Chapter 68
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Operation Golden Carriage
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"You can't stop! You have to keep moving until the sun rises!"
Physically weak, Kangyul collapsed several times along the way.
His clothes, soaked in seawater, were heavy, and the cold made his entire body shudder.
Even when he tried to stand, he had no strength in his hands or feet.
"Haa... haa... J-just... leave me..."
Kangyul waved his hand dismissively.
Yi Eoksang rushed over and scooped him up in his arms.
"No way in hell!"
Yi Eoksang quickened his pace.
Once the sun rose, the pursuit would begin in earnest.
Unlike in Korea, North Korea had few trees in the mountains, making it hard to erase their tracks.
'We need to hurry to a hiding spot.'
Splash―
"Huff... huff..."
In the night's mountains, only the sound of Yi Eoksang's footsteps and his ragged breathing echoed.
The one silver lining was that these bald mountains had no wildlife, so there was no worry of getting lost or attacked.
He occasionally looked up at the sky, gauging direction from the constellations as he walked.
'I don't know how long we were out, but they couldn't have reached the East Sea in that short time.'
At best, it would be North Korea's West Sea.
In that case, roughly calculating, they were probably around Pyongyang or south of it.
'...I did the thousand-ri march in the military. This is nothing!'
Yi Eoksang's feet and hands were already numb from the cold.
If he didn't stop soon to warm up, frostbite was a real risk.
But what worried him more was Kangyul.
Even cradled in his arms, Kangyul had gone completely still.
"Ugh... C-cold..."
He let out intermittent groans, his body trembling violently.
It was time to find a hiding spot.
Fortunately, before jumping from the ship, he'd stuffed a field shovel into his bag.
It was only a bit larger than his palm, but having it made all the difference.
Far off in the darkness, the faint light of the sun began pouring through.
Only then could Yi Eoksang properly take in the landscape of the mountain he was traversing.
'...Damn it.'
[Great Power of Strong Prosperity]
[Army-First Revolution]
The massive letters on the red signboard were visible even from afar.
And nearby, soldiers in brown uniforms milled about.
Yi Eoksang quickly dropped low and scanned the area.
'A house!'
It was more like ruins, half-collapsed.
But to Yi Eoksang, it was a godsend.
"President. Hang in there just a bit longer."
Yi Eoksang shoved aside the rotting wooden planks.
Beneath was damp but soft soil.
He pulled out the field shovel from his bag and began digging.
Thud!
With countless experiences digging tunnels in Africa, it came together quickly.
He made the entrance narrow and the interior spacious.
Yi Eoksang dragged Kangyul inside the tunnel.
Then he sealed the entrance tight with wooden planks and stones.
'All we can do is hope the soldiers don't notice and pass by.'
As soon as they were inside, Yi Eoksang rummaged in his bag and pulled something out.
Excluding the camera and shovel, it was the solid fuel he'd prioritized.
Solid fuel ignited easily even in low temperatures, produced no smoke, and burned well even when wet—essential for camping.
Click!
With hands trembling from the cold, Yi Eoksang gripped the fire starter.
After several tries, he finally got a flame going.
Whoosh―
The narrow earthen hole filled with flickering fire, spreading a gentle warmth.
He wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep right then, but he couldn't.
Yi Eoksang bit his tongue to stay alert and stripped off all of Kangyul's clothes.
'...Need to dry him out as much as possible.'
There was nothing but dry leaves on the bare ground, but the warmth made it bearable.
Yi Eoksang soon passed out, as if dead to the world.
Every day was pure bliss for Kim Hyeokcheol.
Unlike the past, when he was the party's top target, now everyone watched his mood wherever he went.
He'd even taken the family on carefree trips to places he couldn't visit before due to party scrutiny.
'Life's all about making it big.'
Knock knock―
"Come in."
At Kim Hyeokcheol's words, two soldiers entered hesitantly and saluted.
"Who are you? New faces."
The younger of the two glanced nervously before speaking.
"Yes, sir. I'm Yi Jeonghyeok, member of Special Operations Unit Wolseong Team 7!"
"Wolseong Team? Aren't those the agents for South Korea?"
"Yes, sir! We've received orders directly from the Deputy Director and are in the midst of operations...!"
Kim Hyeokcheol frowned and raised a hand midway through Yi Jeonghyeok's explanation.
Some of it didn't make sense.
"Orders from me? I've never given any to Special Operations. You must be mistaken."
Yi Jeonghyeok's eyes widened as he glanced at Mr. Park beside him.
Strictly speaking, Mr. Park was the team leader and responsible party for Team 7.
Yi Jeonghyeok just followed orders and didn't know their true origin.
"...Th-the Deputy Director gave the orders, sir. I received them directly."
Mr. Park had kept silent to dodge responsibility.
But as the mood soured, he pulled out the order from his pocket and presented it.
"No way. What business do I have in South Korea?"
Kim Hyeokcheol smirked and snatched the paper.
His face flushed red then pale as he read.
"...Kang...yul kidnapping?! Fell from ship and missing?!"
"W-well, the kidnapping wasn't perfect, but he's probably drowned in the sea! Even if he washed up, he'd have frozen to death!"
Mr. Park shouted quickly.
Kim Hyeokcheol's face twisted in rage.
"You call that an answer?!"
Thwack!
"Urk!"
Kim Hyeokcheol kicked Mr. Park in the gut.
He didn't stop there, pummeling the fallen man mercilessly.
Thwack! Thwack!
"He's my benefactor! My benefactor! And you idiots... Kidnapping?!"
"Gah! C-comrade! M-mercy!"
"Sending the Golden Carriage wouldn't be enough, and you drown him?! Freeze him?! You vermin! Die yourself!"
Thwack!
After beating Mr. Park thoroughly, Kim Hyeokcheol glared at Yi Jeonghyeok with blazing eyes.
Though much younger, his aura was overwhelming.
"Hey. What's your name?"
"...Sp-special Operations Unit Wolseong Team 7 member Yi Jeonghyeok!"
"Right. Yi Jeonghyeok... Bring Mr. Kangyul back safe and sound, no matter what. If he's even scratched, you know what happens, right?"
"F-for the fatherland!"
Yi Jeonghyeok saluted sharply and dragged Mr. Park out.
Mr. Park's face was swollen and bloody.
'Damn! I thought it was just a kidnapping, but it's not!'
Yi Jeonghyeok roughly threw Mr. Park to the ground.
Thud!
He'd had doubts before executing the mission.
The party wouldn't kidnap a kid for no reason.
As expected, he seemed to be someone precious, connected to high party officials.
"What happened?"
"Nothing much. Target spotted?"
"Not yet, sir. But we found signs of movement in the mountains."
Yi Jeonghyeok let out a heavy sigh at his subordinate's report.
'Good. He's still alive.'
"Operation's changing now. Not kidnapping—secure and protect the target. Operation name... Golden Carriage! Move out!"
'Hot.'
Kangyul came to, feeling stifled by the heat.
Blinking, he scanned around, at first thinking he'd been sealed in a coffin—it felt so cramped.
'...A tunnel?'
In the flickering flames, he vaguely made out the field shovel and Yi Eoksang.
Only then did memories before passing out return.
'Thought I'd wake up before King Yama, but this guy's incredible.'
Carrying him through those dark mountain paths couldn't have been easy.
As Kangyul stared blankly, Yi Eoksang stirred and woke.
"Mm. President, you're up? You okay?"
"Yeah. Just hungry, otherwise fine."
Yi Eoksang rummaged in the bag and handed him something.
It was a pill the size of a coin.
"Glucose and nutrients. Just chew it. Won't fill you up, but it'll give you energy."
Kangyul popped it in gratefully and chewed.
The sweet glucose spread pleasantly in his mouth.
Yi Eoksang also offered a canteen of water.
"Saw a big river on the way. Water didn't look great, but I added purification tablets, so it's safe."
Even dirty river water would have been fine—Kangyul's throat was parched.
After gulping it down, he felt alive again.
'Without Yi Eoksang, I'd be dead already. Whew.'
"Clothes are dry now, so put 'em on. We'll move again when the sun sets."
"Got it. By the way, why did those North Korean bastards kidnap us?"
"Who knows."
Yi Eoksang didn't seem too concerned about it.
He simply pulled out the camera from the bag and strapped one to his wrist and one to his head.
Kangyul admired how Yi Eoksang was still set on recording even now.
"Survival in the World's Corners 2. Not the Amazon, but still."
"Exactly. Might as well. Gonna film till we escape. Want one for you, President?"
Kangyul chuckled and shook his head.
"I'd probably drop it."
Yi Eoksang nodded, tidied the tunnel, and cleared the stones from the entrance.
Outside the hole, night had already fallen dark.