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Chapter 309: Don’t Go Alone (2)

Moreover, Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard’s regretful expressions made Kang Chan feel as if he had no choice but to change plans.

“When he beat me up the third time, I finally started crying pitifully!” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed.

He was telling the familiar story of Kang Chan’s first encounter with him, his subsequent entry into the Foreign Legion, and the reasons he and Gérard started clashing with each other the moment they met. Although he had told the same story so many times already, it still strangely made them all chortle and chuckle.

Around midnight, a nurse put two injections in Seok Kang-Ho’s IV drip, taking cautious glances at Gérard as she did.

They also recalled stories of their difficult battles. However, they didn’t say a word about the men they had lost. There was no need to open past wounds.

Almost an hour past midnight, Seok Kang-Ho’s eyelids began to falter. The effects of the injection were hard to beat.

“You should sleep. We’ll get some shuteye too,” Kang Chan said.

“All right,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.

Kang Chan and Gérard were sleep-deprived. They had to sleep whenever they could.

After lightly washing up, Kang Chan took the empty bed in the room, and Gérard stretched out on the cot intended for the patients’ guardians.

The lack of sleep washed over Kang Chan like water pouring down from the ceiling. He felt himself falling deeper into the bed.

The sound of Seok Kang-Ho’s snoring lulled him into a deep sleep.

***

After eating the breakfast provided by the hotel, Kang Chul-Gyu left his room three hours before noon with his team. Two NIS agents helped him with all his tasks, checking out for him.

Kang Chul-Gyu climbed aboard the bus that was parked at the hotel entrance and stood in the aisle.

Nam Il-Gyu then briefly reported, “All aboard.”

Although the bus had started, Kang Chul-Gyu remained standing in the aisle.

“We’ll be going to Jeungpyeong today,” he announced.

Yesterday, all he had told them was to gather at this time. He only informed them of where they were going now.

“We’ll have a joint training exercise with our juniors there. I’ll tell you our next plans after the training is over. Make sure you use this opportunity to teach them everything you can.”

Afterward, Kang Chul-Gyu looked around the bus and sat down next to Oh Gwang-Taek.

“I’m training too,” Oh Gwang-Taek said.

“Don’t feel like you have to, President Oh,” Kang Chul-Gyu gently replied.

“Why do you say that? No one can stop me from joining.”

Kang Chul-Gyu responded with his trademark smile.

The bus sped along the highway.

All the soldiers saw the black car in front of them and the black van that was following behind.

“Those must be our security escorts, huh?” Yang Dong-Sik asked.

“I think so,” Nam Il-Gyu replied.

“Fuck!” Yang Dong-Sik suddenly swore.

Nam Il-Gyu turned to him, finding him looking outside the window.

“I find it weird to receive this kind of treatment since we were never treated this way while we were on active duty. I just wish my dead wife could have seen this. When I die, I can probably face her with dignity now.”

“Didn’t you also have a daughter? What’s she up to?” Nam Il-Gyu asked.

“So-mi? Don’t even mention her. I heard she’s running a Chinese restaurant on Sewol-Dong Street or whatever. She doesn’t even pick up my calls.”

Nam Il-Gyu turned back ahead, pretending as if he didn’t hear anything.

Most of the soldiers on this bus had a bad relationship with their families since they couldn’t find the time to properly care for their children when they were still young. To make matters worse, by the time they had grown older, their fathers had already turned into good-for-nothing bastards who had been kicked out of society. All they had left were paltry pensions and trauma from grueling battles in the DMZ, and the only jobs they could find in society were usually menial labor.

If only there had been some security companies back then like there were now...

Some of their comrades had even turned to a life of crime.

They all tried their hardest to live, but what they learned in the military was completely useless in society. Moreover, they couldn’t stand people who would try to use their power to beat them into submission.

Gangsters? Bullshit. They could kill any one of them with a flick of the wrist if they wanted to. Breaking an arm or two was nothing.

Having gone through hell and back, they found it disrespectful to be asked to bow down in front of young gangsters or the son of a landlord who drove a luxury car. It was thanks to soldiers like them that landlords had buildings and their sons had cars in the first place.

Considering they had lived lives that made sushi knives look like children’s toys, it was only natural that gangsters didn’t scare them. To top it all off, they also had resentment against the world.

Their frustration and anger even sometimes escaped them. On occasion, when Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik had a few too many drinks, they would shout too loudly and beat up a few gangsters.

Nevertheless, they still couldn’t stop themselves from tearing up when they saw the Taegukgi.

“Hey!” Yang Dong-Sik suddenly shouted, interrupting Nam Il-Gyu’s thoughts. “We’re getting paid for this, right?”

“We’ve been getting paid since Mongolia. Why?” Nam Il-Gyu responded.

“Do you think we’ll get state pensions when we die?”

Yang Dong-Sik looked dead serious.

“The thing is, Somi seems to be struggling a bit these days. I can send her my salary, but I’ve done some thinking. If I die and receive a meritorious pension—”

“You fucker,” Nam Il-Gyu cut him off.

Yang Dong-Sik turned to Nam Il-Gyu, surprise evident in his expression.

“Hey, you stupidass motherfucker! Instead of spending the rest of your life protecting Kang Sunbae, you’re thinking of a meritorious pension? You fucking bastard! What do you think is worth more, you idiot? A salary or a pension?”

“Hey!” Yang Dong-Sik shushed him, signaling him to lower his voice. He then glanced at Kang Chul-Gyu.

Not wanting to make a fuss since Kang Chul-Gyu was on the bus, Nam Il-Gyu chose to drop the subject. However, everyone had already heard. Even Oh Gwang-Taek.

***

There had to be something to it.

Cha Dong-Gyun, Kwak Cheol-Ho, and the others who received blood transfusions from him in Afghanistan recovered much faster than the others.

Was this the reason Kang Chan insisted on giving blood even when he himself was injured? Was something like this possible?

It was hard to say, though. Cha Dong-Gyun and Kwak Cheol-Ho could only speculate.

The soldiers, wearing their full uniforms, stood facing the entrance to Jeungpyeong and waited for the bus.

They had all been promoted by one rank.

Cha Dong-Gyun was now captain, and Kwak Cheol-Ho a lieutenant. Park Chul-Su, who was in charge of the special forces team, now had a star on his shoulders.

They soon heard cars coming through the entrance. A sedan came to view first, then a bus. The vehicles turned toward the barracks.

“Eyes front!” Yoon Sang-Ki commanded, his voice drowning out the sound of the engines.

When the bus stopped in front of the barracks, its doors creaked open.

“Salute!’

Thud.

As ordered, the Jeungpyeong special forces soldiers saluted.

Kang Chul-Gyu hopped off the bus and stood facing the soldiers. The rest of the team lined up behind him, looking moved.

Kang Chul-Gyu saluted them on behalf of the team.

“At ease!”

Thud.

“We’re honored to have you, sir.”

Cha Dong-Gyun took a step forward, signaling the rest of the team to approach the DMZ team.

“Sunbae!”

“Your shoulder has got to be aching. What are you doing here?” Nam Il-Gyu greeted as he shook Kwak Cheol-Ho’s hand. The other soldiers exchanged greetings as well.

“Sunbae.”

Kim Hyung-Jung, who had come out of the sedan, approached Kang Chul-Gyu with another agent.

“I have something I wish to inform you all.”

Kang Chul-Gyu had no idea what it was, but if Kim Hyung-Jung said he had something to say, it was to everyone’s benefit to listen. Hence, he gestured for everyone to gather with a nod. The members of the DMZ team stood behind him.

“The Republic of Korea’s National Intelligence Service hereby appoints you as special agents of the National Intelligence Service Counter-Terrorism Team.”

The DMZ team was already aware of that. A few of them had already even been issued weapons. Even so, they still looked overwhelmed with emotion.

The agent standing behind Kim Hyung-Jung handed him the files that he had been holding.

Kim Hyung-Jung walked up to Kang Chul-Gyu.

“We are living shadows and nameless stars in death. Will you bury your soul in the Taegukgi and offer your fiery blood to your country?” Kim Hyung-Jung asked.

When Kang Chul-Gyu nodded, he was given his documentation.

Next was Nam Il-Gyu.

“We are living shadows and nameless stars in death. Will you bury your soul in the Taegukgi and offer your fiery blood to your country?”

“Yes, sir,” Nam Il-Gyu replied firmly.

Hearing the word “Taegukgi” brought tears to his eyes again.

***

Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Gérard took turns showering in the cramped hospital bathroom.

Thanks to the extra shirts and underwear that Gérard had bought, Kang Chan was able to change into clean clothes too.

For breakfast, they had the galbi stew that Seok Kang-Ho had been singing about the day before.

“Whew! This is more like it!” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed, practically flipping the bowl over his head to drink the soup.

Gérard seemed to enjoy the food as well, eating a good portion of it.

Well, they had endured some disgusting food in Africa. Kang Chan supposed this was just plain good food.

“What are you gonna do today?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.

“I’m going to meet my parents,” Kang Chan replied.

Seok Kang-Ho was nodding when the door opened.

Creak.

Yoo Hun-Woo walked in.

“How have you been?” Kang Chan greeted.

“Hm? When did you get here?” Yoo Hun-Woo asked in surprise.

“Last night. I slept here.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Yoo Hun-Woo examined Seok Kang-Ho’s wound.

“Can that person understand what we’re saying?” Yoo Hun-Woo asked.

“No, he can’t.”

“Then I can tell you, his wounds are healing very quickly. It’s even faster than yours now.”

Kang Chan glanced at Seok Kang-Ho before speaking again.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Too fast can also be dangerous. As I said before, that means you might age faster too. Keep in mind that the opposite is also possible.”

“The opposite?”

“Well, in layman’s terms, it means you’re getting younger, which is actually a very dangerous phenomenon. If you happen to develop cells with mutations, they’ll grow too fast to be stopped.”

Kang Chan gave Seok Kang-Ho a serious look. He wasn’t bleeding, and his flesh wasn’t split, so Yoo Hun-Woo’s warning didn’t seem real. Kang Chan had taken the biopsy for the same reason, but he was still fine.

“Let’s wait and see for now. Be sure to immediately let me know if you notice anything out of the ordinary, got it?”

“I will,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.

Afterward, Yoo Hun-Woo said his farewells and left the room.

“Maybe I’m recovering faster because I’m eating a lot?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.

“I’m not sure about that, but it’s worth asking later in the evening, I guess,” Kang Chan replied.

“Alright.”

“Anyway, we’ll be off now.”

Kang Chan couldn’t really do anything about it right now anyway, so he opted to leave for now.

When they reached the hospital parking lot, Gérard greeted Choi Jong-Il with a bright face.

“Choy!”

“Why don’t you get some more rest?” Kang Chan asked.

“You know how my wife is. She was glaring at me, asking how I’m going to take responsibility if anything happens to you while I’m resting...”

Woo Hee-Seung and Lee Doo-Bum turned around to hide their smiles.

The parking lot was no place for conversation.

Kang Chan stepped into the car he’d taken to get to the hospital, and Choi Jong-Il’s group followed behind him.

It took about twenty minutes to get to Kang Chan’s office.

“Amazing view you got here,” Gérard remarked as he sat at the table. While fiddling with his mug, he looked around.

“Can you call the agents and confirm if my father and mother are in the building?”

Choi Jong-Il replied affirmatively and radioed the agents.

Kang Chan continued, “My parents are probably on the lower floors. Once we’re done with our drinks, let’s go say hi. I plan to stay at home for the time being.”

“Understood, sir,” Choi Jong-Il replied.

Perhaps staying at the hotel would be easier, but Kang Chan didn’t want to leave Gérard there when he had come all the way here from Africa.

More importantly, since Gérard had to be with Kang Chan, even if there was a language barrier and it was uncomfortable for Kang Chan’s parents, it was only right that they stuck together.

Besides, Gérard could be in danger until the secrets of the camera footage were unveiled.

Kang Chan leisurely drank his coffee.

He had questions, too—especially the story about the entire year that Gérard was missing. However, he had no intention of asking him until Gérard had opened it up first. It was no doubt a wound that he didn’t want to speak about.

Kang Chan still had to deal with Abibu’s visit and the Mongolian base. Nevertheless, he felt lighthearted right now.

“They’re both in the office,” Choi Jong-Il reported.

They didn’t have to rush to greet them.

Enjoying this leisurely pace with Gérard, they relaxed and took their time drinking their coffee.

“Alright, let’s go. I’m going to tell them you’re a friend from France. Neither of them can speak French, so we can talk to each other comfortably,” Kang Chan said.

They left the office together.

Choi Jong-Il and Woo Hee-Seung followed. Kang Chan knew he couldn’t convince them to stay behind, so he just left them alone.

An hour before noon, Kang Chan took the elevator down and went to the office of Yoo Hye-Sook’s foundation first.

Since Choi Jong-Il had already radioed them, Cha Min-Jeong greeted them from the hallway with an expectant smile.

Kang Chan nodded toward the office, asking if he could go inside, and Cha Min-Jeong responded with a nod. She looked like she was having fun surprising Yoo Hye-Sook.

Kang Chan knocked and immediately opened the door.

“Mother.”

The agents stood up from their positions, and Yoo Hye-Sook looked at Kang Chan with a shocked expression.

“Channy!”

She walked toward Kang Chan like a person waking up from a hypnotic trance.

“When did you get here?” she asked.

“Just now.”

Because of Gérard, who was standing beside him, Yoo Hye-Sook didn’t hug Kang Chan. Instead, she held Kang Chan’s hand and arm tightly.

“Mother, this is my friend from France. His name is Gérard. Gérard, this is my mother,” Kang Chan introduced them to each other.

“Nice to meet you,” Gérard said in awkward Korean.

“Welcome,” Yoo Hye-Sook flusteredly responded.

Kang Chan sat down on the sofa with Yoo Hye-Sook and Gérard. He told her he was fine when she asked him how he was, and she informed him that they had moved.

“Manager Kim told me. I thought you moved without telling me because I’ve been such a bad son,” Kang Chan joked.

“How could you say that?” Yoo Hye-Sook rebuked.

With Kang Chan’s frequent appearances and disappearances, Yoo Hye-Sook didn’t cry as before, but her eyes never left Kang Chan.

Gérard looked at her in amusement.

“I’m going to go see Father. Would you like to come with us? Let’s have lunch together,” Kang Chan suggested.

“Sounds good!” Yoo Hye-Sook replied.

“Great. I want my friend to stay with us until his vacation is over. Could you help me to get Father’s permission?” Kang Chan asked.

“Goodness. Your Father would love that.”

“Are you okay with it?”

“Of course.”

Kang Chan, Yoo Hye-Sook, and Gérard went to Kang Dae-Kyung’s office together.

“You punk!” Kang Dae-Kyung greeted. His welcome was a little more vigorous than Yoo Hye-Sook’s. He looked Kang Chan up and down.

“Father, this is my friend Gérard from France,” Kang Chan said.

“Pleased to meet you,” Kang Dae-Kyung welcomed.

“You as well,” Gérard said in awkward Korean again.

“Do you have time to sit down and have a cup of tea?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.

“I was actually going to ask you to buy us lunch. Are you busy?”

“Oh yeah? That’s even better. What do you want to eat?”

“My friend’s a big fan of Korean food, so anything tasty is fine.”

“Really? Then let’s go get some bulgogi.”

“Alright.”

Strangely, bulgogi was the first thing that came to mind when thinking of feeding a foreigner. Still, since it was Kang Dae-Kyung’s suggestion, Kang Chan didn’t mention anything and just followed him out.

The restaurant was right in the alley behind the office.

Ignoring the stares of the women they passed on the street, they entered the restaurant together.

They ordered and were served bulgogi.

Kang Chan interpreted Kang Dae-Kyung’s words to eat up, and Gérard thanked him in awkward Korean.

Gérard tightly gripped the chopsticks as he ate the meat. He even scooped up some of the broth and mixed it with his rice.

Gérard could tell by their eyes, facial expressions, and the emotions they shared that Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook cared about Kang Chan. With a contemplating expression, he looked between the three of them. He then smiled when he saw Yoo Hye-Sook take care of Kang Chan.

Once the meal was over, Kang Chan asked, “How was the food?”

“I’ve never had a meal that felt so happy,” Gérard quietly replied.