Chapter 144.2: What Happened? (1)
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.?
Kang Chan held up his phone, checked the caller ID, then answered the call.
“Mr. Ambassador, it’s Kang Chan.”
- Mr. Kang Chan, I think it would be best for you and the team to head to France instead of Switzerland. According to the DGSE’s calculations, it would be best to track down the SBS in France if they ever make a move instead of chasing them down. A guide with a map of the area of operation will be on the plane with you and your team.
“Can I decide after seeing the map?”
- You’re the commander of this operation. The Intelligence Bureau and the DGSE will only pass on information; judgments and decisions are completely up to you.
“I’ll make a decision on the plane, then.”
- Mr. Kang Chan.
Lanok didn’t seem to be speaking as a diplomat now, considering his voice deepened with emotion.
“Mr. Ambassador, you’ll get sick if you don’t get enough sleep. Let’s go golfing with Anne when I get back.”
Kang Chan heard Lanok laughing from the other end of the line. However, his laughter ended with a sigh.
“Thank you for trusting the Korean team.”
- Mr. Kang Chan, it’s you that I’m trusting.
The call ended with Lanok laughing again.
Except for Seok Kang-Ho, who had been looking at the street, those around Kang Chan had been watching him in fascination since he began speaking fluent French.
“The car’s here,” Seok Kang-Ho said as a black van stopped in front of the store.
At that moment, Kang Chan unconsciously inhaled and approached the van. As they got closer, someone opened the door and quickly looked around their surroundings.
***
They arrived at Osan at exactly 3 am.
As Lanok had already told Kang Chan on the phone, they saw a parked tour bus and van when they passed the intersection in front of the airfield.
The van that Kang Chan was in stopped in front of the bus, and the bus door opened. Choi Seong-Geon and Cha Dong-Gyun got out.
When Kang Chan approached them, Choi Seong-Geon suddenly held out his hand. Kang Chan shook it in a moment of confusion.
‘Please do a good job.’
Kang Chan understood what Choi Seong-Geon’s eyes were telling him.
“I’ll do my best, general.”
Choi Seong-Geon pursed his lips as he nodded.
Not long after, a French agent approached them and told Kang Chan that they could go inside.
“I and the others will be taking the bus, so wait for me at the entrance,” Kang Chan said.
“Understood, Monsieur Kang,” the agent politely answered and got in the van.
“Can you spare me some time?” Choi Seong-Geon asked.
“We have about an hour to spare before our departure time.”
Choi Seong-Geon got on the bus and shook hands with the soldiers. Kang Chan also occasionally saw him patting their shoulders through the front window.
“That gentleman seems to really value them,” Seok Kang-Ho commented, stating how he felt regarding the sight.
Kang Chan lit up a cigarette and started smoking.
Chk chk.
“Whoo.”
The pity in Choi Seong-Geon’s eyes seemed to tell them about the difficulty of this operation.
How many of them would be able to return alive?
Would they be able to endure the sadness that came with putting the dead soldiers in their hearts?
As Kang Chan heavily exhaled the cigarette smoke, three deep-blue vans drove toward the bus.
‘It’s way too early. What’s going on at this hour?’
Kang Chan glared sharply at the approaching vehicles. One of the vans stopped in front of Kang Chan, parking just beside the driver’s seat of the bus. It basically blocked the first lane.
Seok Kang-Ho and Choi Jong-Il also began to look more and more cautious. Meanwhile, after saying his goodbyes to the soldiers, Choi Seong-Geon quickly came down from the bus.
Rattle.
Damn it!
Kang Chan quickly threw the cigarette on the floor and stepped on it.
It was Moon Jae-Hyun. Behind him were Hwang Ki-Hyun and the security guards.
“Mr. Kang Chan.”
Moon Jae-Hyun shook hands with Kang Chan, then held out his hand to Choi Seong-Geon.
“Mr. President, we can’t address people by their official rank and name here.”
“I’m aware of that. Are our members inside the bus?”
“Yes.”
Choi Seong-Geon understood what Moon Jae-Hyun meant, so he quickly headed toward the bus.
Kang Chan could only see the outline of those inside the bus.
As the members stood up from their seats one by one, Moon Jae-Hyun embraced them.
It took around ten minutes before Moon Jae-Hyun and Choi Seong-Geon got off the bus again.
Moon Jae-Hyun’s eyes had turned red and were brimming with tears. “Mr. Kang Chan, please do your best. Everyone’s safety is now in your hands.”
“I will, Mr. President.”
Kang Chan thought that they were just going to shake hands, but Moon Jae-Hyun took a step toward him and hugged him instead.
This kind of man existed as well.
Moon Jae-Hyun then hugged Seok Kang-Ho, Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee as well. Afterward, he turned his head and looked back at the bus as if he was engraving it on his mind, then got on the van.
“Mr. Kang Chan, please take care of them,” Choi Seong-Geon said.
Choi Seong-Geon isn’t going to hug me as well, is he?
Exactly as Kang Chan had wondered, Choi Seong-Geon hugged him. Kang Chan couldn’t help but stare at him with blank eyes.
He then stood in attention and saluted Kang Chan.
Kang Chan quickly raised his hand and saluted back.
‘Please take care of my men.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
Whoosh!
Choi Seong-Geon lowered his hand and immediately headed to the car.
“Whoo.”
The time had come for Kang Chan and his team to leave.
Not only did Moon Jae-Hyun run over to see them, but Choi Seong-Geon even acted like that for the first time since Kang Chan had met him. They probably behaved in such a way due to the enemies that they would have to face soon enough. Their opponents were extremely powerful.
Wasting not a single second more, Kang Chan’s party boarded the bus.
As soon as Kang Chan sat down in the front seat—which was left empty specifically for him—the bus left.
The bus was brimming with everyone’s sense of duty and determination. It even made Kang Chan think that they could win even against the SBS if they fought them right now.
Kang Chan was still smirking when the bus reached at the entrance. With a gesture from the French agent, the gate immediately opened.
The van put on its emergency lights, drove right past the tour bus, and guided them to the front of a C295 cargo aircraft.
The sound of the cargo aircraft’s engine sounded as if it was urging them to hurry.
The soldiers stood up. Since they still had to take out the cloth jump bags from the overhead compartment, Kang Chan got out of the bus first.
Woo Hee-Seung and Lee Doo-Hee took the plastic bag and boxes of coffee and ramen, which they had left inside the van they had ridden earlier, from a French agent.
The operation had now begun.
As Kang Chan watched the soldiers, the soldiers all got on the cargo aircraft that was in front of him.
“Good luck,” the French agent finished saying his goodbyes. As soon as the agent got back in the van, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho boarded the cargo aircraft as well.
Brrr.
The door closed.
As Kang Chan expected, there were beds attached to the wall. The soldiers perched on the lowest bed beside each other.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Du-du-du-du-du!
The aircraft, which had been waiting for them, began to drive up the runaway. That made it difficult for Kang Chan to say something right now.
The cargo aircraft perfectly followed the curves of the runway before rising to the skies.
“We’ll be flying for at least twelve hours!” Kang Chan yelled, making all of his subordinates e simultaneously look at him.
“Get some sleep if you can. You’ll find boxes of instant coffee and cup ramen up front. Those who want to eat, feel free to take them. Any questions?” Kang Chan asked.
“Can we smoke here?” someone asked.
“It doesn’t matter for as long as you don’t cause a fire!” Kang Chan answered with a smirk. No other questions followed.
“Phuhuhu, I’m excited!” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed.
When Kang Chan perched on the bed, Seok Kang-Ho offered him a cigarette.
Not long after, Kang Chan’s eyes glinted. He remembered Lanok saying that someone who would be guiding them would be aboard this aircraft with them.
While smoking the cigarette Seok Kang-Ho had handed to him, Kang Chan gazed at the cockpit. After pushing aside the curtains, someone stepped into view.
“Huh?” Seok Kang-Ho gasped, surprise all over his face.
The man approached Kang Chan without paying attention to the soldiers who were looking at him.
It was Gérard.
“Surprised, aren’t you?” Gérard asked Kang Chan.
“What happened?”
Appearing to be satisfied with how Kang Chan reacted, Gérard explained, “I volunteered. I can’t join the operation due to the hole in my shoulder, but I do have experience in the area of this operation. France has always been my home ground as well, so I’m perfectly capable of guiding people around it.”
“What about your shoulder?”
“I was told that they’ll tell me whether or not I’ll be deployed into another operation after we observe how it heals for two more months.”
“What’s that fucker saying?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
Kang Chan quickly translated what Gérard said.
“He’s much better than having someone we don’t know for a guide, at least,” Seok Kang-Ho commented.
“What’s Dayeru saying?” Gérard asked this time.
These two fuckers had just met again, yet they were already tiring Kang Chan out.
“He’s saying that you’re better than a complete stranger,” Kang Chan said.
As soon as he told Gérard what Seok Kang-Ho said, the two grinned at each other.
“I bought a bunch of instant coffee. They’re up front.”
“Would you like some?”
“Yeah, I could use some coffee and some cigarettes.”
Gérard went to the front and made coffee. When he returned, they all bit on cigarettes.
The members also gathered in groups and had instant coffees and smoked cigarettes. They didn’t have to worry about the smoke because it was being sucked out through the crevice in between the aircraft’s door and the cargo compartment.
“You remember the maknae, right?” Gérard asked Kang Chan.
“Why do you ask?”
Did he die?
Gérard smirked when Kang Chan looked at him. “I heard that fucker is going around imitating you. People are saying that he can already carry his own weight, but I feel nervous for him. He still looks like a baby chick imitating a half-grown chick, so I’m afraid he’d get into trouble.”
Kang Chan smirked.
“Captain, it feels weird saying this to you, but strangely enough, I don’t have a good feeling about this operation. How do you feel about this?” Gérard asked.
When Gérard was looking up while throwing the cigarette into the paper cup…
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