Sooho

Chapter 203: < Protect – Episode 202 – Sim City [2] >

The wedding hosted by Do Kyung Ho was bustling. Ahn Soo Ho wanted to make it quiet, but Jang Seol Hyun opposed it because she looked forward to seeing his husband’s foreign friends there.

If they hadn’t prepared an interpreting service of the guests from all over the world, there would have been many complaints. The wedding transformed into a UN meeting. What was funny was that the people speaking with the cardinal were wearing traditional Islam outfits. It was refreshing to see Saudi Arabians and Iranians chatting and laughing with one another.

And the high-ranking officials of America and Russia who were on tense terms a few years back over Ukraine were acting like friends. The climax of the event was Ahn Soo Ho’s friends hitting the bottom of his feet.

Since the old wedding customs were unfamiliar to Koreans as well, it was even more shocking to the foreigners. They were allowed to hit Ahn Soo Ho all they wanted. What better custom was there than that? Since he was tied up, the foreign guests joined in as well. They figured he would go along with it since the groom and the bride’s parents were staring their way.

‘I’ll deal with you later, you assholes!’

Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t smiling on the inside. The bustling carried on to the banquet. The only unmarried Do brother—Do Min Ho—put on a comedy show that was funny to both Koreans and foreigners, and he even spoke of Ahn Soo Ho’s childhood days.

In particular, many enjoyed the stories of how immature he was back then. Many parts of his complicated family life had already been revealed through the press, but there hasn’t been a single news about his dating life before Jang Seol Hyun. Some columnists suspected that he was a virgin before her.

Some of the gossip magazines claimed that there were confessions from ex-girlfriends, but there was no proof to back it up. Ahn Soo Ho wanted to punch Do Min Ho’s teeth out, but he couldn’t do anything because his wife and mother were by his side.

“He was at the top back then, too. Kya! But his face was a bit... At least his body was nice! As you know, when boys turn 15, they become... Ahem. You know what they become interested in.”

“Haha.”

“When we were little, Seoul was a whole different world. Kids these days go to Hongdae, Apgujeong, or Cheongdam-dong, but when we were little, we went to Chunggyecheon. Some of you probably know what I’m talking about.”

If one wanted to see new things, it was good to go to Itaewon or Myeongdong, and the hub of PC and communications was Yongsan. But before all of that, the place to be was the general store.

“People download baseball games these days. Back then, we only had videotapes. However...”

There was a time when a 900 won video sold for 30,000 won. Considering people’s wages back then, that was a crazy price.

“And you probably remember that it was a game of chance.”

It was common for someone to buy one thinking it was a baseball game, but it turned out to be some kind of EBS educational video.

“Luckily, we came out with ‘Handsome Siblings’.”

‘Handsome Siblings’ was a 90s action movie made in Hong Kong.

“What did you guys get again?”

“Star Wars.”

“Oh, my god! Star Wars.”

That was the movie that always played on TV during the holidays.

“After getting tricked by the middle-aged man at the store, we ended up accepting the dark side. The real star of Star Wars isn’t Luke. It’s Darth Vader!”

“Darth Vader!”

“Empire!”

After Do Kyung Ho’s story, other people got up to share their stories of Ahn Soo Ho. They changed it up a bit to make it more entertaining, but they were all normal stories. This kind of culture was familiar to most Koreans.

They didn’t invite any journalists.

But the ones that were friends with the couple attended as guests. The stories that were shared at the wedding were probably going to be shared in unofficial ways. The media outlets that desperately wanted to know would probably get hung up over it. It was already hard enough for other famous people to approach the media, but it was definitely not advised for the famous ones of the entertainment world to get involved with reporters.

The foreigners enjoyed watching Korean customs. Weddings had become generalized all over the world, but everyone still had their own customs. If a famous person did something, other people slowly copied to make it a trend.

Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t a celebrity.

However, he was a hot sell that influential people wanted to be friends with. As a result, many wanted to copy what he did. Because it made them look cool. And they also felt like that was how they could be acknowledged by others.

But that was a big misunderstanding. And they knew it, too. But in order to get with society and public, they had to follow the trends.

Ahn Soo Ho began to set the trends.

His style became a brand of his own, and the way he spoke became a parody for comedy programs. There were many men who were handsome, rich, and jacked, but very few were as influential.

Did the world want a leader like Ahn Soo Ho? There was no telling that. But his confident actions gave enjoyment to those who were tired of reality. Ahn Soo Ho was the most popular man in Asia. And with his face alone, he had a style that worked very well in the East. But he wasn’t considered handsome.

They had to face guests for another week.

He didn’t check the exact numbers, but more than 10,000 guests were there. As soon as the noisy storm blew over, Ahn Soo Ho called over Logan, his underlings, and the guards of the Hosoo Guard Team. While everyone else laughed and chatted, the guard team had to work hard to keep everyone safe.

“Lower the danger level.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“What about a bonus?”

“Director Navarros has already given it to us.”

“Good. Then this is from me.”

Logan accepted an envelope from Ahn Soo Ho.

“Divide it amongst yourselves.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Come to think of it... I don’t see Alexa or Kosino around.”

“They’ve already gone on vacation.”

“That was fast. Okay. Disperse.”

It was rude to keep tired people for too long. It was only Logan that remained afterward.

“So you’re going back home?”

“My big sister wants to see me.”

“Rosaline? What’s the matter?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Well, you’ll find out when you get there. Have a safe trip.”

Logan greeted him. He then turned around and then said one more thing,

“Congratulations on your marriage, Boss.”

“Thank you.”

Ahn Soo Ho saw off Logan and then saw Daniel enter through another door.

“Is he leaving, too?”

“Yeah.”

“What about your guards?”

“Danny, I don’t actually need guards.”

“I know that. But I’m worried about the safety of the people who come to see you.”

Daniel wasn’t worried about Ahn Soo Ho. Why would he worry about someone who could survive pretty much anything?

“I’m not going to leave Hawaii anytime soon, so don’t worry.”

“That’s good.”

“You came early... Did it sell?”

“The highest bidder would like to speak with you.”

“Who is it?”

“Chairman Ginter.”

“Franzbeau?”

The top German energy company, Franzbeau was an anti-communist corporation. They got rid of nuclear plants and replaced them with new renewable energy sources and policies, but during the summer months, they had to import energy from France. Germany and France were always butting heads, but when it came to infrastructural development, they were quite cooperative.

Chairman Ginter was invited to the wedding, so he was currently in Hawaii. People of this world didn’t know this, but he was one of Ahn Soo Ho’s few European representatives.

“Is he already here and waiting?”

“He is, Soo Ho.”

“Tell him to come in.”

Daniel gestured for the secretary to escort the old white man in.

“Wolf.”

“Soo Ho.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not right to talk about business during a wedding. I didn’t want to be cussed at by your wife forever.”

Ahn Soo Ho smiled bitterly. As long as she was married to him, Jang Seol Hyun’s status was very high in society. From now on, she was going to be treated as if she was the First Lady.

“Please have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

He couldn’t let the old man with bad knees keep standing.

“What is it, Wolf?”

“First, I want to apologize.”

“That’s all right. So what’s the problem?”

“Kracek.”

“Alexander Kracek?”

He was a spy from East Germany who worked with Hector Garcia during the Middle Ages. He was already called a legend since before the unification of Germany.

“I heard his son died.”

“Why?”

“The Dortmund scandal.”

“Oh.”

Some of the Dresden File was revealed. It was handed over to a national mercenary group that was keeping Angola in check, but without Kumiko, a sound interpretation was difficult. Despite that fact, they managed to use the context to infer the information.

Alexander Kracek, who was from eastern Ukraine, was an agent that was dispatched during the Soviet Union’s influential period in the 60s and 70s. And there were times when his mission was very sensitive.

The records of the Dresden File didn’t end at World War II. The Dordmund Scandal was buried deep following the unification of Germany, but the actions of the East German spies were still revealed on the internet and media. The records included cruel interrogation, destroyed honor, kidnapping, sexual violence, and more.

The kind of inhumane acts they enforced was no better than that of the Nazis. Following the unification of Germany, the government contemplated the issue, but in the end, they ended up turning the other cheek. The records that were revealed contained brutality crueler than that of the Nazis.

“Is this revenge?”

“The spy acts of the time were pardoned. In order to punish them legally, the truth of the Dresden File that’s been circulating on the internet need to be confirmed.”

“But that doesn’t matter if the German court decides to deny it.”

“Yeah.”

“So it must go to the International Court of Justice.”

“Formally, yes... But most of the courts are against it. There’s no evidence to enforce punishment.”

In modern Europe, the Communists were very active. In contrast to those in North America, European commies maintained a strong influence over its countries.

Ahn Soo Ho thought of something and flicked his finger.

“Terror.”

“You caught on. Some of the terrorist attacks in Europe had nothing to do with Islams.”

On one side of the European terrorist wars was an ideological conflict. The reality of Europe was like a sewer. It was horrible.

“Who killed Kracek’s son?”

“Leon was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Is that what the police said?”

“It was a murder caused by a motorcycle gang that follows Neo-Nazis. But Leon wasn’t their target from the very beginning. He was just unlucky...”

“And Kracek hasn’t accepted that yet.”

“Nope. He blames himself.”

He believed that his son died because of his own past. And for that reason, he chased after them one by one and killed them.

“He’s begun to go after the reporter that revealed the Dresden File.”

“How many have died?”

“12 so far.”

“But the media of Europe and Germany are quiet.”

“Since the media is the terror target, they have no choice but to cooperate.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

He felt bad about Kracek and his son’s circumstances. However, that was all. Ahn Soo Ho tapped the armrests of his chair with his fingers.

“I can’t do anything.”

“I know. Just do the introductions.”

“Alexander Kracek is cold... but he’s a legend. The contractors won’t hunt, but will get hunted down.”

“That’s why I came to you, Soo Ho.”

The German government employed their own agents to catch Krazek, but they probably failed.

“Let’s see. We’ll need at least 5 Triple-A agents for this... This man might be good.”

“Do you have a recommendation?”

“I do.”

Old wolves would be hunted down by a tiger.

“Hector.”

“Who?”

“Hector Garcia.”

Ginter’s voice rang as if it was a hallucination.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’

******

“Emerald City? What an absurd plan, my friend.”

Hector Garcia looked at Ahn Soo Ho with a shocked face. Unlike in Nigeria, Ahn Soo Ho showed Hector his utmost respect.

“What’s so absurd?”

“You can step over the throne and be a God. But you’re putting that aside to play these games?”

“It’s better than playing games in a secret society.”

“The measures that the circle took weren’t bad. Does mankind needed to be controlled? I agree with that. Humans tend to favor corruption despite knowing it’s bad. And they won’t stop despite knowing the results. Why? Because they’re just selfish animals that were born that way.”

Humanism was one of the biggest bullshit he had heard. After talking with other alpha organisms, including Issac and J-Law, he agreed that human civilization needed to be controlled.

Enthusiastic Issac

Passive J-Law

The two had different stances, but before humans’ selfishness killed them first, they had to take some kind of action. Following Anna-Anne Karusis’ appearance, the circle decided to put a seal on their influence. However, Hector’s thoughts were different.

“Mankind will go extinct at this rate.”

“Weren’t you a believer of war at one point?”

“Didn’t I tell you, my friend? Controlled war is the best instigator.”

“You’re starting to sound like a cult, too, old man.”

The rouser of the stone all thought of themselves as special.

‘Or maybe only such lunatics can wake the soul stone.’

Ahn Soo Ho sighed deeply.

“And didn’t I tell you already? I like this world.”

Only the average dreamt of a utopia, not those who would live for a very long time. For those who can just reset life as it was a game, it didn’t make sense to make a sacrifice for a better tomorrow.

“You like this crazy world where Christians and Muslims use guns to kill each other?”

“Well, the religious ones are always doing crazy things, but besides that, the world we’re living in is not that bad.”

Ahn Soo Ho beat up Michael a lot that day. Crazy ones needed to be hit.

“Hector.”

Hector flinched in response. This was what the old man told him during their first meeting. That he should forget about becoming a hero, and that they were nothing but components of this earth.

“The world will function well enough without us.”

And so, he planned to escape the basement and build dungeons on land as well.

< Protect – Episode 202 – Sim City [2] > The end.