Chapter 230.2: Something I Wanted To Tell You (1)
“Sunbae-nim, I’m Kim Tae-Jin. Do you remember me?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.
“I do. What brings you here? Ah, why don’t you come in first?”
Unlike Kim Tae-Jin, who suddenly filled up with emotions, Kang Chul-Gyu remained calm. He stepped aside to make room for him.
Kim Tae-Jin handed over the box of juice that he brought to Kang Chul-Gyu. When entered the living room, Kang Chul-Gyu closed the glass door behind them. It had damage all over it and was already quite worn down.
“I only have green tea. Would you like a cup?” Kang Chul-Gyu asked.
“No, thank you. I had tea before coming here.”
“You think I’d just let you go without even a drink after you’ve come all the way here? At least have a cup of green tea.”
“Alright. I’d like some, then,” Kim Tae-Jin gave in.
“Great. Have a seat. I’ll go prepare it.”
As Kang Chul-Gyu walked over to the gas stove, which was across the living room door, Kim Tae-Jin took a slow look around the house.
The entire living room had an old and moldy smell. The door of the bedroom was also quite worn out, and the floor was so cold that he couldn’t feel even the slightest warmth from it. A very small table, the kettle in the tiny and old sink, and a few plates seemed to be all of Kang Chul-Gyu’s kitchenware.
“The floor is cold. Sit on this,” Kang Chul-Gyu said as he unfolded the table and then pushed the blanket that was hidden behind it toward Kim Tae-Jin. The old blanket was clean and neatly folded, which seemed to be a testament to his character.
“Do you live alone?” Kim Tae-Jin asked as he sat, taking Kang Chul-Gyu up on his offer.
Kang Chul-Gyu brought over two differently shaped teacups and sat in front of him. “Yes. Anyway, how can I help you?”
As Kim Tae-Jin accepted the teacup that Kang Chul-Gyu handed over, he realized that Kang Chul-Gyu’s hand was trembling a little.
“Actually…” he began. It took him about ten minutes to explain the situation.
“Many people out there are better suited than me to handle something this important. Coming all the way here is nothing more than a fool’s errand.”
“Sunbae-nim, as I’ve told you, only a few employees have completed their training. I was wondering if you could take charge of them so they can receive proper training.”
Kim Tae-Jin noticed the smirk on Kang Chul-Gyu’s face.
“I was dead drunk and high on drugs, all to overcome the pain, when I got the news that my son died in vain. The next morning, I came out of the bedroom still feeling dazed and out of it. That was when I found my wife hanging from the very same ceiling we’re under right now,” Kang Chul-Gyu said.
Kim Tae-Jin swallowed dryly as he glanced up.
“I've been going to a hospital since then. Now, I’m like this,” Kang Chul-Gyu continued. He held up his hand and showed it to Kim Tae-Jin. It was faint, but it was trembling.
“To this day, I have to fight against the pain every night. I still crave drugs and alcohol so much that it’s driving me insane. Even if I want to go with you, I can’t. My body won’t listen to me anymore. And even if I do go anyway, I won’t be of any help. More importantly…” Kang Chul-Gyu smirked again. “I have been thinking of looking for my son, so I don’t have time to focus on other things.”
Kim Tae-Jin cocked his head as he looked at Kang Chul-Gyu. He couldn’t fully understand what he meant.
“I was told that he died in Africa,” Kang Chul-Gyu explained.
“I see.”
Kim Tae-Jin sighed. After a short while, an idea popped into his mind. “How about we help you find your son?”
Kang Chul-Gyu’s eyes glinted, making it hard for Kim Tae-Jin to meet his gaze. The look he had in his eyes hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Where have I seen those eyes before?
“Please don’t get me wrong. You don’t have to help us with the situation we’re facing in exchange for our help. I’m simply suggesting this because I would like to lend a hand if you really think that you have to find your son,” Kim Tae-Jin added.
Kang Chul-Gyu didn’t say anything.
***
- How can I help our new hero?
“Vasili, I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Are you available to talk?”
- I should be free right now, yes.
Did this fucker really just say that to me?
Vasili somewhat seemed as if he was being sarcastic. It annoyed Kang Chan quite a lot. Nevertheless, he chose to let his cocky behavior pass for now and keep the conversation going.
“Yang Bum just presented a good proposal to me. I’m reviewing it right now—”
- Kang Chan.
Vasili immediately cut Kang Chan off. He had a strong Russian accent—something Kang Chan only noticed now. For some reason, he felt as if he was talking to an entirely different person.
- We’re going to have problems if you think of me as a pushover and treat me as if I’m insignificant just because I’ve been considerate since we met each other. I truly hope you’re not planning on asking me to take care of the aftermath of your battle against the mafia. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from being really upset.
Kang Chan looked out the window.
Vasili was essentially telling him that they should fight. He seemed intent on figuring out who would win between them.
Kang Chan smirked.
“I was at least going to ask for your understanding, Vasili. After all, you’re still a representative of Russia. Thank you for telling me all that, though. If that’s how you truly feel, then I’ll take care of the mafia myself. You better not spout complaints later.”
Vasili didn’t respond right away.
You son of a bitch! Did you really think I would cling to you just so I could ask you to stop the Russian mafia or something?
- Huhuhu.
Much to his surprise, however, Kang Chan heard Vasili laughing from the other end of the line.
- You’re catching too much attention, you know. There are moments and situations when you have to stay out of the spotlight and take action in the shadows. You should learn how and when to flatter others and to surrender when you need help. This whole ordeal should be a good learning experience for you.
“Thank you for your advice.”
When Kang Chan put his phone down, he noticed Seok Kang-Ho looking at him. He had quite the curious expression.
“It seems like Vasili doesn’t want to help us. Considering he’s essentially suggesting that we fight each other, we’re likely going to have a hard time bringing down the Russian mafia,” Kang Chan explained.
“Hmm!” Seok Kang-Ho’s sigh perfectly summed up how they felt right now.
“Daye,” Kang Chan called.
“Yes?”
“Starting tomorrow, I want you to stay at Jeungpyeong. Tell the men everything you can about the SISS—the same enemies we fought against when we were in Africa. If you can, I also want you to train them how to respond to whatever situation they might find themselves in during their battle against those bastards.”
“Alright.” Seok Kang-Ho nodded as soon as he saw the look in Kang Chan’s eyes. “Can’t we put off attending to the matters in Mongolia?”
“Yang Bum lent us a helping hand when we were in dire need of one. It would be hard to turn a blind eye to him now, especially since he told me that this is an urgent matter. We also have no idea how Russia is going to use the denadite, which is only making it even more difficult for us to put this whole ordeal on the back burner.”
“Phew!”
“Anyway, starting tomorrow, you are to take charge of the special forces team’s training,” Kang Chan commanded.
“Alright.”
Seok Kang-Ho stood up and called Cha Dong-Gyun. At the same time, Kang Chan called Kim Hyung-Jung.
- It’s Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Manager Kim, Oh Gwang-Taek will be free to go today, won’t he?”
- Yes. He will be walking out of prison in about an hour. While I have you, I’d like to inform you that the DMZ King has decided to join the Mongolian team.
“Is that so? Good to hear, then.”
- Kim Tae-Jin decided to come here. I was hoping you could meet up with us. Do you have the time for it?
“If it’s not too much of a bother, I would like you two to come here. We should have lunch together.”
- Sounds good. I’ll tell Kim Tae-Jin about it before I head to your office, then.
Kang Chan hung up soon after. He felt greatly disappointed that they didn’t have enough time. He hoped that they could go to Mongolia earlier or to Africa a bit later. Unfortunately, neither matter was making it easy for him to make decisions.
The DMZ King?
How much aid can an old person give us in this situation? He wasn’t even part of the military.
Tsk! Well, he’ll probably be somewhat helpful. Kim Hyung-Jung and Kim Tae-Jin were willing to do whatever it took to get him to join, after all.
After his call with Kim Hyung-Jung, Kang Chan received two more phone calls.
One of them was from Michelle. She asked if he could attend the year-end ceremony that was being done at DI, and the other call was from Kim Mi-Young, who asked if he was busy today.
The two were clearly doing their best not to bother him.
Kang Chan could understand Michelle going through all that trouble. After all, she was well aware of how he was doing lately. However, he wasn’t expecting Kim Mi-Young to behave the same way as well.
Nevertheless, even though he wanted to see her, he simply told her that he would have to call her back later and then hung up.
‘Why am I like this?’
Still looking at the scene outside, Kang Chan walked over and stood in front of the window.
He was frustrated. However, it wasn’t because something was filling him up with anxiety. He just felt as if he had something heavy weighing down on his chest.
Am I feeling this way because I’m worried about the men?
Kang Chan looked into the distance.
Since things are like this!
In any case, the lives of the members of the special forces team, Oh Gwang-Taek’s men, and Yoo Bi-Corp employees—Kim Tae-Jin included—were all on the line right now.
However, Kang Chan didn’t have to rack his brains out trying to correctly judge the situation and make the right decisions. After all, Seok Kang-Ho, who could understand what he was trying to say with just a look, would be heading to Africa first.
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