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Through it all, Seok Kang-Ho remained at Jeungpyeong, and Kim Tae-Jin and Oh Gwang-Taek were busier than ever. Since Oh Gwang-Taek was bringing fewer men to Mongolia than they expected, the two had to find more employees to send over. They also had to attend to other matters, which included issuing Visas and procuring a variety of equipment.

Kang Chan only had to look at them to know that they had a lot of things left to do.

Every day, Kang Chan would head to the office in the morning, spending his time searching online and talking to others on the phone, then head home in the afternoon.

He thought that they had to grow stronger so they could stop the United States from recklessly messing with them. However, considering everything that he heard from Kim Hyung-Jung and Anne, he couldn’t help but feel as if his goal was unachievable.

South Korea had too many people who enjoyed wealth and power by flattering powerful people and mooching off their authority.

What was so bad about working hard for the wealth they’d use for themselves and their family? Why did only a few go down that path?

Kang Chan smacked his lips.

They had to leave for Mongolia in two days, yet they still hadn’t finished preparing everything.

Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.

Kang Chan’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

- It’s Seok Kang-Ho. What are you up to?

For some strange reason, whenever he heard this fucker’s voice, Kang Chan would feel as reinvigorated as whenever he filled up with spite.

- I heard you’re leaving in two days. I was thinking about going down from Jeungpyeong to see you tomorrow, but if you don’t have anything special going on, how about you visit us for a moment instead?

“Why are you suddenly acting like this? I’m only going to Mongolia.”

- But the men and I are going to Africa, aren’t we? The men look like they want to see you before we leave. You should drop by.

Hearing Seok Kang-Ho’s cheeky suggestion made Kang Chan want to see the soldiers again.

- What do you want to do?

“I’ll come over. Since it’s a little past four right now, we should have dinner together.

- Phuhuhu. Don’t take too long.

“I won’t.”

Kang Chan hung up and told Choi Jong-Il that he was going to go to Jeungpyeong.

“Have you heard about Yoo-Seul?” Choi Jong-Il asked.

“Not really. Why? Is everything okay?”

“We heard that she’s been eating a lot,” Choi Jong-Il continued as he stood up. “Yoo-Seul said that she’s going to become a soldier, but her mom said that at this rate, she might become a pig first.”

Kang Chan couldn’t help but burst out laughing. It was even funnier because Choi Jong-Il—who was always serious—was the one telling him about it.

***

“Is this really true?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.

“You can’t believe it either, can you? It’s probably just a coincidence, but you visited me after I decided to look for my son, and then you mentioned the name Kang Chan. That’s why I couldn’t help but be that interested.”

Kim Tae-Jin’s gaze alternated between the three pictures that Kang Chul-Gyu took out. “Your son looks just like you.”

“I don’t really remember his face that well.”

Kim Tae-Jin cautiously looked up, unable to understand what Kang Chul-Gyu meant.

“I was in so much pain back then. It sometimes got so severe that I felt as if skewers were being stabbed into my head. Getting drunk and high on drugs was enough to forget about all of it, but it also made me feel as if everything that approached me was trying to kill me,” Kang Chul-Gyu explained. He looked down at the photos, perhaps to look at Kang Chan at least one more time while he still could. “I’m not sure if you understand what I mean, but even though I knew he was my son, I also felt as if he was an enemy trying to put an end to my misery. Even though I felt bad and even pitied him, I couldn’t do anything about my thoughts and how I reacted.”

Kang Chul-Gyu smiled bitterly as he glanced at Kim Tae-Jin. “It’s probably hard to understand. Even as we speak, my body is badly craving drugs and alcohol. When I was dishonorably discharged from the army, my wife told me to live even if it meant I had to rely on drugs and alcohol. She told me to work tirelessly for our family the same way I never got tired of serving our country. Unfortunately, resorting to drugs and alcohol to keep me sane turned me into a demon.”

While talking, Kang Chul-Gyu took out a passbook from an old box for his thermal underwear. “This is the passbook for the savings account that my deceased wife opened under my son’s name. She was planning to get him to move out after he graduated from high school, but my son acted first. The day after we were informed that he died in combat…”

“Did you go to the hospital?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.

“They said that I should take out the fragment that’s embedded in this side of my head, but the procedure poses too much risk. It’s making it difficult for me to proceed with it.”

Kim Tae-Jin sighed softly in response.

“My son’s name is also Kang Chan. He went abroad to work as a mercenary perhaps because he had my dirty blood coursing through his veins. He probably never knew that I used to be a soldier, though.”

Kang Chul-Gyu looked at the photos as he continued, “I don’t know how much help I can provide now that I’m over sixty years old, but I’m still going to try my best. Just help me find my son’s remains—no, I’ll be okay with even just one of my son’s mementos. Let me put my son to rest next to his mother.”

Kim Tae-Jin looked up at Kang Chul-Gyu.

‘This man is probably planning to die once he finds his son,’ Kim Tae-Jin thought, but he had no means to confirm if the gut feeling he had was right.

“Sometimes, I find myself wondering what was going on in my son’s mind during his final moments.”

Hearing Kang Chul-Gyu’s soft voice made Kim Tae-Jin quickly look up.

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to tell him…” Kang Chul-Gyu trailed off, holding back what he was about to say with a pained smile.

***

When Kang Chan arrived in Jeungpyeong, he found Seok Kang-Ho and the soldiers grilling meat on the makeshift fire pit that they made by cutting a barrel open.

“Welcome,” Seok Kang-Ho greeted Kang Chan. His mouth was greasy with oil, having just eaten a piece of meat using tongs. The soldiers also approached and greeted him.

“Where’s Lieutenant Colonel Park?” Kang Chan asked.

“He hasn’t shown up even once since the first day he came here,” Seok Kang-Ho said.

Kang Chan looked up out of curiosity as he accepted a pair of wooden chopsticks.

“I heard that he told Dong-Gyun to take care of everything and plans to just sit by and watch even when we’re deployed to Africa. I’m not sure if he’s doing that because he knows something about the situation or because he’s just lazy,” Seok Kang-Ho continued.

“Lieutenant Colonel Park wouldn’t do that out of sheer laziness,” Cha Dong-Gyun responded. He then took a piece of meat and ate it, making sure to position his left hand below his chin to prevent the food from falling on the ground. “He’s been in a lot of conflicts in the field. He got his reputation because he completely ignores the officers joining the operation when we should be greeting and taking care of them.”

Cha Dong-Gyun said everything that he wanted to say even though he was eating meat that was still hot.

“Let’s just observe how things go for now. Once you’re all in Africa, you should rely on Gerard whenever you have to at least until you’ve gotten the hang of the situation. Have you found an interpreter?” Kang Chan asked.

“We’re going to be bringing two with us,” Cha Dong-Gyun answered.

Kang Chan nodded.

After their meal, they joked around over coffee.

Kang Chan was planning on dropping by and finishing his business in Mongolia as quickly as possible so he could meet up with Seok Kang-Ho and the men in Africa in time, but there was no guarantee that everyone here right now would still be alive by then.

They ate to their heart’s content. Amid their meal, they also talked to Yoon Sang-Ki, who had a hole in his stomach.

As Kang Chan prepared to return to Seoul, the soldiers all came out and stood in front of the barracks.

“I’m going,” Kang Chan said.

“Take care of yourself. I’ll see you later in Africa,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.

Kang Chan smirked in response. He then got in the car and drove away from the military camp not long after.

As they merged into the national road, Choi Jong-Il, who was in the driver’s seat, told Kang Chan, “Once you’ve left for Mongolia, the three of us decided to join the special forces team at Jeungpyeong. We’re planning on going to Africa with them.”

“Aren’t the military’s special forces the only ones allowed to participate in this operation?”

“We can use the same reason that Mr. Seok Kang-Ho is using to join—we’ll be dispatched as members of the counter-terrorism special forces.”

Kang Chan simply smirked and nodded in response. However, deep down, Choi Jong-Il’s words reassured him.

He wouldn’t be able to find someone as strong and skilled as Choi Jong-Il anywhere. The man had a lot of experience as well, having accumulated them from the multiple operations they had gone on together.

***

Upon waking up in the morning, Kang Chan went out for a run. When he got back, he took a shower and had breakfast with his parents.

“You’re leaving tomorrow, right?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked Kang Chan.

“Yes.”

“Will you be in dangerous situations this time as well?”

“Honey? Has something dangerous happened to our Channy before?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.

As Kang Dae-Kyung’s mistake filled up his expression with shock, Yoo Hye-Sook’s gaze alternated between him and Kang Chan.

“Work related to the Eurasian Rail is always dangerous. Father probably only worded it that way because of what happened at the presentation hall, which was certainly quite dangerous,” Kang Chan answered instead.

“Y-yeah, that’s right! I just suddenly remembered how dangerous that situation was while I was talking. Channy told me that he’s just going to Mongolia to execute the contract for the Eurasian Rail’s establishment. He’ll return home as soon as he’s done with it.”

Kang Chan laughed because of Kang Dae-Kyung’s somewhat sloppy response. However, what surprised him even more was that the excuse was enough to convince Yoo Hye-Sook.

“I saw in the newspaper that this will have an enormous economic effect. Won’t a lot of people be accompanying you on this trip?” Kang Dae-Kyung wondered.

Kang Chan answered him to the best of his ability.

Kang Dae-Kyung, Yoo Hye-Sook, and most people close to Kang Chan all thought that he was departing to Mongolia to acquire a small and average mine. What they didn’t know was that this started from and was linked to the operation he led in Afghanistan and that Russia and China were also involved in this matter.

“I saw the weather over there. You should probably take warm and thick clothes with you,” Kang Dae-Kyung suggested.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kang Chan ate kimchi soup, which was one of the things that he would miss the most.