Chapter 197: < Protect – Episode 196 – So What? [3] >
“It’s getting tiring to apologize all the time.”
“I understand your fiancee’s point of view as well.”
“Same here… But the problem is that this is just the kind of person I am.”
Who was the one having the hardest time as a result of Ahn Soo Ho’s endless antics? There were none before a year ago, and within the last year, it was Park Ok Nam, and now it was Jang Seol Hyun. When Ahn Soo Ho announced his renouncement of citizenship, the Korean media started to hara.s.s Jang Seol Hyun since she was actually in Korea. They normally wouldn’t have messed with Jang Seol Hyun because of Hosoo Entertainment Group and Daesan Group, but now that they had the power of public sentiment, they had nothing to fear.
“Didn’t she ask to break up?”
“No.”
“Asian women are so patient… If you were in America, you would have split up already.”
“You’re the ones wanting us to break up.”
“There aren’t many good women like your fiancée.”
“b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.”
There were countless men waiting for Ahn Soo Ho and Jang Seol Hyun to break up. If they were in a mafia, going after the boss’s woman was the same thing as a betrayal.
Logan changed the subject.
“Smith & Heard contacted us about wanting a stand-in contract.”
“They’re probably not the only ones.”
“You’re right. All the big law firms around the world are trying their luck at it.”
In the global business, Ahn Soo Ho’s public confidence was above that of the international credit organization. In contrast to how Arabians and Chinese didn’t accept the American president’s promises, Ahn Soo Ho’s word was the law and the truth. And it also worked the other way around. The reason why America didn’t negotiate with terrorists was for many different reasons, but the biggest reason was because they couldn’t trust them.
The reason why people still trusted him as a mediator despite being retired was because of his outstanding power. Ahn Soo Ho’s showcase in Nigeria caused a huge sensation. That was because he proved what was only a rumor by fighting against an army. It was possible that the group disguised as Islams was not very strong. But the battle that was broadcasted live was all too one-sided.
Could the US military do that? They could.
But it wasn’t fair to compare a big organization like the US military to the performance of one man. The Pentagon calculated that Ahn Soo Ho’s fighting ability was to that of 25000 special agents with all the new weapons. And even that was an underestimated a.s.sumption. Just the fact that one man could fight against 25000 special agents said a lot about Ahn Soo Ho’s strategic value, and it was enough to make all military experts want to go crazy.
“What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
“Your nationality.”
“Do I have to pick one country?”
“Pardon?”
Logan a.s.sumed Ahn Soo Ho would choose America.
The reality was that America put James Black forward because they wanted him more than any other country in the world. President Olsen of America, who had an awkward relationship with Ahn Soo Ho, opened up a press conference and talked about encouraging immigration of talented people and refinding the glory of the American dream. This was a rare announcement coming from an anti-democrat who was against immigration policies.
“It’s tiring to belong to anything.”
The obligation that followed power wasn’t an easy one. So it might have been easy to just exist alone.
“Everyone will be disappointed.”
“I don’t know. It’s not like I have to say it.”
“If you leave it alone, the compet.i.tion will be fierce.”
“Well, it’s not like I caused any of it.”
Logan clicked his tongue in response to Ahn Soo Ho’s cold remark. But he felt sad because he didn’t think it was a bad idea. His country, America, was a good country. They treated soldiers well, and they didn’t look down on mercenaries. But they also fiercely monitored violence. They longed for superheroes while also going after every single illegal act as a means of justice.
They believed that just like how all people had to die at some point, both heroes and regular criminals had to stand in court if they did anything illegal. But they did look over some small crimes that could be pa.s.sed with the common notion of society. Just like Roberto Aquilan, there were those who looked at Ahn Soo Ho as an evil emperor who had to be shut out.
“There are good things about being American, but there will be that much monitoring, too.”
The one thing he liked about being Korean was that the Korean government didn’t show much interest in what he was doing. However, America wasn’t like Korea. It was likely that they would b.u.t.t into every one of his matters. Since America functioned around systems more than people, every time the one in charge of society changed, the guidelines were bound to change as well.
“You can control the politicians with lobbying groups.”
“That’s true. But rather than putting in that effort, it might be better to just live comfortably in a third world country.”
America wasn’t able to force him to do anything.
“I’m not that desperate for the benefits that living in a developed country can give me.”
He was able to make a lot of money just by completing a few missions. And with his ident.i.ty, there wasn’t a single country who wouldn’t accept him.
“Then what are you going to do with Hosoo Entertainment Group?”
“I was never going to manage that anyway, so this is a good thing.”
It was Ahn Soo Ho who provided financial backing, but it was thanks to the hard work of his executives that it became what it was today.
“Are you going to hand out shares to your executives?”
“No!”
Ahn Soo Ho fiercely shook his head in response to Logan’s question. Many who handed out shares to encourage an owner mindset ended up making their company go down.
“An owner mindset? That’s all bulls.h.i.t.”
If they received shares, they were 100% going to sell them.
Liking a company and trading that company’s shares were two different things. The reason why Hosoo Entertainment was the subject of envy was because of the welfare, but it was thanks to the amazing salaries they provided. The employees of Hosoo Entertainment had no complaints about their salaries. They often complained about crazy colleagues, too much work, and other things, but never about their salaries. And what made that possible was not just Hosoo Entertainment but the workshop that the group operated.
Unlike other companies that went to workshops in the countryside somewhere, Hosoo Entertainment took a private jet and traveled around the world. Most Korean companies looked for global talents, but how well could new employees in their 20s know about the world? The most ridiculous thing that Ahn Soo Ho heard in Korea was fostering global talents.
‘Fostering global talents… What kind of nonsense is that?’
Not even America could accomplish that.
What was funny was that they often labeled Koreans who studied in America and Europe as global talents. In America, countless graduates of Harvard and Yale ended up working as waiters and taxi drivers, but in Korea, just being a graduate of a reputable school meant they would be treated as talents.
Ahn Soo Ho didn’t expect his employees to know the truth of the world, but he at least wanted them to face reality. Traveling in famous tourist destinations didn’t help anyone gain insight. All the places his employees visited were horrible. There were many crime-ridden places and slums that not even the police liked to visit. Maybe it was a relief that they at least didn’t visit battlefields.
This normally would have caused an issue, but since their CEO got into all sorts of trouble, no proper attention was paid to it. There were just a few activists who expressed their concern about safety. Since the diplomats didn’t say anything about it, that meant the nation had worse things to worry about.
The truth was, it wasn’t dangerous at all.
That was because not even criminal organizations could refuse Ahn Soo Ho’s request to cooperate. If they happened to ignore Ahn Soo Ho and attack, it was likely to result in a revolt. It was better for them to keep their organization on their feet than to have the entire city go down in flames.
“So did you find anyone with potential?”
“I did find a few who seemed all right.”
The Hosoo Guard Team was always changing.
After supporting Kim Yeon Ji, who expressed her desire to become a war mercenary at the fan meeting, the Korean physical training industry came under the spotlight. But that had nothing to do with Hosoo Entertainment Group. Logan learned that there were actually many talents in Korea’s physical training field. Considering how most American sports industries recruited and trained athletes starting at a young age, the market in Korea was like a rich mine.
Most soldiers weren’t outstanding in terms of physical ability. They just made ordinary people into killing machines. Would training more physically talented people produce even better killing machines? It was possible that the special forces were where true talents could be seen within the military organization.
Not even America had that many special agents. Was it because they were scarce? Not at all. The killing wasn’t something that could be done for a long period of time with physical ability alone. That was actually the case for all military soldiers. The reason why America respected soldiers was because they knew how much of a sacrifice one had to make in order to volunteer for their country.
Most with outstanding physical ability trained to be pro athletes, not military soldiers. And it wasn’t surprising that worldwide intelligence organizations focused highly on college students with sports specialties. The military preferred machines that died if that was the command, but in intelligence agencies, they made countermeasures.
“Korea always connects sports with national prestige.”
“It’s not just Korea that does that.”
China and j.a.pan were the same if not worse.
“Boss.”
His conversation with Logan was cut off by a huge telephone that a subordinate handed over.
“What is it?”
“The 80s Society would like to meet.”
“Who?”
“Jeon Taek Joong.”
“That old man must still be alive and well.”
He laughed at his own remark. The 80s Society was a gathering of soldiers who got kicked out after resisting in the 80s. But just like everything else, the 80s Society couldn’t overcome the pa.s.sing of time either. The new army group behaved cruelly toward them. They even used various methods to make their daily lives difficult.
For that reason, many of them turned their backs on their country.
Whether they had the capabilities or not, they went abroad to start a new life. Many of the 80s Society were superiors of Ahn Soo Ho as military soldiers as well as mercenaries. Currently, the 80s Society was pretty much a group of Korean mercenaries. Among the agents of Deep Breath, which he annihilated in Brazil last year, there was a man named Seo Jung Wook. Ahn Soo Ho called him 608. That was because Seo Jung Wook was the 608th member of the 80s Society.
On an added note, Ahn Soo Ho was the 588th member.
‘588…’
He was ridiculed as a result.
“Where does he want to meet?”
“Well…”
“What?”
“He’s in Nigeria.”
******
Ahn Soo Ho’s renouncement of his citizenship, as well as Bridal Mask’s arrest, drew all of Korea’s attention. In particular, a statement Bridal Mask made while turning himself in took over the news.
‘Get me, my lawyer!’
He then pa.s.sed the police officer a business card. Until a year ago, former special agent, Bae Sang Chul worked in the front line of a civilian-military company, and the business card contained the number to the law firm that represented his front line. Ahn Soo Ho called late Seo Jung Wook, 608, while he called Bae Sang, Chul 69.
Bae Sang Chul was the 609th member.
The 0 in between was missing, but it was easier to call him 69.
The Korean government perceived Bridal Mask as a terrorist, but in a democratic society, even terrorists had a right to a lawyer. No matter how dirty they were, they couldn’t refuse them an attorney.
“Sang Chul was better suited to be a politician than a soldier.”
“He had a lot of ambition.”
“Is that why you dragged him in?”
The man with the white hair had wrinkles all over his face. The old man over 80 years old had the last name “Jeon”, but he hated someone bald who had the same last name.
“Bridal Mask’s message mustn’t be limited to just murder or terror.”
“He can kill anyone even those in power?”
“I won’t deny that.”
No matter how horribly they did politics or how crazily they managed the government or how carelessly they operated their business, they didn’t take responsibility and lived better than before. Why? Because those who had to be punished were from the same bunch. Bridal Mask’s terrorist attack fed fear into the ones in power and those who committed corrupt acts.
‘If you keep doing that, you’ll all die!’
a.s.sault was the most simple and definite warning.
“6… I mean, Sang Chul will get a trial. And he’ll become a star for another reason.”
“The judge will demand that he gets the death penalty. He might be a jerk, but I can’t give up on my baby.”
The connections of a former Korean general who was forced to leave Korea over 30 years ago couldn’t be looked down upon. Jeon Taek Joong was the man who was responsible for creating the world-famous PMC front line. He was no longer a part of management, but he was still influential as always.
“Phew.”
Jeon Taek Joong took out a cigar and smoked it. Since he even sent his beloved wife off to Heaven, he had nothing else to live for. If he had one wish, that was to get revenge for the biggest humiliation in his life.
“Back then, I had to abandon my babies and leave. I don’t want to experience that for the second time.”
He sensed flames within the eyes of the wrinkly old man. Life came back into the face of the old soldier.
“Aren’t you angry?”
“About what?”
“They put you on the battlefield without talking to you about it.”
“Sang Chul was definitely disgusted. But you’re not that type. The other members can’t say anything bad about you. Or it’s more like they can’t.”
“Wow! Are you acknowledging me?”
Jeon Taek Joong didn’t answer. He waved his hand and turned around, but he then stopped his steps.
“Oh yeah! I’m going to make you pay all of the legal fees.”
“Of course.”
Ahn Soo Ho stopped him from leaving one last time.
“Do you love Korea, old man?”
Jeon Taek Joong threw his cigar on the ground. He stepped on it and then changed the subject.
“I know I’m late, but thank you for what you did for Jung Wook. He’s probably thankful in h.e.l.l, too.”
The matters surrounding 608, also known as Seo Jung Wook caused a controversy within the 80s Society. Most importantly, a double contract was the worst thing one could do in the mercenary world. If Ahn Soo Ho hadn’t put reward money on it, Jeon Taek Joong would have used all of his fortunes to chase after the ones responsible.
“Are you no longer Korean, Soo Ho?”
Jeon Taek Joong smirked.
“I haven’t been Korean for a very long time.”
< Protect – Episode 196 – So What? [3] > The End.