Chapter 91: < Protect – Episode 90 – Taken [6] >

There were many defendants in the middle of appeals who attempted suicide. There were those who did it because it was unfair, because they were afraid of being in prison, or what the society would perceive them as. There was a clinic in the detention center, but since she was a foreigner and Kim Na Hee hired an expensive attorney, she was sent to a private hospital.

Since there was a terrorist bombing attack in Rome just 1 hour before, there were countless police officers all over the place. The exciting vibes of the Milan collection quickly quieted down. When he arrived at the hospital, he was greeted by a Daesan Group employee that he met at the airport.

“How is she?”

“She got treated on time, so she’s stabilizing.”

In foreign countries, it was rare for hospital beds to all be next to each other. That was why hospital fees weren’t cheap. Han Chae Kyung stayed in a VIP room. As soon as Kim Na Hee saw Ahn Soo Ho, she cried and walked out of the hospital room.

Ahn Soo Ho hugged her and calmed her down.

“What did the doctor say?”

“She cut her wrist. Thankfully, she was discovered early, so she’s not in danger.”

“How did she have a sharp object with her?”

“I’m not sure.”

He made Kim Na Hee, who kept looking toward the hospital room, sit down on the couch.

“Anyway, how did it go?”

“It’s been resolved. When’s the next trial?”

“Hm, in a month, I think.”

“Tell the council to make it as soon as possible.”

She stared at him as if she didn’t understand.

“Just trust me. Don’t you want to take her back to Korea as soon as possible?”

“Okay.”

If Eric did his job properly, she was going to be ruled innocent at the next hearing. This was his first time seeing Han Chae Kyung in person. She slept as if she was Sleeping Beauty. It was true that a person would never know what might happen in life. Who would have guessed that a silver spoon like Han Chae Kyung would be framed for murder and then attempt suicide?

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never met Han Chae Kyung’s parents before.’

Both parents were supposed to be alive, but they were nowhere in sight.

‘Maybe they’re ashamed of her murderer daughter.’

There were all sorts of parents just as there were all sorts of children

If Kim Na Hee was to get a divorce, she would have no relation to Han Chae Kyung. Despite considering her as her heir, things could get very complicated regarding the family register. Even though he didn’t know Han Chae Kyung personally, it didn’t look like Kim Na Hee was a bad judge of character.

“Take care of yourself.”

There were many besides Ahn Soo Ho who could take care of Kim Na Hee. As soon as he went out into the parking lot, he saw the white man from the safe house.

“My name is Stefano.”

“You’re a persistent one. But then again, without that kind of will, you might as well quit your job as an agent.”

They sat down at a bench on one side of the parking lot.

As soon as Han Kyung Il came out, he gestured him to stay away. He understood the signal and turned back. Stefano looked like someone who could be prepared to use his men to make a move.

“Is there more about Han Chae Kyung that I don’t know about?”

“You probably know this, but her school life wasn’t very smooth.”

“But that goes for all foreign exchange students.”

They wished there wasn’t discrimination, but that was too much to ask.

There was Caucasian-dominated racism all over Europe. They would probably deny it, but it was hard for them to control their subconscious instincts. So the foreign exchange students who weren’t from wealthy households had to smile and keep their heads up high to get through it. That didn’t mean the students from wealthy households didn’t hold it in. It was actually those from rich households that acted tougher.

Han Chae Kyung was just as open-minded as Kim Na Hee, so she fit in better abroad than she did in Korea. But the idea that women should be modest existed in Europe as well. People misunderstood Europe to be rational and open. They didn’t call white people foolish for no reason.

“It’s to be expected for rich students to have jealousy pointed toward them.”

“Even if they’re both Korean?”

“It’s possible. But she had many on her side as well. The problem is that the fas.h.i.+on world is a cruel place.”

The fas.h.i.+on world, where people had the greed to make the beautiful succeed, and there were plots and conspiracies that made it into a vicious battlefield.

“Who would like someone who partied and dated a pro soccer player if they were too busy just finis.h.i.+ng their school projects?”

Just like England, Italy was full of women who wanted to marry pro soccer players. Wives and Girlfriends, known as WAGs for short were so popular that they had paparazzi on them all the time.

“The testimonies that the prosecution secured were either lies or exaggerated truths.”

“So you’ve always known that Han Chae Kyung is innocent.”

“I did.”

“Did the higher-ups tell you not to do anything?”

“Many people would get into trouble if Milan’s fabrication schemes got exposed.”

Even after the Juventus fabrication incident, a few others followed. But they weren’t as powerful as the Juventus incident. But AC Milan was different. If AC Milan was involved in a win fabrication incident, they would be banished from the compet.i.tion.

“They wanted to sacrifice a foreigner to bury the whole thing. But they didn’t realize who Kim Na Hee was.”

“We didn’t know Isabella Kim would be so active in being their attorney either.”

Kim Na Hee was a pretty successful businesswoman in the fas.h.i.+on world.

“It’s not like knowing would have changed anything.”

“That’s true.”

No matter how great she was, she was a foreigner. They looked down on Koreans and had the nerve to do whatever they wanted to them. If Ahn Soo Ho hadn’t b.u.t.ted in, they would have sacrificed a foreigner and went on with their happy lives.

“This is p.i.s.sing me off.”

He wasn’t the victim, but he was still angry. The reason Han Chae Kyung attempted suicide might not have been just because it was unfair.

“We could try to do something to help…”

“No.”

He cut off Stefano’s offer.

“Don’t forjudge my decision.”

“I apologize.”

“But I’ll give you a chance to make an effort. Bring me a list of the ones who hara.s.sed Han Chae Kyung.”

Ahn Soo Ho got up without hearing his answer. He left the parking lot and went back toward the hospital. Kim Na Hee was both happy and suspicious to see Ahn Soo Ho again. He told her what he talked about with Stefano. As she listened to the things that Han Chae Kyung went through in Italy, she nodded and frowned.

As he finished up, she held her niece’s hand and sighed. Kim Na Hee also understood the difficulties of being a foreign exchange student.

“I thought Chae Kyung was a strong girl.”

She believed she was strong enough to overcome the hards.h.i.+ps of studying abroad.

“Was I being too greedy when I’m not even her parent?”

He didn’t know what to say to comfort her. It was actually Han Chae Kyung who comforted her once she woke up.

“I’m sorry, Aunt. I’m sorry.”

“No, this is all my fault.”

The way they hugged each other and cried made them looked like mother and daughter. After a while of crying, she noticed Ahn Soo Ho.

“h.e.l.lo, Uncle.”

“Uncle?”

“Since you’re Aunt’s little brother, that makes you my uncle.”

She was kind of forcing it, but she wasn’t completely wrong. He imagined her to be gloomy since she attempted suicide, but she was pretty lively. It was evident that she was trying hard to be though.

“You’ll go back to Korea soon.”

“Really?”

“Trust me.”

Ahn Soo Ho played along. There was no need for him to be serious when she was trying to be friendly. Kim Na Hee didn’t say anything, but she seemed thankful. When the mood settled down, he got to the point.

“Do you want to get revenge?”

Han Chae Kyung and Kim Na Hee knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Is that possible?”

Han Chae Kyung asked in a careful manner.

“If it was impossible, I wouldn’t have even brought it up.”

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t bring up forgiveness or tolerance. Those who talked about how revenge was useless had clearly never gotten revenge before. It was possible that Han Chae Kyung’s wounds would heal over time. But it was hard to get over being framed even if she was freed as innocent.

“I want to get revenge.”

She looked at Ahn Soo Ho with a decisive gaze in her eyes.

“Okay.”

“What now?”

“Just sit back and watch.”

Electronic equipment was prohibited in Italian hospitals as well, but the VIP rooms were an exception. Ahn Soo Ho instructed Han Chae Kyung’s hospital room to be transformed into the monitoring base that he had seen earlier. This was particularly a special treatment, but the police couldn’t say anything because the security bureau was involved.

It had been a long time since the sun went down, and Ahn Soo Ho was dressed in a strange outfit and went to the school that Han Chae Kyung had gone to. Since it wasn’t the White House or anything, it wasn’t difficult to get in. The CCTVs were already removed and the night guards were put to sleep with magic.

“Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can.”

The footage captured by Ahn Soo Ho’s camera was sent to Han Chae Kyung in real time.

“Anthony, Anthony. I found it.”

If he knew the cla.s.s and name, it was easy to find their locker. As soon as Ahn Soo Ho broke the lock with his hand, Han Chae Kyung cheered into the earphone.

“A playboy magazine, condoms, and birth control pills? Is this weed?”

His belongings were very immature for those of a man in his twenties. Ahn Soo Ho messed up the inside of the locker. He wanted to throw p.o.o.p water into it too, but just mop water would do. This was just the beginning of his locker exploration. Han Chae Kyung was excited as she watched him destroy the belongings of these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

His next destination was the staff room.

There were teachers who gave foreign students bad marks because they were racist. He messed up their desks and then threw garbage on top. He felt bad for the janitor, but chaos was going to happen for sure at the school the next morning.

After the school of design, Ahn Soo Ho’s next destination was a club. The vibe of Fas.h.i.+on Week died down a little due to the terrorist attack in Rome, but the clubs were still booming. Italy was known for showing off cars, so the clubs held motor shows, too.

But it was toned down due to the current events today.

There were supercars loved by Italians such as Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but Porches, BMWs, and Benzes were surprisingly not popular. They rushed everyone to stop bragging and go on home, so the valet employees were the busiest there. At that moment a Lamborghini slowly drove in. A valet employee ran over and then stopped when a man in a rabbit mask got off. He also recognized the Lamborghini.

‘Huh? This is Lorenzo’s.’

He was right.

Ahn Soo Ho in the rabbit mask brought the car of someone who spread bad rumors about Han Chae Kyung after she turned him down. He was probably inside the club having a fun time. When the valet employee was taken aback, the bigger men from the back came toward Ahn Soo Ho.

“Who are you…”

Ahn Soo Ho made them all faint in a single moment. He violently shook the air around their heads to make them pa.s.s out. As soon as a fight broke out, the people waiting in lines started cheering and took out their phones.

He lifted both hands as if he was a winner.

“Ah!”

He then started to smash the Lamborghini.

Boom- Boom-

The sounds that his fists and feet made against the car made the people fascinated. The yelling got even louder as the supercar got turned into a car that belonged in the junkyard.

‘d.a.m.n it!’

Ahn Soo Ho ran off as soon as he heard police sirens.

“Ah!”

The rabbit mask’s parade throughout Milan continued through the night. He broke the window and rang the window of one the house and broke the fuse of another, which wasn’t as serious as destroying a car in front of a club. Even a flyer exposing someone’s secret got spread, and one person’s social media got hacked, so they had to come out of the closet.

But Milan didn’t think this was funny. If the Italian foreign intelligence agency hadn’t contacted them, they might have reported these as terror attacks. Stefano returned the next day looking as if he had aged by 10 years.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He wanted to punch this shameless guy, but he held it in. That wasn’t the only thing that changed overnight. Stefano aged while Han Chae Kyung became lively again. Ahn Soo Ho, who was looking at her smile from outside the hospital room crossed his arms.

“I can’t lend you Alexa and Kosino.”

Stefano was disappointed at first, but he lifted his head to what Ahn Soo Ho said next.

“So I’ll find it for you.”

“R-really?”

“Do I look like I’m the type to talk nonsense? In return…”

Ahn Soo Ho had a condition.

Han Chae Kyung’s revenge stopped there. It was right to stop a normal person’s revenge at this point. It was hard to endure truly cruel revenge unless one was full of rage. Ahn Soo Ho didn’t want to leave any room for trouble. Especially regarding that unnamed gambling broker.

“Wrap it up well.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah. Wait.”

He stopped Stefano before he turned away.

“This was your request that I’ve taken on, which means you’re still responsible.”

“Thank you.”

Stefano’s next promotion was in the bag. The private trial nine days later ended with Han Chae Kyung not being guilty. In contrast to the attention it received before, the media was now focused on the terrorist attack in Rome. After seeing off the two women, Ahn Soo Ho and Han Kyung Il headed to Mocano, but Lila tagged along, too.

“Why are you here?”

“I feel like lots of fun things happen around you, Soo Ho.”

“You crazy b.i.t.c.h.”

There were many crazy people among the top stars and artists Ahn Soo Ho had met.

“Don’t you remember? You once ripped open a guy’s a.n.u.s with your shoe heel.”

“When did I do that?”

“You kicked him to the ground. He wet himself because you burst his bladder. He became known as the p.i.s.ser after that.”

He remembered kicking, but he didn’t remember any a.n.u.s ripping.

“Watch your mouth.”

“What for?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His head started hurting.

< Protect – Episode 90 – Taken [6] > The end.