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“Don’t you think it’ll be shameless of us to go looking for him?” Kim Tae-Jin asked grimly.

Kim Hyung-Jung could only respond with a quiet sigh.

“I still remember the look in his eyes like it was yesterday. He was the only person who brought back soldiers who were dragged to the DMZ…” Kim Tae-Jin replied.

“Our country was too weak to stand against the pressure of the United States back then.”

“It’s far too cruel to use the trend of the times as an excuse for our incompetence. No matter how you put it, abandoning someone who is at a crossroads of life or death is ruthless. If it weren’t for his last words, something bad would have happened. The reason Section Chief Jeon and the rest of us are all so hung up on keeping talented individuals is because we are reminded of his glory days, is it not?” Kim Tae-Jin questioned. He smiled bittersweetly as he continued, “He always referred to me as a baby chick.”

“It wasn’t just you, was it? Even Section Chief Jeon was summoned alone and reprimanded for acting up,” Kim Hyung-Jung reminisced.

“Right, I remember,” Kim Tae-Jin replied. He then took in a deep breath. His expression changed as he put his hands on his knees and straightened his back.

“I understand what you’re saying. But it will take at least three to four days for me to talk over this with Sang-Hyun and select the right people for the task,” Kim Tae-Jin said, lifting his gaze to look directly at Kim Hyung-Jung. “I may have taken off my military uniform, but I’ve never for a second thought that I’m no longer a soldier of South Korea. Our friendship aside, I want to make one thing clear. This job will be putting the lives of my employees on the line. Can you guarantee that our republic will be reaping benefits worthy of the risks they’ll be taking?”

“I guarantee it. I’m more than sure enough of it that I’m willing to bet my life on it.”

“All right, then.” Reassured, Kim Tae-Jin stood up, marking the end of their conversation.

***

It had been a while since the last time Kang Chan had visited Namsan Hotel. He used to hang in here so often that he started becoming sick of seeing its lobby, but he couldn’t help but feel glad to be basking in its elegance now. The thought made him smirk.

Kang Chan stuck close to Yoo Hye-Sook and walked with her to the conference hall on the third floor, which was where the event was being held.

Chk.

“Situation report on the third floor.”

Chk.

“No sign of anything unusual.”

The receiver in his ear relayed the agents’ comms to him.

Employees of the hotel and executives of the alumni association stood at the entrance, greeting those who were coming in.

“Welcome!”

When Yoo Hye-Sook arrived, one of her old friends, wearing traditional Hanbok attire, extended her hand in a welcoming manner and clutched both of Yoo Hye-Sook’s.

“It’s good to see you again!”

“Likewise. I hope you’ve been well,” Kang Chan replied politely.

“Oh, right! I heard you were admitted to Seoul National University! Congratulations!”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Kang Chan then headed inside with Yoo Hye-Sook. A lot of people acted as if they were close friends with her, and most of them insisted on saying hello to him once they were near. Although he was aware of how superficial this meeting was, he didn’t know when he would have to leave for Mongolia again, so he wanted to make Yoo Hye-Sook happy while he still could.

Once everyone had finished exchanging greetings with Kang Chan and Yoo Hye-Sook, a female manager quickly came over to Kang Chan and Yoo Hye-Sook with a polite smile.

“Mr. Kang! It’s been too long. And have you been well, Mrs. Yoo?” she asked.

A few people around them stole glances at the female manager’s attitude and way of addressing them, but Kang Chan didn’t pay any mind to things like that anymore.

He slowly scanned his surroundings. Seeing agents dressed as hotel staff standing guard at the entrance and all four corners made him feel very assured. With security this tight, he didn’t feel too uncomfortable about stepping out for a minute.

“Mother, I’m going to get some fresh air,” he informed Yoo Hye-Sook.

“Okay, go ahead,” Yoo Hye-Sook replied.

Yoo Hye-Sook probably wanted some time to speak to her old friends in private anyway. Kang Chan quietly stood up and headed to the lower floors.

Now he just had to find a place to smoke a cigarette…

But Kang Dae-Kyung hadn’t arrived yet. What if he ran into his father while he was smoking at the entrance of the hotel?

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Just then, his phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

- Mr. Kang Chan, this is Kim Hyung-Jung. Can you spare me a bit of your time?

“I’m at the Namsan Hotel right now. I was thinking of staying with my parents until their event today is over,” Kang Chan replied.

- Then I’ll head over to you instead. Is that all right with you?

“I see nothing wrong with it. I was actually just about to have a smoke, so that works out great.”

- Understood.

The phone call ended with a farewell mixed with laughter from the other end. Kang Chan headed to the lounge for the time being.

“Welcome, sir,” elegantly greeted another manager Kang Chan hadn’t seen in a while. After taking his order, he turned around to prepare it.

Kang Chan passed the time drinking coffee.

Darkness had fallen far beyond the horizon. The car lights now stretched into elongated streaks along the road.

Although he was drinking coffee in a luxurious outfit and sitting in an extravagant hotel, he would much rather run over to Jeungpyeong and share pieces of thickly sliced pork with the other special forces soldiers.

Pft.

Kang Chan chuckled to himself. His heart kept on being taken from him. The image of the stocky and simple soldiers entered his mind and would not leave.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Is he already here?

Kang Chan picked up his phone. “Hello?”

- It’s Chul-Bum, hyung-nim.

This gangster punk!

Kang Chan couldn’t have been gladder to hear the title “hyung-nim,” though. It had been far too long since he last heard from him.

- I won’t ever forget how you took care of Do-Seok hyung-nim and Gwang-Taek hyung-nim, sir.

His voice sounded as genuine as could be. Kang Chan didn’t know when that would change, but for now, at the very least, he knew that Joo Chul-Bum was being honest with his feelings.

“I’m sure you were having a hard time as well. Good work.”

- I will thank you in person sometime later. Please have a nice evening, hyung-nim.

Kang Chan hung up and took another sip of his coffee.

Chk.

“Mr. Kang Chan, this is Kim Hyung-Jung. I’m waiting by the entrance,” Kim Hyung-Jung informed over the radio.

Chk.

“I’m on my way out now,” Kang Chan replied.

Kang Chan stood up and walked out of the lounge. He wanted to pay for his coffee first, but the manager stopped him with an earnest plea. It wasn’t because Kang Chan looked as if he was broke, though. Probably.

Kang Chan strode out of the hotel’s main entrance. Not long after, he noticed a black van parked on one side.

Creak.

The doors opened as he approached it.

“Welcome,” Kim Hyung-Jung greeted him from inside the vehicle. They left as soon as Kang Chan got in.

“Where are we going?” Kang Chan asked.

“Just out front. I know a good place to have a smoke there.”

It didn’t take long for the van to leave the premises of the hotel. Cars filled the roads and the front of the hotel. It was probably because it was the holiday season, but the area looked so picturesque that it seemed peaceful and prosperous.

The van drove for about five minutes around the hotel and came to a stop in the middle of the road that led to Itaewon.

“This cafe is good for smoking,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.

Kang Chan followed him out of the car and entered the establishment.

What kind of fucking cafe is this?

The first thing he noticed inside was the large traffic light, its green and red lights flashing in sync. It also had a doll the size of a person on display, holding up its thumb.

The two headed to the second floor and stepped onto the terrace, where tables with open overhead gas heaters that opened like umbrellas were waiting for them. They occupied one of the tables and ordered some coffee.

Click.

Afterward, they lit up their cigarettes.

“Kim Tae-Jin and I have finished discussing the terms. Yoo Bi-Corp will handle the security at the beginning of the operation. After some time, they plan to transfer the security duties to the company Oh Gwang-Taek created,” Kim Hyung-Jung began. Their coffee arrived as he finished his sentence, temporarily interrupting their conversation.

“Our main problem is that the Russian mafia claiming that area as their territory is made of former special forces soldiers with tactical military training. To counter that, we decided to reach out to retired soldiers who have experience serving at the DMZ. We plan to have them hired as staff of Oh Gwang-Taek’s company.”

Kang Chan just nodded silently. Matters like this were Kim Hyung-Jung’s expertise. There was no doubt about it.

“Mr. Kang Chan,” Kim Hyung-Jung quietly uttered as he put his cigarette out. “I have three things to tell you.”

Well, that’s three too many.

Kang Chan also put out his cigarette and turned to Kim Hyung-Jung.

“To start with, a lot of agents have submitted their resignation letters to join this upcoming mission, and more are trying to resign as we speak. There’s also a lot of talk about it.”

That can’t be because they suddenly received a hefty amount of severance pay, can it?

Kang Chan set his cup down and waited for Kim Hyung-Jung to continue.

“They decided to move to Yoo Bi-Corp when they heard that it’ll be handling this operation.”

“That isn’t right, though,” Kang Chan countered.

Kim Hyung-Jung hadn’t even taken a sip of his coffee yet. Kang Chan felt as if the man had something to say but was hesitating to get it out.

“What is it? You’ve already started talking anyway, so I see no reason to hold anything back now,” Kang Chan reassured him.

“Until recently, the counter-terrorism team and the military’s special forces have always been stopped from going on operations just before they began. However, when the news of the suppression in Itaewon spread, there has been a rapid increase in agents who support you,” Kim Hyung-Jung explained.

Kang Chan nodded. Something like this definitely wasn’t good news to people in power. The same thing happened in Africa.