Chapter 106.1: End it Quickly (1)
Even after lunch, the Kang Yoo Motors employees were still in front of the TV. They had even locked the doors to the office on the second floor and refused visitors.
[Reporter Lee Sang-Min? I heard that the Asian that was with the Ambassador of France was a South Korean high schooler?]
[Yes. The student accompanying the ambassador of France this morning is revealed to be Kang Chan, a senior student at Shinmuk High School. People say that he’s such a remarkable student that he was invited two days ago to become a full scholarship student at a national university in France. Here’s our interview with the Principal of Shinmuk High School.]
The screen changed to a video of the principal saying that Kang Chan ‘served as a good example for other students’ and that this was the ‘result of the school’s project to bring up talented people’ as if he was reading a book.
Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook were showing mixed emotions.
They started to get calls when Kang Chan appeared on TV, and by the time they had finished lunch, they were even getting calls from people that they no longer remembered. Visitors swarmed into their office as well, ultimately making them lock the doors.
The principal’s interview was now being broadcasted.
[We’re guessing that the father of Kang Chan—Kang Yoo Motors president Kang Dae-Kyung—introduced Kang Chan to the Ambassador of France in the process of bringing the distribution rights of Gong Te automobile, but for a country that doesn’t have a representative for the Eurasian rail yet, it’s the same thing as gaining a valuable, talented student who will go into the international world.]
Before the reporter was even done talking, all the phones in Kang Yoo Motors had already started to ring.
[The Shinmuk High School is currently substituting all classes by watching the coverage of the Eurasian rail event until tomorrow. The Ministry of Education has told the high school to decide if students should watch TV according to the principal’s discretion. This was Lee Sang-Min on the scene.]
After the report, an advertisement was shown.
The new female employee carefully approached Yoo Hye-Sook and asked, “Mrs. Chief Director, would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. What about you, Mr. President?”
“I'd like one as well.”
“Alright.”
The female employee turned around. Meanwhile, the sales department employees were yelling on all the phones in the company. There were even people knocking on the door to the office, which was closed.
“It’s probably best for you not to go to the foundation office, right?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.
“Yes, honey. I’m thinking of staying here today and quietly going home.”
“Sure.” Kang Dae-Kyung nodded. As he did, the executive director approached them.
“Mr. President, Over a thousand customers have expressed their desire to order a ‘chiffre’ today. At this rate, we’ll have five hundred more car orders by the end of the day.”
“Mr. executive director, taking orders when we don’t have the stocks to complete them isn’t right. Please don’t take them.”
“We’re already doing that, but we can’t stop the customers who are asking for queue numbers.”
Kang Dae-Kyung sighed quietly when the executive director turned around while looking awkward.
Kang Dae-Kyung didn’t want to sell cars like this. It felt as if he was selling his son.
***
Four large TVs facing different directions had been installed in the middle of the conference room, creating a square with two rows of seats facing each side in a circle. The back row was about fifty centimeters higher than the front row to give everyone a clear view of the TVs.
In front of all the Heads of the International Bureaus was a desk with a mic and a headset. The room was prepared so that if any material was put on the scanner on the desk, it would appear on the TVs. However, nobody was taking out the materials.
Ludwig, Vant, and Lanok’s friend were sitting in the front, and at the back sat Lanok. Sitting beside him were two people whom Kang Chan had seen at Loriam.
Kang Chan, Louis, and all the other countries’ agents guarded both sides of their country’s Intelligence Bureau Heads, creating quite a strange atmosphere.
“I’m Vasili.”
Vasili clasped his hands and draped them over the desk, then leaned forward toward the microphone. His raspy voice was heard across the room through the microphone and the look in his eyes really suited him.
“Since the Founder and the first operation committee member has been decided, let's now decide how to form the organizations before taking a break. Even though the organizations will be formed by the vice-chairman and the operation committe, it’ll be good to first decide how many people will be in the committee.”
When Vasili finished talking…
“Vasili.”
The overweight man sitting in the middle of Vasili and Lanok slightly raised his hand.
“Shouldn’t the vice-chairman and the operation committee come from a country like Romania, where the rail hasn’t been immediately connected?”
Vasili’s eyes looked as if he was disgraced.
Why is that fucker acting like that?
“Romania and Ukraine use the Soviet Union’s railroad construction company. The Head of an Intelligence Bureau should be able to accurately read a situation. Europe shouldn’t be cut off from gas because of something worthless, should it?”
The atmosphere turned cold. The threat was perfect.
‘Why is this fucker bullshitting?’ Kang Chan thought as he looked at Vasili. At that moment, his eyes met the gaze of the man sitting to Vasili’s left.
When Kang Chan smirked, Vasili looked at him with dissatisfaction.
Kang Chan’s eyes wouldn’t fall out just because Vasili was glaring sharply at him. Hence, he didn’t break eye contact.
“I doubt you understand what we’re talking about because this is your first time attending this kind of meeting, so let me explain to you how things work here. Don’t you ever look at me in that manner, especially when I’m speaking,” Vasili continued.
At that moment, everyone except for Lanok looked at Kang Chan.
If Kang Chan backed down in moments like this, he would’ve already become a powerful executive in the Foreign Legion.
“I’m not your agent, Vasili. So don’t tell me what to do,” Kang Chan replied.
The Romanian representative’s gaze alternated between Vasili and Kang Chan.
Vasili’s snort was clearly heard through the microphone.
“Lanok, did you incite this kind of fight?” In the end, Vasili looked away first.
“Mr. Kang Chan is my friend, and I don't have the right to order or stop anyone here, Vasili. Not even Ludwig and Vant.”
“This is appalling.” Vasili leaned back into the chair, then turned his head toward the agent.
“If that’s the Founder’s stance, then there’s nothing I can do,” Vasili continued while glancing at Kang Chan. “Russia will have no choice but to back down.”
The agent’s cheek moved, seemingly gritting his teeth. He was still glaring straight at Kang Chan.
The agent’s eyes showed his strong pride yet also extreme patience.
“With this happening, why don’t we send the agents out so only the core members would be here, Lanok? Ah, of course, Mr. Kang Chan isn’t an agent, but I would love for him to leave as well since he isn’t even an official member yet. Will you request that?”
Kang Chan naturally understood Vasili’s French.
When Kang Chan glanced beside him, he found Lanok showing mixed emotions.
“I’ll be outside,” Kang Chan told Lanok.
“Thank you, Mr. Kang Chan.”
Lanok and Kang Chan smiled at each other, then Kang Chan slowly got up from his seat.
The two Russian agents had already stood up and were walking toward the entrance.
***
“Will you smoke a cigarette, Monsieur Kang?” Louis asked.
As soon as they left the main conference room, Louis gave Kang Chan a look while pointing outside.
Why would I refuse that?
The other countries’ agents were also scattered in groups of three or four in the designated smoking area.
From far away, Kang Chan saw the two Russian agents glancing at him while smoking.
Chk chk.
“Whoo.”
Kang Chan breathed in deeply, then asked, “The meeting ends at 5 pm, right?”
“That’s correct. The Ambassador will be going to the presidential dinner afterward.”
“What about the others?”
“This evening, the Director of the National Intelligence Service will be hosting a dinner where we ate earlier.”
Kang Chan deeply exhaled cigarette smoke. He then thought about asking Louis who Lanok was but decided against it.
“It seems like they’re giving people coffee.”
In the direction where Louis had turned his head toward, employees in uniforms had set up a table and were handing out coffees.
“Would you like one?” Louis asked.
“Sure.”
Louis walked toward the table. He was being polite, but it looked as if he was trying not to step out of the designated line.
Soon after, he handed over a mid-sized paper cup to Kang Chan. “Almost all of the Intelligence Bureaus’ Heads heading back to their countries tonight.”
“Isn’t this event supposed to continue until tomorrow?”
“They schedule another day to follow customs. All the actual decisions are made at the current meeting, so it wouldn’t be wrong to assume nearly everyone will be heading home after the Director of the National Intelligence Service’s dinner.”
“Living like that must be tiring.”
Louis smiled awkwardly.
What Michelle had told him suddenly came across Kang Chan’s mind.
“How is it going with Anne?” Kang Chan asked.
Startled and flustered, Louis spat out coffee. He moved the paper cup away from his mouth, then looked at Kang Chan.
“Why are you so surprised?” Kang Chan asked again.
“You know about it? Does the Ambassador also know?”
“I don’t think he does.”
Kang Chan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
It wasn’t like Anne was the third daughter of Mr. Choi.
Kang Chan sipped on his coffee because it seemed Louis didn’t want to say more on the matter. As he did, he saw Kim Hyung-Jung walking out from the glass door that led to the meeting room and looking around.
“Mr. Manager!”
Kim Hyung-Jung quickly approached Kang Chan when he raised his hand.
“The walkie-talkie wasn’t working, so I ran over,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“We changed the frequency to a special one. I was going to change the frequency after this meeting since I’d be joining you then anyway. What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk in private for a moment?”
Kang Chan excused himself to Louis after noticing Kim Hyung-Jung’s expression, then walked to one side of the building.
“It seems like the bomb hasn’t been brought into the building yet, but I’m worried. This is a hotel, after all. The group of Chinese tourists right above us is also weighing on my mind,” Kim Hyung-Jung urgently told Kang Chan when they reached the marble flower bed.
Kang Chan only listened.
“If you tune in to channel two, you’ll connect with me, Mr. Seok Kang-Ho, and everyone else on the security team. I’ve already designated the channel, so you just have to connect. I went with Mr. Seok Kang-Ho’s opinion and unified your codename as ‘God of Blackfield.’”
“Alright. That aside, is something bothering you?”
“You've been talked about way too much on the news. You seem to be gathering a lot of national interest and reaction because South Korea doesn’t have a representative here.”
Kang Chan naturally frowned.
“I also can’t help but think about the fact that the construction company that built the international building and international hotel is Suh Jeong Constructions.”
“They built this building?” Kang Chan asked.
“That’s what I’ve been told. I was also informed that the Rutu’s hotel’s management team is the one managing it.”
Perhaps because he had seen Kang Chan’s abilities in Mongolia, but Kim Hyung-Jung told him everything, even the little details. In fact, if he didn’t feel that way, it wouldn't have been easy to even put Seok Kang-Ho on the security team.
“Mr. Manager, why isn’t a South Korean representative in the meeting with the Heads of the Intelligence Bureaus?” Kang Chan asked. He had been curious about it since he listened to Lanok earlier.
“South Korea wasn’t a part of the establishment process. However, if the committee launches today, we’ll have a seat by the next meeting. Will you be staying here until the meeting ends?”
“Yes. I should be loyal to Lanok.”
“Understood. On another note, the chief officer of Presidential security knows about the operation in Mongolia. If there’s something that you want, then feel free to make demands.”
“Alright.”
Kim Hyung-Jung soon left, and Kang Chan returned to Louis. Nothing tense had happened so far since then.
1. This is a reference to a Korean myth about third-born daughters always being the prettiest. There’s even a song based about it called ‘The Third Daughter of Mr. Choi.’ Many men tried to propose to her, but Mr. Choi loved his daughter so much that he rejected their proposals and didn’t even allow them to see her. However, the narrator of the lyrics tells his story about eventually marrying her after persistently proposing to her. Basically, Kang Chan is saying that Louis shouldn’t be too worried because he isn’t going to have too much trouble with Anne since she isn’t that pretty, so Lanok wasn’t going to prevent him from seeing her.
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