Chapter 186: < Protect – Episode 185 – Shotgun [4] >

The group of Bridal Masks seized the top floor of a 5-star hotel.

Due to the police that was called, the entire hotel was sieged.

The announcement that Bridal Mask made on TV heated up Korea as a whole. This was the first time he committed something so extreme. On top of that, having explosives along the walls was something that had never happened in the entirety of Korean police’s history.

The internet got fired up.

Wow! I never thought an explosive hostage situation would happen in Korea! #BridalMask #CenturionPalace #C4

Repeat after me! Bridal mask!

Do you know Bridal Mask?

I don’t care about the rotten rich, but the innocent employees…

Same thing. Everyone that attended the private party all know each other somehow!

No, I’m talking about the entourage! The guards and secretaries were probably just there to do their jobs!

They all lick the assholes of the rich! Don’t worry!

The stupidest thing you can do is worry about celebrities and rich people!

Hey! The government is making an announcement!

The Korean government heavily criticized Bridal Mask’s behavior while also making it known that they were going to rescue the hostages, and that made the internet fire up even more.

Those damn government workers! They’re ignoring the hostages abroad while saving the rich in Korea? Does this make any sense? #RescueOperation #NigeriaHostages #JustSociety

Well, Africa is far while Centurion Palace is right here!

Yeah! Not even mutts stray too far from their home!

To be honest, there isn’t much our country can do in Nigeria!

Isn’t that a realistic decision? To be frank, if they get hurt, their rich parents won’t just sit back!

All Koreans are equal in front of the law! The government has a duty to save the ones in Nigeria!

America doesn’t make negotiations with terrorists! In that sense, Korea shouldn’t either!

If you put it that way, we should give up on the ones in the hotel, too.

That’s not true! Bridal Mask and Boko Haram are different!

As a result of the controversy, the government made another announcement about how the National Security Council got together to discuss countermeasures to the Korean hostages in Nigeria. That was their way of claiming they were working hard and telling people to stop insulting them. However, this made the controversy grow even further. It was revealed that the only reason why the NSC gathered was because one of the hostages was the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff’s daughter.

That’s why they gathered the NSC? Wow, you’re kidding, right? #HellJoseon #IncapableDiplomats #FuckingMilitary

Isn’t that paranoia? This is the first kidnapping incident of this kind…

But, everyone! That’s not the issue here! There are hostages surrounded by explosives right in this very city!

No one cares about the lives of the rich! Hahaha!

Hahaha!

There’s a philosophy to Bridal Mask’s behavior. They won’t attack regular civilians for no reason!

Then what about the hostages that aren’t rich? What did they do wrong?

They’re at fault for associating with the rich! Yeah! They’re just like the Koreans that got friendly with the Japanese in the past!

Come on! You’re exaggerating! You shouldn’t treat the rich like the pro-Japanese! Stop it already!

President Lee Joong Hyun, who was enjoying high ratings, got hit by a bolt of sudden lightning. In politics, no matter how well they led the country, one incident was capable of bringing them down. Even with America, the Davis Scandal brought down the US president, and the democratic party suffered as a result.

The Blue House and President Lee Joong Hyun attempted a frontal breakthrough.

They broadcasted Nigeria’s actions live on television. The opposition party criticized that this was just a political show and that no good was going to come out of sharing the actions of NSC to the public. Of course, they also considered the reporting competition and limited it to KBS and MBC. When that happened, SBS protested, but the Blue House held their stance.

“We’re at the main building of the Blue House.”

Even if they opened it up to the public, they couldn’t let too many people into the Blue House. Only 10 people were allowed including those in broadcasting. So a reporter, producer, cameraman, and a few other staff of each broadcasting station were allowed in. However, that didn’t mean they could film the meeting either. They were put at a distance as they captured the government workers, soldiers, police, and firemen moving about from afar.

“Over there! Film that!”

The cameraman followed the producer’s orders.

‘No way!’

What the lens captured was Ahn Soo Ho surrounded by the national defense and foreign ministers. The sight made it seem like something big was going to happen. Soon afterward, headlines went out through countless televisions.

The US military’s mistaken bombing ruin the areas of the refugees!

Is it retaliation? Or is this their plan to make the most beneficial negotiation?

The White House and Pentagon are both staying silent! The innocent natives will be sacrificed once more!

We don’t negotiate with terrorists! America’s rule is still unchanged!

The main agent of the invasion of Nigeria was the US military, and the ones Boko Haram was trying to pressure was also the US military. However, among the kidnapped were non-Americans as well. France heavily criticized America and claimed they were going to dispatch their own troops. England didn’t go that far, but they pressured Boko Haram with words, and Germany was still watching over the situation.

The problem was that Boko Haram executed two Japanese reporters.

They didn’t shoot them dead but sliced their necks off. Why did they kill Japanese reporters instead of those of America? The reason for that although the nation was sensitive to face and profit, Japanese people felt ashamed by private matters being made public.

In Japan, the victims apologized for causing inconvenience to others. In that kind of country, the public didn’t look upon the Japanese reporters favorably. They were questioning why they willingly went somewhere dangerous and caused the nation harm. In that sense, Korea wasn’t much different.

To be honest, I don’t know why they went into a country that’s in war! #CuriousRoaches #Journalists #RiskyBehavior

That’s so true! I agree!

It’s hard to trust the Korean media! I only watch CNN!

You psycho! CNN is also criticized in America!

Isn’t BBC the fairest of them all?

Nah, that’s Brazil!

Why?

The bodies of the Brazilian weatherwomen are more than fair!

Hahaha!

Do you know what happens in a war without any war correspondents? #War #Rape #Amnesty

What happens?

Just like during the Japanese colonial era, there would be comfort women and all!

The biggest crimes of War is murder and rape!

Once the monitoring is gone, they’d all happen again!

Rape happens in normal countries, too, so imagine what’d happen on the battlefield! Phew! I can’t even imagine! It’s too horrible!

Rape and human trafficking is our problem, too! Even the first world countries suffer from people selling other people! Korea, too!

Human trafficking in Korea? No way!

Yes, way! The last group Bridal Mask wiped out were human traffickers! Why did you guys forget that? Are you all stupid?

But why was Ahn Soo Ho called? #NSC #Gunmaster

He’s a military expert, remember?

Yeah! He was even the security advisor for the US president!

What’s needed for this hostage incident is international connections!

But the reformation of the rich shouldn’t be forgotten! Is this a conspiracy by those who don’t want the reform?

Hey! That’s ridiculous! No matter how much the rich hate reformations, why would they give up their own children as a sacrifice?

Who knows? Maybe the Bridal Masks at the hotel are actually employed by the rich! Since it’s hard to bring back the Korean reporters, maybe they’re sacrificing the hostages to control the sympathies of the public! It’s better to try something instead of going down without a fight, right?

Wow! What an imagination! But what’s funny is that it kind of makes sense! They wouldn’t have made it so high if they weren’t cold-hearted enough to give up their own children in the first place! Maybe, maybe! This is just my imagination… But do you think they’ll create a scenario where they manage to save just a few of the rich heirs?

Wow! Stephen King in the house! I thought the same way! What’s with this sudden hostage situation? This isn’t like the Bridal Mask that we know!

Alexa and Kosino were busy leaking some more information in order to control the direction of the internet media. Just like Bridal Mask’s vibrant appearance, he had to disappear in the same manner. After all, Ahn Soo Ho told them to stop the ‘justice games’.

The preparations were complete.

‘It’s now Soo Ho’s time to act.’

Since the gun and bullet were ready, they just needed a finger to pull the trigger.

******

Thud-

Ahn Soo Ho slammed the desk with his fists.

“Are you seriously saying that as the head of diplomatic affairs?”

“Hey! Watch your mouth, Chairman Ahn!”

“You should be the one to watch your mouth, you bastard! Do we have to evacuate because of danger? Three of our citizens are on the verge of death! But what? The White House and the US military will take care of it? Who do you think you are?”

Korea’s head of diplomatic affairs said a lot of nonsense that made Ahn Soo Ho lose his mind. He didn’t see this coming. If they just waited, a message was going to be sent to Boko Haram within 12 hours and Choi Ye Won was going to be a free woman within half a day.

Bridal Mask was fake.

And the ones he was trying to fake was the citizens who supported him. Rather than making an incident his objective, his attempt caused a bigger shock. The final destination of the explosive hostage situation was to pull out Bridal Mask’s true intention into the light and shake up the hearts of the public once more. And in order to do that, Bridal Mask’s request had to be fulfilled. However, the head of diplomatic affairs didn’t understand that.

“You crazy bastard!”

“Look here, Mr. Ahn!”

When Ahn Soo Ho started to curse, Minister Kim Hyung Il raised his voice. It might have been good that President Lee Joong Hyun was not there since he was speaking with the US president on the phone.

“I can’t believe a man with so little awareness of commoners is at the head of diplomatics… This is absolutely ridiculous!”

“If you keep insulting me, I’m going to call security!”

“Shut up!”

He yelled so loudly that his ears rang. It even made people passing by stop in their tracks.

“What do you think a nation is, you dumb son of a bitch?”

“Ugh!”

As soon as Ahn Soo Ho grabbed him by the throat, he made noises that sounded like a cicada on a tree.

“I don’t care how shitty the government workers of this country are! And politicians are just the same! But you should at least keep this one rule!”

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t think much about how Koreans called the country Hell Joseon. That was because no one liked their own country 100%. Ever since Korea was established, they had gone through all sorts of humiliating history. Considering that, Korea had done quite well.

There were many successes.

However, there were many failures as well.

While repeating hope and despair, this country took steps forward. There were horrible government workers, but there were hard-working ones as well that kept the government going, and thanks to the devoted prosecution and police, the citizens lived in a safe environment.

The military was always insulted for their corruption and due to the closeness of the politics and the military, the Ministry of National Defense suffered, but they had always protected the country. Without a military, there was no country. No matter what, it couldn’t be denied that it was them who was ready to die first.

“The nation must protect its citizens at all costs!”

‘The nation must protect its citizens!’ As long as that rule was kept, the country was worth existing. Even if the worst of mankind was at risk in a foreign country, they had to be rescued. And after they were rescued, they would be punished for their crimes. A nation must never judge its citizens’ worth.

“Yeah, bastards like you are what this nation calls their elite.”

Was it just Kim Hyung Il? Not at all. Korea’s education system only fostered psychopaths that didn’t know how to sympathize. It was obvious to step on others to get ahead and for the elites, commoners didn’t mean anything. Commoners were simply existing in their world.

“Haha!”

Ahn Soo Ho laughed loudly. It felt like no matter how hard he tried, psychos like him always existed. Everyone went quiet in response to his laughter and rage. As soon as he put Kim Hyung Il down, he plopped down on the floor.

“I shouldn’t…”

He was truly disappointed.

“Even be disappointed in you scumbags anymore.”

He had never been so ashamed as a Korean.

“Tell the president that I’m calling everything off.”

He was quitting the reformation committee as well as everything else. No one was able to stop Ahn Soo Ho. He only stopped in his tracks when he approached General Choi Han Rim.

“I’ll keep my promise with you, Chairman Choi. Your daughter will return safely.”

Ahn Soo Ho took out his phone as soon as he left the Blue House.

“Hotline. Bairan. Tell him that if he doesn’t let go of the Koreans in 1 hour…”

He didn’t care if the NSA was listening.

“I’m going to go there myself.”

He was going to erase them from this world.

< Protect – Episode 185 – Shotgun [4] > The end.

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