Chapter 107.1: End it Quickly (2)
Kang Chan sat in room 503 in the international hotel. He threw his jacket and tie on the bed and then unbuttoned his shirt.
“Whoo! This feels good,” Kang Chan said.
“Phuhu, I’m going to order coffee. Do you want yours hot or iced?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“Iced for me.”
“What about you, Mr. Manager?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kim Hyung-Jung.
“I’d like iced coffee as well.”
While Seok Kang-Ho was calling room service, Kang Chan and Kim Hyung-Jung bit on a cigarette.
“It must’ve been difficult,” Kim Hyung-Jung commented.
“Please don’t even mention it—nobody should even have to go through that,” Kang Chan answered as Seok Kang-Ho came over to the table and picked up a cigarette.
Chk chk. Chk chk.
“Whoo, but isn’t it great that everything went smoothly today?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“That’s true.”
With all the official schedules done, the Intelligence Bureaus’ Heads went into their rooms. Kang Chan could relax to a certain extent since the 606 members were guarding all entrances from the fifth to the seventh floor.
“How do you feel about this?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“I’m calm.”
As Kang Chan expressed how he felt, they heard the doorbell ring.
“Room service,” someone said.
Click.
With a pistol in hand, Seok Kang-Ho walked along the wall and carefully opened the door.
Creak.
The male hotel employee, who had stiffened with nervousness, placed the tray with coffees on the table. He then left the room as if he was running away.
“The announcement is at 11 am tomorrow. It’s expected to be broadcasted live all over the world on news channels, including CNN. The President and the Prime Minister will be attending it, of course,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“According to the original plan, wasn’t Lanok the one doing the announcement?” Kang Chan asked.
Kim Hyung-Jung urgently swallowed coffee, which was full of ice. He then coughed profusely, almost as if he was choking.
“Why not answer a bit slower? Here,” Seok Kang-Ho reached out to pull out two tissues, then gave them to Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Cough! Cough! It’s very strong,” Kim Hyung-Jung looked at Kang Chan with a flushed face after coughing.
“As I was saying, wasn’t Lanok the one doing the announcement?” Kang Chan repeated.
“Ahem! Ahem! The announcement should… Ahem! Hmm. Lanok is still the one doing it. The President and the Prime Minister are just attending to congratulate the announcement.”
Kim Hyung-Jung discreetly checked Kang Chan’s expression.
What’s going on?
“Will you tell Ambassador Lanok to make the President look good? I know the event is run by the establishment committee of the Eurasian rail, but it would be very disappointing for him to just be standing there, considering it’s going to be broadcasted live to the entire world,” Kim Hyung-Jung continued.
“Do I really have to?”
“There’s been a lot of discussions about it, but many people voiced that the President should attend and are hoping that he doesn’t look like just another audience at the very least.”
Kang Chan exhaled softly. Doing things like this was really just the underlings going over the top.
“I know you’re in an awkward position. We should be the ones asking him, but unlike how he treats you, Ambassador Lanok is very logical when dealing with business. It’s like he turns into a completely different person.”
Lanok did have such a side.
“That’s exactly why we wanted an unofficial workplace relationship that badly. Hearing him refuse us without batting an eye or seeing his cold expression is enough for us to wonder if he actually has emotions,” Kim Hyung-Jung added.
Was Lanok that cold?
Kang Chan remembered his first impression of Lanok.
“I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow morning,” Kang Chan said.
“Thank you.”
Kim Hyung-Jung left the room after spending about ten more minutes with them.
“You packed a bayonet, right?” Kang Chan asked Seok Kang-Ho.
“I placed an extra bayonet in the closet.”
“Good job.”
After they took turns washing up, Kang Chan slept on the twin bed.
Sleeping properly whenever he could during an operation was a lesson that he had learned in Africa.
If they survived, then he’d have a lot of time to think.
***
Kang Chan woke up at 5:30 am, warmed up lightly, and did a few bodyweight exercises. He then had a shower.
Everything would be over today.
At 11 am, the announcement would be made in the grand ballroom on the international hotel’s second floor.
Kang Chan felt at ease because, unlike the operation in Mongolia, he wasn’t in charge of this event. However, he also felt frustrated. It was as if he had just butted into something that he didn’t even know much about.
When Kang Chan went out of the bathroom, he found Seok Kang-Ho drinking water at the table.
“Did you get a good night’s sleep?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“Yeah. go wash up quickly.”
“Alright.”
Kang Chan took out and put on the clothes he wore yesterday. They hadn’t even been washed.
It wasn’t a big deal to him, though. It was nothing compared to when he was in Africa.
Seok Kang-Ho had come out of the bathroom and was changing when Kim Hyung-Jung pressed their room’s doorbell. Seok Kang-Ho opened the door, and Kim Hyung-Jung came into the room with someone unfamiliar.
“Mr. Kang Chan, this is Jeon Dae-Geuk, the section chief of the presidential security service,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jeon Dae-Geuk held out his hand.
His prominent cheekbones, the sharp look in his eyes, and his hair, which was slicked back using oil, reminded Kang Chan of military officers.
“I’m Kang Chan.”
“I came so early because I wanted to see you and to familiarize myself with how you look before the event today.”
It seemed Jeon Dae-Geuk was already acquainted with Seok Kang-Ho, considering he lightly greeted him with his eyes.
“I’d like to have breakfast with you here. Will that be alright?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked.
“Sure. I don’t mind.” Kang Chan answered.
At that moment, Kim Hyung-Jung opened the door and nodded.
Drrrrr.
An employee dragged in a long box with wheels and opened the serving cart, forming a square table. Four plates came up from below, all containing foods such as toast, bacon, and eggs.
There were also coffee, water, and even juice.
They started eating.
Jeon Dae-Geuk ate without hesitation even though he had just met Kang Chan.
Who would refuse to eat with him?
Within five minutes, the foods on all four plates were consumed as if they never existed in the first place.
“You smoke, right, Mr. Kang Chan?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m glad. I’ll smoke before I go.”
Kim Hyung-Jung took out a cigarette, and Seok Kang-Ho opened the electric window as wide as possible.
Jeon Dae-Geuk held a cigarette and had a sip of coffee, then looked straight at Kang Chan. “I went into the security service after working in the special forces brigades.”
Jeon Dae-Geuk immediately extinguished the cigarette, which was unexpected. “I’ve heard about the operation in Mongolia. The official position of our government is that it never happened, but personally and as a representative of the South Korean specialized team, I’d like to thank you.”
Kang Chan just smiled awkwardly, finding the compliment embarrassing.
“What I’m jealous about is not the capabilities of the Foreign Legion’s specialized team, but the intelligence capabilities and flexibility of France's Intelligence Bureau, which accepted your request. If similar problems occur in the future or situations arise where you have to make a move, then I ask that you call me first before anyone else.”
Kim Hyung-Jung looked as if he didn’t know that Jeon Dae-Geuk would say something like this.
“Manager Kim Hyung-Jung here and Kim Tae-Jin from Yoo Bi-Corp are both juniors to me by two years. I’ll interfere if there’s something that they can’t do for you. Consider this promise as my way of saying thank you for making the South Korean specialized team look good as well.”
When Kang Chan laughed out loud, Jeon Dae-Geuk smiled widely.
“Section chief, you don’t really smoke, do you?” Kang Chan asked.
“It’s been about ten years since I quit. I have to care about how I smell since I’m protecting higher-ups at close range. Going somewhere else just to smoke isn’t ideal either, so I just quit.”
This person seemed okay.
Kang Chan especially liked the look in Jeon Dae-Geuk’s eyes, which was bright even though he was already old.
“The director called and told me to just wholeheartedly follow what you want regarding security. Although I normally would’ve flatly refused, I now think doing as he instructed is the right decision. You ate like a soldier, and one who had gone through a lot of fieldwork at that. France probably realized that early, and our National Intelligence Service did so a little late. Anyway, I look forward to working with you today,” Jeon Dae-Geuk continued. He suddenly stood up, then held out his hand.
Jeon Dae-Geuk was the type of person to push things through even if it drove other people crazy, but that didn’t seem like a bad thing. At the very least, he was considerate of Kang Chan and smoked a bit even though he had already quit just so Kang Chan would feel at ease smoking.
“Let’s meet a lot more from here on out,” Jeon Dae-Geuk told Kang Chan as they shook hands.
“Alright.”
Jeon Dae-Geuk smiled strangely, then shook hands with Seok Kang-Ho.
“You’re going to stay here for a bit longer, right?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Yes.”
The two left the room…
“It's been a while since I've seen eyes that bright. You must not lose him to a country like France, no matter what,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said.
“Understood.”
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho couldn’t help but laugh out loud because of the conversation they heard in the hallway—it sounded as if Kim Hyung-Jung had a difficult time replying to Jeon Dae-Geuk.
“Phuhuhuhu!”
Seok Kang-Ho burst out with laughter as Kim Hyung-Jung returned to the room. Kim Hyung-Jung closed the door and sat at the portable table again while shaking his head.
It felt as if a huge storm had just swept past the room.
“Despite how that gentleman acts, he’s the commanding officer that the members want to do an operation with the most,” Kim Hyung-Jung commented, then lit up a cigarette. He looked at ease. “Ever since he received data and intel about the operation in Mongolia from the National Intelligence Service, he had been looking forward to meeting you. He’s also the only person that Kim Tae-Jin can’t defy.”
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho burst out with laughter again because Kim Hyung-Jung spoke as if he was making excuses for the conversation in the hallway.
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