/
The car arrived at Hwalang.
The parking lot entrance was perfectly blocked by a car, and from the entrance, employees with sharp eyes were looking at the car that had just arrived.
“Please come this way. And please excuse me.”
When Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho headed inside Hwalang, an employee politely greeted them, then frisked them with a portable detection stick.
After the inspection, another employee guided Kang Chan further into the building.
Moon Jae-Hyun and Go Gun-Woo were sitting on the sofa that was in the middle of Hwalang. However, they soon stood up.
“Mr. President, these are Mr. Kang Chan and Mr. Seok Kang-Ho.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Moon Jae-Hyun shook hands with Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho.
“I heard you’ve met them before, Mr. Prime Minister?” asked Moon Jae-Hyun.
“This is the first time I’ve met Mr. Seok Kang-Ho.” Go Gun-Woo smiled at Kang Chan, then shook hands with Seok Kang-Ho.
“Let’s sit,” said Moon Jae-Hyun.
Kim Hyung-Jung, other secretarial staff, and security guards stood in a circle around the sofa. Large glass cups of iced tea were served.
“Let’s have tea,” Moon Jae-Hyun pointed to the glass cups, then picked one up. Kang Chan also had a sip of the drink. He thought its sharp sweetness wasn’t bad.
“I heard that your injuries are severe. Are you okay?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked Kang Chan.
“I’m alright.”
Moon Jae-Hyun dropped his gaze as if he was looking at Kang Chan’s shirt, then nodded.
“We went to the golf club yesterday purely because I insisted on going,” Moon Jae-Hyun calmly continued.
“Our chief security officer was adamant about preventing me from going after receiving a report about the gunfight. Breaking through that gentleman’s obstinacy was more difficult than winning an argument against my wife.”
The chief security officer was standing with an expressionless face.
“I couldn’t miss this opportunity. If we can connect the rail, then South Korea will prepare to obtain the foundation needed to be the center of Asia for more than the next five hundred years. There are three years left in my term of office, and we need to finish this within that time. However, Japan won't just watch this happen. If our opposing party comes into power, then just the sheer fact that Lanok is in South Korea will become dangerous, just like what happened yesterday,” Moon Jae-Hyun looked at Kim Hyung-Jung for a moment, then looked at Kang Chan again.
“We’ll support everything that’s needed with my Presidential post at stake. Ambassador Lanok told me yesterday that he also put about half of his life on the line to connect the rail to South Korea all because you’re here.”
Moon Jae-Hyun stood up from his spot after he finished talking, so Go Gun-Woo, Kang Chan, and Seok Kang-Ho quickly did as well.
“I have to go now since this isn’t an official schedule,” Moon Jae-Hyun explained.
Moon Jae-Hyun looked straight at Kang Chan.
“Mr. Kang Chan.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Moon Jae-Hyun was radiating a feeling of intense pressure, which Kang Chan had never felt until now.
“I sincerely apologize to those that were sacrificed in this incident. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister, the National Intelligence Service Director, and I are still going to proceed with this with our lives on the line. I truly hope you’ll do your best for South Korea, and for our people. Manager Kim here said yesterday that I can’t force things on you,” Moon Jae-Hyun continued.
Kang Chan felt strange.
If men like this were his superiors, then it was worth doing.
“Please do us a favor. If a situation ever arises where someone has to die, then let me stand right at the very front,” Moon Jae-Hyun said.
This was a request from a man with fervent eyes.
“Understood, Mr. President.”
“You’re also going to help, right, Mr. Seok Kang-Ho?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
“Of course!”
Moon Jae-Hyun smiled lightly because Seok Kang-Ho answered like a soldier. After firmly shaking Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho’s hands, he headed outside.
“I have to go ahead of you all today, Mr. Kang Chan. I’ve approved of all of the support that’s required, but this is based on your sacrifice in the end. I’m sorry.”
“Understood, Mr. Prime Minister.”
“Thank you.”
Go Gun-Woo headed outside After shaking Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho’s hands in order.
***
Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Kim Hyung-Jung swiftly returned to the hospital. They made coffee, and they each bit on a cigarette.
As they did, the fact that they had just returned from a meeting with the President finally felt real.
“What are we supposed to do now?” asked Kang Chan.
“I heard that the President and Ambassador Lanok reached a basic agreement yesterday. I think the right course of action now is to consider it our duty to relieve parts that Lanok is frustrated about in order to overcome the obstacles from China and Japan,” Kim Hyung-Jung answered as if he had been waiting for Kang Chan to ask that question.
“This isn’t easy.”
“If we get to connect to the rail, then Japan will become nothing but an island that’s just floating above the ocean. That’s why Japan is desperately trying to get in our way. It’s embarrassing, but they had managed to buy off many high-ranking public officials and National Assembly members. We need to fend them off.”
“Are you saying that we have to do all of that?” Kang Chan asked.
“Simply put, you can do everything that you want to do, except for participating in a war.”
Kang Chan had nothing to say.
“We’ll take our time to think about it.”
“Nothing has changed from what it was like until now. You two just need to know that there’s no need to report what happens in our team beforehand, the National Intelligence Service will protect your families, and both of you will be able to receive every support that’s needed,” Kim Hyung-Jung’s expression seemed to show what he had decided to do.
“We’ll do it,” said Kang Chan.
“I knew you’d say that.”
Saying that they were going to do it made Kang Chan feel rather lighthearted.
“I’ll get going now. Call me immediately if you need anything,” Kim Hyung-Jung told Kang Chan.
“Alright.”
When Kim Hyung-Jung left the room, Seok Kang-Ho completely leaned back in the chair.
“Did we really just meet the President? It doesn’t feel real,” said Seok Kang-Ho.
“I feel the same way.”
As the two of them smacked their lips, Yoo Hun-Woo and a nurse came in.
“Let’s change your bandages,” Yoo Hun-Woo told Kang Chan.
“But wasn’t it changed this morning?”
“Since your injuries heal quickly, we need to change your bandages often.”
Yoo Hun-Woo skillfully took off the bandages, but the pain wasn’t that bad.
“Can I do a biopsy on you?” Yoo Hun-Woo asked.
He placed the bandages he had removed from Kang Chan on top of the rack, then continued, “Let’s do it. I'll pay for the expenses. Your recovery speed is getting quicker. I was actually half in doubt while I was changing your bandages, but there are no reported cases in academic circles where someone’s recovery has sped up like this.”
“I’ll pay the expenses for the biopsy, but will it be a problem that my recovery speed is getting faster?” Kang Chan asked.
Yoo Hun-Woo glanced at Seok Kang-Ho.
“Please just tell me. It’s okay for Seok Kang-Ho to hear this.”
“I read almost all the papers that were published on constitutional idiosyncrasies until now because of your condition, and I found one case where someone's recovery speed had increased.”
Yoo Hun-Woo hesitated for a moment, then continued, “That patient aged very quickly. They couldn’t figure out how that happened, so I’m asking you to do the biopsy. I want to compare your tissues with that patient's tissue. After all, this is the only other case that this has happened.”
“Are you saying that they became old in an instant?” Kang Chan asked again.
“You shouldn’t worry about it. It’s just one case. Let’s just do the biopsy for now.”
As a matter of fact, Kang Chan was thinking about doing it.
When he agreed to do the biopsy, Yoo Hun-Woo took out a small piece of Kang Chan’s skin from the wound on his left arm, then wrapped his arm in a bandage.
“We’ll get the results in about a month,” said Yoo Hun-Woo.
“That’s quite a long time,” Kang Chan replied.
“It is.”
Yoo Hun-Woo left the room. Seok Kang-Ho looked worried.
“What’s up with you?” Kang Chan asked.
“I’m just worried about you.”
“It’s fine. I’m a little hungry. Let’s buy and eat some pastries.”
“Alright,” Seok Kang-Ho said, then left the room.
Kang Chan didn’t want to worry in vain. He thought he could just think about this problem once they had gotten the biopsy results.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
Find the original at "pawread dot com".
Kang Chan’s phone rang when he was thinking about turning on the TV. It was Michelle.
“Hello?”
- Channy. How are you these days?
From her voice, it sounded like she was being careful.
“Is the drama going well?”
- There’s nothing wrong with that. They’re rehearsing the script right now, and there’s going to be a production press conference this weekend.
“That’s great. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of visiting.”
- It’ll be great if you can come. The kids would love that.
“You’re not going to be happy?”
- I’m going to be the happiest person when you come by.
Michelle replied as if she was confessing, which made Kang Chan smile.
- I didn’t contact you because I was determined to make it so that you won’t bother about the drama production. Honestly, our employees and I were all so surprised to find Alion and Lee Ha-Yeon on the news.
“They were on the news because they did a lot of wrongdoings.”
- I’m actually a little scared of you.
“Don’t say such useless things. Do the kids practice the script every day?”
- Yeah. They now get together and practice in the broadcasting station. Our trainees get to act in the drama starting from the first episode, so our company's morale is at an all-time high.
“Alright. I’ll stop by within the next few days. Tell them to work hard.”
- I’ll do that. Please contact me ahead of time when you're coming over. There are a lot of times when I’m not there.
“Okay.”
When Kang Chan hung up the phone, he felt like he had returned to his ordinary life, even though drama production was not at all ordinary.
Seok Kang-Ho returned carrying pastries and drinks.
“I gave everyone on the floor below us and in the nurse’s office pastries,” said Seok Kang-Ho.
“Good job.”
When Kang Chan took a bite out of a red bean bread[1]…
“Can you come out to school tomorrow?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“Why?”
Seok Kang-Ho had taken out a cream bun and answered while handing Kang Chan a drink. “It's orientation day. You’re going to be marked as absent if you don’t show up for that.”
Strangely, Kang Chan smiled.
1. Red bean bread is a pastry that originated in Japan. It’s filled with red bean paste and has a sweet flavor ☜