The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 151



< Guest (2) >

Herbert Hoover would have been the 31st President of the United States if history were to go as planned.

“It seems like it’s been about a year since we last saw each other.”

A dozen years later.

After inviting the young prospector who had the potential to become a big shot to my quarters I shook his hand warmly.

“How have you been?”

“Yes. How are you Prince?”

“I’ve been very busy these days traveling around Europe. By the way your face looks brighter than last time. Has something good happened to you lately?”

Hoover answered my question with a slightly excited voice his expression bright.

“Won’t a huge sum of money soon be in my hands? Of course I can’t help but be happy.”

“Ah! I see.”

After all money is the best.

Because I didn’t know what the future would hold I signed with Hoover on the best terms in the industry.

Because I want to have a good relationship with him.

I also wanted to slightly relieve Hoover of his debt.

‘Thanks to my consideration Hoover will soon be making a lot of money.’

Is that why?

Hoover was stomping his feet in excitement at the prospect of becoming rich and was eagerly awaiting the successful conclusion of this deal.

“Your Highness. Here you are.”

Hoover handed me the documents he had prepared.

“Oh thank you. I’ll read it right now.”

“Let’s start by checking the investment in the Jiksan gold mine proposed by Representative Taylor.”

It was Albert Taylor who brought me into contact with Hoover.

He bought the Jiksan gold mine in Chungcheong Province from its Japanese owner at a very cheap price.

After that he asked me to invest in him.

I checked the documents related to Jiksan Gold Mine before any other reports and looked into whether it was really worth investing in.

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“Both the reserves and profitability are lower than those of the existing Unsan or Daeyudong gold mines.”

“As Your Majesty knows the two gold mines are among the largest in East Asia and even the world. It is a bit difficult to compare the two gold mines with the Jiksan gold mine here on the same level.”

As one of the shareholders of Unsan Gold Mine I know this information better than anyone else.

I nodded in agreement.

“Anyway it’s not a gold mine where you’ll lose money if you invest. The Jiksan gold mine too.”

“yes.”

Hoover explained the numbers at the end of the report one by one and presented me with the optimal investment plan.

“I have a piece of advice for you Prince. Hold on to it for about five to ten years and then sell your shares in the mine.”

It is said that the annual gold production of Jiksan Gold Mine reached its peak at that time.

After that the amount of gold mined dropped sharply.

Some impatient investors fail to predict the future production of the mine and buy it at a very high price or something like that.

‘Is that what Japanese people do these days?’

I must remember that well.

That way I can throw another tantrum at them.

“You want to receive your performance bonus in stocks instead of cash? So are you also thinking of selling your shares in the meantime?”

“yes.”

“When do you plan to sell?”

Hoover scratched his head and revealed his plan as it was.

“I was thinking of selling it a little faster than the prince.”

“Why?”

“The prince is a major shareholder and I am a minor shareholder. Since it is a small gold mine the amount of shares available on the market is small. If I sell my shares later than the prince won’t I suffer a huge loss?”

His specialty is minerals but he also seems to know a lot about economics.

but.

So he must have been a millionaire before he became president.

‘How can such a smart guy not overcome the Great Depression?’

The New Deal policy which was a solution to the Great Depression was a new path that was diametrically opposed to the existing economic paradigm.

Hoover a successful businessman continued to advocate market-oriented policies reflecting on his own path to success.

‘It seems his past success is holding him back.’

I thought about the future for a moment then quickly focused on Hoover’s next words.

“The reports listed here are the results of exploration and analysis of mines located near South Manchuria.”

I selected a few of the many mines and asked Hoover to pick them out for me.

“Please give me the exploration reports on the Musun Mine and Cheonbosan Mine.”

“Ah! Didn’t you receive these two mines from Japan as compensation for the last San Francisco attack?”

“okay.”

Hoover handed me a report with a slightly greedy look in his eyes.

“The Musun Mine is truly a mine that I desire. If I were you I would develop it as soon as possible.”

“Because it is an open-pit coal mine the costs are low and the mining speed is faster than other mines?”

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“Yes. Moreover since there are many places in the area that demand iron and coal it will be easy to sell them…”

The owner is really just swimming with his feet on the ground.

How happy must Japan have been when they tore this away from the Qing?

On the contrary how much would I have regretted it if it had been taken away from me?

‘There are also ruins of an ancient nation near the Cheonbosan mine?’

Cheonbo Mountain is a mountain located in the Gando region.

That is to say.

‘Could this be Goguryeo’s ruins?’

It could be the remains of Buyeo or Balhae.

I should check this out sometime.

“Thank you for your hard work. As I mentioned earlier the compensation will be paid according to the terms of the last contract so don’t worry too much.”

“yes.”

I continued the conversation while hastily sitting Hoover down as he was about to get up.

“Oh! Have you ever explored the Maritime Province across the Mudan River?”

“Isn’t that Russian territory?”

Hoover shook his head and made a negative expression.

“The Russians are just as patriotic as the islanders over there. They don’t like other Western exploration experts approaching them so we haven’t even approached them.”

I pushed a document I had prepared toward Hoover.

Hoover quickly confirmed this.

“I recently signed a contract.”

“A contract?”

“Yes. I received a decree from the Russian Tsar entrusting me with the mining and oil field rights in northern Manchuria and the Primorsky Krai.”

Hoover’s eyes widened.

Because I was very surprised.

“Even if you don’t know about Northern Manchuria the Maritime Province is an unknown land to explorers.”

Hoover laughed loudly and looked at me enviously.

“Hahaha- I was wondering why you summoned me all the way to this cold Russia and now you’ve come up with such a surprising surprise. If you were a Russian Tsar you’d be the best supporter. Congratulations Prince.”

“I plan to enlist the help of the Rockefeller family who have become my family in genetic exploration.”

After a brief pause I brought up the story Hoover wanted to tell.

“I would like to ask for your help in the field of mining exploration once again….”

“I’m fine.”

As expected.

As expected Hoover quickly accepted my offer.

They were greedy for the endless resources buried near the Primorsky Krai.

“If the conditions are right we will proceed with the next expedition right after the next scheduled exploration of northern Indochina.”

“If you do that…”

I’m fine.

Who would refuse to continue a relationship with someone who might become president?

Moreover his exploration ability is also outstanding.

A new contract was hastily written based on the existing contract.

Hoover grinned from ear to ear as he once again received the best terms in the industry although he still needed a notarized contract from an attorney.

“Haha just trust me and leave it to me. I will find everything without leaving anything behind.”

* * *

Wow crazy.

It’s only November but the temperature outside has already dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius.

St. Petersburg is said to be less cold because it is a coastal city adjacent to the Baltic Sea.

I can’t go outside without wearing fur.

It was that cold but Russia’s heating system is so backward that the temperature difference between inside and outside doesn’t seem that big.

Hoho-

Because when I blew air from my mouth steam would rise.

‘I want to support my body warmly in the lower room. Wait a minute this….’

Do you see any items that might be worth money?

The western United States was warm all year round so there was no need for an ondol system.

Russia too.

The eastern part of the United States is also like that.

Both regions get a lot of snow and are quite cold in the winter.

As I sat quietly drinking a cup of warm coffee I thought about it and realized that there might be quite a demand for Ondol.

‘If we develop an improved modern ondol system in advance we can use it later when we return to Korea.’

I shivered as I thought about Ondol then looked outside.

As the snow began to fall little by little I shrank even further.

‘I guess I’ll have to skip the walk today.’

That was when.

A car appeared on the deserted street because of the cold weather.

since.

A woman got out of the car and started walking towards my accommodation.

‘She’s a blonde.’

Who could it be?

At that moment when I was thinking about it for a moment.

“majesty.”

Woo Hyun-sik appeared in front of me.

“A guest has arrived.”

As expected.

The blonde woman who had disappeared from my sight moved to the main entrance of the hotel where I was staying.

“Madame Marie Antoinette has requested an interview with His Majesty the King.”

“Madame Antoinette?”

It’s an unknown name.

At least he was a person I didn’t know when I was living as Park Byung-jun.

‘ah….’

As I was examining the fragmented memories of the original owner Lee Kang a woman’s face came to mind.

I looked at Woohyunsik quickly and said.

“Tell them to come in.”

* * *

“Wow! This prince!”

Antoinette ran towards me.

“This prince!”

“Mrs. Sontag. It’s been a while.”

“Oh my you still haven’t forgotten my Korean name.”

She gave me a quick French kiss on the cheek then took a step back and began to look over my body.

“The last time I saw you you were a young boy but now you’ve grown into a full-fledged man.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Just watching me like this makes my heart race. Even though I’m old I’m like this….”

Mrs. Sontak smiled as she whispered “How would you react to other women?”

“I’ve heard news of you from time to time.”

“Really? My news?”

“Yes. The immigrants who came from Joseon to America whispered news of you like chirping bluebirds.”

“I see.”

“I heard that you opened a hotel named after yourself in the heart of Hanyang. You opened it a year after I left for America right?”

“Yes. Just as the prince said I opened a hotel.”

The Sontag Hotel was a sarangbang a place where all kinds of Emperor Gojong’s secret messages were sent to all directions.

“But by the way why did you abandon the hotel you cherished so much and come all the way here?”

“That’s… The Japanese have been so annoying that we haven’t been able to operate the hotel normally since last summer.”

“okay?”

“Yes. I was so stressed out by the new feeling that my hair fell out.”

Mrs. Sontag showed me her rounded head of hair and made a sad face.

“It’s not just me. Allen Underwood Hulbert too. We’re all under intense surveillance our range of activities is restricted and we’re all returning to our home countries.”

All the foreigners mentioned are pro-Korean figures.

Mrs. Sontag also delivered the news of another person’s death while weeping.

“Even Bethel was famous for that stress. Your Majesty the Prince knows that. Ernest Bethel.”

“I know. Weren’t you the founder of the Daehan Maeil Shinbo?”

“yes.”

“They are eliminating all of AbaMama’s limbs.”

“Yes. The new Resident-General is cutting off all ties with His Majesty. Foreigners are no exception.”

Sone Arasuke.

He is the second Resident-General following Ito.

His evil deeds were so great that they reached me from far away.

“It was in such a dark situation that Emperor Nicholas called me and brought me here.”

“I see you were hired as an interpreter?”

“Yes. He wanted me to interpret it for him during his secret conversation with the prince.”

Mrs. Sontag looked slightly embarrassed and regretful.

“I should have come earlier but the hotel arrangements took longer than expected so I couldn’t keep the schedule. So my contract was canceled.”

I looked at Mrs. Sontak who was looking bitter and took her hand.

“Mrs. Sontag.”

“Yes your highness.”

“What do you plan to do from now on?”

“Well for now I plan to go back to my home country France and have some time to myself.”

She hesitated for a moment and then glanced at me.

After that Mrs. Sontag carefully tried to gauge my intentions.

“But if Your Majesty agrees I will follow you around and interpret for you.”

Mrs. Sontag is not only an interpreter but also a woman with a unique perspective on hotel management.

A person who can help me.

“I would like to entrust you with something other than interpretation.”

“I suppose you are thinking of leaving one of your hotels in my care?”

“Of course. We can’t let such a talented person rot away like this.”

“ah!”

Mrs. Sontag handed me a letter she had in her arms.

“This is the last secret message from His Majesty the Emperor that I received before I left Joseon.”

She urged me.

“The situation is not as good as you might think. Both for Your Majesty and for the prince’s home country Joseon.”

“exactly?”

“Yes. It seems that Katsura who has regained his position as Prime Minister has made up his mind very firmly. He is pushing for the unification of the two countries with the goal of annexing the Korean Empire to the Japanese Empire by the first half of next year.”

<Guest (2)> End