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Feeling like he was missing something, Kang Chan turned around and looked behind him. Only then did the three agents get out of the car.
“Where’s the ambassador?” He asked.
“He already left in another car,” one of the agents answered.
This situation made Kang Chan feel somewhat uncomfortable, but there was no need for Lanok to stick with them.
They started to leave.
Kang Chan told Kim Tae-Jin’s employee to fix the van and move it somewhere else. He then headed to the hospital with Seok Kang-Ho and Kim Tae-Jin. Seok Kang-Ho drove the car.
“Growing old is depressing,” Kim Tae-Jin said.
Kim Tae-Jin wrapped his injury with a bandage he had taken from the trunk.
“Are you okay?” Kim Tae-Jin asked Kang Chan.
“I’m fortunately unscathed.”
He actually wasn’t injured anywhere.
“Kang Yoo Motors President Kang Dae-Kyung is your father, right?” Kim Tae-Jin asked Kang Chan again.
“Yes.”
Kang Chan’s gaze discretely landed on Kim Tae-Jin, seemingly wondering why he was asking.
“I asked because I recalled people calling a gentleman the DMZ King. It didn’t matter what side they were on, becoming his target meant their necks would be cut off with certainty. He was so talented that not even three people could injure him in a fight.”
“That story’s quite ancient, isn’t it?” Kang Chan asked.
“That’s true.”
Seok Kang-Ho accelerated after they got on the highway.
***
Yoo Hun-Woo was waiting for Kang Chan’s party, who called beforehand.
“I mean, where in South Korea can people come to a hospital with a gunshot wound? Is there a completely different world here that I’m not aware of?” Yoo Hun-Woo shook his head as he stitched and wrapped bandages around Kim Tae-Jin’s injury.
“Luckily, this is only a skin-deep wound. You can start receiving outpatient treatment after a week of hospitalization. We’ll empty a room that you guys have used before,” He told Kim Tae-Jin after providing him with a swift and effective treatment.
Kang Chan, Kim Tae-Jin, and Seok Kang-Ho headed to their room. After a while, Suh Sang-Hyun joined them.
Kang Chan had just made coffee and sat down when he got a call from Lanok.
“Kang Chan speaking.”
- Monsieur Kang, I’d like to thank you for getting us through such a large crisis. Moreover, I also bring good news: we’ve caught Sharlan.
“Pardon? When?”
- Our agents pounced on him while you were attacking the enemies. He’s in the embassy right now. We’re planning to repatriate him to France tomorrow.
Kang Chan momentarily blanked out. If what Lanok said was true, then he made the wrong decision. While he was fighting someone else’s battle like a dog, someone else had gotten the chicken[1].
“I find this hard to understand, Mr. Ambassador.” Kang Chan’s voice had dropped the niceties.
- I get what you mean, Monsieur Kang. But I hope you also consider my position. I’d probably return with Sharlan tomorrow as well. I’ll discuss my schedule with you after this.”
Lanok ended the call with a professional valediction, and Kang Chan immediately told the people with him about the call.
“What the fuck?! That’s bullshit!”
Kang Chan remained silent as Seok Kang-Ho vented his anger. Even though he had already been tricked before by the Three Worthless Minions, he still got tricked and made a fool of himself again.
“Maybe those fuckers were already thinking of hiding Sharlan from us while they were asking us for help,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
“That’s what probably happened.”
“Regardless, we intervened to catch Sharlan, not get orders from that guy.”
Kang Chan looked outside the window.
This wasn’t right. If it would mean killing Sharlan once and for all, Kang Chan would willingly run into the embassy.
He smirked.
‘They’re treating me like an idiot.’
Having made up his mind, Kang Chan called Lanok.
- Monsieur Kang.
Lanok sounded like he was trying hard to exclude emotions from his voice.
“This isn’t right, Mr. Ambassador. If you keep this up, then you best be prepared for the consequences.”
Upon hearing a low sigh coming from the other end, Kang Chan decided to hang up the phone with a smirk.
- One moment, Monsieur Kang! France’s DGSE demanded Sharlan be transferred to them alive. This also displeases me, but I’m in a position where it needs to be done no matter what. I promise in all of my honor that Sharlan would never be able to do something like this again in the future. Can you let this go just this once?
“Please allow us to meet Sharlan.”
- Monsieur Kang.
“Are you saying even that isn’t possible? If so, then I have no choice but to act on my own. It could mean we’d meet in troubling circumstances in the future, but I hope you don’t let that upset you.”
- Monsieur Kang! Fine! Please give me ten minutes. I’ll call you within that time.
“I’ll wait.”
Kang Chan hung up the phone, then told the others about their conversation.
He didn’t know how he would change after seeing Sharlan. However, at the very least, he wouldn’t be able to tolerate being the dog that lost the chicken.
Kang Chan’s eyes burned fiercely, feeling enraged once more.
He had never been afraid of something like the Intelligence Bureau or the DGSE. He knew they were powerful, but that didn’t mean he’d let them make a fool of him like this.
A while later, Lanok called and said that he was going to send a car over to the hospital.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
“I’ll come with you,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“Sure.” Kang Chan accepted.
“Wouldn’t it be more painful for Sharlan to put him under the Intelligence Bureau’s custody than killing him now? And with him alive, it would be easier to find out who his backer is. You should suppress your anger,” Kim Tae-Jin told Kang Chan.
“I’ll decide once I’ve seen him.”
“Go ahead. I just thought I should remind you not to lose your temper. This is no different from when I decided to spare the Neck Ghost.”
Kang Chan couldn’t fully comprehend what Kim Tae-Jin meant.
“France and China could be in the middle of psychological warfare. Wui Min-Gook and Sharlan were merely bait, which could be why they couldn’t figure out each other’s actions. For that reason, I hope you can keep your anger in check and make level-headed judgements,” Kim Tae-Jin continued.
“Understood.”
A moment later, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho left the room upon getting contacted that the car had arrived in the parking lot.
Suh Sang-Hyun looked at Kim Tae-Jin as if he had just woken up from a spell. Throughout their conversation, he couldn’t utter even a single word.
“Did he just threaten the French Ambassador? And the Ambassador’s response wasn’t just to accept it but also send a car to pick them up?” Suh Sang-Hyun asked.
“Kang Chan did dispose of five special forces soldiers, then fought with the Neck Ghost in hand-to-hand combat. He made that guy semi-paralytic without even getting injured one bit.”
“And all of his opponents were armed?”
“It nearly drove me crazy. He shot someone’s ankles while lying on his stomach, then incapacitated two more using only a bullet each while running.”
“With a pistol?”
Kim Tae-Jin nodded.
“Ha! He’s an absolute mystery. I could understand attacking with a knife but shooting with a pistol…”[2]
“I also find it bizarre how he hit two of our opponents that time with only two bullets mid-run. He was so accurate. If it were me, I would’ve spent a lot more ammo before making any difference. I only realized how eerie it was now. In that situation, he was confident in hitting his targets.”
“What on earth happened?” asked Suh Sang-Hyun.
“That’s what I want to know too. In any case, we have to get him into our company no matter what. If he does well, he’d likely work in a government position.”
“Phew.”
Suh Sang-hyun shook his head, seemingly unable to bring himself to do that.
***
The car crossed the Hangang river, then went into the basement parking lot of the French embassy after driving for about 15 minutes.
Employees escorted Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho to the elevator, which they rode to the second floor. When they got out, another employee greeted them.
“Please come this way.”
The lanky employee walked past the hallway and opened the innermost door.
“Welcome, Monsieur Kang.”
Lanok was only wearing a shirt and dress pants.
“Mr. Ambassador, this is Seok Kang-Ho. He’s also connected to Sharlan, who also recently had his family kidnapped.” Kang Chan introduced Seok Kang-Ho. Lanok then offered them a seat in the chairs in front of the table.
“My country’s decision probably deeply upset you. But I hope you believe and understand that finding out the identity of Sharlan’s backer was that much important. There are not only agents in the embassy, but also Korean employees. We’re thinking of repatriating them tomorrow morning so that word doesn’t get out,” Lanok told Kang Chan.
Lanok lifted the kettle that was on the table, then poured them tea.
“Where is Sharlan?” asked Kang Chan.
“Let’s pay him a visit after we have a cup of tea.”
“We want to see him first,” Kang Chan insisted, leaving Lanok no choice.
“As you wish. Follow me.” Lanok took the lead. Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho followed behind him.
Lanok left the room and opened the door closest to the elevator.
1. This refers to the Korean proverb, 닭 쫓던 개 지붕 쳐다본다, which talks about a dog chasing a chicken, only to be left with no other option but to stare at the chicken when it flew up to the roof. In this context, Kang Chan worked hard only for Lanok to claim his rewards. Like the dog, Kang Chan can’t do anything to Sharlan now ☜
2. Korea has very strick gun control ☜