How to Fight the Darkness (3)
On our last day in Europe, my family spent a leisurely time strolling along the seaside.
"So, did you talk things out with Henry?"
"No, honestly, I feel wronged too. Really. Do you think I went because I wanted to? I went because the country told me to."
"Please tell me you didn't say that to him."
"…I didn't say it like that. I do have some shame. But he's all grown up now—ow, ow, ow! Hey, that hurts!"
Henry was already sixteen. By Korean reckoning, that made him eighteen—about the age of a high school junior. So wouldn't he understand that his busy father had to miss his birthday because of national duties?
In the end, after Dorothy twisted my side, I cautiously approached Henry.
"Hey, my eldest son."
"Go away. You'll wake Shirley."
"Oh… right…."
Isn't he past puberty already?
The way he coolly pushed me away while carrying our youngest on his back—it reminded me of Yushin. No, wait, I'm your father, so why are you turning out like your uncle? I didn't raise you to be this timid!
Our grand ambition of forming a baseball team as a family was, sadly, likely to fail. Even when Shirley was born, Dorothy was already considered an older mother by the standards of this era—it nearly gave me a heart attack. A fifth child was out of the question. Two sons and two daughters—it ends there.
"Dad."
"Yeah?"
"Why is there such a huge age gap between me and Shirley—no, never mind."
You say all that and then say it's nothing?
Just take it as proof that your parents get along well and live happily, alright?
Watching my son, who was slowly approaching my height, stirred strange emotions in me.
I'd been working myself to death, running around everywhere. There wasn't just one or two things weighing on me. While I was busy stirring up and dealing with countless matters on a global scale, the kids had grown up before I knew it.
"Are you thinking about going to college?"
"Since when did you start caring about that?"
H-hey, what's that supposed to mean? That makes it sound like I've never paid attention to you because I'm busy with outside work.
"Why wouldn't I care? Who do you think paid for all those noses you broke?"
"Uncle Miller."
"I'm the one who asked Mr. Miller to handle it."
No matter how I look at it, he takes after Yushin, not me. Just look at him talking back so calmly. What kind of upbringing did he have… oh. Right. That's on me.
"We came all the way to Europe for a family trip, and you still went off to work. Doesn't that seem a bit much?"
"You're annoyed too, right? Your dad was furious as well. So you should never become a soldier. It's the worst job in the world—you have to obey whenever someone higher up tells you to."
"I wasn't planning to."
Good. Don't.
Even someone like me, living a second life, hit a wall at West Point. If you went there, how much worse would it be?
If Henry graduated and went to West Point, he'd probably be Class of '34. Then he'd be commissioned as a second lieutenant in '38, and World War II would break out in '39. Pearl Harbor in '41.
There's no way I want to see my freshly commissioned son fighting Japs in the jungles of the Pacific or going up against Tigers in North Africa. I didn't raise him just to throw him into that.
"Alright. Glad you're not going into the military. Then have you thought about your future?"
"Airplanes."
"What?!"
Does he not know how much his mother and grandfather hate anything related to airplanes? I'd once had the chance to go into aviation and carve out a path as a future Air Force marshal, but I gave it up because I was afraid of my father-in-law's shotgun.
"I tried it. It was fun."
"Who? Who let you ride one?"
"While you were gone, some of your friends did. That Mr. Arnold, and that Mc—something—"
My blood pressure!
"But piloting isn't really my thing. I want to go into engineering and study the technology side."
"Well… if that's the case. Your dad's not exactly handy, so I don't know much about what engineers do, but if you're interested, give it your best."
This feels awkward. Really awkward.
…Sigh. I should go back and visit my own parents sometime. Dealing with your own kids is harder than I thought.
"Dad, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"Alice has a boyfriend. I don't even have one."
"What? Which bastard is trying to mess with my daughter? I'll break his legs—"
"I'm kidding."
You're not, are you? What's with that smile?!
Now even my son is making fun of me. Oh, come on…
The authority of the head of the household was declining day by day. And it was all because of those bureaucrats trying to remotely control a soldier on leave from D.C.
When I get back, I'll deal with them properly. I'll squeeze every last drop out of them for making me work like this.
***
Saturday, March 4, 1933.
Washington, D.C., U.S. Capitol.
A massive storm cloud covered the land entirely, and a chilling spring rain soaked everyone's coats.
That enormous dark cloud, blocking out even a single ray of sunlight, didn't feel like a mere natural phenomenon.
Standing before that cloud—which seemed to symbolize the worst trial they faced, the Great Depression—one had to wonder whether human effort meant anything at all.
Everyone suppressed their gloom and welcomed the new president.
The era of Herbert Hoover had ended, and the era of Franklin Roosevelt had begun. Yet people were already growing accustomed to helplessness and despair.
But Roosevelt, standing before a Bible opened to 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, delivered his oath of office with unmatched confidence and strength.
It was hard to believe this was a man who had nearly been assassinated just two weeks earlier.
"This is the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. We need not fear the challenges before us. This nation will endure as it always has, revive, and prosper.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes the efforts needed to convert retreat into advance.
In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support in this critical hour!"
"FDR!! FDR!!"
He drew a clear line from Hoover, threw everything "Hooverian" into the trash, and declared that he would attempt something entirely new.
The newly inaugurated FDR immediately launched a project to revive banks on the brink of collapse the very next day.
"I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking—not with the few who understand the mechanics of banking, but with the many who use banks for their savings and checks."
March 12, 1933, 10 PM.
In just 13 minutes and 42 seconds, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a short radio broadcast. Calm and straightforward, he explained the condition of the banks and asked the public for one thing:
Please don't withdraw your deposits. Trust us.
Two weeks later—
Half of the withdrawn cash flowed back into the banks.
Through what would later be known as the Fireside Chats, Roosevelt won the first battle against the Great Depression.
No one could yet be certain whether the fallen giant could truly rise again. But at the very least, people felt hope—that this new leader was different.
Of course, one couldn't help but admire the sheer greatness of this "king-tier" Roosevelt…
…but the problem was his firm belief that to save America, the U.S. military had to be dismantled.
***
"Long time no see, Kim."
"Well, if it isn't Senator Douglas MacArthur! You're looking sharp!"
"Cut the nonsense. I can't even call you junior anymore, can I?"
"Don't say ridiculous things. Once West Point, always West Point, right? Haha."
I spent hours recounting my hellish schedule—running between Britain, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union, juggling both family peace and national duty.
MacArthur listened quietly, wearing a faint, bitter smile.
"So what do you think?"
"About what?"
"Those new leaders. Hitler and Stalin."
"The German one is a delusional mustache lunatic who thinks he's the Messiah, and the Soviet one is a megalomaniac mustache lunatic who believes only he can control that massive communist state—and everything else in the world."
"So… they're both insane?"
I shook my head.
"Hitler is far more dangerous. That bastard will definitely start a war. Stalin… he'll lie low until the opportunity comes. Hitler will set fires all over the world to create that opportunity."
It reminded me of those Sengoku-era figures the Japanese admire.
One forces a bird to sing by any means necessary.
The other waits patiently until it sings.
Hitler is the former. Stalin, the latter.
***
"Well… this is unfortunate."
MacArthur let out a long sigh and took a puff from his pipe.
"Our new president is planning another round of disarmament."
"Well… it can't be helped. With the global economy in ruins, the immediate threat of war has eased, hasn't it?"
"It'll be massive. Think of it as cutting the military in half."
…What is this, some purple villain who likes snapping things in half?
Half of the U.S. Army turning to dust?!
And yet, the American economy was in such chaos that it couldn't be stopped.
"Well… if they say cut, we cut. I'm just a lieutenant colonel anyway."
"Not for long. Haven't you heard?"
"I just got back to the U.S. and came straight to see you, Senator."
"You'll be promoted to colonel soon. About time."
Really? Seriously?!
Yes! All that work during my so-called vacation paid off! Thank you, United States! You've recognized my efforts!
"So… have you heard anything about my next assignment?"
"Of course. I still have plenty of friends in the War Department. You're being sent to tank development."
…My appetite vanished instantly.
"Tanks?"
"Of course. Why would someone like you be left idle?"
"But you just said we're cutting the military."
"That's right."
"Then wouldn't weapons development budgets be the first to go?"
MacArthur didn't answer—he just kept drinking.
That silence was the most perfect answer possible.
This was a complete hot pOotato assignment.
"Um… is there any way I can refuse?"
"Give it up. You're going into the armored branch."
"I'm infantry! I'll die as infantry!"
"Just accept it! Don't you think it's ridiculous that the 'father of tanks' isn't even in the armored branch?"
"And you ignored orders to join the engineers and stubbornly stayed infantry!"
"That's because I didn't rewrite the history of engineering!"
Aaaaagh! This is unfair! Completely unfair!
***
"Your friends are all struggling, you know."
"Who are you calling my friends?"
"George S. Patton and Adna R. Chaffee Jr.."
…With all due respect, they're less "friends" and more like tumors.
They're not cute companions like Dolly and Dot—they're more like a beagle and a schnauzer straight out of hell.
"Well, I wouldn't know. I'm not a soldier anymore, remember? You're the one who got me out of uniform—you deal with it."
"W-w-who got you out?! Who was the one who grabbed a microphone and talked his way into getting a president removed?!"
"Talk to Marshall about the details. I've got Kansas to rebuild—working myself to the bone. Oh, by the way, any interest in investing in Kansas dairy?"
I almost said, "Why would I ever invest in that?"—
…but then it hit me. I hadn't paid much attention to Dorothy's hometown or my father-in-law's roots. Maybe it was time to do something.
"…What could I help with?"
"Like Louisiana, Kansas had the state take over US MILK. I heard you contributed quite a bit to its establishment—any ideas?"
I'm a soldier, not a businessman.
Selling milk? Where would I suddenly come up with a strategy like that?
If it were spinach, maybe I'd have an idea.
Wait… speaking of that—has Popeye been created yet? If we start brainwashing kids daily with something like, "Drink milk and buy Yujin Kim's stickers to gain muscles and beautiful women!"—
"…Huh?"
"Got something?"
"Well… my younger sibling runs a business involving comics."
"You can just say it's your business."
"Anyway! What I'm saying is—"
I was getting tired of waiting for Superman and Batman to show up on their own.
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