Chapter 235.1: And... (2)
Kang Chan had never been this dumbfounded—not even when he ran into Sharlan and Smithen at the Namsan Hotel some time ago.
Kang Chul-Gyu didn’t just look the same as the last time Kang Chan saw him. The son of a bitch standing in front of him looked even healthier.
This man used to drink alcohol bought with the money that his wife earned and used his intoxication as an excuse to beat up his wife and son. Now, he was standing in front of Kang Chan looking perfectly sane, saying that he was going to Mongolia.
Kang Chan gritted his teeth as he held back the urge to punch Kang Chul-Gyu in the neck and at the pit of his stomach. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was the least he could do as a human, he would’ve already attacked him.
“Kang Chan...?” Oh Gwang-Taek called. Kang Chan’s eyes were glinting so much that even Oh Gwang-Taek was surprised.
Kang Chul-Gyu turned to stare intently at Kang Chan. Everyone, including Kim Tae-Jin and Oh Gwang-Taek, looked taken aback.
“How’s the preparations going?” Kang Chan asked through gritted teeth.
“We’ve completed it all,” the flustered Oh Gwang-Taek responded.
“Do you know me?” Kang Chul-Gyu interjected, slightly cocking his head.
Kang Chan’s eyes glinted even more fiercely. When their eyes met, murderous intent instantly filled the airport’s lounge.
“Why would I know you, old man?” Kang Chan asked.
“Why are you looking at me with those eyes, then?”
“Why are you picking a fight with someone you’ve just met for the first time, old man? Do you want to die?”
The two had a similar smirk on their faces as they conversed.
“Kang Chan!” Kim Tae-Jin exclaimed, having lost his patience. Nevertheless, the two refused to look away from each other. “This man is the sunbae-nim that I told you about before. Kang Chul-Gyu sunbae-nim is that famous—”
“Stop!” Kang Chul-Gyu shouted, not wanting Kim Tae-Jin to continue.
That troublesome drunkard is the DMZ King?
Fuck! I can’t believe they kicked up a fuss and told me that he’s a legend and whatnot when in truth it was all just nonsense that they made among themselves!
“I heard that you’re the chief manager of this operation. If you don’t want me to join, then I can just step away from this operation,” Kang Chul-Gyu told Kang Chan.
“Are you saying that I have to spend effort to decide whether an old man like you should be part of the team or not?”
“Kang Chan! What’s wrong with you today?!” Kim Tae-Jin yelled.
“Kim Tae-Jin, I’ll be backing out of this operation. It’s for the best.” Kang Chul-Gyu picked up the bag next to him, caving in and raising a white flag.
At the same time, Kim Tae-Jin, who was standing beside him, said, “Even I can’t understand you today, Kang Chan. If you’re going to act like this, then I’ll also back out. I doubt I’ll be helpful to you if you can’t believe in someone I specifically chose.”
Clenching his jaws, Kim Tae-Jin picked up his bag.
Damn it!
I didn’t want the situation to turn out like this. I know that I should give in right now... but how can I surrender to that man? He’s standing there looking like a normal person who’s never done anything wrong! There is no way that I can say that he should go with us.
“Alright. Let’s cancel our departure today, then,” Kang Chan said, having completely lost his cool. With only anger left in him, he exploded with rage. He didn’t want to go to Mongolia in this state of mind.
Kang Chan immediately turned around and walked away.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
No matter how many times he swore to himself, the wrath within him refused to subside.
“Hey! Kang Chan!”
Oh Gwang-Taek tightly grabbed onto Kang Chan’s arm but immediately flinched. Kang Chan had whirled around in anger and had barely stopped himself from hitting him.
Noticing that Kang Chan was in a fit of anger, Oh Gwang-Taek became enraged as well.
“You son of a bitch! Did you think I’m your subordinate just because you got me out of prison? You motherfucker!” Oh Gwang-Taek yelled.
“Let go,” Kang Chan stated.
“Fine. There, you motherfucker!”
“Hyung-nim! I’m sure that Kang Chan hyung-nim has his reasons!” one of the gangsters yelled as he grabbed onto Oh Gwang-Taek.
“Let go! Let go of me, you sons of bitches!” Oh Gwang-Taek shouted.
Joo Chul-Bum and a few others ran toward them and held Oh Gwang-Taek as if they were clinging onto him. They then dragged him away from Kang Chan.
“Let me go! Argh! Let go! I said to let go of me, you fucking assholes!” Oh Gwang-Taek yelled again.
“You should go outside for now.” Three employees who looked like agents blocked Kang Chan.
“Let go of me, you fucking bastards! Hey! Kang Chan, you motherfucker! Where do you think you’re going?!”
Kang Chan could still hear Oh Gwang-Taek yelling.
The employees of the airport ran over, but they didn’t dare to approach them. All they could do was watch the situation with frightened expressions.
“Mr. Assistant Deputy Director, you should probably leave this place for a bit,” one of the agents urged.
The situation had become a total mess.
“Huuu!” Kang Chan shook his head and then went outside.
When Kang Chan and the three agents headed outside, the employee who was standing at the entrance stepped back. He looked quite surprised. The passengers glancing at them because of all the shouting quickly looked away.
“Tsk!”
Kang Chan knew that people often laughed when they were dumbfounded, but he had no idea whether he should be laughing or crying in this situation.
This wasn’t right.
It would be ridiculous to go to Mongolia in this state, but it felt even more ridiculous to go back inside still feeling this way and reconcile with Kang Chul-Gyu.
“Please come this way,” an agent said as he cut across the main lobby and led them to the other side of the hallway. They were going to the National Intelligence Service’s Airport Office, which Kang Chan had once dropped by.
When the agent pressed the button at the entrance, the door opened. The ones inside didn’t even check who it was.
“I’m going to use the meeting room,” Kang Chan said.
Click.
An agent opened the glass door closest to the entrance and stepped aside so that Kang Chan could enter.
It was a normal room with a big circular table and a portable board in the inner part of the room. Kang Chan simply sat on a chair.
A moment later, two agents came inside with an ashtray and a paper cup filled with instant coffee.
Chk chk.
“Whoo!”
Kang Chan didn’t say anything. He just accepted the cigarette that an agent handed him and lit it up.
“I’ll escort President Kim Tae-Jin in,” the agent said.
Kang Chan nodded. He had no hard feelings toward the president.
Finally calming down a bit while smoking, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
How am I going to explain this situation?
Fuck! Should I confess that the man they just recruited was my father in my previous life and that he treated us like trash whenever he was drunk?
He had never been this worked up in his entire life. For a moment there, he truly lost his cool.
Although he had felt this worked up on the battlefield and during operations before, he could always easily calm down by killing those whom he considered his opponents—even if it meant refusing to listen to anyone trying to stop him. Unlike back then, he couldn’t even punch Kang Chul-Gyu, which only made him even angrier.
Kang Chan couldn’t understand how Kang Chul-Gyu could have the same look in his eyes as he was fucking pissing him off.
He asked if I knew him? Damn it! If there’s any other fucker out there that knows him as well as I do, tell him to come out!
Even when he got shot in the neck in Africa, leading him to his death, the only memory Kang Chan had of his father was him drinking alcohol, beating up his wife, and beating up his child for trying to stop him.
That kind of trash was the DMZ King?
Did he earn that title back in the days people fought about which fucker drank more alcohol and bullshitted more?
Kang Chan took out another cigarette and lit it up again.
“Whoo!”
Kim Tae-Jin entered the room while Kang Chan was still enraged. His eyes were full of anger as well, but he also looked just as curious about what was going on.
Kang Chan had to give him an answer—an honest one—but he really didn’t have anything to say.
Kang Chan extinguished his cigarette as he stood up from his spot. “Can you guys give us a minute?”
“Of course, sir.” The agents exchanged glances, then walked out and closed the glass door behind them.
“Please take a seat,” Kang Chan said.
“Hmm. You should sit as well.”
Kim Tae-Jin clearly had more maturity and experience. He was still clearly furious, yet he managed to suppress it all just so he could calmly talk to Kang Chan.
“What’s going on? I have to know why you’re suddenly acting like this if you want me to properly coordinate with you, don’t I? As far as I know, there’s no reason for you to behave this way,” Kim Tae-Jin said.
Just as Kim Tae-Jin finished asking questions as if he was confessing his frustrations, they heard someone knocking. One of the agents put coffee on the table and then left.
“Go ahead and smoke. It should help you calm down. Even if you’re holding back for my sake, it doesn’t look too good to see you holding back your urge to smoke right now,” Kim Tae-Jin offered.
“It’s okay. I just finished smoking.”
“Alright, then tell me why on earth you acted like that.”
Kang Chan couldn’t help the corner of his lips from quirking up at the absurdity of this situation.
How am I supposed to explain this?
“Did you know Kang sunbae before today?” Kim Tae-Jin asked. He now sounded as if his anger had melted a little bit.
Kang Chan didn’t want to disappoint him either.
“Will you keep everything that I tell you right now a secret?” Kang Chan asked.
“Yes.”
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