I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 71

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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 71
The day had finally arrived.
The day my youngest sibling would be born.
Mother had been experiencing contractions since morning, and after lunchtime, she grabbed my hand and headed to the Obstetrics Clinic.
Father closed the restaurant and came with us, and Kim Mi-young was there as well.
My Aunt was watching Min-guk, so I waited anxiously in front of the delivery room with Father and Kim Mi-young for my youngest sibling’s arrival.
Father kept pacing back and forth in front of the delivery room.
“Mr. Jeon, why don’t you sit down and wait?”
“She’s been in there for a while now. Why haven’t we heard anything?”
“It’s only been less than an hour.”
“Is that so….”
[Dad, settle down.]
I shook my head in disapproval.
Though I occasionally heard women’s screams from the hallway, I waited calmly.
In my previous life, I had experienced two childbirths.
This would be Father’s third time, so he should certainly be more composed than me, yet he was restless.
Just then, the delivery room door opened and a Nurse came out.
“Are you the guardian of So-young Kim?”
“Yes.”
“The baby is almost here. If you’re going to cut the umbilical cord, come in with me.”
“Of course I will.”
Father rushed into the delivery room.
Kim Mi-young looked at me with a joyful expression.
“Sung-guk, you have a baby sister.”
[Should I be happy about this?]
Truthfully, I wasn’t happy at all.
Father was running just one bossam restaurant, and we were barely in the middle of preparing convenience food products. We wouldn’t see sales until next year since the launch was planned for the end of this year, and now another child was on the way.
Mother worked at SKJ Entertainment, the agency I belonged to, but she would have to step back from work for childcare for a while. On top of that, SKJ Entertainment had lost Song Hye-sun and was attempting to transition into production, so currently there was almost no income.
Min-guk barely earned his own keep… and now a third child….
It was truly one mountain after another, and there was never a calm day for a tree with many branches.
The Nurse came back out and gestured to Kim Mi-young and me.
“You can see the baby in the nursery. It’s a girl.”
Kim Mi-young held my hand tightly and headed to the nursery.
Beyond the glass window was a tiny bundle.
I pressed my forehead against the glass.
[Jeon Ji-hee. Since you were born as this Jeon Sung-guk’s sibling, you need to be prepared for a tough life ahead.]
* * *
Friday, December 11th, 1998.
The day when Won Uncle’s Bossam—officially developed jointly by Father and the Suyu Branch Manager—had its convenience meal boxes and soju-pairing braised pork feet displayed under the Hyojin Food brand name in convenience stores and supermarkets across the nation.
Father, Mother, Min-guk, and I, along with Ji-hee in her stroller, all went to the Hyojin Food convenience store in the Apartment Shopping Complex.
But nowhere in the convenience store could I spot Father’s Won Uncle’s Bossam products.
“Has it not arrived yet….”
Father’s disappointment was written all over his face.
[Dad, just trust me.]
I hurried to the register, stood on my tiptoes, and asked.
“Manager.”
“Hey, I’m not the manager—I’m just a part-time worker.”
“Part-time worker, I can’t find the Won Uncle’s Bossam lunch boxes and pig’s feet.”
“What’s that?”
[Sigh, you work here—you should know, not me!]
If I’d met a part-time worker like you back when I was the heir to Samjeon Group, I could’ve made your future look pretty bleak.
I suppressed my frustration and asked again.
“Could you look for it? It’s from Hyojin Food. They said it would come out today.”
“This kid’s really asking for everything under the sun.”
The part-time worker grumbled and headed into the stockroom.
Just then, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the owner walked in and inspected the display shelves.
“Young-seok, why isn’t the food from Hyojin Food on display? The company said a manager would come by this evening.”
“I’m about to put it out right now.”
“Goodness, my heart’s about to burst.”
The owner muttered with displeasure, then glanced at me.
“Well, well, what a handsome little fellow. What are you looking for?”
“The lunch boxes and pig’s feet from Won Uncle’s Bossam.”
“Oh, we’re about to put those out. But how do you know about it? It just came in today.”
I pointed proudly to Father.
“My dad developed it.”
“Huh? So it’s true—they said Won Uncle’s Bossam in this shopping complex made it.”
The owner quickly approached Father.
“I’ve ordered from there a few times passing by, and I always thought their bossam was delicious.”
“Thank you so much.”
Father scratched his head shyly.
Just then, the part-time worker emerged carrying Won Uncle’s Bossam lunch boxes and pig’s feet.
“My goodness! Made by a neighboring shop…. I’ll put these front and center.”
“Thank you!”
I called out, and Min-guk echoed after me.
“Thank you!”
“Ah, the children are cute too. Want some candy?”
“Min-guk likes strawberry-flavored candy.”
While the Convenience Store Owner went to fetch the candy, Father cheerfully gathered six lunch boxes and three servings of pig’s feet for drinking, added beer and soju to the pile, and headed to the register.
“Owner, could you ring these up for me?”
“You must have eaten quite a bit while developing these, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Still, it’s my way of thanking you for boosting the store owner’s sales and asking for your continued support with the displays.”
“Of course. I’ll promote it heavily, saying it’s made by Won Uncle’s Bossam from the apartment shopping complex.”
“Thank you.”
I quickly placed some snacks and milk cartons on the counter.
“Dad, ring it up.”
[I need to boost his sales significantly.]
Mother also placed diapers on the counter—something she normally wouldn’t buy at a convenience store.
“Store owner, this too.”
“With you boosting our sales like this, I really hope Won Uncle’s Bossam becomes a huge success.”
* * *
The dinner table was set with Won Uncle’s Bossam lunch boxes.
Including the lunch box Kim Mi-young had brought, we’d be eating bossam lunch boxes through tomorrow evening.
“I also made the rounds at the neighborhood marts and convenience stores, and seeing them displayed right up front felt so good.”
“I’m embarrassed. CEO Kim, have a drink.”
Father poured beer into CEO Kim Mi-young’s glass.
“Dad, I’ll have milk.”
“Min-guk wants strawberry milk.”
“These kids sure know what they want.”
Father quickly poured milk into my glass and Min-guk’s.
“By the way, Sung-guk. You’re leaving next month, right?”
“Yes.”
The day I would finally depart for my studies abroad had been set.
Before the American semester starting in September, I was scheduled to leave in January for a short language course to help me adjust.
Mother gazed at me from beside Father, her face already filled with worry.
“Sung-guk, how will I bear missing you so much?”
“You can just come to America, Mom.”
I spoke matter-of-factly.
[Eventually, all children leave the nest, Mom.]
To venture into a larger world, I couldn’t remain confined to South Korea.
Father drank his beer with a somewhat dejected expression.
“I think I’ll miss Sung-guk terribly too.”
“Hyung, Min-guk too. Min-guk wants to go as well.”
“Min-guk, you need to study harder first. While I’m gone, focus on your studies.”
[Without resources, you have to either excel academically or possess exceptional talent to succeed.]
I stroked Min-guk’s head.
Min-guk looked at me with an expression as if he were about to cry.
Before, my heart would have wavered at that face, and I would have abandoned my American studies.
But now I couldn’t afford to do that.
South Korean education was too small a vessel to contain my ambitions.
Just then, Father’s phone rang.
The call came at just the right moment, cutting through the melodramatic atmosphere.
“Hello. Yes, Manager.”
It seemed Father was speaking with Koo Sung-hyun, the manager at Hyojin Food.
“Already? It’s only the first day.”
Father’s expression grew brighter as he listened.
“Thank you so much for your attention to this. Yes, have a good weekend, Manager.”
Father hung up and looked at his family with a satisfied expression.
“Won Uncle’s Bossam ranked second among the convenience foods released today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Father nodded shyly, though his smile continued to spread across his face.
I quickly went to Father and hugged him, patting his back gently.
[Dad, you’ve worked so hard all this time. Now I can go to the United States with peace of mind. These past eight years of raising you up have been really tough on me.]
My throat tightened.
Thinking of the hardships of the past eight years, tears suddenly welled up.
“Sung-guk, are you crying?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? Are you happy because Dad’s doing well?”
“Yeah.”
I answered that way, but my mind drifted to memories of my struggles flashing by like a lantern show.
From a one-room apartment to Jamsil Apartment.
I raised Min-guk into a proper person, and now Father’s business was finally taking root.
While I was in the United States, at least my family wouldn’t have to worry about making ends meet.
Ji-hee giggled and squirmed playfully.
[That’s right, Ji-hee. Grow up healthy and strong while your brother is in the United States. When I come back, I’ll make sure you earn your keep properly too.]
Father embraced me and patted my back.
“Sung-guk, I’m moved that you understand how hard Dad has worked.”
[Dad’s hard work? I meant my hard work.]
* * *
Mother’s face had flushed from a beer she’d had for the first time in a long while.
While everyone was in good spirits, Min-guk was already dozing off in the living room.
Father stood up, carrying Min-guk.
“I’ll put Min-guk to bed. Representative Kim, just wait a moment since we should have another drink. Let me tuck him in.”
“Sounds good.”
“Sister, then I’ll quickly put Ji-hee to bed and be right back. Let’s finally have a drink together after so long.”
“Sung-guk too!”
I quickly raised my hand while drinking my milk.
“Sung-guk, you need to sleep.”
“Ugh, adults are too much.”
“Let’s let Sung-guk stay up a bit longer. I have things I want to talk about with him anyway.”
[What are you talking about?]
I looked at Kim Mi-young.
“Sung-guk, remember that food program competition you mentioned last time?”
“Yes.”
“The director who worked on 【Five Men and a Baby Basket】 declared himself freelance a few years ago. He’s been struggling because of the IMF, but he said our project looks promising and wants to collaborate.”
[My instincts never fail me.]
I waited quietly for Kim Mi-young to continue.
“So I’m planning to take a break from management and transition into production for a while.”
[Representative Kim, don’t keep me in suspense—tell me what comes next.]
“Sung-guk, I think you have some exceptional abilities. What if you went to the United States, studied what you wanted to study, and learned about the entertainment industry?”
This time, my eyes sparkled.
Kim Mi-young was certainly too talented to waste away in the Accounting Department of Samjeon Entertainment.
“Our country’s entertainment industry will grow even more in the future, and I think the current rough-and-tumble system will change significantly. You’ve worked as a child actor and experienced this industry firsthand. Think about it carefully.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
I expressed my gratitude respectfully.
Kim Mi-young smiled faintly as she sipped her beer.
“Sung-guk, talking with you really feels like I’m conversing with someone high up in a company, honestly.”
[Of course. I was the former chairman of Samjeon Group.]
I simply smiled.
Mother and Father came out after putting Min-guk and Ji-hee to sleep.
It was about time for me to leave as well.
“Mom, Sung-guk wants to sleep too.”
“Sung-guk, you need to brush your teeth.”
[Brush, brush, brush.]
I was led by Mother’s hand into the bathroom.
* * *
“The KOSPI index, which seemed to be in endless decline, is now on an upward trajectory. South Korea is rapidly repaying its IMF debt, and export surpluses have reached record highs.”
Good news flowed from the television.
The Samjeon stock I’d bought by picking it up from the ground, so to speak, was naturally climbing steeply.
Father straightened his posture as he watched the news.
“Sung-guk, look at that. Samjeon stock is skyrocketing.”
[Dad, just trust me.]
“Sung-guk, should we sell some in case you need emergency funds?”
I shook my head firmly, my arms crossed.
Samjeon is a long-term investment.
I already know where Samjeon stock will end up.

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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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