/
It had been a while since Kang Chan heard a Chinook’s noise, but he was glad to finally hear it again.
While the team was moving GĂ©rard and the captives to the front of building 3, the snipers and the signaller came down.
The look in their eyes showed pride for their operation’s success, having managed to defeat infamous enemies. If this were to happen two or three more times, the members would wholeheartedly trust the commander.
Du-du-du-du-du-du.
Helicopter rotor sounds bounced off from the rock wall that surrounded the military base, causing its ringing to echo.
Chk.
“Delivery team, this is the stork[1]. We see the military base,” someone radioed.
Chk.
“Copy that, stork.”
The helicopter noises had become so loud that it was as if they were coming from right above them.
Du-du-du-du-du-du.
The helicopter finally came into view as a dust cloud violently rose upward. With the rock walls trapping the helicopter noises inside, the sounds became loud enough to render Kang Chan unable to think.
“Move out!”[2]
They helped the evacuees toward the Chinook’s door. Likewise, Dayeru ran while holding GĂ©rard in his arms.
“Hurry up!” Kang Chan yelled again, knowing full well how dangerous a helicopter landing and take-off could be. Every second was precious.
The members frantically ran until everyone finally got on the helicopter.
By the time Kang Chan boarded it as well, it was already in the air.
Du-du-du-du-du-du.
“Whoo,” Kang Chan sighed deeply.
The army surgeon on board inserted blood and an IV into GĂ©rard’s arm.
“How is he?!” Kang Chan asked the army surgeon.
“He’s losing too much blood!”
Kang Chan frowned. Currently, all he could do was watch.
Son of a bitch. The idiot got too excited for participating in an operation!
Kang Chan felt it was unfair that he believed someone like GĂ©rard had become a middle-sized chicken.
The army surgeon, who had inserted two IV medications into GĂ©rard, looked frightened upon seeing the evacuees. He first tended to a person in critical condition. His finger had been sliced open, leaving his bones exposed.
Kang Chan sat down and leaned against the helicopter. A Foreign Legion member soon handed over a cigarette.
Du-du-du-du-du-du.
After trying hard to light up the cigarette, Kang Chan succeeded on the second attempt. It might as well have been everyone who bit on a cigarette. Smoking would anger the Chinook’s pilot. However, in this situation, nobody would listen even if they were told to extinguish it.
“Whoo!”
Kang Chan felt much better.
Biting on a cigarette that someone had put in his mouth, Kim Hyung-Jung looked at Kang Chan and around the helicopter’s interior, appearing as if he still couldn’t believe what was happening.
***
Click.
Lanok’s assistant opened the door, approached Lanok’s desk, and leaned toward his ear. “We’ve received word of Monsieur Kang’s successful rescue operation. They’re on their way back. The Foreign Legion suffered no casualties, only one wounded.”
While looking at his assistant, Lanok looked as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He checked the clock on the desk. “It’s likely a little over 6 pm in Mongolia.”
“All of the North Korean special forces soldiers had also been killed in action. This operation will be recorded as the Foreign Legion’s most perfect and brilliant operation in their history.”
“This result is truly unbelievable,” Lanok commented with a slight shake of his head. “How are China and the United States reacting to it?”
“We haven’t confirmed any unusual movements yet.”
Lanok straightened a ballpoint pen on the desk and gave a strange smile. “China’s plan to transport their captives and pressure me and South Korea has completely fallen through. The special forces soldiers North Korea had deployed to Mongolia have also been killed. This outcome will make people think I perfectly gained the upper hand, at least in special warfare.”
Lanok slightly twisted his head and looked at his assistant. “Contact the DGSE and make sure they reward the members that participated in this operation.”
“Duly noted.”
When his assistant left, Lanok sank lower into the chair and mumbled to himself, “Monsieur Kang, this situation has made it truly worth competing against China.”
***
The C295 transport aircraft left the Darkhan airport a little past 8 pm local time. It took some time to examine GĂ©rard’s condition and do other things such as looking after the Korean team’s wounds.
As usual, they ate c-rations for dinner.
Kang Chan only felt relieved when the aircraft had risen up into the sky and began to maintain its usual altitude.
The atmosphere also improved when GĂ©rard regained consciousness and asked for a cigarette.
They were a specialized team. Hence, even the army surgeon, who had roughly guessed what operation they participated in, didn’t say anything about GĂ©rard smoking.
“Would you like some coffee?” the new recruit asked Kang Chan. His eyes showed he respected Kang Chan. And although how each member gazed at Kang Chan differed, the look in their eyes was the same.
“Do you participate in operations often, by any chance?!” the group 1 sniper yelled at Kang Chan from the other side of the helicopter, causing everyone’s eyes to immediately rush toward Kang Chan.
“Please let me join you in the next operation as well!” the sniper yelled again.
When Kang Chan smirked, another soldier yelled even louder, “We’re all thinking the same thing! I was going to tell the captain that later!”
The new recruit gave everyone paper cups of instant coffee, then took a seat. As he did, he kept glancing at Kang Chan.
“Why are you looking at me?” Kang Chan asked the new recruit.
“Can I have your beret and bandana?”
“What did he say?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“He wants to have my beret and bandana.”
“Are you sure he didn’t say he wants your signature?” Grinning, Seok Kang-Ho looked at the new recruit, who avoided his eyes.
Kang Chan took off his beret and placed the bandana in it. He then threw it to the new recruit.
He didn’t intend to show off. Rather, he just hoped that the new recruit would find the beret and bandana helpful when he was really scared and breathless.
“Fuck, I don’t want to go to work,” Seok Kang-Ho commented.
Seok Kang-Ho sounded sincere. Although he had been talking about his wife until morning, this fucker had now come to like this lifestyle.
Relaxed and sedated by the dozen of IV packs hung up on the plane’s walls, Kim Hyung-Jung and the captives fell into a profound sleep.
Kang Chan was taking out a cigarette when his eyes met GĂ©rard’s, who was lying right next to him.
“Want one?” Kang Chan offered.
GĂ©rard shook his head.
As Kang Chan bit on a cigarette and tried to light it, GĂ©rard swallowed with difficulty and asked, “When’s the next operation?”
“There aren't any more operations now. Even if there were, I refuse to fight alongside a captain who gets too excited during an operation.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
“And that’s exactly why you’ve got a hole in your shoulder.”
“What else could I do? I like being a part of such missions.”
“Crazy fucker.”
“I’m going to go visit you if I get a vacation,” GĂ©rardsaid with a smirk when Kang Chan swore in Korean.
“Don’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have plans to stay with a madman.” Kang Chan exhaled cigarette smoke.
“Are you going immediately?” GĂ©rard asked.
“To where?”
“I mean are you going to leave the Osan army base immediately?”
“I’ll see you off first.” Kang Chan smirked, thinking the fucker was acting like that because GĂ©rard met and grew attached to him while he was lonely. There was no way GĂ©rard acted like this because he had found out that he reincarnated.
***
Go Gun-Woo and Moon Jae-Hyun started to walk along the trail in the Blue House a little past 9 am.
“Mr. President, we’ve received word that the kids who went out for a walk are on their way home.”
Moon Jae-Hyun briefly looked at Go Gun-Woo, then pretended he didn’t hear anything. He just kept walking forward.
“Kang Chan got France’s support and left South Korea in absolute secrecy. This information was clearly intentionally leaked from France’s DGSE,” Go Gun-Woo continued.
“How many people are returning to South Korea?”
“We were told there are fourteen individuals, including the manager.”
Moon Jae-Hyun groaned and gritted his teeth.
“We were also told that all of the North Korean special forces soldiers had been eliminated.”
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Go Gun-Woo’s words made Moon Jae-Hyun turn his head and look at Go Gun-Woo. “That’s hard to believe.”
“It has actually been confirmed. However we still haveto validate the report that fourteen people, including Kang Chan the student, ambushed them. With this opportunity, we’re also thinking of confirming the hotline with France’s DGSE.”
“What did the director say about this?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
“That it’s what he was hoping for.”
Moon Jae-Hyun stood at the crossroad in the middle of the trail, then looked down at the Blue House.
“We basically slapped China mercilessly,” Go Gun-Woo worriedly commented.
“If we did something worthy of getting hit for, then we should get hit,” Moon Jae-Hyun answered without second thoughts. “Even though it won’t be done publically, we have to be as considerate of the dead agents and their families as possible.”
“We’ve already taken actions to make that happen.”
“The same goes for the agents on their way home and their families. Information leaked out because we did something wrong, not because their capabilities were inadequate. If needed, I’ll meet them in person and apologize.”
“The Director has promised to meet them. We won’t leave anything out, especially not the agents’ treatment and compensation.”
Moon Jae-Hyun smiled brightly upon hearing Go Gun-Woo’s answer. “This is the first time in recent years that I’ve felt relieved.”
Looking as if he was forcibly suppressing a smile, Go Gun-Woo said, “Aside from North Korea, which acted out carelessly because they trusted China, even the people that helped them enter South Korea using North Korea’s backing are going to have a restless sleep.”
Moon Jae-Hyun nodded, then breathed in deeply. “Meeting Kang Chan would be a predicament in all respects, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s not a good idea, Mr. President. For Kang Chan’s sake as well.”
“That’s true. But as the president and as a man, I still want to reward him for his contributions. Would there be a way to do that?”
Moon Jae-Hyun turned his gaze away. Go Gun-Woo looked as if he thought of something.
1. We’re assuming that this is a code name that the members are using to refer to the helicopter ☜
2. This was written as ë””ëŻžë„€ì„ëȘœ, which is a transliteration of ‘DĂ©mĂ©nageons!’ in French. We think that the author meant ‘move out!’, but ‘dĂ©mĂ©nager’ means ‘moving out’ as in moving house’ ☜