Chapter 10: Chapter 10

There were many conspiracy theories in this world.

Some of the most popular ones were about aliens, freemasonry, and secret organizations taking over the world, none of which could be confirmed. If you divide the world’s population by skin color, pure white people take up around 5%. But one could not deny that they had power over the entire world.

“Let me make this clear. The states aren’t our enemy. England, France, and Russia aren’t our enemies either.”

Ahn Soo Ho, who visited Kim Dae Chan at the head office, stood in front of a large whiteboard. He drew black and red lines on the world map.

“What about Japan?”

“Once the States backs out, so will Japan. Where else…”

There’s only one area they haven’t marked yet.

“China.”

“China.”

The two men mumbled at the same time. Ahn Soo Ho didn’t tell him about what he talked about with Vitali of Russia. In this field, trust was everything.

“If we move China, we can change the public opinion.”

“But we don’t know who has the power to decide.”

“We don’t. But… like any game, we have to attack the head to end the whole thing.”

Looking back, there was no way of finding evidence of a president or a head of state’s involvement. The ones that targeted Korea and Daesan Group were the middlemen and had no power in policies. The so-called think tanks or brain groups always sought efficiency and rationality. The head does not control corporate groups. The head just sorted things out and decided what they must do. The rest were up to the people below, and management of state worked the same way.

“The process of achieving national matters might seem complicated, but it’s really not.”

Someone had to either stamp or sign the papers.

“How do you plan to find them?”

“I told you. We just have to attack the head to end the game.”

Ahn Soo Hoo smiled brightly and picked up his phone. He then spoke fluent Chinese.

“Long time no see, Premier Wei.”

Kim Dae Chan held his breath as he watched in awe.

“I knew you were smart and all… but I underestimated you.”

This happened three years ago in Argentina as well. When his father brought him there, he took care of the hostage negotiation when the elites of the task forces couldn’t even do it. Since he could speak Korean well, he must be Korean. But he also did unbelievable things, which made him seem far from normal

“Dae Chan?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Ahn Soo Ho was staring at Kim Dae Chan.

“Someone from the Chinese Embassy will come tomorrow. Accept whatever they give you. Only let someone you trust accept it, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be going now.”

“Is that it?”

Kim Dae Chan stopped Ahn Soo Ho from getting up.

“Why are you in such a rush? This isn’t something you can do overnight. Since we dealt with it, it’ll be okay for ten days or so.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Hm.”

He was afraid saying no would hurt him. Ahn Soo Ho pointed his finger.

“Arrange a meeting with Dae Gil. How about tomorrow at lunch?”

“Is that all?”

“I told you not to rush things. Being anxious won’t solve anything.”

Who else could warn Daesan Group’s vice-chairman like this? In hostile situations, acting in a hasty manner could make things worse. The tit-for-tat approach didn’t guarantee a resolution. As the fearless vice-chairman of Daesan Kingdom or the Kim Dynasty, he didn’t know how to back down.

“I’m sure that worked in Korea though.”

Jejudo could feel Daesan Group’s power. If the police’s authority was from the States, it would have been unimaginable. No matter how much wealth and power may be, for the States where they value social justice, governmental authority came first. That means if one disobeys a patrol officer, they would arrest them on the spot.

Oh Joo Kyung was waiting as soon as he got out.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Did you find him?”

“Yes.”

Ahn Soo Ho nodded and walked forward.

“Lee Jung Hoon… that punk.”

Even though his mother believed her son was studying in the States, Jung Hoon had been living in Seoul for the last year. After all the hardship she went through to send him off, he had returned in secrecy.

“This society’s obsession with studying abroad is the problem.”

In Korean society, studying abroad was a necessity if you wanted to become an elite. And attending one of the few prestigious universities locked it down. The problem was enduring studying abroad was harder than going in the first place. Language barriers and culture shock were an existing problem. Having your lifestyle changed in a snap was harder than one could imagine. No matter what country you’re from, half of all foreign students quit midway.

Ahn Soo Ho’s car stopped in front of the Gangnam Office Station, which had the highest soaring population in Seoul. It was too much of a hassle to bring a line of security guards along. So only Oh Joo Kyung and one security guard accompanied him.

“What brings you here?”

“I have an appointment with the CEO.”

“Oh! Are you from Daesan Group? Right this way.”

The tenant of the large building was one of the top advertising agencies in Korea. The advertisement scene was the only business Daesan Group did not involve themselves in, and the reason was simple. When Kim Dae San’s younger sister, Kim Na Hee got married, she took the company with her. As soon as Ahn Soo Ho walked into the CEO’s office, Kim Na Hee gave him a hug.

“Long time no see Soo Ho. You should have called me as soon as you returned to Korea. I’m a little sad.”

Her firm skin made her look like she was in her forties, but she was actually fifty-one this year. She was 23 years younger than her older brother, Kim Dae San, and only six years older than Kim Dae Chan. Kim Na Hee, who received a lot of love as a late child, was the topic of conversation when she got married to an average man.

“Sorry, Na Hee. I didn’t want to bother you though.”

“What a sorry excuse.”

Kim Na Hee and Ahn Soo Ho had known each other for longer than Ahn Soo Ho had known Kim Dae Chan. The two of them had known each other for 10 years after Kim Na Hee heard about a so-called guardian angel while meeting well-known people all around the world in the fashion, beauty, and show business.

The field of advertisement and fashion had a stiff competition, and whether the methods were legal or illegal, didn’t matter. All that mattered was bringing the competition down. There were many strange ideas, but it was possible for anyone to come up with the key points. The ones who kept their imagination to themselves would make it to the end.

“You wouldn’t have come here for no reason… What’s it about?”

“Do you know Shinhwa Entertainment?”

“The entertainment agency? Yeah, I do. Why? Do you want to sleep with one of them?”

Ahn Soo Ho waved his hand at Kim Na Hee’s explicit comment. “It’s not that…”

“Wow! I’ve never heard you trail off before. Who’s the girl?”

“It’s not a girl.”

“Huh? Then…”

“Na Hee!”

Kim Na Hee stopped teasing him as soon as he lost his temper. “I’m just kidding.”

“If you kept going, you would have turned me gay.”

“Sorry. But why do you ask?”

“I need you to include someone in one of your advertisements.”

“Is this… a special favor?”

Kim Na Hee frowned out of surprise rather than discomfort. Ahn Soo Ho asking for a special favor? That wasn’t something possible in her mind. Ahn Soo Ho didn’t have much to say, so he shrugged and handed her the profile.

“Lee Jung Hoon? Who’s this?”

“You know my mom?”

“Oh! The divorced… Ahem. So what about her? I thought she didn’t really meddle in your life.”

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Kim Na Hee wasn’t the type to butt into other families’ affairs, but her curiosity won over her.

“It just turned out that way.”

“So you’re planning to take care of them yourself.”

“Well… we are half-related.”

“Does that matter to you now? I guess you’re getting old. Oh yeah! Seol Hyun will go crazy when she finds out you’re back. You haven’t called her yet, right?”

“Why would I?”

“Tsk, tsk! You won’t be young for long. Enjoy it while you still can.”

Jang Seol Hyun is a top star acknowledged by everyone in Korea. She and Ahn Soo Ho met after she conquered Asia and went to challenge Hollywood two years ago. The result? She gave the States a try, but it didn’t end so well. There was as much prejudice against Asians as there were for black people.

“Don’t even. Seol Hyun, that wench bothered the hell out of me after you disappeared.”

Kim Na Hee was a good drinker even by male standards, but Jang Seul Hyun was a heavy drinker who blew her out of the water. According to the bar owner, they order a whole box of alcohol for themselves.

“Okay, fine. I’ll call her.”

Ahn Soo Ho surrendered, and Kim Na Hee looked satisfied.

“Great. Then I’ll set up a date.”

“I haven’t even called her yet.”

“They’re two different meetings.”

“Okay, fine.” He couldn’t beat her with words. She picked up the profile Ahn Soo Ho handed her.

“I can’t get him in if he’s completely underqualified.”

“Well, it was his choice to quit school… so do whatever you need to.”

“Wow! If we went to Columbia, he must have done really well in school! And you were at the Naval Academy!”

“It’s probably no comparison. I bet he’s much smarter than me.”

“No way! That’s not possible.”

Columbia University was an Ivey league university in New York. Kim Na Hee shook her head. Lee Jung Hoon was brilliant, but why did she have to compare him to Ahn Soo Ho? There were countless smart people in this world, but only a few could make history.

“The younger can never be equal to the older.” An example would be how Kim Dae Gil is no match for Kim Dae San. “I can’t trust photos. I have to see him myself.”

“Don’t tell him about me. I haven’t met him in person yet either.”

“Why not?”

“That’s how it is between guys.”

“Really?”

Kim Na Hee doesn’t seem to understand.

A brotherhood differed from a sisterhood. He won Lee So Hye over, but it won’t be as easy with Lee Jung Hoon. It was possible their relationship would get even worse. The Lee Jung Hoon he knew was much more calculating than his father. A calculation wasn’t always bad. He also thought about the result before doing anything.

“But… the boundary between stranger and family needs to be clear.”

Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t the type to be lenient to family. He wasn’t a pushover when it came to those. As Ahn Soo Ho left Kim Na Hee’s office, he had to stop. The familiar monitoring form called the diamond flip was a monitoring technique they teach in the CIA. The Daesan Group security guards must have noticed because they look nervous.

Ahn Soo Ho smirked at the white man waving at him. He was swinging with both hands, so it was hard to miss. He signaled his men to dismiss and stood in front of the white man.

“Eaton.”

“Soo Ho.”

Jeremy Eaton O’Hare, the deputy director of the CIA, called Ahn Soo Ho’s name in Korean, even though his accent sounded awkward.

“I couldn’t reach you, so I had no choice but to come here myself.”

“I wasn’t avoiding you on purpose though.”

“I know. I’m sure you’ve been busy.”

Daesan Group and the CIA observed them.

“Shall we walk?”

Jeremy, who accepted Ahn Soo Ho’s suggestion walked beside him through Seolleungno. The crowd today was exceptional than ever. Is there some kind of event going on? In the end, they had to escape to an alleyway.

“Every time I come to South Korea… I find Seoul suffocating. It’s not relaxing at all.”

Jeremy hates high-rise buildings. So even though he’s American, he didn’t like New York City.

“Democracy? Equality? Freedom? There are many problems underlying pleasant words such as world peace and integration, but it’s just a matter of time before mankind sees the Tower of Babel collapse.”

“How poetic.”

It sounded very emotional for something a CIA deputy director to say.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I’m against this mission.”

“Why?”

“Because South Korea is one of the few allies we can trust.”

“But everyone else thought differently?”

“Those dimwits like Japan better. Such dirty bastards. Those fools need to see Pearl Harbor happen again to wake the hell up.”

“I heard Japan is on the sidelines.”

“That’s not true. The Okinawa branch was where the proposal was made. Have you heard of Karl Raider?”

“Cranky?”

After the 21st century came around, IT technicians were the most important external contractors the CIA had. They had always prepared for a Cyberwar by recruiting skilled crackers and hackers. Cranky was one of the world’s top 3 hackers and a pro-Japanese within the Cyber strategy headquarters.

“I found a lot of interesting things in his proposal.”

With his belief that East Asia was more threatening to the States’ national interest and security than the Middle East, he gave rise to a new line of tension while stressing the importance of differentiating our side and their side.

“The States, which is being tormented by the Middle East and Central and South America alone, needs a new line? Did I understand you wrong?”

“No, that’s right. You heard me correctly.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Jeremy let out a bitter laugh.

“That’s what the men at the top want.”

“They want a war?”

“Not exactly. They don’t want an intense battle. They want an opposition they can destroy with no effort.”

He had no choice but to give up the top cop position, so he plans to step on all the punks he hates before he leaves.

“Why are you going so far?”

“You probably can’t understand since you’re not American…”

Jeremy minded Ahn Soo Ho, which was unlike him.

“To us, China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea are all full of yellow-cheeked gibbons. Oh, but not you. You’re special.”

That makes him even angrier.

Even though there was this unrealistic hope that everyone in the world could become friends, beneath it was deception and hypocrisy. What Ahn Soo Ho learned during his time abroad was that white people and Asians were on two different teams. Rather than waiting for racism to go away, it could be faster to wait until everyone on earth becomes of mixed blood.

“How entertaining.”

“Is it?”

Ahn Soo Ho ignored Jeremy’s confused face and continued talking.

“Deliver this message to Cranky for me.”

He needs to see the face of this white man who loves sushi, samurais, and cosplay events.

“Tell him we’ll meet very soon.”

< Protect – Episode 9 – Kim Dae Gil [2] > The end.