Chapter 70: Gartz hunt (Cleaning up)

Just like everyone else, Joonbum also had a list of things he wanted to do, such as visiting a nice dinner place and traveling around the world if he became successful.

‘But it’s boring.’

He was now able to do almost anything on his bucket list, but everything on this side of the world was not interesting to him. Except for the good times he spent with Sungjae, it still wasn’t satisfying. Instead of going after his personal list, he began studying vehicle mechanics. He needed to learn about the Humvee.

“Joonbum, you have to loosen the inner bolt first. Yes, that one.”

“Oh, okay.”

“There you go. It makes it easier for you to loosen the outer one after that. You can just grab this and pull.”

“Yes,” Joonbum answered as he grabbed the tool the mechanic handed over to him.

“You’re doing well. You’ve learned a lot.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re much faster now. But as I said from the beginning, these military vehicles require a lot of detailed attention so you have to go slow. Shall we try it again then?”

“Sure.”

Giltae Kim nodded at Joonbum’s answer.

“Okay, we’ll start with changing out the ignition plug.”

Joonbum paid him to learn about the mechanics and it had been over a week now. His body was drenched with the smell of oil and it was an intense lesson, but it still made him smile. A sense of achievement from learning something was satisfying. All of the mishaps that occurred were forgotten as he concentrated on learning.

‘I don’t need a list of things to do. This is more comforting.’

Joonbum’s bucket list was about the other world now.

“It’s really important to concentrate on disassembly and assembly. If you do that perfectly, then you’ve already achieved at least 80% success. If you have any leftover parts when you’re done, then you have to disassemble everything and do it again. One missing bolt could lead to a fatal accident, so it cannot be looked over. I also prepared video files for various cases and how to repair them, so you can take it.”

It was already afternoon when Joonbum learned and tried repairing the vehicle.

“Great. It’s acceptable. Thank you.”

Sergeant James’ voice was hoarse as he had been talking a lot. It seemed like he was also satisfied that Joonbum managed to learn enough in such a short amount of time.

“Thank you for your work.”

“You’re welcome. It was a pleasure teaching you.”

Joonbum said his goodbyes to all of the people who helped him learn the skill and came out of the military base. Taesoo, who had been waiting, approached him.

“So is it over now?”

“Yes. I barely managed to pass.”

“Haha, I heard you put some hard work into it.”

Taesoo waved at his phone. It looked like Sergeant James had already called to update him.

‘Taesoo was the one who introduced me to him, so I guess it’s only natural.’

“You want some army stew?”

“Sure.”

“Army stew is a must if you’re next to the military base.”

“Haha.”

Joonbum cackled as Taesoo made a joke. Taesoo asked defensively, “Why? It’s not funny?”

“No, don’t do it anywhere else. It’s not even close to being funny.”

Taesoo seemed to be shocked. Joonbum grinned at the sight. Taesoo was more relaxed and full of confidence. There were no more signs of that desperate man from that day.

‘He was half-crazy. I wonder what I would’ve done if I were in that position.’

He thought about it but shook it away. It wasn’t something he even wanted to imagine.

“Welcome, two people?”

The restaurant looked busy. There were tables full of people enjoying the food in front of them. When they sat down, Joonbum ordered five servings that shocked both the server and Taesoo.

“I thought you’re treating? I eat a lot. Didn’t you see it in the videos?”

“That’s the videos! This… wow.”

Taesoo couldn’t continue as he watched Joonbum empty everything that was served on the table.

“Five more orders of noodles and rice cakes please.”

Taesoo could not speak anymore at the amount of food. When they began to feel their bellies starting to reach their limits, Taesoo began speaking.

“I’ll bring it to you today.”

“Oh, did you get it?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t that hard.”

“Any problems?”

“No. I’ll bring over the shells as well. Lots of them.”

He was talking about Browning heavy machine gun and its ammo. It was not too long ago that he asked Taesoo, but he made quick work of it.

‘That thing will be enough to kill the Gartz with ease.’

He knew it was possible after he faced the Gartz himself. The heavy machine gun would be enough.

‘I’m not trying to take over the world, so it doesn’t need to be stronger than that. But I need to stock up. Better to have plenty than be lacking.’

Joonbum grinned at the thought and spoke.

“Are those people okay too?”

Taesoo also grinned at the question.

“They don’t want to know.”

“Don’t they betray and do stuff like in the movies?”

Taesoo frowned as Joonbum jokingly spoke about the mafia from the movies.

“Those are only movies. There are some smaller groups who get into those kinds of problems, but our business value is too much. These guys spend a lot to maintain their businesses, so they avoid problems like the plague. Even the American military is involved now. It’s different.”

Joonbum nodded. It was as Taesoo said. If there were any problems, all the groups would be in jeopardy as the American military would cut all ties with them. They did not want that to happen.

“Oh, and this is my token of gratitude. It’s a small Christmas gift.”

“Gift? Haha, I haven’t gotten any Christmas gifts since I was a child!”

Joonbum handed over a bag. Taesoo, who received it, seemed to be surprised as it weighed more than expected and he watched Joonbum questioningly.

“It’s my cows. I’m sorry it’s a bit heavy.”

“Oh! Those cows?”

Taesoo realized what the content was.

“But why? What else do you need?”

“No, it’s my Christmas gift, like I said.”

Taesoo opened the bag slightly to check inside. He was baffled.

“A gift? This is too big of a gift…”

“I know you can take care of it easily.”

Taesoo looked at Joonbum for a moment and let out a big sigh.

“Whoa. Okay, I never thought I would receive such a gift in my lifetime.”

Taesoo shook his head and lowered his voice.

“So you want me to keep quiet, right?”

“Yes.”

Joonbum smiled and nodded. Taesoo let out a hollow laugh, took the bag, and placed it next to his chair.

“Sure, I’ll take good care of this. I am thinking of going to the United States for a while.”

“United States?”

“Yeah. I heard there’s a renowned doctor there. I know the chance is slim, but if it’s not zero percent then I should give it a try. I was thinking at the end of next year, but I guess I can visit next March since you gave me such a gift.”

Joonbum nodded. He would’ve done the same if he were in his situation. To Joonbum, Taesoo was more like a father than the man who called him in search of money.

‘This kind of man should’ve been my father.’

This was the man who was desperately searched for a way to save his wife and daughter. It was that fact that Joonbum decided to work with him. He was not like his father who abandoned him and his mother.

“That’s great.”

“Yes, thanks to you. It’s all thanks to you. I know I didn’t do enough to deserve this gift but I will take it. I need it for my family. I’m sorry.”

Joonbum noticed Taesoo’s voice shake slightly.

‘I’m sure the top-grade potion will work.’

It was Taesoo Park that came to Joonbum’s mind the moment he learned about its power.

‘But not now. I have to wait until January at least. There’s still time.’

Joonbum thought about it and changed the subject.

“I’m sorry about last time. I had no one else to call.”

Joonbum bowed apologetically. His only had a business relationship with Taesoo. Taesoo wasn’t there to take care of dirty business cases like the one that involved Jinpok. But he came and took care of it without a word. Joonbum was thankful for that.

“Oh that? It’s okay, it worked out. The young man knew what he needed to do.”

“Was he? I thought he was more hot-headed than that.”

Joonbum frowned at the thought of Jinpok who had been arrogant and aggressive against Joonbum since the start. Taesoo smiled.

“You don’t mess around when you know not to mess around, don’t you? That guy knew it also. We just talked with him for a while and gave him some money for his hospital visit.”

“Oh.”

Joonbum realized Jinpok always showed his arrogance against people who seemed to be weaker than him. If the person was stronger or better, he avoided stirring up trouble with them. Joonbum easily imagined what kind of ‘talk’ the two parties had.

‘Did he kept on fighting because of the old memory?’

Joonbum did give him some credit for not giving up or running away during the fight.

“But you did beat him up good. The boys told me it was the work of a professional fighter.”

Joonbum smiled awkwardly. It was a compliment, but a weird one.

“Okay, since we’re done eating, I’ll see you in the evening.”

“Oh, yes. I also need more fuel.”

“I’ll bring that too.”

They walked out of the restaurant. It was already getting dark outside as the sun did not stay up for too long in the winter.

“Goodbye. I’ll see you in the evening.”

“Goodbye.”

Joonbum let out a big sigh as Taesoo left in his car.

“I want to go back fast. The air quality is too bad on this side.”

The air here was too polluted. Joonbum felt his head hurt and could not breathe well every time he came back from town. His mother was about the same.

The phone rang.

“Son, where are you?”

“I was about to go back to the shooting range. What about you?”

“I’m about to go back too.”

“Is your alumni meeting over?”

“Hehe, yes. Just now. I’ll see you later.”

“Sure. Be careful on the road.”

-Sunsook! We can’t just finish it right now! Joonbum! Your mom is going to stay with us longer!-

-You haven’t come in years! You can’t go right now! No way!-

It seemed like they were not quite done yet. The sound of old women’s noisy chatter transferred over the phone. They were interested in Joonbum and also commented on how envious they were of Sunsook for having such a good son.

-Say, you didn’t find a new husband did you?-

-Look how beautiful she’s become? It’s only natural if she found one.-

-Look at her now! She’s almost like in her thirties!-

“Hey! I’m talking with my son right now. Cut it out.”

Joonbum smiled as he felt that his mom was also very excited. It seemed like she was happy to be at the center of attention.

“Mom, it’s going to be the last one. Make sure you enjoy it through and through.”

“B-but…”

“It’s okay. Treat them well. You can spend that much.”

“Okay. Thank you, my son.”

-Wow, Sunsook’s son is so generous. My son wants me to go back and cook him dinner! Hah!-

-My son doesn’t even care if I’m out. He’s too busy playing computer games.-

-Sunsook, I envy you.-

-Hey, look at this. This is Sunsook’s son’s video channel. Look at him! He’s so tall and handsome!-

-Wow. Wasn’t he fat and chubby before? My my!-

-He’s almost like a model!-

-If I were twenty years younger…-

“Ugh. Son, I’ll see you later. Bye!”

Joonbum hung up and silence fell around the area. It was pitch dark.

“Haha, moms are amazing.”