Chapter 147: < Protect – Episode 146 – Guardian Angel [2] >

“I said I hate acting like entertainers, but that’s exactly what they’re doing.”

“Don’t look at it in such a negative light, Soo Ho. They all like you.”

Jang Seol Hyun calmed down Ahn Soo Ho’s grumbling.

It was the company that scheduled the joint fan meeting, but the one who pushed for it was Jang Seol Hyun. Ahn Soo Ho’s fan club, Guardian Angel grew to have more than 450,000 members. Only 1/3 of those were pa.s.sionate fans but 150,000 wasn’t a small number either. Fan clubs of superstars were like firepower. In addition, there were even more independent fan pages and fan cafes that weren’t a part of the official fan club.

The joint fan meeting opened in Jejudo.

There was dissatisfaction regarding the fact that it was a small event with only 200 people invited, but when Jang Seol Hyun revealed that she would hold one every quarter, things calmed down. Most fan meetings took place in big stadiums, but Ahn Soo Ho’s fan meeting was like a luxury tour. Fans met up at Star tower, took a limousine to Incheon International Airport, and then went to Jejudo on a private jet.

Daesan Hotel truly felt like his home.

Some might wonder how they could schedule a water park as an activity in the middle of winter, but the waterpark actually had hot water, but young people in their 20s and 30s didn’t care about the cold. The chairperson of the fan meeting, Do Min Ho had his own opinions on such recreation. They made it so that those who wanted to rest could rest, those who wanted to play could play, and those who wanted to shop could shop. It was uncertain whether this was a fan meeting or a vacation in Jejudo.

Ahn Soo Ho joined in with the fans and his girlfriend.

If it was just him, he would have been stiff as cardboard, but Jang Seol Hyun knew exactly how to deal with fans. They took photos together, chatted, shopped, and enjoyed everyday things together. And photos from the fan meeting soon took over social media and the internet news. Avoiding the paparazzi and hiding everywhere was a new experience for the fans.

Once night fell, they gathered at the outdoor banquet hall at Daesan Hotel. The s.p.a.ce between buildings was large enough to fit 200 people. With Do Min Ho’s guidance, they played games, showed off their talents, but the highlight was when Ahn Soo Ho took the mic.

Do Min Ho immediately stepped up.

“You’re probably sick of this segment, but let’s take some time to answer questions. Would you like that?”

“Yes!”

They enjoyed sitting around a fire under the sparkling stars. Once the night hit, the temperature got cold. Jejudo’s winters weren’t really that terribly cold, but without enough clothing, one could easily catch a cold.

“Are you cold?”

“No!”

Everyone shouted their answer in response to Ahn Soo Ho’s question.

“Then why do you all have red noses?”

“Haha!”

The girl at the front covered her face in embarra.s.sment.

“Thank you for taking the time to partic.i.p.ate in this for me.”

Ahn Soo Ho spoke to his fans informally. Whether it was a coincidence or not, none of his fans were older than him.

“It’s not like I’m a celebrity or an athlete. I can’t believe I’m having a fan meeting…”

“You’re so cool!”

“Oh!”

Ahn Soo Ho shook both his hands as if he was expressing his understanding.

“I know I’m handsome.”

“Yes, you are! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!”

“Yes, you are! Yes, you are!”

They almost sounded like a cult. He shook his hands once more to calm them down, but someone was bound to disobey.

“The most handsome in the world!”

“That’s enough! It sounds like you’re making fun of me now!”

“Haha!”

Ahn Soo Ho’s fit of rage made everyone burst into laughter.

“Anyway! Once the ugly man compet.i.tion begins, vote for the Do brothers, okay?”

“Okay!”

As soon as Ahn Soo Ho gave Do Min Ho a thumbs down, the fans followed along.

‘Not bad.’

After roaming all over the world dealing with horrible people with guns, it felt strange to be accepted by strangers. Was this why everyone wanted popularity? It felt addicting to him.

“Let’s get started with the first question.”

After glaring at Ahn Soo Ho’s fans Do Min Ho got back into his chairperson mindset.

“Haha! What humorous fans you have. How am I ugly?”

“Boo!”

He ignored the fans and read the questions.

“Here’s the first question. How do you become a mercenary?”

“Who asked that question?”

Someone raised their hand. Most people expected the person to be a man, but it was actually a beautiful woman.

“You want to become a mercenary?”

“Yes. I want to become a war mercenary.”

“Why?”

“I feel like it’d be better than being a guard.”

She was wrapped up in a winter jacket, but she talked and looked like a woman who worked out. Most women didn’t speak like her. Only those who worked in the military did. However, seeing from her appearance, she didn’t make a living off of being a soldier.

“Do you work out?”

“Yes, I do. I do Taekwondo.”

“Do you represent the country?”

“I won silver at the Asian Games and won bronze at the Olympics.”

The crowd cheered and clapped for her, but she didn’t look happy; she looked sad.

“If you’re an Olympic medalist, you probably have a lot of offers.”

If not, she could have become a coach.

“I have to make a lot of money. It’s hard to do that as a guard or a Taekwondo teacher.”

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t ask any detailed questions. He thought it would be better to talk to her in private. If he hadn’t seen her gaze, he would have thought the question was just a joke.

‘Desperation.’

She looked as desperate as a suicide bomber wearing an explosive jacket. They put the first question behind them and Do Min Ho picked more cheerful questions to proceed to.

Q: I want to date a celebrity!

A: You’d better make a lot of money then.

Q: Give me a job!

A: Graduate from school first.

Q: How do I get better at a foreign language?

A: Go to cla.s.s.

Q: I want to be taller than 180 centimeters!

A: Then you’ll have to be born again.

The half joking and half serious answers made the vibe a lot lighter. Do Min Ho found the right opportunity to welcome the guest, Jang Seol Hyun. As someone who made the time to be there despite her busy filming schedule, she was her boyfriend’s official supporter. If her fan club had seen this, they would have certainly raged, but the truth was, half of the fans that were there were actually her fans.

“Welcome, Ms. Jang Seol Hyun.”

“Pardon?”

Jang Seol Hyun showed a strange expression in response to Ahn Soo Ho’s formal way of speaking. Ahn Soo Ho smirked.

“How many times have you dated, Seol Hyun?”

“Oh.”

He was getting revenge for what she did to him at the talk show. Do Min Ho stepped in to help Jang Seol Hyun.

“It’s bad manners to ask about a woman’s past. A real man should be easy-going about it.”

“I don’t have a past.”

Do Min Ho was just trying to help but Jang Seol Hyun refused. That was because people could have misunderstood it as her having a vibrant past.

“You’re the first man I ever dated.”

“Wow!”

Jang Seol Hyun made an easy-going confession.

“Don’t kid around.”

“It’s true!”

She shouted back at Ahn Soo Ho, who didn’t believe her. She even started to tear from the feeling of it being unfair. Ahn Soo Ho was taken aback.

“Sorry.”

He hugged Jang Seol Hyun and calmed her down.

“Don’t be like that.”

“Okay.”

She cried so much that her mascara ran before she smiled again. She was definitely an actress. Min Ho continued with the questions.

“When do you plan on getting married?”

“Once the filming ends… Hmm… Maybe this fall?”

Jang Seol Hyun answered the questions and Ahn Soo Ho just nodded.

“Aren’t you sad that you only dated for a little while?”

“Not at all! If I don’t catch him now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. It’s not just the brave that gets beautiful women. Brave women get handsome men. So if a decent man shows up, you have to pounce.”

In response to her enthusiastic response, the men jeered and the women giggled.

“I’m a true fan of Soo Ho. But to be honest, he’s not handsome.”

“Who said that?”

Ahn Soo Ho’s frowning elicited laughter from the fans.

“Let’s keep the person anonymous for their safety.”

“Haha!”

Do Min Ho’s humorous response made everyone laugh even louder. Jang Seol Hyun held the mic and gave a serious answer.

“What’s the standard of beauty? Is it just in the face? I look at a person’s overall proportions. They call it an aura. You can’t judge people with their face alone.”

“So answer the question with a yes or no. Oh, and if you lie, your mother is a…”

Jang Seol Hyun didn’t understand Do Min Ho and tilted her head, so Ahn Soo Ho whispered it to her. She was absolutely shocked.

“How could you say such a thing?”

“Whoa, relax. That’s what it says on the question sheet.”

“Who is it?”

“In order to protect their ident.i.ty…”

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Do Min Ho tried to beat around the bush, but he couldn’t avoid Ahn Soo Ho’s gaze. As soon as Do Min Ho tried to run off, Ahn Soo Ho used his legendary kick that he showed off in the Shanghai street fight.

“Agh!”

This is the legendary kick that will be pa.s.sed on in fan meeting history! #AfterMathOfUglyMan #DoBRothersK.I.A. #DominosPizza

Isn’t that an a.s.sault?

I think it was a joke. If he really meant it, that guy would be crippled!

They provided free plane rides, vacation, food, and hotel! Hey, what kind of heavenly fan meeting was that?

He’s bragging about his money!

If you want to put a negative twist on it, there’s going to be no end to it! Do you know how many employees there are at Hosoo Entertainment Group? There’s more than 11,251! They have more than 10,000 just half a year of being founded!

It’s impressive that they have that many when they don’t even have any manufacturers!

It’s because of the broadcasting station! Are most of the people there their staff members?

But HBS isn’t completely an affiliated company.

Hosoo, Daesan, and where was it? Rosette Brand New Group? They’re the ones with most of the shares! The fact of the matter is that the Daesan family owns the broadcasting company!

Isn’t Hosoo Entertainment Group and Daesan Group different though?

The reason why Kim Dae San has Ahn Soo Ho’s back is because he considers him as a part of the Daesan family!

The fan meeting didn’t stop people from taking photos and uploading them on social media. With Kim Min s.h.i.+k raising suspicions of cozy relations between business and politics, Ahn Soo Ho received endless love calls from politicians. In contrast to the Blue House, which was maintaining distance from Hosoo Entertainment Group, the newly-elected members tried to make connections with Ahn Soo Ho.

Kim Min s.h.i.+k’s whistle-blowing was a great opportunity.

The newly-elected visited Kim Min s.h.i.+k and stressed the importance of a thorough investigation, which received a lot of spotlights. In contrast to the media’s prediction that he would help his friend, Ahn Soo Ho didn’t do anything. For that reason, political and societal columns pushed their own standards.

The political bulletin boards were on the verge of paralysis.

Is CEO Ahn Soo Ho yielding to the opposition?

You can’t say for sure just yet. Maybe he’s preparing something.

It wasn’t long ago that he was saying whatever to the press. Did he surrender to power? You can’t look down on the rich in our country!

The fact that he was holding a fan meeting in Jejudo while his friend is in jail says a lot about his character!

Ha! Is everyone from the stone ages? Justice also needs to keep rules and procedures, you fools! No matter how much CEO Ahn wants his friend out, there are rules and procedures in this country!

Yeah, but why have a fan meeting now?

This is why Korean people are a problem! Hey! Who are you to judge if Ahn Soo Ho wants to dance naked? Is having a fan meeting a crime? Are people not allowed to go on vacation if their friend’s in jail? Differentiate work from personal life! Change your mindsets!

Public figures should be careful about how they act!

How is Ahn Soo Ho a public figure? He’s just a businessman!

Come on! He’s not just a businessman!

People were busy criticizing Ahn Soo Ho’s qualifications.

A citizen of Korea! Is this the end?

Stop stating the obvious! I’m talking about Ahn Soo Ho’s influence on the world!

I’m from j.a.pan and Ahn Soo Ho’s pretty famous here! The news is always talking about how it’s good or bad that he was on that Korean talk show. The chief cabinet secretary from the show was pretty handsome, wasn’t he? Such handsome politicians never existed before in j.a.pan. Thanks to him, the young men and women of j.a.pan are suddenly interested in politics!

Was his name s.h.i.+ba Yaos? I’d hate to admit it, but he’s good-looking!

s.h.i.+ba! s.h.i.+ba!

I’m on short-term dispatch in China! Ahn Soo Ho’s really famous here, too!

Where in China?

Shanghai!

The Korean culture ban doesn’t even work on Hosoo Entertainment!

Isn’t that ban gone now? Isn’t that what the president said?

The party got rid of it, but it takes a while for it to really take effect. But they couldn’t lay a finger on the Hosoo Entertainment celebrities! Maybe it’s because he’s close with the Premier!

I’m from Canada, and he’s famous here, too! Not because of Jang Seol Hyun, but because he’s a kung-fu master!

Kung-fu master?

Yeah! If you type in Bruce Lee on YouTube, he pops up!

Oh! Because of the Shanghai street fight?

Yeah! Even the black guys shake their heads! He’s not even human!

Ahn Soo Ho’s pretty big for an Asian guy, but is it so much that even the black people are shocked?

Haven’t you seen the video? It could be possible with a beat board, but not even Michael Jordan can jump like that without any help!

Jordan is nothing! The black American footballers are the real deal! They’re real monsters! If you’ve never watched the NFL, you don’t even know!

It then proceeded with comparing him to others.

If he fought with the bear man, who would win?

Has the bear been in an actual fight before?

Not a sudden death! A survival match!

Oh! But be careful! Survival abroad really means survival!

If he fought with Fyodor, who would win?

Fyodor from when?

If he fought with Ali, who would win?

My drill can attack your b.u.t.t hole!

Stop it, you idiots!

< Protect – Episode 146 – Guardian Angel [2] > The end.