I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 91

—————

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

—————

Chapter 91
Jessie’s Father invited us to his home in New York.
Jessie had certainly put in a good word for us, but the fact that even Microsoft coveted us was more than enough to captivate an investor running a Private Equity Fund.
“Mark, did you pack everything?”
“Yeah. Sung-guk, Jessie’s Father said to stay at his place… He’s really interested in us, right?”
“Don’t get too excited. He probably just wants to see Jessie’s friend.”
“Sung-guk, how do I look today?”
Mark looked at me with a happy face, wearing a newly purchased gray hoodie.
[If I told him the truth, he’d be hurt.]
The gray hoodie he wore last month looked virtually identical to the one he had on today.
“This one looks much cleaner….”
“Right!”
Mark slung his backpack over his shoulder with a satisfied expression.
I grabbed my bag and left the Dormitory.
* * *
Jessie was waiting in front of the boys’ Dormitory.
Male students stole glances at her as they passed, and she seemed to enjoy it.
When Mark and I emerged, Jessie greeted us with a radiant smile.
“Over here!”
Mark’s mouth fell open again.
“Jessie, thanks for the invitation.”
“It’s for business anyway. My father sent a car. Let’s head to the Parking Lot.”
“Sure.”
We made our way to the Parking Lot.
Jessie stayed glued to my side.
[This popularity of mine….]
In my past life, I had the enormous backing of the Samjeon Group, but in this life, exceptional talent and genius to match had played their part.
Mark trailed behind us both, rambling on about next week’s math and science classes.
Of course, Jessie was also a good student and took great interest in math and science.
But today was the weekend.
It was a time to forget about studying for a while.
I made a suggestion to Jessie instead of Mark.
“Jessie, after dinner, if we have time, should we catch a movie? What do you think?”
“I’d love that.”
“What about you, Mark?”
“Yeah, I’m in.”
Mark had never been particularly interested in movies anyway.
“Sung-guk, if the conversation runs too long, I’ll rent a video so we can watch it together. I’ve wanted to see something since last time, but I haven’t gotten around to it.”
“What is it?”
“Bring It On!”
It was about cheerleaders.
A story that ten-year-old boys or teenagers could never enjoy.
But I had to play along.
Because Jessie was no longer just a friend—she could become an investor’s daughter.
“That sounds great!”
I answered enthusiastically, and Mark reluctantly followed suit.
Mark and I exchanged glances and winked at each other.
* * *
Jessie’s home was located in New York.
Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
The structure occupied an entire old building in a traditionally affluent neighborhood.
Michael Schwartsman, Jessie’s Father, opened the door for us.
“Welcome, boys.”
Jessie’s Father was tall and strikingly handsome.
Behind him stood Jessie’s Mother, equally stunning.
It was immediately clear where Jessie’s beauty came from.
Mark and I greeted them and stepped inside.
The aroma of delicious food filled the air.
“Jessie’s been bragging about you two so much. You’re Sung-guk, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re Mark?”
“Yes.”
Michael Schwartsman guided us deeper into the house.
The interior of the old residence, spanning from the first to fourth floor, was meticulously decorated.
There was even a small elevator inside, and a modest garden was visible behind the first floor.
“The guest room is on the second floor. Want to drop your bags off?”
“Yes.”
Mark and I climbed to the second floor.
The second floor was designed for guests, with a bedroom, bathroom, and small living room.
Jessie followed us up and continued the tour.
“The third floor is my space, and the fourth floor is where my parents stay. Dad has this rule about never working from home, so there’s no separate study or anything. But then he tells me to study at home too—doesn’t that contradict itself?”
“All parents in the world contradict themselves like that.”
Jessie laughed brightly at my remark.
I gave Mark a light tap on the back.
“Mark, please respond to what Jessie says.”
“Sung-guk, I’m not as quick-witted as you are.”
“But if you just stand there silently, nothing will happen.”
“Isn’t that better than messing things up?”
“That’s up to you.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
Mark and I each claimed a bed and set down our luggage.
Jessie watched us with obvious curiosity.
“Unpack your things and come downstairs. Father is cooking.”
“Sure. Thanks, Jessie.”
I heard Jessie’s footsteps descending the staircase.
Anyone could see that Jessie’s family was wealthy and content.
They were born into the kind of household where silver spoons were a given.
Mark was no different.
Though not quite as affluent as Jessie’s family, he’d been born into a home where nothing was lacking.
But me… I hadn’t been.
In the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea—in a cramped room on the edge of the city—I was born and raised.
“Sung-guk, what’s wrong?”
“I’m thinking about Mother and Father.”
“You saw them just a few weeks ago. Do you still miss them?”
“Yeah.”
“Sung-guk, your family is so warm. My father nags me constantly, so I avoid going home whenever I can.”
I simply smiled.
* * *
Michael Schwartsman was just setting his homemade dishes on the table.
Jessie’s Mother assisted beside him, dressed in a form-fitting gown.
“I’m sure you’d enjoy hamburgers or pizza, but you like steak too, right?”
“Yes!”
Honestly, I preferred steak.
[You’re not at the age for fast food anymore. This man knows how to entertain guests.]
Everyone took their seats.
Michael Schwartsman said a quiet prayer before the meal began.
The conversation started with simple topics—how school was going and the like.
“When Jessie first said she was going to that boarding school, we honestly tried to talk her out of it. There are plenty of good private schools nearby, but she insisted on going to that place full of study fanatics. Oh, I’m sorry.”
Jessie’s Mother had a candid nature.
“Since Jessie went to Phillips Academy, she’s met all kinds of geniuses.”
Michael Schwartsman lifted our spirits.
“Geniuses—I’ve been curious about that site anyway. ‘Face Paper,’ right? How did you two create it?”
Mark glanced at me.
He was signaling for me to explain.
As always, I recounted the brief history: I came up with the idea, and Mark built the program.
Michael Schwartsman took a sip of wine and looked between Mark and me with an impressed expression.
“You really are geniuses. Why didn’t you sell it to Microsoft? They would have offered you a fortune.”
“I never intended to sell from the beginning.”
I answered honestly.
“You never intended to sell? Then why did you meet with Microsoft?”
“I wanted to understand the value of Face Paper. If I know what Microsoft thinks of Face Paper, it will help us expand our business going forward.”
Michael Schwartsman looked at me.
“Can I ask this? How much did Microsoft offer for acquiring Face Paper?”
“Hmm….”
I paused for a moment.
Michael Schwartsman watched me quietly.
It wasn’t light conversation for a meal, but he had deliberately created this setting to draw me into a comfortable conversation.
I glanced at Mark before speaking.
“One hundred million dollars.”
The room fell silent at that moment.
One hundred million dollars was roughly 120 billion in current exchange rates.
“You turned down that money?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask why?”
Michael Schwartsman approached carefully.
“I naturally believe Face Paper is worth more than that.”
Michael Schwartsman’s gaze turned toward Mark.
“Do you think the same way, Mark?”
“Yes, I agree with Sung-guk.”
Michael Schwartsman smiled faintly, then looked at the empty plates in front of Mark and me.
“Empty. Would you like some more?”
“Yes!”
Mark and I answered simultaneously.
* * *
Fourth floor bedroom.
Michael Schwartsman, lost in thought about how he had misjudged Face Paper, picked up his phone and called someone.
Soon John Kim, a Korean-American who operated a Private Equity Fund with him, answered the call.
– Michael, what’s going on on a weekend? You don’t usually call on weekends. What’s the matter?
“You know what I mentioned yesterday? That SNS my daughter’s friends created at school.”
– Face Paper?
“Yes.”
– You said it seemed like just a social gathering for kids and didn’t look promising as a business?
“Did I mention meeting with Microsoft?”
– Yes. You said they only met but nothing materialized. I personally looked into Microsoft, and there was no acquisition talk and it seemed to have fallen through. But Bill Gates personally got involved, so no one has the exact details. That’s all I heard.
“Bill Gates personally stepped in for the acquisition?”
– Yes.
Michael Schwartsman’s heart began to race.
It was like the feeling when a fishing rod suddenly jerks upward.
There was a big fish beneath the surface, but its size was impossible to gauge.
– Michael, what’s wrong?
“Microsoft offered 100 million dollars. For that trivial SNS platform of theirs.”
– What?
John Kim looked equally shocked.
“By the way, have you looked into that kid Sung-guk? He’s Korean too, you know. Jessie says he’s a genius who came to study abroad from Korea.”
– I did some checking. Just because I’m Korean doesn’t mean I know every Korean person.
“Sorry, I was in a hurry. What kind of kid is he?”
– You know the Hyojin Group in Korea, right?
“Of course I do.”
– I heard that group sponsors him.
“What do his parents do?”
– I heard they run a small restaurant. His mother apparently worked as a child actress when he was young and now runs a talent agency.
Michael was deflated.
He’d expected something more impressive in the background, but it was disappointingly ordinary.
“Not much of a family background, is it?”
– Geniuses are born everywhere, aren’t they?
“Thanks for the Saturday evening chat, John.”
– Let’s finish the conversation at the office on Monday.
“Sure. Sounds good.”
Michael Schwartsman hung up and sat on the edge of his bed for a moment.
Microsoft offered 100 million dollars?
That meant there was real potential….
His mind was already racing through what favorable terms he could negotiate for investing in Face Paper.
* * *
“Why isn’t he coming down? That’s not like him. Let me go upstairs and check on him.”
Jessie’s Mother stood up from her seat.
Jessie also looked slightly worried.
“Dad usually doesn’t even take work calls when he’s home. I wonder what’s going on.”
[I think I know what it is….]
I suppressed a smile.
Michael Schwartsman’s expression had hardened the moment he heard that Microsoft had offered 100 million dollars.
It wasn’t the amount he’d anticipated, and it wasn’t the valuation he’d assigned to Face Paper when he first saw it.
“I need to use the restroom.”
Jessie also stood up from her seat.
The moment Jessie left, Mark looked at me with an anxious expression and whispered.
“Sung-guk, why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Why did you lie? Microsoft never offered us 100 million dollars.”

—————

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

—————