I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 89

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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 89
I pressed the matter again.
“Ji-hee, you were reborn, weren’t you?”
At that moment, Ji-hee’s clear eyes began to redden.
Then, in an instant, she burst into tears.
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”
She toddled toward Mother while pointing at me with her finger.
[Hmm… so she wasn’t reborn after all.]
Mother picked up Ji-hee and walked toward me.
I deliberately looked out the window, pretending not to notice.
“Sung-guk, why is Ji-hee crying?”
“I asked her something, but she couldn’t answer.”
“Ji-hee is still just a baby.”
[I was rolling around in front of cameras earning money at three years old, Mother.]
I turned away sulkily, gazing out the window.
Ulsan Rock looked down upon me.
“Sung-guk, dinner will be ready soon. I’ll call you when it’s time.”
“…”
I said nothing.
Of course, the me inside had never been three years old.
I had always started from the age of forty—Jeon Sung-guk’s age in my previous life.
[I want to be three years old for Mother too! Sniff.]
A sudden wave of sorrow washed over me.
Click.
I heard the sound of the door opening.
It was definitely Min-guk sneaking in.
Five, four, three, two, one!
“Jeon Min-guk, I’m not in the mood for your pranks.”
“You caught me! How did you know, hyung?”
[I can tell just by listening to your footsteps.]
Min-guk wrapped his short, chubby arms around me from behind in a sudden embrace.
“Hyung, cheer up. Let’s go eat.”
[Does he think something like this will cheer me up?]
“Hyung. Huh? Hyung.”
Min-guk’s short, chubby arms kept poking at me.
“Hyung, I’ll give you ice cream later. Mine.”
Ice cream?
My salivary glands suddenly erupted.
[Jeon Sung-guk, what’s wrong with you? Over some ice cream?]
Min-guk kept hugging and shaking me.
“Hyung, hyung. Don’t be mad. Let’s eat something delicious.”
[All right, that should do it.]
I rose from my seat.
Min-guk looked up at me with a bright expression.
“Hyung, are you not mad anymore?”
“I’m just hungry.”
“Got it.”
Min-guk patted my back gently.
Was it only me who noticed how much more composed Min-guk had become in the years since I’d last seen him?
Or had I simply grown younger?
When I opened the door, Mother and Father were arranging sashimi and various dishes on the table.
“Honey, I’ll feed Ji-hee. You take care of Sung-guk and Min-guk’s meals.”
“Sure. Sung-guk, Min-guk, come here.”
At that moment, the door opened and Kim Mi-young and Director Kwak entered together.
“Sung-guk!”
Director Kwak called out my name warmly.
[You both saw us get in the car together anyway.]
When I responded with a sullen expression, Director Kwak came over and ruffled my hair.
“This kid, already going through puberty? I heard you’re attending high school in the United States?”
“Yes, Director.”
“Your voice sounds a bit deeper now too.”
[It’s not quite that much yet, Director Kwak.]
Director Kwak felt awkward about arriving with Kim Mi-young and was overcompensating.
“Jun-hae, stop teasing Sung-guk.”
“All right, Representative Kim.”
This was the first time I learned that Director Kwak’s name was Jun-hae.
In any case, Director Kwak remained an active commercial film director.
“Sung-guk, tell me about your life in the United States. Do you enjoy school?”
“Yes.”
“I heard your grades are excellent too. Are you aiming for Harvard?”
“I’m hoping to get in if possible.”
Director Kwak ruffled my hair again.
“When are you heading back to the United States?”
“This week. I have intensive winter break classes starting next week.”
The intensive courses held during winter break were primarily attended by top-performing students.
“Director, please go eat. I’ll feed the kids quickly and head out.”
“Sung-guk, eat well.”
“Yes!”
I bowed respectfully and picked up the king crab that Mother offered me.
Mother had already meticulously picked the meat clean for me.
All I had to do was eat.
Mother came to my side and continued expertly extracting the snow crab meat for me.
“Sung-guk, eat plenty.”
“Mother, aren’t you eating?”
“I’m eating too, don’t worry.”
[A lie. Earlier she was feeding Ji-hee, and now she’s taking care of me and Min-guk, so she hasn’t eaten anything.]
I popped a perfectly cleaned piece of crab meat into Mother’s mouth.
“Sung-guk says you should eat too.”
“Mother, I can eat it myself.”
“Your mother knows well that you’ve grown up, Sung-guk. You’ll only be in Korea for less than a week now. I just want to take good care of you during that time.”
Mother pushed another piece of cleaned crab meat into my mouth.
[Ah, I love Korea so much. I love Mother so much.]
In my previous life, Jeon Sung-guk hated home.
Being with family felt uncomfortable.
“Sung-guk, you want more, don’t you?”
“Yes!”
I decided to indulge myself as much as I wanted while I was in Korea.
* * *
The Chinese restaurant at Samjeon Hotel.
Koo Soo-young, his wife, and his daughters Koo Ye-jung and Koo Ye-ri, who had come home for their school break, were all gathered together.
This was the day I had been waiting for so long—the day I would finally eat the jjajangmyeon from Samjeon Hotel.
Gulp.
I swallowed repeatedly, eagerly anticipating the jjajangmyeon.
Mother and Father looked at me with pleased expressions.
Min-guk, that little rascal, and Ji-hee were at home eating jjajangmyeon from a neighborhood Chinese restaurant with Aunt.
Koo Soo-young gazed at me with a satisfied smile.
“Today we’ve specially requested the chef’s course menu for you.”
[Jjajangmyeon would be enough….]
Honestly, now that I was a child again, I couldn’t drink alcohol, so these delicate course dishes meant nothing to me. Simple sweet jjajangmyeon was the best.
“By the way, Sung-guk developed an SNS in the United States and even received an invitation from Bill Gates and visited Microsoft.”
Koo Ye-jung proudly boasted about my achievements.
Father laughed awkwardly.
“I’ve heard about it, but I still can’t believe it. Honestly, neither my wife nor I understand that field at all.”
“Father, it’s truly remarkable. Bill Gates is difficult to meet in person, and I heard he actually lobbied quite seriously to acquire the SNS that Sung-guk developed.”
There were some embellishments, but most of it was true.
“Sung-guk, would you tell us about that SNS? I don’t understand that field very well.”
Koo Soo-young was indeed a person of excellent character.
He deliberately pretended not to know for the sake of Mother and Father.
“It’s called ‘Face Paper’—it’s a personal blog, but with unique features added. For example, if Ye-jung is my friend and she’s also your friend, then Ye-jung’s other friends appear to me through a friend recommendation feature. That way, if I work in the IT industry, I get to know new people in that field by connecting through friends, expanding my network. Microsoft valued that feature very highly.”
“That’s truly impressive, Sung-guk.”
Even Koo Soo-young expressed admiration.
Mother and Father seemed to understand the gist of it now.
“Sung-guk, did you come up with that idea yourself?”
“Yes.”
I answered with confidence.
Of course, it was an idea I’d brought from my future self, but it was true that I was the first person on Earth to create it.
Koo Soo-young’s questions continued.
“Grace mentioned you developed it with a friend?”
“Yes. I came up with the idea, and my roommate Mark handled the programming to complete it.”
“Grace also said you had it notarized by our corporate lawyer?”
“Just to be safe. You see it on the news all the time—people who started developing something together end up fighting, and one person doesn’t get any benefits. I provided the idea, Mark created the program, and we signed a contract giving each of us exactly 50-50 equity.”
Father and Mother’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I’d heard the full story, but hearing it directly from Sung-guk is still remarkable.”
Father’s face was filled with pride.
“I really envy you two for having a son like Sung-guk.”
Koo Soo-young’s Wife’s expression was warm and pleased.
“Sung-guk, if you don’t sell that program to Microsoft, what are your plans for the future?”
“America is the land of venture capital, after all. I’d like to raise investment and start a company.”
“Good. I’ll have a word with our New York office, so contact us anytime if you need consultation.”
“Thank you.”
The moment I finished speaking, the food arrived.
“Sung-guk, would you like to eat your jjajangmyeon first?”
“Yes, sir.”
I answered quickly.
“Please bring one bowl of jjajangmyeon first. There’s a child here.”
Koo Soo-young made a special request to the staff member.
Soon the staff member brought the jjajangmyeon and even mixed it well for me.
“Enjoy your meal.”
The moment the staff member placed the jjajangmyeon in front of me, I inhaled it like a crab hiding its eyes.
[This is the taste!]
It was a flavor I could never experience even in Koreatown.
* * *
Jeon Jae-hyung’s brow furrowed.
He was receiving a report from Secretary Yang about Sung-guk.
“It appears that Sung-guk developed an SNS called ‘Face Paper’ with his roommate and received a sales proposal from Microsoft. And after discreet investigation, it seems Bill Gates of Microsoft made an extraordinary offer to purchase all of Sung-guk’s future ideas.”
“He wants to buy all of Sung-guk’s ideas?”
“Yes….”
“What was Sung-guk’s response?”
“Of course, he refused. As you well know, sir, Sung-guk is not the type of boy to be swayed by such pittance.”
Jeon Jae-hyung let out a deep sigh internally.
It was a moment when I truly regretted losing Sung-guk.
Of course, it had been Sung-guk’s choice, but if such talent had remained at Samjeon….
Secretary Yang’s report continued.
“It appears that Jeon Tae-guk and Jeon Mi-jin, who are studying in the United States, are adapting smoothly to school.”
“That’s enough.”
I didn’t want to hear any more.
What I sought was not mediocrity.
Like Sung-guk, I desired the extraordinary—something that set one apart from the masses.
“Has Hyojin Group made any other moves?”
“Since there are no conditions attached to Sung-guk’s sponsorship from the Junho Foundation, it appears they are simply supporting him from the stance of quietly assisting talented individuals.”
“Verify whether there have been any other contacts, and Secretary Yang, look into ways we might reach out to Sung-guk’s parents through SKJ Entertainment.”
“While we don’t have a food division, it seems we could make contact with SKJ Entertainment through advertising and promotional channels.”
“Understood. Make contact and report back.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung drank a long gulp of cool water to ease his frustration.
Losing Sung-guk was truly one of his deepest regrets.
* * *
“The seaweed our Sung-guk loves. The jjajangmyeon our Sung-guk loves. The soft pajamas our Sung-guk loves….”
Mother was filling a large bag with newly purchased items.
“Mom, when did you buy all of this?”
“When you said you were coming home, your father and I went to the supermarket whenever we had time and bought things. Grace’s teacher arranged for someone to help transport everything, so don’t worry at all.”
Mother had packed the bag with only the things I loved.
I wrapped my arms tightly around Mother’s waist.
“Mom….”
Mother squeezed my hands that held her waist.
“Sung-guk, isn’t studying very difficult?”
I shook my head.
I shook my head.
“But if it ever gets too hard, you know you can come back to Korea anytime, right?”
[I know. But you also know I won’t come back, don’t you, Mom?]
Mother stroked my head and kissed me softly.
“Sung-guk, your father and I hope you’ll finish your studies and come home so we can all live together.”
No one had ever said such things to me in my previous life.
Everyone was too busy pushing me forward.
First in the entire school.
Then Seoul National University.
And after that, an MBA.
Click.
The door opened, and Min-guk and Ji-hee discovered us embracing tightly.
“Hyung!”
“Dad!”
Before the word even left my lips, I laughed and rushed toward him.
“Mom, are we playing tag?”
[Sigh, this little moment-killer.]

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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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