Sooho

Chapter 93: < Protect – Episode 92 – FIFA [2] >

Despite all the chaos about terrorist attacks, Monaco was still booming as always. Each city had a different vibe, and the vibe that Ahn Soo Ho felt in Monaco was chic. In contrast to the airport in Nice, people didn’t swarm in just because there was a celebrity. They wanted to, but they couldn’t because of their environment.

Since there were so many stars around, it was hard to get attention unless that person was a huge star. Ahn Soo Ho, Han Kyung Il, and Lila sat at a café with a view of the ocean and enjoyed the sun. Lila must have been tired from all the shopping in Monaco because she remained seated quietly.

“What about your manager?”

“I resolved it.”

“More like you bullied him.”

Lila answered Ahn Soo Ho’s questions as if they were no big deal, but it was obvious what was going on. The only person who could yell at her within Holly Corporation was the CEO, Scott. Since there were countless makeup artists, stylists, managers, and guards that followed around her everywhere, it wouldn’t have been a lie to say that she was keeping them fed.

He saw a guard working hard as they spoke.

He was technically employed by her company, but it was Lila who paid him. So when she fled Milan, the guards and managers didn’t report it to the company. One might ask, why? It was because her employer didn’t want them to.

“You’re not even a princess anymore. Stop causing trouble.”

“What do you mean? I have such a clean reputation.”

That was true. The reason why she was so loved all around the world was, of course, her talent, but it was also because she didn’t get into any controversies.

“I think I heard you were dating someone from L.A. Dodgers.”

“That’s a lie.”

She might have had a clean reputation, but she was still involved in dating scandals. In the photos taken by the paparazzi, it did seem like they were being especially intimate.

“They’re probably sticking closer because you don’t date enough.”

“Dating is tiring.”

“Wow! You sound like a middle-aged man!”

This wasn’t something one would hear from a girl in her 20s. Ahn Soo Ho looked over at Han Kyung Il who was enjoying the ocean breeze and sunlight without saying a world.

“Are you dating anyone?”

“I’d give them a hard time since I’m never in one place. And long distance is too hard.”

“They would probably pounce at a successful diplomat.”

Since he was elite, he was bound to attract women wherever he went.

“There was some talk about it. I’ve even had strangers come to me and try to set me up.”

“There wasn’t a woman you liked, was there?”

“No.”

“How do they date in Korea?”

Lila suddenly jumped in.

“They date well. Whoa, whoa.”

She almost threw mango juice at Ahn Soo Ho for being annoying.

“I’m curious...do stars only date other stars?”

“It does seem that way. They have no choice because they go to a lot of parties with other stars. When you spend a lot of time with someone, you naturally become close, which could lead to dating.”

“The social circle must be pretty small.”

“You have to be careful not to get scammed.”

Lila looked sad.

“You’ve been scammed before, haven’t you?”

“By a really close friend.”

Just like Korea, in the States, people pounced looking to scrape up something if someone looked like they succeeded.

“Enough of this depressing talk! What are you going to do now, Soo Ho?”

“Aren’t you going to go shopping?”

“I’m sick of it now.”

Most people in their 20s got tired of things very quickly.

“Go to a spa then.”

“I’m tired of spas and massages, too.”

“Then go home.”

“Hey! You’re mean! You pig! You dumbo!”

As soon as Ahn Soo Ho sounded bothered by Lila, she punched the table with both fists. In the States, most would have thought she was high on something, but Koreans saw this as cute. Han Kyung Il almost choked. For a Western girl who didn’t know what it meant to be cute in Korea, she was pretty adorable.

Ahn Soo Ho just stared at her.

“Are you crazy?”

“Huh? This is weird. Seol Hyun said all Korean guys fall for this stuff...”

“She wasn’t wrong, but don’t do that in the States.”

They would have looked at her strangely.

Since Monaco was getting out of summer and entering fall, it was a time period that Koreans would have loved. The first customer to come at Ahn Soo Ho’s 3 billion euros was Heritage, who was a leader of the black market. He had connections with Monaco’s royal family.

It might have looked like the king was engaging in illegal acts, but Monaco had always survived off the backs of powerful countries since a long time ago. That was their family’s temperament and wisdom. The royal family fell following the freedom of the 20th century, but reputable families didn’t root from money and land alone.

‘They still dominate Europe.’

Even though people had to do business and politics to become the president or prime minister, power still belonged to a small number of families. Today, plutocracy paired with mass media made for a favorable result. Heritage only brought a few names and numbers, but when Ahn Soo Ho paid him with 1 billion euros.

He immediately handed the information over to Stefano.

If someone asked him if spending 1 billion euros on Italy’s security bureau was worth it, he wouldn’t have had anything to say. In Korean won, he just spent 1.2 trillion won just for information, which was out of this world. But Ahn Soo Ho didn’t really care.

‘I got the money unexpectedly anyway.’

It was too much work to launder the money to transfer it to another account, so it was easier to spend it all here. The Korean Tax Service wasn’t to be underestimated. While they sat at the café, their surroundings suddenly became noisy. He just thought it was because of Lila, but he turned around when he heard Korean.

‘Korean?’

Was it a Korean tour group? That wasn’t it. Their equipment suggested that they were filming abroad. The scale of it eliminated the possibility of a movie or a drama shoot. It looked more like a star’s vacation vlog. The girls dressed up in front of the camera looked like celebrities, but Ahn Soo Ho didn’t recognize any of them.

“Hey, that’s Jung Ah Young.”

“Do you know her?”

“Ha! How do you not know Jung Ah Young as the CEO of an entertainment agency?”

Ahn Soo Ho shrugged at Han Kyung Il’s criticism.

“She must be famous.”

“She’s more famous than Seol Hyun in China.”

“Wow.”

Jang Seol Hyun wasn’t called the star of Asia for no reason. She was a superwoman who could speak Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. Stars who were able to communicate in their language receive more attention.

‘Chinese and Japanese is a requirement these days.’

If a person wanted to work in Asia, that person had to know Chinese or Japanese. While Ahn Soo Ho and Han Kyung Il watched the filming crew, they noticed them as well.

“Hey...isn’t that Ahn Soo Ho?”

“Who?”

“CEO Ahn of Hosoo Entertainment.”

“What are you talking about? Isn’t he in Milan right now?”

“Don’t you watch the news? He went to France with Lila. The States is in chaos because of that news.”

“Really?”

As soon as this became known the filming crew started lurking around Ahn Soo Ho who was wearing sunglasses. When the vibe went out of control, the producers decided to take a break. The main writer and the producer came to the table themselves.

“Aren’t you CEO Ahn Soo Ho?”

“That’s right.”

“Oh, hello. I’m Producer Yoon Seok Joong of JTV. This is Writer Ahn Hye Kyung.”

“I’m Ahn Hye Kyung.”

“Please have a seat.”

Ahn Soo Ho invited them to sit down. The producer and writer who sat down uncomfortably, became startled when they noticed the blonde woman across from them. There was no broadcaster who didn’t recognize the princess of pop. They were wondering if it was really Lila before they sat down, but once they sat across from her, the aura was completely different.

“Hi.”

“Hello.”

Producer Yoon Seok Joong froze up in response to Lila’s cheerful greeting. If the writer hadn’t jabbed him on the side, he would have stayed that way.

“The broadcasting company allowed us to film here despite the chaos in Europe.”

“That’s why our filming location changed from London and Paris to the Mediterranean.”

“Is that right?”

“But I don’t know what’ll happen after the terrorist attack in Rome.”

The north was dangerous, so they came down south, but this time, the east was in trouble. The producer and writer didn’t approach him just to say hello. They eventually got to the point.

“Is it okay if we interview you?”

“Who? Lila?”

“No! No! We couldn’t ask of that.”

The producer shook his hands, but his face looked like he would be happy if she could. Ahn Soo Ho pointed at himself.

“Me?”

“Yes. We’d like to interview you.”

“I don’t see why not, but don’t you have a schedule to follow? Oh, are you asking me to join you?”

“Yes, Sir!”

The producer and writer were ecstatic that Ahn Soo Ho understood right away.

“Then I should greet the cast.”

“Are you agreeing to do it?”

“It’s not like we’re strangers. Why not?”

“Thank you! Hey, go over there.”

Yoon Seok Joong sent over the writer to bring the cast over. The girls who looked over were pretty, but not as much as Jang Seol Hyun. Since he didn’t have much time, he didn’t intend on staying with them for long. He was going to play along and then get going soon afterward.

“What are you thinking?”

When Han Kyung Il whispered in his ear, Ahn Soo Ho smirked and whispered back.

“I have to resolve the misunderstanding about Lila and me. I’m sure the rumors will die down if I go on this show.”

“It might make things worse.”

“Let’s hope not.”

He just needed his future mother-in-law to know where he was coming from.

The filming began. Lila should have asked Holly Corporation first, but she just overlooked it. Neither Ahn Soo Ho or Lila had any intention of getting paid for this. They introduced themselves and even talked about Han Kyung Il, and as soon as the talk about saving his own people came up, the producer and writer looked happier than ever.

It was suspicious that Han Kyung Il was with Ahn Soo Ho in Monaco when he should have been in Italy. Han Kyung Il thought quickly. It only took a second to go from a hero to a villain. He used his speaking skills to dazzle the filming crew.

“You could say Korea’s future depends on CEO Ahn Soo Ho’s business. That’s why our government decided to provide CEO Ahn with support.”

“Oh, then are you saying you were in Milan and Monaco for some big business?”

“That’s right. This is all an investment for Korea’s future.”

While Jung Ah Young and Han Kyung Il talked, Ahn Soo Ho couldn’t hide his expression that asked what on earth was Han Kyung Il doing.

‘A business? What business?’

Han Kyung Il noticed his expression and changed his posture to hide Ahn Soo Ho’s face and then signaled for help. That was because he couldn’t tell them that the president told him to tag along with an average person.

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t turn him down.

“Entertainment isn’t restricted to singing, dancing, movies, and dramas. As Milan proved, businesses related to fashion and tourist destinations like Monaco fall under entertainment as well.”

As Han Kyung Il broke out sweat from dodging a scary question, Lila was fascinated by all the cameras around her and started asking an English-speaking employee question. For Lila, who had never been on a variety show before, everything was fascinating.

They relocated after their greetings.

The unexpected meeting and filming all went along with what Lila wanted. And since the producer and writer were just happy to capture Lila on camera, they let her do whatever she wanted. They rented a yacht and had a party on the ocean. When an employee went pale after seeing how expensive their expenses were, Ahn Soo Ho paid instead.

The producer approached.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Haha.”

“Oh.”

He forgot what kind of man he was. He was the richest in Korea, and despite the company being worth less than Daesan, Kim Dae San didn’t stand a chance when it came to cash mobilization.

After the luxurious yacht tour, their next destination was AS Monaco’s home game. They got a VIP room. Ahn Soo Ho soon left the room to go to the VIP room next door.

Big men blocked the door, but they didn’t stop him from entering. As soon as Ahn Soo Ho entered, he shook hands with a man with dark skin and very white teeth.

“Mr. Guardian.”

“Mr. Walasi.”

Ndeke Al Walsi was one of the six vice-chairmen of FIFA and a very skilled African politician. People thought soccer federations were only involved with soccer, but they actually had substantial power and influence over international organizations. At the level a FIFA vice-chairman was at, they had more connections and agents than any intelligence agency.

“Let me hear it.”

He wanted to see if it was worth the money.

< Protect – Episode 92 – FIFA [2] > The end.