I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 85

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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 85
The place where I met Bill Gates was a spacious conference room with a clear view of Microsoft’s gardens.
Sunlight streamed in generously, and Bill Gates, in his forties, appeared younger than I had imagined.
As Mark and I entered, Bill Gates rose from his seat to welcome us.
“Welcome.”
“Hello.”
“Hello!”
Mark and I greeted him in turn.
“To think I’d meet such young geniuses… I suppose I’ve lived long enough to see this day.”
[Speaking like an old man at a sprightly forty. That’s Bill Gates for you.]
Bill Gates guided us to our seats.
“What would you like to drink?”
I wanted to shout “A cold beer!” but I restrained myself.
“Cold milk, please.”
“And you, Mark?”
Bill Gates had already memorized our names.
“I’ll have the same as Sung-guk.”
“James, could you take care of that?”
“Of course. Please, continue your conversation.”
After James left the conference room, Mark and I glanced around before taking our seats.
At Samjeon, we had to work crammed together at desks, so I envied this pristine working environment.
Bill Gates looked back and forth between Mark and me.
“I was surprised when I heard your ages, but seeing you in person is even more remarkable. Sung-guk, you’re really nine years old, correct?”
“Yes, though in Korea I’m considered ten years old.”
It had been a while since my birthday.
“Truly remarkable. So you gave this idea to Mark, and Mark developed it further to create a new SNS called Face Paper? The two of you together.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
Mark beside me also nodded, watching my expression carefully.
“It’s truly amazing and impressive.”
Bill Gates continued to shower us with praise.
I recalled words from my late grandfather, Jeon Ju-shin, the founding chairman of Samjeon Group.
—Reject proposals from men who only offer praise.
Because hidden blades always lurk behind flattery.
Click.
The door opened, and an employee entered carrying two glasses of cold milk and a coffee.
“Drink slowly while we talk. I’ve arranged a nearby hotel for you—have you checked in yet?”
“We came straight here after getting off the plane.”
I answered quickly.
“Mark seems quieter than I expected.”
[Surely not. If Mark opens his mouth once, I won’t be able to sleep. There’s a time to be shy, and this isn’t it, Bill Gates.]
Mark smiled bashfully.
“I’m not very good with words.”
“Looking at Mark reminds me so much of my high school days.”
Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
The two men had much in common.
Both came from wealthy families.
Both had been obsessed with computers since childhood.
Though only I know it for now, they both would attend Harvard, drop out, succeed as entrepreneurs, and receive honorary degrees from Harvard.
They even shared a similar nerdy appearance.
Bill Gates’ gaze turned toward me.
“You’re quite a remarkable student, Sung-guk. I heard you came as an exchange student from South Korea, is that right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s truly impressive at such a young age.”
[If you’re curious, you can just be reborn, Bill Gates. Though I can’t guarantee you’d be reborn with the same blessings you have now.]
I sipped my milk. Like a child would. Adorably. With a touch of innocence.
In negotiations, the greatest advantage was making the other party let their guard down.
Bill Gates looked at me with a paternal smile.
I was still a child, and while my appearance hadn’t regressed, it was in flux.
“I’m really curious about Sung-guk’s future.”
“Thank you.”
“Well… I’m curious about something. When you two created ‘Face Paper,’ did you draw up a proper contract?”
“Yes, Sung-guk suggested it, so we did.”
As expected.
Bill Gates was curious about our contractual relationship.
But Mark and I had already stipulated in the contract that its contents would remain confidential.
Bill Gates looked at me with wonder in his eyes.
[You’re amazed that a ten-year-old already drew up a contract, aren’t you, Bill Gates.]
“The contract details are confidential, of course?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
Bill Gates smiled slightly, then immediately called over a female employee named Britney.
As the door opened, Britney entered—a beauty at first glance.
Mark’s eyes widened, and I was curious about Bill Gates’ intentions.
“Britney, would you show Sung-guk around our company a bit more?”
“Yes, sir.”
Bill Gates looked at me.
“Sung-guk, I have some things to discuss with Mark separately. Would you mind stepping out for a moment?”
“Of course.”
I stood up from my seat.
Bill Gates’ true intentions were beginning to show.
[Are you planning to recruit Mark?]
Bill Gates seemed to think Mark would be easier to win over than me.
As fellow developers, it was obvious what angle he’d use to approach him.
* * *
Britney was not only beautiful but also skilled at steering conversation.
“Sung-guk, I’ve actually been to Korea before.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I had the chance to be an exchange student in college.”
“What was it like?”
“It seemed like such a busy country. Everyone worked so hard—it was almost frightening. I wondered if those people did anything but work.”
[Of course, they play hard in their spare time. But they work just as much.]
Britney even gave me a few Microsoft souvenirs.
Things like t-shirts and pencils.
“Sung-guk, but what was it like working with Mark?”
I hesitated.
[Interesting. Bill Gates actually put some thought into this…]
This was clearly Bill Gates’ instruction.
I answered Britney with a composed smile.
“Mark is a genius!”
* * *
Mark made a fuss as he put on the t-shirt with the Microsoft window logo.
“Bill Gates himself asked me if I’d ever consider joining Microsoft. Can you believe it?”
“Mark, that’s all he asked? He didn’t ask what it was like working with me?”
“He did ask… oh, yes, he did.”
“What did you say?”
“Sung-guk is a genius!”
Mark’s answer and mine turned out to be identical.
Mark sat on the edge of the hotel bed and stared at me intently.
“Sung-guk, but something felt off.”
“What felt off?”
“He suddenly started talking about himself, saying that in the relationship between Charlie Jobs and Tom Wozniak, he thinks Tom the developer is greater, yet people talk about Charlie—who doesn’t even understand computers—as if he changed the world.”
Charlie Jobs and Tom Wozniak were the two men who founded Apple.
Charlie is more famous to us because he’s a visionary and a presentation genius. But without Tom Wozniak, Charlie Jobs’ ideas could never have become reality.
It was obvious why Bill Gates brought up this story.
He was subtly elevating Mark, who had realized my ideas, and clearly intended to ask him to sell the idea or shares of Face Paper.
“Mark, what do you think?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure why Bill was saying all that. Does he think Face Paper is so attractive that we’ll become like Apple?”
[Of course.]
I knew the future clearly.
“Bill probably succeeded with his own ideas in the past and became the world’s richest man, so he believes you can become wealthy through brilliant ideas. Mark, did he make any other proposals?”
“Oh, right. He asked me to join Microsoft and work with him.”
Mark’s eyes sparkled.
Mark had often mentioned wanting to work at places like Microsoft or Apple.
“So what did you say?”
“I told him I need to go to Harvard first. You know how conservative our parents are. They’re not the type to overlook a high school dropout.”
I let out a breath of relief.
If Mark left for Microsoft, the future of Face Paper could change entirely.
It seemed I’d need to push forward with concrete commercialization plans for Face Paper during the remaining break.
Mark suddenly looked at me with an excited expression.
“Jackpot! Jessie accepted my friend request on Face Paper! Jackpot! Jackpot! Sung-guk, I’m absolutely not dropping out of high school!”
Mark bounced up and down with joy.
[Tsk tsk. These high schoolers.]
They were merely slaves to their hormones.
* * *
The next morning, a call came to the hotel early.
It was Bill Gates.
Bill Gates said he wanted to see me alone.
[What’s he scheming?]
I headed to the meeting place with Bill Gates, my mind filled with suspicion.
The meeting place with Bill Gates wasn’t Microsoft Headquarters, but a coffee shop located in Seattle.
It was the famous Starbucks flagship store that had already entered Korea.
Bill Gates handed me a warm glass of milk.
[Milk again here too….]
I smacked my lips and reluctantly accepted the milk.
“Thank you.”
“Sung-guk, how about we sit down and talk for a bit?”
Bill Gates grabbed chairs positioned side by side by the window.
[You want to act friendly with me, Bill Gates? Fine, I’ll play along.]
I nodded and sat down beside Bill Gates.
“Sung-guk, this café also succeeded on a single idea. That’s how important ideas are. And they’ll become even more important going forward.”
[Sigh… Even America has its share of old-fashioned people.]
I widened my eyes as brightly as possible and nodded.
“Sung-guk, your idea really seems wonderful to me. I think something like Face Paper will become a massive platform connecting people in the future.”
Bill Gates was truly a businessman.
He had an eye for opportunity.
“Sung-guk, so here’s what I’m thinking. Could I buy your idea for money?”
“You mean you want to buy Face Paper?”
“Of course, if you’re willing to sell Face Paper, I’d gladly purchase it for whatever price. My proposal is this: I want to buy whatever ideas you come up with in the future.”
Bill Gates looked at me seriously.
[Bill Gates, don’t be surprised. I’ve come from the future, so I will never do business with you.]
I took a sip of milk and deliberately changed the subject.
“I want to focus on my studies and live a quiet life going forward. I only started Face Paper because it was fun.”
“I’ll give you my full support, both personally and at the company level, so you can dedicate yourself to your studies. All you need to do is tell me when you have a good idea, and I’ll buy that idea from you with money.”
Bill Gates spoke highly of my ideas.
I finished my milk and set the cup down.
It was time to give him my answer.
“Bill, I’m sorry. I’d prefer that my ideas didn’t belong to any individual or company. The only joy I have is thinking freely and watching those thoughts become reality. But if I sell them, I can’t experience that joy anymore.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure you can oversee the development process.”
“If a company buys my ideas, they probably won’t turn out the way I envisioned. Companies have many people and decision-making bodies. After lengthy meetings, my ideas will inevitably be watered down. Bill, I’m sorry.”
Bill Gates let out a low chuckle.
“Sung-guk got me there. You’re saying that brilliant ideas get diluted at Microsoft, which has become a dinosaur?”
“That wasn’t quite what I meant. It’s just that every company seems to work that way when you look closely.”
It was something I’d always experienced as vice chairman of Samjeon Group.
The ideas that ultimately reached me in reports were always just mediocre, and somewhat outdated.
Only after I simplified the approval system and personally attended meetings did truly brilliant ideas grow properly.
Bill Gates stroked his chin.
“You’re right. It’s a limitation that organizations have…. Sung-guk, my offer will remain valid in the future. Contact me whenever you need something. Let me give you my contact information.”
I held out my phone and Bill Gates entered his number.
I smiled faintly.
It was Bill Gates’ phone number—something I could never have obtained in my previous life.
* * *
“Sung-guk, hurry up! We’re late. Jessie will be waiting!”
The plane had been delayed, and I was going to be late for my appointment with Jessie.
Mark started running the moment he got off the plane, while I deliberately clutched my stomach and frowned.
Then I quickly went into the restroom and called Mark.
“Mark.”
– Sung-guk, what’s wrong with your voice?
“Mark, I think I have food poisoning. I don’t think I can make dinner. Since Jessie’s waiting, go ahead without me. I’ll call Grace and head to the New York house. Sorry.”
– Sung-guk, are you okay?
“Ugh. I’m not okay. Sorry.”
Click.
I hung up the phone.
[Mark, you’re a gift for not betraying me. Enjoy dinner with Jessie.]

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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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