Shadow of the Old Continent (3)
Long, long ago, there was a reindeer named Rudolph among Santa Claus's herd.
Rudolph was the only one with high-beam fog lights on his nose, so every December 25th, whenever fog rolled in, he had no choice but to take the lead.
But one day, Rudolph began to think, "Why bother delivering presents properly? I could just kick them out behind me and be done with it." And eventually, he sold Santa off to Coca-Cola headquarters in America and seized power for himself. Thinking the name "Rudolph" lacked dignity, the reindeer changed his name to Adolf and broke off his antlers to form a Hakenkreuz—
This is bad. My brain is working, but it keeps going off the rails.
Now is the time to fully activate this battle-hardened mind that has endured everything from mountains and rivers to public payphones and rainy-day pancakes. Let's listen to the voice of reason.
— Hang yourself! Hang yourself!
— A fan letter from that mustached bastard? Is this the achievement of a second life? 인정?
— You're 100% getting immortalized on the History Channel and "Surprise"! Hurry and die to avoid the disgrace!
— In the Yujin Kim Supreme Court of the Mind, 8 out of 9 justices vote in favor of "hanging and praying for a third life." Let's carry out the sentence!
No. Absolutely not, you lunatics. How could I hang myself and leave these kids behind?
I stuck a cigarette in my mouth, fumbled with a match to stall for time, and only then managed to come up with an answer for Hess.
"Thank you for the invitation, but I am, first and foremost, a soldier."
"But you are currently on leave, are you not?"
"Even so, as this is only a temporary leave and not retirement, I would prefer to avoid unnecessary controversy. Would it be acceptable if I sought permission from the American Embassy in London?"
"Of course. I don't believe there will be any issue, but…"
"It's just a formality, after all. Ha ha."
Right. If they have any sense, they'll refuse.
After all, Hitler and the Nazis aren't exactly big names yet. Well—not completely unknown, but only just starting to rise. There's no way they'd let me, someone worth keeping an eye on, meet a foreign political figure.
But our paycheck-stealing State Department completely betrayed my expectations.
"Who? Adolf Hitler? Colonel Kim, do you happen to have any prior connection with Candidate Hitler?"
"…Candidate Hitler?"
"He's a leading presidential candidate in Germany."
"I didn't even know he was a candidate. I have no connection whatsoever."
"Well, it would be good if you did starting today. We strongly encourage you to meet him."
So the stab in the back came from inside. They just drove a dagger into me while I'm about to face Hitler in Europe.
"Mr. Hess."
"Yes."
"As a matter of protocol, my government has approved this meeting. Ha… haha. Hahahaha."
"As expected! Germany, America, and Britain are all brother nations of the Germanic Aryan bloodline, are they not? No matter how insidious the Jewish conspiracies that seek to divide us may be—"
Ah, of course. A member of the royal octopus club, through and through—can't help but reveal that bizarre worldview. Talking about Germanic brotherhood in front of me only raises my blood pressure.
Honestly, looking at Hess spouting that nonsense, it's hard to see him as a future architect of global catastrophe. He looks more like a clown obsessed with conspiracy theories. Though when I think about how many people those "clowns" will end up killing… it makes my head spin even more.
Anyway, if my beloved United States government tells me to go, then I go. But if some idiot TV channel later runs something like "Breaking news! Yujin Kim was a proto-fascist mentor to Hitler?!"—that'll be the day my Grease Gun starts firing.
I told Hess that I needed to keep my promise to my family, so I would first tour England and France before heading to Germany. He hesitated for a moment, but since I wasn't outright refusing, he nodded and left.
Now nothing can ruin our peaceful family vacation. Absolutely nothing.
***
March 13, 1932 — German Presidential Election Results
Paul von Hindenburg: 49.6%Adolf Hitler: 30.1%
The hero of the Great War, Hindenburg, failed to achieve a "perfect victory" and was forced into a runoff. The reason? The surprisingly high vote share of a mere former corporal and vulgar agitator—Adolf Hitler.
Since no candidate secured a majority, a runoff election was announced. The Nazi Party scraped together what little resources it had left to prepare for another large-scale campaign.
At that very moment, the response brought back by Rudolf Hess from England filled Hitler with excitement.
"Yujin Kim is coming later? Touring England and France first, is he?"
"He seems… quite thoughtful."
Of course he does. If he came during the election period, it would obviously become a nuisance. That's just common sense, thought Joseph Goebbels, as he addressed the Führer—whose cheekbones were practically ascending with excitement.
"Leader, perhaps it would be best to focus on the election now?"
"Yes. The election. Naturally, that comes first."
"Indeed. Our vote share was lower than expected. We must accept that seizing power this time will be difficult and prepare our next strategy. If the old Hindenburg is elected again—"
"To think I cannot receive such a distinguished guest as the rightful leader of Germany… how despairing. Truly despairing."
"…Of course, that is also important."
Despite Goebbels sounding like he had already given up on several things, the mustached man continued pacing back and forth, passionately listing grand campaign plans with blazing enthusiasm.
It was unfortunate that his motives were so self-serving—but if that ambition fueled his energy, perhaps it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
"Good. We need a more innovative campaign. Something revolutionary enough to awaken the masses! A campaign so massive that the decadent capitalists and the red traitors trying to destroy the German nation will tremble in fear!"
"I'm sorry, but… we have no funds left."
"…Not even a single mark?"
"That's correct. We spent nearly everything on the first round. There's simply not enough to sustain a runoff campaign."
"Then it can't be helped. If we lack money, we'll make up for it with our bodies. If we clearly present the ideals and future of National Socialism, rational Germans will surely cast their votes for us."
That blazing flame, racing forward for the future of the German people alone. That endless energy, that boundless passion.
In a dark world filled with despair and lamentation, Hitler appeared as both a lone lighthouse and a sudden comet. Goebbels himself had been moved by that very image and joined the Nazi cause.
The country grew more chaotic by the day. Jobs disappeared, politics remained unstable, and the streets were filled with constant clashes between Nazi stormtroopers and communists.
"Who dares to stand up against the Treaty of Versailles?!"
"Hitler! Hitler!"
"Who promises you freedom and bread?!"
"Hitler! Hitler!"
"I will never compromise with the corrupt government! I will never bow to their filthy deals! For justice alone! To protect this nation from the reds and give you a better future! Cast your precious vote for the only party ready to fight—the National Socialist Party!"
"Woooooo!!!"
"Only Hitler can save Germany!"
"We're sick of politicians who do nothing but fight each other! This country needs a strong leader!"
"Rest assured! As long as even one of you supports me, I will never falter, never compromise!"
Blood and violence.
Speeches and rhetoric.
Beggars and capitalists.
Protests and suppression.
And elections. Elections. Elections. Elections.
While the Yujin Kim family toured England and France, Germany was drowning in an exhausting storm of elections.
Amid this chaos, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party danced on a razor's edge, wielding the press as a weapon in a precarious struggle.
"Hitler's niece found dead—growing suspicions!"
"Nazi leader Ernst Röhm exposed as a homosexual!"
"Adolf Hitler, actually the son of an illegitimate Austrian named Schicklgruber!"
March 1932 — First presidential election.
April 1932 — Runoff: Paul von Hindenburg 53%, Hitler 36.8%.
May 1932 — Prussian state election: Nazi Party wins 36.67%, becoming the largest party.
July 1932 — Reichstag election: 230 out of 608 seats, 37%, largest party in parliament.
After the long years of hardship following the Beer Hall Putsch, they had finally reached the threshold of victory—but that final step proved far higher than expected.
If they stopped now, it was over. Either the republic would fall—or they would be crushed by it.
The flailing resistance of bloated capitalist pigs and Bolsheviks who worshipped Marx and Lenin had reached its peak, but nothing could stop their rise.
The Nazi Party did not waste time on debates—because the leader's word was truth.
The Nazi Party did not concern itself with complicated rules—because the leader's command was the rule.
With both the Nazis and the Communists—who openly called for the destruction of the Weimar Republic—holding a majority in parliament, no law or policy could prolong the republic's future.
A new Germany, marching beneath the Hakenkreuz, was approaching.
Soon, the entire world would fear the reborn Germany.
***
I really wanted to forget it.
An invitation from Hitler? That's a higher difficulty than having a one-on-one meal with Kim Il-sung.
Ever since that day, I kept having nightmares—him with that shrill German accent, going, "Comrade Kim! Let us paint the world in blood together!" It was enough to make me feel like I'd wake up paralyzed.
Various people kept reaching out to meet me, but I postponed everything. I had already decided—this trip was family first, no exceptions.
Just thinking about Hitler made my head feel like it would explode. If more weirdos got involved, I might actually lose it. Besides, I'd be passing through France and England again on the way back to America. Any interviews could wait until then.
"Hey, Yujin. Why do you look like you're about to die?"
"Hitler. It's Hitler."
Edsel! You idiot!
"Just go, have a meal, take a photo," he says. You know what that means? A hundred years after we're dead, that photo will be plastered all over Wikipedia under something like "Hitler, Ford, and Kim — Worst Fascists of the Interwar Period.jpg."
Thank God I got insurance. I repeatedly conveyed through the embassy that I'd rather not attend, but those bastards at the War Department and State Department basically replied, "Are you insane?" and shoved me straight toward Hitler.
"Do you know much about this Hitler guy?"
"…Not really. From what I've seen in newspapers, he just looks like a typical demagogue."
"You know how media alone doesn't tell the whole story—look at my father. You won't know until you meet him."
Yeah. You really won't know.
Who, just from reading newspapers, would imagine that mustached man would one day build factories to turn Jews into soap?
The truth is—no one knows. That's exactly why I'm going.
A radical party leader rapidly approaching power in Germany.
No intelligence officer would want to miss an opportunity like this.
Thankfully, the kids were excluded—only Edsel and I would meet Hitler. What would children gain from seeing him? Might as well keep them from catching whatever madness he's got.
"Welcome."
"We sincerely welcome Chairman Edsel Ford and General Kim."
The moment I stepped into the Nazi Party headquarters, my chest felt tight.
Hess, whom we had met before, guided us inside. As we walked, I suddenly felt as if sharp nails were stabbing into me and glanced back.
"That person is—"
"Doctor, what are you doing over there? Come along!"
At Hess's urging, a thin man limped forward.
I didn't even need to ask who it was.
"Joseph Goebbels. A pleasure, General Kim."
"Yujin Kim."
"Our leader holds you in very… high regard. I hope today proves enjoyable."
Get lost. Just get lost. Leave me alone, you devil-tongued bastard.
Following Hess, we arrived at the entrance of a large hall.
And there, standing neatly with both hands together…
That bastard.
"General Yujin Kim, it is a pleasure to meet you."
He wiped his palms several times with a handkerchief before politely extending his right hand.
"I am Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. It is truly, truly a pleasure to meet you."
"Yujin Kim."
"Please, this way. For young men like us to discuss the fate of Germany—and the world—one day is far too short. If you knew how long I've been waiting to meet you, you'd be quite surprised!"
No.
I'm already extremely surprised.
"Yujin."
"What."
Edsel leaned close and whispered into my ear.
"Think you could talk a bit and sell him some tanks?"
You've got a death wish, don't you.
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