After the meeting, they had food delivered. They then ate dinner right where they were sitting, finishing every last piece of it.

After having coffee, one by one, those in attendance began to leave.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

“I’ll be at the office in Samseong-Dong,” Kim Hyung-Jung, who was sitting with Kang Chan, said as he put down his mug.

“Don’t you ever get off work? You should go home at least once.”

“Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee haven’t gone home in days either. I believe this is something people in our line of work need to be willing to do.”

“You’re the agents’ manager, and you’ve got a sense of duty, so I understand, but won’t your family be lonely? They would naturally feel that way if the head of the household doesn’t come home in days, wouldn’t they?”

Kim Hyung-Jung looked at the mug and grinned. This was Kang Chan’s first time seeing him smile like that.

“I do feel more than sorry for my wife and children, especially whenever I can’t come home on anniversaries and holidays, but....”

Kim Hyung-jung gazed out the window.

“Someone in South Korea has to do it. I’m eternally grateful that I’m able to.”

“What if your children end up resenting you?”

Kim Hyung-Jung neither beat up his children nor had a raging alcohol addiction like Kang Chul-Gyu had. Still, what affection would children have for a father who worked so hard that he was neglecting his family?

“This reminds me of something my late father told me.”

Kim Hyung-Jung bitterly smiled at Kang Chan.

“We were watching TV at the time, and one of the scenes was showing people unloading relief goods after the Korean War. Whenever the cloth bags of cornmeal would come off the ships, a bunch of skinny men would rush in and fight over them, hugging them tightly. They got paid a mere penny to carry them.”

It was already getting dark outside.

“My father said, ‘That’s what it’s like to be the head of a household. They’re holding on as if their lives depended on it just so they can put cornmeal porridge on the table for their family.’”

What did that have to do with family members being upset that the head of the household wasn’t at home?

Kang Chan tilted his head in confusion.

“As I watched that scene, I had a different thought. If someone had just organized the whole unloading process and lined the men up so everyone could have their turn, even the helpless ones would have been able to go home to their families with a handful of cornmeal for dinner.”

Kang Chan found Kim Hyung-Jung’s statement so unexpected that he didn’t know what to say. Hence, he just kept listening.

“If that war hadn’t happened, and if we were a more prosperous country, wouldn’t the families of all those men on TV have had full stomachs? That's what I thought, at least. It’s what made me want to become a soldier and the reason I ended up working at the NIS.”

“Does your family understand those ideals?”

“They have always understood. When I was in the army, I lived about half of every month in the barracks. Now, since there are so many emergencies, they think it’s only natural that I don’t come home.”

Kang Chan grinned.

He supposed even Seok Kang-Ho had been staying at the office for days, eating and sleeping here even though his home was right around the corner.

“I should go.”

“Sure. Take care.”

After seeing Kim Hyung-Jung off, Kang Chan returned to the table and sat facing the window.

Kang Chul-Gyu, Kim Hyung-Jung, his parents—who had shut off all their electronic devices and stayed at home because of Kang Chan—and the agents of the counter-terrorism team who couldn’t go home because they were on emergency standby...

His family and those he cared about also suffered because of his service.

Kang Chan looked at his phone. He had to decide what kind of answer he would give Kim Mi-Young now.

She might answer coldly because she was tired from waiting. However, if she had been waiting, then all the more reason for him to tell her now.

Would he be able to have a family? Was it okay to keep Kim Mi-Young in his life when he didn’t even know when or where he would die?

“What are you thinking about so deeply?” Seok Kang-Ho gruffly asked.

“Where have you been?”

“I went to buy cigarettes.”

Seok Kang-Ho showed him the plastic bag.

“Did Manager Kim leave already?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“That man is something.”

Seok Kang-Ho plopped down on the chair opposite Kang Chan.

“You’re not heading home?”

“Nah. I’m right where I belong.”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you have to stay by my side?”

Seok Kang-Ho grinned mischievously.

“What?”

“Think about it. If you don’t have me, how are you going to have tasty coffee and these cigarettes?”

“Ha. You just make instant coffee.”

“Hey, don’t fret over the tiny details.”

It was strange, but whenever Kang Chan was with this bastard, he was quite quick to burst out laughing.

“Phuhuhu. Want a cup of coffee?”

“I just had some.”

The two chuckled over nonsensical topics. Afterward, Kang Chan picked up the phone.

The call rang thrice before it was answered.

- Aren’t you busy? How do you have the time to call me?

As cold as ever, Vasili didn’t even say hello.

Kang Chan told him about the information that he had received from Abibu, the OTP device they had found in the briefcase, and his meeting with Pierre at the French embassy.

- It’s hard to believe that they’re building a next-generation energy facility in Saudi Arabia right under our noses.

“That’s what I heard.”

- Hmm. Send me a picture of the OTP device after this call.

“Sure.”

- I’ll discuss it with Yang Bum and see what we can find.

As soon as Vasili was done talking, he ended the call.

That rude fucking punk!

Nevertheless, Kang Chan still took a photo of the OTP device and sent it to Vasili. He then looked through his contacts and pressed the call button.

- Hello?

“It’s Kang Chan, sir.”

- Oh! Should I connect you to Kang Sunbae?

“It can wait. How have you been?”

- I should be the one asking you that. The situation over there sounds a lot tougher than our lives here. How are you holding up?

“I’m doing well. Unfortunately, considering Oh Gwang-Taek’s condition, it seems you’ll be stuck there for a while.”

Kim Tae-Jin laughed.

- I get to work with Kang sunbae, and I’m satisfied with what I’m doing these days. It’s quite rewarding.

Kim Tae-Jin truly sounded happy.

- Wait, he’s coming. I’ll hand the phone over to him.

After a brief pause, another voice came from the other end of the line.

- Hello?

It was Kang Chul-Gyu.

“We should be able to wrap the situation up soon. If nothing else happens, things should end quietly.”

- I see.

Kang Chul-Gyu seemed to be asking why he had called. Kang Chan felt like he should say something, but he didn’t know what. While he was thinking...

Beep.

The call was disconnected.

Damn it!

***

Upon arriving at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in France, Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook looked around in fascination.

“Aren’t you tired?” Cha Min-Jeong asked politely.

“Not at all since the seats were so nice. I’m sorry for putting you through this, though.”

“Don’t be. Thanks to you, we’re able to go on a nice trip.”

Their group headed down the elevator. Instinctively on guard, Cha Min-Jeong quickly scanned her surroundings as she spoke.

Three men in suits were waiting in the lobby. Upon seeing them, they surrounded Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook. They then waited for a moment until Assistant Manager Kim came with their luggage and gestured at the doors.

“We’re good to go now.”

Right after their plane had landed, Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook canceled their original schedule and followed the discretion of the local agents instead. This was something that Assistant Manager Kim had told them in advance.

After exiting the airport building, which looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, they walked out onto a wide sidewalk, where another group of men in suits were waiting along with vans and sedans.

Assistant Manager Kim guided Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook to the vans. He and Cha Min-Jeong then got in with them.

As the car started, Assistant Manager Kim, who was in the passenger seat, handed Cha Min-Jeong a radio and a holstered pistol. “I got those from the local agents in the car in front of us. You’ll have to return them when you leave the country.”

Afterward, he turned around and talked to the couple, seemingly apologetic for having to show the pistol to them. “Are you sure you just want to stay at the hotel this afternoon?”

“It’s fine. Have you confirmed the flights?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.

“Yes. There’s a flight that leaves tomorrow. It’s going to take a while to get there because there’s a layover in China, but it’s the fastest.”

“Thank you.”

Kang Dae-Kyung smiled and then looked at Yoo Hye-Sook. She seemed more relaxed now that she had had a chat with their son for twenty minutes on the plane.

“Are you sure you’re not upset?”

“It’s fine. We’re already here, so let’s just enjoy the trip. Once everything has settled down and Channy has gotten married, the four of us can just come back.”

“Wouldn’t that make him and his wife uncomfortable?”

“Not our son.”

Assistant Manager Kim and Cha Min-Jeong laughed along at their conversation.

“President Kang, Manager Kim from the Samseong-Dong branch has requested cooperation with the local agents, so you can freely travel around Europe if you want.”

Kang Dae-Kyung kindly denied Assistant Manager Kim’s offer. “It’s alright. We shouldn’t have even left in the first place. If we had learned earlier about the terrorist attack, we would have canceled our plans the day before and just stayed at home.”

Yoo Hye-Sook reached out and carefully squeezed Cha Min-Jeong’s hand, which was next to her. She then said, “My husband made this request just because I didn’t feel at home in our new house. Our shortsightedness made us think we might as well go abroad since we were going to be protected by agents overseas anyway.”

“Why would you say that, ma’am? If we’re the reason you feel that way, then please stop worrying about us. You can explore Europe as much as you want.”

Yoo Hye-Sook smiled and shook her head.

“I already miss our home. I want to play badminton too. I’m sorry for being so fickle.”

Cha Min-Jeong looked at Yoo Hye-Soo sympathetically.

This life must have been so hard and exhausting for Yoo Hye-Sook, an emotional person who had been living as an ordinary housewife until recently.

Considering her son’s high position, she could have easily looked down at the agents and flaunted her authority in front of others. However, Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook instead continued to speak formally to Assistant Manager Kim and Cha Min-Jeong.

“Ms. Min-Jeong, is there anything that our son might receive criticism for?” Yoo Hye-Sook suddenly asked.

Kang Dae-Kyung and Assistant Manager Kim glanced at her. Cha Min-Jeong seemed confused too.

“People always talk about Channy, but I still can’t help but wonder how he’s doing and if he’s getting bad reviews from people who work for him...”

When Cha Min-Jeong smiled, Yoo Hye-Sook swiftly added, “Don’t just tell me things that are nice to hear. Please let me know if he’s making mistakes without realizing it. He’s still young, so he might not know some things.”

“Well, I don’t know a lot about what’s going on, but there is one thing I’m disappointed about,” Cha Min-Jeong replied, earning a puzzled look from Assistant Manager Kim. “He should be resting, but he never does. His work has gotten to the point where he can’t even call you, which is making us all worried.”

Yoo Hye-Sook squeezed Cha Min-Jeong’s hand. She was grateful they were all so considerate of her son.

***

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Dawn had just broken when Kang Chan’s phone began to ring, making him sit up on the sofa.

“Hello?”

- It’s Vasili.

For some reason, whenever Kang Chan was speaking to Vasili, he always felt like he should respond with “It’s Kang Chan.”

- I just got the results of the examination on the OTP device. The password is similar to the ones we use to launch ballistic or nuclear missiles from our submarines.

Kang Chan was so shocked that his sleepiness swiftly disappeared.

- We are now covertly checking the course of our submarines, and we should have the results soon. If any of them were near the place where you found the device, I’ll let you know right away.

“Thanks.”

He’s going to do it now.

As Kang Chan had expected, Vasili immediately ended the call.

He now knew the timing when Vasili would hang up.

He stood up from his seat and went to the office. Seok Kang-Ho, Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee were still sleeping in the cots that they had set up against the wall. Gérard was at the far end.

Kang Chan picked up a bottle of water in the corner and went to the table. The glass reflected his shabby sweatpants and t-shirt.

After sitting down, he drank a bit of water and looked around.

In that briefest of moments, life seemed so unremarkable. National Intelligence Service agents and a foreigner who was once the commander of the Foreign Legion’s special forces were just sleeping soundly on cots in comfortable clothes.

‘That punk!’

Kang Chan grinned when he looked at Gérard. He always slept with one foot out of the bed.

He was sipping more water when Gérard suddenly sat up.

“You’re up already?” Gérard asked.

“Yeah. Someone called.”

While running a hand through his matted hair, Gérard went to the corner and started a pot of coffee.

“Smells good,” Kang Chan commented.

“I’ll make you some too.”

That bastard!

Kang Chan realized Gérard probably hadn’t even washed his hands.

Gérard took a cup and turned around. At the same time, Seok Kang-Ho suddenly woke up with a groan.

As if taking that as a signal to wake up, Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee also got up, drank water, and gathered at the table with some coffee.

“The format of the OTP password is the same as the one Russia uses,” Kang Chan suddenly revealed.

“What?”

Surprised, Seok Kang-Ho turned to Kang Chan mid-yawn.

“They’re looking into the courses of their submarines secretly right now, so don’t tell the agents manning the satellites about it yet.”

Kang Chan explained everything to Gérard as well.

Afterward, Seok Kang-Ho asked, “What are you doing today?”

“Not sure,” Kang Chan replied. “We don’t have any pressing matters to handle right now. Why?”

“I’m going to stop by home later then.”

“Alright,” he answered, finding no reason to stop him. He then downed the rest of his coffee.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

It was a busy morning. They hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

Kang Chan looked at his phone and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

- Captain, it’s me.

“Smithen? Long time no chat.”

- Yeah.

The name made Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard look at Kang Chan.

- Are you busy today?

“No. I don’t have any plans yet. Why?”

- I was wondering if we could meet today.

Kang Chan glanced at Seok Kang-Ho.

“Did you drink yesterday?”

- No.

“Why do you sound like that?”

- I’m just happy at the thought of seeing you.

Kang Chan unknowingly chuckled.

“When do you want to meet?”

- Can we have lunch together?

“Sure. Gérard’s with me, so we can meet together. Where are we meeting?”

- At the coffee shop from last time is fine.

“I can’t remember where we last met. Give me an exact location.”

- The coffee shop at the intersection. I’ll see you there.

“Alright. If you’re going to bring girls with you, you can forget about it.”

- It’s not like that this time. I’ll be there at eleven-thirty.

“Got it.”

After hanging up, Kang Chan told Gérard about the call.

“How’s that punk so good at Korean?” Gérard griped.

“Are you having lunch with him?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’m thinking of joining you.”

Kang Chan grinned. “Just go home. How long has it been since you last went? It’s just right around the corner anyway.”

“We’ll see. Let me just wash up for now.”

Seok Kang-Ho left.

“How’s Smithen these days? Is that bastard a decent human being now?” Gérard asked.

“Why? Did something happen?”

“I remember him being a total dick the few times we were in operations together. He was a total simp for girls too.” Gérard scoffed as he picked up a cigarette. “I even almost killed him once. I only stopped because of you.”

“Go easy on him. Ever since his body changed, he strangely became weak. It’s a bit pitiful,” Kang Chan replied.

Gérard lit up his cigarette. “I’m just saying. He might have changed, but considering how sly and snarky he used to be, I’m not buying his bullshit.”

“Are you coming to lunch with us or not?”

“Of course I am, but I’m ordering the food.”

Shit!

Kang Chan suddenly felt like going alone.