Chapter 176: < Protect – Episode 175 – Korea National a.s.sociation [6] >

“The chairman will be visiting.”

“Huh? Why?”

“A guest is here.”

Do Kyung Ho, who was hanging out at Star Tower with the excuse of an inspection, showed a suspicious look in response to his subordinate. Before the announcement of the national reformation committee, Ahn Soo Ho promised him something. That he would keep some distance with Hosoo Entertainment’s events. So he was told to report to the board of directors from now on.

‘Is it an important guest?’

Ahn Soo Ho usually never went back on his word.

“Who is it?”

“Apparently, he’s a foreigner who speaks Korean.”

“Did you do a background check?”

Once a company made it to a certain point, hyenas looking for prey started to loiter around. The entertainment business had especially a lot of scam artists, but thanks to Do Kyung Ho’s great reputation, Hosoo Entertainment had been pretty quiet. There were tons of sc.u.mbags that sucked up to them pretending to be producers and casting managers.

In the Korean world, Do Kyung Ho’s evil reputation was stronger than that of Ahn Soo Ho.

“They deferred it from up top.”

“Really?”

The way Do Kyung Ho saw it, Kosino’s intelligence team was like a magic bat. What usually took a month at the best detective agency only took a day with them, and in addition to domestic background checks, they did international checks as well.

‘They’re very skilled.’

Based on past experience, Do Kyung Ho knew that it was hard to find a person. And more importantly, the government didn’t disclose personal information so easily.

‘If they deferred it at the top… this person must be powerful.’

Or dangerous.

“Ugh.”

Do Kyung Ho got up and stretched. His stable financial status made him more comfortable. This was all thanks to his friend, and seeing how he met someone so powerful, he might have saved a country in his past life. As soon as he went out to the lobby, he saw Oh Joo Kyung, who was normally hard to see unless it was a meeting.

Do Kyung Ho showed a strange look on his face.

‘Ahn Soo Ho, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d…’

Did a man have to be skilled to have women around him? Even while he dated the great Jang Seol Hyun, he was still surrounded by women. Of course, Ahn Soo Ho was never the first one to throw a glance. That was why he was even more jealous.

“Boss.”

“Director.”

They never would have met if it wasn’t for Ahn Soo Ho. Do Kyung Ho had a hard time with smart women. Was it an inferiority complex? Perhaps. For that reason, his wife had been pestering him about getting a degree, but his brain was just not what it used to be.

‘I’ll just live this life and go.’

People might have said something about how he had no ambition when he was barely 40, but Do Kyung Ho knew his place.

“Are you waiting for the chairman?”

“Sigh.”

Oh Joo Kyung sighed in response.

This was a very rude behavior, but no one made an issue out of it. That was because they knew why she was sighing. The matter of what to address everyone at the company was still in the works. Everyone was uncertain whether to call Ahn Soo Ho Chairman or CEO.

“We’ll have to see the results.”

“Sounds good.”

The female employees preferred to call him CEO while the male employees preferred Chairman, and the reason for the women’s preference was because Chairman was outdated while CEO sounded more fas.h.i.+onable. On the other hand, the men thought CEO sounded too light and that a chairman was needed to give the company stability.

“A man should be Chairman!”

“That’s very s.e.xist!”

“As a henpecked husband, how could I be… Ugh, forget it.”

Do Kyung Ho admitted to his situation. How could such a manly looking man be a henpecked husband? It was scary and funny at the same time. As soon as the rumor got around that Ahn Soo Ho was coming, Kim Woo Jung, Kim Yoo Seon, and s.h.i.+m Il Kwon all showed up. The lobby got crowded in no time.

“This… isn’t good.”

Lee Sun Mi, who had a grasp of Ahn Soo Ho’s nature, expressed her worry first. The other leaders might have enjoyed having people on their side, but not him. The employees chose to stay in order to find out what all the fuss was about. The fans outside who were looking for celebrities showed fascination to the crowded lobby inside, and the entertainment reporters started to move their fingers while hoping to scoop something up.

This just in! Hosoo Entertainment is having an executive meeting! What’s happening at Star Tower?

Exclusive Scoop! Female businesswoman, Oh Joo Kyung is wearing a see-through outfit!

Most agencies served the reporters while the reporters contemplated on writing an article for them or not, but it was different with Hosoo Entertainment. It was actually the reporters who were asking for any little scoop they could get. To be frank, even a celebrity’s yawn was going to get an article, so the chaos in the lobby was a huge exclusive. The one that responded the most sensitively to this was Hosoo Entertainment’s fan page and the free bulletin board.

This just in! The key members of Hosoo Entertainment Group have gathered in the lobby! What could it be? #OhJooKyungSeeThrough #LeeSunMib.i.t.c.h #ATBFTW

What could it be?

From what I’ve heard, apparently, Chairman Ahn Soo Ho summoned them.

That’s nonsense! Our Mr. Ahn isn’t the type to go by that dumb culture!

Seeing how all the key members have gathered, Ahn Soo Ho must have summoned them.

f.u.c.k! Was Ahn Soo Ho an old man, too? I hate that summoning culture!

The hip-hop culture?

Hahaha, you dumba.s.s!

Hosoo Entertainment doesn’t need that c.r.a.p!

But isn’t Hosoo Entertainment ignoring hip-hop too much? #AnnabelleSwag #HipHipMindset #GangsterColor

f.u.c.k that! You dumb b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!

Do hip-hoppers even make any money?

The successful ones just brag about money! They’re obsessed with Instagram!

I hate their tattoos! Come to the sauna! We’ll teach you a lesson!

Aren’t you banned from the sauna if you have tattoos?

Stop your nonsense! What’s Bridal Mask doing? He should kill all the gangsters with guns!

The black Americans are the real hip-hoppers! f.u.c.k! How could any Kimchi man be in hip-hop? Swag? They’ve never used a gun before so how can they do gangster rap?

Seriously!

But what’s the national reformation committee anyway? #AhnMarquee #Ahnbereta #AhnSoup

This b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Seeing from your tags, you must be a pro at this. You work for the NIS, don’t you?

Hahaha! Is the NIS still doing this bulls.h.i.+t?

The intelligence agency is full of amateurs! Just close down, d.a.m.n it!

Crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! How do we catch spies without the NIS?

They still can’t catch the spies!

Hey! There’s no compromise with security! If there is, our country is done for!

Are they selling security now? Here come the politicians!

I want Mr. Ahn to buy this whole country!

After leaving the car with the valet, Ahn Soo Ho and Lee So Hye were about to enter when they paused.

“What?”

‘What’s with all the people? Are they protesting?’

There were fans and reporters behind them and executives in front of them. Ahn Soo Ho went into a dilemma. It was Oh Joo Kyung’s job to resolve any commotion. It seemed like he had to make a speech in front of the executives, reporters, and people.

Ahn Soo Ho grabbed the mic and laughed bitterly.

“Having so many press conferences makes me feel like a celebrity.”

“Haha.”

Quiet laughter filled the room.

“The country is in chaos right now. Ridiculous incidents are happening in this society as we speak. I think that means we should devote ourselves more to the duties we’ve been given. But I’m not saying you should work overtime. As you know, our company pays a lot for overtime. So there are employees who work overtime on purpose, and I heard those without significant others especially work a lot of overtime. Is that right?”

“Yes!”

Someone randomly yelled yes. As soon as everyone turned to the senseless employee, Ahn Soo Ho flashed him a cynical smile.

“Hey! You should keep working hard! You need money so you can get married one day.”

“Haha!”

Louder laughter filled the lobby once more. He then remembered another employee who was teased in a similar way in the past.

“I also know that people have been criticizing me for ignoring the company while dealing with the reform committee. However, the company is functioning just fine without me. Our President Oh and the directors are doing a wonderful job.”

He worked hard to pull a good team together from the beginning.

“Business should be run by experts, don’t you think?”

He didn’t want to worry about the company from now on.

“Just like how there’s a perfect actor for a certain role in a movie, all families, companies, and countries have roles that need to be filled by certain people.”

“What’s your role, Chairman Ahn?”

“Me? For me…”

Ahn Soo Ho smiled and twirled his index finger around.

“To wreak havoc?”

******

“How do you do, Mr. Guardian?”

Once he wrapped up the random press conference, he dropped his sister off at the waiting room and met up with his guest. Was he in his late 20s or early 30s? Hosokawa Seibu looked younger than he expected.

“I’m n.o.buhisa.”

“What about your surname?”

“It’s just n.o.buhisa.”

He had a lot of fake names, and there was only one who could call him by his real name. n.o.buhisa was just a nickname. Ahn Soo Ho looked at his watch and then offered him a seat.

“Sit down.”

“I want to live.”

‘He wants to live?’

He gave him a look that told him to keep going.

“Our country ordered us to get rid of Bridal Mask.”

“And?”

“You’re Bridal Mask… Ugh!”

n.o.buhisa hung in mid-air before he could finish. An invisible hand was holding him up by his neck.

“Watch your mouth, young man. Many ears are listening.”

“Ugh!”

He was let down onto the couch. He rubbed his neck while minding Ahn Soo Ho. He was scared of him, but he wasn’t startled. That meant he already had an idea of his magical abilities.

“The superior office wants us to protect friendly Koreans and get rid of the enemies, and we’re the troop that carries out their orders.”

“By superior office, who do you mean?”

“They don’t have a name.”

They made it look like they didn’t exist just in case they were exposed or they failed a mission. It wasn’t just j.a.pan that had such a secretive organization. There was no such thing as legal operations and rational processes. In the end, national security was just about the results.

“You’re going to betray your own country?”

“They were the one who stressed betrayal.”

Whether Bridal Mask was Ahn Soo Ho or not, since Korea declared complete neutrality, mobilizing spies was the same as declaring war. There was a difference between a job with a high likelihood of death and a job that guaranteed death.

“Do you have a family?”

“No, Sir.”

“Lover or friends?”

n.o.buhisa shook his head.

“I’m no ordinary j.a.panese.”

“Then?”

“I’m guessing I’m from somewhere in South East Asia.”

He was similar but different from Kosino.

n.o.buhisa spoke j.a.panese, learned j.a.panese culture, and stayed loyal to j.a.pan, but he was unable to become j.a.panese. He listened to his story and then nodded. All Yellows seemed the same, but they all had slight differences. Among any race of the same color, there were various physical differences in characteristics.

“I’m sure you didn’t find out from up top.”

“I found out coincidentally. After that, I looked for a good opportunity.”

“Why?”

“Their recruiting methods are below the standards of humans. They remove human feelings and make them into killing machines. There were countless soldiers who couldn’t withstand the brainwas.h.i.+ng and died. They died for nothing.”

‘Compared to them, the Korea National a.s.sociation and the Comradery a.s.sociation are child’s play.’

It was foolish to believe that j.a.panese people were friendly because of how they looked on the outside. Behind their smiles was a killer knife.

“How did you escape their brainwas.h.i.+ng?”

“It’s a side effect from Ultra. I think the original method and Ultra’s drugs are conflicting. It’s not for certain, but that’s what I’m guessing.”

“There probably isn’t that many specimens.”

“No, Sir. It’s a problem that can’t be checked carelessly.”

It was dangerous to go around asking who escaped brainwas.h.i.+ng.

“Does no one know of your change?”

“If they had… Bang!”

n.o.buhisa pointed at his head with his finger.

“Microbomb? Haha! Hahaha!”

Ahn Soo Ho laughed loudly. Once he was finished, he showed a straight face. If the j.a.panese planted bombs in their heads, they definitely weren’t in their right minds. But thinking back on Troop 731, this didn’t sound all too familiar.

“So you want to live…”

Ahn Soo Ho crossed his legs and got straight to the point. This was interesting and all, but how much could he trust him?

He organized his thoughts and said,

“I can’t believe everything you’re saying. You know that, right?”

“I understand.”

“Then prove it to me.”

“How?”

How could he prove it? Ahn Soo Ho flicked his finger.

“You become the Bridal Mask.”

He was going to wreak havoc just as he promised.

< Protect – Episode 175 – Korea National a.s.sociation [6] > The end.