Chapter 233.1: I’m Sorry, Channy (1)

“What is it that you really do, Channy?” Michelle asked mischievously.

“You’ll get hurt if I tell you,” Kang Chan replied with a grin.

Michelle laughed, her blue doe eyes sparkling. “You just changed out of nowhere. It’s as if you instantly matured in a single day. Although you’re younger than me, I couldn’t help but think of you as being the same age as me in the past. Now, you seem a lot older than me.”

She picked up a cigarette and put it in between her lips.

Click.

Kang Chan flicked a lighter on for her, and she leaned her head down a bit to catch the flame. Her long eyelashes seemed to charm everyone around them every time she blinked.

“Mysterious men are so attractive, especially when they make me feel like I can’t make them mine. Maybe the reason I find you even more alluring is because ever since we met, all your focus has been on that girl named Mi-Young,” Michelle said.

Kang Chan brought his cup of coffee up to his lips.

“Thank you for playing along whenever I vie for your attention like this. I only have one wish to ask from you,” she said.

“What is it?” Kang Chan asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“You really don’t know?”

“I don’t,” Kang Chan replied. He truly had no idea.

“I wish you’d let yourself get a bit steamy sometimes. It doesn’t matter if it’s with me or Mi-Young.”

“Why was I expecting you to say something else?” Kang Chan mock-groaned.

Michelle grinned, her amusement evident in her expression.

“What? What’s wrong with my wish?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“You are.”

Michelle burst out laughing. The men around them peeked over and sneaked glances at her face and chest.

“Why do you run away at the most decisive moments?” Michelle wondered.

“Who do you think you’re accusing of running away?” Kang Chan asked defensively.

“But I’m right, aren’t I? From what I’ve seen so far, you use Mi-Young as an excuse to keep your distance from me, but you still come up with excuses when you’re around her, including that she’s still too young. like she’s too young and you don’t know exactly how you feel about her. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Hey, What are you suggesting I do with a high-schooler?”

“If someone heard you, they’d think you’re already in your thirties.”

Unable to swiftly come up with a retort, Kang Chan instead just gazed back at her.

“You do know that Mi-Young is waiting for you, right?” Michelle asked.

Is she telling the truth right now?

Kang Chan was speechless.

“Aren’t you already well aware of that too? As you say, a girl who’s still in high school is waiting for you to call all day. She has never told you that she doesn’t like you, and there is no doubt in your mind that she always greets you happily whenever you do call. Why can’t you just be honest about your feelings for her in return?” Michelle questioned.

“Well, that’s because…” Kang Chan trailed off. He was certain that he had his reasons, but he felt as if he wouldn’t be able to explain himself properly right now.

“Channy, I’ll always be ready. This is the first time I’ve ever loved anyone, so I’m genuinely happy and grateful for moments like these. But Mi-Young is different. It’s her first time with everything, right? From what I’ve seen so far, your parents are genuinely and madly in love with each other. That leaves me wondering what kind of traumatic experience has left you so scared.”

“You think I’m scared?” Kang Chan asked in disbelief.

“Don’t you agree? You always back down during crucial moments out of sheer fear. It’s like you’re scared to let someone in your heart.”

Kang Chan stared straight into Michelle’s big, blue eyes.

“Fine, let’s say your feelings are stopping you from sleeping with me. That’s the reason I fell for you so deeply anyway. What about Mi-Young, though? You don’t have to sleep with her. Her emotions and the way she behaves around you should be more than enough to let you know that she loves you. What are you so afraid of? Because she’s a high schooler? That’s a pathetic excuse. If Mi-Young sincerely loves you and is waiting for you, you’re being too cruel to her right now. You’re making her wait without even letting her know how long she has to.”

Why is she going to such lengths about this topic today?

Michelle was making such solid points from Kang Chan’s perspective that he didn’t even know what to say to her.

“If you can’t come up with an answer yourself, then just do as I say,” Michelle urged.

“What would you have me do?” Kang Chan asked.

“Stop thinking about all of this for a day and sleep with me!”

“Hey!”

Michelle giggled loudly at his reaction.

“Before you leave the country tomorrow, at least meet up with Mi-Young and try to tell her a bit of how you feel. I don’t want you to be a coward in front of anyone. The Channy I love isn’t that kind of man,” she said.

Kang Chan quietly took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. How could he have her understand all the emotions he was feeling right now?

“My birthday is next month, by the way,” Michelle said out of nowhere, changing the topic.

“What?” Kang Chan asked in surprise.

“You didn’t forget my birthday present, did you?” Her words were coated with mischief.

When Kang Chan grinned, Michelle smiled from ear to ear, her eyes crinkling.

“All I’m saying is that you should give the French girl the French treatment and the Korean girl the Korean treatment,” Michelle continued.

“You know it doesn’t work that way, don't you?” Kang Chan responded lightheartedly.

“I’ll be happy for as long as you give me my birthday present.”

Kang Chan laughed. Michelle laughed along with him.

***

By the time Kang Chan left and returned to the office, it was already two in the afternoon. Not too long after he arrived, an agent from the French embassy arrived at his floor with Woo Hee-Seung.

“I’ve brought with me a package from the DGSE,” the agent said. He pulled out a box that was forty-five centimeters in length and width and about twenty centimeters thick.

After getting Kang Chan’s signature as proof of delivery, the agent immediately left.

The box was made of yellowish paper. Woo Hee-Seung brought a stationery knife and cut through the tape, revealing a flat, twenty-centimeter square monitor.

The electrical cord was a three-conductor type, so they couldn’t use it immediately. After looking through the contents of the box, Kang Chan called Anne.

- Anne speaking, Monsieur Kang.

“I just got the monitor you sent over. What is this?” Kang Chan asked.

- It’s a receiver that will allow you to simultaneously view screens captured by our satellites. Once you power it up, you’ll see three satellites marked on the right side of the screen. You can select one by clicking on it, providing you with real-time footage of whatever it’s capturing at that moment.

“The prongs don’t match our outlets.”

- Since you’re in South Korea, you should be able to use it without any problem if you cut off the ground wire in the center. While you’re in Mongolia, you can just use the UPS system for it.

“Is it functioning now as well?”

- One local satellite in Mongolia and two African satellites are automatically connected to it. If it is lost or stolen, the DGSE can destroy it remotely.

“This is amazing. Thank you, Anne.”

- One more thing, Monsieur Kang. Never forget that you’re the Deputy Director-General of the DGSE.

“Got it. I’ll call you again later,” Kang Chan replied.

After hanging up, Kang Chan had Woo Hee-Seung cut off the ground wire and connected it to an outlet. After about two minutes, the screen showed the building he was in right now and three small icons on the right.

“Huh? What’s this? This is going to let everyone know what I ate today,” Seok Kang-Ho remarked.

“This is incredible,” Choi Jong-Il said. He, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee all looked at the device in amazement.

The monitor had a touchscreen feature, allowing them to move the camera around by dragging their fingers across it. They could even zoom in and zoom out.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“Damn it,” Kang Chan swore lowly.

They had to fight a country that was most definitely using equipment as advanced as this. Kang Chan wasn’t completely certain, but he assumed that England, the United States, Russia, and Germany were all on this level as well. He could make a phone call and those countries would likely only take minutes to figure out what he was talking about.

As he realized the huge gap in capabilities between South Korea and the other countries’ intelligence bureaus, he selected a different satellite on the monitor. Much to his fascination, the screen immediately showed plains of either Africa or Mongolia.

“Give this to Manager Kim,” Kang Chan instructed Choi Jong-Il.

“Are you sure, sir?” Choi Jong-Il questioned.

“I’m sure he can use it a lot more effectively than if I just carry it around.”

“Understood, sir,” Choi Jong-Il replied. He pulled the plug and set it back inside the box.

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

After some time, Kang Chan’s phone began to ring.

‘Who could this be?’

The call was from an unknown number, which was quite rare for him to get these days. Random advertisement calls occasionally came through, but they never displayed personal numbers on his phone screen like this call.

Kang Chan decided to pick it up.

“Hello?” Kang Chan answered.

- Hello. This is Colonel Park Chul-Su. Is this assistant director Kang Chan?

“Yes, this is Kang Chan speaking.”

- I apologize for the sudden call. If it’s all right with you, I would like to see you. When do you have time?

A person whom Kang Chan had never met before suddenly called him. The man sounded quite firm about his request, making it sound as if there would be consequences if he refused it.

“Where are you right now?” Kang Chan asked politely.

- I’m in Samseong-Dong.

“Are you with Manager Kim Hyung-Jung?”

- Yes, I am. He wanted to call you, but I insisted on calling you myself.

From the way the man talked to him, Kang Chan thought that he probably lived his life according to his temper.

“Can you and manager Kim come over to where I am right now, then? I have something I’d like to discuss with him anyway.”

- Give me a moment.

A brief moment of silence enveloped their call after the man’s short and sharp response. Park Chul-Su was probably asking if Kim Hyung-Jung was available to go to Kang Chan’s office.

- Can we head over now?

“Sure,” Kang Chan replied.

- We’ll be leaving soon, then.

After hanging up, a chuckle escaped Kang Chan.

“Colonel Park Chul-Su said he’s coming over. Manager Kim will be coming with him, so we can just give this device to him then too,” Kang Chan informed the people in the room with him.

“Yes, sir,” Woo Hee-Seung replied. He brought over a small bag from inside the office and put the monitor’s box inside of it.