Chapter 54: < Protect – Episode 53 – Kim Na Hee [1] >

The Dream Concert ended in great success.

‘It’s probably because of Joo Kyung.’

Oh Joo Kyung finally realized his intentions and began to act on it. Should she date, she would probably be very cautious and thoughtful. He said he would buy everything, and he wasn’t kidding. If he needs a broadcasting company, a production company, or a stadium, he would buy it all.

For law-related issues, that was for hired lawyers to take care of. Since many rights were involved, they would probably run into many obstacles, but that was for the subordinates to take care of. Hosoo Entertainment left a good impression on both the related persons in business as well as the fans.

The heir works hard and then goes home! Wow! #helicopter #hosooentertainment #eurocop

Does he take a helicopter to work? He’s at a different level! Wow!

But is he really an heir? What about the high school photo that’s been floating around?

The tabloids are saying he’s Chairman Kim Dae San’s lovechild.

Huh? They have different last names though.

Don’t get tricked by the rumors! They’re from Daesan Group!

You could ruin your life by pointing at the wrong person just once!

Jang Seol Hyun takes another attempt at Hollywood? #seolhyunhollywood #airportfas.h.i.+on #spottedinLA

Don’t rus.h.!.+ Establish yourself in Korea first!

What else does she have to establish? She’s Asia’s top star!

That’s an exaggeration! What about our Akane?

Get lost, j.a.pan!

That’s right! Go and shoot your AVs!

Seol Hyun’s cla.s.s even eats up the Korea ban in China!

Hong Kong is filled with Seol Hyun’s advertis.e.m.e.nts!

Shouldn’t you be talking about the concert in the Dream Concert messaging board?

We’re in the middle of talking about big changes in the entertainment world!

You can’t buy tradition and history with money!

Yes, you can! Bulls.h.i.+t! Money can buy everything in entertainment!

I wish our Nine Fry would move to Hosoo Entertainment too!

Stop the nonsense! Our Shybo is better suited for them!

No, it’s TGC.

Let’s stop comparing!

The Korean society, which went through the chaos of reformation of the rich, the different age groups were split in what they were interested in. The Daesan scandal, the Korea National a.s.sociation scandal, and the s.e.x tourism scandal was all over the place, but the movies and dramas kept on rolling and the music programs were still full of idols.

Were we really living under the same sky?

Seeing how some people were demanding justice and other people were pretending like they didn’t see anything, people must be living in different worlds. What the generation was demanding needed national interest and the will of the people could only be pulled by actions. The biggest difficulty of democracy was the standardization that resulted from there being too many different opinions. If everyone insisted that their justice was correct, there would never be a negotiation.

In contrast, Ahn Soo Ho’s justice was simple

‘Make the more desperate one come here.’

That was reasonable and touched many people.

“We’re going to have a pep rally.”

The day after the Dream Concert, Ahn Soo Ho attended the monthly meeting. The executives and artists excluding the employees who had more minor roles had to partic.i.p.ate.

“We’re going to depart in ten days, and we’ll adjust your schedules, so you can’t back out.”

Just like at the foundation ceremony, only the people at the bottom died off. But there were fewer backlashes because the location of the pep rally was in Boracay in the Philippines. They were originally going to go to Hawaii, but many people didn’t want to travel so far. The celebrities and employees doubted what they heard.

Going abroad for a pep rally?

After merging and establis.h.i.+ng Hosoo Entertainment, it became very big. There were 851 registered employees and over 7000 people that had to be transferred to Boracay even with the minor roles excluded.

They didn’t have enough private jets, so they have to use chartered planes too. No matter how much money they had, they wouldn’t be gaining profits this year at this rate. Even though Oh Joo Kyung knew his strong ties with Daesan Group, she couldn’t help but worry about staying afloat.

“Will our company be okay?”

“We’ll be at a loss. A huge loss.”

Despite the seriousness of the topic, Daniel said it as if it was no big deal.

“So is that okay or not?”

“It’s fine.”

Saying that a huge loss was fine was very contradicting. Oh Joo Kyung tilted her head, and he continued to explain.

“If we were any other company, we would have went bankrupt already, but our company is at a whole different capital scale.”

She also heard that after s.h.i.+nhwa and FNB were merged, all of their debts were paid for.

“A whole different capital scale?”

“There’s no way of outsiders to know the financial scale of a private company. It’s a secret, but what CEO Ahn brought into the company is fifty million dollars. That’s sixty trillion won.”

“The financial authorities must know of such a large sum of money.”

“That’s what you’d think…but there are ways.”

The banks that did money transfers were no different from con artists. When it came to trading credit that wasn’t visible to the eye, public confidence was more important than anything, but those organizations were verified by the States. That was why they were able to be confident after doing illegal things to the world.

“The money that CEO Ahn spends don’t leave a trace.”

The capital scale that Daniel secured after accepting Ahn Soo Ho’s offer and joining Hosoo Entertainment was so large that it didn’t matter if there were any sales or not. What was exposed as an entertainment company was an image that was used to hide something else.

“So you won’t have to worry about money from now on.”

“Is it legal?”

“Absolutely.”

When Oh Joo Kyung was worrying about the company’s future, Ahn Soo Ho was meeting with the US amba.s.sador, David Copal.

“I heard you turned down the South Korean government’s request, Soo Ho.”

“Ha. I knew they couldn’t keep their mouths shut, but this was quicker than I expected.”

“Don’t feel too insulted. I’m sure they don’t want to gamble with the lives of the dispatched soldiers abroad.”

“If they want to help, they can mobilize the States’ military. Or they can hire a friendly guerilla. Do they have to bring North Korea into this?”

“n.a.z.ik is involved.”

Ahn Soo Ho, who was showing an apathetic att.i.tude to what the amba.s.sador said, was surprised.

“n.a.z.ik? n.a.z.ik Muhammad?”

“The leader of the Palsaek Line, n.a.z.ik Muhammad is involved in this. Actually, he might be the one who set the trap.”

“What about the CIA?”

“They’re formally denying it, but the African base…is a mess.”

If it was just a mess, that was a relief.

If the Returner Group was involved, they need to be involved for a s.h.i.+t show. The Davis administration was a mess already with the South American issues related to the Sao Paolo incident, and while that was being dealt with, all of State’s foreign policy was stopped. The reason why j.a.pan was looking forward to the G7 meeting was because they want to take this chance to push the peace treaty while they were weak. While the States expected j.a.pan to keep China in check, they didn’t want to completely let them free from their leash and collar.

“Since j.a.pan is a useful a.s.set that will keep China in check, we can’t let them out of our control.”

The peace treaty was reformed, but in the meantime, j.a.pan was planning to cause big pain. Yankees were selfish sons of b.i.t.c.hes. The justice they believed in had always benefited the States first, so what they said about world peace was all a lie.

Ahn Soo Ho went back to his apathetic att.i.tude.

“So?”

“We needed an overseer to mediate the Africa problem, and we thought you were well-qualified.”

“No.”

He shooked his head. In contrast to the rude Minister Jung Il Young, David remembered his manners and tried to explain things as honestly as possible, but Ahn Soo Ho didn’t want to get involved.

“We’ll pay you generously.”

“Money isn’t the issue, David.”

Ahn Soo Ho shooked his head once more.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“If you don’t know, I can’t help but to feel disappointed.”

It wasn’t only the CIA’s fault that the Sao Paolo incident and the South American problem grabbed the Davis administration by their ankles. The States currently faced the same kind of societal chaos and evil that the former Soviet Union faced.

“Our country has this kind of saying, my friend.”

Being weary of dictators.h.i.+p while also using national security to justify the dictators.h.i.+p system.

“Too many cooks could spoil the broth.”

“Hm.”

David made a heavy sound.

“Let’s get up. You don’t have to see me out.”

After leaving the pained US amba.s.sador behind, Ahn Soo Ho left the US emba.s.sy. The car that took him away took him to Chairman Kim Dae San of Dae San Group’s house. The crazy Daesan scandal was in the middle of calming down. The reports that claimed that the investigations of the Kim family were certain were buried and the news started reporting that the investments of large Korean corporations would unfreeze the economy.

The protests for the reformation of the rich continued, the voices quieted down. Ahn Soo Ho, who climbed the tall stairs, smiled as soon as he saw who came out.

“Hey, why haven’t you contacted me even once?”

“I’m sorry, Na Hee.”

Kim Na Hee and Kim Dae San have a large age gap, but they were obviously siblings.

“Is Jang Seol Hyun controlling you?”

“No.”

“Then what’s with the entertainment company?”

“Just something I’m doing.”

Kim Na Hee, who was one of the top pioneers of Korean show business, was a tyc.o.o.n whether it was good or bad. She whispered to Ahn Soo Ho before they went inside.

“Let’s talk after.”

As soon as he nodded and went inside, he was escorted to the library. When he went inside, he smelled something old-fas.h.i.+oned. Was this what old books smelled like? The paintings on the wall were probably art that cost a lot of money. The rich people Ahn Soo Ho came to know all had the hobby of collecting antiques.

‘But it’s probably not just a hobby…’

They own them because it could make people gasp by how expensive it is, in addition to bragging about having an eye for art, they were investment techniques as well.

“Do you collect antiques as a hobby as well?”

“Antiques? Oh, these are my works.”

“Huh? Your works?”

“Why? Do they look expensive?”

Kim Dae San laughed as if he was in a good mood.

“You still lack a discerning eye. You need to age to get more insight.”

“You must be happy that you’re old.”

“You d.a.m.ned punk!”

Despite the old man’s criticism, Ahn Soo Ho sipped his tea as if this was just the beginning.

“I heard the last negotiation took place yesterday.”

“I heard from Dae Chan.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“Somewhat.”

The negotiation between the Blue House, the national a.s.sociation, and the comradery a.s.sociation came to an end. The reputation of Kim Dae Chan, who would have the role of a leader, could be of great help to him as he leads Daesan Group.

“What do you think about Lee Joong Hyun?”

“He’s an opportunist.”

“You’re right. He is. However, he’s no ordinary opportunist. It’s not easy to endure more than 20 years to get what you’ve wanted.”

He was certain that Lee Joong Hyun picked the pro-Chinese route. The problem was that there were many capable men who didn’t like the president sending love calls to a foreign country.

“If you look into the law that bans Korean culture in China, it’s a sensitive issue involving politics and finances.”

The Chinese Communist Party couldn’t remain a spectator to the continent being enthusiastic about Korean art. As a major country that had led Asia since the olden days, they were expected to be at the top in every aspect. They were confident that they were above j.a.pan when it came to the economy or science, but when it came to art, they weren’t so certain. Many criticized that it was due to their dark past when they killed all their artists, but the Communist Party couldn’t accept that. They strongly believed that they would become the leader in art, just as they were in finance and science. But no matter how much money they put into it, the results were shabby.

“Lee Joong Hyun will use that law against Korean culture to his advantage.”

That law had an influence on Korean politics and economy as much as it did on art. If China could shake the States influence in the Korean peninsula, they were more than willing to get rid of the law against Korean culture in China.

“And they’ll try to get you involved, Soo Ho.”

Ahn Soo Ho thought he delivered his warning clearly, but Kim Dae San believed it wasn’t enough.

“What are you going to do?”

Instead of answering, he smirked and took out his phone.

“Oh, Sir. I received the gift you sent through the emba.s.sy. Of course. Oh! I have a favor to ask. BRICS is being held in Shanghai this year, right? Please send me an invite.”

Just like how j.a.pan was holding the G7 meeting, China was planning the BRICS Summit.

“Is Korea attending as an observer? Yes. Yes, sure. See you then. Goodbye.”

Ahn Soo Ho put away his phone and looked at Kim Dae San who looked very curious.

“When you deal with stupid people, acting rashly is the best way to go.”

< Protect – Episode 53 – Kim Na Hee [1] >