Sooho Chapter 57: < Protect – Episode 56 – Anna-Anne Karusis [1] >

Chapter 57: < Protect – Episode 56 – Anna-Anne Karusis [1] >

After he picked up his little sister, went grocery shopping, and then ca back ho, Mrs. Park and Seol Hyun were there. What kind of situation was this? The two won started a fuss as soon as they saw him.

“Oh my! Son, if you had a girlfriend, you should have introduced . How could you?”

“Pardon?”

“Right? He really should have.”

Who would be able to imagine the star of Asia to be sitting next to her and say nice things? This wasn’t a scene from a movie or a drama. It was real life. If a paparazzi saw this, they would have gone crazy.

“Seol Hyun! Long ti no see.”

“Hey. How have you been?”

When Ahn Soo Ho saw Jang Seol Hyun leave Mrs. Park Ok Nam and hugging Lee So Hye with a laugh, he grabbed his forehead with his hand. When he heard a lisp, he was suddenly reminded of Kang Mi Na from Yesterday. Was it a trend to have a lisp these days? He went into his room to get changed.

Jang Seol Hyun boldly followed him to his room. The dressing room was separate from the bedroom, so no one would be able to see them.

“What about your schedule?”

“I only had a pictorial shoot. I’m free until next week!”

He got a glimpse of her feet when she jumped onto his bed.

“Hey.”

“You sll good.”

“Geez.”

Who would see her as a woman in her twenties? She was young when he first t her, but she seed to get younger by the day. His first impression of Seol Hyun wasn’t all that great. Since she worked in the entertainnt industry where she had to separate her outer appearance from her true feelings, she was used to having relationships that weren’t too close but not too distant either.

Ahn Soo Ho thought that was refreshing.

He also heard that he was like an old man, but the way Seol Hyun acted was worse than that of a politician. But when she took off her thick mask, she was soft. She was a tender woman behind her strong act.

‘She’s not just tender. She’s clever too.’

But it wasn’t the kind that made people feel insulted.

“Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself too much?”

Her random question made him stop in the middle of changing his shirt.

“Pushing myself?”

“Your company. The pep rally and the town project...you’ll be at a deficit.”

“Probably.”

In response to his calm answer, Seol Hyun just looked up and stared at him with an absurd look.

“Why are you acting like this is soone else’s problem?”

“Because I’m not the one managing it.”

“You’ll go bankrupt if you don’t be careful.”

After he finished changing, he ca out and shrugged his shoulders.

“Even if I do, I won’t be in debt.”

“Wow! Listen to you.”

She showed an exaggerated attitude, but she was actually very apologetic. The way Jang Seol Hyun dragged Ahn Soo Ho into this was like her having a tantrum. It was also a resistance with the hope of having her feelings reciprocated by the one she liked.

‘I’m not a little kid!’

She was upset and tired of having one-sided feelings. When she just stared at the ceiling with a blank look, Ahn Soo Ho sighed. He knew. Who wouldn’t? But he didn’t have the ti to leisurely date soone. But that didn’t an Ahn Soo Ho was always single either. When a charming woman crossed his path, he had a one-night stand.

He laid next to Seol Hyun and stared at the ceiling with her.

“What is it?”

“I’m tired, Soo Ho.”

“Of what?”

“A middle-aged man is giving a hard ti.”

Ahn Soo Ho smirked at being called a middle-aged man. Being addressed that way felt more familiar than how she normally addressed him. So he thought about it carefully. Did he hate her? No. Then did he like her? He did. He did have interest in her. And since Seol Hyun was an adult, she was allowed to date. Even though Ahn Soo Ho was much older, if they liked each other, it wasn’t going to be a problem.

“Why do you like ?”

It was a cringy question, but he had to ask.

“Just because.”

“There are tons of good-looking guys around you.”

“That’s all hair and makeup. Oh! There are tons of guys with a lot of plastic surgery too.”

If one would try to find flaws, there would be no end to it. Seol Hyun’s justification made Ahn Soo Ho feel better. He even lent his arm to her. If soone saw them, people would misunderstand them as a couple.

“This is the first ti you let rest on your arm since Hollywood.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah.”

She attempted Hollywood with passion, but unless a person was Caucasian, it would be hard to be treated fairly there. Seol Hyun wasn’t acknowledged for her good experience in Korea and Asia, which ant she had to start over like the rest of the newbies. Even though she felt hurt by it, she refused to give up.

“That Donald son of a bitch. He looks just like Donald Duck. Who is he to tell to start off with a role of a teenager?”

“Westerners do have better proportions. Ugh.”

Ahn Soo Ho scread at the jab he received on his side.

“I have a good body too, Mister.”

“Hey, hey.”

Seol Hyun hugged Ahn Soo Ho and rubbed herself on him as if she wanted to show off her body. This behavior was so clear that it didn’t need an explanation. But why was a sad prediction never wrong?

“Soo Ho! Seol Hyun! Mom said food’s ready!”

What strange timing. She was taken aback and tried to get up, but Ahn Soo Ho grabbed her by her neck.

“Huh?”

“Why? You don’t want to?”

He thought he might as well do so dating while he was having fun. It wasn’t bad to date a top star that everyone wants. The next day, Kim Woo Jung wasn’t against their dating, but he said revealing it wasn’t right. He didn’t want to go around telling everyone either.

“I knew this day would co.”

Didn’t he say this before? He looked sad as if he was her dad sending her off for marriage, but then he switched back to his businessman face.

“We’ve decided on the project na. Comma. It’s Project Comma.”

“Comma?”

“Yes. I think it suits the project perfectly.”

The pep rally in Boracay, Philippines would be broadcasted live on the internet, and it would also be edited as a docuntary and broadcasted on cable. Depending on how it was edited, it could be a variety show too.

“The the is a modern man who goes on a volunteering vacation to heal.”

“Do you think that’ll be interesting?”

“We have to make it interesting and touching at the sa ti.”

“Then do that. Oh yeah! What is Director Shim doing?”

“I’m not sure. There’s been a lot of changes for the actor...so he’s probably very busy.”

“Is it a problem with JT?”

JT Entertainnt was having a hard ti due to Seo Joo Kyung. As soon as Hosoo Entertainnt paid for the cancellation charges and took away all of their talents, they went crazy. The other agencies trembled in fear and the ones who profited watched the show with interest.

“There are no legal issues, right?”

“No, Sir.”

“But let’s not let our guard down. Oh! Please send Director Kim in.”

“Sure.”

The forr president of Shinhwa Entertainnt, Kim Yoo Seon beca the director of singers. It might seem like a downgrade, but scale-wise, Hosoo Entertainnt was 10 tis bigger than what Shinhwa Entertainnt was. It was a burden to be the president, so he enjoyed his new position.

“Did you call for ?”

“Have you heard?”

“Um, yes. I have.”

“I’m going to step down from the CEO position this year. And from now on, everything will be diated by the operations team.”

“May I ask why?”

“I know why you’re worried, but I’m only stepping down from the position. That doesn’t an I’m going to take my hands off of the business. My reason is...I’m at the age where I should get married, and I should rest. You understand. Mothers don’t like their sons aging without a family of their own.”

“Oh, sure.”

Kim Yoo Seon nodded as if he understood. His circumstances pushed back his marriage date, but whether if a person was a woman or a man, once a person reached forty, he or she would start feeling anxious. Ahn Soo Ho was thirty-seven years old, so he wasn’t young in the marriage departnt.

“If you ever have questions, you can talk to Daniel or Director Oh Joo Kyung.”

“Sure.”

As soon as Kim Yoo Seon left, Ahn Soo Ho tapped the desk with his finger. His work concluded there. As long as problems don’t arise, he won’t have to worry about the company.

‘All that’s left is Father.’

There wasn’t a single person who had the guts to stop Ahn Soo Ho from leaving work early. After a fairly long drive, he arrived at a residential building near Seoul. It was just a country house. The elder who saw him drive in greeted him with a lukewarm face.

“You’re here.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t co empty-handed, did you?”

When he pulled out liquor, Ahn Dae Man ran over. Even though he was over sixty, he still loved alcohol and won. After he got a divorce, Ahn Dae Man road about. When he was young, his behavior made him angry. However, after all these years, he just pitied him.

Ahn Dae Man looks happy as he opened the bottle of liquor.

“Drink it with food. It’ll be delivered soon.”

“Oh yeah?”

He felt like the world was very convenient since food could be delivered anywhere around the country. At that mont, a motorcycle dropped by and left Chinese food including spicy seafood noodles and sweet and sour pork. The father and son sat on the bench and clinked glasses without a word.

Ahn Dae Man spoke first.

“What brings you here?”

“Did Kyung Ho drop by?”

“He dropped by with his father a few days ago.”

Do Kyung Ho was a troublemaker, but he was good with parents.

“I heard you’re going to stay in Korea.”

“I’m not young anymore.”

“You bastard!”

The father scolded him for saying such a thing in front of an elder.

“When you were born, the queen grandmother said you had itchy feet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He said you would do great things. That’s why we even had a party to celebrate having such a capable baby.”

“That was a lie though.”

“I’m not sure...The queen grandmother had never been wrong.”

The village liked and respected the queen grandmother. It wasn’t just because she was talented in guessing people’s fortunes. She was the village’s ntal pillar, and she was also a capable woman who received protection from the Korean governnt at the ti.

“Wait here.”

Ahn Dae Man put down his glass, disappeared sowhere, and then ca back with a wooden box.

“What’s that?”

“When you were born, she gave this and told to give it to you one day. When I asked when that would be, she said I’d know when the ti cos. She was right. I knew.”

He had forgotten after all this ti and just rembered.

“Open it. I’m curious about what’s inside.”

Ahn Dae Man didn’t tell him that he actually did all sorts of things to try to open that box. It might just look like just a wooden box, but hamrs and drills didn’t make a single dent on it. He was worried he would receive a divine punishnt for it and forgot about it until now.

Ahn Soo Ho received the box in surprise.

‘Is this...’

This object shouldn’t be here. It should be in the afterlife.

‘A stone?’

In other words, it was a box for mories of souls.

< Protect – Episode 56 – Anna-Anne Karusis [1] > The end.