I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 81

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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 81
My taste in fashion hadn’t changed one bit.
I rushed straight into my favorite Luxury Brand Store.
“Sung-guk, come with me.”
I didn’t even hear Father’s desperate voice calling from behind.
The moment I stepped inside, I made a beeline for the children’s section.
[Hmm, classic early 2000s style, just as I remembered.]
There were inevitable limitations to the era, but this brand’s distinctive charm remained unchanged.
[I should pick up some everyday clothes, underwear, and socks.]
The instant I reached for a t-shirt, Father grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
“Jeon Sung-guk. What are you doing?”
Father’s voice carried a hint of sternness.
What was wrong?
I looked up at him with bewildered eyes.
“Father, why?”
“Do you have any idea how much things cost here?”
[Of course I do. A pair of socks costs about a hundred dollars. It’s nothing.]
Mother quickly snatched the card from my hand.
“Mother!”
“Sung-guk, Chairman Koo Soo-young gave you that card for school supplies you need, not to spend it however you please.”
[Socks and underwear are essentials. Daily wear clothes and weekend outfits. A bag and wallet are necessities too!]
Mother glanced at Father, then nodded.
“Honey, grab him.”
“Right, So-young.”
What were they doing?
In that instant, Father seized my right hand while Mother grabbed my left. Then they practically lifted me off the ground and dragged me out of the Luxury Brand Store.
[No, wait!]
I struggled, but I was far too young to match their combined strength.
“So-young, everything here seems too expensive. Should we try somewhere else?”
“We don’t know this area at all. If the teacher told us to shop here, there must be something affordable.”
“So-young, everything looks overpriced to me.”
“Mother, let go of my hand.”
I looked up at her with a dejected expression.
“Jeon Sung-guk, even if Chairman Koo gave you that card for necessities, that doesn’t mean you can spend other people’s money recklessly. Understand?”
[Sigh… Mother, please stop nagging.]
Well, I had no choice then.
I pointed to a clothing store tucked in the corner—the kind ordinary people shopped at.
“Mother, there.”
“Oh, that’s Polo.”
“So-young, you know that brand?”
“That place is incredibly expensive too. We went to the Department Store and just looked around.”
[Mom, that’s a casual brand.]
I shook my head in disagreement.
Mother hesitated even about entering Polo.
“Honey, let’s look around a few other stores first and save that one for last.”
“Okay.”
Mother and Father each grabbed one of my hands and entered another store.
[Wasted effort. Polo is the cheapest here.]
I grumbled, but my complaints only ended after we’d visited five clothing stores.
“So-young, even a single pair of socks here costs 100 dollars. So this is what luxury means, I guess.”
“I suppose so. Honey, let’s try Polo. Even in Korea, Polo wasn’t this expensive.”
[I told you it’s a casual brand.]
Father tugged my hand.
“Sung-guk, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
* * *
“Honey, after seeing those other places, Polo actually looks cheap.”
“I know. So-young, should we buy here?”
Father hesitated, holding his credit card.
“Honey, you still have some of the money you exchanged left, right?”
“Yeah. About 500 dollars.”
“Then let’s use our own money to buy all of Sung-guk’s clothes here. He’s worked hard studying all this time, so we should do at least this much for him. If it goes over 500 dollars, we can use the card then, okay?”
I clamped my mouth shut and tugged Mother’s hand.
Why won’t they let me use the card even when I have one!
Mother looked into my eyes and quietly released her hand.
“Sung-guk, Mom and Dad will buy all the clothes you need for school here. If you need anything, buy whatever you want. Understood?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Mother nodded.
I decided to be content with my humble lifestyle once more.
“So-young, pick out an outfit each for Ji-hee and Min-guk too.”
“Should I?”
“When else will we be here?”
“Alright.”
Mother walked into the store with an excited expression.
Then shouldn’t I pick out some things too?
[Well, these are decent enough.]
I selected several of Polo’s signature t-shirts, some chino pants, and a few pairs of jeans. Since New Hampshire was cold, I also grabbed a few jackets.
In the meantime, Mother kept bringing over jackets and holding them up to my face.
“Sung-guk, isn’t this one pretty?”
“Yeah.”
“Right, I’ll buy this too. You said it’s cold there? I need to get several outer jackets… Why are they so expensive? Honey, I don’t think 500 dollars will be enough.”
“So-young, let me go ask Grace about exchanging some money.”
“Okay. Honey, withdraw generously.”
“Got it.”
Father took my phone and stepped outside the store.
In the meantime, Mother kept gathering clothes for me.
“Sung-guk, there are so many pretty things here. I want to buy everything for our Sung-guk.”
“Mom, buy yourself something too.”
“No. Mom has plenty of clothes.”
A lie.
It was an obvious lie to anyone watching.
During the two weeks we’d been in New York, Mother had been rotating between two dresses and one outer jacket, while Father had been managing with two pairs of jeans and two t-shirts.
There was no helping it.
I quietly counted the emergency fund I’d hidden in my pocket.
The 500 dollars I hadn’t given Father the other day was still there, and there was an additional 200 dollars I’d set aside, knowing my frugal parents would be hesitant to spend money.
My own wardrobe was already sufficient.
I quietly made my way toward the men’s and women’s clothing sections.
[Trust my eye for fashion—I was once a fashionista in the business world.]
I selected a dress Mother would enjoy wearing, along with a t-shirt and jeans. For Father, I chose jeans and a t-shirt, paired with a cotton jacket that would complement them.
[This should pass muster even at a casual brand.]
I quickly gathered these clothes and headed to the register.
“Sung-guk, what is all that?”
“Mom, these are gifts for you and Dad, so don’t try to stop me.”
“This place is too expensive. My goodness, how much is this? A dress for 300 dollars?”
Mother’s eyes widened as she looked at the price tag.
“Sung-guk, I can’t. Mom doesn’t need this.”
“Mom, this is a gift.”
I couldn’t give up on the dress.
Just seeing Mother in it would make me happy.
“Sung-guk, why don’t we use this money to buy more clothes for you instead?”
“I already have plenty.”
I couldn’t back down either.
That’s when I heard a familiar laugh from behind.
“It really is Sung-guk.”
I turned around to see Beom-seon and Bang Mu-hyuk standing side by side.
“Oh my, Beom-seon.”
Mother’s face brightened the moment she saw Beom-seon.
[This is what you call being a fan.]
“Hello, ma’am. Are you out shopping?”
“Sung-guk is starting school, you know. We came to shop for what he needs, but he keeps insisting on buying clothes for us too.”
“Ah, that’s right. You mentioned Sung-guk was starting school.”
[Beom-seon, didn’t you tell me last time you were going on a date with Ye-jung? You’re in no position to be distracted.]
I shot Beom-seon a reproachful look.
“Mother, we’re actually leaving the country tomorrow, so we came shopping. Let me buy Sung-guk some clothes as an entrance gift.”
[Really?]
I pulled my hand away from Mother and quickly grabbed Beom-seon’s hand instead.
[Beom-seon, should we check out Polo?]
“Sung-guk, come here.”
Mother pulled my hand again.
“Mother, please. Did you have any particular clothes in mind?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Mother demurred, and Beom-seon insisted on buying—a tedious back-and-forth ensued.
Just then, Bang Mu-hyuk quietly approached from behind and handed me a card.
“Sung-guk, charge your clothes to this card.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Uncle is treating you.”
[Bang Mu-hyuk, that’s actually thoughtful of him.]
While Mother and Beom-seon continued their squabble, Bang Mu-hyuk and I carried the clothes to the register.
“Please charge these to this card, and I’ll pay cash for the rest.”
The saleswoman quickly processed the transaction.
Bang Mu-hyuk then swiftly grabbed the shopping bag and handed it to me.
“Sung-guk, mission accomplished!”
“Thank you so much, Uncle.”
I quickly accepted the shopping bag.
Bang Mu-hyuk seemed like a better person than I’d initially thought.
Beom-seon and Mother noticed our transaction too late and rushed over, but it was already done.
I gave Bang Mu-hyuk a thumbs up.
* * *
Grace smiled warmly as she examined the clothes we’d purchased.
“These will all look wonderful on Sung-guk. But why didn’t you use our card?”
“It was too expensive.”
“That’s fine. Just give me all the receipts. We’ll process the costs and transfer the money to you.”
“No, please. And Bang Mu-hyuk, a composer, insisted on buying Sung-guk’s clothes as a gift. He paid for everything before we could even object.”
“I see. Then please give me the receipts for Min-guk and Ji-hee’s clothes, as well as for our parents’ clothes.”
But my pride wouldn’t allow that.
“I’ll pay for those.”
“You will?”
“Yes, they’re gifts for Mother, Father, and my siblings.”
“You really won’t budge, will you.”
Grace smiled.
“I’m sorry. We really don’t know much about these things.”
“No, it’s because Sung-guk’s parents and Sung-guk himself are all such wonderful people. I’ve taken care of many children from wealthy families. Of course, they have plenty of money, but a lot of kids just spend the money and cards their parents give them like water. Some of them even call constantly complaining that it’s not enough. But Sung-guk seems really different.”
[If Grace had grown up poor like me, would she spend money like water too?]
I picked up Ji-hee’s dress and went over to her as she toddled around, trying it on her in different ways.
[Who does she take after that nothing looks good on her?]
“Hyung, don’t you have anything for me?”
“This one’s Min-guk’s.”
I held out Min-guk’s outfit.
Since I had chosen it with my own discerning eye, there was no way she wouldn’t like it.
“Hyeong….”
“What? You like it that much?”
“What is this…. Waaah!”
Min-guk suddenly burst into tears.
Mother rushed over immediately.
“Min-guk, what’s wrong?”
“Mom, Min-guk’s clothes look like an old man’s clothes. Waaah!”
It felt like my head was splitting in two.
An old man’s clothes? Clothes that I, Jeon Sung-guk, had carefully selected!
Mother quickly tried to soothe Min-guk.
“Min-guk, why would these be old man’s clothes? Look. Dad and your hyung and I all bought the same thing for each of us.”
“Huh?”
Min-guk finally relaxed his expression a bit.
But my pride, split open like a summer watermelon, could not be mended.
I walked to my room with my shoulders drooping, muttering to myself.
[I don’t need a younger brother or anything. I chose those clothes so carefully. An old man’s clothes… I’m never buying him clothes again.]
Just then, I heard Min-guk running up behind me.
“Hyung, hyung and I have the same clothes.”
[I know. Go away. Your IQ is higher than mine, but you’re still an idiot.]
“Hyung, wearing the same clothes as hyung makes me so happy.”
Min-guk grabbed my waist and hung on me.
“Hyung, are you mad?”
“Hyung is mad.”
“Hyung, I like anything that’s the same as hyung. I’m sorry.”
Min-guk rubbed his face against my back.
[You dummy. The shirt I’m wearing right now is Prada!]
* * *
Grace led us to a Photography Studio in New York.
“Chairman Koo Soo-young said he didn’t want to use his card, so he was wondering what he could do for you, and he wanted to take a family photo.”
As expected, Chairman Koo Soo-young had a remarkably thoughtful heart.
I had envied this aspect of Hyojin Group as well.
People from Samjeon Group were raised like racehorses with blinders on, never looking to the side, driven solely to prove their competence. Naturally, as we grew older, the Group’s interests always took precedence over caring for others.
In contrast, the people of Hyojin had a certain ease about them.
A Photographer with frizzy hair and thick-rimmed glasses greeted us warmly.
In English, he unleashed the usual barrage of compliments—something about what a magnificent family we were, asking why we were all so devastatingly handsome.
Mother wore the same Polo dress as Ji-hee, while Father, Min-guk, and I were dressed in matching Polo shirts and denim.
In the past, I would have complained loudly that it looked provincial, but today I remained silent.
Truth be told, I rather liked it.
[Jeon Sung-guk, are you becoming provincial? So what if you are? If it feels good, that’s enough.]
A smile spread naturally across my face.
“All right, let’s take the photo. Father, please hold your youngest daughter, and everyone else, please hold hands.”
After I translated the English, Father quickly lifted Ji-hee into his arms. Min-guk took Mother’s hand, and I grasped Father’s hand firmly.
“Perfect, here we go. Say cheese!”

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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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