Chapter 192.2: The Gentleman’s Suggestion (1)
Although Kang Chan came home late, that didn’t mean that he would skip his workout. Thinking about leaving for France soon made him feel as if time was passing far more quickly.
“Channy! You received a call yesterday—did you hear?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“What was it about?” Kang Chan asked.
Yoo Hye-Sook’s face filled up with excitement as they sat at the table for breakfast.
“The college! They said that for as long as you decide on your major, they can immediately arrange a leave of absence for you. But if you can’t, then you just have to enroll within five years,” she explained.
Kang Chan noticed a subtle hint of hope in Yoo Hye-Sook’s eyes. He needed help from Kang Dae-Kyung the most during moments like this.
Kang Chan shifted his gaze to his father.
“Your mother wants you to pick your major before you head to France. That way, you’ll already be enrolled in the university before going to training,” Kang Dae-Kyung said, interpreting what Yoo Hye-Sook was trying to say.
Kang Chan turned his gaze back to see Yoo Hye-Sook sheepishly smiling.
“I just thought it might be easier for you if you enrolled in college before you leave. It’s the same as other people enrolling and then going to the military…” she trailed off.
“Okay, I’ll do that,” Kang Chan declared.
“Really?”
He didn’t have any reason not to anyway. It wasn’t that difficult, and it would make her happy.
“Your mom was so worried yesterday about how we could convince you,” Kang Dae-Kyung told Kang Chan.
“I was not!” Yoo Hye-Sook protested.
“We’ve been living together for almost twenty years. I know you,” Kang Dae-Kyung said with a grin.
Even if he couldn’t keep up with his classes or didn’t end up going to class because he didn’t want to bother his classmates, Kang Chan thought simply enrolling in the university wouldn’t be that much of a problem.
“What about your major though, Channy? What do you want to take?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“I was planning to major in physical education, but I’ll think about it for a little longer. I’ll tell you my decision in the evening,” Kang Chan replied.
“Okay, sounds good,” Yoo Hye-Sook replied.
They finished breakfast about ten minutes later than usual, so their morning became a bit busier. Kang Chan helped Yoo Hye-Sook put away the side dishes and then did the dishes himself.
“I’ll see you later. Have a good day and be safe, Channy,” Yoo Hye-Sook said as she reached out and hugged him.
“She’s acting like a daughter, isn’t she?” Kang Dae-Kyung joked as he met Kang Chan’s eyes.
Kang Chan didn’t mind. Yoo Hye-Sook holding him tightly felt like a reward from the world for all his hard times throughout his two lives.
“Take care of yourself, Father,” Kang Chan said.
At some point, Kang Dae-Kyung’s patting touch on his head or shoulder had become more natural. Whenever Kang Dae-Kyung patted him, he would always look into Kang Chan’s eyes.
The love of a father and that of a mother were definitely different.
***
Kang Chan had nothing in particular to do during the day. Since he had gone all the way to Yangpyeong yesterday with Seok Kang-Ho, he didn’t want to call him again.
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Kang Chan picked up the phone and answered the call with a smile.
“What?” he greeted.
- What are you up to? Your appointment isn’t until four this afternoon, right? Let’s have lunch together, then.
Although Dayeru acted tough, rugged, and aloof, he sounded just as upset about being apart from Kang Chan.
“When will you come out?” Kang Chan asked.
- I’ll see you at the apartment entrance.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Kang Chan said.
Kang Chan saw the guy every day. They had meals, drank tea, and even went on operations together. Nevertheless, he was happy to see him again today.
Kang Chan gathered the documents about the building and headed out.
He and Seok Kang-Ho had some tea and stuffed themselves at a luxurious Japanese restaurant. By the time their waiter served dessert, Kang Chan was already so full that he couldn’t move.
“Why do you look so serious today?” Seok Kang-Ho asked as he ate a piece of fruit with a fork. Surprise was evident in his eyes.
“I was just curious about how much I have to eat if I want to eat like you,” Kang Chan jokingly snarked.
“Pft, that’s such a waste of time!” Seok Kang-Ho chortled.
“You wanna die?” Kang Chan shot back.
If it wasn’t for this guy, the world probably would have been really dull. They stumbled out of the Japanese restaurant and headed to the embassy.
“Keep this for me,” Kang Chan ordered as he put the documents he was holding into the glovebox of the passenger seat.
“What are those?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“Documents for the building. Hold onto them for me while I’m gone,” Kang Chan told him.
“Got it,” Seok Kang-Ho replied in a breezy tone.
“Just to be safe, I included my stamp, seal, and other related documents. I also wrote down my lawyer’s contact information,” Kang Chan added.
“What do you mean ‘just to be safe?’” Seok Kang-Ho asked stiffly.
“Just keep the documents safe, okay?”
“That’s too bothersome. I’ll leave them as they are, so you better return quickly and take them back,” Seok Kang-Ho firmly replied.
At around two-thirty, they remembered the cafe in front of the embassy. They headed to it and stayed for over an hour to wait for Kang Chan’s appointment.
A few minutes before four, Kang Chan said, “I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll wait for you here,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
“Why?”
“Ambassador Lanok has dinner plans anyway, doesn’t he? So let’s have dinner together.”
“Just go back home. I’ll call you when I’m done,” Kang Chan assured him.
“Fine,” Seok Kang-Ho obediently responded and then left.
They had always acted brusquely with each other until now, Kang Chan probably wouldn’t have felt upset even if he were in Seok Kang-Ho’s shoes.
Kang Chan scanned his surroundings and entered the embassy. Once inside, an agent guided him to Lanok’s office.
Click.
“Mr. Kang Chan,” Lanok greeted him. He then extended an arm to gesture to the man who was standing on the other side of the table“This is Ethan, from the United Kingdom. Ethan, this is Mr. Kang Chan.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Ethan,” Ethan greeted as he extended his arm forward.
“Kang Chan,” Kang Chan briefly replied.
The two shook hands.
Ethan was short, stubby, and had a shining bald spot in the middle of his scalp. However, his eyes and lips conveyed a strong sense of stubbornness. Deep down, Kang Chan thought that the world of intelligence seemed filled with people who had tough eyes.
“Please have a seat,” Lanok suggested. Once they were all seated, he opened and showed Ethan a cigar case. Ethan took one of the cigars inside.
Click.
The end of a cigar had to be cut with a cigar cutter before lighting it up, which also took quite some time.
As they lit their cigars, Kang Chan took a sip of his black tea.
“Mr. Kang Chan,” Ehtan addressed Kang Chan in his rough French. “I’d like to begin by apologizing for the events that transpired in France. As a gesture of goodwill, the Prime Minister will be visiting South Korea soon. We will also be making substantial concessions in the economic and cultural aspects of South Korea’s relationship with the United Kingdom.”
“Thank you for the help you provided with the incident involving Ambassador Lanok,” Kang Chan replied. The tone he used wasn’t submissive but wasn’t too overpowering either.
With everything out of the way, it was time to get to the point. However, Ethan seemed to be having a hard time bringing it up.
Lanok didn’t rush him, and Kang Chan wasn’t in a hurry either. They didn’t have to wait that long anyway.
After about a minute of assessing the atmosphere and rotating the cigar in his hand, Ethan tapped off the ash in his cigar.
“The United Kingdom has completed the subterranean shock device,” he finally opened.
His delivery was monotonous. Even so, Lanok still let out a sigh that sounded more like a groan.
“I’m sure you’re both already well aware of what it is, so I won’t get into details. We replaced the two missing energy sources from Blackhead with cetinium and denadite. As a result, we were able to conduct two successful experiments.”
What’s he talking about? Did they really intentionally cause earthquakes?
Kang Chan recalled the news report about an earthquake occurring in the sea some time ago and turned to Lanok for a moment before redirecting his gaze.
“Russia, the United States, and France are the only countries that are close to knowing about this, but one of the missing energy sources is inside you, Mr. Kang Chan. Other countries have probably caught wind of it, but they likely only have a faint inkling of what’s happening,” Ethan continued.
“Then what is it that you want, sir?” Kang Chan tactfully asked.
They had already switched out the energy sources from Blackhead with something else, hadn’t they?
Kang Chan just wanted to be done with this boring conversation.
“We have lost control of the subterranean shock device,” Ethan informed him.
Kang Chan tilted his head. Ethan proceeded to give them an intricate and twisted explanation, but in a nutshell, he was just saying the machine was broken.
“There is no way to stop it. At the rate it’s going, the United Kingdom, the eastern United States, Russia, France, and Japan will all disappear from the map,” Ethan revealed.
Kang Chan was so shocked that he subconsciously shook his head from side to side and let out a loud sigh.
Thoughts flashed through his mind. Kang Chan first felt relieved that South Korea wasn’t among the affected countries but then wondered, ‘What will happen exactly?’
It didn’t take long for him to answer his own question.
‘A lot of people are going to die.’
Kang Chan picked up a cigarette and raised his gaze. Lanok had a stiff look in his eyes.
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