The Fall of a Giant (4)
If you receive orders for a business trip, what's the first thing you should do?
Obviously—report to your wife. I had to inform Dorothy that I'd been ordered on a long nationwide tour.
"I see. At least this time you're not going overseas, so that's a relief."
"R-right?"
"You don't need to worry much. Seriously. Just the fact that you're unlikely to die is already a bit reassuring. I was wondering why you suddenly dropped to your knees like that."
"Dad, did you do something wrong to Mom?"
"No! I'm praying to your mom like you pray in church. Go to your room! Hurry!"
The kids might pick up strange ideas.
After confirming that Henry had toddled off to his room, I quickly grabbed Dorothy's hand and awkwardly tried to imitate the charming smile I'd learned from Harding.
"Did you smoke opium or something? Why are you acting weird? And what's with that expression?"
"N-no, it's nothing like that."
And just like that, my efforts were instantly crushed. Yujin is sad.
"Should I bring you a gift or something while I'm away?"
"A gift? There is something I want. My dad too."
"What is it?"
"A baseball team."
A baseball team? Should I just buy the Giants? Maybe I should've named our daughter Lotte after all.
Of course, she didn't literally mean buying a baseball team. The problem was, I knew exactly what she meant.
I'm already thirty. It's not like I'm at the age to be afraid of nights anymore—if I really put my mind to it… ahem.
"You know my dad's wish is to have enough grandchildren to make a baseball team before he dies."
"Isn't that… uncomfortable? Having kids is really tough, isn't it?"
"I'd actually like two more. With just two kids, how lonely would they be? And… it's a bit unsettling too."
"That… I've always felt sorry about it."
"If you feel sorry, then do better. Don't make me bring it up every time."
The conversation started drifting in a strange direction, and before I knew it, I realized I'd been thinking with a 21st-century mindset again.
I had attended Ike's eldest son's funeral just recently—how anxious must it look to people of this era, including Dorothy, that we only have two children?
And then, out of nowhere, the image of King with his perpetually displeased expression came to mind. Didn't that man have seven children? How could a proper U.S. Army officer lose to a seal in that regard?
Right. Let's build a baseball team. I won't stop until I hear someone say, "Enough kids already." Like I said—I'm not afraid of anything anymore.
***
And just as I boldly declared that I feared nothing, I was immediately confronted with Teacher Bang Jeong-hwan, who looked flustered, and Yushin, whose face had gone pale.
Yushin, who had confidently boasted that everything was now set up and running smoothly, now looked utterly miserable.
"What now?! I set everything up for you and even handed you the spoon! What's the problem?!"
"I can't sort it out on my own. Underhanded tricks and bizarre solutions no one else could even imagine—that's your specialty in this family, isn't it, hyung?"
Look at this brat. The way he talks?
But as a kind family man and dependable older brother, I also had the generosity to embrace such a pitiful younger sibling.
"True. I do have the best head for that kind of thing."
"Exactly why I came to you."
Yushin glanced at Teacher Bang, who quickly spoke up.
"Our first expansion pack… I mean, our next product, as you suggested, is being prepared with ancient Egypt as the setting."
"And?"
"A statement was released recently."
A statement? What now?
Yushin handed me a newspaper clipping. As I read it, it turned out some Christian organization—something like the YWCA—was claiming our card game was "anti-Christian," and so on.
"These people call everything in the world anti-Christian anyway. At this rate, even if Jesus himself came back, they'd probably call him Satan's pawn."
"That may be true, but—"
"If even crossword puzzles are considered Satan's play, then sure—let us be Satan. Where else would you find a Satan who only takes a few coins instead of souls?"
Play the game enough, and kids get used to numbers and learn letters. What kind of Satan is this devoted to children's education? It's more effective than summer Bible school. Aren't we the ones getting the short end of the stick here?
"This isn't something to just laugh off. Those people are parents, after all. Whose wallets do you think kids' allowance comes from?"
"Our Yushin… seeing you think that far ahead, you've really grown up."
"Seriously. Don't give me that proud dad smile right now. So? Got any brilliant solution?"
"Of course I do. In the end, the main accusation is that we're 'anti-Christian,' right? This kind of thing is all about justification."
I turned to Teacher Bang.
"How far along is the expansion pack?"
"The new cards are being tested. We just need to add the story."
"Egypt, huh… simple enough. Let's heavily borrow from the Book of Exodus in the Bible."
"…Pardon?"
"There you go—your next marketing angle. 'Our child started reading the Bible thanks to this game!' Sounds great, doesn't it?"
His face clearly said, That's not going to be enough.
Guess I needed to refine it further.
"Borrow the story—and those little description texts on the cards, right?"
"Yes."
"Mix in some cipher-like numbers. It won't affect gameplay at all, but kids who get interested in the story will try to decode it. And when they happily flip through the Bible thinking they've uncovered a secret—what will their parents say?"
Once the kids start memorizing verses, the parents will be overjoyed.
Of course, those who want to criticize us will find new reasons anyway—but if we can shut them up even temporarily, our business will be safe until the Great Depression arrives.
It may sound like I'm chanting "Great Depression, Great Depression" these days, but it's true. Once it hits, most hobbies will vanish. No joke—our card game might become the cheapest entertainment available.
There will come a time when even buying a toy or doll will make hands tremble. When parents hand a crying child one or two card packs, they won't be cursing us anymore.
Watching the two of them look at me like I was some kind of servant of Satan, I let out a brief sigh and asked Yushin:
"While I'm here—how's the preparation for aircraft manufacturing?"
"Preparation? There's no such thing. We just gathered some engineering grads with good hands, aviation school graduates, and a few people who used to work at Ford or in the aviation industry. Right now, they're just getting used to things."
"That's enough. So you don't have real production capability yet?"
"Of course not! Calling it a research lab would be embarrassing—it's basically just a club. Don't expect anything big."
I'm not expecting anything either, you idiot.
For now, that's more than enough. No need to overextend.
We just need to hold our breath until the Depression hits.
As long as we don't get swept away by that massive storm, we'll be the winners.
If we can scoop up even one decent aircraft manufacturer, that's a huge victory.
Let's just wait and see how cheap stocks are going to get.
***
As the saying goes, you see what you're primed to see.
With my nerves stretched tight over the looming Great Depression, everything in the world began to look like a precursor to it.
The new president, Calvin Coolidge, had an extremely clear policy direction.
"I have inherited Harding's position. I will honor his intentions."
True to his reputation for silence and restraint, his words were few—but never off the mark.
And that very firmness… was driving my father-in-law mad.
"Thought things might change with a new president—damn it."
"Is something wrong?"
"He vetoed the McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill."
Uh… sorry, but I'm a soldier, not a politician. Saying it like that doesn't help me understand.
"Don't know that either?"
"Is it… related to the military?"
"You don't want to take over the Kansas constituency?!"
"Why would I?! I'm staying in the army!"
"…Unbelievable. It's an agricultural relief bill."
The 1920s may have been called an era of great prosperity—but that dazzling light didn't reach everyone.
Coal miners' strikes were crushed by military force, and farmers—except in a few sectors—suffered from brutally low prices, often operating at a loss.
And yet, the country didn't collapse into revolution.
Why? Simple.
Even if prosperity hadn't reached them, Americans still believed that with enough effort, they too could seize that light someday.
"Even if dairy farming improved somewhat through 'US Milk,' it's barely a drop in the bucket. American farmers are on the brink of ruin. If we don't save them with federal funding, U.S. agriculture is finished."
"I… see."
Sorry, sir. That's not really my area.
From what I gathered, it was something like a government purchase or subsidy system—similar to agricultural policies I'd seen elsewhere—and Congress was sharply divided over it.
"And that bastard—Hoover—"
"Hoover? J. Edgar Hoover?"
"No. Who's that? I'm talking about Herbert Hoover. A lackey of Manhattan. Worked under Wilson and then latched onto this administration—clever opportunist."
Ah, good. Not my Hoover.
That other Hoover would soon become president—and get utterly wrecked by the Great Depression.
Yes, please defeat my father-in-law and become president. I'll be cheering for you. Want some card packs? I could even make a legendary card like
"Industrialists, financiers, and their cronies—across party lines—are desperately blocking the farm relief bill. And those bastards are also blocking the veterans' bonus bill."
"Bonus? Now that's my territory."
"Exactly! Coolidge vetoed both! People in the same party are already calling each other communists. Are Manhattan taxes the only ones that matter?!"
After Warren G. Harding's death, Congressman Curtis reorganized his support and pushed again to pass those two bills, even securing a majority in Congress.
But Coolidge, determined to "continue Harding's policies," firmly blocked them—going as far as exercising presidential veto power.
"Wait—why block the veterans' bonus?"
"Because early payment means raising taxes. And Coolidge and the Treasury Secretary are actually planning tax cuts."
Taxes again. Seriously.
One of the defining policies of the Harding–Coolidge administration was tax reduction.
The logic? Lower taxes for the wealthy and businesses, stimulate the economy, and eventually collect even more revenue.
That idea had been tried elsewhere too… and didn't exactly work out.
Knowing the Great Depression was coming made it all the more frustrating—but what could I do?
If those bills failed, then a few years later, the chaos of the Bonus Army would happen just the same.
A historic disgrace—where active-duty troops were used against veterans. And one of Douglas MacArthur's darkest moments.
I just hoped nothing dragged me into that mess.
And right now, the failure of those bills directly affected Curtis's presidential ambitions.
He was a senator from Kansas—an agricultural state.
Naturally, farmers' votes were his top priority. Which meant he was directly clashing with financial elites in Manhattan and industrial capitalists in places like Detroit.
That awkward tension the first time I met my father-in-law and Henry Ford together? Not a coincidence.
Their goals were fundamentally different.
By now, Ford was probably celebrating with Edsel—raising a toast for blocking what they saw as a scheme by dirt-digging farmers to steal hard-earned tax money.
But in the end, each fragile link in the United States would begin to snap one by one—until the giant collapsed.
What could I do?
Develop Spam?
Yeah, right. If I tried that, Yushin would probably stuff me into the first can.
I even checked—there wasn't even a company like Hormel listed on the New York Stock Exchange yet.
Well, I did load up on Coca-Cola stock instead… so as long as I cash out in a few years, I should be fine.
At last, I grabbed my father-in-law.
"Sir."
"What is it?"
"There's an Eastern saying: flowers do not bloom for ten days, and power does not last ten years."
"And your point?"
"How long do you think this boom will last? Surely not forever."
As a seasoned politician, he immediately understood.
"You're saying it will eventually collapse?"
"It won't just collapse. This isn't a natural boom—it's built on credit and debt. It'll fall straight down."
"So you're telling me not to run for president. But isn't that backwards? Wouldn't taking power during a crisis be the best way to build achievements?"
Yes—if you overcome the crisis, reelection is practically guaranteed.
But this wasn't that kind of crisis.
"What if it's not just a crisis? What if it's a disaster that can't be fixed in four years? What if people say, 'The country collapsed because a non-white became president'?"
"If I don't run, Coolidge will win reelection. And if not him, then Hoover. Both are too close to Manhattan. Judging by this bill, rural areas will be abandoned again. That only makes me more determined to run."
"Father-in-law!"
"This is my last chance, son-in-law. Don't try to stop me anymore."
…This was bad.
Unless he lost in the primaries, Curtis would definitely run.
At this point, I might as well pray for Coolidge to win.
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