Soho

Chapter 32: < Protect – Episode 31 – Do Min Ho [3] >

Do Min Ho didn’t think he could convince his big brother by himself. So he called Do Dae Ho and Do In Ho for help. The plan was to use Dae Ho’s strong persistence and In Ho’s tough but moderate tactics disguised with logic and reason to target their big brother. However, Do Kyung Ho said something before Do Min Ho could say anything.

“I’m going to do it.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what Soo Ho told you, but I’m going to do it.”

“Re... really? Do you mean that? You’d better not change your word!”

“I won’t, you punk.”

As Do Min Ho leaned back out of relief, he noticed the shop’s state.

“What happened here?”

“Something happened. Don’t worry about it.”

The three brothers moved on in response to Do Kyung Ho’s natural response. They heard drunk people causing a fuss. After Do Min Ho relaxed, he started sharing what Ahn Soo Ho told him.

“Hosoo Entertainment Group? That’s Soo Ho’s name backward is it?”

“It is.”

“Ha!”

Everyone but Do Min Ho responded in a surprised manner. How lazy could he get with naming the company? It was obvious.

“What else should we expect from Ahn Soo Ho?”

He was living proof of how lazy a person could get. But for someone who played and slept well, he always placed 1st or 2nd place, which proved that he was talented since birth.

“An entertainment company? How big.”

“I don’t know what Soo Ho did while he was abroad, but he must have made a lot of money. He owns a building in Gangnam of all places.”

“It’s still no comparison to Daesan Group.”

“Ha! If you put it that way, what would stand a chance against a big corporation? Do you still have an inferiority complex with Soo Ho?”

“I’ve gotten over that a long time ago.”

Do Kyung Ho shooked his head with a bitter smile in response to his little brother’s unrestrained questioning.

“Anyway, it looks like Soo Ho’s trying to settle down, so we should help as much as we can.”

“Get it right, Domino. We’re not helping him out. We’re mooching off of him.”

“Why do you have to be like that? Stop it. If you’re going to do it, just be quiet and do it! If you just listen to me, we won’t have to worry about money. Okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Do Min Ho, who already took the lead, strongly pressured the newly married man who had gotten weaker after getting married.

“And mooching off of him? We’re just helping a brother out. Who are we? Ho!”

“Brothers!”

After the three brothers crossed arms, they stared at Do Kyung Ho. After the Seoul Olympics in 1988, they had accepted Ahn Soo Ho as their real brother. Of course, Do Min Ho and Do In Ho hadn’t been born yet, and Do Dae Ho couldn’t remember. However, after that day, the Ho Brothers managed to become the top-spinning champions of both the upper and lower neighborhoods.

“Who are we? Ho!”

“Brothers!”

As soon as six eyeballs pressured Do Kyung Ho, he put his arm in and mumbled.

“Brothers.”

Meanwhile, Ahn Soo Ho was flying over the Pacific in a plane that AFUS provided. Even though this trip was completely for them, it was difficult to expect comfort comparable to a first-class seat.

“A few days ago, Monata Defense dispatched a tactics team for the hostage operation...but they failed.”

The person who was talking into his headset next to Ahn Soo Ho was the furry animal from Okinawa. James Black, also known as Black Fortune, was a special operations supervisor of the US Department of Defense.

“Monata Defense? Are you saying they used Canadians?”

“No one else wanted to do it.”

“What about the company?”

“Langley has been quiet since Deputy Director Eaton returned.”

Seeing the CIA so quiet when they usually threw a fuss about taking charge of everything made the external contractors spare themselves.

“I know the Pentagon is busy with their political matters, but this kidnapping should be an opportunity to the retired guys.”

“The lobbyists are watching by too.”

“Why?”

“I heard Jimmy Aaronson is insisting on sending out a fleet to the southern Atlantic.”

“The future Secretary of Defense wants a war?”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

The U.S. Military was always being accused of wanting to start a war. However, the high-level commanders wanted to put off signing the documents for war as much as possible. Many would often think that the president had complete authority when it came to starting a war, but what really controlled the U.S. Military was the White House’s advisory committee.

The plane that was headed straight to the States’ mainland changed their plans and landed in Hawaii. A middle-aged woman with red hair was waiting for Ahn Soo Ho upon arrival. The woman with the cool sunglasses was obviously a career woman wearing an expensive suit.

“Soo Ho.”

“Pamela?”

Ahn Soo Ho, who accepted her handshake, showed an odd expression. The person who suddenly showed up was the chief of the Ministry of National Defense’s legal office, Pamela Uz.

“How long has it been? A year? I heard about your sabbatical. You still shouldn’t have disappeared without a word.”

“Sorry. But everyone was busy.”

“That’s... true. But I’m still sad.”

“I’ll buy a drink next time.”

“You’d better.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The noise of the departing plane passed by both of them. Ahn Soo Ho and Pamela walked along the landing strip. After a few steps, a security car started following them at their walking pace.

“Since we don’t have much time, I’ll get straight to the point. We expect you to save and protect the president’s nephew as your first priority.”

“By us... do you mean the Ministry of National Defense?”

“You could say, unofficially.”

“Then it must have been Minister Cameron’s idea.”

Paul Cameron is an American Minister of Defense.

“What about the White House?”

“The White House doesn’t matter, Soo Ho. I was hired to protect the Ministry of National Defense. My opinions are realized through the Ministry of National Defense and the Minister of Defense.”

“But you’re a lawyer, not a soldier. It’s not like you to only ask me to get the president’s nephew out. Where’s the Pamela Uz that I know?”

Pamela sighed at Ahn Soo Ho’s doubtful face. The way she shrugged also seemed to lack confidence.

“Have you heard about Monata Defense?”

“James told me. No matter how urgent it was, they shouldn’t have used Canadians...”

“There was no other choice. After the kidnapping incident, we attempted to rescue them five times but failed every time. If we combine all the technicians and support, the number of casualties is in the three digits.”

The States had a strong presence in the world of information in addition to the military. CIA was hidden in the shadows, but NSA, the State Department of information investigation, the DIA, and many more, struggled to protect the States’ security.

“The fact that we keep failing the same mission means there’s a problem with us.”

“Is that why you sent Canada? To guess how big the hole is?”

“Yeah.”

The States preferred Canada as an ally opposed to England or Israel. Even if there was a border between Canada and the States, Canada was still a country that would do anything for the States.

“We confirmed that there’s a huge hole in our intelligence network.”

“Did you find the cause?”

“A part of it.”

Ahn Soo Ho suddenly clapped his hands.

“Oh! Do you think I did it?”

“I don’t want you to feel insulted by it, but yeah. We suspected you the most.”

Since he knocked down the States’ security 8 years ago, it was not surprising that they were suspecting him.

“And it must have been Henry who got Daesan Group involved.”

“To be honest... Well, you might have already known, but we communicated with Russia. It might sound like an excuse, but they proposed it first.”

“The Red Sea Trading Company?”

“Since Vitali was a big part of the revolution, he probably looked into the secret fund routs.”

That was when Ahn Soo Ho understood the whole situation.

“Returner Group.”

In other words, the retired.

It was more common for patriots who gave and sacrificed for the country to end up in a pitiful state. Many became drug addicts or alcoholics, and most just disappeared without a trace. The ones who changed everything were patriots, but there were tons of traitors who couldn’t get rid themselves of temptation.

“Those agents are the best of the best, Soo Ho. If they rearm with a dictator or the military, they’ll be hard to handle.”

“Even if they’re retired, they probably continued to do basic monitoring.”

“You’re right. But if they’re doing everything they can to hide, we won’t find them.”

“They have to either expect for patriotism... or retire forever.”

An agent once said this.

“The best patriots were the ones who died.”

It was a sad saying that was based on what Plato said, but many agents thought the same way. If someone found out a dirty secret, that person would become a burden to both sides. The plane was refueled and ready to go. Ahn Soo Ho, who walked back to where he was initially, received documents from Pamela.

“This is everything we found out so far. I made it so that you’ll be updated in real time once you land on the mainland.”

“What a mess.”

Brazil had always been a mess, but it got worse in recent days.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t signed the contract yet.”

“I’ll prepare it.”

“I can trust you, right, Pamela?”

“Don’t you know me, Soo Ho? I’ll do my best.”

As soon as a soldier gestured for him to get in, Ahn Soo Ho walked backward while waving to Pamela. After the necessary procedures, the plane got back up into the sky. As she watched the plane went off, she took out her phone.

“He left. Yes, yes. Of course. It’ll be resolved as soon as possible.”

Pamela took off her sunglasses and squinted at the sun in her eyes, but her eyes were actually smiling.

“Trust me. If he can’t do it, no one can. Yes, yes.”

Codename, Wizard.

“He’s a wizard who creates miracles.”

< Protect – Episode 31 – Do Min Ho [3] > The end.