The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 209



< From the other side of the Atlantic (2) >

“majesty!”

Late at night.

Choi Hyun-woo came to see me.

“What’s going on?”

As soon as he sat down on the sofa in his office Choi Hyun-woo poured out the words he had been holding in.

“It is said that the owners of major media companies have left Morgan’s house in a hurry.”

After establishing Ikmunsa he has been monitoring numerous places.

Among them there are only three places that I have been observing since I started working.

One is the White House in Washington.

The other is the Congress.

The last one was Morgan’s mansion which we are reporting on now.

“It looks like the party ended two hours earlier than scheduled.”

We’re keeping a daily log of who comes and goes from Morgan’s New York home.

Today a key figure was visiting so relevant information was being reported to Choi Hyun-woo in real time.

As soon as the suspicious movement was detected Choi Hyun-woo informed me immediately.

At this Woo Hyeon-sik the safekeeper who was listening to his report from the side tilted his head.

“Your Majesty something is suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

“Yes. Morgan would have called them to get some anticipated information about the antitrust ruling.”

“I guess so.”

“IMM and US Steel will not be forced to split unless something happens.”

I nodded.

Because public opinion changed due to fluctuations in the price of crude oil.

At least unless the event I expect happens Morgan’s company won’t be split up.

“There’s no reason to rush off a party on such a nice day. Maybe you’ve come across some new information?”

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It is easy to guess why the media owners left Morgan’s house in such a hurry.

But I pretended not to know any of this.

Because no relevant information has been reported to me yet.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

timely.

Lee Wi-jong who was in charge of Ikmunsa stopped by our house after a long time.

You came here at dawn without any prior arrangements.

Choi Hyun-woo and Woo Hyun-sik who do not know the future also noticed that something was going wrong.

“Your Majesty! There is trouble in the Atlantic.”

“What’s the big deal?”

“Yes. It is said that the ultra-luxury passenger ship Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg that had drifted in from the Arctic Ocean.”

Choi Hyun-woo and Woo Hyun-sik now make expressions as if they finally understand something.

It felt like I had discovered a hidden puzzle piece.

They clapped their hands and nodded their heads repeatedly.

“This is probably why the media moguls are leaving Morgan’s mansion like an ebb tide.”

I nodded silently and agreed with their opinions.

Then Choi Hyun-woo asked Lee Wi-jong first.

“Director Lee. What is the damage situation? What happened?”

“that is….”

Lee Wi-jong looked slightly embarrassed.

It was then that I finally stepped forward.

“You probably don’t have the details yet. Time is running out.”

“Yes that’s right.”

Ikmunsa is not a panacea.

How can we possibly count the casualties when we’re just now rescuing people?

“Since there are rescue boats not all the passengers will fall into the sea. However there are so few rescue boats compared to the number of passengers that casualties are likely to be considerable.”

“….”

“Furthermore didn’t they say that it sank after hitting an ice floe? The water temperature was quite cold…”

Lee Wi-jong’s analysis was accurate.

In this era the United States of America was truly Chinese.

Because safety insensitivity was widespread.

‘This changes people’s perception.’

It is good to fix the barn without losing the cow but people only become alert when they are badly hurt once.

For the United States this incident is a turning point.

I sat down on a chair in one corner of the living room with a bitter expression on my face.

“majesty.”

I nodded quietly and told him to continue talking.

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“I think Morgan will be hit hard by this.”

“That’s right. Since we have marine insurance with Lloyd’s the direct damage won’t be that big…”

Choi Hyun-woo and Woo Hyun-sik.

The two quickly predicted the damage Morgan would suffer.

As my financial manager Woo Hyeon-sik analyzed the current situation with detailed figures.

Choi Hyun-woo mainly talked about reputation.

“Wouldn’t the credibility of the White Star Line itself which he owned be greatly reduced?”

“That’s right. And you’ll be busy for a while paying compensation to the victims.”

“Oh! Maybe it could affect antitrust laws too.”

This is something I have already calculated in my head several times.

I wanted to check something other than these first.

“What is the situation of the damage to the Korean people?”

“yes?”

“Don’t you know? Koreans mostly settle in the west but there are quite a few who are making new homes in the east. They mostly farm but some of the more enlightened ones show interest in trade so you should check it out.”

“….”

“….”

Woo Hyun-sik. Choi Hyun-woo.

“ah….”

And even the other species.

Everyone suddenly looks at me with admiration.

“The most important thing… we forgot.”

“As expected you are right.”

“I will look into it right away.”

The second species hurries out.

Probably to secure the boarding list.

“Your Majesty I misused my tongue.”

“People come before money… I’m sorry for forgetting that.”

After the second species left.

Choi Hyun-woo and Woo Hyun-sik bowed their heads and apologized to me.

I patted them on the shoulder and gave them an understanding look.

“That’s the city called New York.”

“….”

“….”

“Because New York is the place that makes you forget the most important things.”

If I didn’t know the future I would be calculating how much it would benefit me.

Hundreds of times.

Thousands of times.

I guess I can afford to be this relaxed because I did the math in my head.

“I hope there isn’t too much damage.”

The two of them looked at me as if I was a mature gentleman and showed a look of emotion.

I wanted to correct this but I couldn’t think of a reason to do so so I decided to avoid their hot gaze by looking up at the night sky.

* * *

The next day.

Mr. Ismay Chairman of the Cunard Line visited our house.

He was the last pride of the British Empire’s shipping industry and was working day and night to compete against Morgan’s IMM.

As soon as he came to our house he started by apologizing.

“I am sorry Your Highness.”

“….”

“I was unable to keep my promise due to an unexpected accident.”

Knowing the future doesn’t mean you can prevent all accidents.

White Star Line was a shipping company owned by Morgan.

The Titanic’s maiden voyage was an event Morgan had ambitiously planned.

thereupon.

Try giving them some lame advice like driving carefully or loading more lifeboats.

Will the seeds be eaten?

‘It’s easier to misunderstand later on.’

There might be strange rumors going around that I caused the accident.

Because Morgan was the kind of person who would often frame me.

I assumed the worst and didn’t really give him any advice.

‘But that doesn’t mean we can just sit still.’

As with the San Francisco earthquake I studied ways to minimize casualties to the extent possible.

One of them is dispatching a rescue ship.

‘The Cunards’ Carpathia was the closest hull to the Titanic.’

So I counted the numbers.

I requested special delivery from Cunard and brought forward the arrival time.

‘I made arrangements to arrive in Europe six hours earlier.’

It takes about a week from the US to Europe.

Because the Titanic’s accident site is a day’s drive from New York.

By the time the disaster occurred Cunard’s Carpathia could be sailing closer to its original destination than it was originally supposed to.

“Since most of the victims were Americans we couldn’t just head to Austria. I apologize again.”

Quite a lot of red ginseng was loaded onto the Carpathia.

Nowadays passenger ships carry not only people but also cargo.

It’s as if Korea’s KTX is providing special transport.

I have been in contact with royal families from various countries.

I asked for a special shipment of red ginseng that I had using the Austrian Crown Prince’s request as an excuse.

The president of Cunard is here to apologize to me because he had to return to New York for rescue operations.

Because it was a small cargo volume but a lot of money was paid.

He must be apologizing to me in such a humble manner.

“I also heard a tragic story this morning.”

There is a way to step forward directly but if you jump in too much you will end up getting in trouble.

‘We already did rescue work once in San Francisco.’

I also strongly recommend that you take out insurance.

If you order a ship to sail nearby to rescue the Titanic passengers

I chose a roundabout way because I was afraid that even past events would be summoned and strange rumors would circulate about me being a prophet or seeing the future.

I nodded with a look of understanding on my face.

“I would have decided the same thing. People’s lives are more important than those little things.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Chairman Ismay laughed heartily and scratched his head not knowing what I was thinking.

“I will personally convey my apologies to the Crown Prince of Austria.”

As the president of a global shipping company he has quite a few international connections although not as many as I do.

They said they would explain the situation on our behalf where we couldn’t meet the delivery deadline.

I have no reason to refuse.

“Well if you do that I’ll be happy. Oh… I heard there’s a Korean among the rescued survivors?”

“Yes. He should be resting on the ship by now.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“no.”

I thought I would be ignored because I was Asian.

It seems that the status of Koreans has improved slightly compared to the original history.

Is it all thanks to me?

“I heard that this prince is going to open a marine school in Tijuana by the end of this year?”

“I see.”

“I was wondering if our company could send a technician to teach this.”

The chairman of Cunard kept looking at me.

I manufactured airplanes and expanded into the automobile industry.

I think they want to keep in touch with me as they anticipate a lot of orders in the future.

Currently Cunard is fiercely competing with Morgan’s IMM for market share.

It seems like they’re just flashing that sales smile in an attempt to secure a few more customers.

“Can you do that?”

“Of course. Aren’t we partners who have joined hands?”

“Okay. Then I’ll ask you to do that too.”

* * *

I stopped by New York Harbor for the first time in a long time.

‘Oh my.’

It wouldn’t have been this crowded normally but New York Harbor was currently teeming with people.

The victims’ families.

People from White Star Line headquarters came out to apologize to them.

The staff of Cunard who rescued them.

U.S. federal officials dispatched to investigate the cause of the maritime accident.

And because all the reporters trying to cover this were all mixed together.

“When are you coming?”

“Surely you’re not not showing up today either?”

Today is April 18th.

It’s been three days since the accident.

Originally it should have returned in one day and arrived long ago.

The Carpathia carrying the Titanic’s survivors was heading toward New York Harbor at a fairly slow pace like a turtle.

Because of the previous accident we sailed with extreme caution.

If even a small piece of ice is seen operation is stopped.

If there is thick sea fog reduce your speed.

If the rough waves from the storm rock the hull wait for it to stop.

If you keep standing and moving like this it is inevitable that it will end up like this.

“Oh please.”

“Go away.”

Westerners place great importance on their personal privacy.

So everyone waited for the Carpathia with an annoyed expression on their faces.

“uh?”

“That guy…..”

“Isn’t this the prince?”

“Why that guy?”

In that situation my appearance was enough to focus the attention of reporters.

Everyone is talking on the local radio about why I who has no connection with Cunard or the White Star Line am here.

“uh?”

“excuse me!”

But that was only a fleeting moment.

As soon as the Carpathia the ship they were supposed to cover came into view.

Because all the reporters’ eyes were focused on the ship that was just docking in New York Harbor.

“Ahem.”

After the ship reached the dock the first person to disembark was an old gentleman.

The captain captivated the audience with his deep heavy voice and then delivered his words of advice.

“Hello. My name is Arthur Rostron captain of the Carpathia.”

“Are the passengers okay?”

“How is everyone?”

The New York harbor was filled with the noise of reporters asking questions as the captain appeared.

Then Rostron shouted at the reporters to shut them up and politely asked them to shut up.

“The rescued passengers are suffering greatly from painful memories of the past.”

“….”

“….”

“I know you all are curious but right now you need to protect them. Please be aware of this.”

Unlike the captain of the Titanic who caused controversy by reckless sailing Arthur was a truly dignified captain.

He bowed his head to the reporters and asked them to disembark the passengers.

“mom.”

“Hey honey.”

The rescued passengers began to disembark one by one.

Those heading to Austria on the Carpathia are said to disembark first.

The existing passengers were considerate of the rescuers until the very end.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Your Majesty.”

A man who looked like an Asian appeared in the middle.

I got the passenger list.

Since I already knew his face I quickly hugged the Oriental who was about to get off the Carpathia.

“I was worried about you… but you came back alive. I contacted your family as well.”

“Your Majesty.”

The rescued Korean passenger was Lim Jeong-su who had served as the temporary vice-president of the association along with Jeong Myeong-won when they first arrived in Hawaii.

As an executive of the Synthetic Association I was on my way back from stopping by England for a while to handle some red ginseng trade matters.

Could it be because I survived a near-death experience?

As soon as Im Jeong-su saw me he burst into tears.

Click- click-

Although it was not intentional several reporters nearby did not miss the moment and pressed the photo shutter.

It won’t be on the front page but I think our story will be briefly written about on page 4 or 5.

“This is called a list of survivors?”

There were many welcome names on the list of survivors.

William Stead a British journalist who helped at the Hague Peace Conference is also alive.

It appears that quite a few of New York’s real estate moguls who stood in opposition to Morgan survived.

‘Is it because we arrived earlier than the original schedule? There are more survivors.’

However since they were not able to arrive on time there were still some deaths.

Many people died of shock after falling into the cold Atlantic Ocean for even a short time so many people became cold corpses.

“huh?”

“Where is Morgan Jr.”

“Are you sure he’s dead?”

Even while patting Lim Jeong-su I was able to keep my ears open.

On the scene.

I was able to listen to every word the reporters were saying without missing a single word.

A very familiar name kept tickling my ears.

“Look here. Morgan Jr. is clearly on the passenger list but he’s not on the survivor list.”

“My son died and he didn’t even show up here?”

The veteran reporter already had some information at his disposal.

Among them there was also a list of tickets for the departure day.

The reporter muttered in a way that all his colleagues could hear asking sarcastically where the Morgan family who could be seen as responsible for this situation were.

“what?”

“Vice President Morgan said he wasn’t on board this voyage?”

“Yeah. There was a rumor that he changed his mind at the last minute.”

It was a time when yellow journalism was churning out fake news and inciting the public.

“this….”

“If I do it right I could write an interesting article.”

Reporters who were grumbling and complaining at the dock.

Everyone quickly returned to their work with an expression on their face like they had found good prey.

With a look in his eyes that clearly showed that he had discovered a very delicious ingredient.

since.

New York’s various news outlets began to churning out articles about the Titanic and Morgan.

< From the other side of the Atlantic (2) > End