Chapter 140: < Protect – Episode 139 – World Cla.s.s [3] >
In Korean society, looks were power.
But it was uncertain if that was only the case in Korea and why it was a problem in the first place. Was there anyone who didn’t like pretty and skinny people? Every country and race had different views on beauty, but there wasn’t too much of a difference between them. People that Korean people thought were ugly were usually perceived as ugly by Americans as well. Then what were the standards that determined beauty?
Fine! Then shall we ask the viewers as well as the rest of the world about who they think is the ugliest?
Ahn Soo Ho and Jang Seol Hyun’s talk show stirred up quite the controversy, but if viewers were asked what was the most memorable, it was probably the appearance war. Those affiliated with higher knowledge, the media, and politics were more interested in the debates of part 1, but they were only a minority in the overall Korean population.
The second part was just a free talking show.
When it was mentioned once more that Ahn Soo Ho and Han Kyung Il, who was known as the heroic diplomat, both dropped out of the Naval Academy, the military was embarra.s.sed. The reason why the president tried to reform the military was because of the cliques formed between those from the Naval Academy. However, the military reformation failed. But on the bright side, the effort drew in a lot of attention from the Korean citizens regarding military culture.
CEO Ahn shouldn’t be saying anything about other people’s looks.
But was it Do Kyung Ho? He was actually ugly!
He was wearing makeup, so imagine what he really looks like!
His wife is pretty though!
He probably has a lot of money like Ahn Soo Ho!
The Do brothers! That’s so funny!
Please stop cursing in the discussion board!
CEO Ahn is the idol of those born with nothing, but his connections suggest otherwise!
Since he said it himself that he isn’t Chairman Kim Dae San’s lovechild, will that rumor die down soon?
Who would admit that they’re a love child? When it comes to the rich, everything is complicated!
Even Kim Dae San said that there are lots of problems with the rich in Korea! I like that he’s honest!
Rich swag!
Kim Dae San is different from other rich people!
Someone’s finally being honest? How’s he honest? That’s just a broadcast! Who would speak the truth in front of the camera? You’re all so naïve!
Ahn Soo Ho’s kind of like an old person, too!
Aren’t real men an old men at heart?
The talk show was entertaining! I thought I’d end up crying at the topics of growing up without nothing, but it was refreshing! They dealt with the international matter well in the first section, and the second part was just awesome!
Members of the Guardian Angel fan club! You mustn’t be here!
Don’t you people get it? Ahnfeller’s diss of the Do Brother’s looks was his way of referring to how Korean society only cares about looks!
Yeah right! If he doesn’t care about looks, why is he dating a top Korean actress?
Who says Jang Seol Hyun is top? I disagree!
Since Ahnchild picked her, she’s top!
This is why people need to succeed!
While the internet news, bulletin boards, and social media all went crazy about looks, the HBS homepage, Hosoo Entertainment, and all fan pages posted an event notice.
The ugliest man compet.i.tion! It’s not shameful to be ugly! Show off a charm that the world hasn’t seen yet!
Some were uncomfortable with the topic of looks, but thanks to Ahn Soo Ho’s positive twist, there were more positive responses than negative.
“The ugliest man compet.i.tion? Isn’t that too explicit?”
“We’re not only selecting the ugly ones.”
They weren’t only selecting the ugly ones, but it was a part of the compet.i.tion. Ahn Soo Ho was with Kim Na Hee, who led the fashion and beauty industry, in preparation for the beauty pageant. The problem was that there was no name for it. They had the funds to hold a world beauty pageant, but as for status or prestige, it was uncertain. Since they were still in the planning stages, it could have been seen as inevitable.
“The beautiful and the ugly… Those are the two extremes. There will be controversies about how we’re commercializing gender. Why do you always have to cause controversies?”
Ahn Soo Ho shrugged in response to Yoon Chul’s criticism.
He formally left the police force. But he had yet to join the Hosoo Guard Team since he was only recently on the talk show. At this point, it wasn’t just Ahn Soo Ho’s family, but his friends who were at the center of attention.
“Did you look into it?”
“Since I quit the force, it’s harder for me to gather information.”
Korea didn’t have weak governmental authority.
People called them weak because they didn’t have guns, but it was all nonsense. Despite not being able to shoot guns, the Korean police force was even stronger than that of America. If American police investigated like the Korean police, they would have ended up at court faster than any other suspect.
“You were right. The more I look into it, the more suspicious it gets. Sol Ji and Min Shik fell into a trap. Kyung Il caught on quickly enough to get out of it himself, but the other two ended up taking the fall for a superior.”
“Do they still have a hold of their tail?”
“If need be, they could get you involved, too. Corruption of those around a person is a useful negative strategy.”
The 8-member club might have gotten rid of their past baggage, but as long as Han Kyung Il, Kim Min Shik, and Jung Sol Ji were involved, he couldn’t free himself from conspiracy and betrayal. Jung Sol Ji and Kim Min Shik were especially vulnerable to those in power, and there was only so much Ahn Soo Ho could block out.
“What about Kyung Il?”
“The effect of being the heroic diplomat has almost worn out. The emba.s.sy must be trying to send him somewhere outside of Europe. He said he’ll probably receive his new post soon… and it’s likely going to be in the States. That’s a total elite course for a diplomat. Apparently, America has requested for him themselves.”
“As hostage?”
“Don’t think of it as a negative thing. White people just want to get closer to you.”
No matter Han Kyung Il’s circ.u.mstances, he knew how to take care of his own future.
“The problem is Sol Ji and Min Shik.”
“Yeah.”
Jung Sol Ji was currently busy working on a script with Kim Soo Jung, but she was bound to return to politics sooner or later. And in order to make her safer, she needed a party of her own.
“Five years.”
“Five years?”
“That’s how long Sol Ji needs to prepare a political party.”
“Will five years be enough when she’s starting with nothing?”
“She’s not doing this alone. I’m going to help.”
“How? Our country’s rules on political funding are very strict.”
“I have my ways.”
Due to the concern of a cozy relationship between politics and business, if a company was allowed to provide political funds to a party of their choice, all legal bodies including companies were banned from providing funds to political parties.
‘I’d better meet with him soon.’
She might have been shadowed by Scott Davis the political strategist, but Charlotte Davis was also a go-getter herself. It probably won’t receive good responses, but the tangled ball of yarn had to be untangled.
“Didn’t Min Shik say anything?”
“He’s different from you and Kyung Il… He’s an honest punk.”
Kim Min Shik was a stereotypically traditional man. He acted before speaking, and he was thoughtful enough to think three times before acting. But he was also not an opportunist who let things slide. For that reason, he was really not suited for the central office group. If he was lacking in ability or didn’t have Ahn Soo Ho’s protection, he would have been demoted a long time ago.
“You can’t do anything about this either, Soo Ho. After all, what he did was illegal.”
There was evidence suggesting that Kim Min Shik received some of the bribes that his superior got from an organization that he gave special treatment to. Most people felt thankful when their superiors paid for the meals they enjoyed in business settings, but nothing came for free. What was scarier than tax dollars leaking into official expenses was personal expenses with unknown origin.
“Did you tell him?”
“I did, but he didn’t give me much of a response.”
“If he didn’t respond, that means he’s decided already…”
Ahn Soo Ho laughed bitterly. The accidents caused by quiet people were the biggest and the most serious ones. And as expected, Kim Min Shik caused a big accident as a whistleblower of the government.
All the corruptions! Special treatment, entertainment, bribes, and lobbying!
Some of the residents that got rich from holdout have false accounts!
a.s.sault against the residents by refusing to come to compensation settlement!
The police and government workers neglect the citizens!
Kim Min Shik, who confidently revealed his ident.i.ty, got arrested for breaking the rules regarding secret protection. Korea’s political situation was suffering, to begin with, thanks to the terrorist attacks in North America and Europe, and with the corruption ordeal, the country lit up once more. The prosecutors and the police were complaining about how troublesome it became, and as soon as it was revealed that Kim Min Shik was best friends with Ahn Soo Ho, he let out a sigh of relief.
There were rumors going around suggesting that he only did that because of Ahn Soo Ho, but that was all nonsense. The police began their investigation without much expectation, but Ahn Soo Ho showed up as if he had been waiting all along. The police had to deal with h.o.a.rds of reporters as a result. It appeared that every single person making a living off of the country’s news was there.
“CEO Ahn! Over here!”
“CEO Ahn!”
The way Ahn Soo Ho smiled made it look like they were at a fan meeting. How many people would smile in front of a police station? He didn’t intend on having a press conference, but he was worried about what would happen if he didn’t answer any questions, so he had no choice but to pick up the mic.
“I’ll make it quick. What I’d like to say is that our country has taken a step forward towards becoming a more developed nation.”
A lot of courage was needed to point out a fault in the same organization that one worked in.
“Everyone wants to avoid stepping on thorns. It’s human instinct to want to only walk along a flower path.”
No one intentionally took a long way around if they didn’t have to.
“What I ask of the media is that you don’t cover up any problems.”
As soon as Ahn Soo Ho finished, the reporters immediately raised their hands, and he pointed at a random reporter at the front.
“Can we see this as an extension of the Korean paparazzi that you stressed, CEO Ahn?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re not the ones who received the report.”
“Then do you mean to say there was no compensation?”
“As you all know, Kim Min Shik is my friend. There are no conditions for a friend helping out a friend.”
“Are you trying to break the rules?”
“Rules? What rules? Compensation funds for the paparazzi are not public funds. They were all from my personal funds. I even paid the gift tax myself.”
It was as if he was asking how this was their business when he paid all of his taxes. Some of the reporters heard this and knitted their brows. The cold atmosphere led to some sensitive questions.
“There are rumors claiming that there were pressure and lobbying by Hosoo Entertainment in response to the tax investigation. What do you think about this?”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Are you denying any external pressure?”
Ahn Soo Ho just smirked in response.
“The only rich people I like in our country are Kim Dae San and Kim Dae Chan. To be frank, are there any companies in this country that would be okay after a tax investigation? If not even household ledgers can be kept properly, how do you expect business accounting to be proper?”
Reporters in economics smirked while those in politics and society were glad they heard what they heard.
“So you think all rich people are immoral.”
Ahn Soo Ho smiled, but it looked more like a scoff.
“Do you remember the Enron incident?”
The Enron incident was that of accounting fraud worth 1.5 trillion won that put America into shock back in 2001.
“Everyone thinks about Enron when it comes to accounting fraud, but there was a case that was even bigger than that.”
This case was commonly known among not only economic reporters, but those who had any interest in the Korean economy.
“It’s the Daewoo Group. How much was it? 40 trillion? 41 trillion? It doesn’t even compare to Enron. In contrast to Americans who were raging after Enron went bankrupt and their corruption getting exposed, how did we react?”
There were countless citizens who were harmed after Daewoo Group went down.
“I know this is my country, too, but Korea’s way of thinking seems very strange from the outside. On the outside, everyone chants for equality and democracy, but once they obtain the position, they’re no different from their predecessors. And the way society views blue collars and white collars is very different as well. Did anyone even get punished after blowing over 40 trillion?”
The head of Daewoo Group, Chairman Kim Woo Joong got a special pardon after just a year. On the other hand, when blue collars committed a crime, they got punished more severely than white collars. Was the sentence lighter for white collars because they get better legal aid than blue collars? That was true. However, what was scarier were the ranks that were determined depending on education and how their society viewed it.
‘Those uneducated b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!’
‘Those with better education are so different!’
It was true. Worse things happened when those with education became evil. Since white collar crimes involved more money, they seemed less vicious, but besides not using knives and guns, they were committing ma.s.s crimes as well. How was a businessman who made a civilian’s company go bankrupt any different from a thug trespa.s.sing property with a weapon?
“If you earned a lot, pay back a lot. Are you going to take all your money into the afterlife or something?”
The reporters were astonished by Ahn Soo Ho’s remark. This wasn’t something anyone from the upper cla.s.s of Korea would have liked to hear on TV. Ahn Soo Ho then said his final words.
“I’m a handsome man. That’s a fact that no one can deny.”
< Protect – Episode 139 – World Cla.s.s [3] > The end.