Ep. 21: The Russian Civil War - Koreans in Khabarovsk
"We've received letters from Maria and Nastya in Moscow!"
Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The Romanov family, now reduced from seven to five members, eagerly opened the letters sent by their third and fourth daughters.
Having recently learned of the approaching White Army, the Romanovs had hastily fled Tobolsk and relocated to Yekaterinburg.
Nicholas and his wife secretly harbored the hope that the White Army would come to their rescue.
Their westward relocation meant the White Army was advancing in their direction, didn't it?
Yet, at the same time, they trembled with anxiety, fearing that the Bolsheviks might strike first and kill them before the White Army could arrive.
Just as the family's mood was growing somber, the arrival of the two letters brought a rare burst of excitement to the house.
"Whose letter should we read first?"
"Let's start with Nastya's," Nikolai suggested playfully. "That way we can cool our hearts after reading Maria's."
Olga, the eldest daughter, nodded and pulled out a postcard featuring the Kremlin.
"Dear Father and Mother, and my beloved Olya, Tanya, and Alyosha," she read aloud. "I'm doing well in Moscow. Siyeong... What did he write? Oh, 'Thanks to Brother Siyoung's kindness, I'm now attending school.'"
"What kind of school is it? Surely our beloved Nastya wouldn't be influenced by such... tendencies..."
"There's no need to worry, Alix. Our daughters are all sensible girls."
Alexandra fretted, but Nikolai gently reassured her.
Absolutely not. Our beloved daughter could never become a Red. (T/N; lmao)
"'I'm studying with girls my age at school. Everyone says I'm doing well. All the tutoring I received is finally paying off.' 'Paying off'? She misspelled 'paying off' again."
"Stop nitpicking, Olya. This isn't the first time Nastya has made this mistake."
Olya grumbled but continued reading.
"...I'm talking to my friends a lot. We even argue sometimes. Last time, this kid called me a reactionary, so I cracked his head open with a rock. The teacher scolded me, but how can I stand for that when I'm not a reactionary at all!"
"Nastya hasn't changed, whether it's the past or now."
Nikolai laughed heartily. Well, that's better than getting hit by someone else.
"Anyway, I'm doing well. How are Mom, Dad, my sisters, and Alyosha doing? Please write back! Nastya. P.S.: Comrade Siyeong... no, Brother Siyeong asked to send his regards. Brother Siyeong also says he wants to see Alyosha soon."
"I miss Brother Siyoung too!"
"A typical Nastya letter."
"Exactly. A typical Nastya letter. She'll probably be just the same until the day she dies."
While Alexandra and Tatiana continued their conversation, Olga pulled out a second letter.
This postcard featured a scene of the Moscow River and its surroundings.
"Dear Father, Mother, and dear Olga, Sister Tatiana, and Alexei, I hope you're all well. I'm doing well in Moscow. Brother Siyoung hired me as his secretary, and I'm working under him. I'm writing this letter after everything is finished and I've returned home."
"A secretary? Well, Maria has always been good at her studies. Still, it's unsettling to have her alone with a boy her age..."
"Honey, let her be. Let her experience romance like we did."
"What I've realized while working as a secretary is just how overwhelming the workload is. Most of my tasks are simple writing and paperwork that Brother Siyoung doesn't need to bother with. Even with these minor duties, I'm constantly swamped. It's made me appreciate Father's work even more. Do you think I'll ever be able to handle this kind of workload with ease?"
"Heh, all I ever did was stamp documents..." Nikolai scratched his neck awkwardly.
"Brother Siyoung is currently working in diplomacy. Thanks to him, my knowledge of diplomacy has increased quite a bit. Especially my old language skills in French, German, and Latin have been a great help. I used to wonder why I bothered learning them, thinking they were useless, but now I realize how fortunate I was to have learned them. Even Brother Siyoung praises me for it."
"Hey, it looks like you've fallen for that man," Tatiana remarked casually.
The entire family turned to stare at her.
"What do you mean? Women don't write so much about men they aren't interested in. Especially if he's a superior, they'd be even less likely to write about him. But she keeps writing..."
"That means she's interested. We might end up with a Mongolian son-in-law, dear."
Alexandra looked forward to it, but Nikolai wore a disgruntled expression.
*It's not fair to give our precious daughter to that Asian.*
"...'I have to be at work by 8 a.m. tomorrow, so I'll stop here. The work is fulfilling, but I can't hide the feeling of loneliness. I wish our whole family could live together in Moscow soon. Please write back if you can. Maria. P.S. Brother Siyoung also says he hopes to meet us all in Moscow soon.'"
"She's really taken with him."
"That's right."
"What on earth does she see in him?" Nikolai grumbled.
The women in the family answered him.
"He's handsome, of course. For a Mongolian, that is."
"And he's so kind—much kinder than the other guards."
"I don't even know if they're treating him well in Moscow."
"Well, I'm against it. A Mongolian son-in-law? Billy and George will never let me live this down."
"Those cousins who won't even help us anymore? It's time we stopped worrying about their feelings."
"Still, I refuse!"
And so, another night passed for the Romanov Imperial Family.
***
Near Khabarovsk, Russia.
"How many comrades have survived?"
"Not many. Even with the naked eye, it looks like about half have fallen."
Fluent Korean echoed through a abandoned barn.
The leader of the fifty-some people was a strong woman standing firmly in their midst.
Since early August, the White Army, allied with the Japanese Army, had begun advancing into the Far East, making Khabarovsk, caught in between, their primary target.
This group, the Korean Socialist Party, was a Korean Socialist party formed out of the crisis awareness that they couldn't just sit quietly and die under the Japanese Army and White Army.
She, Alexandra Petrovna Kim, raised her voice.
"Even though we find ourselves in this dire situation, we must never give up. We're not fighting just for the Bolshevik Party. We're fighting to show that the will of the Korean people who oppose Japan is still alive, that there is still some force standing against Japan and Western imperialism."
Her tone was resolute as she spoke.
"We who have gathered here have already resolved to die for the Korean people and the Socialist ideal. I, too, have pledged that I would gladly give my life for the independence of our Fatherland and the Revolution, and you all..."
Just then, someone banged loudly on the door of the old barn.
"Who is it?"
"It might be a spy for the White Army."
Lee Dong-hwi, Kim Alexandra's trusted confidant, leveled his gun at the door.
Kim Alexandra demanded in a commanding voice, "Who are you? If you're not one of our Korean compatriots, get lost!"
"I am also Korean," came a calm voice from beyond the door. "Are you Comrade Kim Alexandra?"
Lee Dong-hwi snapped back, "Then identify yourself!"
"I've come on a secret mission from Comrade Lee Si-young in Moscow. Is Comrade Kim Alexandra present? If not, I'll be on my way."
Lee Si-young? Kim Alexandra's eyes widened. She blurted out urgently, "Come in! What secret mission did you receive from Comrade Lee Si-young?"
The man burst through the door, holding a gun and facing a room full of weapons trained on him.
"I am Vladimir Sergeevich Lee, once known as Yi Wijong. Are you Comrade Kim Alexandra?"
"Yes, that's me. And you... are you Comrade Yi Wijong?"
"That's correct."
Kim Alexandra knew Lee Beomjin, Yi Wijong's father, far better than she knew Yi Wijong himself. Lee Beomjin had been the leader of the Korean diaspora in Russia and committed suicide by gunshot in 1910 after the annexation of Joseon by Japanese Imperialism.
To think she was meeting the son of that man, thanks to a connection she had introduced. Kim Alexandra felt overwhelmed with emotion, but now wasn't the time for sentiment.
"Comrade Lee Si-young sent me. He told me to help you."
"How... did he ask you to help us?" Lee Dong-hwi asked with a skeptical expression, but Yi Wijong's face remained unchanged.
"Comrade Lee Si-young simply said that you would soon be unable to escape death at the hands of the Japanese Army. It was probably an order to save you."
"That can't be," Kim Alexandra replied stiffly.
"Could you explain why?" Yi Wijong's voice became even more detached.
"We've resolved to die here. We don't wish for all of us to die, but at least we won't beg for our lives or try to survive by humiliating ourselves. We'll fight to the bitter end against the imperialist army."
Yi Wijong sighed.
"So that's why Comrade Lee Si-young told us to save them..."
"Huh?"
"I'll be frank. This is an order from Lee Si-young, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, issued to Vladimir Sergeyevich Li of the Third International Alliance. As a soldier, I have no choice but to carry it out."
Having said this, Yi Wijong aimed his gun at Kim Alexandra.
"Follow me. It's better to survive now and plan for the future than to die at the hands of a fellow compatriot."
"You crazy bastard! Do you even know what you're doing?!" Lee Dong-hwi shouted, aiming his gun at Yi Wijong.
"I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm simply carrying out an order. As a soldier, I'm well aware that failure to obey orders means death."
"Comrade Lee Dong-hwi."
Kim Alexandra spoke in a slightly softer voice.
"Lower your gun. I have something to say to Comrade Yi Wijong."
Lee Dong-hwi reluctantly lowered his gun, and she slowly approached Yi Wijong.
Gradually, his face emerged from the thick beard.
"Comrade Yi Wijong. I understand Comrade Lee Si-young's intentions well. But please convey this to him: I have resolved to die here and have no intention of returning alive."
"Then I will have to kill you here, and I will die as well."
"If that's what you wish, then do it."
"Comrade Kim Alexandra."
Yi Wijong opened his mouth, exasperated.
"Do you truly not understand the meaning behind Comrade Lee Si-young's order to spare you? I endured countless near-death experiences traveling from Moscow to this place. Lee Si-young couldn't possibly have been unaware of the hardships I faced. Yet he still ordered me to come here. Why?"
Yi Wijong slowly lowered the gun he had been aiming at Kim Alexandra.
"You must live because you are too valuable to die leading small units in minor skirmishes. While searching for you, I heard rumors about you. They said you were a strong and charismatic leader. For such a person to die here would be a loss not just for Joseon, but for all of Russia."
"...."
"Comrade Kim Alexandra, your Fatherland needs you. Both the occupied Fatherland of Joseon and the new Soviet Fatherland. Please survive for the independence and glory of the Fatherland."
Kim Alexandra began to waver.
Perhaps my previous willingness to die was just a pathetic attempt to escape this situation.
Perhaps the man standing before her now had truly braved death to come here and save her.
She suddenly felt ashamed of herself.
If that's the case...
Then surviving here is the true duty.
"...Very well, Comrade Yi Wijong. If that is your will, and Comrade Lee Si-young's as well."
"Comrade Kim Alexandra!"
"Comrade Lee Dong-hwi. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say. There is a way for all of us to escape this place alive."
If she was going to survive, she had to do it properly. She vowed:
I will definitely witness the liberation of the Korean people in my lifetime.