After leaving the embassy, Kang Chan headed to the office.

Gérard as the Inspector Director-General of the DGSE? The same level of authority as the Deputy Director-General?

In this world of intelligence bureaus, the higher the rank, the more likely it was for people to die. Now, Lanok had just suggested giving Gérard the position of Inspector Director-General in the DGSE.

Gérard had a higher chance of being in some kind of danger while removing DGSE executives than a chain smoker suddenly smoking again after stopping for three days.

Should I really recommend this position to Gérard? The man came here because he was lonely. What am I supposed to say if he asks me about what I think he should do?

Kang Chan felt so frustrated that he didn’t even want to go to the office. He turned his head from the window to the agents.

“Let’s stop by the specialty coffee shop at the intersection over there,” Kang Chan said.

“Yes, sir.”

By now, the three agents with him could easily read his mood.

While Lee Doo-Hee was parking the car on one side of the road, Choi Jong-Il quickly radioed someone.

Afterward, Kang Chan said, “Choi Jong-Il, pick up Gérard and bring him here. I’ll call him so he’ll be ready by the time you get there.”

“Copy. I’ll send one of the teams that are standing by.”

Kang Chan simply nodded in response. He could just leave things like this to Choi Jong-Il’s judgment.

He then sat on the terrace and called Gérard.

- Hello!

The fucker had always been a bit mischievous.

“I sent agents to come pick you up and take you to a cafe. It’s nice outside, so I thought we should have a cup of coffee.”

- Yes, sir.

Gérard sounded quite happy.

After hanging up, Kang Chan instinctively sharply examined the seats where enemies could shoot him. At the same time, he noticed the agents that were standing by near the cafe.

Damn it! Maybe I should’ve just gone to the office. Did I really have to come here?

Kang Chan was wearing an expensive suit, but his face was covered in bandages and small cuts. Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee were sitting on all three sides of the terrace, seemingly surrounding it.

The other customers glanced at Kang Chan.

I’m sorry for ruining the mood. I know you guys just wanted to have some coffee in peace. Still, there are times when I also want to have conversations out in places like this.

Kang Chan knew that agents in civilian clothes were walking around the alley and waiting in a van in the parking lot for his sake. Nevertheless, he had to do this. He was worried about sending Gérard alone to France. Considering the distance, Kang Chan might not be able to help him immediately if Gérard found himself in a life-threatening situation.

Just this once, I hope the agents forgive me for putting more burden on their shoulders.

Kang Chan took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in between his lips.

Chk chk. Chk chk.

Cupping the fire with his hand to prevent the strong winds from blowing it out, he lit up his cigarette.

Kang Chan then exhaled cigarette smoke. “

Hoo

.”

A powerful South Korea?

South Korea would soon receive two trillion dollars. Once they were done constructing the Eurasian Rail and the next-generation energy facilities, then he’d be closer to achieving his goal of making South Korea powerful.

Their nation had started covering all medical expenses for citizens above a certain age, and not to mention, education was completely free.

Haven’t I done enough to sit back and live with the people I cherish now?

Kang Chan dropped his cigarette into the cup that was filled with ground coffee.

A familiar van soon stopped in front of the coffee shop, and Gérard in a suit and a shirt got out. He had a firm physique, brown hair, a tall nose, and deep blue eyes with hints of green.

He smiled at Kang Chan.

Gérard didn’t look much different from Kang Chan; he, too, had bandages and small wounds all over his face. For some strange reason, though, the vibe he gave off was different.

Compared to when they looked at Kang Chan, the customers in the specialty coffee shop examined Gérard differently.

“Why’d you call me all the way out here, Cap?” Gérard asked.

“Like I said, we’re going to have coffee to enjoy the nice weather. Have a seat.”

“Let me order first. Have you ordered yet?”

“Grab me one as well.”

“Alright. Choi? Want coffee?” Gérard asked. Afterward, he went to the counter to order.

“How can his nasal twang be that attractive?” Kang Chan heard one of the girls in the coffee shop ask. He didn’t even want to look at her.

He wasn’t jealous that women thought Gérard was attractive. Most people knew that Kang Chan was too busy to even see Kim Mi-Young.

“Captain,” Gérard called a moment later. He brought over a few cups of coffee and placed them on Kang Chan and Choi Jong-Il’s table.

Plop.

Based on his expression and the way he sat in the chair, being stuck in the office also seemed to have frustrated Gérard.

“What’s going on?” Gérard asked.

“Have a smoke first,” Kang Chan brightly offered.

In response, Gérard took a cigarette and lit it up.

“Isn't it nice here? It’s been a while since I last visited this place. Anyway, it reminded me of you and Daye,” Kang Chan said.

“I’m glad I came to South Korea.”

Kang Chan smiled, then sipped his coffee. He seemed tired.

Meanwhile, Gérard finished smoking. “There! All done. What were you going to tell me?”

“How did you know that I have something to tell you?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

That’s not surprising. I would’ve also quickly recognized that Gérard had something to tell me if he met up with me like this.

Kang Chan fixed his expression, then brought up what he wanted to tell Gérard.

“I’ve just been informed that France is planning to conduct a large-scale operation to replace corrupt DGSE executives. They’ll be putting the Inspector Director-General in charge of it. For that reason, they’ll be given the authority of a Deputy Director-General.”

After a brief pause, Kang Chan added, “I was also told that we should take this opportunity to put the DGSE under our complete control.”

“Do they want me to become the DGSE’s Inspector Director-General?”

Kang Chan nodded.

“What do you think I should do?”

Kang Chan already expected Gérard to ask for his opinion, which was why he had been thinking about this so much.

“You’ll be putting your life on the line if you accept this, so you’ll have to decide for yourself. If you want to do it, then accept the offer. Otherwise, you can stay here with me just like what you’ve been doing until now," he answered.

“So what do you think?”

“Like I said, it’s your call.”

Smirking, Gérard tapped off the ashes of his cigarette.

“What to do, what to do. Should I become the Inspector Director-General of the DGSE or stay by your side?”

Is he even listening?

Kang Chan stopped smiling as he looked at Gérard.

“Well, how far do you plan to go, Cap? If you’re satisfied with what you’ve accomplished until now, then I’ll just stay here, but if you want to accomplish something more than this, then I’ll go to France.”

Kang Chan felt as if he had just been slapped by Gérard.

“What about the blank years in my past, by the way? The DGSE will definitely question that,” Gérard commented.

“Ambassador Lanok told me that it doesn’t matter. We simply need trustworthy people in the right positions.”

Gérard nodded, seemingly getting the gist of why Lanok would say that.

“Does that mean they’re not going to talk about my past anymore because you trust me?”

“Gérard.”

“Oui,” Gérard quickly answered.

“There’s no need to think deeply about this. I’m only worried about whether it’ll be better for you to go to France and become the DGSE’s Inspector Director-General or stay here with me.”

“Captain.”

“Yeah.”

“If that’s all you’re worried about, then I’ll just stay here.”

Kang Chan, who had held up his coffee, burst out laughing.

Gérard's clear-cut answer made him feel stupid for even worrying. The coffee cup that he was holding now felt as if it was filled with refreshing Spirit instead of coffee.

“

Phew

! I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders!” Kang Chan exclaimed.

“You were worried about this?”

“For some strange reason, yes.”

“I’m not going to France,” Gérard repeated.

“I know, I know.”

Once Gérard had made up his mind, there was no longer any for Kang Chan to persuade him otherwise.

“Daye has become a decent human being,” Gérard commented, changing the subject. He now looked relaxed.

“What do you mean?”

“He looked completely different from before at the funeral home. Now that I think about it, I can’t even remember what you and Daye looked like before anymore.”

“Me neither.”

Their conversation now revolved around their past, including the battles that they had fought in Africa and how Daye almost died multiple times. Afterward, they talked about how they met again and fought the Quds together, then how Gérard felt when Kang Chan went to Afghanistan to help.

Every horrible moment in that battle disguised itself as a mere memory whenever they were together like this. Naturally, they didn’t talk about how they killed people—only about how they thought they would die when they ran out of bullets and how great the Jeungpyeong special forces team had become.

“Your wounds definitely heal quicker than normal,” Gérard commented afterward.

“I’ve already told you why.”

“Still, I feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick.”

Cars drove and pedestrians in different outfits walked past as the two talked about various topics. Soon, the smell of food wafted toward them.

Kang Chan couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last spent his time like this. Once again, he realized that he still hadn’t properly shown Gérard around Seoul.

Time flew by.

“Got any plans this evening?”Gérard asked afterward.

“Yes. I’m going to meet someone.”

Gérard looked at Kang Chan suspiciously.

“I’ll be heading there from here. What about you?” Kang Chan asked.

“Should I have dinner with Michelle?”

“Go for it,” Kang Chan answered.

“That aside, Cap, what are you going to do about Sharlan?”

“Well, he had been surviving on drugs, which is probably why he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I’ll have to watch and see what happens for a few more days. If he still hasn’t come around by the time Smithen gets discharged, then…”

Noticing Kang Chan’s eyes suddenly glinting, Gérard’s glinted as well.

Kang Chan now planned to put a proper end to all this so they wouldn’t have problems anymore moving forward.

Soon, Gérard took out his phone and called Michelle.

“Would you like to have dinner together?” he asked.

Kang Chan almost thought that Seok Kang-Ho was sitting next to him.

What was the point of speaking French with a cool nasal twang when he only talked about things like this?

This guy’s so boring, though!

“Can’t you just have dinner with me without asking questions? Are you busy or not?” Gérard prodded.

Kang Chan shook his head.

With the way you’re talking to her, you’ll end up having dinner at the office!

“I’ll be leaving soon, so go get ready. I’ll call you when I get there.”

Now, he sounded as if he had actually successfully made plans with Michelle.

“The captain already has plans. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Gérard lowered his phone and hung up.

“Michelle agreed to have dinner with me,” he then told Kang Chan.

“Do you even want to eat with her?”

“Well, she’s the only one aside from you whom I can actually talk to in French.”

“Why did you talk to her like that, then?”

Gérard blinked as if he didn’t understand what Kang Chan was saying.

What can I even say to this bastard?

“Shouldn’t you be on your way? You told her you’ll be right over in fifteen minutes, no?”

“Oh, right! I’ll be taking my leave, then.”

“Alright.”

Gérard stood up. After nodding goodbye at Choi Jong-Il, he headed to the van.

Once he was gone, Kang Chan picked up his phone and called Kim Mi-Young.

It was strange, but while listening to the dial tone, his heart began to race.

Kang Chan smirked. Just as he took a deep breath, Kim Mi-Young picked up.

- Hello?

“It’s me.”

- Hi!

What the fuck? Am I trying to impersonate Vasili or something? I should speak a bit more softly. Otherwise, I’d be no different from Gérard!

“Would you like to have dinner with me?”

- Right now?

“Are you busy?”

- Not at all! Where should we meet?

“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

- I’m almost at our apartment. How long will it take you to get here?

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Kang Chan felt as if Kim Mi-Young hesitated for a moment.

- Would it be alright if we meet in an hour instead?

“We can just meet next time if you’re not available today.”

- That’s not it. I really am free.

She did seem to be telling the truth.

“Alright. An hour it is.”

- Okay!

It had been quite a while since Kang Chan had heard her answer so brightly.

After hanging up, looked around him.

Where can I have dinner with her in private despite having so many agents guarding me?

He spent the next hour just relaxing, which he hadn’t done in a while.

He felt bad for the agents who were watching over him. However, since he was going to meet Kim Mi-Young anyway, he decided to spend his free time at the specialty coffee shop.

He watched the sunset taint the horizon and fill the windows, making it seem as if blood was seeping into the western sky.

‘How are you all doing over there?’

Kang Chan asked the rookie whom he failed to protect and the other soldiers who died before him.

He’d never forget the faces of his subordinates who were killed in Africa, Afghanistan, Libya, and North Korea.

He also thought about Choi Jong-Geon, who stubbornly held his ground until the end. Hwang Ki-Hyun—and his sharp eyes—and Song Chang-Wook, too. He could still remember Song Chang-Wook asking him if he loved South Korea.

Are you all watching us? We’ve accomplished a lot, yet I still don’t know if we’ve done enough or what I should even do next.

Damn it! All this spare time is making me have too many thoughts!

Kang Chan looked down from the sky and searched for Choi Jong-Il.

“Come here for a moment,” he ordered.

“Sir.”

Choi Jong-Il approached the table. To those who didn’t know them, Kang Chan probably looked like the son of a powerful gangster. They’d likely also assume that he was on the terrace with a member of the gang.

“I know it’ll be uncomfortable for the agents, but I’m thinking of having dinner with Mi-Young today. I’m sorry,” Kang Chan said.

“Understood. You don’t have to worry about us.”

It was best to inform the agents about his plans in advance. That way, Kang Chan could save them the trouble of blindly following him.

“Have you thought about where you're going to have dinner?” Choi Jong-Il asked.

“I’m not sure yet, but I was hoping to eat near our apartment. I still haven’t even decided what to eat. Oh, right! Reserve a pension house for us.”

“A pension house?”

“Yeah. I want to stay there tomorrow. Make sure it’s somewhere quiet.”

Choi Jong-Il nodded. He looked as if he was trying hard to look nonchalant.

What’s with that look? I just want to go to a pension house. If I could go there alone, I wouldn’t have asked him to do this for me.

After their conversation, Kang Chan stood up and headed to the car with Choi Jong-Il.

Oh, shoot! How do we get to the restaurant once I’ve picked up Kim Mi-Young? Should I just have Lee Doo-Hee drive us there?

Kang Chan pursed his lips.

We should just eat at a restaurant that’s within walking distance of the Cheonsang apartment.

Kang Chan’s heart strangely fluttered. He thought it was just because he used to live here, though.

It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination. Kang Chan got out right in front of the entrance of Kim Mi-Young’s apartment complex.

Walking through the complex’s main gate, which had large pillars on each side, he saw familiar buildings.

He looked at the bench, seemingly out of habit. There, he found Kim Mi-Young staring at him. She stood up.

Suddenly filled with a mix of emotions, Kang Chan found himself smiling. He felt a tad bit awkward, but he was happy to see her.

“Mi-Young!” Kang Chan called.

“Hi!”

Kim Mi-Young walked toward him. Unlike the last time they had met, she didn’t skip.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“Oh, these bandages? They’re nothing—just little cuts.”

As Kim Mi-Young examined Kang Chan’s face, their eyes met. She seemed to have grown up again.

“You must be in a lot of pain,” Kim Mi-Young commented.

“I’m okay. Let’s go eat—what do you want to have?”

Kang Chan now realized why she had said that she needed an hour. Judging from her clothes, the smell of shampoo coming from her hair, and her glowing skin, she seemed to have used that time to wash up and change.

“I’m okay with anything, so you can just pick for us.”

“Why don’t we take a walk and eat somewhere that catches our attention, then?”

“That sounds great.”

Kang Chan turned around. Kim Mi-Young walked next to him.

“How’s school?” Kang Chan asked.

“It’s fine. It was awkward at first, but it’s a lot better now.”

Kang Chan nodded in response.

Little by little, their surroundings were becoming darker.

“Channy.”

Kang Chan didn’t know why, but he seemed to be having trouble getting used to Kim Mi-Young calling his name. Although he missed her all the time, hearing her call him “Channy,” not “Oppa,” made him feel as if he was meeting his younger sister.

When he turned to her, she said, “Let’s have pork cutlets.”

“Pork cutlets?”

“Yeah! Japanese-style pork cutlets.”

Kang Chan felt embarrassed to admit it, but he had never had the pork cutlets that Kim Mi-Young was talking about even though they weren’t that expensive. He lived quite a sorrowful life.

“Do you know a restaurant that sells those?”

“Yep! We just need to walk a little more from here. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

Kang Chan walked in the direction that she told him to go. The longer they walked, the darker their surroundings became.

“Did you really have time to meet me today?” Kim Mi-Young asked.

“Yeah. I actually have something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What would that be?”

“Let’s talk about it over dinner.”

Damn it! We stopped talking again. It wasn’t this awkward when we were talking on the phone.