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The sunlight stretched across the room, reaching all the way into the living room.
If he could live like this for the rest of his life, he would definitely consider getting married. It wasn’t all that bad, after all.
Kang Chan quietly came back to his room, shut his door, then turned his computer on. There were a lot of things on the news that he wanted to check.
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten on my computer.
So many reports were about Huh Ha-Soo that he could probably build a mountain with them. However, they all revolved around three main points: his espionage charges, the political manipulation, and his past accomplishments. Kang Chan supposed it all depended on how one looked at it.
Next up was the evaluation of the drama produced by DI. This could be summarized into one sentence: the drama could have gone down in film history if it wasn’t for all the incidents that took place during its airing period.
Eun So-Yeon and most of the other actors were all receiving favorable reviews. A few of the trainees were even having more than just fifteen minutes of fame. They were just eating tteokbokki and snacks inside the office not too long ago, but now they were on the screen, dressed up and smiling from ear to ear.
Kang Chan couldn’t help but grin.
DI was a company that Kang Chan hastily set up to gather intelligence for information warfare at Lanok’s request. It no longer served its initial purpose, so he felt relieved that it still managed to become successful.
Kang Chan also found news about North Korea executing Jang Kwang-Taek with a firing squad and reports about Russian and French aircraft carriers returning to their respective countries.
The world was certainly a complex place.
Once people died and were killed in the shadows, the governments and agencies—the only ones that the public could actually see—would take care of the aftermath based on what each would gain or lose.
Perhaps it was a necessary evil. If there wasn’t any information warfare or covert operations, every minor conflict would carry the risk of turning into a full-scale war.
Kang Chan turned off the computer after finishing his perusal of the reports. Not long after, he heard someone knock on the door three times.
“Yes?” Kang Chan answered.
Yoo Hye-Sook entered with a blanket in her hands.
“How was your nap?” Kang Chan asked.
“Refreshing. Are you hungry?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked, seemingly intent on preparing him some food.
Kang Chan smiled.
“How do you feel? Less tired? I heard you didn’t get any sleep last night,” Kang Chan said.
“Ever since we got back home, I’ve been feeling sleepy nonstop. I don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep later tonight if I nap some more, though, so I’m up now. What do you want for dinner?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“I don’t have any plans other than to meet Michelle at nine, so I’m thinking of eating at home today. Do you want to eat outside?” Kang Chan asked.
“Let’s eat at home,” Yoo Hye-Sook replied.
The meals they had at the hotel were probably the reason Yoo Hye-Sook looked so earnest about finally having dinner at home.
But is there anything to eat?
“What is it, Mother?” Kang Chan asked, seeing the look on her face.
“There’s nothing to make side dishes with. And we have to pack food for the vacation home too, so can I go to the market out front real quick?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked hesitantly.
“Why don’t we go together?” Kang Chan responded with a smile.
“Really?” Yoo Hye-Sook replied brightly.
Kang Chan would be too anxious about letting her go alone anyway. They both walked out into the living room together. Yoo Hye-Sook had a beam on her face like a young student about to go on a field trip.
“What’s going on? Why do you look so happy, dear?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked curiously.
“We made plans to go to the market together,” Yoo Hye-Sook replied joyfully.
“What about me?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked with a mock-upset face.
The mother and son naturally wouldn’t leave without the man of the house.
The three changed into clean clothes first.
Chk.
“We’re going to go to the market. We’ll be taking the car in the underground parking lot. I know it’ll be extra work for you, but I hope you understand,” Kang Chan told the agents.
Chk.
“Agents are waiting on standby in the underground parking lot, the roads, and the rooftop. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. We also have control of the management room’s cameras.”
Chk.
“Thank you.”
Kang Chan had heard that Wui Min-Gook and one other enemy were still out there.
Motherfucker.
Kang Chan hoped they would be taken care of before his family went to the vacation home, but at worst, it wouldn’t take too long since Wui Min-Gook was now no more than a tiger without claws—no, he didn’t even have his paws anymore.
After changing, Kang Chan opened the front door and examined the stairs. Just in case, he holstered a gun to his ankle and hung the radio behind his back with the receiver hanging out.
“Can we leave now?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked cautiously.
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“Of course,” Kang Chan answered.
Yoo Hye-Sook walked out with an anxious expression, and Kang Dae-Kyung and Kang Chan stood on both her sides as if they were protecting her, heading toward the underground parking lot.
It didn’t seem like Yoo Hye-Sook had completely shaken off the memories of the past yet, but even so, she was managing well.
***
Their trip to the market wasn’t as complicated as they thought.
The three pulled a cart around and picked up various fruits, tried out foods, and brought bulgogi, dried squid snacks, milk, and more.
It was fun, but it was also tiring. There were also so many people that it made it quite difficult to check everyone who approached them. They had only taken a rough walk around the market, but that alone already took two hours.
Yoo Hye-Sook seemingly became increasingly lively while Kang Dae-Kyung and Kang Chan just looked fatigued.
“Channy, what do you think about pork belly for a meal?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“Sounds good,” Kang Chan responded.
Yoo Hye-Sook wanted pork belly, so she would get pork belly. They finished the shopping trip after buying more meat and side dishes.
In the car on the way back, Yoo Hye-Sook looked even more energized.
“I made a reservation for a vacation home in Gapyeong,” Kang Dae-Kyung informed Kang Chan.
“Got it,” Kang Chan replied.
They returned home and organized the items that they purchased. They then had pork belly for dinner and drank tea together.
There wasn’t much to happiness. Being grateful to be able to sit and eat together—that was all it took.
However, to keep this happiness, someone had to endure terrible training, go out and fight, and a few might not come back. It wasn’t like anyone recognized their efforts either.
The pain of the families whom the fallen left behind was the price to pay for the happiness of the families who had no idea what was sacrificed.
As Kang Chan ate the pork belly and watched Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook, he found solace in the thought that what he had been doing all this time hadn’t been in vain.
He wanted to become stronger and had the determination to create a more powerful country probably because he wanted others to feel this kind of happiness.
“I’m so happy,” Yoo Hye-Sook said as they sat down on the sofa. They had just finished doing the dishes together.
As they watched the news, Kang Chan’s phone began to ring.
It’s only eight, though.
Kang Chan returned to his room to answer the phone.
“Hello?” he greeted.
-Channy. I got off earlier than I thought. Can I go over right now? It’ll only take me about fifteen minutes.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting in front of the apartment by then,” Kang Chan agreed.
He could go out to see her in the clothes he was currently wearing right now anyway.
“Michelle said she’s coming a little earlier. I’ll just have some tea with her and come back home,” Kang Chan told his parents.
“Would you tell her I said hello, Channy?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“Of course. See you later,” Kang Chan replied.
“Be careful,” Kang Dae-Kyung said with concern.
“I will, Father. If you ever need to go out, please give me a call.”
“I won’t have to go outside. Don’t worry about us and go,” Kang Dae-Kyung assured him.
Kang Chan soon left the apartment. When he reached the ground floor, he explained the situation to the agents over the radio and walked toward the entrance.
Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep.
He picked up his phone and saw a notification from an application on his screen.
“Hello?” Kang Chan answered.
- It’s me, Woo Hee-Seung, sir. Lee Doo-Hee and I have just returned from our paid leave yesterday.
Hearing Woo Hee-Seung’s voice made Kang Chan suddenly miss Choi Jong-Il.
“I’m going out to drink some tea now. Let’s meet once I’m done,” Kang Chan said.
- Copy. Team Leader Choi Jong-Il told me to deliver his regards.
Kang Chan and Woo Hee-Seung said their goodbyes to each other with light tones.
Wui Min-Gook was still out there somewhere.
Before leaving the apartment, Kang Chan scanned the areas where he could be shot from.
When he got out, the world seemed at peace.
Honk.
A car stopped in front of him, and Michelle waved her hand through the open window of the passenger seat. Caucasian people were really pretty.
Kang Chan got into the passenger seat.
“I know you’re still tired. I hope I’m not bothering you,” Michelle said worriedly.
“It’s fine. I wanted to have another cup of tea anyway,” Kang Chan replied.
“Okay, Channy, if you say so.”
Michelle started the car and drove to Apgujeong-Dong. The large cafe was bustling with expensive foreign cars. When she parked, staff members came rushing over.
Each table had candles lit, and the interior decorations were exquisite.
In every corner, no matter who it was or where, all eyes were on Michelle. Flowing blonde hair, a sharp nose, big blue eyes, and a body that emphasized her chest and waist.
Kang Chan and Michelle sat on the terrace and ordered coffee. The candles flickered, elegantly creating quite a decent atmosphere.
“Here.”
When Michelle handed him a cigarette, envious glances from all around the room shot at Kang Chan.