I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 99

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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 99
Bang Mu-hyuk’s face lit up with delight.
“So you’ll come back to Korea during the break, right?”
“I’m planning to. I’ll spend time with my parents and my younger siblings.”
“I’ll let the company know.”
Bang Mu-hyuk’s expression was animated.
The joy of discovering raw talent was written plainly across his face.
“Teacher, do you have something on your mind these days?”
“Look at this kid. Now that you’ve grown a bit… you’re going to listen to my worries too?”
Bang Mu-hyuk chuckled and took a long sip of his coffee.
“It just seemed that way from your emails.”
“Truth is, I’ve got a lot on my mind. I’ve been a producer for a long time, but I’m wondering if I should be nurturing singers instead of staying as I am….”
[So Bang Mu-hyuk is contemplating going independent.]
I listened to his concerns without letting on that I understood.
“Composition has its limits. As I get older, my sense of what’s trendy seems to be fading. For a producer, experience matters, but reading trends is absolutely crucial. Getting older in this industry is a sad thing.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Teacher, what kind of singer would you want to develop?”
“Hmm… I haven’t thought about it concretely yet… but maybe I should try going independent first with a close ballad singer I know.”
[That’s not it… K-pop is about idols.]
I sucked on my strawberry smoothie.
I drew in a long sip of my strawberry smoothie.
“Teacher, even though they disbanded, it would be great to have a group like *NSYNC in South Korea. They sing well, dance well, and have attractive looks.”
“You’re talking about a male idol group?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve thought about it too, but forming an idol group isn’t easy. You need a lot of initial capital, and honestly, when you gather teenagers going through puberty, who knows what scandal might erupt and bury everything….”
Bang Mu-hyuk had clearly thought through all of this already. But the timing wasn’t right yet.
“Sung-guk, you sing well too, don’t you?”
“I got decent grades in music class.”
“With that level of skill, you’d pass as an idol singer. There are naturally talented kids, but with vocal training here, even tone-deaf people improve.”
[South Korea really is a country where nothing is impossible.]
In my previous life, while leading the Samjeon Group, I focused mainly on semiconductors and didn’t take much interest in entertainment.
The sister company CV made notable strides by venturing into film and cable television.
If the United States will lead the global market with Face Paper and Elon Musk’s Tesla, South Korea’s future is entertainment.
Besides, Min-guk, who isn’t good at studying, clearly had talent for the entertainment industry.
It was worth experiencing firsthand by entering as a trainee myself.
Just then, someone approached our table and offered me a piece of cake.
“Hello. Are you perhaps a JP Entertainment trainee?”
“Me?”
I asked with a bewildered expression.
“Yes. You, sir.”
“No, that’s not it. Are you planning to become a trainee?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You’re just so handsome. Would it be alright if I got your autograph now? I want to brag about it when you become famous later.”
One thing was certain: I would indeed become truly famous later.
Bang Mu-hyuk stepped in.
“Excuse me. He’s just a student. And he’s only thirteen years old.”
“What?”
The woman was startled.
In that instant, every eye in the café turned toward us.
“Are you really thirteen?”
“Yes….”
“Oh my, what have I been doing to a minor… I’m so sorry. I apologize. Please have the cake as my apology. I’m truly sorry.”
The woman quickly excused herself and vanished like the wind.
Bang Mu-hyuk stifled his laughter.
“Sung-guk, if you ask me, you’re idol material. Really.”
“I want to succeed at something other than what I was born with.”
“You’re really… something else.”
“By the way, sir. When I come back next break, you absolutely have to still be at this company.”
“Are you telling me not to go independent?”
“No, I’m saying you should let me grow first, then go independent.”
That was the gist of it.
[Bang Mu-hyuk, you have to build this company with me. I know the future landscape of K-pop.]
I finished my strawberry smoothie.
* * *
When I mentioned that Mark and Jessie, who were entering Harvard with me, were waiting for me, Bang Mu-hyuk insisted on treating us to dinner.
“So I’m meeting three Harvard students today.”
“They’re all pretty ordinary, really.”
“I should take you somewhere nice.”
“Just ask them.”
Bang Mu-hyuk looked at me warmly.
“Sung-guk, even when you were young, you never looked your age. But now, with how tall you’ve grown and the way you speak, you really don’t seem like thirteen.”
[Of course not. I’m forty years old.]
Instead of answering, I smiled faintly.
Mark and Jessie, spotting me, waved their hands.
Bang Mu-hyuk hesitated in surprise.
“Sung-guk, that beautiful woman….”
“She was our school’s prom queen. Her name is Jessie.”
Jessie, perhaps bored, stood up and greeted us.
I introduced Bang Mu-hyuk.
“He’s a very famous composer and producer in South Korea. He’s created songs for many popular Korean groups.”
Bang Mu-hyuk’s ears turned just as red as Mark’s at the sight of Jessie.
“Oh, hello.”
Bang Mu-hyuk’s English was halting and uncertain.
“I heard you were treating us to dinner tonight….”
“What would you all like to eat?”
Mark thrust forward the dishes he’d found on the internet.
“Tteokbokki. It’s like that red pasta, right?”
“It’s going to be quite spicy. Are you sure you’ll be okay with that?”
Bang Mu-hyuk asked.
“I want to give it a try.”
“What about you, Jessie?”
Mark asked.
“I want to challenge myself too.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Don’t blame me later.”
* * *
The next morning, Father rushed out without even brushing his teeth, toothbrush in hand.
“I’ll wash up at the restaurant. Sung-guk, you’re fine, right?”
“Yes.”
Mark and Jessie hadn’t emerged from the restroom.
[I told them it was spicy….]
Mother’s face was etched with worry.
“Sung-guk, should I go buy some medicine?”
“They’ve probably just never eaten anything spicy before.”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried. Could they be getting dehydrated?”
I knocked on the restroom door where Mark had gone.
“Mark, are you okay?”
“Uh… Sung-guk. I think I’m feeling a bit better now. I’m coming out.”
Mark opened the door and emerged.
His face was flushed crimson.
“Hyung, I need the restroom!”
Min-guk darted inside.
“Mark, you don’t think you need to go to the hospital?”
“Can I just rest here at home today?”
“Of course.”
Mother pointed toward the master bedroom restroom.
“Sung-guk, check on Jessie too.”
[This is awkward with a girl….]
Just then, Jessie emerged with her face equally flushed.
“Jessie, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll take it easy at home today too.”
“Got it. Rest well.”
Mother looked at me.
“Sung-guk, what on earth did those kids eat?”
“Hmm… Sindang-dong tteokbokki and chicken feet.”
* * *
Mark and Jessie returned to the United States.
They saw Gyeongbokgung Palace and ate their fill of Father’s bossam before departing.
Mark worried about the uncertainty of the future, while Jessie fretted over her weight gain.
And finally, I began my serious conversations with my younger siblings.
Jeon Min-guk. Eleven years old. Fourth grade at Elementary School.
His grades weren’t exceptional, but his IQ was 160.
However, he had a tendency to lose interest easily and aspired to pursue a career in entertainment.
Not quite as handsome as me, but he had a fairly charming face, and given our family’s genetics, it was difficult for him to develop poorly.
Jeon Ji-hee. Five years old. A kindergartener.
She had a high IQ and an exceptionally strong desire to learn.
A mystery in our family—she had no prospect of becoming a star based on looks.
Still, she was evolving from her chubby-cheeked phase.
I sat Min-guk in front of me and examined his report card.
[Oh my goodness, what a headache.]
The report card was scraping the bottom.
I fixed Min-guk with a stern gaze.
“Min-guk, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Hyung! I want to be a singer.”
Min-guk had no intention of using his brilliant mind for academics.
“Min-guk, then you should focus only on English.”
“Only English?”
“Yes. From now on, South Korean singers won’t just perform in South Korea—they’ll work all over the world. So you absolutely must study English.”
“Okay, hyung!”
And Ji-hee….
Ji-hee gazed at me with bright, sparkling eyes.
“Ji-hee, what’s the most fun thing for you these days?”
“Oppa, this.”
Ji-hee held out a book.
This was…!
A book about space.
My brow furrowed slightly.
Min-guk had a sharp mind but no interest in studying. Since he wanted to pursue entertainment, I could guide him sufficiently.
Ji-hee seemed to have a good mind, but she didn’t have particularly outstanding looks.
Yet here she was, bringing me a book like this!
“Ji-hee, are you enjoying this?”
“Yeah, oppa. I want to go to the United States and study like you do.”
“Ji-hee. If you want to go to the United States and study like me, you need to work hard on your English. Understand?”
“Yes! I’ll work hard. With Min-guk oppa!”
I gently stroked Ji-hee’s hair.
[That’s right, you focus on your studies!]
Just then, my phone rang loudly.
Who could it be?
It was Bang Mu-hyuk.
“Hello.”
– Sung-guk, when are you heading to the United States?
“Next Monday, sir.”
– Do you have any free time this week?
“Why, sir?”
– Park Jin-soo wants to meet you.
Park Jin-soo.
He was the representative of JP Entertainment, where Bang Mu-hyuk worked.
An entertainment executive comparable to South Korea’s SKJ, and a former singer himself.
[Park Jin-soo wants to meet me?]
I asked calmly.
“Why would he want to meet me?”
– There’s a friend I really want to bring on as a trainee this time, and I’ve been bragging about him while drinking—a kid who got into Harvard at thirteen. So he really wants to see you. Do you have time this week, Sung-guk?
“Yes! Tomorrow works for me.”
– Can you be here by 11?
“Yes!”
So I was finally going to meet Park Jin-soo….
* * *
I headed to Apgujeong, where JP Entertainment was located.
Bang Mu-hyuk greeted me at the company entrance.
“Sung-guk, sorry for the short notice.”
“Not at all.”
“When I told Park Jin-soo about you, he went crazy wanting to meet you. I mentioned you were the kid from 【Five Men and a Baby Basket】, and he wanted to see you even more. Plus, I told him you’re a genius who just got into Harvard.”
I followed Bang Mu-hyuk’s guidance into JP Entertainment.
“The trainees usually practice on the third floor, and the debut group practices on the fourth floor.”
“Where is Park Jin-soo?”
“He’s on the top floor.”
Bang Mu-hyuk pressed the button for the highest floor in the elevator.
Just as the elevator doors were closing, female idol trainees rushed in.
Even though I’d only focused on studying, I could recognize the group at a glance.
“Hello!”
“Yeah, hey. Heading to practice?”
“Yes, sir!”
The female trainees filed out from the fourth floor in a rush.
The elevator doors closed behind them.
“We have a debut group in preparation, but we haven’t decided on a name yet.”
“What about Wonder Woman?”
“Wonder Woman?”
“Yes. They all seem to have such incredible energy. Like Wonder Woman.”
“That’s not bad… I’ll mention it to Park Jin-soo.”
Ding.
We finally arrived at the top floor.
The elevator doors opened, revealing Park Jin-soo’s executive office at a glance.
Bang Mu-hyuk knocked on the door.
“CEO, it’s me.”
“Oh, come in.”
I heard Park Jin-soo’s familiar voice from inside.
Park Jin-soo.
A master of South Korea’s entertainment industry.
The man who would dominate South Korea’s music scene for the next twenty years.
I greeted him the moment I stepped through the door.
My father in this life had always said the same thing.
A good greeting gets you halfway there.
“Hello, I’m Jeon Sung-guk.”
“So you’re Sung-guk.”
Park Jin-soo embraced me warmly.
[Why so intense, Park Jin-soo?]
Park Jin-soo looked me over from head to toe with eyes full of wonder.
“You’re really handsome. Over 170 centimeters tall at thirteen years old? This is a kid born to be an idol, isn’t it?”
Park Jin-soo gazed at me and marveled continuously.
I let a slight smile play at the corners of my mouth.

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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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