Hwang Sok-Yong - The Shadow of Arms

“There are ways to get it done.”

“How about doing our deal in military currency?”

“We’ll prepare it that way.”

“What other items would be good?”

The merchant thought for a while.

“The goods we’re handling are already set, and we’re not intruding on the business of others. I’ve mainly been dealing in rice, and it was only after getting to know Major Pham that I laid my hands on cement. Processed food is also one of our lines. There are a few others, but they only handle a bit of the military supplies.”

“Can we go and see the office now?”

“You mean, my office?”

“We’d like to see both yours and your brother’s.”

The merchant grinned and showed his cautious side. “I know almost nothing about you people. Once the deal starts, you’ll have to come by anyway. Well, I think I’ll excuse myself now. I’ll see you here on Monday same time.”

The merchant spoke to Toi, then he turned to Yong Kyu who had been sitting there like an imbecile and said in English, “See you again.”

After the man left, Toi and Yong Kyu had fried chicken and beer for lunch. Yong Kyu checked the time and reported to the captain over the phone.

“I’ve just come from Turen, sir. I also met the man sent by the Vietnamese side.”

“Let’s have lunch together.”

“We already finished lunch, sir.”

“Anything you need?”

“Well. . not over the phone.”

“All right, I’ll be over in a minute.”

Yong Kyu turned to Toi and said, “Pointer said he’d come over here.”

“Should I leave the two of you alone?”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

Shortly afterwards Captain Kim appeared in the doorway. Dressed in white pants and a white T-shirt, he looked like he was on his way to a tennis club. When the captain took a seat in front of them, Yong Kyu briefed him on the developments to date.

“We’ll be needing about three hundred dollars, sir.”

“That much for the principal?”

“Half of the sum will go to making friends with that boy from Turen, Leon. It’ll cost at least a hundred, anyway. I have about a hundred fifty on me, though.”

“Fine. The question is how fast we can track down the NLF dealing lines. Once we accomplish that, the rest of our dealings can be justified.”

“The American team probably has Vietnamese out running their investigation. On our side, Toi and I plan to run the store ourselves.”

Spreading butter lightly on his bread, the captain murmured, “Right, if the two of you are planted in Le Loi market, we’ll get a line on most of the dealers in Da Nang one at a time. We’ve got to get a grip on all the black market channels of the Koreans, including the Hong Kong Group. Once we have them in our hands, we can squeeze them by the throat.”

“Even now we can put a squeeze on the Hong Kong Group, sir. If we blockade the PX, those guys will come begging on their own.”

“It won’t be that easy thanks to our team leader. He’s shown their chairman too many vulnerable spots.”

Yong Kyu thought about the staff sergeant. In three months he would be headed back home. For him, ten thousand dollars was a considerable sum. He’d once said that he would love to buy some land in the countryside, to save his family from the life of tenant farmers. Had he not said that he volunteered for the army to escape a hard life as a farmer with too many mouths to feed? His replacement with a new sergeant would not bring any major changes to the current situation. If the leader stayed, for Yong Kyu it would mean a not-so-inconvenient continuation of the status quo for another three months. Counting the time in his head, Yong Kyu plotted it out month by month.

“I have an idea, sir. I’ll speak to the team leader. I’ll have him move in on the scene when the Hong Kong Group makes some deal. The leader can slip away and. . lock up that bastard they call ‘Pig.’ Then, Chairman Pak will come to you, sir, with his tail between his legs. We’ll get such a firm grip on their balls they won’t know which way to turn. Once we catch that group, the rest will just fall into our hands.”

“Will the team leader agree to do that?”

“The sergeant will listen to me, sir. I’ve helped them get through the checkpoints several times. As his subordinate I had no choice, sir.”

“I already knew about that.”

“He’s got to help his men get ready to return home. It’s wise to have the leader in full control of the PX.”

As an afterthought, the captain said to Toi, “Looks like you and Sergeant Ahn are making a great team.”

“In Vietnam, we call men like him ‘quick as a lizard.’”

“I’ll see to it that you get an allowance on top of your salary.”

“No need for an allowance, but I have a favor to ask. I’ve already discussed it with Sergeant Ahn. Give me an opening every now and then.”

“What kind of opening?”

“When the sergeant’s goods are purchased, let me have a chance to invest a little in the buys. A couple of boxes would be enough.”

“All right, I guess that’ll be more of a help to you.”

On Saturday Yong Kyu took the company Jeep and drove out to Turen supply warehouse. As Toi had said, he was quick as a lizard, for he had become a decent driver within a month after his transfer to Da Nang. He flashed his ID at the east gate and went around to the soldiers’ barracks. Finished with the day’s duty, some soldiers were tossing a football around. Leon was among them, soaked with sweat. He must not have expected Yong Kyu to keep his promise, and looked surprised to see him. Within a few minutes he had run inside and come back out, freshly shaven and in civilian clothes.

“Where should we go? China Beach?”

“I’ve been there lots of times.”

“Let’s head downtown, anyway. It’s been a while since you were there, right?”

At this, Leon got excited and whistled loudly.

“That’s an off-limits zone for us. I’ve never been there.”

Leon looked much younger now than when he was in uniform.

“You like to drink, don’t you?”

“Sure.”

“All right if you don’t make it back tonight?”

“Don’t bother with that. If I get caught, hell, I’ll dig ditches or run around the grounds, no big deal. Anyway, I’ll be safe if I make it back to the barracks by tomorrow. The sergeant has gone down to China Beach himself.”

“Will he stay there tonight?”

“I think so. Every weekend he’s been playing poker with some navy officers.”

“What’s his name?”

“Stapley.”

Yong Kyu turned off from Route 1 towards downtown Da Nang. There was a checkpoint, but civilian company vehicles were just waved through. The Vietnamese QC sentry made a slow hand gesture. Soon they were crossing Le Loi Boulevard into the crowded streets of the old market and veering up Puohung Street. He had no intention of going to the Bamboo, for it was a gathering place for too many other black marketeers. He drove a few blocks farther and pulled into an alley line with stores near the mouth of Doc Lap Boulevard. He parked in a back alley where some young boy peddlers were thronging. Leon looked nervously about.

“Where we going?”

“Now we’re becoming complete civilians.”

“Civilians?”

“That’s right. Let’s wash off the soldier scum.”

Unable to grasp what Yong Kyu meant, Leon walked edgily a few steps behind him. They came up to a glass storefront with a sign overhead reading “Steam Bath.” Yong Kyu bought the tickets and they pushed aside a curtain to see a long hall. A boy standing there took the tickets and led them into a small room. They took off their clothes, put them into a basket and headed into the baths. Leon laughed loudly. “What the hell are we doing, anyway?”