God of Blackfield

Helicopter blades chopped through the air, sending out fierce winds and loud noises, as the DMZ team’s aircraft descended onto the field in front of the Mongolian base.

The Taegeukgi[1] fluttered above the container-made barracks. It had machine guns, portable missiles, and guards next to it.

Kang Chul-Gyu, lowering his posture, moved toward the base.

"Glad to have you back!" Kim Tae-Jin greeted over the noise.

"Did anything happen while we were gone?"

"Just a couple of minor protests, but we’ve already dealt with them."

As they talked, various supplies were being unloaded. Oh Gwang-Taek, Nam Il-Gyu, and Yang Dong-Sik also greeted Kim Tae-Jin. The two headed into the barracks.

Now that the harsh winter had passed, the barracks’ interior finally felt somewhat warm.

"Would you like scoffee?"

"Sure.”

Kang Chul-Gyu lightly smiled as he watched Kim Tae-Jin make coffee.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I’m just relieved. I feel like we’re finally getting back on track."

"It does seem so," Kim Tae-Jin agreed. He brought over two paper cups to the sofa. "Losing that extra weight really makes a difference in how you move."

Kang Chul-Gyu nodded. "Thank you, Tae-Jin. You’re the reason I get to serve our country again."

"You must have gotten older. Back then, even if I brought you water, you'd barely look."

Kang Chul-Gyu laughed out loud.

"You're laughing now. Did something good happen?"

"It’s a bit late, but I did get my health back. You’re all also still with me, which makeshappy."

After taking a sip of his coffee, Kang Chul-Gyu's expression becserious.

"We're expecting a surprise attack from the enemy within a week."

Kim Tae-Jin’s gaze tensed up as he focused.

"About ten juniors from Jeungpyeong will join us tomorrow under the guise of vacation leave."

"Do you know who the enemy is?"

Kang Chul-Gyu briefly shook his head. "The assistant director already had to go through so much just to get intel about this attack."

"The assistant director? You mean...?"

"Assistant Director Kang Chan."

Kim Tae-Jin felt that Kang Chul-Gyu had changed.

"We'll thoroughly respond to their offensive in our own way. They'll likely use the night, so let's start preparing tomorrow. When the juniors from Jeungpyeong arrive, we'll assign them to the spositions."

"I'll prepare as you command, sunbae-nim. Is there really no way for us to know how many enemies we’ll be up against?"

"Well, it's a surprise attack, and this place is on the border of Russia, Mongolia, and China, so I doubt they’ll be sending a large force.”

Kim Tae-Jin nodded. "Good point."

Soon, they heard laughter from outside.

"I'll be back in a moment."

"No rush."

After Kim Tae-Jin left the barracks, Kang Chul-Gyu entered a room with a shopping bag and a suit cover. He then walked over to the closet on the left, which was for his use.

After opening it, he took off the suit cover and hung the suit on the door. This way, he could see the suit whenever he opened the closet.

Kang Chul-Gyu then placed the shoes from the shopping bag inside the closet. These were the pair that he had worn once when dining with Kang Chan. After looking back and forth between the suit and the shoes, he hung the rest of the clothes on hangers in the closet.

All that was left was to close the door. However, before he could, his gaze fiercely sharpened.

***

Right after leaving the Samseong-dong office, Kang Chan's heart began pounding heavily, sending him a suffocating warning.

“Are you okay?" Choi Jong-Il asked.

"Have you assigned security personnel to Mr. Seok's hospital?"

"Yes. Would you liketo double-check?"

Kang Chan nodded.

Choi Jong-Il made a quick call. After a brief conversation, he hung up.

"He's asleep now, probably because of the medication. They say his condition has improved significantly and that he might be discharged soon."

Kang Chan deeply exhaled.

As if nothing happened, his heart was now beating normally.

It was as absurd as throwing away gum and then putting the wrapper in one’s mouth. Just a few days ago, he had fought a battle; was it likely his heart would pound from the sound of war?

For now, he was just glad that his heart had calmed down.

From Lanok Kang Dae-Kyung, and Yoo Hye-Sook to the base in Mongolia, too many people flashed in his mind, albeit briefly. It wasn't just one or two people or one or two places.

He continued his way to the office.

The phone rang.

Recognizing the number, Kang Chan immediately answered.

"Mr. Ambassador? Is everything okay?"

- Mr. Kang Chan! Where are you right now?

"I'm on my way to the office right now."

Having just gotten a warning from his heart, Kang Chan focused on the call.

- Can I stop by for a bit?

Kang Chan smiled faintly. The relaxed reply was reassuring.

"Please do, sir. Do you know where it is?"

- Of course.

"Cin from the barricaded side in the underground parking lot. How long before you arrive?"

- I'm leaving the Samseong-dong Hotel now.

"Got it."

After hanging up, Kang Chan told Choi Jong-Il about their conversation.

"Shouldn't we buy lunch, then?"

Noticing Kang Chan's gaze on him, Choi Jong-Il tilted his head. "What tea does the ambassador usually drink?"

"Black tea. He also fancies a cigar during long conversations.”

"We have tea bags, but no cigars. We should buy quality ones from a hotel. I'll ask the guys to bring some."

"Do we really have to?"

Although they didn’t have any cigars, Kang Chan saw no reason to procure simmediately. They could just take their time.

"We can ask the Security Team Two."

"Let's not make too much of a big deal out of this. It's only touching if a gift’s prepared in advance, not hurriedly."

"Yes, sir,” Choi Jong-Il responded as he drove into the building's underground parking lot.

Since Lanok mentioned the Samseong-dong Hotel, he would probably cthe sway as Kang Chan. If so, then he’d be arriving soon.

As Kang Chan stepped out of the car, a sedan drove into the underground parking lot. It then turned toward the barrier and stopped in front of it. The familiar license plate and the model caught his attention.

Louis got out from the passenger side and briefly greeted Kang Chan.

The barrier immediately went up. Louis walked alongside the car until it stopped in front of the exclusive elevator.

"Kang Chan!"

"Welcome, Mr. Ambassador."

After exchanging French-style greetings, Kang Chan and Lanok walked into the elevator with Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, Louis, and another French agent.

Lanok seemed pleased with Kang Chan's demeanor.

Choi Jong-Il scanned his fingerprint on the security device and opened the door.

"This way, please."

Kang Chan led Lanok to a table in front of a window.

"I wish for your further success, Mr. Kang Chan,” Lanok said.

At the stime, Louis handed Kang Chan a shopping bag containing Lanok’s gifts.

"Thank you. May I open it?"

"Of course."

As Kang Chan opened the two wrapped gifts, Woo Hee-Seung brought over coffee, black tea, an ashtray, and cigarettes.

Upon opening the box, Kang Chan’s excitement burst. Inside was an antique porcelain teapot and teacup set, cigars, a cigar cutter, and premium black tea.

“I didn’t expect you to like it this much.”

“I really do. Thank you, Ambassador.”

Lanok still had a relaxed, unmasked expression. Kang Chan signaled Woo Hee-Seung to prepare them stea using the tea set, then offered Lanok a cigar.

“Thanks to your gift, I’m able to offer you a cigar, Mr. Ambassador.”

After accepting the cigar, Lanok trimmed the end of it and lit it.

Kang Chan had tried cigars in Africa a few times but never sought them out again due to their distinctive smell and the harsh sensation that he had felt as the smoke went down his throat.

Although the one Lanok was having now was certainly more expensive and refined than the ones Kang Chan had smoked before, his opinion of it still hadn’t changed.

Kang Chan lit a cigarette as Woo Hee-Seung brought over tea. He then poured Lanok a cup.

“Louis, there’s a lounge inside. You can rest there. Choi Jong-Il, please accompany him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Louis followed Choi Jong-Il out of the room, leaving only Kang Chan and Lanok in the spacious area.

“You’ve got a really nice view here.”

Kang Chan followed Lanok’s gaze to the sprawling road in the distance.

“Mr. Kang Chan.”

After a moment, Lanok turned back to Kang Chan.

“Gabriel was found dead in a hotel bathroom. He died of a heart attack, but according to the autopsy, it’s caused by a poison that intelligence bureaus use.”

Kang Chan suddenly felt as if things were moving faster than expected.

“Gérard's adoptive father was Sergey Karakayev, the man who managed Russian nuclear missiles. He smuggled a small nuclear warhead into France.”

Kang Chan didn’t expect a nuclear warhead to cinto play, but he did predict that the situation would quickly escalate to this point.

Calmly, Lanok continued, “I cacross two more crucial pieces of information while investigating this matter. The first one is that Josh, the second-in-command of the British intelligence bureau, is connected to the Star of David.”

Kang Chan wasn’t really surprised since he didn’t know the man. Moreover, it was only natural for such capable individuals to plant someone of that caliber among them.

“The other is that Romain is also allegedly connected to the Star of David.”

The news was so startling that Kang Chan couldn’t help but frown deeply.

“The Star of David, which has been moving under our radar, has decided to show itself because of you, Monsieur Kang.”

“Can’t you replace Romain, Mr. Ambassador?”

“It was possible until the Afghan operation. I no longer have control over the DGSE,” Lanok answered as if it no longer concerned him—as if it was someone else’s problem now.

“This is the true nature of intelligence bureaus. I could have ordered Romain's assassination back then, but I have lost that authority now. More importantly, Josh is offering tantalizing proposals to various intelligence bureaus under the nof the Star of David.”

Lanok smirked as he added, “It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the agreements between intelligence bureaus have been broken. From now on, assassination and conspiracy will dominate the chaos until someone takes control of this world.”

Kang Chan took a deep breath. The possibility of war, as mentioned by Hwang Ki-Hyun, felt chillingly real now.

“We all have vested interests in the construction of the next-generation power facility in our country. There are also a lot of agreements already in place,” Kang Chan countered. He then asked, “Can everyone just suddenly switch sides even though we’ve already concluded so many meetings?"

Lanok smiled.

“The Star of David probably offered conditions as attractive as the construction of that facility in South Korea, and the DGSE has likely already agreed to cooperate with them.”

Lanok ashed his cigar and turned toward Kang Chan.

“The fact that the Russian intelligence bureau found Gabriel, that the DGSE failed to uncover Gérard's past year, and that Gabriel was eventually found dead all clearly show the DGSE’s current stance.”

What would it feel like if the National Intelligence Service turned its back on Kang Chan?

Even after his wife died and his daughter becpermanently disabled, Lanok continued working for France. Kang Chan couldn’t even begin to imagine how Lanok was feeling now that the DGSE had turned its back on him.

“Ambassador, is it possible for you to return to France?”

Lanok looked at Kang Chan as if asking why he would ask such a thing.

“I was just wondering if the DGSE can make that happen.”

As if Kang Chan had just told a really funny joke, Lanok laughed heartily.

“Getting to witness your progress, Mr. Kang Chan, has truly been a joy for me.”

Once his laughter had died down, Lanok picked up his teacup. “Not right now, but once they’ve completed their preparation, it is possible.”

Kang Chan lit another cigarette.

“Does the chaos you mentioned include your and Anne's safety?”

Lanok smirked. “Well, you haven’t forgotten my request, have you, Mr. Kang Chan?”

“Your and Anne’s safety—”

With a firm look in his eyes, Lanok interrupted, “I entrust France to you. If there’s anyone in France who can develop like you have, I’d like you to help them.”

He sounded prepared.

Kang Chan silently watched Lanok. Like Oh Gwang-Taek and Kang Chul-Gyu, Lanok had prepared himself for the worst. As his last request, he entrusted France to Kang Chan.

“I heard that there’s a possibility of a war on the Korean Peninsula,” Kang Chan said. “Without the next-gen facility, I won’t have the means to accomplish that.”

“Shouldn’t we protect the next-generation power facility, then?” Lanok countered, indirectly acknowledging the possibility of war.

Lanok, whom Kang Chan had always sought for advice and assistance, was now the one looking for his help.

“Do you really believe I can do this?”

“I am confident in my choice.”

The smoke from Lanok’s cigar and the cigarette in Kang Chan's fingers curled up to the ceiling. For stime, the two sat motionless. If not for the smoke, one would have likely thought that thad stopped.

“Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan called as the smoke turbulently billowed out. “I believe you’ll know when I beca monster.”

“I do not like being threatened.”

Kang Chan made his signature smirk, and Lanok responded with a smile of his own.

“Monsieur Kang.”

“Sir.”

Lanok pressed his cigar into the ashtray.

“Be cold-hearted. Utilize everything at your disposal, including me. Be prepared to strike anywhere in the world if necessary.”

Kang Chan immediately realized that Lanok was teaching him how to confront the Star of David.

“Move as you see fit. There’s no need to consultanymore. Until the next-generation power facility has been constructed, whether you need help, cooperation, or even commands, just letknow.”

“I believe you will do well in navigating through this crisis.”

Kang Chan silently listened.

“From now on, can no longer trust the DGSE,” Lanok advised.

Lanok stood up and looked out the window. After calling Choi Jong-Il and Louis back, he turned around.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Chan felt a chill run down his spine. Lanok extended his hand in the smanner and expression as Hwang Ki-Hyun. After firmly shaking Kang Chan’s hand, Lanok headed toward the exit with a smile.

The look and expression Lanok gave him until the elevator door closed was all the answer that Kang Chan needed.

Kang Chan slowly walked to the office’s large glass front, bringing into view the sunlight, the car-filled roads, and the people in white shirts across the building.

After a brief moment, he glared at the door that Lanok had exited through.

1. The Taegeukgi is the national flag of South Korea ☜