The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 17



< Debut (2) >

I did a final check of my outfit in front of the mirror before leaving.

‘The tuxedo suits you well and the tie looks good on you too.’

Even a coat to avoid the chilly early winter wind before entering fits me well.

This is perfect.

“Wow! Boss. This isn’t just empty words. You look really great today.”

Aaron the eldest of the three Irish brothers gave a thumbs up.

As he kept exclaiming in admiration the youngest Max who was watching from the side started to snicker slightly.

“Boss. Aren’t you going to make so many women cry again today? Didn’t you come back last time after turning the party upside down?”

Max’s father made me recall my memories for a moment.

I recalled how popular Lee Kang really was at the party.

‘That’s true. That happened several times.’

Don’t they say that the completion of fashion is the face?

Even in my eyes Lee Kang is very handsome.

Moreover my body is not that of a commoner or a noble but of a prince.

His already handsome face shines even brighter with the prince buff.

It is an environment where women have no choice but to gather around Lee Kang.

‘Your jawline is pretty so a beard suits you well.’

I touched my long beard with my right hand and slightly twisted the angle of my face.

After that he glanced at the full-length mirror installed in front of him and adjusted the buttons on his tuxedo once more.

‘Your current appearance definitely looks mature.’

My face was handsome but there was one flaw.

Baby face.

It was so long ago.

Living as a modern person especially living as a Korean would have been an advantage.

But now it’s the early 20th century not the 21st.

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Moreover this is America not Korea.

A young and pretty face never helped me.

In everyday life it may not be so obvious but especially in business.

‘Because a young face looks relatively fragile.’

That’s why we send older managers to deal with black consumers.

That’s why I tried to hide my flaws by painting my face with a beard to make myself look a little older.

“Let’s get going soon.”

“yes.”

Her debut into American high society is imminent.

I don’t know what the future holds for me but I’ve been living as a lobbyist and visiting many banquet halls.

So I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be.

“Boss. I think that’s the meeting place written on the invitation.”

“Bye! Have a nice trip!”

After leaving the Irish brothers in the carriage I moved to the entrance of the banquet hall with Woo Hyeon-sik.

“Stop. This is an invitation-only place.”

“Please show me the invitation.”

Two large white men standing in front of him blocked my path.

I silently handed the invitation I had in my arms to the more sinister-looking of the two.

The gatekeeper who was larger than Kaplan looked over the paper I handed him for a moment lost in thought.

“Smith. What’s wrong?”

“I think this is the invitation the governor sent…”

Even after receiving the invitation the two men still looked at him with suspicion.

Then he takes turns looking at the invitations with me.

Why?

Well that’s because I’m Asian.

Everyone in the banquet hall right now is white.

In the midst of all this an Asian man came to visit this place so I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

I waited calmly without panicking.

“I need to check something for a moment… Could you wait a moment?”

However the gatekeeper’s expression and tone of voice became much softer.

I was initially stubborn because the invitation I gave might have been real.

So I ended up waiting in front of the venue for about a minute.

“Are you looking for… directions?”

A guest who was entering the banquet hall stopped and looked at me.

After that he came closer to me with the corners of his lips slightly raised.

“Do you speak English? Do you see the direction I’m pointing? Chinatown is over there.”

What is this?

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I had a hope but as expected…

When others saw him he seemed very noble and helped others but now he was being racist in front of me.

I ignored the lanky man’s words.

Then the man turned his gaze.

“Guard. Poor guy seems to be lost. Please guide him to Chinatown over there. He doesn’t seem to speak our language so try to find a Chinese interpreter.”

“….”

“….”

The gatekeepers watched me and the two strange men without being able to do anything.

The stranger wondered why the guard was ignoring his words.

“Can’t you hear what I’m saying now?”

“Mr. Tyler that’s… Ah! Mr. John.”

A short fat man came running toward me from inside the building.

He was out of breath so he bent down slightly in front of me panting heavily.

“Are you here? Sorry.”

The man named John continued his story wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Ah… Let me introduce myself. My name is John Maxwell. I work as a secretary to the governor.”

Looking at her she seems to be quite young like the youngest secretary or someone just above her.

John Maxwell not knowing my true feelings must have thought I was angry.

He kept checking my expression and made an embarrassed expression.

“Have you kept me waiting for a long time? I apologize again.”

“No.”

“I should have come out a long time ago and waited for the prince.”

“Wow Prince? Is this the Prince?”

The man named Tyler’s eyes widened.

He made a face like “Why is someone like me bowing down like that?” but when he found out my identity his face changed.

“Yes Mr. Tyler. This is the Governor’s guest. Why?”

You act all noble and try to please me.

Tsk tsk.

Since I had a rough idea of ​​the situation I looked down at Tyler and raised one corner of my mouth.

“What did you say earlier? You said Chinatown was over there?”

“….”

After tapping Tyler on the shoulder while he was standing there blankly I said thank you.

“Thank you. Next time I go to Chinatown I’ll go there. I’ve never been there before because I have no connection with the area.”

“….”

“If we ever get the chance I’ll definitely show you around Chinatown. Contact me through my subordinates.”

At the same time he showed a pitiful expression.

Then Tyler’s face turned red and blue.

I followed John into the building leaving Tyler behind.

* * *

Groan groan-

I entered the noisy banquet hall quietly.

I turned my head from side to side.

The servers who serve food and drinks are Asian and black.

As expected all the other guests were white.

‘Don’t be nervous. Isn’t this a sight we’ve seen many times?’

I took a deep breath and walked to the center of the banquet hall.

If I sit in a corner and drink I’ll just be wasting my precious money.

I moved confidently to the center.

“Could you bring me some cold champagne? This one’s already cold. It doesn’t taste good at all.”

I looked around again.

Party goers decked out in tuxedos and dresses.

Employees who are working hard to serve while walking around in between.

Obviously the server and I were wearing different clothes.

She must have noticed this too and apologized to me.

“Oh my. All the servers that are running around are people of color. I’m sorry. I must have been really drunk and made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

If I wanted to fight I could but my goal today is to make my presence known to the upper class of California.

For now I just had to think about that.

So I endured it once.

“Oh my John.”

The woman turned her head and greeted the governor’s secretary sitting next to me.

“Mrs. Jane. How have you been?”

“nice to meet you.”

My head started spinning quickly.

Jane?

The richest and most talkative widow in San Francisco?

‘He’s a character to watch out for from the very first episode.’

It’s common sense to try to get information from the other person before attending a party.

I researched the information of the key figures who were likely to attend and memorized it.

That’s why I could tell right away who the woman in front of me was.

‘They say she’s an old fox who’s incredibly attracted to men…’

I worked hard to recall information about Jane in my head.

Jane called over to a passing server grabbed the champagne that was on top of him and took another sip.

Then he looked at me again and opened his mouth.

“Who is this person? Is he a guest of the governor since he is next to John?”

“Yes that’s right.”

The atmosphere in the banquet hall suddenly becomes quiet at John Maxwell’s words.

Right now I’m like the only man in a crowd of women.

Although no one was saying anything out loud they were all glancing at me and making expressions like ‘Who is that Asian guy here?’

Everyone held their breath and watched our conversation as it was their chance to find out my identity.

‘Either then or now…’

Entry into high society is difficult.

Because you’re being territorial.

Of course it was harder for me than others because I had to endure racial discrimination.

Bam-

He lightly tapped the shoulder of Woo Hyun-sik who came with him.

Woo Hyun-sik who was very nervous immediately responded to my silent signal.

“Let me introduce myself. The man next to me is Prince Lee Kang from the Korean Empire. He is the second son of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“The Korean Empire?”

When Jane asked quietly Woo Hyun-sik quickly continued.

A country located between China and Japan.

I have explained in detail where it is attached.

“Ah… ahh! Hmm?”

Of course the woman in front of me had no idea where the Korean Empire was located.

Because my eyes are rolling around.

I understand.

Even among modern Americans more than half have no idea where Korea is making them extremely poor at world geography.

‘Why do they think the Toronto area of ​​Canada is their land? They think everyone is American just because they watch an MLB baseball game.’

It is even worse now than in the 21st century when the educational environment is worse.

“Anyway… It’s called a prince. Oh excuse me prince. I didn’t even know such a noble person had come.”

Wow. Look at this woman.

Suddenly he greets me with a nasal nasally voice.

“A prince? That handsome guy?”

“By the way where is the Korean Empire? Do you know?”

Sugunsugun-

Those who had overheard this situation from the side announced my identity to various places in the banquet hall through local broadcasts.

At this most of the women turned their gazes into ones of great curiosity.

Originally it was a look of contempt as if looking at trash.

‘Men are half and half.’

Half of them are people who think about whether they have money or not.

The other half are jealous saying “Why is a prince making such a fuss?”

“Hello. My name is Genie.”

Another woman next to Jane joined our group and greeted me.

“But Cho-on. Is this person really a prince?”

He said that but he seemed to be secretly worried about me asking if I was fake and trying to confirm my identity.

John apologized to me again wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Because the ladies are so suspicious… please understand. There are so many people committing fraud these days.”

America is a country with short roots.

It’s only been 100 years since the country was founded.

That is why they loved their country but at the same time they longed for Europe.

That’s why there were so many con artists in America who pretended to be princes or nobles.

“It’s okay. You can be suspicious. And this is America right? You’ll be ignorant of the East… I understand that well.”

I made a remark that secretly ignored them but I spoke in a roundabout way.

Very few people were able to figure out my intentions in time.

“Ladies the identity of the Prince here has been confirmed through the Korean Empire Embassy in Washington. Furthermore the Japanese government has also confirmed that the Prince is in the United States…”

The Japanese embassy?

Is it because you emphasized to the concubine and Sakamoto that they can return home if they fail?

Actually Sakamoto also emphasized that he would take care of me until I left.

‘If not that….’

A few days ago sad news arrived from the Korean Empire.

The sad news that diplomatic rights have been stripped away.

‘They’re already treating us like a protectorate. Those damn Hanyang government bastards. They won’t even do their job properly… How dare they block my return?’

These people must be really crazy.

Signing a treaty that sells out our country.

It was impossible for me to understand it with my common sense.

I clenched my fist for a moment thinking about the guys who signed then came back to reality.

“Are you really a prince?”

“Madam the governor has confirmed this several times in Washington.”

“oh.”

Little by little people began to gather.

Interest in me became a hot topic throughout the banquet.

“Come to think of it our prince’s accent… is somehow different from ours.”

Genie who was stuck next to Jane.

She was a woman who owned a lot of land around California and she was also a widow.

They used to hang out in groups with Jane who was known to be a group of herdsmen.

She circled around me and asked.

“Where did you learn English? Cambridge perhaps? Oxford?”

I spoke deliberately in a posh accent which is the accent used by members of the British royal family and aristocracy.

She seemed to have noticed this.

“I studied abroad at Roanoke College in Virginia. One of my close friends was from England… So somehow I ended up with this accent.”

“Oh really? You graduated from a university in America?”

okay.

He also emphasized that his academic background is long.

America is not as obsessed with education as Korea but it values ​​high education more than short education.

“Oh my… so cool. So cool. An educated man… I really like educated men.”

“I also like lively and cheerful women like you two. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Really?”

It seems that these two widows have definitely been marked with an eye.

Hearts come out of their eyes.

Both men were prominent figures in San Francisco society so I struck up a small friendship with them through brief lively conversation.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

When I left the banquet hall on the pretext of meeting with the governor all the women in the banquet hall approached Jane and Ginny.

I guess it’s to ask if I’m really a prince.

‘Spread my rumor diligently.’

I retreated to a corner and asked John about it too.

“Ah… John. When can I see today’s star?”

“Are you referring to the Minister?”

“No not him I mean the governor.”

Because he’s Governor John Doe’s man.

It appeared that state leaders were prioritized over federal officials.

There won’t be any federal government officials here anyway.

“The governor is staying in a separate room. Oh… The governor also wanted to see the prince. Come this way. I will show you around.”

<Debut (2)> End