Chapter 195.1: Things Never Go as Planned (2)
Kang Chan and Lanok decided to meet in front of the Nonhyeon Station at five tomorrow morning so they could leave together. They then agreed to call each other if there were any changes to their plan.
It was four in the afternoon right now.
Kang Chan found it ridiculous, but he immediately thought of Seok Kang-Ho before Kang Dae-Kyung, Yoo Hye-Sook, and Kim Hyung-Jung came across his mind.
Who should I call first?
Kang Chan took out his phone and called Kang Dae-Kyung first.
- Hello?
“Father, it’s me, Channy. Are you free to talk?”
- Yeah. What’s wrong?
“I’m on my way out of the French embassy right now. I called because I’m thinking of departing tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”
Kang Chan heard Kang Dae-Kyung sigh loudly.
- Your mom is going to be very upset.
“I’m sorry.”
- Is this already final?
“I can probably delay it for about a day, but if I can, I’d like to accept their request and leave as soon as possible.”
Kang Dae-Kyung stayed silent for a moment, seemingly reluctant to answer.
- Will you be able to have dinner with us at least?
Kang Chan felt quite conflicted as he listened to Kang Dae-Kyung.
“Yes. Should I head straight to your office before you two leave work?”
- Let me get back to you on that. Is that alright with you?
“I’m sorry, Father.”
- It’s okay. I’ll call you later.
Kang Chan hung up. He couldn’t help but think that his parents were having a hard time handling him. However, he had to keep his emotions and work separate.
Kang Chan called Kim Hyung-Jung and informed him about his situation—that he was going to depart tomorrow. They then decided to meet at Samseong-dong.
At times like this, calling Woo Hee-Seung was the most convenient. Kang Chan used the radio to contact him, got in the car, and immediately headed to Samseong-dong.
Seok Kang-Ho was the only person left whom he had to call.
The call rang three or four times before Seok Kang-Ho finally picked up.
- Hello?
“My meeting is done. I’m on my way to the office in Samseong-dong now. I might have to leave for France tomorrow.”
Woo Hee-Seung glanced at Kang Chan.
- You’re leaving tomorrow?
“Yeah.”
- Alright. Should I head to Samseong-dong as well?
“Yep.”
When Kang Chan hung up, he suddenly remembered a bunch of people—Jeon Dae-Geuk, Kim Tae-Jin, and even Oh Gwang-Taek.
“Are you really leaving tomorrow?” Woo Hee-Seung asked.
“Yes. I think so, at least.”
Has he been preparing something?
Kang Chan organized his thoughts as he stared out the window.
By the time he reached Kim Hyung-Jung’s office, Seok Kang-Ho was already inside waiting for him.
“What happened?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“Ambassador Lanok requested that I leave with him tomorrow.”
Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes widened but eventually grimly nodded.
Kang Chan couldn’t really give them any more details on the matter since he gave Seok Kang-Ho his word that he would keep the situation in the UK between them for now.
“The section chief is a bit too far to make it on time, but Kim Tae-Jin is already on his way here,” Kim Hyung-Jung said as an employee brought over coffee.
“Manager Kim, about college — I was wondering if I can get admitted into the Department of Political Science and International Relations and then get an official leave of absence from school.”
“You have nothing to worry about. The Department of Political Science and International Relations, right?”
“Yes.” Kang Chan answered as he thought of Yoo Hye-Sook and Kim Mi-Young at the same time.
Beep beep beep.
While they were talking, Kang Chan heard a signal.
Kim Hyung-Jung immediately headed outside. After some time, he came back inside with Kim Tae-Jin right behind him.
“What happened?” Kim Tae-Jin asked Kang Chan after greeting Seok Kang-Ho with a brief nod. “Everyone was looking forward to getting a chance to have dinner with you and the section chief.”
He sounded quite upset, but Kang Chan didn’t hate it.
“Is there anything we can help you with, at least?” Kim Tae-Jin wondered.
“Not really. I think I’m all set now.”
“Either way, it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen.” Kim Tae-Jin momentarily stopped to glance at Seok Kang-Ho. “Tsk! What should Mr. Seok Kang-Ho do? He has to be upset.”
“What made you think so? On the contrary, I’m going to take this opportunity to act like I’m the king without having to worry about anyone’s mood. It’s going to be amazing, especially since we can still meet up and drink sometime,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“I’d like that, Mr. Seok Kang-Ho. We should take some time to visit tourist spots and famous places too since things will probably quiet down once Kang Chan leaves.”
This conversation was better than hearing them talk about how upset and disappointed they were.
Kim Tae-Jin sat down and took out a thick envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket. He then handed it to Kang Chan. “Here. Use it for your expenses in France.”
“I have plenty of money.”
“Just think of it as an act of sincerity. Take it already. I’m starting to feel embarrassed.”
Seeing Kim Tae-Jin look so troubled made it difficult for Kang Chan to refuse.
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to spend it wisely,” Kang Chan said, finally giving in.
“I heard that you can still contact us while you’re in France. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know through Mr. Seok Kang-Ho.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
.
“There’s a lot of trifling things that you can’t ask your family or the people you’re close with to do for you if you're far away from them. When it comes to those things, just ask me to do it,” Kim Tae-Jin added.
Kang Chan really didn’t expect that he was going to talk more than Yoo Hye-Sook.
Kim Tae-Jin only stopped giving reminders and pointers when Kang Chan laughed, followed by Seok Kang-Ho and Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Who are you going to have dinner with?” Kim Hyung-Jung asked Kang Chan.
“I have dinner plans with my parents.”
Kim Hyung-Jung just nodded in response, but Kang Chan could clearly see the dismay in his expression.
“Why are you all acting like this? I already told you that I’ll be back in six months, didn’t I?” Kang Chan said.
“You suddenly decided to leave tomorrow, so can you really blame us? We would have been less upset if we could have dinner and drinks with you, but that’s not an option anymore,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied. They then talked about various other topics.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
In the middle of their conversation, Kang Chan’s phone rang.
“Hello?” he greeted as soon as he picked up.
- Chan, can you talk right now?
“Yes, Father.”
- Your mom will be joining us for dinner. Will you be able to get to my office in time for it?
“Sure, I’ll be there at around six pm. Is that alright?”
- That’s perfect, actually.
“Alright. I’ll see you then.”
The moment Kang Chan hung up, he realized his departure for France tomorrow suddenly felt more real.
“Right! Mr. Kang Chan, please take this to France.” Kim Hyung-Jung handed over a small document envelope while tousling his hair.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a passport with the same information as the ID that I made you last time. You probably won’t have to go through customs and immigration once you get there, but if you ever need to pass the CIQ[1] by any chance, then you should use that passport.”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
“Do you not know when you’re going to leave yet?” Kim Hyung-Jung asked.
“I’ll be meeting Ambassador Lanok at five in the morning tomorrow.”
“I see,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied, then turned to Seok Kang-Ho. “You should have dinner with us.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They all couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“I have to go now,” Kang Chan said. When he stood up, the others in the room followed suit.
“Please have a safe trip.” With a sorrowful expression, Kim Hyung-Jung shook Kang Chan’s hand.
“I’m going to hunt you down if you don’t contact me,” Kim Tae-Jin grumbled. He also shook Kang Chan’s hand.
Afterward, Kang Chan turned to Seok Kang-Ho. “I’ll call you after I have dinner.”
“Alright.”
After bidding them all goodbye, Kang Chan headed to the basement parking lot and looked for Woo Hee-Seung—who was waiting for him. Once in the car, they immediately headed to Kang Dae-Kyung’s office.
“Please take this.” Woo Hee-Seung turned around in the passenger seat and handed an envelope to Kang Chan.
“What’s this?”
“Everyone pitched in a little bit of money. It isn’t a lot, but I hope it can be of some use. It’s the least we can do to pass on our sincerity to our commander.”
His subordinates and colleagues back in Africa had never made Kang Chan feel this way.
Despite living a life that could lead to their deaths at any moment, these soldiers probably didn’t earn that much. They couldn’t even dream of living in a large apartment or driving a luxury car. Considering Choi Seong-Geon visited their houses to give them compensation whenever they got injured, they were likely struggling financially.
Nevertheless, they still pitched in to support Kang Chan. How could he refuse such kindness?
“Tell them I said thanks,” Kang Chan said.
Smirking, Woo Hee-Seung focused on the road again.
It didn’t matter how much money they managed to accumulate. After all, Kang Chan would never be able to bring himself to spend it since looking at the envelope in his hand reminded him of the soldiers.
It didn’t take that long to get to Kang Dae-Kyung’s office from Samseong-dong.
Kang Chan got out of the car in front of the showroom and noticed agents spread out nearby. They chose not to hide since showing their enemies that they were being extremely cautious was more effective when it came to security.
Not wanting the Kang Yoo Motors employees to see him, Kang Chan took out his phone.
- Are you downstairs already?
“Yes. I’m in front of the showroom. Should I go up?”
- No — I’ll be there in a bit.
Kang Chan’s parents came out of the showroom less than five minutes after he hung up. Kang Dae-Kyung was smiling, but it looked forced, and Yoo Hye-Sook couldn’t even hide the fact that she was doing everything she could to stop herself from crying.
“What happened, Channy?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“My schedule has been moved up. I’m sorry.”
“This is all way too sudden.”
“Channy is probably hungry, honey. Let’s head to the restaurant for now,” Kang Dae-Kyung said.
Yoo Hye-Sook nodded and hooked her arm to Kang Chan’s.
1. CIQ stands for customs, immigration, and quarantine 👈
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