While walking on a trail, Moon Jae-Hyun turned his head toward Jeon Dae-Geuk. “Isn’t it too risky?”
“Once Japan imposes economic sanctions as well, we will be left with no other choice. Didn’t you say that you’ll approve preemptive strikes anyway?”
“I’m simply worried about the risks the soldiers will have to take. This operation is so dangerous that it would be difficult for them to return even if they accomplish their objectives. Even if someone will be helping them in China, they will still be in downtown Beijing, and once that man achieves his goal, they can easily disregard our soldiers.”
“I need you to trust Ambassador Lanok about that matter. He’s connected with Mr. Kang Chan, and he was the one who suggested this operation in the first place.”
“Even if so, we should still consider the fact that this operation has a low chance of succeeding.”
“Mr. President.”
Moon Jae-Hyun glanced at Jeon Dae-Geuk.
“China has directly sent their troops to our golf course and our Presentation hall. Please allow us to launch the preemptive strike,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said.
“I’m not afraid of launching the preemptive strike. I’m afraid that I could be agreeing to our people sacrificing their precious lives just because I want to hold onto the Presidency longer. Will Kang Chan be commanding this operation as well?”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“He met with Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo, gave us information about Japan’s plan to impose economic sanctions, and is now planning to command the Chinese intelligence agency’s operation. We’re depending on Kang Chan for everything.”
“Mr. President, if Japan places economic sanctions as well this coming Monday, then you’re definitely going to be impeached.”
That was rude, but Moon Jae-Hyun was still calm.
“Even if they succeed with the operation, the result would still be the same—your impeachment. However, if they fail, then we can’t guarantee your safety,” Jeon Dae-Geuk added.
“I know. China and Japan won’t let a South Korean leader who resisted them live. As you said, if our soldiers fail and I get impeached, then I’m definitely going to die.”
“Mr. President, please risk your life for South Korea.”
Moon Jae-Hyun glanced at Jeon Dae-Geuk.
***
Choi Seong-Geon’s soft sigh dispersed inside the barracks. At the same time, Cha Dong-Gyun glanced at the clock that was hung on the wall, then dropped his gaze.
They experienced this kind of despair at least once a year.
They flew to France and fought against Russia and the United Kingdom’s special forces, distinguishing themselves on the battlefield.
This time, however, they were fighting in South Korea’s battle against China.
South Korea issued emergency decrees whenever China and Japan carried out a terrorist attack in South Korea and whenever South Korea’s agents were unfairly murdered, but the soldiers were never actually mobilized.
They said that it would take three hours, and an hour had already flown by.
This was the actual battle.
What Kang Chan yelled before their training became the members’ creed.
“Never forget what it means to have no combat experience! You will go on missions where more than half of you won’t return alive! After that, more recruits will be sent, and you will go on missions again where even more will die! Those who survive will become veterans, and their experience will trickle down to the new men.”
Which one of them would volunteer to be in the special forces just because they wanted to die?
They wanted to live. They wanted to live and become veterans, and they wanted to pass on their experiences to their juniors.
But to do that, they needed a sunbae who would go out with them to awful missions first.
A sunbae who could protect their juniors using their experience, overwhelm their enemies with their capabilities, and take away their opponents’ helmets in the end.
A sunbae like Kang Chan.
“Phew.” Cha Dong-Gyun sighed, then quickly observed Choi Seong-Geon’s mood.
At that moment…
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The hotline on the table rang loudly.
Click.
“It’s Cho Seong-Geon,” Choi Seong-Geon answered. Not long after, he sat up straight and then stood up from his seat.
Right in front of him was Cha Dong-Gyun, who was staring at him with eyes that were becoming red.
“Thank you!”
Could it be? Can we really go on an operation that is targeting China?
“Understood! Thank you, Mr. President!”
Click.
Choi Seong-Geon blinked after he put down the receiver. “We got permission to proceed with the operation.”
“Really, General?”
“You’ll get the detailed schedule on your way there. Leave. Now.”
“Thank you!”
“Live! Return alive this time as well so you can teach your successors. That is all I ask,” Choi Seong-Geon added.
Cha Dong-Gyun saluted him, and Choi Seong-Geon returned it.
He wanted to give Cha Dong-Gyun more time, even if it was just a second.
***
- Kang Chan, it’s Moon Jae-Hyun.
“Yes, Mr. President.”
This phone call was unexpected.
The three people in the room exchanged glances and examined each other’s moods when they heard Kang Chan’s response.
- I called to express my gratitude, shame, and apology. Instead of developing talented people, I keep pushing you into dangerous matters because of my shortcomings.
This person was always so sincere no matter what he was saying.
- Please deal with this situation and return with everyone again. It’s shameless of me, but I really hope that you can make that happen.
“Understood, Mr. President. I’ll do my best.”
- Please look after South Korea. The whole world has concluded that South Korea will never rise back up again, but our country accomplished the Miracle on the Han River[1]. We are that remarkable and powerful. Please remember that South Korea needs you.
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
- Thank you. Please wait for a moment.
Instead of the call ending, Kang Chan heard Jeon Dae-Geuk’s voice next.
- The soldiers we deployed will be joining you at the road where you saw them last. They already left, so be there on time. I’ll see you when you get back.
“Thank you, section chief.”
- I’m the one who should be thanking you. Let’s have maeun-tang together once this is over.
Kang Chan hung up while smiling.
“Are we leaving?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
Kang Chan nodded, and Seok Kang-Ho smiled with satisfaction.
“That son of a bitch! Let’s see what kind of face he’ll make when we return from China,” Seok Kang-Ho commented. His eyes were already glinting.
Kim Tae-Jin gave Kang Chan an apologetic look. “We put a heavy burden on your shoulders again.
“On the contrary, I actually feel relieved,” Kang Chan said.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll call the ambassador now.” Kang Chan immediately called Lanok and explained the situation as simply as he could.
- Mr. Kang Chan, I’ll send over a car. By tomorrow, you’ll be telling me about what happened over a cup of tea.
Lanok told Kang Chan to return no matter what in a complicated way.
Next, Kang Chan called Choi Jong-Il.
“The operation has been approved—I’m going to contact you when the car arrives, so be at the lobby.”
- Thank you.
Choi Jong-Il sounded relieved. Kanc Chan could hear the underlying emotion—it was something understood between men.
Lastly, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho called their families.
Kang Chan went inside the bedroom so he could have some privacy, but it was also because he found it a bit embarrassing.
- Hello? Channy?
“Yes, it’s me, Mother. Have you had dinner?”
- Of course. What about you?
“I had something delicious. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be able to go home today.”
- Again? Why not? Are you doing something hard?
“I’m preparing for something. I can’t go home because I can’t just leave while everyone is planning to stay.”
- Okay. You must be tired. Is there anything we can do?
“I’m really fine. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
- Alright, Channy. If you’re tired, then you better get enough sleep, okay?
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
Kang Chan hung up. He had made all the preparations now.
Kang Chan opened the bedroom door and headed back out to the living room, Kim Tae-Jin putting down his phone.
“I just got off the phone with General Choi,” Kim Tae-Jin said.
“Why do you have that look on your face, though?”
“I’ve always been like this whenever I’m about to send my juniors to the DMZ by themselves. I pretend to be firm on the surface, but I can’t help but be worried, you know? I can really feel my age now—I can’t even properly control my expression.”
They talked about awkward things for about twenty minutes.
Kang Chan wanted to talk about the worries they had for each other and discuss what they should do if the operation failed, but the result of doing all of that was very obvious.
What could they even say at this point?
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—.?
Everyone immediately turned to Kang Chan when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
- Monsieur Kang, we’re waiting in the basement parking lot.
“I’ll be right there.”
Kang Chan hung up, then stood up.
“I’ll be back.”
“Alright. Do a good job for us,” Kim Tae-Jin said.
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho shook hands with Kim Tae-Jin, then Kim Hyung-Jung.
“Mr. Seok Kang-Ho, let’s have a drink when you get back,” Kim Tae-Jin said.
“Sounds good.”
After saying their goodbyes, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho went down to the basement.
***
As soon as Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Choi Jong-Il’s party got in the van, it immediately drove out of the hotel and onto the highway.
“Monsieur Kang, the ambassador said that you should look at this data first.” The French agent sitting in the passenger seat passed over an envelope to Kang Chan.
Inside was a front picture of a man with sharp eyes. It also contained five other pictures of him doing other things, such as shaking hands and waiting for something with his hands clasped behind his back.
This was the man who urged Huh Ha-Soo to replace the prime minister. He was also the one who ordered the North Korean special forces to assassinate the President and made China put economic sanctions on South Korea.
Kang Chan took out the photos one at a time and examined them, then handed them over to Seok Kang-Ho, who then passed them to Choi Jong-Il’s party after checking them out.
Kang Chan put the photos back in the envelope, then put it in his inner chest pocket. He was thinking of showing them to the rest of the team later.
The van quickly drove on the highway, eventually stopping in front of a bus parked by the entrance of the Osan airfield.
“We’ll be transferring to that bus, so you guys can head back now. Thanks for bringing us all the way here,” Kang Chan told the French agents.
“Good luck.”
Kang Chan nodded, then immediately got out of the car.
Chkk.
The door of the bus opened. When Kang Chan boarded it, he found most of the soldiers sitting in the middle of the bus. Everyone saluted him, starting with Cha Dong-Gyun.
“Let’s not do things like that,” Kang Chan jokingly said as he sat in the front seat.
The bus went past the barricade and stopped in front of a plane.
They had experienced this before. Hence, they got on the plane—a French public cargo aircraft known as an aigle—in silence. They didn’t have to say anything in this situation anymore.
However, cargo planes didn’t have seats.
Going up the portable ramp, they found a man waiting for them in between the air cargo containers.
“Nice to meet you,” the man spoke Korean. He was Asian and had a Chinese accent.
Once the entire team boarded, the ramp was retracted, and the door was closed.
Clank! Clank!
The Chinese man turned on a rechargeable lamp.
“We’re leaving for Beijing Capital International Airport,” the man said.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
A warning sound went off as the aircraft rattled and drove down the runway.
Du-du-du-du-du.
The noisy vibration changed to a familiar sensation as the aircraft took off.
Meanwhile, the Chinese man took out a map and put it on the floor.
“You guys will be moving inside a container. We’re going to stop the trailer at this point. This is our target building.”
The man pinpointed two locations with his finger. The buildings were on the left and right sides of an intersection.
“How many people will be guarding those buildings?” Kang Chan asked.
“About that…”
When Kang Chan sharply looked at him, the man replied, “Usually around twenty people.”
“What about now?”
“I haven’t been able to check yet.” The man’s Chinese accent got a bit stronger, perhaps because he was nervous.
“What about Yang Bum?” Kang Chan asked again.
“Pardon?”
“I meant Yang Pan. Where are we meeting him?”
“He will be waiting nearby. You can meet him as soon as you succeed with the operation.”
What a cunning fucker.
It sounded as if he was saying that Yang Bum would pretend that he didn’t know them if they failed.
“What’s our escape plan if we don’t get to meet Yang Bum?” Kang Chan asked.
“We will have a truck waiting for all of you at the same place you’ll be getting off the aircraft.”
They wanted Kang Chan and his team to gather right beside the target building if they failed?
Kang Chan tightly gritted his teeth, but this was the only way right now.
“How long will it take for us to get there?” Kang Chan asked again.
“Two and a half hours.”
“What about getting to the target location from the airport?”
“At least forty minutes, but it will probably take longer since we have to get the container down first.”
The man’s response was quite poor even though he was supposed to be their guide.
“I’m sorry to ask this, but are there things like hot water or coffee in here?” Kang Chan asked.
“It’s at the back.”
Kang Chan stared at the man. Only then did the latter head to the back.
They were running out of time, and they were going to an unfamiliar downtown area. Kang Chan pointed to a building diagonal to the target building with his index finger. The soldiers looked at him.
‘This is Point Alpha!’?Kang Chan mouthed.
Cha Dong-Gyun quickly nodded.
Before Kang Chan could choose point Beta, the guide had already gone back with a cup of water.
“Do you have coffee?” Kang Chan asked.
“We haven’t been able to prepare that.”
The DGSE probably prepared this aircraft. If so, then that also meant they could trust their guide.
Am I being too sensitive?
Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. Little by little, he could pass his experience on to his subordinates this way.
“Let’s get ready,” Kang Chan said, and the soldiers immediately opened the bag that they had brought with them. Two of the soldiers took a plain black military uniform from it and handed it over to Kang Chan, who then accepted and put it on.
Afterward, he put on military boots and applied a cream that was similar to shoe polish on his face. He also put on a headset and a helmet that night vision goggles attached to it.
Click. Clank. contemporary romance
Cha Dong-Gyun handed Kang Chan a pistol and a rifle.
Meanwhile, the others attached pistols to their waists and ankles the same way as Kang Chan did as if they were following rules. Afterward, they attached a bayonet to their right ankle.
Why are they copying me? They can just do things like this as they see fit…
With magazines attached behind their waist and on their forearms, they had completed all preparations.
“Do you want coffee?” one of the soldiers asked Kang Chan.
“You brought some?”
“Yes—it’s one of the things we learned during the last operation.”
Kang Chan only smiled in response.
Two of the soldiers made instant coffee, filling the plane with its familiar scent.
“Thank you,” the guide said when a soldier handed him a cup.
They took one sip after another. This would’ve been a lot better if the water was a bit hotter, though.
Du-du-du. Du-du-du-du.
The container shook with the vibrations of the aircraft.
They had already started this operation. No matter what happened now, only their team could take care of it.
Kang Chan put the paper cup down beside him, then searched his pocket and took out a cigarette.
“You can’t smoke here,” the guide said, startled. “There’s a high chance that people will think it’s weird if they smell cigarettes in the cargo.”
Damn it!
They had to face this kind of inconvenience just because they weren’t on a military plane.
Seok Kang-Ho and the others looked just as upset as Kang Chan.
Kang Chan instead took out the photos in his inner chest pocket and handed them over to Cha Dong-Gyun, who was sitting blankly while leaning back against the wall.
Whooosh.
The aircraft was fucking fast. Kang Chan even felt it take a sharp turn.
Clank! Clank!
The guide opened the door of the container up front.
Kang Chan glanced at the soldiers, making them all get in the container.
This was a very stupid way to get into China—if they were stabbed in the back now, the container would serve as their coffin.
Kang Chan trusted Lanok, though.
If they were to be betrayed, Lanok would brutally punish those responsible for it.
However, by that time, they would have already been riddled with holes and died inside it.
Clank! Clank!
When the guide opened the second container, Choi Jong-Il went inside, and Seok Kang-Ho got in after him.
“Do the rest of the containers really have cargo in them?” Kang Chan asked the guide.
“No.”
“Then close them.”
The guide looked at Kang Chan in confusion.
“I said close them. I’ll be hanging on the bottom of the trailer.”
“That isn’t part of the plan.”
“You guys are transporting the containers knowing full well that they’re fake cargo anyway. I’ll go to China under the trailer.”
The guide reluctantly closed the door of the container after he saw the look in Kang Chan’s eyes.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Whooosh! Whoosh. Du-du-du-du-du-du!
Not long after, the plane descended and began to drive through the runway, its engine making noise again.
1. The Miracle on the Han River refers to the period of rapid economic growth in South Korea following the Korean War, during which South Korea transformed from a least developed country to a developed country of the 20th century 👈
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