Chapter 3: The October Revolution - Alexandra Petrovna Kim
The Smolny Institute, a stately Greek-style building that once served as an educational institution for noblewomen, now housed the Petrograd Soviet—the organization that would soon behead the nobility.
My first impression upon seeing the building was:
"Doesn't this look like Deoksugung's Stone Hall...?"
"Comrade Siyoung, we can admire the architecture later. Let's hurry inside."
From the outside, the building didn't appear particularly large, but once inside, I was overwhelmed by its grand scale.
Even if this was a school for noble children, and barely qualified as a 'school' at this size, how much more magnificent must the other buildings have been? At least a hundred white-painted rooms stretched out before me.
The ceiling was adorned with resplendent chandeliers, the walls hung with oil paintings, and each door bore an enamel-coated plate with elegant lettering.
However, after the revolution, these plates were covered with crude, dynamic signs in bold lettering, announcing their new Bolshevik purpose.
Despite having been visiting this building for a month, Jack Reed sheepishly admitted he still couldn't find his way around.
As a result, we had to wander through all three floors, searching for Teacher Alexandra Petrovna, the person we were looking for.
After wandering through rooms like the Petrograd Soviet Central Committee, the Cheka, and the Socialist Soldiers' League, we finally found the Third Foreign Affairs Bureau, the place Reed had mentioned where she was supposed to be. It was tucked away in a corner on the second floor.
The sign above the white door read "Third Ladies' Room" in elegant handwriting, but above it, in bold red letters, was "Third Foreign Affairs Bureau" written in a forceful, if somewhat clumsy, script. The lone red sign glowing against the white door created an unsettling atmosphere.
Knock. Knock, knock.
I knocked three times with my right hand.
After a moment, a middle-aged woman's voice answered from inside.
"Come in."
"Excuse me."
I carefully opened the door and entered.
***
"Are you... Teacher Alexandra...?"
As I entered the room, my breath caught in my throat.
Teacher Alexandra Petrovna wasn't the stereotypical Westerner I'd imagined, but rather a freckled Asian woman.
No, this person... She wasn't just Asian... She was...
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lee Si-young. My name is Alexandra Petrovna Kim. In Korean, it's Kim Aerim. Welcome to Petrograd. You must be tired from your long journey."
Her Korean was fluent. She was Korean!
My racing thoughts came to an abrupt stop. Now I knew who she was. Damn, I'd forgotten because it had been too long since I studied Korean history.
Kim Alexandra. The first Korean communist.
He was a figure barely mentioned in history textbooks: one of the founders of the Korean Socialist Party in 1918 alongside Lee Dong-hwi and Kim Rip, later killed by Japanese Imperialism.
But when I was studying Korean history again to prepare for the civil service exam, I looked into him in more detail and discovered some fascinating facts.
First, he had collaborated with Lenin. Second, he wasn't just a member of the Korean Socialist Party, but a leader who rose to become part of the Far Eastern Soviet's top brass.
For such a giant of history to seek me out... it's overwhelming.
"Thank you, Teacher Alexandra. Even though I came to Petrograd, the heart of the revolution, driven solely by my desire to be here, I still enjoyed the journey immensely. It's thanks to you that I was able to come this far."
Ah, it's been less than three days since I last wrote in Korean, yet I feel so moved. Kim Alexandra greeted me with a warm smile, perhaps sharing my sentiment.
"It's nothing. We haven't even begun yet. The real work starts now."
I managed an awkward smile in return. Her gentle voice seemed to gradually dispel the nervousness and bewilderment I'd been feeling.
"In any case, I didn't summon you to Petrograd for any other reason. You're only twenty-five, but I see great potential in you. That's why I'm convinced you're the right person to succeed me, Mr. Lee Si-young."
"Succeed... you?"
She forced a bitter smile, the mole on her cheek twisting. "I plan to return to Amur by November at the latest. I've heard that many of our Korean compatriots there are being arrested by the Kerensky Provisional Government. We must go rescue them."
I was utterly bewildered. What on earth was going on?
The fact that I'd woken up in Petrograd was already absurd enough, but now I was being asked to take Kim Alexandra's place and return to the Far East? I frantically waved my hands in refusal.
"No, Teacher! How can you trust me so easily and just leave for the Far East? Besides, if you go back there, you'll..."
Kim Alexandra had been executed by the White Army, who were collaborating with the Japanese. Didn't that mean going to the Far East meant certain death?
But to bring up the possibility of dying here... I softened my voice and continued.
"...Isn't that a possibility? Please send me to the Far East instead. I simply don't have the ability to fill your position here!"
"Persuading them in the Far East is something I must do myself, but my position here can be filled by anyone who truly understands communism and loves the revolution."
Kim Alexandra looked me straight in the eye and spoke.
"I know your understanding of political economy and your logic regarding dialectical materialism well. I believe you are the most outstanding in Joseon when it comes to understanding Marx. Your understanding itself surpasses even mine."
...What?
Me, the person with the best understanding of Marx in all of Joseon? What kind of nonsense is this?
I'm a economics major, not a specialist in Marxist political economy. In fact, economics departments are often the ones most fiercely critical of Marx.
"But Teacher, the problems in the Far East are relatively minor. Though our compatriots suffer there, it's trivial compared to the revolution unfolding in Petrograd! If we fail to achieve revolution here, everything could be in vain!"
When did I become such an ardent revolutionary? But with her as the only person I can rely on, desperation is inevitable.
Kim Alexandra shook her head indifferently.
"I fully understand Mr. Lee Si-young's concerns. But my hometown is Primorsky Krai, and I could never betray the people I lived with there. That's why I summoned you here as my successor."
Her soft yet resolute voice continued:
"Why would I bring a promising university student from Japan all the way here? Isn't it because I believed you could handle this? So please take my position as Foreign Affairs Commissioner. With my credentials, Comrades Lenin and Trotsky won't oppose your appointment."
Damn, I was a university student in Japan? I've never heard of that backstory. My head is starting to ache again.
I tried to say something again, but I couldn't speak as I gazed at her pursed lips. She had already made up her mind to go to the Far East, and there was little I could do.
I sighed. Though Jack Reed couldn't possibly understand a word we were saying, he steadied me with a supportive arm around my shoulders.
After a long silence, I finally spoke.
"If that is your wish, Teacher, I won't refuse. But I'm just a university student, still wet behind the ears. Yet you trust me with this responsibility?"
She approached me with a gentle smile and took my shoulder.
"Don't worry. My judgment has never been wrong."
Ha. With those eyes, I couldn't bring myself to refuse. In the end, I gave up and nodded.
"I understand. When will you be departing for the Far East, Teacher?"
"Comrade Lenin has instructed me to establish a Red Guard in the Far East and arm Koreans to counter the counter-revolutionary forces. Therefore, I must depart for Amur as soon as possible. If Mr. Lee Si-young takes my place, I'll likely leave the same day."
I nodded. So, Kim Alexandra was destined to die... The White Army, fighting against her, would never spare her after she organized the Red Guard.
"Ah, of course, I won't leave Mr. Lee Si-young completely unaided. My mission in Petrograd is as a Foreign Affairs Commissioner, so I must inform my direct superior before leaving. He will assist Mr. Lee Si-young."
That was a silver lining in this unfortunate situation. Though being suddenly dropped into Petrograd in 1917 and tasked with serving as a Foreign Affairs Commissioner was, for me, an unparalleled misfortune.
At that moment, Kim Alexandra stood up.
"Alright, Mr. Lee Si-young, let's go. We need to meet your new superior."
"Ah, yes, understood."
In just one day, I'd already realized these people worked at an alarmingly rapid pace. Would I be able to adapt? Led by her hand, I was dragged through Smolny once more.
***
"...."
"...."
When Kim Alexandra and I went to meet her "superior," I stood speechless, my mouth agape. The "superior" simply stared at me with a piercing gaze.
"Um... Teacher Alexandra...?"
"What's the matter, Mr. Lee Si-young?"
"I've never heard that your superior was... this person."
Kim Alexandra covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.
"Isn't it precisely because my superior is 'this person' that I could summon you here without any qualms, Mr. Lee Si-young? He's a kind man, and I'm certain we'll become close in the future."
Frameless glasses. Messy, unkempt hair. Shining eyes. And... a goatee.
"Are you Siyeong Lee? Comrade Kim Alexandra has told me much about you."
The "superior" extended his right hand to me. With a weary expression, I shook it.
"My name is Lev Davidovich Bronstein. Generally, I'm known as Lev Trotsky. I prefer to be called simply Trotsky, if possible."
The man before me was the foremost Marxist theorist and revolutionary, later to become a citizen of the Soviet Union.
It was Lev Trotsky.