The Mage of Leavenworth (7)
"So, how did it go?"
When I got home, Yushin—who had been waiting without even sleeping—jumped to his feet.
Seriously, you can tell he's about to get married. The guy's completely restless.
"Who do you think I am? Of course I handled it perfectly."
"They didn't say anything about marrying a Ryukyuan?"
"Brother, oh my poor, pitiful brother. Why are you trying to solve the problem?"
A sigh slipped out of me.
Why is he so slow on the uptake? I really need to keep him close and drill some proper thinking into him.
"Do you think those bastards would just go, 'Ah yes, please enjoy your lovely marriage,' and give their approval?"
"Then… you really did what you said you would at first?"
"Of course. The rule is—you cover one problem with a bigger one."
"What kind of rule is that? You're just a lunatic trying to swindle an entire country. Don't expect normal people to think like you."
Honestly. If you're bound by common sense like that, you'll never accomplish anything big.
"I'm just glad you came back safely. We were worried those wicked Japanese might try something."
"No matter how crazy they are, as long as I'm an officer in the United States Army, they can't lay a hand on me. What's there to worry about? Ha ha."
"Sometimes you're far too complacent. Those people once tried to assassinate even the Russian crown prince. What guarantee is there that some madman won't appear out of nowhere?"
"Teacher, please scold this reckless eldest son of ours a bit more. He's completely out of control."
…Well, if you put it like that, I've got nothing to say.
I got thoroughly chewed out by Teacher Dosan about how someone in a leadership position shouldn't treat his life lightly. And yet he's the one itching to return to Joseon himself!
After I summarized my conversation with Consul General Ota, all three of them looked like they'd just witnessed the most absurd prank in the world.
"You talked circles around a consul general…? The fact that it actually worked is even more unbelievable."
"Well, if you put it nicely, it's cooperation. Between us, though? I plan to devour them."
"Would they really allow that?"
"It's not about allowing it. The fact that they're controlling things in the first place is the weird part. Why should immigrants be influenced by their former homeland? If they don't like it, we can just set the whole thing ablaze over this issue."
At its core, the continuous push for immigration laws in America came from the mainstream fear—the so-called "Yellow Peril"—that Asians, with their different appearance and culture, would overrun the country.
Now imagine this: what if it turned out that Japanese immigrants were taking orders from the Japanese consulate? Yeah… people would lose their minds.
Because of that, Japan had no choice but to act extremely cautiously. And if I seriously tried to extend my influence into the Japanese community, there would be little they could do to stop me.
The problem was that doing it openly would raise Japan's suspicion to extreme levels and provoke hostility. That's why I had to proceed quietly—and formally secure their "understanding" first.
Now that I had the green light, it was time to move forward with the plan.
"So what, we just hire a bunch of Japanese? Treat them exactly the same as Koreans?"
"No! That's not it! Don't look at ethnicity at all! Remove things like race and nationality from applications entirely! We provide milk and honey to everyone under our wing. If they're citizens of the United States and working with us, there should be zero discrimination!"
They all looked at me like they'd seen a ghost.
But that obsession with ethnic identity is exactly what fuels the fears of those white Americans.
Multiculturalism and cultural relativism are still far in the future. I'm not even joking—if we don't voluntarily integrate into mainstream society, a race riot could break out at any time.
Immigrants crossing the Pacific generally fall into two categories:
Poor farmers fleeing crushing poverty, betting everything on a new life in a new land.
Or educated elites driven by ambition and dreams of success.
The elites aren't the type I can control. Most of them will return home eventually—and frankly, about half of them will probably get swept up in radical ideologies.
Communism is just starting to gain momentum. To someone from 2020 like me, Confucianism or communism are both outdated—but to people in the 1920s, they feel like gospel. I have no intention of getting caught in that storm.
So the ones we target are the former.
They came chasing the American Dream—but end up living miserable lives as second-class citizens, unable to even speak the language properly, pushed aside by pale-skinned natives.
Back in traditional rural societies, at least there was a sense of community. But in this hyper-capitalist United States, "community" is nothing more than wounded people licking each other's wounds.
That void—
I will fill it.
We will fill it.
The Kim family never abandons those under its protection.
There's already a perfect slogan from history, isn't there? From cradle to grave.
If you're single, you can live in factory dormitories with company cafeterias providing three meals a day. If you marry, you marry someone from the same workplace. Your children are educated in schools owned by the Kim family. Your hard-earned savings are stored in our vaults.
Even if you go to church, it'll be one where our family holds influence.
If your child is smart, they get a Yujin Kim scholarship and go to college.
White, Hispanic, Black—it doesn't matter.
We will serve as both a social safety net and a melting pot. No label beyond "citizen of the United States" is needed here.
Work here, and you're family.
And once you're in, you'll never escape my grasp—even in death. I'll squeeze every last drop out of you.
Capitalists of this era might not be used to it—but the closest example I've seen is Henry Ford.
He liked to ensure his workers lived relatively well so they'd remain tied to the company.
And if that's the case, then a student surpassing his teacher—going even further—is simply proper respect.
"If we open opportunities to the Japanese as well, they'll come to us on their own, trying to become our friends."
Joining may be up to them—
but leaving won't be.
All it takes is for those receiving paychecks from the Korean Kim family to develop even the slightest bit of goodwill.
That alone would become the driving force that allows a Korean population of barely 100,000 to survive in this new world.
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Teacher. As you said, if the Japanese are the kind who would do anything once they snap, then the higher I climb, the more they'll try to eliminate me by any means necessary."
Japan is not foolish.
The same tenacity that, since the Meiji Restoration, elevated that small island nation at the edge of Asia into a great power and colonial empire—it hasn't gone anywhere.
No matter how many connections I build or relationships I cultivate, I, as an individual, can never outweigh national interests.
As long as Korea remains under Japanese rule and I maintain my identity as Korean, a clash with Japan is inevitable.
If that clash comes at a point where compromise is impossible, I'll be the one destroyed—so it's far better to open channels now, while dialogue is still possible.
That's why the immigration law issue is perfect.
If it fails to pass:
"See? You messed it up with your interference! If you'd backed me earlier, we could've stopped it!"
If we block it:
"Well, that's Yujin Kim's achievement."
As long as Japan believes I'm someone they can reason with, they won't go out of their way to block me. If anything, they'll smile, thinking a pro-Japanese figure is strengthening U.S.–Japan relations.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
While my younger brothers gain education and rise as high-level labor, I need to reorganize our scattered businesses—delegate what can be entrusted to professional managers—and create entirely new industries.
In the end, everything hinges on whether I can build a fortress strong enough to withstand the Great Depression that will one day come.
***
There was no time to wait for Consul General Ota's answer.
He wasn't in a position to decide everything on his own anyway—he'd need to consult his superiors or the home government.
After wrapping up urgent matters and returning to Leavenworth, I was greeted by a mountain of paperwork.
"Why? Why??"
"In the East, they say there is a concept called karma—one must repay the sins accumulated in a past life. Perhaps you had a lot of unfinished paperwork in your previous life?"
I wanted to twist McNary's neck as he cheerfully handed me a cup of coffee.
Karma is an Indian concept! It has nothing to do with me! Even if I'm not exactly devout, I still go to church every Sunday, you know?
With practiced ease, McNary pulled out a bundle of documents stuck somewhere in the middle of the pile.
"This one requires your personal review."
"What is it? Please, just let me live."
"Oh, you look perfectly alive to me. The superintendent said you'd understand if I told you it came from the Navy."
…Right. I have to deal with this too.
This one's important.
After McNary left, I broke the seal on the envelope and began reading the first page.
So it's finally here.
War Plan Orange.
This war plan, drafted by the United States Navy, outlined defensive and counteroffensive strategies in the event that a hypothetical enemy nation—"Orange"—launched an attack.
There was no need to ask who "Orange" referred to.
A nation that had already come close to war with the United States several times—
and the only real power threatening American interests in the Asia-Pacific.
The Empire of Japan.
Ironically, though, while the Navy had gone through the trouble of drafting the plan, they couldn't come up with a convincing answer to the fundamental question:
Why would Japan attack the United States?
The cause of a war is crucial.
Because from that cause, you can infer the enemy's objectives, the territories they seek, and how the war might unfold.
Yet even after gathering the Navy's best minds, they hadn't reached any particularly convincing conclusion.
The result:
"Orange" is fundamentally greedy, aggressive, and driven by a sense of superiority—an adventurist nation harboring contempt for the United States and Western powers.Therefore, it is expected that Orange will initiate war to seize American interests in the Western Pacific and Asia, with the Philippines as its primary target.
They hit the mark—by sheer luck.
Impressively accurate. Maybe one of those Navy guys is a time traveler too?
As I carefully read through the Navy's extensive war plans—and the separate plans drafted by the Army—I began organizing my thoughts.
Bang!
"Captain Kim! If you're back, you should say so!"
"We've been waiting forever. Now, hurry up and tell us about Amiens!"
Gaaah!! It's the bandits! These U.S. Army bandits are here to kidnap me again!
What happened to my precious time for quiet reflection?
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