Chapter 89: < Protect – Episode 88 – Taken [4] >
Many people criticize Italy for their corruption, but it was actually a virtuous country. Thanks to the Catholic influence, most of Italy invested in education regarding art, culture, and science. But the gap between the rich and the poor was something Italy had to keep working on.
If Italy had an impressive education with a good balance of art, culture, and science, why were they known to be corrupt?
“It’s because of the social culture. Italy has the most similar tendencies to that of Korea. They don’t think of bribery as bad, and they cultivate affection where people share what should be shared. Italians cherish their own more than anyone.”
Han Kyung Il, who had been to many countries as a diplomat, realized the difference in the idea of corruption between different regions and people. The countries that once used to be developed engaged in all sorts of silly behavior. No matter what other people said about corruption, there was no point since they had no interest in changing themselves.
“The definition of justice differs too much between people.”
“Can we talk about something happier?”
Ahn Soo Ho felt like he was getting indigestion because of Han Kyung Il’s depressing talk.
“Something happier…the kids are all cute no matter what country they’re from.”
“Lowry.”
“What?”
“Anyway, how did you trace them down from Rome to Napoli?”
Han Kyung Il didn’t want to think back on his near-death experience, but Ahn Soo Ho wanted to know how he found the missing person. If he was someone who traced people down for a living, he wouldn’t have asked. But it was hard for any agent to find a girl who was kidnapped by human traffickers.
“I got some help from the U.S. Emba.s.sy.”
“The State Department?”
“Yeah. I’ve acc.u.mulated quite the network over the years.”
Whether they liked it or not, Korea’s biggest ally was the States. There was nothing bad about making connections with the politicians of the States. Han Kyung Il was very close to being pro-American.
“At first, I thought they were helping me out too easily. But now that I think about it, they must have done that because of you. Right?”
“Maybe…but they won’t ask anything of you.”
If they have a favor to ask, they would ask Ahn Soo Ho instead.
“Did I make things difficult for you?”
“Saving you was a total coincidence.”
“Haha. That means I used up all of my luck for this lifetime.”
“Maybe.”
There was no way of explaining how Ahn Soo Ho showed up at the place at that time. The Korean consulate general was in Milano, and Han Kyung Il had to meet with him and get a good scolding. He got off easy. He almost had his career in Italy blew up right in front of his eyes.
The president instructed Han Kyung Il to a.s.sist Ahn Soo Ho for the time being. It seemed strange for a government worker to follow around an average person, but the consulate general didn’t say anything as if he had been briefed beforehand.
“This was unexpected, but let’s do well together.”
“Will you be okay? You’ll have a hard time once rumors of the president taking care of you gets out.”
No government worker would turn down the president, but when it came to power, it was problematic if it was too close or too far. Since the Blue House got involved, Han Kyung Il was pretty much set for the rest of President Lee Joong Hyun’s term. But the chances of him getting targeted by others got a lot higher.
“It doesn’t matter. I was bound to run into this as I climbed higher sooner or later.”
“I thought your temper died down, but maybe that wasn’t true.”
Han Kyung Il was compromising with reality. If he had lived with his temper, he wouldn’t have come this far. They both didn’t dress like models, but they looked decent. It wasn’t necessary for them to wear designer clothing to look cla.s.sy. Han Kyung Il went around with a smile that looked friendly and Ahn Soo Ho unleashed his luring magic.
What would Italian people like?
Number one was soccer, number two was F1, number three was a significant other and a family, number four was cooking, and number five was fashion. Italy was the city of fashion. Prada, Versace, Ferragamo, Gucci, Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana all originated here.
Fashion Week in Milan turned the entire city into a fashion show. The streets were filled with s.e.xy supermodels, which attracted a lot of tourists and buyers. Even the mafias were intimidated. If they got caught causing a ruckus, it didn’t matter what kind of political connections they had.
“How vibrant.”
Han Kyung Il whistled quietly.
The Versace show that took place at an opera house was more vibrant than ever. Putting supermodels on the stage wasn’t enough, so they called all the Hollywood stars and famous people they could call. Fashion didn’t only refer to clothes. Countless makeup products, shoes, bags, accessories, and underwear were included.
The grand fashion show ended with applause.
The real business started after the show at the private after party. The place was like a battlefield where only the VIPs had invitations to. Knives were hidden behind their laughter. They all knew each other through other people, so they probably recognized one another, but Han Kyung Il and Ahn Soo Ho looked completely foreign.
“Fashion functions based on changing trends. That means everything changes very quickly. The public always wants something new, and they want to partic.i.p.ate in the current trends. However, as you know, most things aren’t that new.”
They talked about highly specialized topics regarding the changing trends of fashion, and what leaders in the industry need. It was so specialized that those without a background in fashion couldn’t partic.i.p.ate. But Han Kyung Il tried to b.u.t.t in anyway. Diplomats were generally respected, after all.
The evening parties that were held during fashion week were places that spent excessively for the purpose of social gatherings. During the Milan collection, the fashion models didn’t really get pointed at. That was because they all went around looking like that, so it wasn’t even that special. Just like France, Italy was very tolerant of issues regarding men and women.
After parting with his excited friend, Ahn Soo Ho looked around the banquet hall. He didn’t particularly feel any refined city vibes. But those who called themselves artists loved the cla.s.sic features of these streets. Ahn Soo Ho didn’t understand it. Art was difficult for regular people.
“Soo Ho?”
Ahn Soo Ho turned around in response to his name. There was a woman standing there with her eyes opened wide. The princess of pop, American Idol, and Princess Disney were a few of her nicknames, and she was a beloved pop star whom all men in their teens and 20s loved.
“Yo.”
“It’s really you!”
Lila came running over. She smiled out of relief that she could escape the old and boring men who talked about art and life.
“I didn’t see you after the show!”
“I had no choice. I’m not a free man anymore.”
“Wow! Are you really dating Seol Hyun? I thought it was just a rumor.”
Jang Seol Hyun and Ahn Soo Ho’s dating rumors were only a thing in Asia. In the States, not a single tabloid wrote about it. That was to be expected. Not many Americans were curious about the Korean entertainment world.
“I heard you manage an agency in Korea. Are you interested in fashion now?”
“What brings you to Milan? You used to feel bothered about going to Fashion Week in New York.”
“For this.”
Lila rubbed her thumb and index finger together, which she had learned from Ahn Soo Ho a few years earlier.
“Haven’t you earned enough by now?”
“I might become independent soon.”
“Really? Why? Is Scott not good to you?”
“No, it’s not that…this is for your ears only.”
She trailed off and then whispered in Ahn Soo Ho’s ears.
“I’m in the middle of a divorce.”
“Ha! How many times has it been now?”
“This is his fourth one, I think.”
“If he’s going to keep on getting divorced, why does he bother getting married? He must be paying tons of alimony every time.”
“The divorce itself costs him a fortune every month.”
Lila continued with excitement.
She must have been bottling it up inside. There were many agencies in the American entertainment industry, but most tended to work with individual managers. Scott’s Holly Corporation was one of the biggest agencies in Hollywood where Lila was since she was a trainee.
“Did you divide your individual a.s.sets?”
“We might have to sell the company…”
Ahn Soo Ho clicked his tongue.
There must have been no way for one person to get everything. He might have had an eye for choosing good music and stars, but his eye for wives needed more work. He didn’t know if he should laugh or be sad. Since they helped him out when Jang Seol Hyun was attempting to work in Hollywood, he didn’t know how to react.
“If you have a lot of money, why don’t you buy our company too, Soo Ho?”
“I’m not cut out for the American system.”
“Oh yeah. You prefer dictatorship. When you used to be my guard, you liked to boss me around. You’re like a fascist n.a.z.i.”
Mentioning the word “fascist” could sound like mockery in Italy. However, she whispered it, so no one else could hear. A number of people tilted their heads at how naturally close Lila got to Ahn Soo Ho. They were curious to know what their relationship was.
“If you don’t want to take over, you can invest.”
“You’re being very pushy.”
“Well, it’s not easy going off on my own. But that doesn’t mean I want to go off and work with someone else who’s not Scott.”
When Lila decided to go to Korea due to Ahn Soo Ho’s request, Lila had already calculated everything. Ahn Soo Ho tilted his head. Scott Warren had a clean image for such a tyc.o.o.n of the entertainment industry. One might ask how getting divorced for the 4th time could be a clean image, but in contrast to other CEO’s all of his marriages were out of true love.
‘He has good business luck but bad dating luck.’
He worked hard at dating, but he kept failing his marriages. It was quite serious for a famous director of the entertainment world to have no luck at dating. In Ahn Soo Ho’s opinion, it was just better to be alone than to get divorced four times.
Thanks to the vibe Ahn Soo Ho created, Lila enjoyed the party. She was past the age of being called a princess, but the princess of pop kept blabbing away. He went along with it and looked around him with a sharp gaze.
During Fashion Week, criminal organizations slow down. The Italian government dispatched a lot of men, and the mafias preferred not to get involved either. But some of the organizations remained unyielding.
‘Instablue.’
The high-cla.s.s escort service of the dark sites had a similar organizational structure as human traffickers.
‘I found him.’
Not many knew that the CEO of a top modeling agency in Europe was actually a pimp. They met eyes. Ahn Soo Ho sent him a friendly smile.
“h.e.l.lo, my friend.”
But he responded the same way a female character in a movie responded when she heard, “h.e.l.lo, Sydney.”
“Gasp!”
He fell to the ground.
< Protect – Episode 88 – Taken [4] > The end.