Written by: Mark Kierstead 

9/08/2017 – Kuwana, Japan

It was just days ago that they announced my death to the world. It was a turning point in my life where I had to leave Seoul behind. That choice was not mine to make but from the mistakes I had made previously as owner. The Korean mafia had been on my tail for days trying to get back the millions I had owed them from bad bets and unpaid loans. The water loan was the worst of it. 20 million American dollars wasted on a project that should have made me money. In the end it just dug me deeper into a financial debt.

Meer weeks after my death much of what I had was sold off to pay back those who I owed. I had nothing left but the cloth on my back and the 5 American dollars I took from one of the manager’s desk. I was living day-to-day, stomach empty on many of those days. I had easily lost 20 pounds by months end. I was looking very unhealthy. I needed to get back to the states if possible to see what else I could scrounge off of.

I called a friend of mine from the states; she and I talked hours about what happened and why my death was faked. With all my debts paid my life was not on the line anymore. I owned nothing to anyone. But before anyone knew of me being alive I needed to get out of Korea or I could be dead. She said she would get me to the west coast and that was it. After all I did give her a start in baseball.

Seven days had past without another phone call. I had begun to eat out of trashcans. Fighting other bums away for the freshest of cans and food. It was not the food I was used to that was for sure. No more perfectly cut steaks or caviar. No smoked salmon or sushi for me. It was left over Korean McDonalds. Those were the good nights and the hot spots. Finally day 13 I got the call I needed. A car picked me up and soon I was at the airport. There she was standing outside the jet dressed in the hottest red dress I had ever seen. I had never thought of being with her, as it was all business and no pleasure.

She escorted me on the plane as sat me right cross from her. She mentioned how we both had to miss the good old days. I did and she knew that. She tossed me a bag and in it was filled with green. I had not seen this much money since I got my old inheritance fund. It was heavy and had to be thousands of dollars in it. I asked her where she was taking me. She leaned back and looked back at me. It was the wherever look. I got that look many times when she looked at me before. I told her California. But I had to keep a low profile for a few years and everyone blends in there.

Around 6 months later I called her up again and talked to her about work. I was sick of LA and all the Richie Rich crap I had to deal with. I was tired of working for people like what I used to be like. She flew me to New York to her suite. She was the proud owner of a clothing line she had bought when she cashed in after I had died. She set me up with a job as a manager in one of her factories. I just had to keep my head up and stay out of trouble. I did that job for well over a year and was itching to get back to the LRS. That’s when I got the call. The number was from the Jonas Pine of the Hyakujuu Shinkansen. He was in need of help and I said Yes and ran up over to T’s office to thank her. I guess she had a few contacts still in Japan and knew Jonas was in need of help. This caused a few spewing matches as some of the GMs did not know  I had taken Jonas’s phone to start trade talks. I helped drop some weight off the payroll and when Jonas came back I of course gave him his phone back. Sadly I had worn out the battery due to trade talks.

As I was sitting at dinner with T I had gotten another call. This was from the new PEBA Commissioner Dan asking if I wanted to GM job open at Kuwana. I said yes and turned back to again thank T and she was gone. She had helped me this far and so much over the last few years she knew I was back on my feet.