Chapter 170.1: We’re Okay (1)
Kang Chan immediately headed for the front door. Considering it was a National Intelligence Service agent, he probably would not ask for the door to be opened if there was a nearby threat.
Beep.
When Kang Chan opened the door, he was greeted by Assistant Manager Kim. The hallway behind him was filled with agents in suits.
“I have direct orders from the manager, sir. I will have to provide close proximity protection services to both of your parents,” Assistant Manager Kim said.
Kang Chan couldn’t deny this kind of offer even if he wanted to.
“What about the rooftop?” Kang Chan asked.
“We have not secured it yet. For now, it would be best for you to draw the curtains,” the assistant manager advised.
“Come on in,” Kang Chan permitted, and the agents began to head inside.
“Hello, how are you?” the agents greeted.
“Oh! We’re doing good. You?”
Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook met the agents before, so they weren’t as flustered. Nevertheless, they naturally could not hide their surprise when the agents suddenly visited them an hour before midnight.
Swish! Swoosh!
An agent scanned a window facing outward, then drew its curtains shut and stood guard in front of it. Meanwhile, the two female agents asked Yoo Hye-Sook if she could take them to examine the master bedroom, likely to determine if they could be shot from the room’s windows.
“Manager Kim would like to speak with you,” Assistant Manager Kim said as he handed Kang Chan the phone.
Amid the awkward and chaotic atmosphere, a sudden commotion occurred outside. After a while, the agent standing guard out in the hallway came in with a delivery of chicken. Kang Chan felt bad for the delivery man, who probably had quite the shock when he arrived.
Yoo Hye-Sook came out of the master bedroom and sat down next to Kang Dae-Kyung, looking both surprised and uncomfortable.
At that point, Kang Chan pressed the call button on the agent’s phone.
-This is Kim Hyung-Jung speaking.
“Manager Kim, what’s going on?” Kang Chan asked.
- Mr. Kang Chan. The director has been attacked, and the fourth deputy director was shot to death. Information was leaked from the National Intelligence Service, so your acquaintances may be in danger as well. Also…
Kim Hyung-Jung, who was speaking quite fast, suddenly paused.
“Go on,” Kang Chan said.
- One of the agents guarding the apartment complex’s perimeter has reported suspicious activity in the area. I know it will be quite uncomfortable for you all, but I suggest staying with the agents today or moving to a hotel.
Damn it, Wui Min-Gook! Can’t I at least relax on a Saturday and eat some chicken in peace??
Kang Chan almost cursed out loud. Fortunately, he managed to grit his teeth together before he could.
- I advise you to persuade your parents and relocate to a hotel, Mr. Kang Chan. We don’t know where and how much information was leaked. Only the director and I had clearance to your information, so we were actually able to identify the assistant director as a traitor because he attempted to access your file. In the worst-case scenario, the enemy may have gotten their hands on all the information that we have.
“What about Seok—!” Kang Chan asked before stopping mid-question, almost having disrespectfully said Seok Kang-Ho’s full name out loud in front of Kang Dae-Kyung.
- Mr. Seok and his family have been moved to a hotel.
Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook looked at Kang Chan worriedly from where they were sitting on the sofa.
“I’ll talk to my parents,” Kang Chan stated with a low sigh before hanging up and taking a seat on the couch.
If someone saw how the agents were standing in front of the curtains, kitchen, and inside the master bedroom, they would probably think that Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook were being threatened.
“North Korea apparently plans to launch a terrorist attack because of the Eurasian Rail. Their goal is to make us give up on the project by targeting me and the people around me,” Kang Chan explained. His heart was thumping nonstop, so he kept glancing at the living room curtains as he spoke.
“You are welcome to stay here, but the agents will be with us the entire time. Why don’t you go to a hotel for a night?” Kang Chan asked.
“And you? You’ll be coming to the hotel with us, won’t you?” Kang Dae-Kyung confirmed.
“Of course. I’ll be going with you as well,” Kang Chan reassured him.
“Okay. Let’s go, then,” Yoo Hye-Sook said with determination. She was trembling, but she seemed to be trying to endure it better than last time.
“Can I change into something else first?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.
“I think you should pack a few clothes before we head to the hotel,” Assistant Manager Kim replied in Kang Chan’s stead.
A female agent followed Yoo Hye-Sook into the master bedroom.
“I’ll just get a change of clothes as well. I’ll be out in a minute,” Kang Chan said before heading to his room to pull out a dress shirt and pants. Just then, Assistant Manager Kim quietly stepped into his room. He handed Kang Chan a gun, magazine, and a silencer. Kang Chan holstered the gun to the right side of his back.
Badum. Badum.?
His goddamn heart was still sending him warning signals.
“Do you have extra radios?” Kang Chan asked.
“I do, sir. I will find one and bring it to your room,” Assistant Manager Kim replied. He then headed out to the living room and soon returned with a radio set. Kang Chan put the earpiece into his left ear and hung the radio on the left side of his back. He tried to cover the lumps around his waist with a jacket, but it didn’t help much.
“What about our transportation?” Kang Chan asked.
“We have prepared two vans in the underground parking lot,” Assistant Manager Kim responded.
.
Kang Chan nodded and walked out toward the living room, where he saw Yoo Hye-Sook and Kang Dae-Kyung carrying mid-sized travel suitcases.
The atmosphere was beyond tense. Kang Dae-Kyung looked as if he was trying to stay brave, while Yoo Hye-Sook already appeared to be completely terrified.
Kang Chan went to the sofa and turned the TV off.
“Do you think you can go?” Kang Chan asked worriedly.
“Yes, we can do it,” Kang Dae-Kyung replied, pretending not to notice the earpiece in Kang Chan’s ear.
Kang Chan gestured to an agent with his eyes, and the agent stepped forward to carry their luggage for them. Kang Chan then put his shoes on.
Crackle.?
“Status on the hallways,” he then spoke into the mouthpiece.
Crackle.?
“All appears to be clear,” the assistant manager immediately replied through the radio.
Badum. Badum.?
Kang Chan’s heart warned him crazily not to let his guard down. Was it the stairs? Or the elevator?
Beep.?
The moment he opened the front door, they were greeted by agents wearing formal black attire from top to bottom. Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook looked absolutely stunned now.
Ding!?
Kang Chan met eyes with the agent who pressed the elevator button.
“We’re taking the stairs,” he declared, having decided against taking the elevator. Whenever his heart beat a mile a minute like this, it was best to avoid anything that made him even the tiniest bit anxious.
“We’re using the stairs! Get moving!” Assistant Manager Kim ordered, and the agents rushed about to surround Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook. They were standing guard all the way up to two floors up and two floors down, protecting them from all angles.
A glance was enough for Kang Chan to immediately notice that at least twenty agents were dispatched.
“Haah! Haah!”
Yoo Hye-Sook’s nervous and surprised breathing came out in rough puffs of air. The loud tapping of footsteps that echoed as they walked through the quiet staircase made them even more nervous.
Some of the agents descended first and blocked off each of the floors’ doors before Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook walked passed it.
It was a wonder how they managed to climb down intact.
Badum. Badum. Badum. Badum.?
Kang Chan’s heart thumped even crazier the moment they stepped into the underground lot.
Vroom!
“Get a move on! What about the security on the perimeter?” Kang Chan asked.
Two vans came rushing toward them, and the agents began to approach the vehicles with Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook sandwiched between them.
What the fuck is it? What’s the problem? What the hell is causing this suffocating warning?
“What about the security of the vans?” Kang Chan asked, feeling quite tense.
“Two vans are waiting on standby near the exit of the parking lot, sir,” Assistant Manager Kim stiffly answered, making his nervousness evident.
If so, then there should be no problem. Kang Chan was told that Seok Kang-Ho was already at a hotel, and his own family was about to head there now, so what was the issue?
Badum. Badum. Badum. Badum.?
His heart sent him one last warning that danger was right beneath his nose. What was it? What did he miss?
Throughout his entire life, his heart rarely raced so fast.
Is it on the way to the hotel?
Just as Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook stepped into the vehicle, two agents dropped to the ground following the sound of two gunshots.
Pew! Pew! Thud! Thud!
“Get going!” Kang Chan shouted through gritted teeth.
The car doors were still open.
Pew! Thud! Pew! Whoosh!
An agent protecting the van fell to the ground, and sparks flew from the car.
Creak!
The van parked behind them rapidly accelerated forward to block the direction where the bullets were coming from.
“I said get going!” Kang Chan shouted.
Vroom! Creak!?
“Channy!”
The van began to move. Kang Chan ran beside it, holding the door on the driver’s side. There was no knowing what else could pop out, so he stayed on alert.
“Shut the doors!” Kang Chan commanded.
The agent inside closed the sliding doors.
Kang Chan’s right shin was in so much pain that he felt as if it was going to be torn apart. However, he couldn’t stop.
Pew! Whoosh! Swish! Swish!
Bullets ricocheted throughout the lot.
He knew he would break Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook’s hearts if they saw him limping, but he could never move away from the car. The glass was too thick for him to see inside, but Yoo Hye-Sook was probably watching Kang Chan at that moment.
Creak!
A screech rang through the apartment complex’s parking lot as the van took a sharp turn.
Vroom.?
On the way toward the exit, they saw vans with their hazard lights flashing and about four agents standing around them.
“Go!” Kang Chan ordered.
One of the vans immediately began to drive off. A van followed behind it.
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