Chapter 234.1: And... (1)

After their meeting, Kang Chan went to his office and gave the satellite video receiver to Kim Hyung-Jung. He also instructed him to tell the team that was leaving tomorrow to pack it for Africa. Afterward, Kim Hyung-Jung left with Park Chul-Su.

They had done all preparations now.

Kang Chan could go home early to eat with Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook. He had enough time to meet up with Kim Mi-Young as well. Hence, he decided to give her a call before doing anything else.

- Hello?

Her voice was as clear as always. It made him question if being with her and talking to her was enough for him to corrupt her.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you earlier.”

- I understand. You were busy, weren’t you?

Is she really not upset or angry?

“I’m sorry for calling you out of the blue, but would you like to have dinner with me?”

- I would love to! Are we going to go out today?

Kang Chan smirked. He wondered why she bothered asking if they were going to meet today when she had already essentially told him that she was available.

“I’ll be at the apartment entrance in about twenty minutes. It’s cold outside, so only head out once I’ve arrived. I don’t want you waiting too long in the cold.”

- Alright.

Kang Chan suddenly felt apologetic toward her as he was hanging up.

As he was leaving the office, he called Kang Dae-Kyung and told him that he was going to have dinner before going home. He then called the Japanese restaurant at Namsan Hotel and asked them to reserve a table for two people.

It took exactly twenty minutes for him to reach Kim Mi-Young’s apartment. Upon seeing him, Kim Mi-Young, who was sitting on the bench, stood up and ran over.

Whoosh!

Nothing changed since the last time they saw each other.

“You went out early, didn’t you?” Kang Chan asked.

“No.”

The faint smell of the soap and shampoo that she used was the same as well.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Kang Chan suggested.

“Okay.”

They got in the taxi in front of the apartment and headed to Namsan Hotel.

“We’re going to eat at the hotel?” Kim Mi-Young asked.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it expensive there?”

“I’m paid a monthly salary, so it’s okay.”

“Still. Isn’t it expensive?”

Kang Chan didn’t expect that seeing her black eyes staring at him would make him feel this breathless.

“Are you thinking of growing out your hair?” Kang Chan asked.

“Yup! I’ll graduate soon, so I thought it would be fitting. Why? Should I cut my hair instead?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

In truth, Kang Chan wondered if it would be better for her to trim it a little. More specifically, he wanted her to style her straight bangs a bit. However, it would be rude to just outright tell her that.

When they arrived at the hotel, Kang Chan led Kim Mi-Young to the Japanese restaurant that he made a reservation in.

“Let’s have dinner here today. It reminds me of when we ate sashimi,” Kang Chan said.

“Is this place good?”

“Probably.”

The manager welcomed them when they reached the entrance of the restaurant.

“Please come this way,” the manager requested and guided them to the table they had prepared for them, which was near the window to the right. She then handed them hot wet towels.

“We want to eat sashimi. Choose a menu for us,” Kang Chan asked.

“I’ll do that. Would you like to be served some alcohol along with your food?”

“I’m not sure... Actually, I’ll have a beer.”

Kim Mi-Young’s surprised gaze alternated between the two. The manager smiled throughout their conversation.

“I’ll have it all prepared,” the manager said.

Kim Mi-Young leaned closer to Kang Chan when the manager left. “Do you come here often?”

“No, I’ve only ever been here twice before today. The last time I came here, I was with DI—the company that produces dramas. I came here for similar reasons the other time.”

Kim Mi-Young nodded. She then looked around the restaurant and out the window.

Isn’t it normal for people who live in Gangnam to eat at this hotel at least once or twice? Her father Kim Kwang-Sik is a judge, no less.

Nevertheless, Kim Mi-Young looked flustered. It was as if she found the situation awkward.

For some reason, Kang Chan thought that she would have the same expression and reaction to getting closer to his true nature.

Yeah. I might have been making excuses because I was afraid that she wouldn’t accept my real self.

While they were gazing out the window, they were served beer. They were served appetizers not long after.

“Quick, try it,” Kang Chan said.

“Okay!”

Kang Chan filled a glass a little more than halfway with beer and put it in front of Kim Mi-Young. He then filled his own glass with beer.

“Let’s have a toast,” Kang Chan suggested.

“Okay!” Smiling awkwardly, Kim Mi-Young held up her glass.

“Sorry I wasn’t there for you when you had your exams,” Kang Chan said.

Kim Mi-Young’s eyes curved a little as she smiled.

Kang Chan drank about half of the beer in his glass and put it down. After taking a sip, Kim Mi-Young put hers down with a frown.

She was like a child that lived in a completely different world.

It wasn’t something to be proud of, but when he was her age, he was already downing soju right from the bottle. He already smoked then, too.

“This is delicious!” Kim Mi-Young exclaimed.

It tastes different from the sahimi that we had at the beach, doesn’t it?

Seeing her so happy made Kang Chan smile.

“Take your time. Eat to your heart’s content,” he said.

“I will! You should also have some too.”

Kang Chan was certain that their waiter and the manager were suppressing their curiosity about who Kim Mi-Young was.

***

“Can I take a look at it again?” Kang Chul-Gyu asked.

“We have it recorded, so you can check it out as much as you want. How about we have dinner first before you play it again… Why are you sweating so much?” Kim Tae-Jin asked back.

Ignoring the question, Kang Chul-Gyu took out two tissues from the box and wiped his forehead. “What military unit is Kang Chan from?”

“I don’t have the faintest idea.”

Kang Chul-Gyu stared at Kim Tae-Jin.

“What would I gain from lying to you? I’ve already tried to find out where he’s from and how he was trained among a lot of other details. Unfortunately, despite asking him about it two or so times, I still haven’t gotten an answer from him. All I know is that he has those skills and that he speaks French like a native.”

Kang Chul-Gyu sighed softly, seemingly able to tell that Kim Tae-Jin was telling the truth.

“I didn’t expect you to be this interested,” Kim Tae-Jin commented.

“Look at this,” Kang Chul-Gyu responded as he showed the tissue that he was holding. It was damp. “I felt suffocated when I tried to imagine what it would be like to face someone like him as an opponent. I have never met anyone whose senses are as heightened as his. It also makes me angry, though. If only I could fight and represent South Korea like he did, I wouldn’t have felt as if I was treated unjustly.”

Kim Tae-Jin pursed his lips and nodded.

“I won’t have to go if he’s going with you guys.”

“He’s going to Africa in a few days.”

“Hmm, that doesn’t make sense. Is he really still just in high school? Only commanders who have at least over ten years of combat experience can show that level of skill. I doubt he’s been going out to battlefields shooting people down since he was eight or nine years old. This is so confusing!”

“Section chief Jeon, General Choi, Kim Hyung-Jung and I used to feel the same way. Now, we’ve just learned to accept the situation and assume that he is more capable than we’ll ever know.”

“Didn’t you see how he fought with bayonets?” Kang Chul-Gyu asked.

“I watched that part a few times as well, so yes.”

Smirking, Kang Chul-Gyu looked at Kim Tae-Jin. “The special forces of France’s Foreign Legion use the same close-quarters combat techniques. How can someone so young be so familiar with such a martial art?”

“He gave a commissioned education session to five of our employees, so I’ve seen him perform those techniques firsthand. Even so, I still couldn’t figure out how he learned them. Moreover, the special forces of France’s Foreign Legion wholeheartedly accepted him as their commander. That’s why the National Intelligence Service has a rough suspicion that he’s an agent that France trained in secret.”

“Haha, this is making my brain hurt.”

“The majority of the people who got to know Kang Chan showed that kind of response.”

Kang Chul-Gyu shook his head and sharply looked at the TV. The video was paused on Kang Chan walking on the runway. Seok Kang-Ho was on his left and Kwak Cheol-Ho his right.

***

The sky was already dark when Kang Chan and Kim Mi-Young’s dinner finished. After leaving the restaurant, they headed to the lobby, where they found an oil lamp lit up on every table. A woman wearing a flowy dress was playing the piano on one side of it.

“Welcome,” the manager greeted. She guided them to a table near the window that was furthest away from the entrance and put a menu on the table.

Lights filled the front garden, beyond which were city lights flashing brightly.

“What are you going to drink?” Kim Mi-Young asked.

“Coffee. What about you?”

“Hmm. I’ll also drink coffee, then.”

“Are you sure? What if you have a hard time sleeping later?” Kang Chan asked.

“Should I have hot chocolate instead, then?”

“Sure.”

Kang Chan turned his head. The manager quickly approached them and took their order.

“Mi-Young,” he called after.

“Yeah?”

How can her smile be so bright?

Kang Chan wanted to hold his tongue, but he decided to proceed with what he had in mind anyway.

“I’ve got something I want to tell you…”

Their coffee and hot chocolate were served in the middle of his sentence, stopping their conversation for a moment. Noticing the mood, the manager quickly put their drinks on the table and walked away.