Soho

Chapter 231: < Protect – Episode 221 – Grand Circle [4] >

What was the definition of ants in the stock market? Were they the ones that invested small amounts like 1 million or 10 million won? Not at all. No matter what they invested, if they got investment information from someone else, that made them an ant.

‘Because it’s always too late.’

With stocks, profits and losses were determined by a single moment.

“Trade pressure always exists, but it’s serious this time.”

Kang Joon visited Ahn Soo Ho a few days following the US Ministry of Commerce’s announcement.

“I heard you’re going to wrap up.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to take some time to think about it.”

Ahn Soo Ho blatantly questioned him.

“How about you go to Sri Lanka?”

“Sri Lanka? The country where Emerald K is?”

“Yeah.”

“What am I supposed to do there?”

“IT’s been a mess due to the civil war, but the nature is well preserved.”

“Are you making it into a tourist destination?”

“That and make a studio, too.”

“A studio? Like Hollywood?”

“Yup.”

“You must love your wife very much.”

Kang Joon caught onto Ahn Soo Ho’s intentions right away.

Hollywood wasn’t famous just because it was in America. The reason was because they had strong funding power that allowed it to operate. In a world where money trumped all, America sucked up talents from all over the world like a black hole. There were countless people that dreamt of America.

“Why Sri Lanka of all places?”

“We’re targeting Bollywood.”

“India?”

“Yeah. India will be flipped upside down soon, too.”

If Sylvestre’s plans were underway, the chaos would soon ensue.

“Is this another prediction of yours?”

“Just trust me and invest, my friend.”

“That’s what all scam artists say.”

Kang Joon smirked.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Once Kang Joon left, Ahn Soo Ho went deep into thought.

‘Kyung Il is safe as long as the return of cultural assets proceeds forward... so the problem is Sol Ji.’

There was no particular way to help Jung Sol Ji. When it came to money and politics, he was capable of helping as much as she needed, but that was a type of help neither the giver nor the receiver wanted.

‘There’s also the problem of the 80s Society...’

There were many obstacles.

The first trial of Bridal Mask ended with Bae Sang Chul’s win. By winning, it didn’t mean he was ruled not guilty. Due to insufficient evidence, the justice department decided that he would only be charged with violence and terror.

12 years with no probation.

The prosecution appealed, and the defendant claimed his innocence. Bae Sang Chul’s belief was clear; that he was innocent. As soon as Bae Sang Chul’s nature of not tolerating any kind of corruption, the public opinion changed about him.

‘Only the good people get punished in Hell Joseon!’

How enraged they must have been to fight against those with power. As soon as rumors of Bridal Mask being punished undeservingly got out, the public showed great interest in the topic.

Failure of the military reform

Corruption of commanders

Declaration by young ministers

The Korean citizens realized that the Bridal Mask’s trial wasn’t just a simple case of corruption by power. The military wasn’t the only organization with power privatization. The worst place of all was probably the legal world.

They all started to chant for the reform of the prosecution, police, and the court. And when they even spoke up for the reform of the rich, the rich were very shocked. They thought kicking Ahn Soo Ho out would let things settle down, but Bridal Mask lit the fuse once more.

When a small spark that was secretly planted started lighting Korea on fire, his attention was focused on something else. It was the day of Jang Seol Hyun’s labor. Most movies and dramas made it seem like all women screamed like crazy, but Jang Seol Hyun tanked it out as if she was taking a shit.

“Am I the weird one?”

In response to Jang Seol Hyun’s question, Ahn Soo Ho shook his head.

“It’s good that it didn’t hurt.”

With the help of Choi Jeong Yeon, the OB-GYN, doctors, and nurses, as well as the needed equipment were all brought to their homes. They even had an emergency helicopter standing by just in case. Mrs. Park Ok Nam and Jang Seol Hyun’s mother were stuck by her side staring at the baby, and the father-in-law was busy praising Ahn Soo Ho.

“Good work.”

“That was all Seol Hyun. I didn’t do anything.”

“Well, the hard work’s just starting.”

The father-in-law tapped Ahn Soo Ho on the shoulder and went back to the baby. As soon as he left the room, Lee Jung Hoon and Lee So Hye were waiting. Lee So Hye could have gone inside, but she stayed outside to maintain order.

“Is it a son or a daughter?”

“A daughter.”

“Oh!”

“Ah!”

One side was disappointed while the other side cheered. Ahn Soo Ho knitted his brows.

“These bastards.”

“Oh, haha.”

They all froze up.

It was clear they made bets on the baby’s gender. But since it was a good day, he decided to get over it and then stepped out of the house. The yard was crowded as well. Scott Warren and others stayed in Korea even after the screening.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

He accepted the glass of alcohol Scott offered.

“It’s just the beginning, Soo Ho.”

“I don’t plan on getting divorced.”

“That’s not up to you.”

“Are you trying to curse me?”

Scott went through four divorces and spent too much money on the expenses.

“What about the work?”

“It’s going smoothly.”

With the help of Huxley Group, Hosoo Entertainment America and Europe were really taking off. In terms of scale, it already exceeded that of Holly Corporation.

“What about Erickson?”

“I put him in charge of Europe.”

The former vice-president of Holly Corporation, Hannah Erickson, was just as ambitious as Oh Joo Kyung.

“Come to think of it, her name is Hannah, too. ”

“Is there another one?”

“Logan’s daughter is Hannah, too.”

“Daughter? When did he get married?”

“He’s not married... but he’s a father now.”

“He must have fooled around too much.”

That wasn’t the case, but he didn’t deny it.

He sensed a strange vibe between Christina and Logan. Their love wasn’t so passionate that it was on fire, but they were interested in each other. But they refused to outwardly express it because of Caroline.

“Do you have something to say?”

The fact that he didn’t return to work despite how busy he was meant he had something to say.

“Did you decide on the next work?”

“Who? Me?”

“No.”

“Seol Hyun? No, I don’t think so.”

He said no and then made it sound ambiguous. He hadn’t heard anything. But the fact that she didn’t say anything to him meant there was nothing in the works. But he didn’t want to make a definite statement.

“Why do you ask?”

“I have a script for her.”

“If it’s because of me... that’s an insult to her.”

Casting Jang Seol Hyun through Ahn Soo Ho’s influence was an insult to her as an actress. And they didn’t want that kind of shortcut, anyway. She didn’t seem like it with him, but she had the pride of a top actress.

“NO! That’s not what it is! I was deeply inspired by her movie! She’s really good at action. She even has movements that can’t be portrayed with computer graphics. Anyway, she’s an example that not all Asians are weak and frail!”

Scott explained himself.

No one could ignore her status as Ahn Soo Ho’s wife, but the action that she showed off in her recent film broke down all stereotypes about Asian actresses. In contrast to the Korean media’s lack of focus on “Nuremberg’s Poem”, the foreign critics described it as a revolutionary film.

‘It’s not that great.’

They were definitely sucking up. The best type of marketing in Korea was one that used patriotism. Some of the reporters bragged about how foreign viewers loved the film.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“I already did.”

“But she turned you down?”

“She said she wants to focus on her baby for now.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks.”

Scott must have sensed a new potential in Jang Seol Hyun.

‘Of course.’

She was completely different from when she first attempted Hollywood. And in all seriousness, Jang Seol Hyun was physically strong enough to make it up the Octagon.

After the noisy celebration, he went to Jang Seol Hyun to congratulate her himself. She was surprisingly active for a new mother, and if Mrs. Park and her mother didn’t talk her out of it, she would have served the guests herself.

“Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Yeah. She is.”

The newborn was unable to open her eyes.

She was all wrinkly, but he didn’t want to ruin Jang Seol Hyun’s delightful mood. A nurse approached and held the baby to transfer her to the baby room.

Only the married couple remained.

“Good work. Thank you.”

“It actually wasn’t hard at all.”

“Still, don’t move so much. And listen to your mothers.”

“Okay.”

Ahn Soo Ho stared at Jang Seol Hyun. She must have sensed something because she stared back. Normally, he would have hugged her, but he just stood there and kept a distance.

“I told you I have a lot of secrets.”

“You did.”

“Well, I’m going to tell you today.”

He told his wife about what he did after leaving Korea following their wedding. The cold side of the world. He was scared to find out if his wife would understand him even after knowing the cold truth. But he worried for nothing.

“I...”

She thought for a while and then came to a decision.

“I...”

But the words didn’t come out easily.

“Soo Ho.”

Jang Seol Hyun got up from her bed and hugged Ahn Soo Ho.

“Do you know when my happiest moment was?”

“Today?”

“No. Well, I’m not saying our gift isn’t precious.”

He listened carefully to his wife.

“I feel bad for our parents, but I was the happiest when we took our wedding vows.”

She often got annoyed while preparing for the wedding. But she cherished every day of it. And when she stood in front of Ahn Soo Ho in a wedding dress, she felt like her heart was going to burst.

“I looked all over the internet looking for vows. And then I came across an old radio station.”

Trends changed quickly these days.

In Jang Seol Hyun’s generation, there was no memory or recollection of the radio. The stories of sending messages over the radio were all in the past.

“Being able to raise a baby with you is a happy thing, and as time goes on, we’ll get old and grow sick and tired.”

A marriage that was happy 365 days a year was impossible. Even for him and Jang Seol Hyun, there would come a day when they’d fight.

“I looked for all sorts of famous lines. But there weren’t many that I liked. And then I heard something that was said on the radio.”

Messages that were often sent between the bride and groom.

She found them cringey at first.

‘I love you.’

‘Let’s be happy.’

‘I’m sorry.’

They were all pretty similar.

However, after listening to it for a while, Jang Seol Hyun realized something. That these stories weren’t special at all. In every story was some consideration for the other person. But there were things that couldn’t ever be said in a marriage. And without saying it, the other person would never know. No matter how much a person loved someone, it had to be voiced out for the other person to know.

“I love you. I love you, Soo Ho. I’ll tell you I love you every day from now on.”

For that reason, Jang Seol Hyun wrote the most typical things in her vows.

“In happiness and in sadness...”

In sickness and in health.

“I promise to be with you forever.”

Those words rang through Ahn Soo Ho’s heart. He had thought that she could abandon her if needed, but he could no longer do that.

Ahn Soo Ho hugged Jang Seol Hyun tight.

******

No matter how strong she was, Jang Seol Hyun needed her rest. Ahn Soo Ho stared at her as she slept and then walked out of the room.

As soon as he walked out of his house, Logan had his car ready. Even though he told him it was bothersome, Logan didn’t stop being his guard. So Ahn Soo Ho got into the back seat and Logan got into the passenger seat.

“What about the preparations?”

“It’s complete. They’re all on standby.”

“Good.”

“Boss.”

Ahn Soo Ho waited in response to Logan’s calling.

“I want to speak to Christine.”

“I knew this would happen. Okay. I’ll talk to Carol.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need. How’s Hannah?”

“She’s in Jejudo with her mother.”

Ahn Soo Ho nodded. He made a safe zone in Jejudo just in case. The car arrived at the parking lot of Star Tower. It was very late at night, so no one was there except for the guards.

They took the lift to the top floor equipped with security equipment. As soon as the doors opened, he was faced with Kosino and Alexa.

“Congratulations once again, Boss.”

Ahn Soo Ho waved his hand and continued walking. Alexa was near the panel, chewing a gum and waving at him. As soon as Star Tower was purchased, the top floor was renovated, and currently, it was the control tower that ruled over the security systems of Hosoo Entertainment Group.

Ahn Soo Ho stood in front of the camera. And behind the camera were countless screens. On it, he could see his representatives all around the world as well as D. Punch Sylvestre, Allan Smith, and Armidan Milosevic.

“Hello, everyone.”

The congratulations for his new daughter poured in. Ahn Soo Ho took a moment to enjoy the moment. He then raised his hand for them to quiet down.

“Today is a very happy day for me. And I think this proposal was influenced by that.”

Sylvestre and Armidan listened carefully while President Olsen and Ambassador Vitali showed great interest.

“I’m certain my retirement changed a lot of things for you. I apologize for not consulting you earlier.”

They all looked surprised.

“I’m sure you’re all busy, so I’ll get straight to the point. From this point onward, I am canceling the rules of engagement.”

He kept his eyes wide open as if he wasn’t finished.

Rules of engagement,

The rules set by the former ruler, Ahn Soo Ho, no longer applied.

“But no nuclear weapons are allowed.”

“What about tactical nuclear weapons?”

The falsified voice made everyone on the network flinch. They didn’t know each other. The only one who knew who everyone was was Ahn Soo Ho. He smirked in response to Sylvestre’s question.

“As long as it’s not a nuclear war.”

“So we’re allowed.”

Multiple exclamations could be heard.

Ahn Soo Ho looked straight into the camera.

“Good luck.”

The conversation ended.

And at that very moment, some people appeared from the darkness. Issac, Michel, J-Law, and Ahn Da Sol. He wasn’t surprised. After all, he was the one who invited them. After making eye contact with every one of them, he spoke with a low voice.

“I accept.”

Michel kneeled and prayed while Issac clapped. J-Law put his hand over his heart while Ahn Da Sol didn’t seem so pleased.

Issac asked a question.

“What will be the name?”

Ahn Soo Ho tilted his head and then smiled.

“Grand Circle.”

< Protect – Episode 221 – Grand Circle [4] > The end.