Chapter Text
Jimin was eight years old the first time he heard his parents talking about America. He was curled up with his little brother on the pallet they shared, pretending to be asleep so he wouldn't be scolded when hushed whispers reached his ears. They were talking about some 25 reforms from Japan, which Jimin didn't understand. But just as he was about to roll over and attempt to truly fall asleep, he heard his mother say, "Yongmin-ssi got a job on a plantation in Hawaii. Said he wasn't going to wait around for his freedoms to be stripped away." There was a slight pause before she added on, "What if we go to America too? The land of opportunity where everyone is free to do as they please."
"Do you think Jimin and Jihyun would adjust well?"
"Our boys are resilient." His mother assured his father. "Plus, it would give them the childhood they deserve."
He was nine the first time they mentioned America directly to him and his brother. "What would you two think about living in America?" His father asked during dinner.
"Where's that?" Jihyun was the one to ask as Jimin's mouth was full of kongnamul muchim. "Is that near Pyongyang?"
Their parents chuckled. "No, it's not in Korea. America is its own country thousands of kilometers across the ocean."
Jihyun's eyes widened in amazement as Jimin asked, "What's America like?"
"Well, it's a very nice place where everyone is wealthy and always has plenty to eat and everyone is free." Jimin tilted his head, wondering why his parents put so much emphasis on being free. He felt like they were pretty free already. After all, he got to spend all day running around his family's farm and going to meet his friends as often as he wanted as long as he was back by dinner. "Some friends of ours have moved there over the past year, so Eomma and I were thinking about maybe doing that too."
"Is it really as good as you're saying?" Jimin inquired, growing ever curious about this magical land called America.
"From what we've gathered from our friends’ letters." His father confirmed with a smile.
He was 11 when he started to understand why his parents were so eager to encourage him and Jihyun to look forward to their eventual move to America. The Governor-General had previously announced a land reform that would provide landowners with more firm proof of their ownership by requiring physical deed and written notices that stated who owned what land. At first that had sounded great, but then it became known that Jimin's father did not have any physical documentation that he owned their farm. After all, it had been passed down through the family and Jimin wasn't even quite sure which generation originally took ownership. There was the option to officially purchase the land when representatives from the Land Survey Bureau came by to determine ownership, but even if they used the money his parents had been saving for America, they could not afford to do so. Jimin guessed he was thankful they weren't kicked off the land at that point, but it was a struggle to truly feel that way when his family instead found themselves having to pay a monthly fee to their new landlord in order to keep their home, first with money then when that ran out with a percentage of their crops.
He was 14 and freshly presented when he decided that his parents dream of getting them to America was just that--a dream. After all, they were barely managing to get by with what was left of their crops after their landlord's cut, and even if they could afford it, it was well known how limited approval to travel out of the country now was. America was just a nice little daydream to help them escape reality for a moment before they went to bed each night.
He was 17 when that dream become attainable.
"Jimin-ah," his mother called out to him as he finished setting the table for lunch. "Go get your father and brother and make sure they wash up."
"Yes, Eomma." Jimin set the bowl in his hands down and hurried outside. "Appa-" He stopped short as he realized his father was speaking to someone. "Oh, I'm sorry." He bowed apologetically to the stranger.
When he straightened up, he found the person eyeing him curiously before turning back to his father. "Your son is very beautiful." She said, and Jimin felt his cheeks flush at the compliment. "How old is he?"
"17." Jimin's father answered.
She hummed as if in approval. "And how do his marriage prospects look?"
Jimin couldn't help but tilt his head curiously, wondering just who this lady was. "None as of yet." His father admitted. "My wife and I haven't done a good job of prioritizing that for him." If it wouldn't have been seen as rude for him to interrupt, Jimin would have assured his father that he was okay not having any suitors at the moment, even if he was the only omega his age in the village to not have one.
"Jimin-ah, I thought-" His mother also stopped abruptly much as Jimin had, but rather than staying next to her son, she quickly approached her husband and the lady speaking to him. "Hi, how can we help you?"
"She's a matchmaker, yeobo." A matchmaker? And she was interested in Jimin? The 17 year old's curiosity grew even more, leading to him slowly shifting closer to his parents. "She helps Korean alphas who have moved to America find brides." Jimin's eyes widened and he quickly closed the last of the distance between himself and his parents.
Meanwhile, Jimin's mother looked at the matchmaker warily, as she had grown increasingly distrustful over the past decade. "How does this matching work? If they're in America and we're here?"
The matchmaker reached into her pouch. "I have photographs of eligible bachelors who are currently looking. If there's one that catches your eye, then I can send a picture of your son back to them. If they like what they see, they'll send back a betrothal confirmation and payment for his voyage."
"But how?" His mother questioned. "The governor general doesn't allow travel to America."
"Unless it's for uniting a bride with their groom." The matchmaker pointed out. "Once the betrothal is set, we'd have your son added to his husband's family registry to make the marriage official here, which would allow him to acquire the documents needed to travel to America." His parents shared a look, their expressions showing they were more open to the idea but not quite all in. "Would you like to look at some of the bachelors before making a decision?"
'I'd like to see them." Jimin chimed in for the first time, eagerly accepting the photographs the matchmaker held out. There were three of them, all of which were handsome and seemed to be well off based on the western style suits they wore and affluent homes they were in front of.
His mother placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling his attention away from the pictures of the alphas. "Jimin-ah, are you sure?"
Jimin bit his lip as he looked back at the pictures for a second, thinking about how if he agreed to marry one of them, that meant he would be going to America. A step closer to getting his whole family to the land of opportunity as his parents had talked about for the past decade. "Yes, I'm sure."
"For you, I'd recommend Kim Childong." The matchmaker said, tapping one of the photographs.
"Kim Childong…" Jimin repeated as he studied his picture more closely.
Before Jimin knew it, he was being dolled up in his best clothes and had cosmetics applied to his face to ensure he looked as beautiful as possible when the matchmaker photographed him. After taking his picture, she left with a promise to send his picture off to the alpha as soon as she made it back to the port. After nearly a month of waiting, Jimin had almost resigned himself to the belief that he'd been rejected when the matchmaker finally returned to their farm with an envelope of money to pay for Jimin's voyage to America. His parents eagerly sent the matchmaker off with a note detailing the day of Jimin's chosen departure date.
The next few weeks, Jimin's mother put all her efforts into preparing him for married life, allowing him to take over some of the household duties she normally so he could transition smoothly into a homemaker role. She also attempted to educate him on some of his duties that were more taboo to discuss, the married acts that were to be done in the privacy of his and his husband's bed with the intent to procreate, but they both ended up too flustered to get much further than, "It's your duty to carry on your husband's family line while also pleasuring him."
When Jimin's departure day finally came, just one month short of his 18th birthday, he and his family loaded up in their cart and road off to the port where the matchmaker met them with all of the documents he would need and his ticket for the ship. "We're gonna miss you so much, Jimin-ah." His mother said tearfully, pulling him into a tight hug.
"I'll see you again soon." Jimin promised. "My husband will bring you to America one day too." He pulled out of her embrace to hug his father, who pressed a loving kiss to his forehead, and then to his little brother. Then he boarded the ship, looking over his shoulder at his family one more time before he embarked on his journey.