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The men arrived at the safe house in Hannam-Dong a little over one in the morning.
Having a good wink of sleep, Kang Chan felt a little less tired, but his arms and legs felt sore because of his position in the car when he fell asleep.
“Ahaaam!”
Seok Kang-Ho seemed to be feeling the same because he kept yawning.
Kang Chan took a shower first.
He stood under the warm water and erased the camouflage cream, shampooed his hair, and washed his body. Kang Chan then wiped the steamy mirror with his hand.
Although he was given Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook, his life turned into a series of relentless and neverending challenges in return. He couldn’t stop thinking about their fallen comrade who broke his finger during the operation.
“Whew,” Kang Chan sighed loudly under the flowing water.
Click.
He covered himself with a towel and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Your turn to wash up,” Kang Chan told Seok Kang-Ho.
“Ahaaaan!” Seok Kang-Ho stretched, then replied, “Got it.”
“I’ve prepared a set of clothes for you in that room,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“Thank you. I’ll go get changed,” Kang Chan responded.
Entering the room, Kang Chan found a neatly arranged shirt, suit, radio, and phone waiting for him. After changing into the clothes, Kang Chan returned to the living room and sat down in front of Jeon Dae-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Feeling a bit better now?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked.
“Yes, sir,” Kang Chan replied.
“Let’s all eat together when Mr. Seok is done showering,” Jeon Dae-Geuk suggested.
“If you’re staying here because of us, we can just go and eat at the hotel,” Kang Chan replied.
“Manager Kim and I haven’t had dinner yet either,” Jeon Dae-Geuk responded.
Kang Chan couldn’t help but smile at Jeon Dae-Geuk’s mock-rebuking comment.
One good thing about being reincarnated was that he could meet people who genuinely conveyed good sincerity in their hearts.
“Whew, that’s a lot better,” Seok Kang-Ho loudly remarked as he walked out of the shower. He then changed into a new set of clothes as well.
They had quite a late dinner at two in the morning.
Kang Chan went to the dining table and sat down, gazing at the food that had been prepared for them.
“You’re thinking about the soldiers, aren’t you?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked.
Kang Chan just smiled dryly.
“I heard he was good at welcoming them back. General Choi
 He would always wait late into the night until the soldiers returned from an operation or training and eat with them. His deputy would prepare a fine banquet. Let’s dig in too,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said as he lifted his own spoon.
Kang Chan followed suit and started to eat. He once again felt that a meal wasn’t truly a meal unless it included steaming rice, spicy side dishes, and meat.
Naturally, Seok Kang-Ho had two servings and drank coffee.
Jeon Dae-Geuk looked proud and apologetic at the same time.
“The North Korean leadership contacted us first. When we demanded your return from their country, they suggested we send a helicopter for your evac,” Kim Hyung-Jung explained.
“I thought something like that might have been the case. When we barged into the Ministry of Defense, their security seemed extremely lax,” Kang Chan said.
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“It appears that Jang Kwang-Taek got politically secluded. Even so, that doesn’t mean that it should’ve been any easier,” Kim Hyung-Jung mused.
Jeon Dae-Geuk, who was just silently listening to their conversation, looked curious about the situation. However, he couldn’t pull rank on Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho to pressure them into telling him what happened, so he instead stopped himself from getting involved in the conversation at all.
“What are you thinking about doing for General Choi’s funeral, Manager Kim?” Kang Chan asked.
“We naturally plan to hold a proper one for him,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied reassuringly.
“What about the soldiers who died on this mission?”
“We are fortunate enough to have brought them back home. We will honor them with everything they deserve,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“Please tell me when you’ve decided on a date,” Kang Chan requested.
“I’ll make sure to keep you updated,” Kim Hyung-Jung agreed.
Kang Chan turned toward Jeon Dae-Geuk this time.
“I’ll come back after having a smoke outside,” Kang Chan said.
“Yeah? Sure, go ahead,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said with a somewhat upset face.
He traveled hours to get here and saw Kang Chan sleeping. They had also eaten and had tea together. Nevertheless, he still seemed sad that he would have to be away from Kang Chan in the short moment that he would be gone to smoke.
People like him never seemed to fail to get inside Kang Chan’s walls.
Kim Tae-Jin and Kim Hyung-Jung were no different from this grumpy Jeon Dae-Geuk. Even if these kinds of people weren’t the most refined of men, Kang Chan always liked them since they were always honest about how they felt.
Kang Chan walked out to the yard with Seok Kang-Ho and Kim Hyung-Jung. They then pulled out their cigarettes and started smoking together.
Click.
“Whew.”
The white smoke disappeared from the light of the yard into the darkness.
“You can return home in the morning,” Kim Hyung-Jung said as he shook off the ash from the tip of his cigarette.
“We’ve assigned agents across from your apartment complex and on the rooftop opposite of where your parents currently are. At the very least, nothing dangerous will happen to them while they’re at the hotel,” Kim Hyung-Jung reassured him.
Whew! That’s one hell of a relief.
Kang Chan felt as if he could now breathe a little easier.
“Mr. Seok, your wife and daughter informed us they would like to return to the country tomorrow,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“Why?” Seok Kang-Ho asked, which led to Kim Hyung-Jung and Kang Chan bursting out in laughter together.
“Would you like another one?” Kim Hyung-Jung offered.
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho accepted and lit up another cigarette from Kim Hyung-Jung.
“I mean, they’re in a foreign country. They should be enjoying themselves out there, not insisting on heading back so early,” Seok Kang-Ho argued.
“They’d be sad if they learned you said that. Your wife was so worried because she couldn’t reach you since yesterday. I heard the agents on site had some difficulties coming up with stories to convince her that you were fine,” Kim Hyung-Jung remarked.
“Sheesh, she shouldn’t be so worried. That wasn’t necessary,” Seok Kang-Ho grumbled.
Kim Hyung-Jung smiled in amusement.
“She says you regularly called her in the mornings and the evenings. She was worried that something might have happened because there was no reason a person as considerate as you wouldn’t contact her for two days,” he said.
“Hmph!” Seok Kang-Ho coughed and then observed Kang Chan’s expression.
“What?” Kang Chan asked.
“Well, I am a bit of a family man,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“I never said otherwise,” Kang Chan replied.
The three laughed. After some time, they returned to the living room.
“What’s so funny that made you three so happy without me?” Jeon Dae-Geuk crabbily asked.
“We were laughing because Mr. Seok is surprisingly a family man,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied with a smile.
“Why is that a surprise?” Jeon Dae-Geuk abruptly defended Seok Kang-Ho. “It’s only right that people who live the way we do are always apologetic to our families. We should call whenever we have time and always put in an effort to be kinder.”
“Completely correct. I’m doing good, aren’t I, sir?” Seok Kang-Ho jumped in.
“Of course, Mr. Seok. You’re really doing a good job,” Jeon Dae-Geuk complimented him.
Seok Kang-Ho looked back at Kang Chan and Kim Hyung-Jung with a renewed face of confidence.
They all sat down and just chatted for the next twenty or so minutes.
“Don’t forget to invite me to General Choi’s funeral ceremony,” Kang Chan said.
“Of course, we won’t. Even if no one else comes, you and Mr. Seok definitely have to be there. Otherwise, he’ll probably be upset,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said with a nod.
“Section Chief Jeon,” Kang Chan began.
Jeon Dae-Geuk, Kim Hyung-Jung, and Seok Kang-Ho’s gazes all turned to him at once.
“You don’t have to feel sorry for me, sir. I went on this operation of my own volition. I feel bad for our fallen soldiers for saying this, but I’m actually grateful that you helped us go on this operation. In a way, it also feels like I repaid my debt to General Choi,” Kang Chan reassured him.
Jeon Dae-Geuk took in a shallow breath and then nodded.
“Would you like to get some rest now?” Kim Hyung-Jung suggested.
“Can I stay here a while longer?” Kang Chan questioned.
“Of course,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied.
Jeon Dae-Geuk seemed pleased too, so Kang Chan decided to stay seated.
In the meantime, Seok Kang-Ho retold what happened during the mission. Jeon Dae-Geuk’s facial expressions were a sight to see.
“So you’re saying only the four of you went to the Ministry of Defense? And in just four hours of running at that?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked in disbelief.
“Yes, sir. Only the captain went inside the building, though,” Seok Kang-Ho added.
Jeon Dae-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jung looked at Kang Chan with astounded expressions.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Kang Chan attempted to joke, but he failed to get any laughter.
At around four in the morning, they all got up.
“Get some good rest. Contact Manager Kim immediately if there’s anything you need,” Jeon Dae-Geuk instructed Kang Chan.
“Yes, sir,” Kang Chan replied.
“I’ll head back after escorting them back to the hotel,” Kim Hyung-Jung told Jeon Dae-Geuk.
“Alright. See you,” Jeon Dae-Geuk replied.
After Jeon Dae-Geuk left, the three took a car back to the hotel. It wasn’t that far, so they reached their destination in less than ten minutes.
“You don’t have to see us off, sir,” Kang Chan insisted.
Even so, Kim Hyung-Jung still got out of the sedan and extended his hand for a handshake.
“That was a remarkable job you all did,” Kim Hyung-Jung said gratefully.
The tight grip was more than enough to convey how Kim Hyung-Jung was feeling. After shaking hands with Seok Kang-Ho as well, he stayed a bit longer to watch Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho get in the elevator.
They had probably contacted the agents in advance because two of them stepped into the elevator with Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho. They pressed a button and climbed up to the higher floors.
Just at dawn yesterday, they were crawling up the mountains. Today, they were taking the elevator. There was really no way to predict where life would take them. Kang Chan never even expected something like yesterday to happen.