Chapter 75.1: Various Encounters (1)

As Kang Chan grumbled while waiting for the chance to see Sharlan, he got a call from Oh Gwang-Taek.

“Hello?”

- Kang Chan, where are you? Let’s meet for a moment if you have time.

“It would be hard for me to meet up with you for the next few days. Why do you want to see me?”

- Did you do something to the Shin Yeon-Dong gang as well?

“I did take care of the guys that attacked me in front of the Bang Ji hospital.”

He heard Oh Gwang-Taek dejectedly laugh over the phone.

- The elders want to see you. What do you say?

“Hey! I’d prefer you to be my only gangster friend. Wouldn’t you be in an even more awkward position if they get disgraced during my meeting with them?”

- That’s not what I mean. The gangsters are also getting nervous because the Japanese and Chinese are acting unruly in public, and two organizations have been destroyed. Kang Chan, every gangster in Korea knows the fact that you don’t like our kind. However, if you keep destroying Korean gangs like this, then those backed by the Japanese gangs will be able to take over crucial territories. Moreover, they can just leave by plane if the battles don't turn in their favor.

“You’re scared of something like that?”

- You told me to stop being a gangster! Can you really still consider someone that now avoids conflict a gangster? That’s why you should be careful about who you pick a fight with.

Why is this fucker complaining?

“At any rate, since this could also put me in trouble, let's discuss this once I've returned to Korea. I'll only be gone for a few days.”

- Kang Chan.

“What is it, Oh Gwang-Taek?!”

- Contact me if you’re having a really hard time.

“The fuck? Alright, alright.”

He felt like a fucking gangster’s last words were being etched into his heart.

He had to prioritize meeting up with Sharlan for now. Kang Chan reclined against the sofa and turned on the TV. With the Korean peninsula as the background, it showed a bundle of money following an arrow in South Korea then going through a human silhouette and going over to North Korea, depicting that it was being handed over to North Korea.

Kang Chan just laughed because of how absurd it was.

Not only the President, but even Kim Hyung-Jung and National Intelligence Service Director Go Gun-Woo, whom he had never seen before, would likely be going through a really hard time right now.

“I’ll smoke a cigarette first,” Kang Chan told himself.

Having instant coffee and ramen on a plane was the best.

Most French guys weren’t able to come to their senses after trying a Korean instant coffee. But ramen was a bit different. The guys that frowned in Africa would strangely look like they wanted some whenever they were on a plane. They'd even lick their lips. After learning that Korean instant coffee and ramen were hard to come by in France, they'd collect money amongst themselves to buy those products and bring them over to France.

Kang Chan never could’ve imagined when he reincarnated into a high schooler’s body that things would turn out like this. Moreover, seeing the foreign crew members suddenly made him want to become a mercenary again. Being a mercenary wouldn’t cause him trouble, and being in a world where he needed to survive against his enemies likely suited his aptitude more.

Exhaling cigarette smoke, he unintentionally looked at the picture of his previous self that was on the table. He then looked at the word ‘death’ that was stamped in red on top of it. Would Yoo Hye-Sook be able to survive receiving this document?

He shook his head no.

Kang Chan held up his phone and called someone. The ringtone didn't play that long.

- Channy!

“Hi. What are you doing?”

- I was cleaning. Is there something wrong?

“Yes.”

- What? What’s wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?

“No. I just wanted missed you.”

- Jeez! You really scared me!

She sounded like she was in a good mood and like she was acting cute.

“I just called because I want to see you. I also thought that you would be worried.”

- There’s really nothing going on, right?

“Of course.”

Kang Chan suddenly missed Yoo Hye-Sook as he talked to her. Giving up on applying to the foreign legion was the right thing to do, in all respects.

“I’ll hang up now. I doubt I’d be able to come home today, but I’ll try to call at least once a day for as long as it’s possible from now on.”

- You don’t have to do that, Channy.

“Pardon?”

- Just call me occasionally. I don’t want you looking over other people’s moods to call me. Talking to you like this is enough to keep me happy for a few days.

“Alright. I’ll call you when I can.”

- Okay. I love you, Channy.

“I love you too.”

For some strange reason, Kang Chan felt relaxed and confident after the phone call. He also felt as if the rough personality he had as a mercenary right before he reincarnated as a high schooler was returning.

The United States? The United Kingdom? No matter how much confidence he had regained, he couldn’t go up against those countries by himself. Kang Chan shook his head and stood up to find the bathroom. There was a bathroom between the bedrooms, but he didn’t want to disturb Lanok when he was asleep, plus he was feeling stuffy so Kang Chan decided to go out of the living room.

When he opened the door, he found the agents and Foreign Legion members resting in the big seats that were placed on both sides of the plane, and past them were chairs placed in a long row, from side to side. When Kang Chan’s eyes met an agent’s, he mouthed the word ‘toilette’ to let them know why he was there.

Kang Chan walked past the long sofa, finished his business in the bathroom, then washed his hands. He came out afterward and noticed a paper cup near Gérard, who was sitting back against the sofa.

“Do you have instant coffee?”

Gérard sharply looked up when Kang Chan asked that question.

“I’m asking because I like the smell of instant coffee, and I want to bum one and a cigarette off of you. If you feel awkward, I can just get a cigarette from the living room,” Kang Chan explained.

The scar on Gérard’s left cheek wiggled as if to threaten Kang Chan, but to him, it just looked cute. Perhaps it was because his threat didn’t work or because he found it annoying to deal with Kang Chan, but Gérard nodded to the Foreign Legion member sitting next to him. The young-looking person took Korean instant coffee out of a bag.

It was the most inexpensive kind.

‘What a cute fucker.’

A foreign legion member filled a cup with hot water and made coffee for Kang Chan. The smell of coffee, firearms, and men in military uniforms mixing together felt weird.

“Are you not going to give me a cigarette?” Kang Chan asked Gérard.

“Let’s not go overboard.”

When Kang Chan looked at him while smirking, Gérard appeared suspicious.

“Do you know me?” Gérard asked.

“I think so?”

“But this is my first time seeing you?”

“This is the first time you’ve seen a Korean?”

“That’s not it—What I mean is this is the first time I’ve ever met you,” Gérard came out strong, seemingly displeased by how Kang Chan was talking to him.

“Are you going to give me a cigarette or not?” Kang Chan asked again.

Seemingly helpless, Gérard took out a cigarette from his left pocket. He gave one to Kang Chan and took one for himself and bit down on it.

“Hmm,” Gérard exhaled as if he was in a bad mood. He then took out a lighter from his right pocket. Kang Chan recognized the zippo lighter right away—it was Kang Chan’s lighter that he had with him just before he died.

‘This fucker really took my lighter?’

Clank.

Chi-ik.

Gérard reached out and gave it to Kang Chan.

“This is a nice lighter,” Kang Chan commented.

“Hmph.”

Gérard lit up the cigarette that he had in his mouth, then put the lighter back in his pocket. He was probably alive because he had transferred to a different military camp. It was a relief that he didn’t die because of Sharlan.

Kang Chan took another sip of the coffee, then smoked again.

Nothing good could come out of messing with prideful people. Having coffee and smoking a cigarette with Gérard in this way was enough for Kang Chan. However, he had one more thing to say.

“Before I go, I’ll give you some helpful advice in exchange for the coffee,” said Kang Chan. He then exhaled cigarette smoke for the last time while putting the cigarette into the paper cup.

“If you’re going to use that lighter in Africa, then mix oil in it. If you don’t, then you could run into trouble at an important moment.”

Gérard fiercely glared at Kang Chan.

Things ended there. Kang Chan turned away and got away from his past.