I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 67

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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 67
The Homeroom Teacher’s desk was adorned with a basket overflowing with fresh roses.
“Hello, you must be Sung-guk’s Homeroom Teacher. We’re older sisters who care deeply about Sung-guk.”
“Ah, yes… What is this?”
The Homeroom Teacher still wore an uncomfortable expression from the previous incident.
“We wanted to express our gratitude for teaching Sung-guk so well. Please accept this.”
Mother and I watched the Homeroom Teacher intently, our lips sealed shut.
“But… if you’re older sisters who care about him, what exactly is your relationship?”
The Homeroom Teacher was no pushover. She frowned and alternated her gaze between Mother and the two daughters of the Hyojin Group.
“Us? We’re sorry for being so forward. We’re the daughters of a family very closely connected to Sung-guk.”
“Whether you’re closely connected or whatever—you’re making quite a commotion. He’s withdrawing from school, and you bring all these people along. Have you no sense of propriety?”
“I sincerely apologize. Please allow me to apologize on their behalf. These young ladies aren’t accustomed to such matters.”
Hwang Chul-soo’s secretary hastily interjected.
“Young ladies?”
“Yes, they are the daughters of the chairman I serve. They share a special bond with Sung-guk. I am such a person.”
Hwang Chul-soo quickly offered his business card.
The Homeroom Teacher accepted the card and read it aloud, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Hyojin Group Secretary-General Hwang Chul-soo?”
“Yes, that’s correct. That is my position.”
“Then, these women are members of the Hyojin Group family?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The Homeroom Teacher fell silent for a moment, visibly stunned.
Mother stepped forward and explained the situation to the Homeroom Teacher.
“The Hyojin Group has selected Sung-guk as a scholarship recipient, so it seems he’ll be unable to continue attending Elementary School, Teacher.”
“What do you mean the Hyojin Group has selected Sung-guk as a scholarship recipient?”
The Homeroom Teacher still seemed unable to believe this situation.
“I understand you may not believe it, but after passing the GED, Sung-guk is considering studying abroad in the United States. He’s not only taught himself English and French exceptionally well, but he excels in other fields as well.”
[Mom, I’ll tell you later that I also speak Chinese and Japanese.]
I handed my withdrawal form to the Homeroom Teacher.
“Here it is.”
“Sung-guk… you’re not upset just because I scolded you a bit, are you?”
The Homeroom Teacher, unlike usual, bent down to meet my eye level and smiled warmly.
[Teacher, why are you like this? You should have treated me well from the start.]
I answered quickly.
“Teacher, I don’t mind being scolded a bit. But you were wrong to disrespect my mother. Asking for envelopes and all that. I’ve heard other mothers say that if they don’t give you envelopes, you discriminate against their children, so they have no choice but to give them.”
At my words, the Homeroom Teacher lost control of her expression.
“My goodness, there are still teachers like that these days?”
Ye-jung deliberately asked Ye-ri loudly enough for everyone to hear.
It was so obviously intentional that I felt embarrassed for them.
Now it was time to drive the final nail in.
“Teacher, from now on, please don’t discriminate between students who have and those who don’t. That’s not a quality a teacher should have.”
The Homeroom Teacher looked embarrassed and pulled me close, then whispered in my ear.
“Sung-guk, are you really teaching your teacher right now because you have backing behind you?”
“I teach people who are worth teaching, but you don’t seem to be one of them.”
I responded in kind and handed over my withdrawal form.
“Thanks to you, I’ve realized there’s nothing more to learn at school. Goodbye.”
I took Mother’s hand.
“Teacher, then we’ll be going.”
Mother and the Hyojin Group Sisters said their farewells as well.
The Homeroom Teacher stared at us with a dumbfounded expression.
Hwang Chul-soo quickly stepped in to manage the situation.
“Teacher, please contact me once the withdrawal is processed. The flowers are just a modest gift. There’s no envelope inside, so please accept them without worry.”
“Ah, yes….”
The Homeroom Teacher’s face flushed crimson—quite a sight to behold.
I quickly took Mother’s hand and left the classroom.
Everything felt lighter now.
* * *
“Sung-guk, you’re coming to New York, right?”
“Sister, there aren’t any good boarding schools in New York.”
“Youngest, you can’t even get into boarding school because you’re bad at studying—how do you know so much?”
“I’ve heard so much about it. I know everything. I just can’t go.”
Mother and Hwang Chul-soo were barely suppressing their laughter at the sisters’ banter.
I took a long sip of cold milk.
“Sung-guk’s Mother, if Sung-guk has any difficulties while preparing for the GED, please contact me anytime.”
“Thank you so much. I’m overwhelmed by all the care you and the sisters have shown. I don’t know how to repay you.”
The Hyojin Group Sisters waved their hands dismissively in perfect unison, as if rehearsed.
“We’re doing this because we want to. I’m going to the United States next year anyway, so I think I’ll be able to help Sung-guk a lot.”
“Ye-ri, who are you taking care of?”
“Sister, you have no idea how much I’ve wanted a younger brother.”
[Please, stop. I’m not a toy.]
The Hyojin Group Sisters had always been somewhat special.
They weren’t particularly good at studying, but their cheerful personalities made them well-liked even within the chaebol family. Their uninhibited nature frequently exposed them to the media.
They were active across various social media platforms and became famous as celebrities, even doing their own advertising for Hyojin Group products.
[The youngest dated a famous actor for quite a while later on—who was it again….]
Beom-seon’s face suddenly flashed through my mind.
[Ah, that’s right. Beom-seon from Just.]
I smiled faintly.
The most reassuring thing was that there seemed to be no connection between me and him.
“By the way, Mother, the elementary school GED exam date this time seemed tight. It’s held twice—in April and June—but April has already passed and June is coming up soon. Will that be alright?”
“I’m not expecting anything this year. If Sung-guk studies at his own pace, I’m thinking around next year.”
[Mom, what are you talking about? I’m definitely going to pass in June.]
I tugged at Mother’s sleeve.
“Mom, I want to take the test.”
“This year?”
“Yes. I’m confident.”
Hwang Chul-soo smiled as he looked at me.
“Sung-guk really knows what he wants.”
“Wow, if Sung-guk were just ten years older….”
The youngest daughter gazed at me with honeyed eyes.
[Even if I were ten years older, I wouldn’t get involved with your sister, so don’t worry!]
* * *
The GED exam began.
Around me sat people who were at least five to ten years older than me, or even more.
The exam hall was silent.
I flipped through the test papers confidently and solved the problems one after another.
I was a bit nervous taking the exam without having fully adapted to the test format yet,
[but this is child’s play.]
I submitted my answer sheet faster than anyone else.
* * *
A month later, the results came out.
I passed, of course. And I got a perfect score.
Mother and Father stared at me in astonishment.
“Sung-guk, you got a perfect score. Aren’t you surprised?”
“Father, the test was easy.”
“Look at this kid. It might be easy now, but it could get harder later on.”
[Father, I got some tutoring help in my previous life, but I studied hard enough to get into Seoul National University. Don’t worry.]
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Sung-guk, what do you want to eat? Dad will buy you anything you want today.”
[Never mind that.]
I handed Father the application form.
Father had been taking out the application that Hwang Chul-soo’s secretary from Hyojin Group had given him every night, but he still hadn’t written a single character. The deadline was a week away.
“Father, this one.”
“Sung-guk, you want to do this?”
“Father, I think your bossam is the most delicious in South Korea. Try this.”
“Honey, what is this?”
Mother didn’t seem to know either.
“Oh, it’s an application that Secretary Hwang Chul-soo left behind. Hyojin Food is partnering with famous restaurants across the country to launch convenience meals. He suggested I apply.”
“Honey, you should try this.”
“Won Uncle’s Bossam has the Suyu Branch as its main location.”
“Should I give them a call? It would be good to repay our debt to the Suyu Branch Manager while taking advantage of this opportunity.”
“There’s no guarantee it’ll work out anyway. If we just struggle and waste time, everyone’s already having a hard time with the IMF as it is.”
“Honey, let’s at least try calling. What good does it do to just worry alone?”
[That’s what I’m saying.]
Mother was indeed more proactive.
“So-young, alright. I’ll make the call. You take care of yourself.”
Mother’s belly had begun to swell noticeably.
Every time I saw Mother’s expanding belly, my heart grew heavier.
Whatever comes, I’ll need to be able to earn a living….
“I’m going to make the call.”
Father picked up his mobile phone and stepped out onto the veranda.
Mother embraced me tightly.
“Sung-guk, what were you in your past life to be born so clever?”
[Mom, I was a chaebol in my past life. An incredibly smart chaebol.]
I hugged Mother back.
“Mom!!!”
Min-guk, who had just woken up from his nap, came running from behind and threw his arms around us.
“Big brother!!!”
“Min-guk’s awake?”
“Yep!”
“Since big brother did so well on the test today, we’re going to eat something delicious. Tell me what Sung-guk wants to eat.”
[I could really go for a glass of wine right now, Mom.]
“Big brother, Min-gu wants jjajangmyeon.”
Min-guk looked up at me with his round eyes, gazing endlessly.
It was a silent plea for big brother to say jjajangmyeon too.
[This is the burden of being an older brother. There’s no way around it.]
I took Mother’s hand and shook it.
“Mom, I want jjajangmyeon too.”
“Great, that’s the spirit. Today we’ll add sweet and sour pork too!”
Father came back inside just as he finished his call.
“Honey, let’s order jjajangmyeon today. Both Sung-guk and Min-guk want it.”
“Oh, yes. By the way, the Suyu Branch Manager said he’d think about it with us too. We decided to meet tomorrow and talk about it.”
“Sung-guk, thanks to you, Dad is starting again on something he’d almost forgotten about.”
Mother stroked my head.
[Seriously, this family can’t function without me.]
* * *
Father and the Suyu Branch Manager of Won Uncle’s Bossam submitted their application.
The announcement of the finalist restaurants that had passed the preliminary screening was just a week away.
Since the preliminary restaurants would be visited unannounced by Hyojin Group’s judges who would taste and evaluate them, Father came to work with a tense expression every day.
“So-young, I think I applied for nothing.”
“Honey, cheer up. It’s okay even if we don’t make it.”
I patted Father’s back enthusiastically.
“Father, cheer up. You have Sung-guk and Min-guk, who eat so much!”
I even attempted an encouraging song, though my singing was terrible.
Life at eight years old was truly demanding.
“That’s right—Sung-guk and Min-guk, and our soon-to-be-born Ji-hee, they give me strength!”
The third child would be a daughter.
We had already decided on the name Ji-hee.
“Honey, I’ll come cheer on Sung-guk and Min-guk later.”
“Okay. Take your time. I’ll have it simmered perfectly.”
* * *
Min-guk and I each held one of Mother’s hands as we walked into Father’s restaurant.
Since it was well past lunchtime, the restaurant was quiet.
Father poked his head out from the kitchen.
“Have you eaten lunch?”
“Already did. We’ll just have some drinks.”
“I’ll bring out some fruit for you.”
Just then, the restaurant door opened and a man and woman entered side by side.
I recognized the man immediately.
It was Koo Sung-hyun, a manager at Hyojin Food, a subsidiary of Hyojin Group, who would later become its president. He was the son of Koo Soo-young’s cousin.
Father quickly greeted them.
“Welcome. Please, sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
I quickly pulled out a corner chair.
“Please sit here.”
“Are you the owner’s son?”
“Yes!”
“Thank you.”
Manager Koo Sung-hyun smiled and sat down. The woman sat across from him and began looking at the menu.
I quickly added my recommendation.
“Our Father’s bossam is really delicious.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Owner, I’ll have one large bossam platter.”
“Of course. Is there anything else you need?”
“One Sprite and one cola, please.”
I quickly opened the beverage cooler, placed a Sprite and cola on a tray, and brought them to the table.
“Are you helping your father with work?”
“Yes!”
I answered eagerly, flashing a full smile.
[Please take good care of my father, Manager Koo Sung-hyun.]

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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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