you're so golden! || minsung ||

15♕

"Who was the president of Korea during the Third World War?" Jang-mi asks. Jisung doesn't know the answer, so he looks away in hopes that Jang-mi doesn't call him.

Luckily, Woojin raises his arm, and when the woman nods her head to give him permission, he confidently replies, "Yoon Dae-Seong."

The selected are once again in the Great Hall, starting Friday with a history class. In addition to the etiquette and posture lessons, Jang-mi liked to defend that it was important for them to be aware of the country's history and how royalty emerged. This was one of those areas where it always seemed that people's knowledge was very varied, both in terms of the facts and the amount of information they had access to. Some people disagreed, others invented a completely outlandish reality. But coming from someone who works at the palace and for the royal family, Jisung had no reason to doubt the words that came out of Jang-mi's mouth.

"Correct," the woman smiles proudly. "President Dae-Seong was in power before the Chinese attack on the United States, the event that propelled the war," Jang-mi confirms. Jisung repeats the name in his head: Dae-Seong, Dae-Seong, Dae-Seong. He wanted to remember this to tell his sisters when he gets home, but they were learning so many things that it was going to be difficult for him to memorize everything. "And what was the reason for China to invade the United States? Yejun?"

The Three smiles. "Money. Americans owed China a lot of it and they couldn't pay them."

"Excellent, Yejun," Jang-mi presents him with a blink. How did Yejun manage to turn people around like this? He was so annoying. "When the United States failed to pay their huge debt, China invaded the country. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to recover the money as the United States was completely bankrupt. However, they found another temporary solution and managed to get American manpower instead. And when the Chinese occupied America, what was the name they gave the United States?"

This Jisung knew. He and a few other competitors raise their hands.

"Areum?" Jang-mi calls.

"The American State of China."

"Exactly. The American State of China looked exactly like the previous country, but it was just a facade. China ran everything behind the scenes, influencing major political events and forcing the passage of laws that favored them and, consequently, paid off the debt the Americans owed them," Jang-mi walks slowly among the secretaries. Jisung feels like a mouse at the sight of a hawk flying closer and closer.

He gazes around the room. Some of them looked genuinely confused, especially those from lower castes like him. Although they have access to school, teachers from these same castes are not as knowledgeable and informed as those from the higher castes. So, they simply have to trust what their teachers tell them, which is surely not as detailed as the speech Jang-mi gives.

"Anyone would like to add anything?" Jang-mi asks.

Mi-Suk raises her hand, ready to manifest. "The Chinese invasion has led several countries, such as Korea, Japan and some from Europe, to align themselves, establishing alliances with each other."

"That's true," Jang-mi confirms. "As they watched the Third World War start, the rest of the countries feared some attack too, so they agreed to ally with each other," she explains. "Even because, despite the American State of China planning to retaliate against China, they suffered another invasion. Does anyone know which country tried to occupy them?"

This time, several hands are raised. However, someone whispers "Russia" without having been called. Jang-mi looks around for the person but cannot locate them.

"Yes, it was Russia that tried to expand their territory but it ended up failing completely. China decided to step in and defend itself because the Russians tried to steal their property," Jang-mi continues. "However, the Americans grew tired of the attempted occupation of other countries and got together in secret for a few years to plan a gigantic attack not only on China but on all Asia, in revenge for all the destruction, pain and embarrassment that they have suffered in those years. Korea, of course, was one of the targets."