14. A Close Yet Distant Country
We boarded the train bound for Busan.
Across from me, Park Min-seok was dozing off, his head bobbing.
There were two things I wanted to bring back from Japan.
The first was to acquire Yukara, an ultra-early maturing variety (a fast-growing type) among Japan's Japonica rice strains.
Acquiring the variety itself wasn't overly difficult, but it essentially amounted to smuggling. Rice and horticultural varieties of each country were among the items banned from export at the time.
It would be easy to understand if one thinks of it like the leakage of future bio or IT industry secrets.
The second thing I needed to acquire was a bit more difficult.
The second was precisely...
"Oppa. This egg is really delicious."
.
.
.
.
.
Hmm...
My younger sister, who had cried and clung to me as if the whole neighborhood was leaving when she found out I was departing for Japan, was also my mother in my past life.
-Father, Mother. It seems I need to go to Japan briefly for business.
"Alright. Go carefully."
"Always take care of your health."
My father and mother—that is, my original maternal grandparents—readily permitted my trip to Japan, but an unexpected obstacle arose.
"Waaah—Oppa, are you trying to leave me behind again? *Sob*..."
-That's not it. Why would I go anywhere leaving Gyeongsuk behind? I'm just going briefly for work.
"Sob... Last time you said that, you didn't come back for a long time..."
-Our Gyeongsuk told me to do what I wanted last time. Why the change of heart?
"Sob sob... That's true but... Japan is scary... *Sob*..."
Although she hadn't experienced the Japanese colonial period directly, having heard so much about Japan's atrocities during that era, the children who hadn't lived through it actually thought of Japanese people as goblins or man-eating monsters.
How she managed to speak so steadily without losing her breath while crying.
'Oh my... Mother... It must have hurt your heart to see her mature, but this is awkward in its own way...'
In this life, I had resolved to unconditionally surrender to her.
Because she grabbed my trouser legs and refused to let go, I ended up getting permission from our parents and taking my younger sister Gyeongsuk with me to Japan.
-Gyeongsuk. You said Japan is scary, but are you sure it's okay to go with me?
"I can't let Oppa go alone. Sob... I have to protect you... Sob sob..."
I briefly recalled the events from a few days ago, then shook my head and looked at my younger sister, who was glancing around restlessly.
If she had merely been throwing a tantrum, I wouldn't have brought her.
I remembered that I had never once gone on an overseas trip with my mother in my past life.
Since vacation was approaching, I informed the school and hastily processed the paperwork for our trip to Japan, including getting a passport for my sister.
After living for over 40 years, something I had never done, I now got to experience less than a year after my reincarnation.
This was also largely thanks to Choi Hui, who handled tasks flawlessly. Additionally, although it was customary practice, since we were in a hurry, I slipped some back-alley money to the person in charge, allowing us to depart together on time.
-Gyeongsuk. What are you packing?
"This is a flail. This is a sickle. And this is a hoe."
- ...... It's fine, so leave those out...
Recalling the image of my sister, who had cried all week until yesterday evening, but upon realizing this morning that she could come along, hastily packed her tools(?), made me laugh involuntarily.
Turning my head, I saw her sitting in the window seat next to me, diligently peeling and eating eggs. They were prepared by my mother in this life, who was my maternal grandmother, before we left.
"Here. Have some cider."
"Seuda?" [1]
"Swallow what's in your mouth before you speak. You'll choke. Drink up."
Opening her mouth with difficulty between her puffed-out, squirrel-like cheeks, she drank the cider I offered.
-Pfft!
"Aaagh!!!"
My sister fired the egg she had been holding in her mouth and began to cough.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Mister Min-seok!! Oppa made me drink something weird! Oppa, is this pesticide?!"
Hmm...!
Mother...
You're quite different from how I remembered you.
These days, you surprise me every time I see you.
Still, it's really nice.
Lately, I occasionally think to myself.
That I've been blessed with a special kind of luck...
'Mr. Min-seok, please.'
Glancing sideways at Park Min-seok, I saw that he had woken up and was nodding with a resolute expression as if he knew what to do.
"Gyeongsuk. That's called cider. Cider. It's tastier than water."
Saying that, Park Min-seok got up from his seat and personally cleaned up the egg my sister had launched, together with her.
My head throbbed at the thought of what kind of things might happen in Japan, but one corner of my mouth involuntarily curled up.
*
*Creeak—creeak—*
Cicadas buzzed powerfully in the August sunlight.
"Japan is... somehow different."
Park Min-seok, having arrived in Osaka, Japan, looked a little intimidated.
It was only natural; Korea and Japan at this time showed an enormous gap between them, and that disparity was starkly revealed everywhere—across the city and in all the facilities.
The cityscapes we saw while moving from Osaka Port to the downtown area didn't look too different from the appearance of the era I originally came from.
Of course, it lacked the sleekness compared to the time I was in, with no sky-scraping skyscrapers and such, but it still showcased what we would typically think of as a 21st-century city landscape.
"That's exactly why we must work hard."
"Yes... You're right. Hah. I'm getting mad for no reason; is something wrong with me?"
The previously intimidated Park Min-seok clenched his fists.
"There's nothing wrong with you. My feelings aren't exactly great either."
My original self, Seo Min-wook, hadn't experienced the Japanese colonial period, but Yi Dong-ho experienced the tail end of it, which was why he could speak Japanese. When he was young, the language he heard more familiarly than Korean was Japanese.
Because I had Yi Dong-ho's memories, I could never view Japan in a positive light.
As a defeated nation and perpetrator of World War II, Japan was hit by atomic bombs, exhausted its massive military budget, leaving the country in ruins, and its economy was set back decades due to enormous war reparations; yet, Japan once again received help from Korea.
6.25
The Korean War had broken out.
The reason Japan was able to achieve such economic growth now (in '62) was because it served as a munitions factory for the 6.25 Korean War.
"Yes. Wow... But really, hah... This is truly shocking. It's a completely different world."
"Let's go. We have a long way ahead."
*Hei mao bai mao zhu lao shu jiu shi hao mao* (Whether a black cat or a white cat, a cat that catches mice is a good cat).
Have the will, but for now, a cat that catches mice well is simply a good cat.
Let's only think about what we can gain from Japan.
Leaving Park Min-seok's complicated feelings behind, I quickened my pace.
First, I decided to start with the easier task.
Taking the Yukara rice, the first objective.
However, since that Yukara rice was a variety grown in Hokkaido, we had to undertake another long journey from Osaka to Hokkaido.
A blessing in disguise was that Japan's transportation system was in much better condition than Korea's. Even though the Shinkansen hadn't opened yet.
'I'm so exhausted...'
In the original timeline, I could have just taken a plane straight to Hokkaido, and communicated anywhere via phone. But doing the same thing in 1962, I literally had to bash my head against a blank wall.
"Oppa. But are the people here really Japanese people?"
My sister, who hadn't said a word since arriving in Japan, finally opened her mouth.
"Yeah. That's right."
"Huh...? Then why don't they have horns on their heads?"
"Why would people have horns? Japanese people are just people too."
Although Japan had committed wrongs in the past, prejudice was still problematic.
"Gyeongsuk. Rather than the Japanese people, look at Japan itself and remember it. Japan lost the war, yet they live this well now, right? Oppa will make our country, where our Gyeongsuk lives, a much better place than Japan."
"Yeah. I always believe in you, Oppa."
"Is that so? Then let go of what you're holding in your hand now..."
I stealthily reached out my hand toward the washing bat she had been carrying around ever since we arrived in Japan.
Really...... It's baffling how she managed to hide it.
*
"...Can you do it?"
-Gulp...!
Park Min-seok forced a gulp of saliva down his parched lips.
"Then what? We have to do it... If we don't, who will?"
It was summer, but a slight coolness lingered in the air.
"Mister, do you trust me?"
"Do you trust me, mister?"
"I trust you. I can do it... I can do it...!"
Saying that, Park Min-seok clenched his fists, and a look of sheer determination filled his face.
"Gyeongsuk, get up. Mr. Min-seok, please get up quickly too."
After watching the two lying flat on the ground, I finally spoke up, thinking this was just too much.
"Are you planning to steal it? Yukara rice is all over the place; we just need to pay the owner of this rice paddy a little extra and buy it..."
Well, I didn't actually think they were lying there with the intention of stealing.
After a week-long journey, we had finally arrived in Hokkaido. During that week, they had play-acted like this and joked around, turning Park Min-seok and my sister into the closest of friends.
I already knew that Park Min-seok had an unusual talent for dealing with people when we went to Gunwi and dealt with the laborers, but this exceeded my imagination.
While traveling, Park Min-seok mostly took care of my sister in my stead, as I was a bit awkward on my first trip with her, but now, rather than one taking care of the other, they were relying on each other and showing a sticky closeness.
"You two stay here. I'll go buy it."
Buying Yukara rice in Japan itself was entirely possible. Although the government managed the trade of varieties, they couldn't inspect every nook and cranny, making it merely a formality.
However, that was only the case for transactions within Japan; how to bring the rice into Korea was the real problem.
"I would like to purchase a little Yukara rice seed."
I spoke in Japanese.
Yi Dong-ho, having lived through the Japanese colonial period, was certainly fluent in Japanese.
The Hokkaido farmer looked a bit puzzled, but when I added a premium, he smiled and readily agreed.
"Take as much as you need directly."
I quietly passed the two still lying face down, entered the paddy, and shook the outermost rice ears.
Then, I filled the bottle I brought and walked out of the paddy.
If the rice we develop does well, wouldn't it naturally be a good thing for Japan, which consumes the same Japonica variety?
Of course, if we export the seeds, we would have to receive royalties accordingly.
"We were just joking around."
"That's right! Boss. You have no humanity. I didn't see you that way, but I'm a little disappointed."
The two of them got up, dusted off their clothes, and glared at me.
I smiled silently and approached my sister.
-Tap. Tap.
"I can dust it off myself. Oppa."
"Stay still. You got dirt all over your body... And what's this on your pretty face?"
Even as I said that outwardly, the smile on my lips wouldn't fade.
I carefully brushed the dirt off her clothes and face.
*
Acquiring the Yukara seeds was much easier than I had thought. Getting it out of the country was an issue, but that was something to think about later.
Now, the more arduous second goal remained.
"Boss. Saitama? Where is that? Can't you tell me now why we're going there?"
Park Min-seok pressed me for an answer, unable to contain his curiosity.
...But I knew this person's true intentions.
"Mister. It's really nice here."
"Hahaha. Right? Even I didn't know Japan would look this good."
"Can't we stay here just a little longer before we go?"
"Should I try talking to the boss for you? You trust me, right?"
"No."
Then, for some reason, they found something hilarious, clutching their stomachs and rolling around, before finally suppressing their laughter and having Park Min-seok approach me.
It was the first time in my entire past life that I saw my mother laughing so brightly and chatting so joyfully, and it happened on this trip to Japan.
Since I had to lead the operations on this trip to Japan, I couldn't join them in laughing and joking, but I was incredibly grateful to Park Min-seok.
My sister's dialect, which hadn't changed much even after coming up to Yeongdong, had noticeably shifted to a Seoul way of speaking during this trip to Japan with Park Min-seok. Of course, her dialect still slipped in here and there. Regardless, it was a testament to how much they must have talked.
"Oppa. I'm curious too."
While I was staring at Park Min-seok, my sister joined in.
"Hmm..."
I needed something to persuade the two of them.
Just in case, I led the two of them and went looking for a shop in Hokkaido.
After walking for about 30 minutes, a shop selling various daily necessities and food came into view.
"Excuse me. Do you have ramen?"
I asked in Japanese as I opened the door and entered.
That's right.
One of the two things I was going to bring back.
The first cotton seed of Moon Ik-jeom was the early-maturing Japonica Yukara rice.
The second cotton seed was none other than ramen.
Japanese name: Ramen.
Ando Momofuku, a Taiwanese-Japanese and the founder of Nissin Foods.
Ando Momofuku got the idea after watching his wife fry tempura in the kitchen, and in 1958, he launched Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant ramen.
With the advent of Chicken Ramen, Nissin Foods achieved instant success.
The man who created instant ramen first and stood at the center of the business.
However, we shouldn't be going to this man.
In my past life, Jeon Jae-yun, the chairman of Samyeong Industries who launched Korea's first ramen, also sought out Ando Momofuku but was flatly rejected. This was despite offering to pay, not just asking to borrow the technology.
I didn't know the full details, but I couldn't confidently claim I'd be any better at persuading Ando than Samyeong's Chairman Jeon Jae-yun.
Because of that, the person I needed to seek out wasn't Ando, but someone else.
Nissin Foods' rival.
Myojo Foods' 'Okui Kiyosumi'.
It might seem like ramen could be whipped up easily, but it surprisingly required technical expertise and processing know-how. We needed something to reference and imitate to get a sense of it, but since we had nothing, we absolutely had to receive a technology transfer to save time.
It is a fact that our people have more bad memories of Japan than good, but not everyone is bad.
There are good Japanese people, just as there are bad Korean people.
I decided to target him one step ahead of Samyeong Industries.
Since Samyeong first launched ramen in Korea in September 1963, even factoring in the time they spent receiving technology transfers, I would be faster to meet Okui Kiyosumi in this life.
That very Okui Kiyosumi was in Saitama.
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[1] *Seuda* is Gyeongsang dialect for *Saida*, the Korean transliteration of the English word 'Cider'. In Korea, 'cider' refers to clear carbonated drinks like Sprite or 7Up.