Chapter 152.1: Post-Operation Wrap-Up Procedure (1)
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho left the hotel after having a Korean home-cooked-style meal.
Kang Chan thought they would be early, but due to some unexpected construction on the way, they barely arrived on time.
“What will you be up to while I’m in a meeting with the ambassador?” Kang Chan asked.
“I’ll rest up at home. Call me when you’re done and need a ride,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
“Will do.” Kang Chan headed to the front entrance, then went up the floors with the French agent waiting for him.
The moment Kang Chan stepped into the elevator, he grinned mischievously. For the first time, he was heading up without running into Joo Chul-Bum.
Ding.?
Kang Chan stepped off the elevator, passed the now familiar hallway, and entered Lanok’s office.
“Mr. Kang Chan!”
Lanok approached Kang Chan with his arms spread wide open, which the latter didn’t find uncomfortable in the slightest. The ambassador wasn’t a stranger to him anymore. Just recently, they even coordinated strategy without contacting each other even once throughout the entire operation.
Kang Chan gladly hugged him back.
“Have a seat,” Lanok said.
Tea, cigarettes, and cigars were on the table. They leisurely poured themselves some tea and picked up their choice of tobacco product.
“The operation yielded excellent results,” Lanok said, his eyes as full of emotions as commonly seen in French people. “Thanks to you, I now have the upper hand against Vasili.”
“It’s nothing. You would have gotten that sooner or later anyway, Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan remarked.
“Vasili probably feels he has just been caught having an affair,” Lanok joked.
The two laughed at the same time. Lanok exhaled the smoke of his cigar, then continued, “He had reached some form of agreement with Britain, but unfortunately for him, you were there to ruin it all. Considering Britain ended up taking responsibility for everything, they will likely request help from my country soon. Vasili is probably at his wits’ end wondering what they will tell us.”
Tapping his cigar in the ashtray to get rid of the ash, Lanok smiled a little differently than he usually did.
“It makes me wonder how hard he’s panicking right now for the president of Russia himself to come to South Korea. That being said, I was asked to be an intermediary, so let me know if there’s anything you want to request from Russia. In cases like these, it’s best not to think about what comes after and just ask for something big,” Lanok advised him.
“I’m not too familiar with this, so I’ll have to discuss this with a government official. What would you suggest, Mr. Ambassador?” Kang Chan asked.
“The only things Russia has to offer are weapons and resources. The sly Vasili probably intends to appear generous by making Russia’s president increase the limit of fish South Korea is allowed to catch. You should accept it. I also suggest requesting nuclear weapons or the development rights to oil reserves.”
“Nuclear weapons or development rights to oil reserves?” Kang Chan repeated.
Lanok nodded.
“It is unlike the prideful Vasili to act so anxiously. He would not act this way unless he will be put at a disadvantage if Britain starts to work with my country or if Britain cooperates with you because Russia betrayed them,” he said, his expression as cunning as a snake. “For that reason, I believe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see how he would react to you asking for their nuclear weapons. How will the cold and logical Vasili respond when South Korea asks for something so great?”
It would certainly be amusing.
“That isn’t all, Mr. Kang Chan,” Lanok added.
Kang Chan didn’t show it on his face, but he was hoping that would be the end of it.
“The British Intelligence Bureau has finally expressed their desire to meet you. They also ask that you request of them what you want.” Lanok looked as if he was speaking to a disciple who had just passed a difficult exam. “You have taken hold of the knife with just a single operation, Mr. Kang Chan, which is a truly incredible feat.”
Another knife? Kang Chan inwardly shook his head. He had already held enough knives.
“Mr. Ambassador, I didn’t fight with that in mind,” Kang Chan objected.
“I know. That’s what makes me feel even more grateful to you.”
“I heard you ordered an emergency decree on all of the Foreign Legion, sir. I’m already happy enough that I got to work with you and take care of what you were worried about. That’s why I’m not really interested in what I can gain from the results of the operation,” Kang Chan asserted.
“I see. I will take liberties with the necessary arbitration for now, then.”
Kang Chan thought that closed the main topic of their meeting. However, Lanok still seemed to have something to say, considering he hadn’t stood up yet.
“The French government will soon express their gratitude to the South Korean special forces team for their hard work. My country will have Russia and Britain cough up the costs, so don’t worry about the finances behind all this.” Lanok grinned.
After taking a sip of his tea, Lanok turned to Kang Chan with a sly smile.
“You don’t seem to care about money, and it’s not like you’re interested in women either,” Lanok mused.
Kang Chan wondered if this snake knew he was missing a high schooler.
“Still, I want to thank you for this operation. Is there anything you want?” Lanok added.
Anything I want?
“I’m not sure. Can I think about it first?”
“Hahahaha!” Lanok casually laughed. “You’ve improved, Mr. Kang Chan! Back then, you always said no to offers like this! Good! Very good!”
I should show him how much I’ve really improved and ask for a nuclear weapon.?
If Kang Chan made such a request, Lanok would do anything in his power to wrangle two nuclear weapons away from Russia and only give him one. Kang Chan didn’t know if Vasili had the power to hand out nuclear weapons, though.
“What about the two soldiers?” Kang Chan asked.
“You don’t have to worry about them. The intelligence bureau has given them level-one protection, and they have the best doctors tending to them,” Lanok replied, then examined Kang Chan’s expression.
“You should rest a bit. Your eyes still seem quite tense,” he said with concern.
“I will. Actually, I’ve been thinking about going on a trip soon,” Kang Chan assured him.
After discussing other personal matters over tea, Kang Chan and Lanok left the hotel.
Kang Chan saw Lanok off from the hotel entrance, then turned around to make his own way. Just then, Joo Chul-Bum greeted and bowed to him.
Was this bastard a ghost or something? He was always waiting for him around the corner.
“Mr. Kang Chan,” Joo Chul-Bum said with his hands clasped together in front of him. Although all he did was call out Kang Chan’s name, Kang Chan could read all the emotions he was feeling through his eyes.
Once Lanok’s car left, Kang Chan headed back inside the lobby.
“I didn’t know you were coming. I apologize, hyung-nim!”
This punk felt sorry for not coming to greet him earlier!
“Do you want to grab some coffee with me?” Kang Chan asked in resignation.
“Do you have the time, sir?” Joo Chul-Bum asked respectfully.
“Would I have asked if I didn’t? Let’s go!”
How could Kang Chan ignore the excitement on Joo Chul-Bum’s face?
The two walked into the lounge of the lobby and ordered some coffee.
“How’s Do-Seok doing?” Kang Chan asked.
“He’s been eating properly since a few days ago, hyung-nim,” Joo Chul-Bum replied.
The manager bowed to Kang Chan, then put their cups of coffee on the table.
“Have they found anything about the culprit yet?”
Joo Chul-Bum told Kang Chan that there hadn’t been any progress because the culprit was a foreigner. However, as soon as he was done, he suddenly slid over closer to Kang Chan’s ear.
“Hyung-nim, Do-Seok hyung-nim apparently has camera footage of that day,” he whispered.
Kang Chan looked at Joo Chul-Bum while deep in thought. Joo Chul-Bum was talking about the day that Kang Chan stabbed Sharlan in the side and the Chinese wrapped Sharlan up in plastic and took him underground using a rolling laundry bin.
The people involved already knew how all of that went down. They had even finished discussions with the Serpent Venimeux and wrapped everything up. What else was there to discover?
“I don’t think that will be needed anymore since the situation’s all done and over with,” Kang Chan said.
“He said he would give it to you if you need it, hyung-nim.”
“Did the footage catch something we don’t already know about?”
“Do-Seok hyung-nim said he hasn’t been able to take a good look at it, but he seems to think that it’s the only reason why foreigners would attack him and why someone would search through and make a mess of his car and house.”
“I see. Well, I’ll visit him soon and ask him about this in person. Oh, right! I’ll send you some money. Use it to help with Do-Seok’s hospital bill,” Kang Chan offered.
“Don’t, hyung-him. There’s no need. If Gwang-Taek hyung-nim finds out you did, I’ll be a dead man.” Joo Chul-Bum shivered. He acted as if Kang Chan was offering him drugs or something. He was being so adamant that Kang Chan couldn’t insist.
After speaking for a while longer, Kang Chan left the hotel and took a taxi to Kim Hyung-Jung. He called him to let him know he was already on the way, but funnily enough, Kim Hyung-Jung told him that he was already with Seok Kang-Ho. The guy probably had nothing else to do because he wasn’t teaching at school these days.
‘We really need to get that building soon.’
Seok Kang-Ho and Kang Chan both needed a comfortable place that they could use every day.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺