Chapter 272: What I Want to Do (1)
The next day.
After having breakfast, Kang Chan led the South Korean and French teams out of the UN’s base.
“Blanchet! Deploy troops at the front and the back,” Kang Chan ordered.
“Oui!”
The two employees from the UN command center watched with smiles on their faces.
Smirking, Kang Chan looked back at them. The two employees sloppily saluted him.
“Let’s go!” Kang Chan yelled.
Akrion and his grandfather headed to the French military base in Mogadishu with Blanchet. They seemed disappointed throughout the entire car ride. Meanwhile, Gérard and his men accompanied the South Korean soldiers all the way to the Mogadishu airport.
When they arrived, the French special forces team stood in one line before the aircraft and sent off the South Korean team.
Cha Dong-Gyun clasped hands with Gérard and bumped chests with him. He then did the same with the other soldiers before him. The other South Koreans followed suit, going through the line until they had reached the aircraft.
“Can’t believe I have to part ways with this fucker again,” Seok Kang-Ho grumbled as he shook hands with Gérard. He then hopped into the aircraft.
“I’ll be waiting, Cap,” Gérard said.
“Yeah. I’ll see you later.”
Whoosh.
When Gérard saluted Kang Chan, the other French soldiers did as well. He saluted back, then got on the plane. This sendoff was more than enough for them.
Creaaaak.
Before the door could even fully close, Kang Chan sat on a bed connected to the wall.
Rattle.
The door soon shut tight, completely removing Mogadishu from view.
The aircraft went down the runway and flew toward South Korea.
Since six of their twenty-one survivors were wounded, only fifteen people were on the plane.
During combat, wounds often looked like they weren’t all that serious. However, taking a step back and looking at them again sometimes made people think, ‘They were this bad?’
That was exactly what was happening right now.
Except for one, all of the soldiers had blood-soaked bandages all over their bodies. A glance was enough to tell their wounds were serious. What else could they do aside from endure, though?
“Check if they brought coffee,” Kang Chan said.
When Seok Kang-Ho looked behind him, their army interpreter—their only unscathed member—quickly went to look. He would have to do errands for them until they arrived in South Korea.
“There’s coffee!” the interpreter yelled.
“And what do we do when there’s coffee?” Kang Chan asked back.
“We drink!”
Hearing the army interpreter’s answer made Cha Dong-Gyun laugh so hard that it sounded as if he was sobbing.
Their army interpreter was so smart that he could’ve just worked as a non-military French interpreter. The horrors of combat were clearly taking a toll on him.
Leaning against the aircraft’s wall, Kang Chan drank coffee, Only then did the fact that they were going home finally sink in.
He gazed at his men. Their tired faces seemed to say, ‘Feeling touched for being recognized? Bullshit.’ It was the best evidence that they had actually become a special forces team.
Kang Chan smirked.
“Let’s have lunch,” Seok Kang-Ho gruffly said. He then turned to the army interpreter.
***
Kim Hyung-Jung opened the hospital room door. Fatigue was evident in his expression.
“Sunbae-nim.”
He bowed, greeting Kang Chul-Gyu.
“Welcome,” Kang Chul-Gyu said.
“Do you really have to do this?”
“Haven’t we already talked about this?”
He checked the few pieces of luggage that he had, then zipped up his bag.
“Mr. Kang Chan said that he’s arriving tonight. Why don’t you move your flight to Mongolia by a day? You should meet up with him before you go,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
Kang Chul-Gyu looked around the room as if he couldn’t care less.
“We don’t even have the results from the tests yet. In your current condition, it might still be too dangerous for you to hop on a plane.”
Kang Chul-Gyu finally looked back at Kim Hyung-Jung.
“I know I’m being stubborn, but I’ve been assigned a duty that I thought I would never get again. I want to do my part. I also can’t relax knowing I’ve left my juniors at the base by themselves, can I?”
“Even so, at least meet up with Mr. Kang Chan before you go. Please.”
“I don’t have the right to ask him for his time.”
Kim Hyung-Jung looked at Kang Chul-Gyu, confusion evident in his expression. He couldn’t seem to understand what Kang Chul-Gyu meant.
“There’s something between the two of us,” Kang Chul-Gyu explained with a calm smile.
***
Kim Hyung-Jung sent Kang Chul-Gyu off to the airport, then proceeded with his busy day. Afterward, he headed to the Osan airport with Hwang Ki-Hyun.
“Great work today. Must be tough having to do so much work,” Hwang Ki-Hyun commented.
“I’m fine.”
“What are the Arabs doing?”
“They’re focused on identifying all the people that entered the country.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun nodded, his eyes becoming sharper. “Saudi Arabia is clearly hiding something from us. They wouldn’t have offered us joint rights to the development of their crude oil and the next-gen energy source otherwise.”
Kim Hyung-Jung just stayed silent. There was still a huge difference in ability between the National Intelligence Service and the intelligence bureaus of France, Russia, the US, and other countries.
“Are we manipulating the media for this?”
“Yes,” Kim Hyung-Jung answered. “We’re giving them some footage to use on the news.”
The people would naturally be interested in the special forces team returning from their deployment in Africa, but it wouldn’t be right to show the soldiers’ faces on TV.
They entered the Osan airport mid-conversation.
There wasn’t a welcoming ceremony—only a few military generals, the military band, the guards of honor, and Hwang Ki-Hyun and Kim Hyung-Jung from the National Intelligence Service attended.
Hwang Ki-Hyun briefly greeted the military officials, then sat in the waiting room and drank tea.
An executive Air Force officer soon entered and approached him. “They’re about to land.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun entered the runway through the first floor of the control tower’s three-story building, then stood in front of the building.
It was the end of January, which was still cold.
The military band and the guards of honor waited for the aircraft to arrive. Bitter winds cold enough to make their cheeks sting blew past them.
A plane soon descended, landing at the end of the dark runway. The military officials only came outside once it had slowed down and turned toward the control tower.
The aircraft marshaller welcomed the soldiers by waving his arms toward the back. When he crossed his arms, the aircraft stopped.
Creeeak.
As the aircraft’s door opened, Hwang Ki-Hyun and Kim Hyung-Jung walked toward it.
Clank!
When the aircraft’s door touched the ground, Kang Chan led the entire special forces team out.
“Mr. Kang Chan!” Hwang Ki-Hyun exclaimed.
“I’m back,” Kang Chan replied.
“Good work, Assistant Director. Mr. Seok! Well done.”
Kang Chan then briefly greeted Kim Hyung-Jung.
“You all have outdone yourselves,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said.
Hwang Ki-Hyun nodded at Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee. The three were behind Seok Kang-Ho, saluting.
“Where are our wounded and fallen?” Hwang Ki-Hyun asked.
“Our fallen are expected to arrive around this time tomorrow. The wounded will have to wait until the medical team gives them the green light to travel,” Kang Chan said.
At one side of the runway, Cha Dong-Gyun greeted a military officer.
“It’s cold. Why don’t we head inside?” Hwang Ki-Hyun suggested.
“Sure,” Kang Chan answered.
Their party immediately went past the first floor of the control tower.
When they arrived at the back of the building, Choi Jong-Il approached Kang Chan.
“We’re going to the police hospital now,” Choi Jong-Il said.
“Alright. You guys did great. Keep me posted.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After parting ways with Choi Jong-Il, Kang Chan got in the car with Seok Kang-Ho.
“We’ll stop by Bang Ji Hospital first,” Kim Hyung-Jun said.
“Did you discuss this with the hospital?” Kang Chan asked.
“Yes. The agents are waiting at the hospital.”
“Assistant Director, I’ll be leaving as soon as we arrive at the hospital,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said. “We should meet again once you’ve been treated and gotten enough rest.”
“You coming to see us at the airport is more than enough.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun and Kang Chan conversed until they arrived at the hospital, but apart from the situation in Africa, they didn’t really talk about anything important.
The car stopped at the entrance of the hospital. As it did, National Intelligence Service agents came out and surrounded Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho. They then guided the two inside the establishment.
Yoo Hun-Woo greeted Kang Chan. Seeing his wounds, he frowned and sighed.
“None of them seem to be infected, but we should do an MRI on your shoulder. Where did you get this stitched up?” Yoo Hun-Woo asked.
Kang Chan just answered with a smile.
“Isn’t this dirt?” Yoo Hun-Woo prodded.
Using a pair of tweezers, he cleaned the wound with an antiseptic-soaked cotton ball. Soon after, his frown deepened.
They had just ran out of a collapsing cave. Hence, Kang Chan didn’t find it odd that Yoo Hun-Woo wiped off dirt every time he rubbed the cotton ball on the wound.
“Does Mr. Seok also have dirt in his wounds like this?” Yoo Hun-Woo asked afterward.
“Yes—his wounds are probably in a similar state to mine.”
“Let’s disinfect yours first. Head over there.”
As Kang Chan changed into hospital pants, Yoo Hun-Woo called another doctor over. The two spent the next forty minutes wiping him down and disinfecting his wounds until the cotton balls no longer got any dirt.
“You must be tired, Manager Kim. You should head home. Feel free to visit us tomorrow,” Kang Chan said.
“I’m fine. Oh, right! Section chief Jeon said he’s coming over.”
They spent another forty minutes on the MRI, then thirty to restitch his wounds up. Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho also got five injections each.
“Thank you,” Kang Chan said after the treatment.
“No, Thank you,” Yoo Hun-Woo answered with a sly expression.
Seriously, what’s wrong with this man? Did he get a lot of money for treating us?
Kang Chan looked at Yoo Hun-Woo intently out of curiosity. However, apart from their room number, Yoo Hun-Woo didn’t tell them anything else.
Their room was on the fifth floor.
Kang Chan soon got out of the elevator, finding the floor crowded with agents.
“Do we really need all these agents stationed here?” Kang Chan asked Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Yes, we do.”
Kang Chan went into the room with Seok Kang-Ho and Kim Hyung-Jung.
“What would you like to have for dinner?” Kim Hyung-Jung asked.
He immediately put cigarettes on the table and made coffee, making it seem as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“The section chief is coming, right?” Kang Chan asked.
“It’s already nine, so he’s probably already had dinner.”
Rattle.
As Kim Hyung-Jung put down his paper cup on the table, Jeon Dae-Geuk opened the door and came inside.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Kang Chan said.
Jeon Dae-Geuk walked over to Kang Chan and patted his shoulder. He then shook Seok Kang-Ho’s hand. Despite his sharp eyes and angled chin, he still looked like he had a lump on his chest.
“You did great, Kang Chan, Mr. Seok,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said.
After exchanging greetings, the four sat at the table.
“Have you had dinner yet, sir?” Kim Hyung-Jung asked.
“Not yet. You guys haven’t eaten yet either, have you?”
“I was actually just about to order. What would you like to eat, Mr. Kang Chan?”
“You don’t know what kind of person Mr. Seok is? Send someone to a nearby restaurant and order a lot of meat as takeout,” Jeon Dae-Geuk suggested. “How does that sound, Mr. Seok?”
“Sounds good!”
They had galbi for dinner. By the time they were done eating and cleaning up, it was already eleven in the evening.
“Get some rest. I’ll stop by again tomorrow,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll also get going, then,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
The two soon stood up and left.
Honestly, Kang Chan was feeling disoriented and a little blank, probably because of the aftereffects of the long flight and the shots that he received.
“Go get some sleep,” Kang Chan told Seok Kang-Ho.
“I’ll just sleep here. There’s an extra bed anyway.”
“I’m going to kill you if you snore.”
“Hnngghh! I’m tired!”
Seok Kang-Ho shamelessly laid down on one of the beds, pretending not to hear what Kang Chan said.
What do I do with this bastard?
Shaking his head, Kang Chan laid down as well.
The city lights coming through the window, the clean building, the bright fluorescent lights, the cold weather... everything seemed to be telling him that he was back in South Korea, yet it still didn’t feel real.
***
The next morning, Kang Chan woke up from his deep sleep at five.
It wouldn’t have been odd for him to wake up at a slightly different time since Africa and South Korea were in different time zones. Strangely, however, he always woke up at this hour.
Perhaps it was because he had just flown from Africa, but he remembered how he felt when he reincarnated.
Kang Chan shook his head. He stood up and looked outside the window. He was back in South Korea—where Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook were.
He wasn’t sure if it was because he had finally relaxed or because of the treatment yesterday, but his shoulder and thigh were throbbing.
“Hngghh!”
Seok Kang-Ho woke up with a big stretch.
“What time is it?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“Five.”
“Ugh!”
Sniffling, Seok Kang-Ho sat up. He was about to get out of the bed but frowned instead.
“Huh? Why am I in so much pain?”
“Probably because of yesterday’s treatment. My wounds are throbbing as well.”
Forcing himself to move, Seok Kang-Ho drank water, then went to the bathroom.
“Want some coffee?” he asked afterward.
“Sure.”
As Seok Kang-Ho made coffee, dragging his IV pole around, Kang Chan walked to the table.
“I feel blank.”
“Same,” Kang chan replied.
Kang Chan accepted the paper cup Seok Kang-Ho offered him, then took a sip from it.
Rattle.
A moment later, a nurse came in and added another medication into their IVs.
“What are you planning to do now?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“I have to meet a couple of people. I’ll start with Ambassador Lanok. For some reason, I also feel like Section Chief Jeon and Manager Kim have something to tell us.”
“You also noticed, huh?”
Kang Chan nodded.
“Don’t you find our deployment in Africa weird, Cap?”
“I do. Nothing about it made sense. My meeting with the ambassador should at least give us an overview of the current situation. I couldn’t talk to him properly back in Africa due to security risks.”
“Please look into the fucker that sent the Quds after us.”
“I will.”
As the two talked about random topics, the door opened. Yoo Hun-Woo came inside.
“You’re here early,” Kang Chan told Yoo Hun-Woo.
“I should be. You two are VIP patients.”
Yoo Hun-Woo approached them with a relaxed look on his face.
“How do you feel?” he asked Kang Chan.
“My wounds are throbbing a bit more than yesterday.”
“That’s to be expected since they just got disinfected and restitched. What about you, Mr. Seok Kang-Ho?”
“Not much different from him, really.”
“The MRI scans didn’t show anything concerning, so you two should be okay for as long as you let your wounds heal properly. Mr. Seok Kang-Ho, your injuries also seem to be healing a bit faster than before, but I wouldn’t worry about it. I attribute it to your idiosyncrasy.”
Yoo Hun-Woo seemed to be hinting at the time Kang Chan gave Seok Kang-Ho a blood transfusion in the past. Kang Chan didn’t really have anything to say about it, though.
“Let’s dress the wounds after breakfast. We should be able to get a better idea about how you’re doing then,” Yoo Hun-Woo said.
“Alright.”
While talking to Yoo Hun-Woo, Kang Chan suddenly felt as if the fact that he had returned to South Korea felt more real. Perhaps it was because of the peace and modern lifestyle, which was different from Africa.
“Right, Director—you thanked me yesterday. What was that about?” Kang Chan asked.
“Pardon?”
“When I thanked you after our treatment, you thanked me back. You made it sound like you should be the one grateful.”
“Ah!”
Yoo Hun-Woo looked at Kang Chan as if he had just understood what he was talking about.
“Someone called Manager Kim Hyung-Jung promised the hospital medical supplies and to take care of uncomfortable matters on the condition that we’re entirely responsible for treating you. I was thanking you for that,” Yoo Hun-Woo said.
I feel like that’s not the reason...
Kang Chan looked at Yoo Hun-Woo suspiciously, but Yoo Hun-Woo’s sly expression didn’t change at all.
“I’ll drop by again at around nine,” Yoo Hun-Woo said. He then left the room.
Kang Chan suddenly felt hungry.
“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked Seok Kang-Ho.
“Let’s order the galbi-tang that we had last time.”
“Sure.”
Seok Kang-Ho stood up. While he was ordering breakfast, Kang Chan went into the bathroom and washed his face.
“Phew!”
Without wiping the water on his face, Kang Chan looked into the mirror and exhaled deeply.
What had I been doing before coming here? Is this really the life that I wanted to live?
After reincarnating, he started all this to protect those precious to him. Everything seemed to have gradually spiraled out of control, though.
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