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Chapter 321: I\'m Sorry (2)

While Kim Hyung-Jung was talking, Choi Jong-Il entered the room with a serious expression.

"I’m heading over, Manager."

- Understood.

After hanging up, Kang Chan quickly got up from his seat.

"How\'s the hospital security?" he asked.

"We\'ve completely blocked the entrance." Choi Jong-Il replied.

Unaware of the situation, Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard simply blinked.

"Bombs have been detonated to take out Directors Hwang and Song. We need to head to Samseong-dong to assess the situation. If you have extra handguns, give Mr. Seok one."

Choi Jong-Il upholstered his handgun and handed it to Seok Kang-Ho along with a magazine. Meanwhile, Gérard was still confused about what was happening. However, he could tell from their actions and Kang Chan\'s expression that the situation was serious.

Kang Chan briefly explained the situation to Gérard. Afterward, he ordered, "Stay here for now. We\'ll decide what to do next based on how things unfold.”

Gérard simply nodded.

Kang Chan hurried out of the room and got into the car driven by Lee Doo-Bum. They headed straight to Samseong-dong.

Damn it! No wonder my heart was racing like that!

"Do you have a handgun and a radio?"

Woo Hee-Seung handed him a pistol, a magazine, and a radio from the glove compartment. Kang Chan clipped the radio to his waist and wore the earpiece.

Click! Clack!

The pistol was already loaded and ready to fire.

It was late, but Kang Chan knew Lanok would never miss out on such an event. He immediately gave him a call.

- Mr. Kang Chan.

His voice was as clear as it had been that day.

"Mr. Ambassador, we’re under a bomb threat. We\'ll send military forces to secure and control the embassy entrance as quickly as possible."

- I see. The embassy has already been closed, so we should be safe until morning. Please stay calm and rational.

Lanok sounded reassuring. He seemed to be trying to comfort Kang Chan.

"Understood. I\'ll call you again," Kang Chan replied.

Nearly two hours had passed since midnight.

Thanks to Lee Doo-Bum driving at an extremely high speed on the empty roads, they were already entering the NIS’ Samseong-dong branch by the time the call ended.

As they went up the elevator, Kim Hyung-Jung opened the door.

"Welcome."

Kang Chan knew they were under a bomb threat, but he still found Kim Hyung-Jung\'s gloomy expression concerning.

He silently followed him into the office and sat down across the table.

"Directors Hwang and Song have..."

Kim Hyung-Jung struggled to continue.

"I\'ve just received reports that they have died in the explosions."

It was devastating news, but they felt surprisingly and eerily calm.

"Was it just two bomb threats?"

"Yes."

That was probably the end of the threat for now.

"I understand our enemy being able to figure out Director Hwang’s routine, but I find it hard to believe that they could do the same to Director Song."

"We\'ll look into it once the situation stabilizes, but it won\'t be easy to uncover."

Kang Chan nodded in agreement.

The deep night was slowly turning into dawn. As they handled the aftermath, including minor things like traffic control, the sun began to rise and loom over them.

***

It was nothing short of chaos. Domestic broadcasts and even international media were intensively covering the terrorist attacks on Hwang Ki-Hyun and Song Chang-Wook.

Before dawn, Kim Hyung-Jung deployed the 606\'s Special Operations Unit to the French embassy and took other contingency measures. He then made two cups of strong coffee, placing one in front of Kang Chan.

Kang Chan was furious, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Retaliation and all that crap could only be done when they knew who they were dealing with. Unfortunately, all they were aware of was that the UIS militia had attacked and there were rumors that Abibu was involved.

After taking a sip of his coffee, Kang Chan set the mug down.

"Apart from essential operations, I’ll close down the Samseong-dong branch," Kim Hyung-Jung said with resolve. "That’s what the director instructed me to do in situations like this.”

Kang Chan just listened silently. Normally, he would be clamoring for retribution, but he was just quietly sipping his coffee now.

Kim Hyung-Jung looked at him worriedly.

"Manager.”

"Yes?”

"Can you move the personnel from the four countries that are helping us to my office?"

Kim Hyung-Jung failed to immediately answer. Kang Chan\'s overly calm reaction seemed almost frightening.

"Who appoints the Director of the National Intelligence Service?"

"The president does."

Kang Chan stared at Kim Hyung-Jung intently, clearly expecting an answer to his previous request.

"That’s also part of the director’s instructions. I\'ll have them in your office within two days," said Kim Hyung-Jung.

Daylight had fully broken. Kang Chan\'s mind was clear, but his eyes stung so much he felt as if he had rubbed lemon juice on them.

"I\'ll go now."

Kang Chan stood up.

"Mr. Kang Chan."

Kim Hyung-Jung caught his gaze amid the odd silence. He normally would’ve had to plead with him to calm down and be rational. However, right now, he felt that perhaps Kang Chan should blow off some steam instead.

"You should get some rest, Manager," Kang Chan said in his usual tone. He left the office with a smirk.

As he reached the underground parking lot, Choi Jong-Il immediately walked over to him. It was rush hour. Carelessly heading out now would mean spending all his time stuck in traffic.

What to do?

Ever since he heard about the deaths of Hwang Ki-Hyun and Song Chang-Wook, he had been feeling lost. It was as if he had driven like mad believing he was heading to Seoul only to unexpectedly arrive in Daecheon and find himself facing the sea in the morning.

Choi Jong-Il stood right beside him as he looked at the parking lot exit.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—.

Kang Chan pulled out his phone and checked the caller ID.

"Hello?"

- We agreed to meet, didn’t we?

Romain sounded laid-back, which annoyed Kang Chan.

"Speak if you’ve got something to say. Otherwise, just hang up."

Romain lightly chuckled.

- I’ll update you about the place. I just want you to remember one thing.

Kang Chan remained silent.

- It would be wise to be more polite to me. Otherwise, you might regret it.

Smirking, he hung up.

Where should I go? The hospital? The house in Hannam-dong? The office?

As Kang Chan sighed, Choi Jong-Il handed him a cigarette.

Click.

"Hoo."

This damn next-generation energy project had already cost him so many people. Strangely, however, this incident felt particularly draining.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

This morning was dreadfully busy. Kang Chan glanced at his phone again. The caller ID showed Seok Kang-Ho.

“Hey,” he answered.

- Captain, where are you?

"I\'m just about to leave Samseong-dong. Why?"

Seok Kang-Ho\'s voice sounded unusually urgent.

- Hurry to the office and watch the television.

"What\'s going on?"

Another bomb threat?

Kang Chan was about to crush his cigarette underfoot when Seok Kang-Ho continued his report.

- One of the news claims that Ambassador Lanok has engaged in illegal and shady activities. The news came out first in France, but it’s now being linked to the current terrorist events.

Since it wasn\'t about someone dying this time, Kang Chan leisurely just replied, "Got it.”

- Captain, are you okay?

"I’ll head to the office for now."

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Right after Kang Chan hung up, his phone buzzed again. All these calls were starting to get on his nerves. He was so annoyed that he felt like throwing the phone on the ground.

"Hello?"

- Mr. Kang Chan, we’ve been getting unusual reports. I’ll be at your office in about an hour. Please stay there for now.

"Do that. I’ll be at the office."

After ending the call, Kang Chan turned to Choi Jong-Il.

"Seems like we have to go to the office."

"Understood."

As they drove out of the Samseong-dong branch into rush-hour traffic, Kang Chan suddenly felt as if all his energy had been drained.

He was genuinely exhausted.

Why did he have to keep up with this farce? Why had he struggled so hard until now? He couldn\'t even remember his reasons anymore. He wasn\'t particularly close to Hwang Ki-Hyun or Song Chang-Wook, yet the sense of loss he felt now was incomparable to when his comrades were killed.

Why is this happening?

Every time they stopped at a signal, Choi Jong-Il and Woo Hee-Seung vigilantly looked around.

What nonsense is this?

Kang Chan smirked. Despite how important they thought he was, perhaps his expertise was limited to setting up special operations after all. Maybe he really wasn\'t equipped to handle something of this scale.

Sinking back into the car seat, he looked out the window.

Upon reaching the office, he turned on the TV in the conference room. The news broadcast showed the site of the terrorist attack and the hospital where Hwang Ki-Hyun had died, along with a couple of images. Kang Chan flipped through the channels looking for the news about Lanok.

[Today, the leading French newspaper Libération reported that Ambassador Lanok has been engaging in illegal activities related to the entry of Gont automobiles into Korea. He has also allegedly been interfering in South Korea\'s domestic affairs.]

The familiar sight of the French embassy appeared on the screen.

"Particularly, Ambassador Lanok is reported to have given preferential treatment to a Korean high school student and exerted pressure on the Korean government. Evidence will be presented in sequence," the report continued.

Click.

Kang Chan turned off the TV.

"Choi Jong-Il," he called.

"Sir."

"I\'m going to take a nap on the sofa. Don’t wake me up unless it’s something important."

"Yes, sir."

Kang Chan handed his phone to Choi Jong-Il and took off his jacket.

As if by magic, he immediately fell asleep on the sofa. He slept so deeply that when he suddenly woke up, his body still felt trapped in slumber—almost as if he had suffered a huge injury.

He felt a bit better after waking up. After leaving the conference room, Kang Chan looked at the people in the office and smirked.

Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, Kim Hyung-Jung, Choi Jong-Il, and Woo Hee-Seung were present.

"I’ll go wash my face," Kang Chan said.

Washing his face with cold water in the bathroom made him feel much better than when he had woken up. Upon returning to his office, he sat at the table.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I’ve been discharged,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.

"Stop messing around and go back to the hospital."

Choi Jong-Il brought a cup of coffee to Kang Chan.

As Kang Chan grabbed the mug, Kim Hyung-Jung began, "We’re in a really grave situation."

After a brief hesitation, he continued, "French newspapers are putting pressure on Ambassador Lanok, and several TV stations and newspapers are mentioning you, Mr. Kang Chan."

Kang Chan briefly glanced at him.

"Although they\'ve only mentioned you as the student connected to Ambassador Lanok so far, because of the incident at the press conference, those related are already aware."

Is this the work of the DGSE? Having my name in the newspapers isn\'t exactly deadly, though.

"By tomorrow, I would already have the agents from the other countries moved to the inner office. I will also keep monitoring and responding to the situation."

"Got it,” Kang Chan replied.

"I\'ll take a look around and come back," Kim Hyung-Jung said, then moved to the room inside.

"Gérard," called Kang Chan.

"Oui."

Kang Chan gazed out the window, then turned to Gérard again.

"Can we win this intelligence war?"

Gérard looked puzzled.

"We can handle any spec-op situation, but we’re all chicks in this type of battle. We can snipe, but we can\'t bomb."

Gérard’s lips stretched into a long smile.

"What?" Kang Chan asked.

"Captain, it\'s not the intelligence bureaus that do bombings. It\'s terrorist groups."

Is that how it works?

Chuckling, Kang Chan picked up a cigarette from the table.

"Are you seriously considering this?" Gérard asked.

"Well, this feels a bit chaotic, but that doesn\'t mean we can just sit back," Kang Chan answered.

Click.

Kang Chan blew out a puff of smoke. "Hoo."

"I\'ll call three men from the Foreign Legion," Gérard offered.

As Kang Chan turned to him, he added, "They\'re snipers, so they’re quite capable."

"You\'re already conspicuous enough as it is, yet you’re still planning to add three more Frenchmen to the mix? They know everything, even when you go to the bathroom."

"Michelle can handle it."

Kang Chan tilted his head. "Michelle?"

"Didn\'t you say she’s producing a drama? It\'s hard to distinguish special makeup nowadays. If the National Intelligence Service just makes the right ID for that face, we should be able to avoid any major problems."

Is this guy smart or is he just babbling nonsense?

As silence fell, Seok Kang-Ho, sensing the mood, picked up a cigarette with a resigned look.

If Gérard is right, does that mean they can make Daye look like an Algerian?

Kang Chan smirked as Gérard reached for a cigarette as well. He and Seok Kang-Ho lit their sticks up.

"Your men aside, we have quite capable people on this side too if it comes to sniping."

"Can Korean soldiers do that kind of work?"

That was a hard question to answer.

Is this guy smarter than Daye after all?

Kang Chan extinguished his cigarette and relayed his conversation with Gérard to the others.

"Hehehe."

"Why are you laughing?"

"I prefer a mask of my old face."

Kang Chan realized that expecting a proper answer from Seok Kang-Ho was a mistake.

He took a sip of his coffee. As he set his mug down, Kim Hyung-Jung came back in with Choi Jong-Il.

"There\'s enough space. We\'ll move the facilities and agents here tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you for your efforts."

"I\'m going back to Samseong-dong. The injured from Mongolia will arrive this afternoon. I\'ll keep you updated on other situations as they arise."

Seeing Kang Chan\'s expression, Kim Hyung-Jung seemed somewhat relieved as he left the office. Something was being done, but the feeling of helplessness persisted. It wasn\'t possible to just give up the power plant, but couldn’t just march out and attack Saudi Arabia or Libya either.

"Why aren\'t you thinking of hitting back twice as much this time?" Seok Kang-Ho asked, throwing Kang Chan\'s thoughts out the window.

"In situations like this, you normally would have already listed the people to kill and told Cha Dong-Gyun to assemble the men."

Kang Chan smirked.

"What? Why are you smirking?"

"It’s because I don\'t know who to kill."

"You said it’s the director of the DGSE and a guy named Josh."

"Would killing them solve anything?"

Seok Kang-Ho grinned, his face still pale. He clearly hadn’t completely recovered from his injuries yet.

"You’re the one who said that if we bow our heads when we’re hit, we’ll live the rest of our lives bowing to our oppressors. We can\'t just let the ones who killed Director Hwang and Director Song go, can we?"

His eyes glinted as he locked gazes with Kang Chan