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Rattle.
The door soon opened again.
Kang Chan thoughtlessly looked toward it. A thin middle-aged woman came in, followed by a stern-looking middle-aged man and, lastly, Kim Mi-Young.
“Hello?” the woman greeted.
Kang Chan remembered! She was Kim Mi-Young’s mother.
Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook stood up and greeted Kim Mi-Young’s parents. Kim Mi-Young was standing at the very back, and her eyes were swollen because she had cried so much.
“Forgive us. It's our first meeting, yet we’re already being rude. I’m Kim Gwan-Sik. We came here after looking into where Kang Chan was in many ways, even though we knew that everyone would be uncomfortable because our daughter was crying so much.”
“Thank you for coming,” one of Kang Chan’s parents said.
They awkwardly greeted each other.
“Come here quickly and see Channy—you’ve been crying so much,” Kim Gwan-Sik told Kim Mi-Young.
“Ugh!”
Kim Mi-Young loudly burst into tears, each one filled with relief and embarrassment.
Kim Gwan-Sik smiled bitterly, and the gaze of Kim Mi-Young’s mother alternated between Kang Chan and Kim Mi-Young. She looked uncomfortable.
“I’m okay. Did you worry a lot?” Kang Chan asked.
“I thought you’d get injured while I was watching the broadcast. Sob.”
“Look at me! I’m fine. So stop crying now, okay?”
Kim Mi-Young’s eyes were very swollen, and her nose was red.
“Please have a seat for a moment,” said Kang Dae-Kyung.
“It’s fine. Despite being a father as well, we did something rude because she was crying so hard she couldn’t even attend her hagwon class. I’d be grateful if you can think of this as me becoming soft-hearted for my daughter,” Kim Gwan-Sik said.
“Raising a child is certainly difficult.”
In front of Kang Dae-Kyung and Kim Gwan-Sik, Kim Mi-Young looked as if she barely calmed herself down.
“You aren’t severely wounded?” Kim Gwan-Sik asked.
“That’s right.”
Kim Gwan-Sik nodded, looking at Kang Chan. “I heard on the TV that you got hurt. I know that your father introduced you to that position, but please don't get mad at him or resent him. You didn’t get hurt because of him. Please just think of this as you getting hurt while serving your country.”
A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.
“I’ll do that,” Kang Chan replied.
Kim Gwan-Sik really looked like a stern father.
Kim Mi-Young looked at Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook. “Hello.”
“Welcome. Thank you for worrying about our Channy.”
Kim Mi-Young hung her head in embarrassment, unable to answer.
“Ah, why are we just standing around? Please, let’s have a cup of tea.”
Kim Gwan-Sik looked at Kim Mi-Young, then said, “We’re in your care, then.”
Yoo Hye-Sook stood up, and Kim Gwan-Sik looked at Kim Mi-Young’s mother with fierce eyes.
“I’ll help you,” Kim Mi-Young’s mother offered.
“It’s okay. You came here to see Kang Chan, so please just take a seat. I’ll handle this,” Yoo Hye-Sook said.
Kim Mi-Young’s mother pretended that she couldn’t win against her and just sat next to Kim Gwan-Sik.
“To think he did something like this for the country… Having such a dependable son must make you happy and proud,” Kim Gwan-Sik told Kang Dae-Kyung.
“That’s not necessarily true. Seeing him get injured makes me wish he was a pretty daughter instead.”
“Hahaha, I heard that boys are like that. Ah! Thank you.” Kim Gwan-Sik politely accepted the paper cup.
“You said that you’re going abroad to study in France?” Kim Gwan-Sik asked Kang Chan.
“I’m thinking of going to university in Seoul instead.”
Kim Gwan-Sik’s gaze alternated between Kim Mi-Young and Kang Chan, seemingly asking what Kang Chan was saying. Kang Chan decided to treat him a bit more politely for Kim Mi-Young’s sake, who likely cried and frantically begged her parents to come here.
“I changed my mind because I think I can get special admission to a university in Seoul. I’m thinking of deciding whether I should study abroad after learning a bit more of the basics,” Kang Chan explained.
Would you look at that?
Kim Gwan-Sik cocked his head as he looked at Kang Chan. Funnily enough, Kim Mi-Young’s mother no longer seemed to have any complaints.
“What are you thinking of doing in the future?” Kim Gwan-Sik asked.
“I want to become a diplomat,” Kang Chan blurted, remembering Kim Mi-Young’s old wish.
“Hmm.”
Kim Gwan-Sik nodded with a strange expression, then gave Kim Mi-Young a subtle glance. “Are you a bit relieved now?”
“Yes.”
“We’re probably making his parents uncomfortable. Why don’t we leave now?” Kim Gwan-Sik asked.
Kim Mi-Young disappointedly stood up, her eyes still puffy.
“You’re going home already?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.
“We have already inconvenienced you three far too much.”
“Not at all.”
Kim Gwan-Sik shook hands with Kang Dae-Kyung, then wordlessly patted Kang Chan’s shoulder.
“Goodbye,” said Kim Mi-Young.
“Bye. Thank you, Mi-Young,” Kang Chan’s parents said.
Kim Mi-Young’s mother bowed her head, looking less displeased, then headed out of the patient room.
“Was that Mi-Young’s father?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked Yoo Hye-Sook.
“This is my first time seeing him as well.”
“He seems like a good guy.”
“Right? Honey?”
Kang Chan and Kang Dae-Kyung both knew that the backbiting comment Yoo Hye-Sook didn’t say at the end was, ‘But her mom…’
A moment later, Yoo Hun-Woo came into the room with a nurse. He greeted Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook, then stood in front of Kang Chan. “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay.”
“If you vomit, feel any tingling sensation, or if you think there’s anything wrong at all, then you have to tell us right away.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yoo Hun-Woo nodded, then turned. “After dinner, we’re going to use IV medication that’s a bit stronger. He’ll go into a deep sleep, which is the best thing for him right now. I’ll monitor him as closely as possible, so you two should head home after dinner. There’s nothing more important than creating an environment where the patient can sleep soundly.”
Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook looked disappointed, but they seemed to agree with what Yoo Hun-Woo had said.
As expected! If Kang Chan had to choose a sly fox that could go up against Lanok, Yoo Hun-Woo was the only one he could think of.
The three of them ordered bossam for dinner.
Yoo Hye-Sook had calmed down and smiled every now and then, and Kang Dae-Kyung seemed to have relaxed as well.
They talked about Michelle, Kim Mi-Young, and how proud and worried they were as they watched what happened on the TV.
Rattle.
At around 8 pm, the nurse handed over the medication and inserted a needle in the IV line.
“It would be best for you to go home now,” the nurse said.
The two stood up from their seats at the nurse’s kind suggestion.
“Sleep well, Channy. I’ll visit you again in the morning. Do you want to eat anything?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“No, I’m okay. Please don’t worry.”
Behind Yoo Hye-Sook, who was hugging Kang Chan, Kang Dae-Kyung nodded.
Approximately five minutes after Kang Chan’s parents left, the door opened, revealing Seok Kang-Ho.
He was dragging an IV pole with him as he walked so stiffly it was as if he felt uncomfortable all over.
“Have you recovered a bit?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
Kang Chan laughed out loud. “How do you feel?”
“Don’t even get me started. My back hurts so much it’s hard for me to even move an inch! Anyway, I asked the director to make your parents leave. Phew!”
Seok Kang-Ho frowned as he brought over a chair and sat down.
“Here. I got cigarettes,” Seok Kang-Ho said afterward.
Kang Chan swung himself out of bed.
“Huh? Why are you getting out of bed?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“Stay seated. I’m going to the bathroom.”
It didn’t matter how much he moved. His back, waist… everything hurt whenever he did. Kang Chan made coffee after coming out of the bathroom.
“I’ll make it,” Seok Kang-Ho suggested.
“It’s fine. I’m already up anyway.”
After making two cups of coffee and putting them on a tray, Kang Chan dragged the IV pole and walked to the bed.
Chk chk.
Ah! As expected, instant coffee and cigarettes were the best when hospitalized.
“We were really lucky. There were a total of three Iglas, but because we shot down two of them, the enemies detonated the C-4s first. I was told that they fired the remaining Igla between the first and second floors. However, since the second floor crumbled first, it acted as a barrier,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
When Kang Chan looked at him, Seok Kang-Ho exhaled cigarette smoke. “Manager Kim dropped by earlier today. Your parents were here, so he told me to tell you that he’ll drop by again later instead. Anyway, are we just going to leave the people who did this alone?”
When Kang Chan smirked, Seok Kang-Ho smiled suspiciously and added, “Ah! Oh Gwang-Taek called multiple times. He kept throwing a fuss because you weren’t answering your phone, so I told him you had reasons preventing you from doing so. I’ve said this before, but that fucker cares more than he seems.”
Now alone with Seok Kang-Ho, Kang Chan started to remember the things left undone and pushed back.
“How many of our people died?” Kang Chan asked.
“Huh? You don’t know even though it was on the news? There were no fatalities. Five people are severely injured, but they already announced that their injuries weren't life-threatening. Manager Kim confirmed that as well.”
If so, then that was really a relief.
“Let’s meet and get some information from manager Kim tomorrow, then use that to plan our next move. We’re going to return what we received to those sons of bitches,” Kang Chan commented.
“Let’s do that.”
The two of them spent time together.
***
The next morning, Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook dropped by the hospital and, looking disappointed, went to work at around 10 am. They had no choice but to go to work despite the current situation since they had already gone absent yesterday.
“I’m sorry, Channy,” Yoo Hye-Sook apologized.
What should she be sorry about?
“It’s okay. I’m really fine, so please be at ease when you work.”
“I’ll visit again in the evening.”
“Alright.”
Yoo Hye-Sook was so gaunt it was as if she was sick, but her eyes looked lively.
The very first person to visit Kang Chan after his parents left the room was Kim Hyung-Jung.
They called Seok Kang-Ho over as well and sat together.
“We still haven’t identified the terrorists. We’ve searched everything—their fingerprints, how they look, the wounds on their bodies, and their tattoos, but all we can do is believe that they were from the Chinese special forces; we haven’t discovered anything else,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
That was a matter of course.
“It’s difficult to confirm since the Iglas and the firearms’ serial numbers have been erased as well. Yang Jin-Woo and Huh Ha-Soo seem to have had a central role in the attack, but they both left the country this morning. Right! Mr. Kang Chan…”
Kang Chan looked at Kim Hyung-Jung as he extinguished his cigarette in the paper cup.
“About Lee Ji-Yeon, the lady that works at the Namsan Hotel…”
Kang Chan wordlessly waited for Kim Hyung-Jung to continue.
“She was found dead this morning, having hung herself. We couldn’t pay attention to her since everyone, including Choi Jong-Il, had been mobilized at the event yesterday, but while tracking her down, we eventually confirmed her death. She’s in the mortuary right now. I’m sorry.”
Crack!
When Kang Chan clenched the paper cup, the remaining coffee, which had turned black since the cigarette ash had mixed with it, spilled out to his hand.
“Yang Jin-Woo, that son of a bitch! Where is he right now?” Kang Chan asked.
Raising his head and looking at Kang Chan, Kim Hyung-Jung answered with a grim expression, “He’s in New York, United States. He’ll probably stay at his property in Las Vegas starting tomorrow.”
Kim Hyung-Jung then exhaled deeply.