Soho

Chapter 146: < Protect – Episode 145 – Guardian Angel [1] >

“That’s impressive! He was born for action!”

Peter Elliot Mcqueen hugged Ahn Soo Ho and touched him all over.

“Peter! Peter!”

If Scott didn’t talk him out of it, there could have been a lawsuit. The three of them sat at a table. After getting Peter to stop, Scott looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

“You don’t have to take it so seriously, Soo Ho. This is just a proposal.”

“What are you talking about, Scott? I’m serious.”

“Look, Peter. Like I told you before, my Soo Ho is a very busy man! He doesn’t have time to film a movie!”

“My Soo Ho?’ Is Mr. Ahn under your agency or something?”

“No, but I should take care of my best friend.”

The two fought over Ahn Soo Ho. Scott, who was just happy to get rid of Hanna, had to deal with another rival. As soon as things calmed down, Peter looked at Ahn Soo Ho who was just sipping his coffee.

“What do you think about it?”

“No.”

“Ha! You’re stern.”

“I have no interest in selling my face.”

A balance between light and darkness was good, but he didn’t want to be an entertainer. That didn’t mean he looked down on stars. He just didn’t have the right personality to go around smiling and providing fan service.

“That’s really too bad.”

Peter clicked his tongue. His body was born for action. Most Hollywood action relied on computer graphics and filming techniques, but if they didn’t have the right material, to begin with, it was bound to stand out.

‘There’s still time.’

Most Hollywood blockbusters took over 2 years to film. Filming the actors didn’t take that long, but in order to fit in planning, budgeting, securing filming sites, CG work, and editing, 2 years was often too short.

“I heard you’re very rich.”

“Who said that?”

Peter pointed at Scott with his chin in response.

“How much have you been saying about me?”

“Let’s just say... Holly Corporation was made by me, but the board of directors aren’t pushovers. So it’s easy making someone into a fool.”

If they got into a civil lawsuit, the opposing party was bound to use Scott’s divorce history and make him look like a cheater.

“If you’re afraid of scandals, you never should’ve gotten divorced.”

“It’s the jury I’m afraid of. The public is open but conservative at the same time. They might like sex scandals from the stance of a viewer, but the jurors make the verdict. They have no choice but to care about their own reputation and face as well.”

“You’re right. The public is wishy-washy and hypocritical.”

Peter agreed with him as if he sympathized as a fellow divorced man. Ahn Soo Ho knitted his brows. He didn’t know if the divorce alliance was because they were in the entertainment industry or if they were white.

“If you were going to divorce so easily, why did you even get married?”

“Because I loved them. But then again... even grannies look pretty when I’m drunk. Haha.”

“It’s not just the grannies. Even the fat girls look like the Kardashians.”

“The Kardashians aren’t fat though. They just gave big breasts and ass.”

“They’re not natural though.”

“Those who’ve touched them would know.”

Whenever men got together, they always made dirty jokes. Even respected producers and directors were still men. Peter Elliot McQueen still wasn’t one of the greats, but he was still a loved director of Hollywood. Actually, it was the Hollywood film studios that really loved him. That was because he had a sense that brought them more profit than they invested.

“I have a friend who films pornos, and apparently, the filming vibe is fantastic.”

“Because he loves it?”

“No, because he’s sick of it.”

“He’s sick of it?”

“That’s how it is for everything. Let’s say you ate at a Michelin star restaurants every day. After a while, you probably wouldn’t even know. It’s the same with pornos. It’s good at first, but after a while, watching other people have sex is boring.”

After talking about the porn industry, they started asking each other about the call girls they had called.

“What do the kids call it these days? Party girls? There are services that call young women for you.”

“They call themselves model agencies, but they’re all a bunch of scammers. They round up all the decent-looking girls, offer them modeling jobs, and then take weird pictures of them instead.”

“A lot of them end up in the porn industry. Because after a while, they can’t make a proper living.”

“I don’t agree with that. Even restaurant waitresses can make a living. They just don’t want to work hard for their money. How do they expect to live with mindsets like that?”

“Scott, as someone who parties all the time, you have no right to say that.”

“Why not? I don’t mess with the ones who sell their bodies for a living.”

Ahn Soo Ho poured cold water over the strange pride battle.

“What a thing to brag about.”

“Hm.”

Korean men often took pride in the military while the successful white men liked to brag about their girlfriends. That was where the term “trophy wife” came from. If they didn’t date great people, they were treated as if they were lesser. People believed that if one succeeded in society, one should also be dating someone glamorous.

“You say that, but you have a Korean superstar as a girlfriend.”

“Oh! Really?”

Peter responded to Scott’s sarcastic remark.

“Which Korean superstar?”

“Her name is Seol Hyun Jang. She’s a famous Korean actress. Right? She’s famous in all of Asia.”

“Sseol Lyun Chang?”

“Pronounce it properly or you might get beat up.”

Scott minded Ahn Soo Ho when Peter butchered her name.

“Korean pronunciation is hard.”

“You’re good at pronouncing ‘Soo Ho’.”

“That’s because...”

“Do you think of Sukhoi when you say it?”

“Haha.”

Ahn Soo Ho had no energy to get mad at the white men’s conversation.

“Stop the nonsense and get to the point.”

“Can we reinvest the money we got in the film industry?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Not that much money is needed to create a system that fosters stars. Actually, let me rephrase that. 1 billion is more than enough to create an agency.”

It was estimated that the process of turning Barbara Huxley’s pounds into dollars would take at least 10 years. If 70 billion won moved all at once, there was bound to be a backlash. The New York and London terrorist attacks brought the nations together, but in the upper class, the governments of each country became cold in terms of their relationships.

“Hollywood is the tabloid edition of Washington D.C.”

The current Hollywood wasn’t about the American film industry. It also wasn’t Los Angeles’ exclusive property.

“Rights get involved where funds are moved around.”

“Are you saying the parliament would get involved?”

“It’s very likely.”

If they weren’t going to set up a small shop, they needed support regarding policies or connections with a politician.

“If you know the problem, you’ve probably thought of a solution as well.”

“We can’t make any funds.”

“For whom?”

“For artists. Oh, and I don’t just mean actors and singers. It also includes classical performers and pop artists. There are countless jobs in the field of art.”

“Are you thinking of running for office?”

“Not now but maybe later.”

He might have underestimated Scott’s ambitions. If he was dreaming of becoming a politician, it was true that Hollywood was the tabloid edition of Washington D.C.

“In our country’s democracy, it’s not all about making a lot of money. If technology and product are good, it can sell well for the first few years. However, if you make a lot of money without contributing to society, there is bound to be retaliation.”

“Are you stressing the importance of donation?”

It wasn’t Scott who shook his head to Ahn Soo Ho’s question, but Peter instead.

“Let’s just say... the mindset of the upper class hasn’t changed much from the Western age, my friend.”

“The Western age? A bonanza would be an exaggerated expression. It’s more accurate to compare it to federal integration.”

Scott changed Peter’s remark a little.

“So if you want to make an investment, follow our rules? Is that it?”

“Something like that.”

“Are you pushing your own rules on me?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not like you can kill everyone.”

Peter only met Ahn Soo Ho for the first time today, but he had heard of his great reputation. Major films weren’t squeaky clean either. Ahn Soo Ho smirked.

“Why do you think I can’t kill everyone?”

“Hm.”

Both Scott and Peter groaned loudly.

“I’m just kidding.”

“Haha. Right? You’re kidding, right?”

“That was a scary joke though. Haha.”

They looked at Ahn Soo Ho and smiled awkwardly.

“Talk to Barbara about it.”

“I don’t know about consulting a Limey about it...”

Limey was a derogatory way of addressing British people. Did they like British capital while hating the British people? No matter how progressive they were, racism still existed.

“I think you’ve misunderstood, Scott. I’m the one who employed you. If I tell you to talk to the Somalians, you do it.”

Both of them were Ahn Soo Ho’s underlings. The reason why Ahn Soo Ho gave Scott his support wasn’t because he liked him. It was because there was no better way to exert influence on Americans than through the entertainment business.

“If you don’t want to do it, just forget it.”

“When did I say that? I was thoughtless. I’ll cancel what I just said!”

Scott reacted with shock. They beat around the bush, but what the two of them wanted to say was simple. Just like how Romans do as the Romans do when one was in America, do as the Americans do. That was what they wanted to say. If they really knew Ahn Soo Ho, they wouldn’t have been able to say that. If they acted solely based on how he looked on the outside, Scott’s advice wasn’t wrong.

‘He probably thought of me as an upstart from a weak country.’

There were many in power who didn’t know that much about Ahn Soo Ho, and their judgments of him weren’t going to change anytime soon. Regardless of education, North America and Europe had a tendency to look down on Asia. In Ahn Soo Ho’s years as a mercenary, he saw countless people in power be born and go down right in front of their eyes.

In a war for power, nationality, race, gender, and age didn’t matter.

‘I won’t become like Hector Garcia.’

The king who once had the world under his feet.

He had money he couldn’t spend, he had family whom he couldn’t find, and he was alive but didn’t live a proper life as a man living a pitiful life in his later years. Why did Hector Garcia turn out like that? He said that it was just a blessing that he was still alive, and it didn’t take long to figure out the reason.

‘Absence of balance.’

As a man who ruled with fear, Hector had more enemies than allies. He didn’t mediate but rather pressured, and he made an effort to put the opposing party at a loss. What changed history only took place where the public couldn’t see. The really important issues weren’t reported on the news.

The next day, Charlotte was exempted from criminal responsibility.

The day after that, Scott formally announced Hosoo Entertainment America.

One week later, the White House decided to invade Nigeria.

One month later,

Ahn Soo Ho held a mass fan meeting.

< Protect – Episode 145 – Guardian Angel [1] > The end.