Soho

Chapter 28: < Protect – Episode 27 – Vitali [2] >

“Ahn Soo Ho.”

When Kang Mi Na saw him with Jang Seol Hyun at Bar Lafargue, she was reminded of a picture. Kang Mi Na, who collected all of Jang Seol Hyun’s interviews, and articles, saw Ahn Soo Ho passing by. At first, she thought he was an American security guard. However, they were still meeting after leaving Hollywood.

“It’s no ordinary relationship.”

She believes that a man and a woman could be friends, but the Jang Seol Hyun she saw that day looked like she was in love. When Kang Mi Na ran into Soo Ho at the spicy rice cake shop, she wanted to tease him a little bit. That was why she begged the producer to act cute in front of him, which was not necessary for her to do.

“All men are the same.”

They had a weakness for girls acting cute. However, that wasn’t the case this time.

“Failed!”

Time stopped. The cheering, the sketching, and the instructions all stopped, and all that could be heard was the sound of spicy rice cakes cooking.

“Cu... cut!”

How shocking was it that the youngest PD shouted “Cut!” The producer talked to the main writer and then shook his head.

“Damn it! We can’t use this!”

“Can’t you just edit it in a favorable way?”

“How am I supposed to fix this? Not even the god of variety can fix this. And Manager Yoon’s expression...”

The last words the producer said was almost a whisper. The main writer glanced at Mi Na’s manager but quickly turned away. He looked like he was saying he would kill him if they released anything that would degrade Mi Na. Ahn Soo Ho, who started this whole thing, shamelessly chewed his spicy rice cakes.

“Why did you do that, Soo Ho?”

People’s gazes made Lee So Hye feel like she was sitting on a cushion of thorns. She quietly asked her brother why he had to bring down Kang Mi Na like that. Ahn Soo Ho, who was cracking an egg with his spoon, smirked.

“That little girl was provoking me.”

“Provoking?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to know.”

Kang Mi Na was obviously a fan of Seol Hyun. Why does she have so many fans? The future of Korea was bleak.

“Look here.”

General Manager Yoon Ki Woo of JT Entertainment, which Yesterday was with, approached Ahn Soo Ho with a stiff face.

“Did you have to tell her off when she was obviously being filmed? Do you hate our Mi Na or something?”

Bad emotions got in the way of his talking. He looked like he would have punched him if the cameras weren’t around. As usual, it was Oh Joo Kyung who resolved the situation. When a woman who was as beautiful as a celebrity gathered everyone, no one could say a word.

Ahn Soo Ho saw that and clicked his tongue.

The power of beauty was as strong as capital power. Whether someone was a man or a woman, beauty was a powerful weapon, and if used correctly, it would make life a lot easier. As a woman with aspirations, Oh Joo Kyung didn’t hesitate to use her weapon. She handed over her business card with a smile on her face to the one in charge.

“I’m Deputy Oh Joo Kyung of Daesan Group’s secretary’s office.”

“Daesan Group?”

“Yes.”

The broadcasting producer thought of using petty tricks after realizing that she was an elite. That was when he realized that Ahn Soo Ho was wearing a high-end suit made by an Italian craftsman.

“Then is he...”

“He’s a director at the head office.”

If a person was an executive at the head office, that person was already equal to the CEO. If a man that young was an executive, he could be blood-related. The producer in charge was surprised while Yoon Ki Woo turned pale.

“Oh my god!”

The one he bullied was an executive at Daesan Group’s head office. JT Entertainment wasn’t a small company, but they were no comparison to Daesan Group’s worst-performing branch. Above all, a few of JT Entertainment’s celebrities had advertising contracts with Daesan. Oh Joo Kyung attempted to comfort Mi Na’s manager, who went pale.

“Don’t worry. Director doesn’t get work and personal life confused.”

“Oh, I must apologize...”

He shook his head to his sudden change of behavior.

“There’s no need.”

“But still...”

Meanwhile, the writers gathered and talked about how it would be quite a sight if the dark man was excluded from the picture.

“All four of them are beautiful. I feel like this would make for a great picture. What do you think?”

“That’s true... but will they allow it?”

“That’s the problem.”

They smelled a very masculine scent from Ahn Soo Ho, who failed Kang Mi Na in one go. It was a scent that reminds them of a tough guy that one could only see in Western movies. Was he not into a beauty like Kang Mi Na because he was an executive of Daesan Group? Kang Mi Na, who was the cause of all of this, was being comforted by the cast.

“Don’t worry about it Mi Na.”

“Did she do that to draw attention to herself?”

“I don’t think so. Look. His level is... Oh, sorry.”

Chae Rin hit Andy on his side for babbling on in an insensitive manner.

“But why are we still here? She failed the mission.”

“I’m not sure. The producers probably have some kind of idea.”

Meanwhile, Andy, a cast member that was gone for a while came back and gave them a thumbs up.

“You won’t believe this.”

“What?”

“That Fail Man... Sorry, Mi Na. Anyway, that man is an executive of Daesan Group.”

He pointed at Ahn Soo Ho, who already earned the nickname of Fail Man.

“Woah!”

“Really?”

“Oh my gosh!”

There was poison found inside the late Vice-President Kim Kang Woon’s body, but whether it was a suicide or murder was uncertain. However, the fact that a high-ranking executive was bribed to be a spy and was threatened made the conspiracy regarding the hostage incident spread more and more, it made more people to encourage Daesan. It seemed as if Daesan Group was fighting for the Korean economy against foreign capital.

Moreover, more and more people started to wonder if the candlelight protest was a plot with an impure intent, drawn up by someone in power. The people who were demanding economic justice and a reformation of the rich couldn’t let the public opinion to move toward an unfavorable direction. In a way, the candlelight protest started to become more violent and aggressive.

“If you’re done eating, let’s get going.”

“Ugh, I might get indigestion.”

In contrast to Lee So Hye, who cared about what people thought, Emily and Rachel enjoyed the attention. In the States and Australia, parents focused on raising their children’s confidence. To them, modesty wasn’t a virtue. They weren’t embarrassed to show off their bodies, money, cars, or whatever surpassed the average standard. Since they already paid, there was no need to waste time in front of the entrance. Oh Joo Kyung who came later didn’t come alone. Yoon Ki Woo looked pitiful as if he was ready to kneel and ask for forgiveness, to which Ahn Soo Ho smirked.

“Please don’t be like that. People will think I’m bullying you.”

“I apologize.”

“There’s no need for that. I have no ill feelings toward you, so you don’t have to waste your energy. Did you explain thoroughly, Ms. Oh?”

As soon as the blame was pointed toward Oh Joo Kyung, she awkwardly smiled and shrugged. That made Yoon Ki Woo surprised once more. The interaction between a deputy and an executive didn’t seem awkward at all. This was a difficult sight to see in Korea, where rank was very strict and important.

“Is it because he’s young?”

Then that would be a relief. Even though he was just a general manager at an entertainment agency, he graduated from a reputable university in the States.

“Was it Mi Na? Please tell her I said sorry for ruining the show.”

“Oh no! Not at all!”

“But honestly... I really didn’t like the way she talked.”

“Haha.”

Yoon Ki Woo just laughed.

Seeing how Kang Mi Na’s cute act didn’t get through to him, he was probably not easy to please. Most people get overexcited when they go on television. Most celebrities were attention-seeking and self-absorbed. That was why they wanted to be treated in a special way.

“Good luck with the show.”

“Goodbye.”

Yoon Ki Woo saw them off as they left the spicy rice cake street and walked to digest their food. Namsan Tower might look like it was close, but it was not. In the middle of walking toward Namsan Tower from Sinsa-dong, they were stopped by Jangchung-dong’s pigs’ feet street. The three girls start salivating.

“Glutton!”

As Ahn Soo Ho looked at the girls who were staring at the pigs’ feet, he was reminded of Marshmallow Man’s partner, Glutton. Where does all the food go in such small bodies? After eating pigs’ feet in Jangchung-dong, they ate kimbap in Chungmuro, went window shopping in Myeongdong, passed Namdaemun Market, and then entered the food street in Bukchang-dong.

It was an excessive eating adventure.

The taste was important too, but what the girls wanted was large amounts. Oh Joo Kyung tried her best to walk in heels, but he bought her running shoes at Namdaemun Market. He couldn’t stand the sight of her pain.

“Wow!”

A rally was taking place today as well. After reaching the 1 million mark, it seemed to decrease over time, but it seemed like there were more than 500,000 people today. Emily and Rachel were so fascinated that they started taking selfies. There were many Korean reporters, but there were quite a few foreigners with mics as well.

Oh Joo Kyung was following the three girls around and Ahn Soo Ho was accompanying at a distance, when someone showed up beside him.

“What do you think?”

The shape of Ahn Soo Ho’s mouth changed after hearing a random voice out of nowhere.

“Aren’t you sick of the freemasons? Rumors about Bratva being involved would be much more believable.”

“If you want to make the public take the controversy seriously, you have to use a familiar group that rings a bell.”

The Russian ambassador, Vitali Andropov used to be a KGB agent, and currently one of the most powerful in Moscow. He was originally nominated for Russian ambassador, but he volunteered to be appointed as the Korean ambassador.

“Chilsungpa will be dealt with soon, Soo Ho.”

“I owe you.”

It might seem weird that a Russian was controlling the fate of a Korean gang, but the red mafia had been rooted in the Korean peninsula for quite some time.

“You could have taken care of it yourself.”

“I don’t want to see any blood in my homeland.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Your homeland should be for comfort and rest.”

“How’s Moscow?”

“It’s noisy as always. You’re expected to visit soon.”

“Why?”

“The president is planning a visit to Europe and Africa.”

“Tell him I’ll visit once I wrap up the matters with Brazil.”

“Sounds good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Vitali flashed a sincere smile and exchanged a hug. The guard, who was highly alert in such a crowded place, sighed out of relief once Vitali got into the car.

“You shouldn’t go to places on an impulse, Ambassador.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more careful.”

As soon as the car departed, Vitali got comfortable in his seat. He was just as nervous as his guard. The aide, who was holding the car phone, carefully opened his mouth.

“It’s Moscow, Ambassador.”

“Hand it over.”

Vitali took the phone and smiled in a meaningful manner.

“They’re going to make their move within the next few days. Yes, yes. Not even the Amazon jungle can stop them.”

There were ranks within the embassy, and the ambassador of the United States was in the front lines. However, he picked the Korean embassy. That was because it had to be of service to only one important person. The Yankees call him a wizard, but the one Vitali knew wasn’t putting on a fancy performance.

“The traitor will be eliminated soon.”

< Protect – Episode 27 – Vitali [2] > The end.