Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: May You Be at Peace There (1)
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Thirty hours after Nobody's death.
Kanghyeok sat in a sterile white examination room, a faint scent of alcohol in the air.
Dressed in a brown cardigan and jeans instead of a suit, he watched as an X-ray film was clipped onto a backlit panel.
Click.
The film showed a stark white skeleton against a black background.
Having no professional medical training, Kanghyeok waited for the interpretation of the doctor sitting across from him.
“How peculiar.”
The elderly doctor, bald with thick-lensed glasses, muttered as he examined the film.
“Is there a problem?”
“The peculiar thing is that there isn’t one.”
The doctor removed his glasses, meticulously wiped them on the hem of his white coat, and looked back at the X-ray.
“Your skin sustained numerous injuries, yet your skeletal structure is perfectly fine. It must be due to the bulletproof capabilities of your new suit.”
“That, and I was lucky.”
The doctor’s brow furrowed, as if recalling some painful memories.
“Don’t put too much faith in luck. It has a habit of disappearing when you need it most.”
Kanghyeok gave a bitter smile and nodded.
He understood.
The doctor must have seen more than his fair share of patients he wanted to save die from a simple lack of luck.
Kanghyeok, too, had seen many men die from bad luck.
A doctor and an agent.
Their professions were polar opposites, yet he felt a strange sense of kinship.
“While you’re here, you might as well get an MRI or a CT scan.”
“No, thank you. That would take too long.”
“You know how it works. If you want, we can get you in for a scan immediately, no waiting.”
It was a polite refusal, but the doctor persisted.
“I’m fine. I know my own injuries.”
The doctor’s face crinkled with displeasure.
“Relying on your youth is not a wise choice. Death doesn’t follow any particular order.”
“I understand. Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses and glanced at the chart.
“You don’t spend much time outdoors, do you? You’re deficient in Vitamin D, and your overall nutritional state is poor. I’ll prescribe some supplements for you to pick up.”
“Thank you.”
As Kanghyeok stood up, the doctor’s eyes followed him.
“Kanghyeok.”
“Yes.”
“It’s good to see you again. Welcome back.”
Kanghyeok replied as he prepared to leave.
“I’m not fully back.”
“Regardless, we’ve met again like this.”
The doctor offered a warm smile, his eyes filled with a sense of familiarity.
The hospital appeared ordinary and did indeed accept regular patients, but that was merely a front.
This was no ordinary hospital.
It was a hospital run by the Company.
A place where agents injured on missions, or those who had completed them like Kanghyeok, came at the Company’s recommendation.
For employees, medical fees were waived, and with state-of-the-art equipment, most injuries could be treated quickly.
Places like this existed all over the world.
“Well, I’ll be on my way.”
“Next time you visit, I hope it’s just like today.”
He meant, ‘Don’t get hurt.’
Kanghyeok simply answered with a smile.
Neither the doctor nor the Company would ever know.
Just how severe Kanghyeok’s injuries had been.
Bullets had hammered his body several times, and a knife had even churned inside him.
He had lost so much blood that he’d nearly lost consciousness.
And yet, the doctor told him to come back just as he was today.
Would he have said the same thing if he knew about Kanghyeok's healing ability?
*‘No.’*
There were two likely reactions.
They would look at him like a monster.
Or they would envy him.
Kanghyeok’s extraordinary healing ability was a power anyone who valued their life would give their entire fortune to possess.
Especially the Company.
They would see it as an opportunity to cut the astronomical costs of training and deploying an agent, and they would do whatever it took to reinstate him.
It was a path that promised both wealth and honor, but Kanghyeok wanted neither.
He had something he needed to do now.
And to do it, he judged that he couldn’t be shackled to the Company.
He was carefully managing his distance from the Company, so much so that he had chosen to work as a contractor rather than be reinstated, all to maintain his freedom of action.
“Goodbye.”
Kanghyeok left the examination room with a faint smile.
Click.
“Phew.”
After closing the door, Kanghyeok’s gaze fell upon the other patients.
He quickly looked away from those in casts or hooked up to IV drips.
It was something akin to a pang of guilt, what a person with healing abilities felt in a hospital.
In any case, after following the administration office’s instructions to pick up his prescription and get his parking validated, Kanghyeok turned toward the elevator.
“Have you finished your consultation?”
A rather attractive Latina woman approached him with a businesslike air.
Kanghyeok looked the suited woman up and down, his eyes fixing on the cufflinks on her shirt sleeve.
*‘Company.’*
Her sleeves were adorned with cufflinks of a design used exclusively by the Company.
“Is this about the hospital bill?”
The woman chuckled and shook her head.
“No. You don’t need to worry about the bill.”
The eyes of people passing by flickered between Kanghyeok and the woman before returning to the noisy television.
The pair could have passed for a patient being discharged speaking with an insurance agent.
Still, there were too many eyes. Noticing Kanghyeok’s unease, the woman gestured to the elevator and spoke.
“Shall we talk as we walk?”
Kanghyeok nodded and immediately started toward the elevator.
The two walked side by side, their gazes fixed straight ahead.
“Did your test results come back well?”
“The results go to the Company anyway, don’t they?”
“Leila’s report said you were heavily injured, but you seem to be quite different from that description.”
Kanghyeok glanced at the woman.
Her eyes held a hint of suspicion.
Leila would have filed a report, objectively documenting everything she saw, experienced, and heard for her superiors.
Naturally, it would contain confidential Company information like personal privacy details or satellite data, so regular employees couldn’t view it.
Only executives or their assistants would have access to the report.
“You must be William’s assistant.”
“Oh, my apologies for the late introduction. Please call me Olga.”
Whether it was her real name or not, Kanghyeok didn't care enough to dig deeper.
“A pleasure, Olga. And Leila wasn’t on-site. She only heard the audio, so it’s understandable she might have been mistaken.”
Olga’s suspicious gaze quickly scanned Kanghyeok’s body. Then, she averted her eyes and gave a slight tilt of her head.
*‘Did Leila make a mistake?’*
That’s not like her.
Still, a lot of noise would have been mixed in during the chaotic fight, and the sound of gunfire over a comms device is hard to distinguish, so a misunderstanding was plausible.
“Did you have any trouble with your examination?”
Kanghyeok answered as he pressed the elevator button.
“I understand why, but it’s too analog.”
“It’s protocol. I hope you understand that we have no choice.”
Analog had only one advantage over digital.
It was less susceptible to hacking.
What if the hospital’s servers were breached by a hacker?
The personal information of every agent would fall into their hands.
Ding.
The elevator arrived, and the two stepped inside.
The doors slid shut, leaving them alone in the elevator.
“What brings you here?”
Now they no longer had to worry about prying eyes and ears.
As Kanghyeok steered the conversation to business, Olga adopted a formal expression and a polite tone.
“William asked me to pass on a message. He said you did an excellent job.”
“Something he could have said over the phone or in a text.”
Olga’s expression soured slightly as she replied.
“Nonsense. You’re being too modest. The executives are quite encouraged by this incident.”
The Company’s assessment was that Kanghyeok had made a successful and perfect return.
Initially, the job was simply to eliminate a gang.
But the mission’s risk level was re-evaluated midway through. Not only did he stop Nobody’s massacre, but he also prevented the bombs planted throughout the city from detonating.
“It’s not a feat just anyone could accomplish.”
“I had a supporter.”
“Just one.”
One agent and one supporter.
“Leila is an excellent supporter, but we all know the agent’s role is paramount.”
Had a lower-level agent been deployed, the outcome would have been completely different.
In any case, minimal manpower was invested for maximum results.
The response within the Company was so enthusiastic that even the executives who had been hesitant to hire Kanghyeok as a contractor were now patting themselves on the back for approving it.
Some were even saying he should be treated not as a contractor, but as a partner.
Whirrr.
Inside the elevator as it hummed its way down to the basement, Olga produced an envelope from her inner jacket pocket.
“Would you please accept this?”
“What is it?”
Kanghyeok took the envelope, opened it, and narrowed his eyes.
“If this is my payment, I’ll discuss it with William separately.”
Inside was a check.
And for no small amount.
“It’s not your payment. It’s a performance bonus.”
“Then it’s too much.”
This wasn’t a mission commissioned by a client; it was preliminary work for establishing a safe house.
There was no profit for the Company, and the job wasn't of the highest importance.
The amount on the check was eighty million won.
It was a large amount for a bonus.
“Of all the people they could have sent, why do you think it was me, William’s assistant, who came?”
At Olga’s words, delivered with a faint smile, Kanghyeok chuckled, folded the envelope in half, and put it in his pocket.
“I understand.”
“He’s someone who believes in rewarding people properly.”
Ding.
The elevator doors opened, and Leila, who had been waiting in the parking garage, greeted him with a slight bow of her head.
“Olga, you’re here too.”
Olga gave Leila a small smile and a nod, then followed behind Kanghyeok, who was already walking ahead.
Kanghyeok walked in the lead, with Olga behind him, and Leila following about three paces behind her.
Leila didn’t know what they had discussed in the elevator.
But the mere fact that Olga, who rarely made personal appearances, was with Kanghyeok gave her a good idea of their conversation.
There was no room for Leila to interject in this conversation.
As Leila walked silently, the conversation between the other two continued.
“William is extremely pleased with how this turned out. So much so that he regrets being unable to come himself due to his schedule.”
“It’s not urgent. I’ll speak to him about this matter in person later.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you require?”
Kanghyeok, who was walking toward his car, glanced back at Olga with a quizzical look.
“We can also assign an assistant to you, if you wish.”
“Aren’t assistants only assigned to team leaders and above?”
“We are aware.”
The Company had re-evaluated Kanghyeok’s operational capabilities.
He wasn't someone who would remain a deputy team leader.
He was destined for greater things.
“If you’d like, I can send over a few résumés. You can choose from among them.”
Kanghyeok laughed silently, his shoulders shaking.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Do you have someone in mind already?”
Olga glanced at Leila, who gave a subtle shake of her head just as Kanghyeok spoke.
“I’ll discuss it with William when I see him.”
Olga’s gaze returned to Kanghyeok, the corners of her mouth tightening.
He wouldn’t speak to anyone below William’s level.
That was the impression his words gave.
But Olga quickly forced a smile.
“Very well. I will pass that on.”
Anyone else might not have gotten away with it, but Kanghyeok had earned the right.
This mission had been next to impossible, and he had delivered a miraculous result.
Someone who had so clearly proven their qualifications and value had to be treated with respect, even by the Company.
Olga, careful not to offend him, even breathed cautiously as she added one more thing.
“The new suit you requested will be sent shortly. And we haven’t received your firearm. Shall we send an armorer to you?”
His suit and rifle had been badly damaged during the fight with Nobody.
The suit could be replaced.
The rifle, however, was a different story.
It was broken in and customized; he couldn’t just get a new one.
In such cases, it was standard procedure to send the weapon to the Company for repairs. Those who received special treatment had an armorer visit them personally.
“No. It’s my gun, I’ll take care of it myself.”
But Kanghyeok chose neither option.
Partly because it was more convenient, and partly because he had his own plans.
“Understood. If you send us the receipt later, we will process it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kanghyeok took his car key from his pocket and pressed a button.
Beep-beep!
The sports car, dormant in the parking garage, awoke with a flash of its headlights. Kanghyeok looked at his car and spoke.
“On another note, could you send me a more ordinary car to drive?”
Olga seemed pleased by Kanghyeok’s request and took a notepad and a fountain pen from her pocket.
“Do you have any preferred options?”
“A four-wheel-drive SUV. Something inconspicuous and respectable.”
“And the brand?”
“German or American. Anything will do.”
Nodding, Olga jotted down Kanghyeok’s requirements before putting her notepad away.
“We’ll have it sent over with the suit within the week.”
“Good.”
Kanghyeok got into the sports car, and Leila, who had been following, walked past Olga and got into the passenger seat.
From a respectable distance, Olga watched the sports car pull out.
Then, as Kanghyeok’s car moved toward the garage exit, she bowed deeply in a show of formal respect.