Chapter 25: 25
Between and Passion (2)
"I'm not sure if it will suit your taste, but please enjoy it to your heart's content. "Then, let's toast."
Four wine glasses hit the air and made a clean and clear sound.
For Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong, who had only ever drank soju, makgeolli, or at most sake or beer, this was their first time tasting wine.
The two young Koreans could not believe the sight that unfolded before their eyes. There was a banquet that I had never received before, either in my hometown or in Japan.
"We couldn't find many of the foods they enjoyed eating in their hometown, so we had no choice but to serve German dishes. "But let's at least try it."
"Oh, yes. Thank you, President."
Son Ki-jeong hesitated and took the large piece of meat in front of him with his fork and took it to his plate.
The surface was crispy, but the inside was soft and chewy, giving it a unique taste.
The downside was that it was a little greasy so I couldn't eat much, but it was still delicious enough.
"It looks like pork. What's its name?"
"It's called Schweins, it's German cuisine."
Tamura quietly informed me. In fact, Tamura had only seen this dish in books, but it was his first time actually eating it.
For the two young men who, due to their poor circumstances, could not even eat rice, much less meat, a dinner full of meat was truly a new world.
I thought I would only be able to enjoy a dinner like this when I died and went to paradise, but I got to taste it while I was alive.
"Try the sausage too. "German sausages are known all over the world."
"Oh, thank you."
There were so many types of food that if you were hesitating about what to eat, Führer Hitler would hint and suggest various things.
Each time, the two young men stuffed their mouths full of food.
Sausage is a common food in 21st century Korea, but in colonial Joseon in 1936, sausage was a very unfamiliar food.
Most of them were foreign dishes that I had never seen before, but there were also dishes that were unexpectedly familiar.
"Isn't this tofu and kimchi?"
"We airlifted to collect you two."
The tofu and kimchi that I ate with my compatriots at the factory yesterday were laid out.
Son Ki-jeong could not hide his curiosity.
He had no idea that this was sourced from the factory they had visited yesterday.
There was another delicious food. It was chicken boiled in a pot, and it looked perfectly cooked.
Nam Seung-ryong asked in surprise.
"Do German people also eat white boiled rice?"
Tamura interpreted and told Hitler that Baeksuk, which Nam Seung-ryong had mentioned, was boiled chicken eaten only in Korea. Hitler shook his head.
"no. "I prepared this for you two."
"How did you know Baeksuk?"
"well. "I'll leave it to your imagination."
In reality, it was boiled in water with garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and raw chicken, but there was no significant difference in taste.
As time passed, Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong's doubts grew.
What kind of person was the German Fuhrer who prepared all this food? There is no way Germans would enjoy Korean food, so is it really prepared for them? So much in such a short amount of time?
"President, if you don't mind, may I ask you something?"
"Please speak."
"Did all the gold medal winners have dinner with the President like this?"
"no. "You guys are the first."
"Why are you treating us so well? "We are not Germans, we are just Koreans."
"The reason is simple. Because you showed me your will. Even though you were born in another country's colony, you achieved victory through your own efforts. Beating all other strong competitors. "If there is such a person, shouldn't we meet him?"
***
After finishing the meal and having coffee and cake for dessert, I said goodbye to my two compatriots.
The two people seemed genuinely touched by the kindness I showed them.
It is touching to see such generous support from a country that has nothing to do with them.
Lastly, I provided a private car for them and even took them on a tour of Berlin.
This is the real full course. It's not just a superficial Busan full course.
Before leaving, I asked everyone to keep my meeting a secret until I arrived home after the Olympics.
I added an explanation that my position would be difficult if it became known that I had met with Olympic athletes in private.
"Don't worry, Mr. Fuhrer. "I will definitely keep your secret."
"I will never forget today even after I die."
"Go carefully. Let's meet again if we get a chance."
Son Ki-jeong, who returned to Joseon after the Berlin Olympics, did not receive the treatment he deserved despite being an Olympic gold medalist.
Wary of his rapidly growing popularity among the Korean people, Japan tied Son Ki-jeong up with a rope and transported him as if he were a criminal, and followed him until liberation, monitoring his every move.
In the case of Nam Seung-ryong, he was not under as much scrutiny as Son Ki-jeong, but he did not receive much attention from the public because he was a bronze medalist.
When I think about the hardships they will go through when they return to Joseon, I feel mixed emotions.
I just hope that the treatment I received today becomes a memory and helps me overcome the difficult days ahead.
In addition to Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong, there was one more foreign player that I met separately.
That's Jesse Owens. He is a black American track and field athlete famous for winning a gold medal at the Berlin Olympics.
It is known to the public that when Owens won the gold medal, Hitler was displeased and walked out, but in reality it was quite the opposite.
In fact, while Hitler waved and congratulated Owens, U.S. President Roosevelt did not even mention him, let alone meet him.
I think this will turn out well as a picture.
"You must be Jesse Owens. "I've heard rumors for a while and wanted to meet you, and it's an honor to meet you like this."
"Thank you, Mr. President. "I am also honored to meet the President."
Owens looked as dazed as Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong in front of him.
The Germanic people would have never dreamed that the person who claimed to be the best in the world would want to meet not only someone else but a black person themselves.
"I heard you've been through a lot. "I heard that even though you are an American citizen, you are not allowed to use restaurants or restrooms as you wish?"
"So do all black people in America, Mr. President."
"It's such a strange thing. Decades have passed since Lincoln freed black slaves, but discrimination still exists. Well, even we in Germany are not free from discrimination. "This is a very unfortunate thing."
"I had no idea that the President had such a broad perspective."
Owens seemed to have a hard time telling whether what I said was genuine or lip service.
However, he soon realized that there was no way I would invite him, a black man, here just to pay lip service, and his face became filled with emotion.
"If all Americans were half as good as the President, the word discrimination would not exist in the world."
"Excessive praise. Actually, I'm not that broad-minded person either. "It's just that I don't like discriminating against people based on skin color, etc."
"That is enough. "There are so many people in the world whose skin color is everything."
Owens complained about the numerous discrimination and contempt he had faced because he was black and the treatment black people received in the United States.
I guess I've accumulated a lot of words from constantly pouring out words like a fish out of water.
I listened to what he had to say until the end, chiming in with me from time to time.
"After the Olympics, I will return to the United States. "But now that you've won a gold medal at the Olympics, won't the way people view you change a little?"
"I hope so, but I'm not sure. Even if I am a gold medalist, people will think that I am black first."
***
"Mr. President, I don't quite understand. Was there any reason for you to have a meal with him?"
This was what Himmler said the evening he had dinner with Jesse Owens.
Yeah, you knew that. It's so expected that it's not surprising.
"Owens, isn't he a black man, not even a Germanic one?"
"yes. "That's why I met him."
"yes? "No, you met him because he was black?"
"Why?"
Even Goering, who had been silent, came forward and raised questions. It seems like you have no idea what my intentions are.
"Think about it carefully. "The way black people are treated in America."
"Uh... it's not that good, is it?"
"But isn't there a country where black people are treated well other than the one founded by black people?"
Goebbels' point. That is correct. Other than countries like Haiti or Liberia where the overwhelming majority of people are black, there are few countries where black people are treated as human beings.
"yes. But the United States is the world's greatest power. Even in such a powerful country, discrimination against black people is very natural."
"Isn't that the same in Germany?"
"That's right. "But there aren't many black people in Germany."
"······?"
"Think about it. In America, where many black people live, the treatment that Jesse Owens deserves. He might win a gold medal, but to most Americans he's just a nigger. That fact doesn't change no matter what you win, including the gold medal.
What would people think if a black person, who was despised even in his native country, was treated extremely well in Germany? Specifically, black people in America. You will be disappointed in your country. In return, Germany's status will rise.
As it did in the Great War, the United States will interfere to prevent Germany from gaining hegemony in Europe. "Wouldn't it be beneficial to us if we incited black people in America at that time?"
As I have repeatedly emphasized before, what is important now as well as in the distant future is cause and image.
There are countless cases where a war that could have been won was lost due to the absence or lack of this, and conversely, a country that was almost destroyed was revived.
That's what I said, but I know that the plan to incite black people in America and cause trouble is not very realistic.
Above all, I plan to avoid war with the United States at all costs. A war with the United States itself is practically a defeat, so would you be crazy enough to go to war?
There are only a handful of countries that survived or won a war with the United States, including North Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.
Fortunately, North Korea managed to survive thanks to the passive attitude of the United States, which was concerned about an all-out war with China and the Soviet Union, and Vietnam also did not escalate the war due to concerns about an all-out war with the Soviet Union.
In the case of Afghanistan, the United States, unable to withstand the burden of war costs, gave up and withdrew, resulting in victory. Considering the time and damage it took to win the war, it cannot be called a complete victory.
On the other hand, Japan, which had really enraged the United States with its attack on Pearl Harbor, suffered a miserable fall after its entire mainland was literally reduced to a sea of fire.
Not to mention Germany and Italy, which were on the same side as Japan.
Still, the fact that I met Jesse Owens and treated him well will instill a friendly perception of Germany among black Americans, which will be useful in the future when relations between the United States and Germany deteriorate.
"Mr. President, with all due respect, I don't think your plan is very realistic. Even if our agitation works and black people start a riot, won't it be suppressed quickly?"
Heydrich said. I nodded obediently.
"I don't think my plan is very realistic either. Rather than thinking of it as a thorough plan, it should be seen as just a tip-off just in case. "If you can change the perception of the people of the other country in just a few hours, wouldn't there be a more lucrative business?"
"But if it were known that you had a meal with a black man, wouldn't your prestige be harmed?"
"It doesn't matter. I've already heard of being called an 'honorary Chinese'. I don't care at all if people who hate me call me an 'honorary black man'. "No matter what I do, they are the ones who will try to find fault with me in some way."
Heydrich could no longer argue with what I said. Even when he heard it, he thought it sounded plausible.
***
The Olympics concluded without a hitch as scheduled.
Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong, who returned to Joseon, came under strict surveillance by the Japanese police due to their increased popularity.
In the case of Jesse Owens, despite being an Olympic gold medalist, he was completely ignored by the U.S. government.
Although all gold medalists were invited to the White House, he, who was black, was an exception.
After the Olympics, the world's attention focused on Spain again.
France, Mexico, and the Soviet Union supported the Spanish Republicans, and Italy, Germany, and Portugal supported the Nationalists, so the Spanish Civil War began to take on the aspect of a kind of proxy war.
"There's an enemy tank in front!"
"Fuck! Everyone scatter!"
"mom! "Mommy!!!"
On the front lines, gunfire and screams continued day after day.
The hell where blood was splattered and people were crushed and buried in the dirt was being recreated in Spain.
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