Chapter 23: < Protect – Episode 22 – Jang Seol Hyun [3] >

Her name is Anna Anne.

She was born in Solemn Kingdom.

She has never been married.

She’s…

“A great, great wizard.”

He was sad as soon as he found out that there was a wizard greater than the great wizard. The memories of Anna Anne that Ahn Soo Ho looked into was full of scenery different than that of earth. What was even more surprising were the flame-throwing old people. He then realized that Gandalf’s were actually real.

“Maybe our imaginations aren’t just delusions.”

Knights, wizards, dragons, and monsters.

He wondered if stories about heroes were true. Ahn Soo Ho had seen many unbelievable things on the boundary between life and death. It was a place where all of the memories in the universe gathered. Could it be that the muses that stimulate our imaginations and inspirations were just remnants that failed to flow down the Lethe? The ones who pursued art as a profession gaved shape and form to the old memories with their imaginations, but a very important part had been left out.

“They knew magic was real, but they didn’t know how it materialized.”

Since that part was known as delusion, it all sounded absurd. Anyone could set up their imagination, but no one knew why it was being set up that way. But he was different. He had the memories of a wizard named Anna Anne from the day she was born to the day she died of old age. He remembers the moments when she ate, pooped, dressed, slept, and learned.

“Let’s end it for today. It’s probably best if you all thought about your positions. Don’t worry. I won’t criticize you for not joining me.”

Ahn Soo Ho dispersed today’s meeting. Han Kyung Il, Kim Min Shik, and Jung Sol Ji’s change of heart didn’t faze him, but the rest of the guys were really shocked by it. After Kang Joon and Choi Jung Yeon left, the only ones left were Yoon Chul and Kim Soo Jung.

Yoon Chul’s face looked stiff.

“If they changed their minds… they could side with our opponents, Soo Ho.”

“They won’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Ahn Soo Ho smirked.

“If they know me, they can’t do that.”

“Oh.”

Yoon Chul let out a small exclamation. If you knew how Ahn Soo Ho’s persistence and grudges, you wouldn’t make such a choice. Han Kyung Il, Kim Min Shik, and Jung Sol Ji were very old friends.

“They don’t want to suffer a side blow in the fight.”

It was probably very stressful for them to adapt to the organization’s rules. When reality collides with the ideal, one should stick to their beliefs, but that was not easy to do.

“Family is a huge weakness.”

Was that why? All leaders had crazy family affairs that were hidden behind their great achievements.

“I respect their choice.”

“But do you think them backing out, means the other side will quietly sit and watch?”

“Yeah. That’s the problem.”

Since it had already begun, declaring neutrality wouldn’t make the other side go, “Oh, really?” and forget it never happened. Declaring neutrality was useless unless you had the power to protect it, it could be more dangerous than choosing sides.

“I heard Lee Ji Heon surrendered.”

Kim Soo Jung, who had been listening quietly, threw in a sudden question.

“Surrendered? No, he’s not the type to give up so easily. He’s probably waiting for the right opportunity.”

“Why don’t you just bring him down completely?”

“Bringing Lee Ji Heon down won’t bring the rest of them down. It’s better to have Lee Ji Heon so we can use his weaknesses.”

“You could just aggravate the situation though.”

Ahn Soo Ho exchanged gazes with Yoon Chul and smirked.

“He probably doesn’t have the time to worry about me right now.”

“Why not?”

Yoon Chul answered Kim Soo Jung’s question.

“We planted a Trojan horse.”

Even if they knew Lee Jin would step forward., nothing could be done. That was because the justification for Korea National Association came from the Korean imperial family, and the descendant, Lee Jin was the center of that imperial family. It was unacceptable for anyone to insult a monarch.

“If three out of eight had a change of heart…”

The other side would easily get into the double digits.

The next day, Ahn Soo Ho went to Incheon International Airport to go to Okinawa. The travel time was similar to going to Tokyo at just around 2 hours. Okinawa might have been a part of Japan now, but 130 years ago, they were their own country called Ryukyu. It had a different vibe from Osaka and Tokyo.

Was it the appeal of being in a foreign country?

“That’s all bullshit.”

The plane seat was set up with a book about Okinawa, as if it wasn’t obvious that they were headed there. Ahn Soo Ho, who flipped through it out of boredom, clicked his tongue. It made it seemed like some kind of fantasy island, but from what he remembered, there were only three things about Okinawa.

“Yankee, Yankee, Yankee.”

It started and ended with Yankees.

There were things to see there, but it was best not to have high expectations. Even though all popular tourist destinations were over exaggerated, Okinawa was much worse. People visit expecting what they saw in professional photos and, they would be disappointed once they arrived because there wasn’t much of a difference between Jejudo and Okinawa.

“Welcome to Okinawa!”

Oh Joo Kyung, who had departed one day before Ahn Soo Ho, greeted him at the airport. Until now, she was just a stiff career woman, but today, she was a bubbly woman in her 20s.

“You must have had a fun day yesterday.”

“I did. I realized a good break is needed in order to be efficient with work.”

Whether it was a big company or a small company, Koreans tend to have too much work on their hands. Since people who play well work well, enjoying a nice break was a skill that was required in the workplace.

“Would you like to go to the hotel?”

“No. I’m looking forward to being guided around by you, who obviously had a fun time yesterday.”

“Then let’s go eat first.”

Oh Joo Kyung wasn’t taken aback.

She guided him to a soba noodle place in Okinawa. The natives of Okinawa loved soba, but they weren’t made of buckwheat, but flour instead. If one would think of Japan, they would be reminded of sushi, udon, and ramen, but Okinawa was heavily influenced by the U.S. troops since World War II, just like China and Southeast Asia.

“How’s the vibe?”

“A task force has been created under the chairman’s direct control.”

Ahn Soo Ho’s question was vague, but Oh Joo Kyung immediately understood.

“I think the tax investigation is approaching… Will that be a problem?”

“Our country’s National Tax Service isn’t capable of investigating all rich people in their 30s at the same time. It’s probably just a formality.”

“You shouldn’t let your guard down.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Vice-Chairman Kim Dae Chan is taking care of it himself.”

In order to calm down the candle protest, someone had to be punished, so every rich person in their 30s would come up with a scapegoat. The victims would probably feel wronged, but they couldn’t insist their innocence since they took a slice of the pie as well.

“Daesan’s no different.”

They didn’t hesitate to sacrifice one person for the good of the group. It was natural for the corrupt to pay the price. However, was that really true? The clever ones didn’t always report the corruption. They weighed how they could use that to their advantage. Since they couldn’t escape, they would be used as a scapegoat to change the case to their advantage.

“What do you think about the reformation of the rich, Ms. Oh?”

“That’s not something I can carelessly talk about.”

Daesan Group was known to be free of a CEO who threw ashtrays and swings baseball bats. But as organizations got bigger, It was unavoidable to have more insane people. The truth was that most of the bad things that happened with the rich were caused by unrelated executives or their family. They used another’s authority to hold their head high.

“It’s also a crime to not control your employees properly.”

It was common sense to fire or charge the subordinate at fault, but the rich didn’t do that. They used their influence to do everything they could to bury it. Why? Because those who were corrupted would make their fate and the fate of the group coincide. One could call it a wrong sense of loyalty.

“The group is a kingdom, and the owner is the king.”

Since the king covers for all his mistakes, there was nothing he couldn’t do for the kingdom. Even though it was criticized by the public, their mentalities were still in the Middle Ages despite being in the 21st century. The names might have changed, but kings and slaves were still among them.

“Very few monarchs would kick out a loyalist who devotes himself to the king.”

They would probably deny it, but businessmen who established a successful family business had a lot of pride. Even Kim Dae San thought he was the one who propped up the Korean economy.

“That belief is the same as thinking you’re better than everyone else.”

Kim Dae San would deny what he said. They both finished their meals and left the shop. There were tons of events that existed to draw in the tourists in such a tourist attraction.

“This is… Kokusaidori.”

She stammered as if something came to mind. After the empire collapsed, the States managed them, and Okinawa was the center of it all, where most of the U.S. military was situated. Of course, Kokusaidori was rebuilt faster than any other region. Okinawa’s Myeongdong? Or Apgujeong or Cheongdamdong? Whatever you want to call it, it was the most developed area with Omoromachi shopping town.

Ahn Soo Ho picked an open café.

This was the one thing that set Okinawa apart from the rest of Japan. In Japan, where people detested being a hindrance to others, they couldn’t put tables out on the streets. In contrast to Europe, the open cafes of Japan tend to buy the land for the outside area as well. In this country, unless there was a separate street for open cafes, it wasn’t acceptable to do such a thing that would stand out too much.

“I’m going to have a beer. What about you, Ms. Oh?”

“Same here.”

Even though they were on a business trip, it was still early and they were still within working hours. So when Oh Joo Kyung confidently picked a beer, Ahn Soo Ho laughed quietly.

“You seem to like Okinawa.”

“Because it’s a foreign country. I don’t have to worry about what other people think here. Isn’t this why people like business trips?”

“Haha.”

He laughed at her ambition to screw around. She wanted to know if the beer was ready so Oh Joo Kyung lifted her head to the approaching shadow. It wasn’t a smiling employee, but a furry animal.

“You’re here?”

In contrast to Oh Joo Kyung who flinched, Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t fazed at all. The furry animal sat down in a chair without asking for permission.

“Order another beer for me. The biggest size there is.”

“Sure.”

The furry animal glanced at Oh Joo Kyung, who was shocked at what Ahn Soo Ho said, and showed a meaningful smile.

“Did you sleep with her?”

“Stop the bullshit.”

“If you didn’t, introduce me.”

Ahn Soo Ho laughed at the repeated nonsense and stuck out his middle finger.

“Because of you, the Pacific command went into full alert, Soo Ho.”

“Why?”

“Deputy Director Eaton shat on Cranky.”

As soon as the CIA deputy director, Jeremy Eaton O’Hare arrived in Okinawa, he went around digging through the U.S. military base and the Office of Strategic Services.

“And?”

“He expects you to back off at this point.”

“What about Cranky?”

“He was dismissed and sent to a safe house.”

It was iffy coming from a white man who liked sushi, samurais, and cosplay events. He couldn’t trust the leader who put faith in that bastard’s plans. The furry animal noticed that and sighed.

“This might sound like an excuse, but many veterans retired because of the administration. So the gap between the field and the superior office is big.”

“What happened with Empire?”

He let out another deep sigh.

“They dispatched Ranger, Delta, and Cill… but the rescue operation failed. And our side had over ninety casualties.”

“Delta and Cill got wiped out by a South American gang?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

Ahn Soo Ho tapped the table and then opened his mouth.

“What’s the price?”

“In this shitty situation, anything you ask for, really. Why? Do you have an idea?”

There wasn’t a single external contractor that succeeded, and as the difficulty level rose, the rest backed out. Some even suggested announcing it to the public and proceeding in a formal manner but sending a regular army to South America where they hate American’s could lead to what happened in the Middle East.

“Okay.”

“What?”

The furry animal almost let go of his beer out of surprise.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. But money isn’t my condition.”

“Then…”

Ahn Soo Ho showed an evil smile.

“Cranky.”

“You can’t kill him.”

“I won’t.”

He didn’t intend on killing him.

“Okay, then.”

“Oh! That quickly?”

“I told you. Whatever you ask for, Soo Ho. One person is a cheap price in return for you. Just promise to keep him intact.”

Hackers would only need a working head and both hands for the keyboard.

“Deal?”

“Deal.”

They both smiled as they clinked glasses.

< Protect – Episode 22 – Jang Seol Hyun [3] > The end.

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