Novel Bin Chapter 84.2: Prelude (1)
Chapter 84.2: Prelude (1)
Close to twenty gangsters had been killed. Kang Chan had always hated them and denied their lifestyle in general, but they shouldn’t have suffered such absurd deaths. If only they were a little bit more careful. If only he didn’t let his guard down because the people involved in the scene of the Yongin accident were former gangsters that Oh Gwang-Taek had recognized.
Kang Chan didn’t turn on the lights, even though the living room was very dark.
‘You have to be cold-hearted, Kang Chan.’
Kang Chan exhaled deeply, then pulled himself together.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
Sitting absent-mindedly, his phone screen’s light lit up the living room when he got a text. Did this mean that he should turn on the lights?
Kang Chan flicked on the living room light switch and held up the phone.
[Where are you?]
It was Kim Mi-Young. At that moment, he felt sorry because he remembered his kiss with Michelle. He calmed down at least a little bit as he exhaled deeply.
Should I not call her? He was also scared he’d make a mistake he was getting furious at the moment.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
[I’m on my way home from hagwon.]
Kang Chan smirked when the image of Kim Mi-Young trudging home while looking crestfallen came across his mind. He hesitated for a moment but pressed the call button anyway.
- Hello?
“Are you done with your hagwon?”
- Yeah!
Kang Chan felt as if Kim Mi-Young was his younger sister again today. For some strange reason, when he heard her voice his spiteful mind calmed down a little bit.
“Would you like to meet up for a bit?”
- Can you do that?
Kim Mi-Young’s voice had a hint of cuteness. How could he say no when she was this happy?
“I’ll go out right now.”
- Okay.
Kang Chan trudged down the apartment after hanging up.
As he was going out of the entrance, Kim Mi-Young was already at the front gate. She ran toward him after she discovered him.
“You’re going to fall!” Kang Chan yelled.
Kim Mi-Young approached him while smiling brightly.
Jeez, you little kid!
Kang Chan looked around them. There were a lot of people on each bench because it was a hot day, and perhaps because it was a Saturday.
“Would you like to eat patbingsu?” Kang Chan asked.
“I have to go home early today.”
Kim Mi-Young looked around them as well. The stares from the people that were sitting seemed to make her uncomfortable.
“Let’s just take a walk instead, then.” Kang Chan asked again.
“Okay.”
Kang Chan took Kim Mi-Young’s bag and placed it across his shoulder, then leisurely got out of the apartment.
Kim Mi-Young covered her mouth with her hand and yawned.
“Are you sleepy?” Kang Chan asked.
“I’ve only been getting three hours of sleep per day nowadays because I’ve been studying French on the side.”
“Why are you studying that much? You can just finish the university entrance exam first before focusing on that.”
“I’m preparing to take the DALF at the end of the year.”
“Already?”
Was this possible? Her preparation wasn’t to take the DELF, the basic level test, but to take the DALF test, which was for advanced learners only was going to be held in a few days?
“I’m studying hard because the certification is at the end of this year. I’m going to study abroad after finishing one semester in South Korea. I made a good decision, right?” Kim Mi-Young asked.
“That’s excellent!”
He was being sincere. If she could pass the DALF, the French qualification test, in only six months, then that meant she learned how to speak like a native in a year.
“Studying is so fun. I’m getting more of it done since I made a plan that would allow me to study French after studying the school subjects that I had targeted. I get a lot of energy when I think about living with you in France starting next year!” Kim Mi-Young exclaimed.
When Kang Chan smiled lightly, Kim Mi-Young smiled along with him.
“We’re going to be in France on my birthday next year. You can’t forget what you promised me,” Kim Mi-Young reminded Kang Chan.
“I won’t.”
“Huhuhu,” Kim Mi-Young laughed in response to Kang Chan’s answer. He expected her to become a bit more mature within the few days that he hadn’t seen her, but she felt like a proper high schooler again now that she heard her laugh.
Kim Mi-Young looks a bit thicker than Michelle since her chest and butt are bigger in relation to her waist… what am I doing?
Kang Chan shook his head to get rid of his useless thoughts.
A lot of the spite left him as he walked with Kim Mi-Young.
“I’ll study hard,” Kim Mi-Young said.
“Alright.”
When Kim Mi-Young turned her head, the look in her eyes tugged at his heartstrings with a bump. Perhaps it was because she was a child that studied with spite, but the look in her eyes showed she wasn’t going to shatter easily.
“Mi-Young, you’re going to enter a university in Seoul first, right?” Kang Chan asked.
“Yeah. I heard doing so will make it more advantageous for me to study abroad in France.”
Kang Chan asked that question just in case. After they circled around about half of the apartment complex’s vicinity, they circled around to the entrance through a shortcut.
“You should sleep more, just for today. Tomorrow is Sunday anyway, so you can study a bit more then. You look tired,” Kang Chan commented.
“Huh? Do I look ugly?”
At times like this, she was definitely a female adolescent student.
“That’s not it—I only said that because I’m worried about you.”
“Okay. I’ll sleep a little early today, then. bye!”
“Alright.”
Kim Mi-Young smiled brightly.
When Kang Chan waved his hand, Kim Mi-Young quickly ran off as if she was heading toward a goal that she had set. He wanted to sit on a bench if there weren’t as many people, but there were still many of them since a lot of families had come outside.
Kang Chan returned home. A moment later, Yoo Hye-Sook called him. He looked after them by asking if they had dinner and if anything else happened. He then talked to Kang Dae-Kyung for a moment. Kang Chan thought everything was alright since he sounded calm.
But what happened to that fucker Oh Gwang-Taek? Even though they were gangsters, they died all too soon. If they went through the police hospital, then they’d certainly be at the funeral home. Hence, it felt uncomfortable that Oh Gwang-Taek wasn’t calling him.
‘Should I call him?’
Kang Chan had been glaring at his phone, but he went into his room and lay down in bed instead. He fell asleep while feeling his injuries throb a little bit.
~
Kang Chan had been planning on waking up early in the morning and taking a shower, but he just washed his hair and his face since the bandages wrapped around his waist and shoulder were severely damper than he had expected.
As always, omelets were the best for the morning. This damned dish was okay when he ate with Yoo Hye-Sook or Kang Dae-Kyung, but it tasted so horrible now that he was trying to eat it alone.
Kang Chan changed as he thought about going to the hospital. He was going to have to throw out his clothes again because the ones he had worn yesterday had dried bloodstains and were now black.
Yang Jin Woo, you son of a bitch! I should’ve searched for your face on the internet.
Kang Chan got changed and went down to the apartment. He put the clothes in a recycling bin before taking a taxi.
If the Bang Ji Hospital didn’t recognize Kang Chan, then that would be very suspicious.
The doctor on duty examined Kang Chan’s wounds more calmly than Yoo Hun-Woo. He then disinfected, stitched, and wrapped bandages around them.
“I don’t think your wounds will be that big of a concern since you received good first aid. Please get a shot and take the prescribed medicine,” the doctor told Kang Chan.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After Kang Chan got the shot, he went up to Kang Dae-Kyung’s room with the prescription in his back pocket.
Rattle.
“Oh my! Channy!” Yoo Hye-Sook exclaimed.
“How is father doing?”
“All good! He’s a lot better now. Have you had breakfast?”
“Yes. I made myself an omelet.”
Kang Chan examined Kang Dae-Kyung first, then looked at Yoo Hye-Sook. “Mother, Have you had breakfast?”
“This hospital is weird. They served us an abundant meal, like a special meal. They even gave me food as well. They’re not trying to amp up our hospital bills, are they?”
Kang Dae-Kyung and Kang Chan burst out with laughter at the same time because of what Yoo Hye-Sook had said.
“There wasn’t anything else, right?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked Kang Chan.
“Yes. Nothing happened.”
Kang Chan’s heart warmed up as he was looking at Yoo Hye-Sook.
“Chan, can you stay at the hospital for a bit by any chance?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.
“Yes, father. Why do you ask?”
“I plan on sending your mom home so she can get some rest. She keeps saying that I shouldn’t be alone like the other patients since I’m the one suffering from body aches. Honey! Since Channy is here now, go home and get some rest. Come back after.”
“Please do that. Get some rest while I’m here,” Kang Chan added.
“Okay, Channy. I’ll go home, take a shower, and change clothes. I’ll return afterward. Until then, look after your father,” Yoo Hye-Sook left the room after stroking Kang Chan’s shoulder.
“Have you had tea?” Kang Chan asked Kang Dae-Kyung.
“Your mom made it for me. Feel free to drink something if you want to.”
“I’m fine.”
He was going to crave cigarettes if he sloppily drank instant coffee.
“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked an unexpected question, then stared at Kang Chan. “When did you grow up so much that you can now worry about me?”
Kang Dae-Kyung elevated the head of the bed and leaned against it. He then stroked Kang Chan’s head, tousling his hair.
“Don’t worry about me. If what you’re doing is right, then keep doing it. Seeing sincerity in the eyes of the people and students that visited me is enough for me, so don’t needlessly worry about me. If you have to, then ask for my help whenever. I can do that for you, right?”
Kang Chan couldn’t even answer. He only blinked.
“I thought that you were all grown up, but seeing you like this makes me realize you’re still young,” Kang Dae-Kyung continued.
Kang Chan really liked Kang Dae-Kyung’s touch.
“Chan.”
“Yes, father?”
“I won’t ask you why those people tried to kill me or how you found out about it. However, I hope there wouldn’t be instances where your mom would get startled or injured.”
“Yes. I’ll stop at nothing to make sure of that.”
Kang Chan thought that he had to kill Yang Jin-Woo as fast as possible.
1. Kang Chan doesn’t actually think of her as a kid here, but he’s saying this because he’s thinking that she’s acting younger than her age
2. DALF, or the Dipl?me approfondi de langue fran?aise (Advanced diploma in French language) is a certification of French language abilities for non-native speakers of French. It’s administered by France Education International for France\'s Ministry of Education. It’s valid for life and the certification has two versions–DELF, or the Dipl?me d’études en langue fran?aise (Diploma of French-language studies) is for beginners and intermediate learners, and DALF, which is the one that Kim Mi-Young is preparing to take, is for advanced learners