Chapter 304: How Much Do They Look Alike? (1)

“Oh Gwang-Taek,” Kang Chan said.

Noticing that the look in Kang Chan’s eyes had changed, Gérard stood up straight, looking as if he had instantly sobered up.

“What would you do if I was the one in the camera footage?”

- What? Motherfucker! I said it was Gérard in the CCTV footage!

“If I saw you in that camera footage, I would’ve asked you about it first. If you said that it wasn’t you, I would’ve looked into the reason the culprit looks like you before getting angry.”

Although still panting in anger, Oh Gwang-Taek had at least stopped yelling.

“What would you want me to do if Chul-Bum, the guy you told me you trust, was the one caught by the CCTV? What if he told you that it wasn’t him?”

Kang Chan heard Oh Gwang-Taek sigh and groan at the same time.

“I told you that I trust Gérard, didn’t I? We’ve also agreed to watch the camera footage together because the fucker said it wasn’t him. Why do you choose not to trust us?”

The silence continued.

With his mood soiled, Kang Chan completely sobered up. Considering Gérard’s eyes were glinting and Michelle, who was beside him, was now walking on eggshells, the change in his behavior was likely apparent.

“Where are you? I’m out with Gérard right now, but I can get to the hotel in thirty minutes.”

- I’m sorry.

Kang Chan thought it would take more than an apology for him to forgive Oh Gwang-Taek.

- Watching the footage made me angrier. It made me think he was making a fool out of me. I now realize that if Gérard were the culprit, he wouldn’t have insisted on staying with you. He wouldn’t have promised to watch the footage with us either. If I upset you, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.

“You son of a bitch.”

There was no way Oh Gwang-Taek wouldn’t know why Kang Chan swore at him.

- Ah fuck! Hey! Just come here quickly!

Oh Gwang-Taek’s shameless response showed that he was getting over his embarrassment.

“You bastard! Think before you speak!”

- I already said I’m sorry!

“Alright, alright. Let me just say goodbye to everyone here before I leave.”

- Do you want to meet tomorrow?

Kang Chan burst into laughter.

“Stop talking nonsense and just head to the hotel. I can’t stand this anymore. I have to see the footage myself.”

- I’m on my way.

Kang Chan hung up. Smirking, he turned to Gérard.

“That was Oh Gwang-Taek. He called to tell me that he had checked the CCTV footage and that it was definitely you in it.”

Gérard grinned. “That’s interesting.”

“Michelle, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to call it a night,” Kang Chan said.

“It’s okay. I’ve had enough drinks anyway. I have work in the morning.”

The three stood up from the table.

“I’ll pay for this,” Michelle said.

She quickly went to the counter to pay. Meanwhile, Kang Chan and Gérard went outside and lit up a cigarette each.

Chk chk.

They exhaled air and cigarette smoke at the same time.

“Capitaine,[1]” Gérard called.

“Quoi[2]?”

“Croyez-vous vraiment moi[3]?”

Gérard glanced at Kang Chan, meeting his gaze.

“You son of a bitch!” Kang Chan swore in Korean.

Gérard burst into laughter. Kang Chan joined him.

“Let’s go check the CCTV footage ourselves. I’m also curious how much you and the culprit look alike or Oh Gwang-Taek to kick up so much of a fuss,” Kang Chan said.

“I’m also curious.”

Michelle, who had just finished paying their bill, suddenly leaned forward. “What’s so funny?”

They found it strangely funny.

Kang Chan and Gérard started to snicker like madmen. Michelle also laughed with them, perhaps because she was intoxicated.

It was fascinating. Kang Chan found Gérard and Michelle so funny when they were laughing.

For quite some time, the three laughed in the middle of the street outside the restaurant, the cold weather making their breaths visible.

Soon, Kang Chan exhaled to stop himself from laughing. He then looked at Michelle. “We should go now. What about your car, though?”

“I’ve called someone to drive it,” Michelle answered.

“Keep safe.”

“I will.”

Michelle’s phone rang soon after Kang Chan stopped talking. The driver she had called approached them.

“Sir, will you bring my car here? It’s in the parking lot of that restaurant. I need a moment to talk to them,” Michelle told the driver.

“Of course. Where’s the key?”

The old man accepted the car key from Michelle and quickly walked to her car.

“We should wrap this up with a cigarette,” Kang Chan suggested.

In response, Michelle took out a cigarette and put it in Kang Chan’s mouth. She then did the same for Gérard.

Chk chk.

“I had fun today. We should do this again. I’ll buy bulgogi next time,” Michelle told Gérard.

“You’re not going to visit several restaurants before choosing one, are you?”

“Of course not! We’ll just enter some random restaurant. We won’t even think about it.”

What are they even saying?

As the two joked about nonsense, the driver pulled up in front of them.

“See you later. Thanks for today,” Kang Chan told Michelle.

Michelle gave Kang Chan a big hug and then kissed both of his cheeks.

“It was nice meeting you,” Michelle told Gérard.

“Thanks for today. Let’s be more comfortable around each other next time.”

They hugged lightly and said goodbye with cheek kisses. Michelle then got in her car.

Kang Chan looked behind him and found a black car pulling up.

Once he had gotten in the back seat with Gérard, they immediately made their way to the hotel.

“Let’s judge this with a cool head,” Kang Chan told Gérard.

“Understood.”

Their joyous occasion ended with the laughter they shared with Michelle a moment ago.

Being slightly tipsy and completely drunk were two completely different things. This much alcohol intoxication was nowhere near enough to faze them.

Gerard was all too familiar with the tension that stemmed from situations where they could die at any moment, and Kang Chan knew everything that was related to the CCTV footage.

They arrived at the hotel at around thirty minutes past four in the morning.

As soon as they walked into the hotel, Oh Gwang-Taek, who had been sitting in the lobby that was closed for business, approached them with a laptop bag slung on his right shoulder. He seemed to be having mixed emotions.

Nevertheless, being who he was, he still held out his hand first, which Gérard shook.

“Let’s go up to the room,” Oh Gwang-Taek suggested.

The three got in the elevator and then went into the room.

Click.

They took off their jackets as soon as they entered. Now wearing just shirts and pants, they then sat around the table.

Oh Gwang-Taek opened his laptop, and the screen woke up at the same time. It seemed he didn’t even bother turning the system off before closing it. Kang Chan could feel how impatient Oh Gwang-Taek was.

Click. Click.

Oh Gwang-Taek used his wireless mouse to open the CCTV footage. After putting it on full screen, he swiftly clicked play.

Click.

“This is the hallway,” Oh Gwang-Taek started to explain.

The recording showed Chinese men walking out of a room, dragging a laundry cart with them. They were heading to the elevator.

Oh Gwang-Taek continued, “You had just split open Sharlan’s side in the room, and those Chinese men had put him inside that laundry cart before going down to the parking lot.”

Kang Chan quickly interpreted what Oh Gwang-Taek was saying in French for Gérard. As he remembered what happened back then, his eyes started to glint.

The video was now showing the Chinese men pushing the laundry cart into the elevator.

Click. Click.

Oh Gwang-Taek opened another CCTV footage. This time, it was from the camera inside the freight elevator.

“The problem starts here,” Oh Gwang-Taek said.

Click. Click.

Oh Gwang-Taek looked for and opened one more video. The screen showed the basement parking lot.

Kang Chan expected the video quality to be awful, but it was better than he thought. They could see everything, even the Chinese men’s expressions.

When the freight elevator opened, the Chinese men walked into the parking lot.

Click. Click.

Oh Gwang-Taek quickly played another footage. This time, it showed the view from in front of the elevator. He soon paused the video, stopping it just as Gérard’s face came into view. He was wearing sunglasses.

Damn it!

The man on the CCTV footage looked so much like Gérard that even Kang Chan had to acknowledge the resemblance.

“

Hmm

.”

If Kang Chan hadn’t heard Gérard’s flustered groan, and if he hadn’t watched the CCTV footage with him, he would’ve also grown suspicious of him. The two looked that much alike.

“He does look like me,” Gérard said.

Oh Gwang-Taek quickly turned to Kang Chan.

“Gérard acknowledges that the guy looks exactly like him,” Kang Chan relayed.

“See? How can I not be confused when the resemblance is so uncanny?”

Oh Gwang-Taek looked at Gérard with glinting eyes, then looked back at Kang Chan again.

Gérard looked extremely flustered not because he had been found out but because he had no idea how to accept that someone who looked exactly like him was in the CCTV footage.

Noticing what Gérard was thinking as well, Oh Gwang-Taek silently asked Kang Chan what they should do.

“Let’s review the rest of the footage for now,” Kang Chan suggested.

“Alright.”

Click. Click.

Oh Gwang-Taek unpaused the video. Soon, it showed the white headlights of a car reversing out of its parking spot. Afterward, its brake lights flashed red.

The two Chinese men opened one of its rear doors and lifted the laundry cart into the back of the car.

The man who looked like Gérard held up his hand to say thanks and then left.

Sighing, Kang Chan leaned back in his chair. “

Haaa

!”

“Got any cigarettes?” he asked.

Oh Gwang-Taek rummaged through his pockets. He then took out cigarettes and a lighter.

Based on the CCTV footage alone, there was no excuse. The man clearly looked like Gérard. Nevertheless, after giving Kang Chan a cigarette, he still offered one to Gérard.

His glinting eyes and dry gulps still showed his hostility toward the man. However, Kang Chan thought it was only natural for him to behave this way.

Chk chk.

Kang Chan exhaled cigarette smoke. “

Hoo

!”

Their priority right now was to look into how this happened.

“Did you make a copy of this CCTV footage?” Kang Chan asked.

Oh Gwang-Taek hesitated for a moment, seemingly contemplating how he should answer.

Exhaling more smoke, Kang Chan smirked.

“I get that Do-Seok was attacked because of this incident and that guy looks like Gérard, but it’s definitely not him,” Kang Chan said in Korean.

Oh Gwang-Taek looked back at Gérard, then nodded.

Kang Chan continued, “If so, then that means that bastard in the video is part of a foreign intelligence bureau. You'd also be in danger if others discover you have this footage. After all, we’re up against people who’d be willing to shoot anyone to hide this incident. I’m sure you’ve also noticed that there’s not even just one news article about what happened in Libya.”

Oh Gwang-Taek likely wouldn’t have believed him if he wasn’t part of the operation in Libya.

“Make me a copy of the CCTV footage. Hide another copy somewhere that only you know and tell someone you really trust where you hid it. From now on, you’re going to have to live knowing that we can die at any moment.”

“Kang Chan.”

“What?”

“You’re the only one I can trust for something like this.”

Kang Chan looked at Oh Gwang-Taek with a dazed expression.

He probably wasn’t saying that because he couldn’t trust his subordinates but because this matter was related to a battle to the death, like what happened in Libya. Still, Oh Gwang-Taek’s words tugged at Kang Chan’s heart.

“Fucking it. Let’s go get some coffee before we continue this,” Oh Gwang-Taek suggested.

Kang Chan was starting to feel moved and touched, but the son of a bitch just had to ruin it.

“Sure,” he answered. He then used the phone in the room to order coffee.

Click. Click.

While Oh Gwang-Taek was copying the CCTV footage into a USB, Kang Chan told Gérard what he had talked about with Oh Gwang-Taek.

“Got any ideas?” Kang Chan asked afterward.

“About that...”

Knock knock knock.

They kept being disrupted today.

Gérard stood up and opened the door. He then received their coffee from a hotel employee.

As Gérard poured the coffee into separate cups, Oh Gwang-Taek handed Kang Chan the USB.

“You keep this. I’ll hide another copy somewhere tomorrow and tell you where it is,” Oh Gwang-Taek said.

“Sounds good.”

Once Gérard had brought over their coffee, they all smoked again.

“I used to be part of the Mermier family. However, once noble families are abolished, we tend to hide our family name. That’s why I’ve been called Gérard Gee since I was young even though I grew up in that household,” Gérard started.

“That makes it highly possible that the man in the video is your cousin, doesn’t it?”

“It’s a little farfetched, but that’s the best answer I got right now. Honestly, I can’t think of any other way to explain this.”

After nodding, Kang Chan told Oh Gwang-Taek what Gérard said.

“Fuck,” Oh Gwang-Taek swore as he groaned. “Either way, that at least means we have a chance of catching the guy, right?”

Kang Chan nodded in response. He felt as if the hot coffee was waking him up.

“Oh Gwang-Taek,” he called.

“What?”

Oh Gwang-Taek stubbed out his cigarette. He looked at Kang Chan as he blew on his sleeve.

“Don’t take this lightly. Anyone can target you now, so never go out alone. Honestly, I can’t just tell the National Intelligence Service about this either. Right now, the only people I can trust to keep this a secret are you, Mr. Seok, Gérard, and Director Kang.”

Oh Gwang-Taek looked like he was having mixed feelings.

“Don’t leave the hotel unarmed. I’ll get you a pistol tomorrow morning. Is there anyone who can accompany you for the time being? A subordinate you trust, maybe?”

“Chul-Bum and the others are all in Mongolia, and I’m sure you already know this, but Do-Seok is in the hospital.” Afterward, Oh Gwang-Taek hesitated for a moment but soon asked, “They wouldn’t mess with my wife and kid, would they?”

Kang Chan couldn’t answer.

“What’s wrong? Is this that dangerous?”

“If the ones behind this find out that there's CCTV footage of the incident, it would be best to assume the worst. I’ll ask the DMZ team to guard your family. We should have them accompany you as well.”

Oh Gwang-Taek nodded in agreement. They then drank coffee, causing silence to embrace the room.

“Capitaine,” Gérard called. In French, he asked, “Didn’t you say that Sharlan is imprisoned in Loriam’s basement?”

Knowing Oh Gwang-Taek couldn’t speak their language made him feel relieved enough to say what he wanted to say.

“Where did you find Sharlan again?”

Kang Chan quickly told him about how they found Sharlan in an industrial area in Incheon.

The sun was starting to rise, evidenced by the quickly brightening world out the window.

“Doesn’t that mean there’s a chance Sharlan knows the guy?”

Is that how it works?

When Kang Chan turned to him, Gérard continued, “I’ll meet Sharlan. Maybe we can trick him if I behave like the man in the footage.”

Considering even Kang Chan had trouble telling them apart, it could certainly confuse Sharlan.

“Sharlan doesn’t know me that well. I’ve never even met the bastard since you sent me somewhere else. If I act as if you’re working with me, we should be able to learn about who the fucker is, where he is right now, and which organization he’s a part of.”

Kang Chan’s gaze on Gérard sharpened.

He wants to meet Sharlan?

Kang Chan felt bad, but for the first time since this incident started, he became skeptical of his intentions.

‘Is Gérard really the one behind this? He could be suggesting this plan so he can scheme with Sharlan.’

No. That can’t be right.

Gérard smiled. The scar on his cheek twitched.

Damn it! I’m doubting him like an idiot even though I said I trusted him when he asked me if I did earlier!

“I’m sorry,” Kang Chan apologized.

“For what?”

Gérard feigned obliviousness even though he had clearly guessed what Kang Chan had been thinking.

I trust Gérard. I have to trust him even if I find out later that he’s been manipulating me.

Being suspicious of Gérard for the rest of his life was too cruel for Kang Chan.

“Let’s do as you said. I’ll meet Ambassador Lanok first thing in the morning and tell him about our plan to visit Loriam,” Kang Chan said.

“Understood.”

Kang Chan felt relieved now that they had finalized their plan.

“You going to bed?” Oh Gwang-Taek asked Kang Chan. “Why don’t we have breakfast before you do?”

Kang Chan wasn’t hungry, but he likely wouldn’t be able to sleep now anyway.

“Alright. I could go for a light meal.”

Kang Chan asked Gérard to join them. He then ordered two servings of an American-style breakfast and one baekban.

“Do you think we’ll be able to track down the culprit?” Oh Gwang-Taek asked Kang Chan.

“I’ll probably find a way once I’ve looked deeper into this issue tomorrow. I’m just worried that people would find out about this, so just stay here until I’ve discussed this with Director Kang.”

“Okay.”

While Kang Chan was talking to Oh Gwang-Taek, a hotel employee brought over their food.

They had to eat and sleep whenever they could. Only then could they bring their best to every fight.

1. Captain in French ☜

2. What in French ☜

3. Do you really trust me? in French ☜