A black-haired American tycoon
Mark's Office at Hawaii's First Casino in the Chinese Settlement, Three Months Later.
“This month’s net profit alone is $30,000.”
Hawaii is home to 50,000 Chinese residents.
Why are they called residents and not immigrants?
The Hawaiian government enacted the Chinese immigration ban law because of the rapid increase in the number of Chinese people.
Initially, they hired Japanese people to replace the Chinese, but as the number of Japanese grew, the Japanese workers organized strikes.
Therefore, to replace the Japanese workers, the United States in Hawaii targeted Koreans.
‘How’s the casino business going?’
Of course, it’s a huge success.
The Chinese, lured in by mahjong and dice games, were funneled into baccarat.
By the time they left the casino, they were penniless.
‘Baccarat looks easy, doesn’t it?’
It’s a card game where you might think you’re just picking between odd or even.
But in truth, games that look simple are the most challenging. Additionally, using an industry term, the casino skimmed a 0.5% fee from every “banker” bet.
[Let’s open a branch in the Japanese settlement too.]
[Let’s do it.]
“So, my share is $3,000, right?”
If I can get this money, I’ll become rich in an instant.
[Give me 10% of the net profit from the Chinese settlement casino.]
[That’s quite the demand.]
[Please.]
[That’s not the look of someone asking for a favor. It’s the look of someone demanding what’s rightfully theirs.]
[The Chinese settlement casino business started from zero. That means it’s all pure profit. That’s why I’m asking.]
[Alright, fine.]
‘In truth, even now...’
Among Koreans in Hawaii, I’m already the richest.
My salary has increased to $100.
“It’s a lot of money for a kid like you to carry around.”
“Are you trying to avoid paying me?”
“Peter, I’m not stupid. I just think I can squeeze more out of you, hahaha!”
Mark has high hopes for my potential.
‘I’ve already planted bananas next to the sugarcane fields.’
In six months, they’ll be ready for harvest.
When the bananas are finally harvested, Mark and I might end up dancing like monkeys with bananas in both hands.
“With a $100 salary, I can hire a bodyguard now.”
“A bodyguard?”
“It’s a lot of money for a kid to carry around, after all.”
“You really are a crusader, hahaha!”
Is there anyone in the Korean Empire with $3,000?
Except for traitors to the nation, of course.
“You’ll pay me, right?”
Mark is trustworthy. And strangely kind to Asians, to the point where it’s puzzling.
“Of course. And as you requested, we’ll also build a school next to the Korean settlement.”
“That’s a bonus”
[We need to build a school?]
At some point, I had become the spokesperson and leader of the Korean workers. Most of the suggestions I made to Mark were accepted.
Unlike other sugarcane plantations, the workers at Mark’s plantation woke up at 6:00 AM instead of 4:30 AM and finished work at 6:00 PM. And even when compared to plantations employing Chinese or Japanese workers, the productivity didn’t fall behind at all.
[The kids need to learn so they can beat the Japanese someday.]
[You’re right.]
[But how do we build a school?]
[I’m going to ask Mark, the plantation owner.]
[Do you think it’ll work?]
[We’ll make it work.]
And it worked.
“Peter.”
“Yes?”
“The boss will be visiting next week.”
The boss?
That means the real owner of this sugarcane plantation is coming.
‘But why do they keep calling him “the boss”?’
It’s a bit strange.
“The real deal is coming, huh?”
“Yes, I’ve reported about you. This could be your chance.”
In moments like these, all you need to do is smile.
o0o
The Hideout of Vincenzo Colosimo, the Boss of Chicago’s Most Powerful Mafia Organization.
Vincenzo Colosimo is the ultimate boss of the Chicago Mafia.
“Mark doesn’t have a clue about that incident.”
“He was digging into the people behind it.”
“That’s why he got sent off to Hawaii. Mark doesn’t even know who tricked him.”
o0o
Mark's Mansion, Reception Room.
A white man in his mid-40s sat on the sofa.
'Clearly Italian'
Mark, who always occupied that seat, stood respectfully by my side.
"Fifteen, is it?"
I am taller than most Koreans.
"Yes, fifteen."
Yankees often have difficulty guessing the ages of Asians. Of course, Mark knows my real age.
But when I lied, Mark didn’t interfere.
"I heard from Mark that you have an incredible business proposal for me?"
"Invest in the Unsan gold mine in the Korean Empire."
Opportunities are like fleeting winds.
Hesitation makes them disappear like a breeze. So, I had to demonstrate my potential immediately.
"A gold mine?"
I had asked Mark to look into events happening in the Korean Empire, and strangely enough, the canceled mining rights for the Unsan gold mine, after the assassination of the Min family, had not yet been approved for the American investor, Morse.
I have no idea why history seems to have gone off track.
"Could it be because of me?"
The butterfly effect, perhaps.
"Your name?"
"Peter."
"An Asian?"
"An Asian who wants to be an American."
At my words, the actual owner of the plantation, John Torrio, looked at Mark with an expression that said, "This kid is interesting" and chuckled.
"Mark."
"Yes, boss."
The way Mark keeps calling him "boss" bothers me.
"What do you think?"
"He’s the one who proposed building casinos in both the Chinese and Japanese districts, boss. So, I’m confident this will succeed as well."
"That’s why I came all the way to Hawaii."
"He's definitely someone who could be a great asset to the family. I vouch for him."
The family? Could it be—
The Chicago Outfit?
The Chicago Mafia!
"Ah!"
I gasped unintentionally.
'Will I end up meeting Al Capone too?'
What I know is that John Torrio was the one who brought Al Capone from New York to Chicago. Anyway, now I understand why the plantation overseers were loyal to Mark beyond mere capitalist allegiance.
"Mark, you’re vouching for him?"
"Yes."
"Then from now on, you're that little kid Peter's godfather."
"Yes."
Mark answered immediately.
"I refuse."
My words made the Chicago Mafia boss look at me in disbelief.
Mark, on the other hand, nodded as if he had expected this reaction.
"It’s a great opportunity for you, you know?"
"It would mean losing an even bigger opportunity. Besides, I already have several 'godfathers.'"
Since I am still young, Mark must serve as my representative.
And in the future, I plan to hire him.
"A bigger opportunity, you say?"
"Mark is now my invaluable friend and business partner. And my godfather must be the best of the best."
"Mark."
"Yes, boss."
"You’ve got a cheeky one under your wing, I see."
"That’s why you’ll like him. He’s got an excellent sense of reality."
At Mark’s words, the boss nodded in agreement.
"Do you think I’m qualified to be your godfather?"
Why is this going in this direction?
"If you trust me."
"Ability and trust are two different things."
"Ability earns trust. Without ability, trust is misplaced."
"Hahaha, I’ll believe in your potential and become your godfather."
The opportunity had arrived.
o0o
At Peter’s (Yujin/Eugene’s) Home
“What?”
By now, the number of Koreans in Hawaii had exceeded 700.
“I plan to follow Mark to a city called Chicago on the mainland.”
Whether it’s Chicago or New York, I’m not entirely sure yet.
“You’re saying you’re going with your master?”
My father asked, wearing an expression that seemed to wonder why I kept surprising him.
“Mark is not my master. He’s not even the real owner of the plantation.”
“Enough of that. Why are you going there?”
“Because America is the land of opportunity.”
“Do you think the Yankees will give opportunities to a young Korean boy? Don’t talk nonsense. You’re too young.”
I am the eldest son of my family, with two immature younger siblings.
“Father, opportunities aren’t given by others they’re seized. Like I’ve done.”
“Are you really possessed by a demon, as people say?”
Korean Christians often referred to demons as “spirits of evil.”
“Am I really your son?”
“I am your son, and their elder brother.”
It’s best to adapt quickly to what you accept.
So, from the moment I awoke, I resolved to call this man father and the woman mother.
“Since that day, even the way you speak has changed.”
Of course.
God made a mistake.
How will God’s mistake reshape the future?
At the very least, it won’t be to Japan’s benefit.
“I’ll go to Chicago, whether you try to stop me or not, Father. And I’ll become wealthy.”
At my words, my father frowned.
‘It’ll be hard to stop me.’
I had already proven my exceptional abilities to all the Korean laborers within just a few months. And if I didn’t earn money, my family would starve.
Why?
Because my father was still sick and couldn’t work.
“What will you do with wealth?”
“Korea will soon fall.”
Why did I say that Korea would fall?
After awakening in the body of the eldest son of a first-generation Korean immigrant laborer in Hawaii, I observed the Korean people closely. Even though they had left Korea and come all the way to Hawaii, they were still deeply worried about Korea’s future.
The Korean Empire had done nothing for these first-generation immigrant laborers, offering only exploitation. Yet the Korean people constantly worried about their homeland.
‘A failing Korea could become a focal point for everyone.’
I had seized an opportunity.
Once I fully adapted to life in America and built a certain level of influence and wealth, I would become the focal point for Korean laborers arriving in the U.S.
‘In the documentaries I’ve seen about Korean immigration to Hawaii…’
Despite their harsh living conditions, Korean immigrant laborers in Hawaii had safely supported the independence movement by sending funds to Syngman Rhee, whom they considered a leader for Korean independence.
‘I have no interest in Korean independence.’
However, the best way to unite the Korean laborers was to fully utilize the failing Korea as a rallying point. Thus, I needed to position myself at the center of that unity for my own benefit.
“You brat—!”
So far, Father had been calm, but when I mentioned Joseon’s inevitable downfall, he exploded in anger.
“No matter how much you yell at me, Joseon will inevitably be devoured by Japan. You know it too, Father. It’s already happening, and that’s why you came here in the first place, isn’t it?”
Father wasn’t a modernist, but he was a wise man. That’s why when I told him I wanted to be an interpreter, he simply acknowledged it. Of course, he’d also heard about the incredible salary that came with it.
“Hmm.”
“That’s why I want to become rich. You can’t do anything without wealth.”
“And what could you possibly do?”
“Even if Joseon falls, there will still be resistance fighters who’ll become independence forces. Who will buy guns and swords for them if we’re poor?”
At my words, Father’s eyes quivered.
‘Stirring up patriotic sentiment always works on people.’
Besides, I knew my words had already shaken Father’s heart.
‘And let’s not forget, my uncle died from Japanese bullets during the Donghak Peasant Movement.’
That’s why Father hated the Japanese with a burning passion. And I thought of the Donghak rebels as righteous fighters. Many of them eventually became part of the independence forces.
There’s even a line in a drama: The son of a righteous fighter grows up to be a righteous fighter.
Then what about the nephew of a righteous fighter?
Even if I become a mafia member, I need to show the Koreans that I am a successful businessman in America, passionate about my homeland’s liberation.
“Jin, are you serious?”
“It will take time, but I won’t stop. Because everyone else won’t either.”
Father looked at me quietly for a long while.
“Yujin, you’re truly touched by the divine. Go forward with your will.”
Father, after all, was a perceptive man.
“I have something to say to my siblings.”
“Go ahead. You’ve long been the pillar of this family.”
Father was still unwell. Thankfully, my salary was enough for us to live comfortably, and Mother no longer worked on the sugarcane farm.
“Yes.”
I looked at my two younger siblings, staring at me with their big, innocent eyes. One was my younger brother, the other my younger sister.
“Both of you, study hard. The future of Joseon will need educated people.”
Of course, in the future, there won’t be a Joseon anymore. The Republic of Korea will be established.
“Yes, Hyung-nim”
“Yes, Oraboni.”
“I’ll earn the money.”
At my words, Mother could only cry.
“Don’t cry. Crying can become a habit.”
“What will you do when you get there?”
“I’m going to become rich.”
For my weeping mother, the only thing I could do right now was smile brightly.
‘To become a tycoon who can move America, I’ll do whatever it takes.’
If you deceive a few, you’re a swindler.
But if you deceive the masses, you’re a hero.
o0o