Chapter 136: < Protect – Episode 135 – Talk Show [3] >

The movie that Jang Seol Hyun was preparing for was a spy action film that required a change in image. Compared to Hollywood, it was commonly perceived that Chungmuro was incapable of producing big gun fights, street battles, or explosions. Beyond the issues of governmental permission and technical aspects, they just didn’t have money to smash everything to pieces.

The film “Nuremberg” was about a father and daughter who were spies trying to expose the corruption and betrayal within the intelligence agency. The father was charged for betraying his country, and as a result, the daughter devoted herself to the organization in order to rid of any suspicion due to their blood relation.

But she then realized that her father was framed by someone who was higher up in the system. As a result, the daughter started a fierce battle against the top executives in order to uncover the truth behind their betraying her father.

“That’s what it’s about. Wow!”

“It’s a typical spy movie.”

Ahn Soo Ho went to find Jang Seol Hyun, who was busy getting fit for her role.

The reason why he took over the fitness center in Apgujeong was for his employees and celebrities who needed to exercise. Even though Star Tower had more than enough room for a fitness center, they still couldn’t make a pool. Swimming was the best way to work out all the muscles in the body. But this fitness center didn’t take anyone as members besides those of Hosoo Entertainment.

“Ugh!”

“More! More!”

There was wailing all over the place. Since Ahn Soo Ho was there, the trainer couldn’t tell her to keep going, so in the end, both of them were left alone. She got rid of the smile she had on her face this whole time, leaned on exercise equipment, and stuck out her tongue.

“I’m pooped.”

“How are you going to survive?”

“I have no other choice. I have to look like a female warrior.”

Jang Seol Hyun wasn’t the smallest, but she wasn’t 180 centimeters tall like a model either.

“Do you want a piggy back ride?”

“No, I’m sweating.”

She wanted the piggyback ride, but she didn’t want Ahn Soo Ho to ruin his clothes. After seeing her take off to the shower room, he looked for her manager. Even though Kim Woo Jung was promoted to be a director, he still worked as Jang Seol Hyun’s manager, but that didn’t mean he could still follow her everywhere she went.

“Are they going to start filming?”

“Well…”

“Tell me exactly what’s going on.”

30 billion won for production wasn’t so much that it broke any records, but it was a lot without any foreign funds involved.

“The investments are still there… but the bank that needs to carry out the payment is in the process of checking with an insurance company…”

“Insurance?”

“Yes, Sir. They can’t start filming until the insurance passes through.”

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t know anything about the movie industry but as soon as he heard the word “insurance”, he nodded. Hollywood was the same way. Not just because Americans loved insurance, but because any product with risks automatically needed insurance. In the case of action movies, actors could get hurt or filming equipment could get destroyed or lost.

“Just like the candlelight vigil and the terrorist attacks, many things have been happening these days. Since this movie is going to be filmed abroad, the evaluation is pretty tricky. The bank wants to increase the amount of insurance while the insurance company wants to leave out as many options as possible.”

“In the end, it’s all about money.”

“In simpler terms… yes, that’s right.”

In modern society, many problems began with money and ended with money as well. When Jang Seol Hyun came back out, he saw her manager’s serious face and tilted her head.

“What is it? Is Soo Ho harassing you?”

“No… no! No way!”

Her manager was so surprised that he spoke in a strange way that was a combination of formal and informal. He didn’t feel comfortable speaking informally to her as he always had in front of the chairman. Ahn Soo Ho smirked. Was this the fear that the public had of the rich? Koreans possessed instinctive fear depending on a person’s identity.

Jang Seol Hyun linked arms with Ahn Soo Ho.

“You can go.”

She sent off her manager first. She told him to go home, but he probably went back to the office to work some more. Maybe he didn’t care since he got paid for overtime. He tried to come up with all sorts of ideas regarding dating, marriage and having children, but he hadn’t come up with even one good idea.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to meet up with my friends. You know Chul and Soo Jung, right?”

“Oh, I know Soo Jung.”

Kim Soo Jung was already close with Jang Seol Hyun. Since they were both in broadcasting, they had many chances to meet. The car that they rode arrived at a fancy restaurant. Both Jang Seol Hyun and Ahn Soo Ho had so many people following them around these days that it was crazy.

The entrance of the restaurant was in chaos.

Jang Seol Hyun just waved without showing any surprise while Ahn Soo Ho just ignored them. If he was anyone else, he would have been called pompous, but this was Ahn Soo Ho they were talking about. They were all used to it by now.

As soon as they entered the room, Yoon Chul and Kim Soo Jung got up and greeted them.

“What a commotion. Hello, Seol Hyun. Long time no see.”

“Hello. I couldn’t greet you properly last time… I’ll treat you to a meal sometime…”

“Please don’t! I’ll die.”

They were talking about the incident that happened at Ahn Soo Ho’s bar when he first returned to the country. Jang Seol Hyun just said that to be mannerly, but she was actually minding both Yoon Chul and Kim Soo Jung.

“Let’s sit.”

They couldn’t stay standing forever.

Since it was a fancy restaurant, the employees were different from the fans. But then again, since this restaurant had many celebrity customers, they educated their employees well and made sure they didn’t spread rumors. Without the need for Ahn Soo Ho to check, the guard team had already checked the whole place for any wiretapping.

‘They’re all adjusting well.’

What the Hosoo Guard Team needed were experience and time.

“The star of tonight isn’t Soo Ho, but you, Seol Hyun.”

“Pardon? Me?”

“Yeah. Go on a talk show.”

In response to Kim Soo Jung’s direct request, Jang Seol Hyun looked at Ahn Soo Ho to which he shrugged.

“Do what you want.”

“What about you?”

“I… agreed to do it.”

“Then I’ll do it, too.”

Kim Soo Jung looked as if she expected that answer.

“I knew it! Why wouldn’t the thread follow the needle? Good choice, Seol Hyun. I’ll make you look really good.”

“Are you the one doing it?”

“Yeah.”

“What if it turns out like shit?”

“Hey!”

Kim Soo Jung opposed to Ahn Soo Ho’s negative assumptions.

“If you keep being like that, I’m going to reveal your dark past!”

“Dark past? Does Soo Ho have such a thing?”

“Yeah. I have a great story.”

Jang Seol Hyun’s eyes sparkled as if she was waiting to hear more. The reason why she was good to the Do brothers was because they were family, but also because she wanted to hear more about Ahn Soo Ho.

“Let me tell you…”

“Haha! It’s nothing, Seol Hyun. Haha.”

Yoon Chul covered Kim Soo Jung’s mouth as soon as he saw Ahn Soo Ho’s knitted brows. Even though they still weren’t married yet, he still didn’t want to see his wife get beat up by another man. Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t the type to go easy even to a girl.

“Anyway, what are we going to talk about on the talk show?”

“Hm.”

Jang Seol Hyun was deep in thought. She was sad that she couldn’t hear about Ahn Soo Ho’s dark past, but there would be opportunities to come as well.

“Can I talk about when I first met Soo Ho?”

“That… could make things difficult for many people.”

Jang Seol Hyun’s question made Ahn Soo Ho stop eating.

“Why? What is it?”

Kim Soo Jung expressed her curiosity. The love story between Ahn Soo Ho and Jang Seol Hyun was as in demand as that of the Monaco king and queen. On top of that, there wasn’t anything as interesting as the dating life of another couple.

“Gary Peznoble.”

“The boxing promoter?”

It wasn’t Kim Soo Jung who responded to the name Ahn Soo Ho mentioned, but Yoon Chul instead. Right at that moment, their food came out. For a while, they were busy looking at the food with their mouths shut. For Yoon Chul, who was still in the process of leaving his job, he had to pay for his meal as his personal expense. If not, someone looking for an opportunity to attack could accuse him of providing favors.

As soon as the servers left, Kim Soo Jung spoke up.

“Who’s Gary Peznoble?”

“A boxing promoter from Las Vegas. He’s a giant in the world of boxing.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I like boxing.”

Besides Korea, many people all over the world enjoyed watching boxing. Even in Japan, boxing was a huge sport.

“Wait, did he retire because…”

“All American industries are related. You might wonder what an actor and a boxing promoter might have in common, but their complicated investment system makes their Texan farm owner into the major shareholder of a Wall Street insurance company.”

Gary Peznoble was the most famous American boxing promoter as well as the pimp that Soo Ho despised the most. Yoon Chul laughed bitterly.

“He’s a sponsor.”

“It’s not just a problem within the Korean entertainment industry.”

Hwang Min Wook’s list made the entire Korean entertainment industry tremble. They weren’t the type to leave beautiful women and men alone. What the most powerful especially enjoyed were connections in the entertainment industry. They couldn’t invite ugly men and women to their parties now, could they?

“This is a dangerous topic… but it doesn’t sound bad.”

“But we can’t reveal the whole truth. I few will do, we’ll run into diplomatic issues.”

As soon as Ahn Soo Ho looked back at Kim Soo Jung, she used her thumb and index finger to make a circle.

“Okay! Got it.”

“If you’re not careful with it, you might have to deal with the KCC right after the first episode.”

“I’m not a newbie, you know. Just trust me.”

Was Kim Soo Jung always this kind of confident career woman?

“So did you get into conflict with that boxing promoter?”

“Yeah. But when I dug up his past, he turned out to be nothing but a puppet.”

Boxing promoters could only get to a certain point, and the real giant that Ahn Soo Ho was looking for was someone else.

“Jack Toms.”

“Gasp! The casino king?”

There were all sorts of kings in this world. However, every reputation had two sides.

“But Jack Toms doesn’t stand in the forefront. He’s more like an urban legend. A ghost. There isn’t a single person who can say they saw Jack Toms in person because…”

After pursuing Jack Toms, Ahn Soo Ho found out the truth.

“He never existed in the first place.”

“What?”

“There’s no Jack Toms. But there is a General Ashford.”

“That crime planning group?”

Yoon Chul mumbled.

Ahn Soo Ho had mentioned his name before. As someone who never left Korea before, the world that his friend lived in sounded way too foreign. It just didn’t sound realistic to him. Even the food they were eating was at a cost that he had no proper grasp of.

“Did you fight with them, too?”

“No, as soon as I started chasing them, they backed off.”

It was a strange incident indeed. Such a renowned crime planning group backed off without any conditions. He just accepted it for what it was back then, but looking back on it, it seemed suspicious in many ways. Ahn Da Sol had some kind of connection to General Ashford. He could have made her talk right away, but if he wasn’t ready to kill them right away, it wasn’t advisable to irritate an alpha organism.

Yoon Chul had a hard time understanding. If he didn’t exist, who was Jack Toms that was roaming around Las Vegas?

“If Jack Toms isn’t real, who’s the person getting mentioned all the time in Las Vegas?”

“I don’t know… Who could it be?”

Ahn Soo Ho smirked. People thought that the information the French hypocrite exposed was a lot, but that was a very small proportion of the truth. He was the only one who knew everything about the inside, and the fewer people knew about the truth, the better.

The great, great magician was an old person who was thorough with preparations.

They did have a dark personality, but the dungeon network they built all over the world was just a part of their thorough preparations. They had much more prepared than that, but nothing was 100% perfect. There was no end to preparations. Rome, New York, and London were devastated due to terror, but Ahn Soo Ho was very satisfied with his trip abroad.

‘It’s not the best, but I now have a nuclear bomb in my collection.’

Now, he could fight with the entire world and be able to win.

< Protect – Episode 135 – Talk Show [3] > The end.

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