Hwang Sok-Yong - The Shadow of Arms

“Then, the war will be ending?”

“I guess. . when negotiations are concluded we may pull out of here.”

“That means packing up and leaving!”

“I can understand you, Mimi,” Mike said. “But you’d better not think about settling down in Vietnam. It’s unfortunate for your major, though.”

“I can always go to a third country.”

“With the major? Do you love him?”

“Shut up.”

Hae Jong stubbed out her cigarette and got up.

“Madame Lin said she’s got something for the three of us to discuss.”

“Us?”

“That’s right. You, me, and Madame Lin.”

Lin already had taken off her gown and changed into silk pants and a T-shirt. She had prepared a table for drinking.

“Care for some cognac?”

“Not for me. I barely managed to sober up.” Mike hesitantly took a seat.

“The Viet Cong won’t be back,” said Lin. “Without a drink, you’ll be awake all night.”

“What the hell.”

The three clinked their glasses together.

“To our business,” said Madame Lin.

“What business?”

“Don’t be coy,” said Hae Jong. “You’re a finance officer, right? We’ll gather up the old military currency and you can exchange it for us.”

“There’s no rush,” added Madame Lin. “There’s still plenty of time before daybreak.”

A crane was lifting crashed and burned vehicles and loading them onto a huge trailer. Even the unburned cars that had escaped direct grenade hits had broken glass and were perforated with holes from bullets and shrapnel. The whole parking lot had become a junkyard. All the windows of the Grand Hotel, not to mention the front doors, had been completely smashed, and the anti-tank mine had collapsed a great portion of the wall, leaving iron reinforcing bars protruding from hunks of cement like bones jutting from the carcass of a dead animal. The portions of the structure in danger of collapse had been propped up with iron pipes, but the hotel was clearly in need of full-scale repairs. The American administrative agents had been forced to vacate the building, each section moving to its own unit facilities elsewhere in the city.

The joint investigation headquarters decided to relocate for the time being at the MAC compound across from the White Elephant. This involved the inconvenience of having to cross the river draining into Da Nang Bay in a navy ferry, or taking a lengthy detour over the smokestack bridge. The new makeshift HQ was a set of aluminum Quonsets, but at least they were all air-conditioned and much safer since inside a military compound. The American soldiers grumbled about having to eat at the military mess instead of enjoying the buffet-style meals served at the Grand Hotel. They expected some disruption and disorganization in their duties for a while, as it seemed likely the repairs at the hotel would not be done for at least a month.

The American officers also planned to rent a safe house near the investigation office on Puohung Street, so that the staff on external assignment would have a place to stay downtown. The Korean detachment decided to find a place to downtown as well. The chief sergeant, off-duty as was usual for someone with only about ten days left before shipping back home, went out to look for a house and called the hotel to report he had found a suitable place. Ahn Yong Kyu instructed the other soldiers to pack for the move and then went out to the Dragon Palace Restaurant. The sergeant was alone in one of the inner rooms drinking beer.

“The captain said he’d be coming?”

“Yes, I just reported to him.”

“You’re lucky to have found a house.”

“Hey, who do you think you’re talking to? But this close to going home — how come I have to go out and do the legwork, searching for a place?”

The sergeant cast Yong Kyu a dirty look. “Knock it off, I know you’ve been out on a leisurely tour of the PXs. Where’s the house, anyway?”

“I’m sure you know the place. It’s where the lieutenant colonel and his family used to live. .”

“Huh, I thought that was a special case. That haunted-looking house where the Hong Kong boys used to live, is that where you mean?”

“Heh, heh, it’s the only place available where we can move in right away, and Pointer keeps on growling at me. Even a house like that is not easy to find around downtown. And the rent is cheap, too.”

“Have those bastards left Da Nang?”

“They’re probably itching to grind you and the captain up and eat you. I heard they moved down to Saigon.”

The captain, wearing his uniform, stuck his head into the room. Standing astride the threshold, he said, “Why don’t you come on out? Too much trouble to take off these boots. No customers outside here, anyway.”

The three men moved to a table by a window overlooking the street.

“So you’ve found a house?” the captain asked.

“He said it’s the place where the Hong Kong gang used to live,” Yong Kyu said.

“But it’s cheap, sir,” the sergeant quickly added. “Monthly rent is only two hundred dollars. How many of us all together? Six team members counting this kid and then you, Chief, and me, so eight total. Two big rooms and two small rooms, it’s what we need, at least.”

“Hey, I know what’s on your mind. Want to get ready to head home, don’t you? Well, that house has a big enough storage space, so go ahead and fill it up.”

“You’re killing me. You pounced on me when I just tried to sell a little beer. How much can I make by taking back a few lousy appliances and a couple of cartons of cigarettes, sir?”

“Enough of your whining. I’m glad you found a place. Last time I saw Lieutenant Colonel Pak, he and I drank a toast to peace and to send him off.”

“Did he really go to Saigon?” Yong Kyu asked.

“Pak went back home, but his brother-in-law and the Pig from Tsushima headed to Saigon. Da Nang is too small, and therefore inconvenient, that’s what they said. Those bastards must’ve gulped down a fair amount.”

“I wonder how much they made. .”

At this from Yong Kyu, the sergeant wanted to show off his inside knowledge and said, “At least fifty thousand each, easy.”

The captain took a notebook out of his pocket. “So much for that. We had a meeting today. Sergeant Ahn, when are you headed home?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly, but my hitch here expires in the first part of September.”

“After you two leave, I’ll have to spend a few months on my own here. I’m afraid you’ll have to get separate lodgings until you head back. So much the better for you; that way you can work independently. One more thing, we’ve got no budget left. We’re supposed to get our food from the rec center, but there’s no time for that. Our living expenses are bound to go up with the rent for the house, wages for hiring contract workers, and so on. We’ll pick up some Korean beer and sell it in the market, just enough to cover our detachment expenses. When the new chief sergeant arrives, turn the work over to him. And since they killed that police superintendent, Colonel Cao, our channel to the Vietnamese, has been cut off. That’s something you, Sergeant, have to brief the replacement on. Lukas keeps trying indirectly to pick a fight with me. He mentioned Turen, saying they knew all about Sergeant Ahn and Toi’s activities in Le Loi market.”

“Don’t worry, sir. We know plenty about their dealings, too.”

“Krapensky was upset because he got another report from counterintelligence about NLF business transactions. You see, the black market is an area that can attract the attention of the top brass in the investigation headquarters. As soon as possible we have to submit a report feeding them some information about the NLF dealings in Da Nang, or at least something on their related movements. They’re telling me the combat capability of the local guerrillas in the Da Nang-Hoi An area is double or triple what it was. The Americans are going to restructure all their information channels and tighten up their network. Don’t get caught off guard.”