not a famous restaurant, though.”
“The application process is straightforward. I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to try. And there are no special favors involved.”
Secretary Hwang Chul-soo handed Sung-guk’s father a business plan and application form.
“I’ll think about it.”
“It’s a good opportunity, so please do give it a try.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
“Read this.”
“Okay!”
Min-guk was now reading through books quite well. Even if it was just one page of a picture book, it seemed his mind wasn’t as dull as one might think.
After finishing the book, Min-guk looked up at me.
“Hyung, Min-guk finished reading.”
“Good. You did well.”
“Hyung, chocolate.”
“That’s your reward for reading so well.”
I pulled out a single piece of chocolate from the container beside me and handed it to Min-guk.
Min-guk grinned brightly and ate the chocolate.
[As expected, food is the best motivator for kids with limited intellect.]
Click.
The front door opened, and Father walked in with his hands full of snacks.
The moment Min-guk saw Father, he scurried over.
“Dad!”
“Min-guk, did you eat chocolate?”
“Yeah. Hyung gave it to me.”
“Sung-guk, Dad bought your favorite snacks.”
[Dad, I prefer the mango cake from Samjeon Hotel.]
But I quickly ran over and clung to Father’s leg—the picture-perfect response of an eight-year-old.
Seeing me, Min-guk also wrapped himself around Father’s other leg.
“Dad!”
“You two, Dad’s getting heavy. Dad’s thirty now, you know.”
[What? Father’s already thirty?]
I quickly looked up at him.
Since I was now eight, Father was indeed exactly thirty this year.
[When did Father get so old.]
I released Father’s leg and grabbed Min-guk by the back of his neck.
“Min-guk, stop.”
“Sung-guk, are you worried Dad might struggle?”
“Yeah.”
“Our Sung-guk has really grown up.”
[If only Father knew—I was a fully formed adult from the moment I was born.]
Father quickly offered me a snack.
“Sung-guk’s favorite—egg pastry.”
“Wow! Dad’s the best.”
I quickly grabbed the egg pastry and opened it. I’d never even seen such a snack in my previous life.
“Hyung, Min-guk too.”
[Sigh, I didn’t have such burdens in my past life either.]
The moment I unwrapped the pastry, I popped one piece straight into Min-guk’s mouth.
[Min-guk, you’re not working much these days. Since you don’t have the brains for much, it’s not a bad idea to make a living as a pretty-faced entertainer. So from now on, work a bit harder, alright?]
Snicker snicker.
Min-guk nodded as if he understood my inner thoughts.
Just then, Mother emerged from the Restroom.
“You’re home?”
Mother’s voice sounded heavier than usual.
Something was clutched in her hand.
“So-young, I bought that vanilla ice cream you love. Let’s eat it before it melts.”
“Um….”
Mother approached with a dejected expression, so unlike her normal self.
“So-young, what’s wrong?”
“It’s… honey… look at this.”
Mother held out a white stick to Father.
[No way!]
I clenched my fists.
Father stared at Mother with a bewildered expression.
“So-young, you don’t mean….”
“Two lines. I think I need to go to the Obstetrics Clinic tomorrow. Honey, I think I’m pregnant with our third.”
Thud.
The egg pastry I’d been holding slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.
A third? We’re really having a third?
“So-young, Master Lee was right. He said we’d have our third child this year.”
“But this is something I really didn’t expect….”
“So-young, don’t worry. Let’s go to the Obstetrics Clinic together early tomorrow morning.”
Father comforted Mother.
[Sigh. A third… I just got the second one earning money, and now there’s really a third?]
I stared blankly at Min-guk.
[Min-guk, you’re getting a new sibling.]
Giggle, giggle.
Oblivious Min-guk just laughed.
One more sibling meant one more mouth I’d have to feed.
* * *
Father, I, and Min-guk sat lined up in the Waiting Room at the Obstetrics Clinic.
Father waited anxiously for Mother, who had gone in for her examination.
Soon the door opened and a Nurse looked at us.
“Guardians of So-young Kim, please come in.”
“Is it okay to bring the children?”
“Yes, please come in together.”
Father took my hand and stood up, and I took Min-guk’s hand and stood up.
The doctor smiled brightly when she saw us.
“My, you’re quite a famous family. The parents are so handsome and beautiful—the children are absolutely lovely.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I should tell you the results. You’re already over three months along.”
“What?”
Father looked up at Mother in surprise.
“Honey, I had no idea.”
“I suppose neither of you planned for this, so it slipped your minds. Still, to be the youngest in such a distinguished family… it couldn’t be better. Oh, and the due date is October 27th.”
A third child. My shoulders suddenly felt heavier.
Father quickly looked at Min-guk and me, breaking into a bright smile.
“Sung-guk, Min-guk, you’re getting a little brother or sister. I hope it’s a sister, don’t you?”
Father’s desire slipped out despite himself.
The doctor smiled knowingly at Father.
“Sir, just wait two more months. I’ll tell you the baby’s sex then.”
“I suppose I got a bit impatient since I only have two sons. So-young, tell me anything you’re craving—I’ll get it for you.”
I tugged at Father’s sleeve.
[Dad, calm down. Anyone watching would think you’re a first-time father. Dad, this is already your third….]
* * *
“So-young, I’ve been so scattered with the news of the third child. Chairman Koo from Hyojin Group sent his secretary. He wants to sponsor Sung-guk.”
“Honey, about Sung-guk’s school anyway. Don’t you think it’s better to just quit?”
[Mom, why are you acting weak now after being so forceful back then?]
I quickly gulped down some water.
We’d come to the Tonkatsu Restaurant that Mother was craving, but I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.
Is this what the weight of being the head of a household feels like?
Mother stroked my head.
“Mom, Dad. I want to quit school and take the GED.”
“Hmm….”
Father paused to collect himself.
He’d told me to quit school in anger, but now thinking of his child taking the GED, Father’s heart was filled with worry.
“Sung-guk, are you really confident you can do this?”
“Yes. And Mom, Dad. I want to take the elementary school GED and then study abroad.”
“Study abroad?”
“Yes!”
I answered confidently.
“Sung-guk, you didn’t want to study abroad before.”
Back then, there was nothing more I needed to learn, and Min-guk kept crying and clinging to me. But now a third child was coming soon.
One month of elementary school was enough to confirm that Korean education held nothing more for me.
“Alright, I understand your resolve. Let’s focus on preparing for the GED first and withdraw from school. We can think about studying abroad later.”
“Yes!”
I raised my hand eagerly in response.
Min-guk looked at me with sad eyes from beside me.
“Hyung, Min-guk too.”
“Min-guk too what?”
“Min-guk follow hyung too.”
“Min-guk, you still can’t read Korean yet, so you can’t follow hyung. Understand?”
“If you master Korean, will you follow your older brother?”
“I need to master English first.”
“And if you master English too, will you follow your older brother?”
“Yes.”
I nodded in agreement.
Given that Min-guk still struggled with Korean, it would take roughly twenty years for him to master English.
Min-guk stuffed a forkful of tonkatsu into his mouth with a determined expression.
“But Sung-guk… Samjeon Group originally guaranteed you an overseas scholarship as a Samjeon Scholarship recipient. So is it really right to turn that down and go as a Hyojin Group scholar instead?”
Father’s face was clouded with worry.
It seemed the abundance of benefits I’d received from Samjeon Group was weighing on his mind.
But in this life, I was determined to sever my ties with Samjeon completely.
“Dad, I have money I’ve saved up. If it’s unconditional support, fine—otherwise, I’ll go abroad on my own dime.”
Of course, I’d need to buy stocks aggressively in July when KOSPI plummets, but if Hyojin Group subtly imposed conditions like working at their company after studying abroad, just as Samjeon Group did, I was prepared to use my own money regardless.
* * *
Chairman Koo Soo-young listened to Secretary Hwang Chul-soo’s report with a satisfied expression.
“It appears that young Sung-guk intends to withdraw from school soon, take the elementary school equivalency exam, and then study abroad in the United States.”
“The boy’s quite bold. Only eight years old, too.”
“He’s clearly a gifted child—even Samjeon Group covets him as a Samjeon Scholarship recipient. If the establishment of the Junho Memorial Scholarship Foundation proceeds without complications, it should be established sometime in the latter half of this year. We could coordinate it with Sung-guk’s study abroad plans.”
“That would be ideal, but… the only condition attached to Sung-guk becoming the first scholarship recipient of the Junho Memorial Scholarship Foundation for his overseas studies is unconditional support, correct?”
“Yes. While Samjeon Group didn’t state it outright, from what I understand, he rejected everything because they imposed a condition that he work for Samjeon after his studies.”
Chairman Koo Soo-young nodded.
“What good is attaching conditions to education? Say, help young Sung-guk with his withdrawal from school.”
“I will see to it.”
* * *
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang early in the morning.
When I opened the door, Secretary Hwang Chul-soo and his two daughters, Ye-jung and Ye-ri, stepped inside.
“Hello, Mother. You remember me, don’t you?”
“Oh my, what a humble place….”
Mother quickly smoothed down the stretched-out t-shirt she was wearing.
“So Sung-guk is withdrawing from school today.”
Ye-ri spoke up.
“Yes, the secretary said he’d help, but how did both of you come together?”
“We wanted to see him, so we pestered Father. And we heard something else too. A teacher at school disrespected Sung-guk, didn’t they?”
“Ah, that was… the teacher probably just didn’t understand the situation.”
“Now that we know about it, we can’t let anyone who disrespected our Sung-guk get away with it.”
Ye-jung looked at me.
“Jeon Sung-guk, just trust your older sisters. Understood?”
[Don’t overdo it, sisters.]

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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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