Chapter 222.1: Which Bastard Gave the Order? (2)
As soon as they landed, they prioritized carrying the injured soldiers to the ambulances first. Kang Chan walked next to Yoon Sang-Ki, who was the last to be transferred.
Yoon Sang-Ki forced a smile right before he got into the ambulance. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Bam! Vroom!
When he got in and the doors were closed, the ambulances immediately hit the road.
Afraid that they would attract attention, they had turned off all lights around them even though they had ambulances in the area. This was the fate of the special forces. Those who would be upset by treatments like this would never find themselves risking their lives in the middle of military operations.
Kang Chan smirked as he walked over to the bus that would serve as the soldiers’ transport. Right beside its door, he could see Cha Dong-Gyun saluting him. He couldn\'t tell him to stop. How could he? He didn’t even have any idea how Cha Dong-Gyun felt about being unable to do anything but watch the entire operation on TV
Kang Chan felt as if he just saw Choi Seong-Geon in Cha Dong-Gyun.
“Thank you for your hard work,” Cha Dong-Gyun told him and Seok Kang-Ho.
“We’ll have the men rest for a few days. You better do whatever it takes to get better and come with us on the next operation during that time.”
“Roger that,” Cha Dong-Gyun answered.
The soldiers headed to the bus with their helmets held against their left side and their rifles over their right shoulder. Right now, the look in these fuckers’ eyes, the way they walked, and how they behaved were second to none. They had really become a world-famous special forces team.
The soldiers briefly saluted Kang Chan, then got on the bus one by one.
“I’ll get going,” Cha Dong-Gyun said. He was the last to salute Kang Chan and get on.
Chk.
The bus left as soon as its door closed, its engine running quietly.
Once they had driven away, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho walked over to the van waiting behind where the bus was.
“Thank you for your hard work,” the agent in the driver’s seat softly said. “We have a change of clothes for you both in the bag.”
When Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho had gotten in, the agent stepped on the pedal and left the Osan airfield. Not long after, it stopped at the roadside where Jeon Dae-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jung were waiting for them. A car was right behind them
Jeon Dae-Geuk approached them as if he was going to pounce on them. He held onto Kang Chan’s arms, then looked straight at Kang Chan with an expression that made it hard to tell if he was crying or smiling.
“You’ve done well, Kang Chan. You too, Mr. Seok. You two have been through quite a lot,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said.
“Why don’t we go somewhere more private first, sir?” Kim Hyung-Jung suggested after looking around their surroundings. Agreeing with him, they all got in the van.
“We have contacted the Bang Ji Hospital ahead of time. We’ll go there first,” Jeon Dae-Geuk said.
“I think we have to wash up a bit before that. Wouldn’t it be a problem if other people see us still wearing these clothes?” Kang Chan asked.
“We have taken all the necessary measures to prevent that from happening,” Jeon Dae-Geuk responded.
They didn’t pressure Yoo Hun-Woo, did they?
As Kang Chan smirked, Kim Hyung-Jung asked, “Was it you that was walking on Mr. Kang Chan’s left before everyone boarded the plane at the airport, Mr. Seok Kang-Ho?”
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho looked at him, unsure why he suddenly brought it up.
“There was a moment when the broadcast focused on the bloody national flag patch on your left forearm. It is making headlines right now and receiving an overwhelming response. The people think the scene fully encompasses the South Korean special forces’ sacrifices and determination,” Kim Hyung-Jung explained. As Seok Kang-Ho glanced down at his shoulder, he continued, “The people have amassed quite a huge amount of donations for the wounded soldiers and the development of the special forces. The Military Manpower Administration is also having a really tough time dealing with all the phone calls inquiring about the qualifications of the special forces.”
“Phuhu,” Seok Kang-Ho laughed.
The people’s sense of duty seemed to be burning so strongly that they applied to join the special forces. However, Kang Chan was certain that would all end up taking a step back as soon as they saw the look in Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes.
Two police cars drove ahead and behind the van as their escort.
“Which bastard authorized broadcasting the operation?” Kang Chan asked.
“We haven’t identified them yet,” Kim Hyung-Jung responded.
Kang Chan didn’t ask any further questions. He was planning on making France’s DGSE look into it anyway.
The van was already going quite fast, but he still hoped it would speed up a bit more due to Seok Kang-Ho’s shoulder.
As they got closer to the Bang Ji Hospital, Kang Chan began to find traffic enforcers all over the area.
“Aren’t we attracting too much attention?” Kang Chan asked.
“As far as the public knows, these are all being done in preparation for a completely unrelated event. A movie will be filmed over there, just a couple of blocks past the hospital,” Kim Hyung-Jung explained.
God damn!
Agents rushed toward them as soon as they reached the entrance of the hospital. When they opened the door and stepped out of the van, the agents covered Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho with blankets and guided them to the Director’s office.
“Long time no see, Mr. Kang Chan and Mr. Seok Kang-Ho,” Yoo Hun-Woo greeted.
Kang Chan thought the doctor would be caught slightly off guard, but he still looked as sly as ever. On the other hand, the nurse standing beside him—the same one who always assisted—looked extremely nervous.
“Please prioritize treating Seok Kang-Ho’s shoulder,” Kang Chan said.
As requested, Yoo Hun-Woo and the nurse cut off the bandages wrapped around Seok Kang-Ho’s shoulder and top first, revealing a bullet wound.
“Oh my!” Yoo Hun-Woo frowned. He disinfected the wound before examining the others. They inserted an IV line connected to a blood bag into Seok Kang-Ho and immediately began to transfuse blood into him. Afterward, accompanied by an agent, the nurse left the room for a moment and came back wheeling in an X-ray machine.
“I think the bullet in his shoulder has broken into pieces. We should take an X-ray before we try to remove it,” Yoo Hun-Woo explained.
“Is there coffee here?” Kang Chan asked.
The question seemed to have caught Yoo Hun-Woo and the nurse off guard. It was nothing out of the ordinary for Kang Chan, though. Having gone through moments like this multiple times already, this was just another day for him.
One of the agents left the room and came back with coffee.
“What about me?” Seok Kang-Ho asked. The agent made him coffee as well.
They operated on Seok Kang-Ho and Kang Chan for over three hours in total. By the time they were done, it was already six in the morning. The two headed up to a room.
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho headed up to one of the rooms to rest. Inside, Jeon Da-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jung were already waiting, looking more tired than those who had to undergo treatment.
“Are you two going to have breakfast?” Kim Hyung-Jung asked.
“We are,” Kang Chan answered. “Want to eat with us?”
The four eventually decided to have galbi-tang. They talked about the South Koreans’ response to the broadcast while eating, but Kang Chan couldn’t really care less about it. “We’ve assigned some agents to stand guard outside. We’ll come back later,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.
“Get some sleep, Kang Chan. You too, Mr. Seok,” Jeon Dae-Geuk added.
The two looked disappointed for having to leave.
It’s been a long time since I came to the Bang Ji Hospital.
“Phew! I’m going to hit the hay. You should rest too,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“You go on ahead. I’m going to wash up first.”
Although they disinfected him with soap during the operation, he didn’t feel as refreshed as actually taking a bath.
Kang Chan wrapped his wounds with a cling film and washed up. By the time he got out of the bathroom, Seok Kang-Ho was already snoring.
***
Click.
Kang Chan jerked awake and sat up as fast as a sea creature jumping up from the depths of the sea. He glared at the door, finding a surprised and flustered nurse examining his mood.
Do I look too murderous right now?
He looked to the side and saw Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes had become cruel and cold. He looked as if he was about to break someone’s neck.
It seemed they were still on edge.
“What time is it?” Kang Chan asked the nurse.
“It’s eleven am.” The nurse hesitantly approached Kang Chan and added medication to his IV. She then did the same for Seok Kang-Ho.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Seok Kang-Ho made weird noises to warm up his coarse throat as the nurse added medication to his IV, making her leave so quickly that she looked as if she was running away.
“Let’s have lunch. How does bossam and mak-guksu sound?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
This fucking guy hasn’t even properly warmed up his throat yet but he’s already dragging his IV pole around to order from a restaurant.
“Order whatever you want. I’m going to make a few phone calls,” Kang Chan responded.
“Alright.”
Yoo Hye-Sook was the first one he called.
- Channy! What happened?
Hearing her voice made a part of his heart warm up.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to call you.”
- When are you coming home?
“I will probably have to stay here for two to three more days. How have you two been?”
- We’re fine. We just miss you.
“I\'m sorry. I’ll go home as soon as I can.”
- Okay, Channy. For some strange reason, your dad has been having a hard time since he watched the broadcast on the TV yesterday, so come home quickly and console him. Make sure to call him as well.
“I will.”
- I love you, Channy.
“I love you too.”
Seok Kang-Ho glanced at Kang Chan, a genuine smile on his face. “Woah! Seeing you act like that makes me happy. Are you going to call your father?”
“I was just about to.”
“Give me a moment. Let me order food for us first.”
Seok Kang-Ho ordered bossam and mak-guksu with a rough voice.