Chapter 58: < Protect – Episode 57 – Anna-Anne Karusis [2] >

The great, great magician, Anna-Anne Karusis.

The surname, Karusis was added only afterward. Karusis, which was the dead language of a solemn kingdom, represented stigma, and it was also a warning that was put upon criminals. That was right. The great, great magician wasn’t respected but rather put at a distance, and after she died of great jealousy, Anna-Anne’s reputation was severely damaged.

Ahn Soo Ho got a look at Anna-Anne’s life in the afterlife.

He still thinks about it from time to time. The memories of the dead that flowed into oblivion between life and death seeped through. They were things that people would never believe, and things that he would have to take to his grave. The reason was because he didn’t want to go to a mental hospital.

“CEO Ahn?”

“Sorry. Keep going.”

Oh Joo Kyung called for Ahn Soo Ho who sat blankly.

“The Comma Project will be led by Right Hand Media, and we won’t be receiving any support. Right Hand Media will be working independently.”

“Oh. Skip the details.”

He didn’t have to know about Right Hand Media or whatever it was called.

“What about the Boracay schedule?”

“We’re planning to board directly through the ramp. We’re going to hire safety guards in order to abide by the airport’s accident prevention regulations.”

“Treat them well. We’re going to keep working with them from now on. Does this count as a bribe? Or an airport development donation? Do that if you can.”

“I’ll look for a way.”

The situation escalated so much that even Philippine’s tourism bureau was interested. They received an offer to receive a shooting location, accommodation, and transportation.

“There’s a lot of talk about the town project.”

No matter how much of a deficit the management wanted, 10 trillion won was too much.

“It’s a long-term plan that’ll be carried out for the next ten years. And ten trillion won…is a rumor.”

“Okay, then…but we should be careful. There are tons of people who’ll swarm in if they find out that we have money.”

What was scary about politicians was that no matter who the money belongs to, they would manage to find a way that could fulfill their own achievement records. Besides not having a weapon, they were no different from robbers.

“Make sure to talk to Daniel about anything related to money.”

“Yes, Sir.”

By the time the briefing was finished, the secretary came in.

“CEO Ahn. Seo Joo Kyung is here to see you.”

“Send her in.”

Seo Joo Kyung’s first impression was a refined city girl, but she also had good fas.h.i.+on sense, and if Oh Joo Kyung was an intellectual, she had a vibrant impression.

“Thank you for the opportunity.”

“No need to thank me. It was Director Oh who saw something in you.”

The two Joo Kyung’s looked at each other and nodded. Having the same name gives one a strange sense of kins.h.i.+p. They were also compet.i.tors who both dreamt of becoming top business women. It might seem like Oh Joo Kyung made a mistake, but that was not true.

‘She might be trying to even out the gender ratio among the members…’

There were times when people of the same gender have a connection. The reason why people made cliques within the company was because they couldn’t handle it alone. Since people brought in all sorts of connections, the two Joo Kyung’s had no choice but to team up. Oh Joo Kyung was very good with her brain. Since she had only worked at Daesan Group, she needed someone to consult about the entertainment industry.

“Did you wrap up the negotiation?”

“Yes.”

The trustworthy JT Entertainment fell apart and Hosoo Entertainment obtained an evil reputation as a result.

“We convinced the advertisers as well.”

“That’s a relief. Since taking it to court would have made it noisy…Hmmm. You’re promoted to director.”

“Really?”

“Why not? If you feel burdened by it, I won’t force you.”

“Not at all! I’ll work hard.”

Seo Joo Kyung, who was going to back out depending on the mood, immediately changed her mind. After speaking to the two Joo Kyung’s Ahn Soo Ho ran out of the company building. He headed to a hill near Seoul. He sensed a bunch of cars following him on the way, and he normally wouldn’t have cared, but this time, he slipped out.

‘It’s probably chaos right about now.’

The ones who lost him would probably be taken aback and go crazy trying to catch him. Ahn Soo Ho stopped midway up a hill. There was no path, so there were no hikers, but there were a few elders who were there to pick herbs.

The dungeon was made deep underground.

It was a historical project that was made only by hand. Ahn Soo Ho kept these dungeons all over the world. There was no way of getting caught unless they knew the exact location to dig. Even though all dungeons were important, the one in Korea was the most important, and that was because of the bookshop of records that was in front of him.

Ahn Soo Ho had looked into the lives of many dead people at the crossroads between life and death. However, could he remember all of them? If he had, his head would have exploded. So he started to write and draw them and once they were recorded, he tried to forget them.

‘Stone, stone…here it is.’

He pulled out two items from in between the file and sketchbook.

‘Chamobeth.’

It was the language that Anna-Anne used. If it was translated to Korean, it was parallel pressure. In English, it’s called equalizing.

‘How can an item from the afterlife exist in this world?’

The living had dreamt of the afterlife for a very long time. Ahn Soo Ho believed it to be the Styx, but there was no way of knowing. All he knew was that the memories of the dead washed away with the river. In the afterlife, material things could not exist. But powerful beings like Anna-Anne could cause a miracle to happen.

But that didn’t mean they would come back to life.

They could simply turn their memories and will into something else. Why? Did they fail to accept their death and hung around both worlds? It was because of lingering attachment. People with more regret tended to have a lot of lingering attachment.

‘I expected you to be delivered to me, Granny.’

Was his fate with Anna-Anne to go on past the afterlife? The answer was probably inside the box in his hands. But he still hesitated.

‘This could be a possessed secret.’

The difference between shamans and magicians was their will. Ahn Soo Ho made a decision. As soon as he twisted the wooden box in his hands, time stopped again.

“You still can’t contact him?”

“He hasn’t gone home either.”

Oh Joo Kyung frowned at what the secretary said. It was already been 40 hours since she lost contact with Ahn Soo Ho.

‘Should I report him missing?’

There was a time when they lost contact, but he at least kept in contact with other people. This time, no one knew his whereabouts. The plane to Boracay had already left and the private jet had been on standby for an hour. The airport continued to pressure them to cancel or postpone their flight.

“Let’s depart…CEO Ahn?”

Oh Joo Kyung stopped what she was saying and screamed. She saw Ahn Soo Ho walking over in a calm manner.

“I’m sorry. Am I really late?”

“Let’s go.”

As soon as the private jet finally took off from Incheon International Airport, people took off their seatbelts and wandered around. The ones who had never been on a private jet before were busy taking selfies. While they were having a fun time, Ahn Soo Ho had a hard time on the phone.

“I’m sorry, Mom. Yes, I won’t do that again. Yes, yes.”

After calming down Mrs. Park, he still had Lee So Hye to deal with. Since she was still in cla.s.s, he texted her.

“What happened?”

“Sorry.”

Since Ahn Soo Ho had his special seat, no one could come in to bother him or hear the conversations that he had, but Jang Seol Hyun crept up beside him. She was pretty even though she was mad.

“Do you know how worried I was?”

“Sorry.”

It was best to be modest at a time like this.

“What’s your excuse?”

“I met with my father.”

“Oh.”

Half of the excuse that he said was a lie, but it worked. Seol Hyun knew exactly how his parents got divorced. Even though it was far in the future, she had even worried about how to seat their guests at their wedding. She really got ahead of herself. They just started dating, so marriage? That was an exaggeration.

“How’s your father doing?”

“He’s busy drinking. Don’t think about visiting him. He’ll probably go around telling the whole town.”

“But I still should.”

“Let’s go together one day. How are your parents?”

“Soo Ho, seriously…we’re dating in preparation for marriage, right?”

“Why? You don’t trust me?”

Jang Seol Hyun acted, unlike her usual self by bending down.

“I just can’t believe it.”

“Should I make you believe it?”

“Agh!”

As soon as he pulled her in by her waist, she couldn’t help but to succ.u.mb. They were so close that they could hear each other breathing. Jang Seol Hyun couldn’t come to her senses in response to Ahn Soo Ho’s unexpectedly aggressive behavior. She was happy but scared. Jang Seol Hyun fell asleep to the sound of Ahn Soo Ho’s heart.

It really did seem like she was worried sick. He put a blanket over her and stared at her face. When he saw a flight attendant, he put his finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet. As soon as he left the private room, he saw Alexa in a flight attendant uniform.

“Alexa?”

“I couldn’t contact you, so I looked for you everywhere, Soo Ho.”

“But this is too…”

“I dressed up as a Hosoo Airlines employee. Anyway, I have important news to tell you.”

She looked s.e.xy and charismatic in her uniform, which showed off her figure and amazingly trained body.

“Do you remember Sorren?”

“Masquesa?”

The reason why the States and their military couldn’t end Aragon Company was because they planted men in places where the Western intelligence agents couldn’t go. Southeast Asia was a troubled area due to China’s military power and influence, as well as a regular customer of criminal business. After the American military was removed from the Philippines, Australia became the front line of South Pacific defense, but it was almost impossible to clear up the pirates and terrorists of Southeast Asia. The Southeast Asia didn’t have any interest in resolving it to begin with.

“Freelancing mercenaries held hands with the pirates and fortified Borneo. After you backed off, s.h.i.+p kidnapping became rampant. China dispatched their destroyer with the excuse of protecting their citizens, and Australia listened to the States and intensified their patrolling by sending the marines. Thailand reinforced their marines as well.”

“So?”

Ahn Soo Ho crossed his arms. Since he was retired, this had nothing to do with him. Alexa wasn’t surprised by his reaction. She actually smiled bigger.

“Angola’s executive committee b.u.t.t in.”

“Hm. Did they partner up with terrorists?”

“Not this time.”

She shooked her head.

“They decided to rescue the kidnapped merchantmen and crew members.”

“What? No way.”

“It’s what you’re thinking. They decided to step out of the shadows and come into the light.”

Angola’s executive committee was also called “Deception”.

“They’re crazy.”

“I’m not sure. They might have thought they stood a chance if you were out of the picture.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t declare war with Kades.h.i.+ Morken because they were the bad guys.

‘I’m not the only one who returned from the dead.’

The occasional stories about reincarnation were mostly delusions, but some of them were true. If expressed in the Anna-Anne way, Kades.h.i.+’s head was an alpha organism with amazing capabilities. He couldn’t make fire or ice from his hands, but he was capable of emitting electric signals via psychokinesis.

‘That’s why no one was able to see him and not even a single picture remains.’

Since he could break all the electronics around him, there was no way a record would have been left. Ahn Soo Ho made a guess. There were those with special powers leading the groups that lead the world. But that didn’t mean they could dodge bullets. In contrast to people who insisted that there was reincarnation for the sake of entertainment, the meticulous exploited these special abilities and tried to stand above others.

“What does that have to do with me? I’m retired.”

“Everyone wants your acknowledgement. Same goes for Angola.”

“I don’t understand. They can be greedy amongst themselves.”

“Hm. It’s like a coronation.”

Those who a.n.a.lyzed data thought Ahn Soo Ho’s influence came from money and connections, but those who ran into him in person were at awe at his outstanding force.

“No.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Alexa showed both palms of her hands as if she expected that response.

“Is this the important news you were talking about?”

“No. I’ll get to the real important news now.”

She shooked her index finger playfully.

“Jina Davis committed suicide.”

< Protect – Episode 57 – Anna-Anne Karusis [2] > The end.