Empire of the Ring

Soon after the TV news had made a fuss about a huge rainstorm around the Caspian Sea, rain began to pour down in the Arirang Autonomous State as if the bad weather was contagious.

It usually only rained once or twice in the summer in Kazakhstan. The rain was like a blessing from heaven. Although wheat still grew well in dry climates, some moisture was necessary, and the rain came just in time. Natural rain was better than spraying all over the wheat field by man’s hand.

Farmers of the state had been suffering from the heat. As it began to rain, everyone was joyful as they enjoyed standing in the rain. Children also played and screamed in the rain. No one would try to avoid the blissful rain in the autonomous state.

Youngho opened his window to see the scenery outside.

He could smell the scent of wet earth.

The news or rain was uplifting to him as well. The fact that the earth’s scent had gotten stronger meant that the soil had gotten much richer. Many kinds of bacteria and fungi lived in healthy soils, and they caused the earth to smell as they dissolved organic matters.

Come to think of it, Youngho had not seen heavy rain in a while in person.

He wished for the rain to fill up the reservoir.

The towns of the state had installed street inlets on their roadsides, and it was designed to collect water for the reservoir. Not a single bit of rain was wasted.

Other regions of Kazakhstan could be flooded with this amount of rain since most of the cities were not meant for heavy rain as they did not have a great sewer system. Those cities got flooded often because of the indiscreetly built paved roads.

There were about 50 reservoirs that were dug up, but such number was not a lot compared to the size of the autonomous state. The reservoir was the reason why grass and trees could grow. The places that had a large-size reservoir often had a huge ranch for sheep, milking facilities, and temporary lodging facilities for workers.

Since it was difficult to travel far while herding sheep, several ranches were built around the state. The ranchers would milk the sheep and send the milk to the towns.

There were not many companies that made cheese out of sheep’s milk these days, so the cheese that was produced in the autonomous state and the Serbian ranch in Baku had easily gained popularity.

It was already well known to people that sheep milk was highly nutritious compared to cows milk or goats milk. People loved the cheese so much because they knew that it was produced in safe and hygienic facilities.

Even Sergey who had tasted the cheese previously asked Youngho to distribute some to Volgograd.

The demand for sheep milk cheese was rising, so Youngho and Kim Chun were talking about increasing the number of ranches.

“We have about 20,000 sheep now. Their milk is very limited even if we increase the number of sheep. I don’t think we’ll have enough for Volgograd.”

“You know, cheese made from sheep milk is rare and it’s much more profitable than regular cheese. That’s why even Russia wants our cheese.”

“Boss. It’s a proven fact that our cheese tastes great. I am confident in the quality. How about raising the price this time?”

Kim Chun always wanted to raise prices as soon as things seemed to go well.

“If we want to charge more for our product, we need to make it look more luxurious. The packaging needs to be upgraded and we also need a new brand label. That’ll cost you more.”

“If you agree to raise the price, I’ll find a way to change the packaging at a cheap cost.”

Kim Chun who was born and raised in Kazakhstan thought like a Kazakh and did everything in the Kazakh’s way. Youngho could tell that he would probably ask the state’s students to come up with packaging designs and a brand label.

In fact, the cheese produced in the autonomous state and the Serbian ranch in Baku was tasty for Youngho as well. Even though he did not know much about cheese.

Back in Korea, he only knew two kinds of cheese known as the pizza cheese and the sandwich cheese, but it was almost ten years since he moved here. He learned a lot about cheese, and he could now tell which cheese tasted good.

Youngho had experienced all sorts of cheese, from the ones with disgusting odors to the ones that were served to the table after collecting dust in the storage for a long time.

Since there were many underdeveloped regions in the Caucasus, people did not care about the packaging of cheese products. However, a lot of cheese products that were made in the Caucasus and Central Asia could be called world-class cheese. He felt bad that they could not be recognized by more people.

If Kim Chun, whose family had lived in the region for the past few generations, wanted to raise the price, it probably meant that the cheese was worthy to be priced higher. Youngho decided to let Kim Chun determine the price they would put on the cheese since he knew more than Youngho.

Kim Chun left the office with an excited face.

“Boss. Our cheese is a premium cheese! Tell that to Russia when you receive a call from them.”

***

The Black Sea was still under a volatile situation.

The warships from Russia and Turkey were still marking each other intensely. It made the watchers exhausted as the situation kept on for days.

In that situation, several freighters were sailing through the Black sea carelessly. Many people pointed fingers at Arirang Shipping saying that the company went crazy for money, but Youngho did not care knowing how the whole situation was going to end.

Regardless of what was happening in the Black Sea, the wheat field was turning yellow since August was almost about to end. Wheat could be harvested after sowing it for 110 days, so the harvest season was already upon them.

Kim Chun who was checking the quality of the wheat’s ear jumped excitingly. Watching him from a distance, Youngho knew that he must have good news. Not being able to resist curiosity, Youngho went to talk to Kim Chun.

“How did it turn out?”

Kim Chun who was counting ears of wheat hugged Youngho all of a sudden.

“Boss. We’ve got a bumper crop! I don’t know how well other regions of Central Asia have done this year but this is a super bumper crop compared to what we had last year.”

Last year’s crop was only a third of what other regular wheat farms produced.

“A super bumper crop?”

“It’s going to be at least twice more than the last year’s crop.”

Kim Chun was so impressed that he was about to shed a tear.

The wheat was not a super crop like he said, but it was much better than last year.

“That’s good news. Then we’ll easily have 6,000 tons this year.”

“Hey, we have a huge land. You’ll see, we’ll easily have more than 8,000 tons of crops.”

Kim Chun was too excited that he overestimated the number of crops they had. This year’s farmland was only about 10,000 acres. There was no way that 8,000 tons of crops were produced, but Youngho did not want to discourage him so he did not say a word.

The word spread fast to the whole autonomous state.

The residents who did not get excited too easily all came out to the wheat field. Just because the commissioner had shouted a bumper crop, everyone wanted to see it for himself.

They had not forgotten their past when they laughed and cried depending on each year’s crop. They were the ones who lived deep in the mountains and depended on small farmlands for hundreds of years. They must have experienced extreme hunger and cold during those days.

They had never dreamed of a comfortable life and large farmlands before they came to the autonomous state. They did not mind how big their portion would be from the profit. They were already content to experience this kind of life for years and years to come.

The good news made everyone happy in the state. That night, most of the residents came out to the cafés and pubs and enjoyed each other’s company with cold drinks.

“I envy them that they could be so joyful just because of a good crop. It didn’t hit me that way.”

Kim Dong-Sung, the head doctor and director of the hospital, came to Youngho’s office because he saw the light was on.

“Most of the residents lived in isolation in an environment that was even harsher than this till several years ago. They won’t forget about the hardships of the past. The success we have now is all because of their hard work. That must be why they’re celebrating it now.”

“I’ve lived close to 60 but I guess I have been missing something in my life. You’re happier when you have less.”

Happiness did not depend on what you had. People could be content with whatever they had even if it was not much.

“Coming from someone who had achieved so much, you’re making me embarrassed, doctor.”

“Oh come on, you’re the one who made this all possible. When I look at you Mr. Lee, I really want to go back to my 30s and change my life.”

Youngho was flustered since he knew that he was not what Kim Dong-sung thought he was. He had worked hard to fulfill his greed and desires. He had made a lot of mistakes in the past.

“Doctor. Do you know how Koryoins lived here?”

“I’ve roughly read about their history but that’s all I know. I should learn more about them since I’m already living here.”

“You know elder Kim Sung-chan, don’t you?”

“The Koryoin who’s a descendant of an independence fighter?”

“Well, most of Koryoins are the descendants of independence fighters of Korea.”

“That’s true.”

Koryoins were Koreans who were scattered and lived in Central Asian regions. Many Koreans knew how Koryoins ended up in Central Asian regions.

The Koreans of the Joseon Dynasty who lived in the Maritime Province of Siberia was forcefully removed to the Central Asian regions because of Stalin’s migration policy in the 1930s. They received Koreans’ attention only after the Soviet Union fell.

The reason why they lived in the Maritime Province and North Gando in the first place was that they voluntarily moved to fight for Joseon’s freedom. They were also independence fighters because they supported food and supplies to the army for national independence. They were now called Koryoins, but they were indeed Koreans.

“The descendants of the Serbian Kingdom also endured a difficult history just like Koryoins.”

“I thought Serbians had exerted its power all over the Balkan Peninsula, but I guess not everything is what it seems like.”

When the Serbian Kingdom was defeated by the Ottoman Empire, most of their knights and soldiers were sold as slaves and the rest of their people had escaped deep in the mountains with the dream of re-establishing their kingdom. That was how they were isolated from the outside world.

They lived in isolation for a while, but they were forcefully drafted to battlefields and to factories as laborers soon after. They had never forgotten about their past though. When Fatima, the descendant of the Archduke of the Serbian Kingdom was found, they had all gathered again in the autonomous state.

“I guess Koryoins, Serbians, and Kazakhs have a reason why they get along so well. They all have experienced sad and difficult times.”

“That is exactly why I like this place.”

Youngho did not know why he was drawn to the residents. It seemed like the people’s appreciative hearts were contagious.

It was understandable why the residents were so overjoyed with this year’s crop. It was not just a good crop. It was compensation for their past hardship and hope for a bright future.