Chapter 311: Taught Very Well (2)
Although Kang Chan and Gérard were heading to the same building as Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook, they moved separately from them and entered the office from a different entrance.
Sightseeing in Seoul?
Unless it was to cheer him up, Kang Chan had no intention of dragging the poor guy to palaces and other famous tourist spots. The glances of the women gathering around Gérard also bothered him.
“What’s wrong?” Gérard asked.
Kang Chan gave him a rough idea of the situation.
“They really want to do that?” Gérard asked in surprise.
“Right?!”
“They’re simply selling cars and accepting donations, aren't they?”
“It could turn into a battle for rights later on.”
Gérard looked confused.
No matter if they were Korean or Western, one used to armed combat would have trouble grasping such subtle nuances.
“Anyway, do people really feed each other food like that in Korea?” asked Gérard.
Kang Chan smirked. Yoo Hye-Sook had fed him bulgogi wrapped in lettuce, which he accepted since he felt bad for being away for so long. Gérard likely found that scene quite strange.
“In Korea, we ask someone to eat with us as a way to express our gratitude. If you’re close enough with the person to feel like they’re family, that’s what you do,” answered Kang Chan.
Gérard nodded in understanding. “I see.”
His explanation was easy enough to understand.
“Captain, what do you call the parents of someone close to you in Korean?”
Now that he was living with him, he questioned everything.
“Abeoji,” Kang Chan stated.
“Appeoji,” Gérard followed.
“Abeoji,” Kang Chan clarified.
“Abuji?”
“Just go with the first one.”
“Abvji?”
“Yeah! That’s good!”
“Abvji? Abvji? Then what about mère[1]?”
“Eomeoni.”
“Eomeuni.”
“Yeah!”
As Kang Chan lit a cigarette, Gérard repeatedly uttered ‘Abvji’ and ‘Eomeuni.’ Eventually, even Kang Chan felt as if his pronunciations were right.
Buzz buzz.
Kang Chan’s phone vibrated, notifying him that he had received a text.
Pulling out his phone, Kang Chan squinted at the sender's number.
It was from the DGSE.
The message contained three thumbnail-sized photos of a man in a suit, and below them was the name ‘Berlin International Airport.’
Kang Chan doubted that the DGSE was just informing him that they had suddenly started selling suits. Pressing on the last photo with his thumb, it expanded and filled the screen.
“Huh?”
Kang Chan’s surprised exclamation made Gérard lean over. Staring at the phone, his expression hardened. The man in the photo was Gérard—or someone who resembled him. The date yesterday was printed in small numbers next to the text ‘Berlin International Airport.’
Swiping left, Kang Chan viewed the next photo. The man, wearing sunglasses, now had his head bowed slightly. Finally, the last photo showed him turning his face away from the CCTV. Unlike Gérard's cheeks, his face was clean and unblemished.
"What are those?" asked Gérard.
"The DGSE sent these. Below each photo is yesterday's date with 'Berlin International Airport' written on it."
With this evidence coming to light, Kang Chan’s heart became so weightless that he felt like he could fly. The DGSE’s capabilities were certainly commendable.
Gérard, getting a glimpse of the DGSE’s skills as well, looked as relieved as Kang Chan. These photos were proof that they were already on the tail of the damn guy. They just had to wait for more secrets to be unraveled now.
Buzz buzz buzz. Buzz buzz buzz. Buzz buzz buzz.
While Kang Chan was staring at the photo with a cryptic smile, a call came in from Lanok. He was just about to make a grateful call anyway.
"Mr. Ambassador."
- Have you seen the photos?
"Yes, I was just looking at them. He was at the Berlin International Airport yesterday?"
- I hope they have somewhat eased your mind, Monsieur Kang.
"Thank you, Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan said from the bottom of his heart.
- Hahaha! You have a way of touching hearts in unexpected situations.
That didn’t really matter. Kang Chan was simply glad that Gérard wasn't the guy in the damn CCTV footage.
- Mr. Kang Chan, the man in the photos is named Gabriel.
"Gabriel?"
Gérard looked at Kang Chan with a startled expression.
- Vasili was the one who found him. Gabriel was the son of Gérard's father’s younger brother, so a cousin.
Kang Chan turned to Gérard. Gérard wouldn’t be stupid enough not to recognize his cousin.
- Sergey Gee seems to have smuggled something out of Russia. The Russian intelligence bureau caught wind of it, Mr. Kang Chan.
Lanok said Kang Chan’s name with a peculiar tone.
"What do you mean?"
- Gabriel is likely an agent of the Star of David.
Pfft.
Somehow, it had never seemed like it would be easy from the start.
- I was hoping you could unravel the secret behind the year Gérard disappeared before the DGSE interrogated him.
Kang Chan’s eyes met Gérard's. He was more than relieved to know that the DGSE wouldn’t shoot this man.
"Mr. Ambassador, do you trust me?"
- If I didn’t, I wouldn't have sent you the photos, Mr. Kang Chan.
Lanok's words left a strange emotion in Kang Chan's heart.
"Thank you."
- Let's have dinner together with Gérard soon. I would like to meet him as well.
"Yes, sir."
After ending the call, Kang Chan put his phone on the table.
"Is Gabriel your cousin?" he asked.
"Captain! That guy definitely didn't look like me."
"The Russian intelligence bureau has found him. They think he’s an agent of the Star of David."
"Hmm."
Gérard softly exhaled.
"Let’s take our time processing this. For now, all that matters is that the false accusation has been cleared. I'll find time to show this photo to Oh Gwang-Taek."
If Kang Chan had been suffering internally, now it was Gérard with a troubled face.
"We have to figure out why this Gabriel guy looks like you and how he became an agent of the Star of David. Since it has come to this, we might as well use this chance to catch the tails of those Star of David bastards too."
"Yes, sir," Gérard answered with a nod.
***
Samseong-dong branch office of the National Intelligence Service.
Sitting behind his desk, Hwang Ki-Hyun looked through the documents that Kim Hyung-Jung had brought. He sighed deeply.
"We really don’t deserve to be called an intelligence bureau," he muttered to himself.
Kim Hyung-Jung, sitting across from him, remained silent.
"According to the satellite data and the basic information their country's intelligence bureau possess, they’ve always had access to detailed personal information about renowned special forces team members..."
Hwang Ki-Hyun slowly flipped through the documents.
Following Lanok and Vasili's suggestion, spaces had been provided at the Samseong-dong branch for French and Russian agents, who in turn taught the NIS how to use the satellite that Russia and China had provided and analyze the information it gathered. They also transferred data to South Korea, the content of which was beyond the NIS’ imagination.
Hwang Ki-Hyun looked through the documents with a devastated expression. The foreign intelligence bureaus only gave them basic information. It was foolish of them to assume that they would hand over top-tier information just because Kang Chan was involved.
Nevertheless, these basic pieces of information were still tiers above the National Intelligence Service’s data.
"Wheew. If they wanted to, they could easily figure out what the supreme leader of North Korea snacked on."
"We should improve the security around the information our intelligence bureau handles."
Hwang Ki-Hyun nodded. "Learn, Manager Kim. Learn despite the insults they throw and the humiliation they force upon us. We have to make sure that our successors won’t have to feel this miserable."
"Yes, sir," answered Kim Hyung-Jung.
Hwang Ki-Hyun raised his gaze from the documents. "How’s the situation in Jeungpyeong?"
"They have finished their training today."
"When are they leaving?"
"If we grant their request, tomorrow."
Kim Hyung-Jung took out some documents from under the pile and neatly put them on top for Hwang Ki-Hyun to see.
"They want to take ten soldiers from Jeungpyeong?"
"The assistant director has requested to treat it as a vacation leave."
Hwang Ki-Hyun stared at the documents with a heavy expression.
"You do understand that if this operation fails, not even resignation will solve anything?"
"I am aware."
"We deployed troops to Libya without the consent of the parliament. The opposition members of the National Assembly Defense Committee have already been keeping a fierce eye on us. If this operation were to be exposed, we wouldn’t be able to handle the backlash."
"The opposition party is already visiting the families of the agents and soldiers who fell in Libya. They seem to have noticed that they didn’t die during training.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun focused on the documents again, seemingly having made up his mind.
"Remove his name from this report," he ordered.
Kim Hyung-Jung looked at Hwang Ki-Hyun with surprise.
"Give the agents fake passports. I'll manage this operation myself and personally handle all decisions."
"Director, the Samseong-dong branch will be conducting this operation independently. If a problem occurs, we’ll just have to relocate."
Hwang Ki-Hyun smiled.
"We can’t afford to expose our branch, then. Honestly, not even a hundred directors like me combined will be as valuable as the assistant director. That’s why we have to protect the Samseong-dong branch at all costs."
Kim Hyung-Jung's cheeks twitched as he clenched his teeth.
"Since other intelligence bureaus already have all the information about our special forces soldiers, I want to issue our men fake passports. Make sure the reports state that I’m the one who made that decision.”
"Director, if you disappear, then the Samseong-dong branch will eventually be exposed."
"The newly formed counter-terrorism team will be under the deputy director and if I think there’s going to be a problem, I’ll remove the Samseong-dong branch from the National Intelligence Service altogether."
Finally looking relaxed, Kim Hyung-Jung turned to Hwang Ki-Hyun. "Director?"
"Do you remember what I told the soldiers in the hospital?" Hwang Ki-Hyun asked.
"Yes, I do."
"I can't fight beside them on the field. That’s why I promised them that I would never back down from fights like this."
Noticing that Kim Hyung-Jung was speechless, Hwang Ki-Hyun smiled.
"We might never get another opportunity like this again. Although this can prevent us from leaving our names behind, we should still act in a way that won't embarrass the agents who have become nameless stars."
Kim Hyung-Jung lowered his gaze to the table.
***
Anyone who had used a knife or practiced close-quarters combat would know that while a gun could end battles in one shot, knife fights were a completely different story.
Such battles would have the combatants covered in blood by the time it ended, making it common for both to die. After all, one severed artery in the thigh was all it would take for them to bleed excessively while fighting.
That was why the soldiers wore protective gear and coated their wooden knives with lime powder during combat training. The lime powder would stick to their body during sparring matches, marking where they’d have been cut open if they were in actual combat.
Unless their body was a wooden training dummy, no one wielded a knife to their own neck. Hence, by the time their training was done, they would usually be covered in lime powder.
All the soldiers present were part of the South Korean special forces team that had fought fierce battles in China, North Korea, Afghanistan, France, Africa, and Libya. Nevertheless, they still wore protective gear for this training session.
Their eyes glinted with the resolve not to disappoint their seniors.
"Yang Dong-Sik,” Kang Chul-Gyu called.
"Yes, sir!" Yang Dong-Sik vigorously responded.
"Nam Il-Gyu."
"Sir!" Nam Il-Gyu replied.
"You two will demonstrate," ordered Kang Chul-Gyu.
"Yes, sir!" they answered.
The two stepped forward and stood in front of the others, sharp knives in hand.
Kwak Cheol-Ho felt a chill crawl down his spine. Before training, they had been such affectionate seniors. Now, their eyes glinted so violently that they looked as if they had just come across the murderer of their father.
The stance of the Jeungpyeong special forces soldier in close combat was different. Like Kang Chan, they held their knives in a reverse grip.
Zip! Zip! Thud! Zip! Zip! Thwack! Zip! Zip!
The battle ended in the blink of an eye.
Yoon Sang-Ki unknowingly gulped.
Blocking each other’s right hand, Yang Dong-Sik and Nam Il-Gyu swung their knives at each other, fraying their sleeves.
Zip! Zip! Zip! Thud! Thud! Zip! Zip!
There was not even time to swallow. The second collision caused blood to stream down Yang Dong-Sik's neck.
"Yikes!"
Yang Dong-Sik charged toward Nam Il-Gyu.
Zip! Zip! Zip! Zip!
Nam Il-Gyu, who maintained a cruelly calm demeanor, slashed Yang Dong-Sik's armpit, shoulder, and nape.
"Stop."
Kang Chul-Gyu's soft voice had an indisputable authority.
Nam Il-Gyu stepped away. Meanwhile, Yang Dong-Sik just stood in place, seemingly frozen.
"Yang Dong-Sik," called Kang Chul-Gyu.
"Sir."
"Come here."
Yang Dong-Sik was bleeding so much that the neck opening of his protective gear was soaked. Heavy silence pressed down on the training ground.
"The juniors are not here to watch you lose your senses and flail around with a knife."
"Yes, sir!" Yang Dong-Sik, who was already over forty years old, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Are you some drunk trying to pick a fight at a bar?"
"No, sir!"
"What happens when you get all excited while facing an enemy?"
"Our comrades die!"
"Look behind you."
Yang Dong-Sik turned his gaze toward the Jeungpyeong special forces team.
"If you lose your senses during an operation, it won’t be the enemy who will die. It’s those people.”
"I was wrong, sir!"
Yang Dong-Sik's shout echoed across the training ground. Blood continued to flow from his neck, making the others wonder, 'Should we really leave that be?'
"Go get treated."
"Thank you, sir!"
Yang Dong-Sik turned around. He then walked a few steps, stopping in front of the Jeungpyeong special forces soldiers.
Wasn't he told to get treated?
Yang Dong-Sik looked like he urgently needed treatment. Hence, everyone focused on him, wondering what was happening.
"I'm sorry, Juniors," Yang Dong-Sik apologized.
Watching him made Yoon Sang-Ki feel as if something hot was rising in his chest.
He continued, "I will never let our juniors die on my watch."
After a brief silence, he resolutely walked toward the barracks.
1. Mother ☜
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