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Kang Chan arrived at the specialty coffee shop thirty minutes past midnight. Since he had arranged to meet with Seok Kang-Ho at 2:30 am, he had to wait for two hours.
‘Two hours is nothing.’
From Kang Chan’s perspective, waiting for two hours was better than killing time at home until the arranged time. If he was at home, Yoo Hye-Sook wouldn't have gone to sleep until he left.
While eyeing an empty seat on the terrace because he wanted to smoke a cigarette, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee stood up when they saw him arrive.
“Do you want coffee?” one of them asked Kang Chan.
“Yes. I’d like a light roast.”
Lee Doo-Hee quickly went to the counter to order.
Considering there were already a lot of cigarette butts in the ashtray on the table, they seemed to have arrived much earlier than him.
“You guys didn’t go home?” Kang Chan asked.
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“We did. My child wakes up if I rustle around the house late at night, so after seeing their faces and telling them that I’m going on a business trip, I immediately made my way here.”
Lee Doo-Hee brought over a cup of coffee and uncovered the lid.
Kang Chan took a sip from it, washing down the oiliness of the deep-fried chicken he had eaten earlier.
Chk chk.
He then lit up a cigarette. Deeply exhaling the smoke, he looked at the trio. Among the three, he didn’t even have the slightest clue about who would die and who would survive. When the thought crossed his mind, he finally felt how heavy this operation was.
Even when compared to any special forces team in the world, the SBS’ capabilities and accumulated experience didn’t fall behind anyone.
Kang Chan leaned against the back of the chair, momentarily calculating and thinking about who he could depend on to do their part and fight with all their might. Dayeru immediately came to mind.
The fucker definitely had the capabilities to fight the SBS.
Dayeru’s aim and reaction speed were good enough for even Kang Chan to acknowledge. Moreover, Dayeru had abundant experience and tenacity that overwhelmed his nervousness. No matter where he was deployed, Dayeru would survive and deliver.
Next were Choi Jong-Il, Cha Dong-Gyun, and Kwak Cheol-Ho.
Kang Chan knew they had great skills, but he wasn’t sure how well they would perform in actual combat situations due to their lack of experience.
I can’t tell whether this is operation a good or a bad idea.
However, he was certain of one thing—going on operations like this was a hundred times more helpful in improving their skills than being dragged to operations that wouldn’t really help them grow.
Of course, gaining experience and whatnot only mattered if they returned alive.
That was also why the 13th regiment’s special forces team was still famous even after all the members of the 6th regiment’s special forces team from the Foreign Legion—which had been called the world’s best—bravely died in Algeria.
“Whoo,” Kang Chan sighed, then put the cigarette that he had been smoking into the used coffee grounds.
“Are you worried?” Choi Jong-Il asked.
Kang Chan nodded. “Your capabilities aren’t the only thing I’m worried about. I have to think about the enemy’s skills and experiences as well. Honestly, this operation is too much for us. I’m so worried that I even talked about it with my father while we were having dinner.”
Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee focused on Kang Chan’s expression and what he was saying.
“It was easy to calculate the risks that came with practicing with live ammo. Being shot in the limbs on the training grounds is far better than going out on an operation to die.”
Kang Chan looked at Choi Jong-Il, then moved his gaze to the other two.
“I can still hear the sounds of the Korean flag badges being put on the coffins of those who died in the operation in Mongolia
 You say that you’re not afraid of death? That that’s just the way it is with the special forces? That you can just die?”
Kang Chan turned his head toward the road and looked at the cars passing by for a moment.
“I still think of the men who died. They still weigh on my heart. I keep wondering if I had just run a bit more, if I had just been a bit wiser, and if I had just trained them a bit more relentlessly
” Kang Chan sighed softly, then took a sip of the coffee.
“The look in your eyes changed.”
Kang Chan smirked in response to Choi Jong-Il’s comment.
He felt his senses becoming sharper as he thought about the battles that he had experienced in Africa and as it finally hit him that he was going out on an operation again. His uneasiness, which wouldn’t go away, most likely also played a role in his senses becoming sharper.
Just as Kang Chan picked up his cigarette again, Choi Jong-Il tilted his head to the side and stood up from his seat.
When Kang Chan turned his head, he saw Seok Kang-Ho closing the taxi door.
“You’re here already?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“Why’d you come so early?”
Lee Doo-Hee walked to the counter to get Seok Kang-Ho coffee. Meanwhile, Seok Kang-Ho brought over a chair from the next table and sat near Kang Chan.
“I couldn’t get some sleep due to the awkward timing, so I decided to have a cup of coffee instead. Well, no wonder I wanted to leave quickly. Seems like I was meant to meet you here,” Seok Kang-Ho explained.
When Lee Doo-Hee put the coffee on the table, Seok Kang-Ho thanked him and opened the lid on his cup.
The look in Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes and his expression had changed a little.
It seemed even Choi Jong-Il noticed it, seeing as how his gaze alternated between Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho.
“Did something happen?” Kang Chan asked.
Seok Kang-Ho looked at him and finished lighting up his cigarette before replying, “Phew, for some reason, my wife clung to me and told me not to go this time. Even when I hugged her, she kept burrowing into my arms. Haaa
 Seems like I’ve become too strong of a temptation now that I make a lot of money and I’m physically fit.”
Even though Seok Kang-Ho was acting cheeky, he didn’t look comfortable.
Should I tell him to sit this one out?
No—If Kang Chan did that, Dayeru would definitely talk shit and kick up a fuss to prevent Kang Chan from going on the operation as well. Stubbornly leaving without Dayeru anyway would make him feel uncomfortable, making the operation even more difficult for him.
“Don’t even think about leaving me out of this,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
Kang Chan quickly grabbed his cigarette.
Seok Kang-Ho had not only become smarter. Rather, it seemed he was getting better at guessing what Kang Chan was thinking as well.
“How do you feel about this operation?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“I don’t have a good feeling about it. The uneasiness won’t going away.”
“Let’s get rid of that feeling, then,” Seok Kang-Ho said as if it wasn’t a big deal, then drank coffee. “Are the men going straight to the airport?”
“Yeah.”
The conversation didn’t flow well. They were just saying things bluntly. As time passed by, Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes grew fiercer and fiercer. It was as if his eyes were feeding off the tension.
The difference between knowing and not knowing how scary the SBS’ capabilities could be seen in Seok Kang-Ho and Choi Jong-Il’s expressions.
“Phew! Is there something to eat here?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“They have different kinds of pastries.”
“Stay here,” he told Lee Doo-Hee, “I like choosing what to eat. What do you guys want?”
Even though everyone looked as if they didn’t really want to eat anything, Seok Kang-Ho still bought three pastries with a lot of cream on top of it.
“Let’s eat. You have to eat and sleep whenever you can.”
Just as Seok Kang-Ho picked up the pastry with his fork, Kang Chan suddenly remembered something. “Hey! I’m going to the convenience store.”
“I’ll go. I know what you’re going to buy,” Seok Kang-Ho said as he stood up with cream all over his lips.
“Keep eating your pastries—I’m bored anyway.”
“I can go,” Lee Doo-Hee offered.
“Come with me, then,” Kang Chan said. Lee Doo-Hee followed him to the convenience store.
Perhaps it was because it was small, but the convenience store didn’t have a lot of items inside.
Kang Chan put in the basket nearly all of the instant coffee, cup ramen, and packed ramen that were in the convenience store.
“Do you have any more coffee and ramen?” Kang Chan asked.
“There’s more inside. Should I bring it out for you?” A female student who was clearly a part-timer looked at Kang Chan and Lee Doo-Hee suspiciously.
What’s she suspicious about?
“Please bring out five boxes of coffee and five boxes of cup ramen,” Kang Chan said. If they could buy that many instant coffee and ramen in boxes, they wouldn’t have to buy the coffee and rame in the basket.
Kang Chan waited just in case. Not long after, the female student brought over three boxes of coffee and two boxes of cup ramen. “This is all we have right now.”
“I’ll buy those and the ones in this basket.” Kang Chan paid with his card and took the plastic bag. Lee Doo-Hee carried the boxes under his arms.
“Will we even find a place where we can eat these?” Lee Doo-Hee asked.
“You’re going to cry later because you’re thankful that I bought all of these.”
“I didn’t expect you’d be buying these.”
Upon returning to the specialty coffee shop, Choi Jong-Il and Woo Hee-Seung examined the boxes with an expression that said, ‘Why did they buy ramen?’
By the time Seok Kang-Ho had persistently finished all the pastries and enjoyed coffee and cigarettes, it was already time for them to go.