Chapter 232.2: I’m Sorry, Channy (1)
“Huff! Huff!”
Kang Chul-Gyu sat on the floor with his back against the wall as horrible pain coursed through him. He bent his knees to his chest and pressed his temples with the palms of his hands. It hadn’t even been a day since Kim Tae-Jin visited him, but he was already in so much agony.
The sensation made him feverish, which in turn made him feel so cold that he began to tremble. He was in so much pain that he felt as if someone was stabbing his head with a skewer until morning came.
Interestingly, the pain subsided to some degree when the sun rose. The doctor told him that it was the effect of ‘psychological comfort,’ but he couldn’t really care less about what it was called. All that mattered to him was that it made the pain he was in wane even just a little bit.
“Phew!” Kang Chul-Gyu exhaled softly as he lifted his head. He smirked.
“We have to fight the Russian Mafia in Mongolia, huh?” he told himself, then breathed in deeply.
He probably wouldn't die without suffering first. After all, he had killed too many people at the DMZ. That could even be the reason why his wife and son were taken from him in the first place.
“It seems like a fitting place to meet my death.” Kang Chul-Gyu opened the box for his thermal underwear, which he had put on his right.
“Chan…” He couldn’t even recognize Kang Chan’s face.
I can’t believe I beat him up… He had that look in his eyes, so why didn’t he defy me once?
Kang Chul-Gyu picked up Kang Chan’s photo and put it in front of him.
“I won’t be able to go where you are.”
Kang Chul-Gyu smirked.
“I heard you also found yourself fighting for your life on battlefield after battlefield, so I can’t say for sure that you won’t be in hell. At the very least, though, you won’t be in there as deep as I am since I’ll probably be dropped to the deepest part of it.”
Kang Chul-Gyu frowned as he twisted his head, suddenly feeling a sharp pain piercing his temples.
“Phew.”
A moment later, sunlight entered the room, brightening it up.
“If you’re alive… If I could meet you, even if it’s only while I take my final breath, I would like to tell you something…” Kang Chul-Gyu said, then looked around the empty room.
“I’m sorry, Channy,” he continued through gritted teeth. “You probably won’t be able to ever forgive me, but I hope that you’ll at least hear me out and that you won’t misunderstand what I’ll tell you. I’ll be apologizing with a clear mind.”
Kang Chul-Gyu took a few moments to bring his emotions under control. He then picked up the box for his thermal underwear and slowly stood up.
“I decided to donate the money that your mom saved up for you to a Foundation for orphaned children. It’s a far better use for it than letting some useless person waste it all on alcohol.”
Kang Chul-Gyu was talking as if Kang Chan was actually beside him. It had only been a few days since he had started feeling this way, but he had suddenly felt as if his son was actually listening from somewhere in the room. Rambling on like this seemed to decrease the pain he was in a little.
“Sunbae-nim!”
Kang Chul-Gyu heard Kim Tae-Jin calling him from outside the room.
***
When Kang Chul-Gyu arrived at the Kang Yoo Foundation, he looked at the building with suspicion. It looked too new, making him suspect that this charity was a scam.
“Kang Chan said that he lowered the tenants’ rent. He’s the owner of this building, after all. Even if he didn’t, his parents aren’t the type of people who would trick others for money,” Kim Tae-Jin explained.
Rather than replying to him, Kang Chul-Gyu slowly tilted his head back to get a better view of the building. Changing the topic, he commented, “This is quite the tall building.”
With Kim Hyung-Jung’s help, Kang Chul-Gyu had withdrawn all the money in the account that his wife had made for Kang Chan. Once he donated it all to this foundation, which would use it to help kids in need, he wouldn’t have any more to wish for. He wouldn’t have any regrets either.
***
Kang Chan stood in front of the window as he looked around the building.
What is this feeling? What’s making me feel this strange?
After the new year, he started getting this feeling more and more often. However, it had never been this intense.
Are people trying to hide something from me?
Although he was set to leave for Mongolia tomorrow, he was having trouble telling anyone about this new emotion welling up inside him. After all, in his entire life, this was the first time he had ever felt this way.
His guts could just be warning him that someone was about to snipe him down from a nearby building. However, if that was the case, then his heart should be pounding. He wouldn’t be feeling so down.
Even after letting some time pass, the feeling still didn’t go away. Hence, he decided to leave the building for now.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
Before he could, however, his phone began to ring.
“Hello?”
- Channy! We have just finished moving your father’s business and your mother’s foundation into the building. I’ll be starting my normal duties now. Aren’t you going to treat me to a meal?
Kang Chan couldn’t help but admit that Michelle had certainly gone through a lot for his sake.
Since he was already planning on leaving the building anyway, he thought it wouldn’t be bad to use this timely opportunity to treat Michelle out. He wouldn’t get another chance to repay her in a long while. After all, he would be flying over to Mongolia tomorrow and heading straight to Africa as soon as he was done taking care of business there.
“Sure. Would you prefer I treat you to lunch or dinner?”
- Let’s have lunch. Come down to the basement parking lot right now. I’ll meet you there.
“I will.”
Kang Chan hung up and took his time heading to the elevator. Strangely enough, his head was also starting to hurt.
He went down to the first floor using the private elevator, then took the normal elevator to the basement.
Ding.
By the time Kang Chan arrived at the second floor of the basement parking lot, Michelle was already waiting for him, her car parked right by the entrance.
“Hi! How come it’s even harder to see you now even though we’re finally working in the same building?” Michelle asked.
Vroom.
Kang Chan felt a little better when they drove away from the hotel and saw Michelle smiling as if to show him how happy she was.
“What do you want to eat?” Kang Chan asked.
“Galbi-tang! It’s really good.”
This French girl with blonde hair and blue eyes licked her lips as she talked about galbi-tang.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
Kang Chan’s phone rang.
“Hello, Mr. President?”
- Hey. Where are you right now?
“I’m out right now to have lunch. Why do you ask?”
- Haha! I’m at your building right now. I was hoping to have lunch with you.
Michelle examined Kang Chan’s mood. She then gave him a glance that let him know that she wouldn’t mind heading back if they had to.
“Would like me to head back? I can go now if you need me to.”
- No need. My sunbae-nim is here as well, so we’re heading out soon to meet Oh Gwang-Taek. Do take your time. We’re going to Mongolia tomorrow anyway, so I see no reason to rush.
“Are you sure?”
- Of course! Let’s talk later.
After Kang Chan hung up, he nodded to Michelle.
“You don’t have to go back?” Michelle asked.
“Someone dropped by our building with an acquaintance, but they don’t have enough time to wait for me to get back.”
Michelle examined Kang Chan’s mood again but didn’t say anything else on the matter.
The galbi-tang restaurant was quite crowded, and there was a good reason for it—their food was quite delicious.
After finishing their meal, Michelle drove around to the back of Namsan and parked at a large cafe. It had a terrace and a gas heater with a wide top that looked like an umbrella.
“Don’t you have to go back to the office?” Kang Chan asked.
“I don’t have anything special planned today. My schedule will probably remain this way for the next two weeks.”
Kang Chan just nodded. He wondered if there was any other profession out there that could tell the difference between when they were busy and when they were free this clearly.
They ordered coffee and made themselves comfortable.
“You’re leaving for Mongolia tomorrow, right? Have you packed your clothes? Should I buy you some?” Michelle asked. Upon seeing Kang Chan smirking, she became more aggressive with her approach. “Why are you smiling? I was hoping I could make you feel better while we’re out shopping for clothes, you know.”
“If my guess is right and we buy the clothes that you have in mind, I doubt I’d be able to wear any of them in Mongolia. We’re flying over to that place to build a military base, so what I need are sturdy and thick clothes that I can trust to withstand and last in rough situations and tedious environments. Like military uniforms, for example.”
“We can buy clothes like that, then.”
“Let’s stop this conversation here,” Kang Chan replied.
Michelle nodded upon seeing him smile once more.
Every time they met, Kang Chan felt more and more comfortable being around her.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel