Chapter 30: Zainichi Koreans and the Illegal Idol

Evening, Yamagami residence.

“It was actually a pachinko parlor?”

The Yamagami family had just finished dinner and were sitting in the living room watching the news.

The TV showed firefighters battling to extinguish a fire.
The building where the fire had occurred was already burned beyond recognition, but one could still make out that the rows of scrap metal were likely the remains of pachinko machines.

“I thought all pachinko parlors were run by Koreans.”

Seiko casually commented on the news, as if the disaster had nothing to do with her.

Saying “all” was a bit of an exaggeration, but in Seiko’s memory, at least ninety percent of the pachinko parlors in Japan were monopolized by Zainichi Koreans.

Zainichi Koreans are a special group in Japan.
In 1945, when Japan was defeated and withdrew from the Korean Peninsula, they brought back nearly a million Koreans.
Combined with the large number of Korean laborers abducted during World War II, this formed the future “Zainichi Koreans.”

Some Zainichi Koreans identify South Korea as their motherland; they formed an organization called the Korean Residents Union in Japan, or “Mindan” for short.
Some identify North Korea as their motherland; these people formed an organization called the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or “Chongryon” for short.
The latter was a behemoth that occupied one-third of the Japanese pachinko industry market.

If “Chongryon” occupied thirty percent, what about the remaining sixty percent?

This was thanks to the Korean gangs.

Pachinko is essentially a form of gambling.
Gangs and gambling machines go together like chocolate and music on a rainy day.

Korean gangs make up about ten to fifteen percent of the entire Yakuza population in Japan, but they have always been known for their ferocity and solidarity.
When these people are determined to enter a niche market, it is indeed difficult for other forces to stop them.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t be stopped, but the price to pay was too high.
If it wasn’t a particularly large piece of meat, many forces would feel it wasn’t worth the loss.

“There are indeed many Koreans who open pachinko parlors, but not all of them,” Yamagami Nobuo said.
“Pachinko parlors like this are easy to set up, and they don’t attract the attention of the police, so other organizations do it too.
It’s just that the Takada-gumi has done it on a larger scale.”

Seiko nodded.
It seemed the pachinko business of the Korean gangs was still in the process of developing and had not yet reached the monopolistic status of later years.

“However,” Yamagami Nobuo suddenly sneered, “for the Takada-gumi to have already opened a pachinko parlor on our turf, that I did not expect.”

“Sister, sister, I’ve finished my homework!”

Aiko ran out of her room with her workbook and showed it to Seiko.

Kindergarten homework was of course not difficult.
Today’s assignment for Aiko seemed to be writing a letter to the small animals they were raising at the kindergarten.
Aiko had managed to write a few sentences using the fifty sounds of hiragana and had even drawn a small rabbit illustration with crayons.

Seiko glanced at it, nodded, and handed the remote control to Aiko, saying, “Mm, that’s more like it.
Here, you can watch TV now.”

Today, Aiko had wanted to watch TV as soon as she got home from school.

Yamagami Nobuo was old and couldn’t handle his little granddaughter.
If Aiko wanted to watch, he let her.

But after Seiko came home, she had mercilessly grabbed Aiko and told her that if she didn’t finish her homework, there would be no TV.
Although Aiko was reluctant, she didn’t dare to resist her sister’s oppression.

“I’m going to be an idol in the future.
Rika said you don’t have to do homework to be an idol,” Aiko muttered in quiet protest to her sister while skillfully changing the channel.

Rika was Aiko’s little friend in kindergarten, also a clever and mischievous little girl.

“Hehe, Rika knows even fewer characters than you do.
What does she know?” Seiko said with ruthless scorn.

Aiko found that the cartoon she wanted to watch, “A Little Princess Sara,” had already ended, so she had to stop at the newly broadcast series “Touch.”

Then, she turned back, wanting to defend her good friend.

But Seiko spoke again, with a straight face, “The law stipulates that you are not allowed to be an idol if your college entrance exam score is below 307.”

“Ooh!” Aiko’s eyes widened in shock.
“Really?”

“Of course it’s true,” Seiko nodded with a cold expression.
“If you become an idol illegally, you’ll be arrested by the police.”

Aiko was half-convinced, looking at her sister, then at Yamagami Nobuo.

Yamagami Nobuo opened his mouth, not knowing whether he should speak.
Although Seiko’s nonsense was a bit outrageous, he couldn’t very well advise Aiko not to study hard, could he?

“Think about it,” Seiko continued with a blank expression.
“If a little kid becomes your fan in the future, and at a fan meeting, asks you: Sister Aiko, are you first in your class?
How would you answer her?
Would you say: I, Yamagami Aiko, can’t even write my own name!
Then your fan will say: So Sister Aiko is an idiot.
And when she goes back, she’ll tell her little friends, and then all the kindergartens in the country will know that Sister Aiko is an idiot.”

Aiko imagined that terrifying scene, and her eyes filled with horror.

“So, while I’m not asking you to be first in your class, you at least can’t be an idiot.
You have to complete the homework your teacher assigns you every day,” Seiko continued.

“Mm-hm,” Aiko nodded repeatedly, seeming to have made a great resolution.

Yamagami Nobuo found it amusing and couldn’t help but ask Seiko, “Are you really planning to let Aiko act in a movie?”

“Yeah,” Seiko nodded.
“Ōmori Ryō has already signed with Nikkatsu.
In two weeks, Guilty of Romance will be released.
After Guilty of Romance is released, the next project will be to film Usagi Drop.”

Besides the signing of Guilty of Romance, Miyazaki Yū’s Usagi Drop was also signed.
Twenty thousand yen per page, which was the highest tier of treatment for a new author.
Miyazaki Yū wanted to give half to Seiko as the scriptwriter.
Seiko knew that Miyazaki’s family was short on money, but she didn’t completely refuse the payment, so she only took thirty percent of the manuscript fee.

Saori, on the other hand, was a lioness.
She insisted that Miyazaki Yū pay her a manga artist’s salary that was in line with market prices.
If that wasn’t possible, then a supporting character named Miyazaki, with the setting of being a busty girl, had to be added to the manga.

Miyazaki gritted her teeth in anger, and ultimately chose the lesser of two evils—she added a busty passerby character.

Yamagami Nobuo wanted to ask more about the movie, but the phone in the study rang.
The study phone was generally used by the Yamagami family to communicate important matters within the organization.

Yamagami Nobuo got up to answer the phone.
Not long after, he returned, his face somewhat excited as he said to Seiko, “The plan was very successful.
Not only did the Takada-gumi suffer heavy losses in members, but even Takada Yamakiyo’s son was captured!”