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As stars popped up in the sky, the smaller-sized moon came into view.
“General Choi
!” Kwak Cheol-Ho cried out in his sleep.
Geez, those punks!
How could men who were supposed to be on the special forces team fall asleep more easily than Seok Kang-Ho did? How could they trust Kang Chan so much to fall asleep like a baby?
Kang Chan missed Choi Seong-Geon. He met good people like him far too late. Having to live again was more cruel than his life in Africa, but what kept him going was the fact that he had good people in this life.
‘I guess I’ll have to go on that damn tour of the other agencies, huh?’
He would become as respected as Lanok and make it so nobody could touch his people.
Kang Chan looked up to where the stars were.
“It’s time, sir,” one soldier informed him.
“Wake them up,” Kang Chan ordered.
The soldier proceeded to go around and wake up all the sleeping men.
“Ugh.”
Crack. Crack.
“Let me drink some water before we switch,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“Take your time,” Kang Chan responded.
His throat was so scratchy that Kang Chan wanted to have him drink oil, not water.
“Whew! I feel alive again. Go get some sleep, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho suggested.
“Yeah, I will,” Kang Chan replied after taking a look around their surroundings and then getting on the ground.
He fell asleep listening to the soldiers who finished their shifts lying down on the floor.
***
Kang Chan woke up when someone touched him. When he got up, Seok Kang-Ho held out his hand and offered him some water.
“The situation seems about done now,” Seok Kang-Ho told him.
Kang Chan filled his mouth with water and slowly swallowed it.
“They left us untouched all this time,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“What time is it?” Kang Chan asked.
“It’s eight,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
Kang Chan stretched his neck from side to side and leaned on the tree, getting in position. The blackness of the night had grown darker before he knew it.
The enemies weren’t giving them much of a fight, but it was night. They couldn’t talk loudly right now.
Chk.
“I’m sure everyone is already thinking about it, but the fact that they left us here means that some kind of negotiation probably went down. Even so, don’t let your guards down. I’ll wait for the news to come in through the radio before making a decision. The path back could be dangerous, so be on the alert at all times,” Kang Chan instructed them.
Once Kang Chan was finished speaking through the radio, the soldiers who just woke up from their sleep switched with the ones on guard duty.
Swish. Swish. Rustle. Rustle.
The insects and beasts continued to throw tantrums.
Kang Chan missed cigarettes and instant coffee.
After the soldiers spent some time waiting, one of them stuck a receiver in his ear and raised the radio high in the air. Nobody was talking, but everyone knew that their gazes were focused on that soldier.
After two minutes, which felt like two hours, the soldier’s expression passed through multiple phases of emotions until he finally put the radio down and took the receiver out of his ear.
“They’re sending a helicopter to us at nine,” the soldier said.
“What?” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed in surprise.
“I’m sure of it. The information was repeated to me three times. They will send a helicopter at nine, and we must be near the location where the first conflict was. We must not shoot either. We were asked to uphold these two conditions,” the soldier explained further.
Seok Kang-Ho glanced at Kang Chan.
Commands like these likely weren’t a trap.
“Let’s get a move on,” Kang Chan said.
If Kang Chan knew they were going to get these orders, he should’ve just had them stay. However, even if he was put in the same situation a hundred times, he would’ve moved first and asked questions later. Still, he found relief in the fact that they would be able to give their dead brothers a proper burial.
This time, it took twenty minutes to get back to where they had their first conflict. It was a strange, ominous feeling.
“Seok Kang-Ho, go up with Kwak Cheol-Ho over there and secure our location,” Kang Chan ordered.
“Let’s go,” Seok Kang-Ho told Kwak Cheol-Ho. They then swiftly carried out Kang Chan’s orders.
Kang Chan hung his rifle on his shoulder and stood up from his position.
“Move the soldiers,” Kang Chan ordered.
At his command, the soldiers sprung into action. The more muscles someone had, the stiffer they became after dying.
One man grabbed a fallen soldier by the shoulders, and another lifted him by the ankles. The special forces moved quickly in the dark.
After about ten minutes, Kang Chan and his men stood where helicopters attacked them.
Swish!
The damned wind swept through Kang Chan and the other soldiers. After waiting for a bit longer, they began to hear sounds from afar, which were followed by flashing red lights.
Click!
Kang Chan put his finger on his trigger and waved his hand to assign the soldiers their positions. He didn’t have a bad feeling in his gut this time.
Du du du du du du du.
Kang Chan looked sharply at the helicopter.
Chk.
“This is Stork. Delivery Team, state your location.”
The soldiers had adjusted their radio frequencies before arriving.
Chk.
“We’re in the front. Delivery Team, over.”
Click! Pew! Pew!
Chk.
“Roger, Delivery Team. Your location has been confirmed.”
Du du du du du du du.
A Chinook helicopter rushed toward Kang Chan with its light flashing brightly.
Whoosh.
An intense gust swept over Kang Chan and his surroundings.
Chk.
“Delivery Team, hurry it up.”
The chopper precariously balanced over a rock with its rear sticking out. The soldiers began to move following Kang Chan’s hand signals.
In teams of two, they carried the fallen soldiers and ran toward the chopper. Two of the soldiers who were already aboard the helicopter grabbed the shoulders of the fallen and pulled them inside.
The whole process took about a total of three minutes. Kang Chan only jumped into the helicopter upon confirming that everyone else had gotten in.
Du du du du du du du.
The helicopter seemed to hang in the air for a moment before tilting away from the mountain. Kang Chan turned to a soldier who came with the helicopter.
“What’s our destination?” Kang Chan asked him.
“Out to sea and then to Mount Hwangbyongsan in Gangwon Province!” the soldier replied over the noise.
Mount Hwangbyongsan? Kang Chan didn’t know where that was.
“It’s the special warfare winter training center of the ROK Army!” Kwak Cheol-Ho explained from next to him.
South Korean soldiers had essentially come into North Korea with a helicopter to carry out their own special forces team.
“Does anyone have any cigarettes?” Kang Chan asked.
The soldier who came with the helicopter looked surprised, but no one appeared apologetic or scared.
Two soldiers dug through their military gear and pulled out cigarettes and lighters. They then tore open the cigarettes and lit them.
Csh. Chk.
Four people used a Zippo lighter to light up their own cigarettes.
“Hoo!”
The ear-splitting noises and the rough winds couldn’t stop them from smoking.
They should make cigarettes longer.
They reached the ocean after some time but re-entered the mainland before long. The soldiers’ eyes were filled with a complicated mix of being successful with the operation, gratitude for being alive, and regret for their fallen comrades.
“Kwak Cheol-Ho!” Kang Chan shouted with a wave of his hand.
Kwak Cheol-Ho moved his ear closer to Kang Chan.
“When we get back, don’t be discouraged like last time! Overcome it! Make the others proud of being veterans!” Kang Chan said.
“Yes, sir!” Kwak Cheol-Ho shouted in response with a nod.
Du du du du du du du du.
The helicopter descended toward the center of the mountain. The lights around the barracks were brightly lit, illuminating sedans, vans, buses, and trucks. The soldiers descended from the helicopter, feeling the wind from the propellers against their bodies.
Jeon Dae-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jung approached Kang Chan, extending their hands to embrace him. Jeon Dae-Geuk seemed to want to say something but couldn’t find the words. He just patted Kang Chan on the back.
“Job well done, Mr. Kang Chan,” Kim Hyung-Jung barely managed to utter with his eyes red.
“Mr. Seok!” Jeon Dae-Geuk said as he greeted Seok Kang-Ho, gripping both his hands.
In the meantime, the other soldiers stepped out, with their fallen descending last. When the helicopter’s engine turned off, the silence that was threatening to take over instantly rushed over them.
“Attention!”
Kwak Cheol-Ho’s loud shout chased away the deafening silence.
Kang Chan shook his head. Before Kwak Cheol-Ho could salute Kang Chan, Kang Chan approached him and patted his helmet.
“Good work,” Kang Chan told him.
“Good work, sir,” Kwak Cheol-Ho responded.
In situations like this, what use was there for etiquette and formality?
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Kwak Cheol-Ho extended his hand and gave Kang Chan’s helmet a pat.
“Good work,” Kang Chan said.
“You as well,” Yoon Sang-Ki said as he patted Kang Chan’s helmet with red eyes.
Seok Kang-Ho followed Kang Chan, and they went around patting each other’s helmets.
“You’re not going to be all down in the dumps again, are you?” Kang Chan joked.
The soldiers smiled wryly at Kang Chan’s words.
“Let’s let General Choi Seong-Geon and the others leave with light hearts.”
Kwak Cheol-Ho saluted one last time, and the other soldiers followed suit.
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho saluted back at them.
Staying here any longer was counterproductive, especially since some of their fellow soldiers were injured. As the bus and the van drove away, Kang Chan took off his helmet. His hair was flattened and tangled, making him look somewhat stupid.
“Let’s go,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said, gesturing at a van.
The four of them sat in the back, facing each other.
Vrooooom.
Perhaps it was because they had just been on a helicopter, but even though they were in a van, it seemed to slide on the road as easily as a sedan.
“How are my parents?” Kang Chan asked.
“They’ll likely be at the hotel at this time,” Kim Hyung-Jung responded.
Kang Chan let out a low sigh of relief.
“We still have to capture Wui Min-Gook, right?” he asked.
“We have all the information now. Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo was arrested on charges of espionage, and all the North Korean agents who infiltrated the country have been killed. Unfortunately, we failed to catch Wui Min-Gook,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied.
Seeing Kang Chan’s questioning look, Kim Hyung-Jung continued his explanation.
“He wasn’t at the scene. We split our agents between Namjangju and Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo’s villa in Gapyeong, but Wui Min-Gook wasn’t at either location.”
“Then that means there could still be others out there,” Kang Chan remarked.
“It seems only Wui Min-Gook left to take care of other business. Based on the information we received from the North, we suspect Wui Min-Gook and one more person are still out there.”
That was good enough. What else could be done when the guy wasn’t there when the agents surrounded the area?
“Get some sleep. You should rest too, Mr. Seok,” Jeon Dae-Geuk urged.
“Yes. I think I’ll actually get some sleep” Kang Chan said as he reclined his chair back and closed his eyes.
His tension was slowly easing.
General Choi, I hope you feel less wronged after this.
Kang Chan fell asleep again.