I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 69

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 69
Min-guk had been cast as the lead’s son in a 16-episode miniseries.
The role had substantial screen time each episode, so the pay was decent. At least he was earning his keep.
Moreover, Mother’s belly grew rounder by the day, and Father’s Bossam Restaurant was gradually finding its footing. But there was still no word from Hyojin Food.
After work, Father’s voice carried nothing but worry as he sipped his beer.
“So-young, I think we applied for nothing. The Suyu manager keeps calling too… Why isn’t the result coming out?”
“It’s a major corporation. When I work with models on big company projects, there are so many approval stages that it takes longer than expected.”
“I suppose so….”
“Honey, even if we don’t get it, don’t lose heart. You said many long-established restaurants applied too.”
“I just wanted to at least pass the preliminary round. As your father, I wanted to show Sung-guk and Min-guk what it means to keep trying.”
I was studying at my desk when I suddenly heard Father’s sigh, and my heart clenched.
Father wanted to show us his growth too.
I quietly opened the door.
“Going to the restroom, Sung-guk?”
“Yeah.”
“Sung-guk, were Mom and Dad’s voices too loud while you were studying?”
Father rushed over and wrapped me in his arms.
I felt his gaunt back beneath my hands.
As I grew taller, did Father seem to shrink?
“Dad, you’re always the best to Sung-guk.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded with complete sincerity.
The poorest of the poor.
Father was born into this world with nothing to rely on, yet he did his absolute best to provide for me and our family. He always wrapped us in love and worried about how his children would live.
I gently patted Father’s gaunt back.
“Dad… Sung-guk will grow up soon and earn lots of money.”
“Sung-guk. Dad doesn’t hope for you to earn lots of money. I just want you to be happy.”
What? What did he just say? Happy….
[Sigh, Dad. You haven’t lived long enough in this world to know that money is happiness!]
I felt a flash of anger inside, but then I stopped short.
In my previous life, during a weekly magazine interview, someone once asked me if I was happy living as the successor to the Samjeon Group.
I answered that I was happy. But I wasn’t.
My parents didn’t get along, and my siblings were competitors. All I did was hope someone would fall behind.
My relationship with my wife was awkward, and though I loved my children, I sent them abroad early and rarely saw them.
People who constantly threatened my position as successor.
There were many people around me, but no one I could truly rely on.
Was I ever truly happy in my previous life?
Father held me tight.
“Sung-guk, grow up soon so we can share a beer together.”
[Dad, I’ll have wine. Beer makes my belly stick out.]
Father carried me into my room.
“Dad, I need the restroom!”
“Oh, I forgot. Sorry. Since I’m apologizing, let me give you an airplane ride to the restroom.”
[Dad, I’m not a little kid anymore.]
“Here we go. Dad’s airplane!”
But I had to play along with Father’s whims too.
Giggle.
[I should laugh at times like this.]
As I laughed, Father’s laughter echoed.
[I’m really raising Father, raising him.]
* * *
“It appears that Chairman Koo Soo-young will be sponsoring Sung-guk. He’ll be the first scholarship recipient of the Junho Foundation, established in the name of his late eldest son.”
Secretary Yang finished speaking and observed Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung’s expression.
The chairman’s brow furrowed deeply. It seemed reluctant to unfold.
“I’m curious about the reason… Why Hyojin Group instead of Samjeon?”
“I’m not entirely certain, but it appears Hyojin Group promised unconditional support to Sung-guk.”
“Wasn’t that what we offered as well?”
“However, there’s a perception that Samjeon Scholarship recipients cannot escape Samjeon’s influence when they join the Samjeon Group or work in Samjeon-related fields in society. It seems Sung-guk and his family were concerned about that aspect.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung smoothed his furrowed brow with his middle finger.
It was his first taste of failure.
It was the moment the carefully constructed tower crumbled.
“Secretary Yang, let’s withdraw our hand from Sung-guk now. We’ve done what we could, and if Hyojin Group is sponsoring him, he’ll become a fine talent as long as he doesn’t go astray.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“If it’s no trouble, just inform me of the sponsorship plan and his departure schedule.”
“I’ll report as soon as I find out.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung clutched his head.
It was the perfect moment for a glass of wine, but he refrained since he was at the office.
‘Why do I have such lingering attachment to Sung-guk?’
It was an attachment even Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung himself couldn’t understand.
Was it because Jeon Tae-guk was lacking in everything, making Sung-guk seem like his successor material instead…?
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung shook his head.
There were plenty of excellent talents out there.
With Samjeon’s sponsorship, there were many talented people waiting in line.
What drew him to Sung-guk was exactly as Teacher Lee of Samcheongdong had said—a paternal bond, that kind of feeling.
‘If he were my son… if he were my child… if he were my successor….’
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung abruptly rose from his seat.
Then he gazed down at Seoul spread beneath his feet.
He clearly possessed everything, yet there was one thing he didn’t have.
It was a successor.
* * *
Secretary Hwang Chul-soo spread out a detailed plan filled with schedules and school catalogs across the table at the Bossam Restaurant.
Koo Ye-jung, the eldest daughter of the Hyojin family, who sat beside Secretary Hwang Chul-soo, began the explanation.
“Sung-guk, your English is more than sufficient, and you’ve nearly perfected the TOEFL, but first we’re planning to have you complete a short-term language course to build your language skills and develop your social abilities.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Next, this is a prestigious private school that our younger brother Jun-ho also attended. In Korean terms, it’s a combined middle and high school with dormitory facilities. We’re aiming to secure your admission there.”
It was a familiar place.
Not for me in this life, but in my previous one, it was the prestigious boarding school my children attended.
Since it was a boarding school I had personally chosen for my children in my previous life, everything about it was perfect.
I smiled.
“I’m eager to study.”
“Sung-guk, just grow up beautifully as you are. With that face, if I were you, I’d skip studying and become an entertainer instead.”
Koo Ye-ri, the second and youngest daughter of the Hyojin family, grumbled.
“Will you go with me, sister?”
“I’ll attend a high school nearby, but then I’ll just go to any university comfortably.”
“Ye-ri. Please get your act together and study.”
“Sister, I have plenty of money, so I’ll live comfortably. You study hard and inherit the company.”
“I’m not confident about that either.”
Koo Ye-jung also grumbled.
In truth, the greatest misfortune of the Hyojin Group was that Koo Junho, the eldest son of this household who was as brilliant as I had been in my previous life, had passed away early.
“Sung-guk, in a few months you’ll be going to the United States. What will you do until then?”
Koo Ye-ri asked with sparkling eyes.
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“I’m planning to buy some stocks.”
* * *
In July 1998, the KOSPI collapsed below the 300 mark and plummeted to the 200 line.
Just when it seemed there was nowhere left to fall, the market was digging even deeper into the ground.
I sat at the Stock Exchange, watching the KOSPI index plummet with a satisfied expression on my face.
Father, who had come with me, was visibly anxious.
“Sung-guk, who invests in stocks these days? It fell more today than yesterday, and they say it’ll fall even further tomorrow. Shouldn’t we sell the Samjeon shares we’re holding?”
“….”
I kept my mouth firmly shut and shook my head.
Crisis is opportunity!
This was something the small investors had to remember.
Without the courage to bet during a crisis, one could never seize the chance to become wealthy.
I had decided to bet on Samjeon.
All of my remaining two hundred million won!
“Sung-guk….”
Father grabbed my shoulder firmly.
“Father, just trust me!”
The next day, KOSPI fell even further.
Samjeon Electronics couldn’t escape the downturn either.
My father’s face, as he sat beside me watching the news at the restaurant, was nearly on the verge of tears.
“Sung-guk, I think we really made a mistake with this investment.”
“Father!”
“Hmm?”
“Investments require a long-term perspective. I’ll sell everything after I return from the United States.”
“Sigh…”
My father looked even more despondent than I felt.
Just then, the restaurant phone rang loudly.
Father rose with slumped shoulders.
“It’s okay, Sung-guk. Don’t worry. Your father will earn plenty of money from now on.”
Then he answered the phone immediately.
“Hello. Yes… that’s right. Really? Truly? I really made it!”
Color rushed back into my father’s face.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll prepare for the finals!”
[Father is still so naive. Tsk tsk.]
After hanging up, Father rushed over and lifted me into his arms.
“Sung-guk, your father made it to the finals of the Hyojin Food Delicacy Search competition!”
“Father, I knew you would.”
“Look at this kid. Now that it’s done, he says he knew all along.”
[I really did know. Do you have any idea how many times I had to bow to Director Koo Sung-hyun? I thought my back was going to break!]
Father set me down and bustled around the restaurant in excitement.
“But what do I need to do now? From here on… I should call the Suyou Branch Manager…”
I grabbed my scattered father.
“Father, call Mother first.”
“Oh, that’s right. And I need to call the Suyou Branch Manager.”
[That’s it. Father really can’t function without me. How am I supposed to study abroad and leave him like this?]
My vision went dark.
* * *
A total of thirty teams from across the nation were selected to advance to the finals of the Hyojin Food convenient meal competition.
From these teams, two teams each in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisine—eight teams total—would be chosen as the final convenient meal teams.
Director Koo Sung-hyun, standing before the finalists, explained the details.
“The eight finally selected teams will begin convenient meal development immediately with our Hyojin Food team. Even if you’re not selected for the final round, Hyojin Food will continue to provide opportunities to develop new convenient meals together, so please don’t be discouraged.”
Mother, Min-guk, Kim Mi-young, and I had all come out with matching placards to cheer Father on.
– Father, do your best!
Because of this placard, everyone’s attention was focused on our family.
[Ugh, I want to disappear.]
On top of that, it seemed like I’d already answered “Aren’t you that TV kid?” with “Yes, I’m Jeon Sung-guk” about thirty times to passersby.
“Sung-guk, your father is going to give it his all because of you.”
Kim Mi-young comforted me as she observed my pouty expression.
At that moment, a fresh idea sparked in my mind.
“Director.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“What if we created a program like this?”
“What kind of program?”
“A culinary competition. People find the most comfort in food, after all. It wouldn’t just feature famous restaurants or renowned chefs—it would be a sort of audition to discover hidden talents we’ve never encountered before.”
Kim Mi-young stared at me with wide, astonished eyes.
[Manager Kim, what’s so surprising? I’m Jeon Sung-guk. This is my second life, after all.]
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, Sung-guk just suggested a really brilliant idea….”
“What idea?”
“What if we held a chef audition?”
“Us?”
“Management is one thing, but I’ve been considering whether we should venture into outsourced production. I know quite a few outsourced production directors and writers from my time at Samjeon Entertainment….”
Mother’s face brightened as well.
“We were already discussing our management direction anyway. It might be worth exploring.”
“Exactly. If we handle both outsourced production and management, we could naturally have our actors appear in the outsourced programs we create….”
[That’s exactly what I was thinking.]
I nodded in agreement.
“It really does sound like it would be entertaining.”
Kim Mi-young’s eyes sparkled for the first time in a long while.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————