172 – 172. Home sweet home(2)
That night.
After having a meal with her two lovers to commemorate her release from the detention center, Ahn Su-ho headed to the academy late that night. In order for her to meet Liu Tae-hyeon and Xiao Mei.
The meeting place is the rooftop of Building A, the 1st year male dormitory where Taehyun Ryu lives.
As an outsider, Xiao Mei cannot roam freely within her academy. At first glance, she looks like an ordinary student, so it’s okay, but in case a suspicious security guard asks for her student ID or asks her to reveal her identity.
The risk of being noticed increases even more in the middle of the night when the number of passers-by decreases.
In that context, the rooftop was perfect for a tryst. There was little fear of being noticed by others, and because Ryu Tae-hyeon’s room was on the top floor, he could quickly come and go through the window.
“Can I take a look inside for a moment?”
And in the case of Ahn Su-ho, it was enough to enter the front gate proudly. After presenting his membership card to the security guard guarding the front gate, he leisurely headed for the rooftop.
-Kikiiik.
When he opened the roof door, a man and a woman were waiting for him. It was exactly 0:00 am.
“Brother… ….”
Taehyun Ryu approached him with a voice saying he was happy. From his point of view, it was the first time he had met Ahn Soo-ho since he was arrested.
“Are you An Su-ho?”
However, before Ryu Tae-hyeon had time to express his joy, Xiao-Mei stood in his way. She told Ahn Su-ho in a high-pitched voice.
“The beginning of silver. Give it right now.”
A firm voice, as if there was no room for negotiation.
As soon as they met, Ahn Soo-ho could see how urgent Xiao-Mei was in the situation. But he couldn’t listen to her request. He said, showing the back of his right hand stained with silver.
“That won’t work. The silver from the beginning has already belonged to me.”
“Don’t be silly. The primordial silver is not a bound artifact. It has already been tested by the Chinese government.”
“…… Originally, it wasn’t a bound artifact. But now it’s like belonging.”
Ahn Suho gave an order to Sylvie, stopping honorifics at Xiaomei’s sharp attitude. Then, a small silver slime popped out from the back of his hand.
“You know that the primordial silver is an artifact with a self, right? Since the last runaway incident, this guy has fallen in love with me. No matter what anyone says, you will never try to get away from me.”
-That’s right. I will not fall away from my master. If you stick to your master. Because I can continue to be full.
“Did you hear that? Thinking of your situation, I want to give it back to you, but the situation is not going well.”
“What is not going well! You say that?!”
Xiao Mei shouted with fiery anger. At the sound of the voice that spread in the middle of the night, Ryu Tae-hyeon looked around anxiously. Fortunately, there was no one around the dormitory building.
“Mr. Xiaomei. Be quiet-“
“Do I look quiet now?! You’ve seen Taehyung talk about this guy, too! What? I can’t give it back because the circumstances are not right?! He said he stole from me on purpose, and now he’s talking like that?!”
“If I hadn’t intercepted it, the Dawning would have. Those who attacked you at that time were the people of the Assassination Team of the Dawning. Did you know that?”
Xiao-Mei’s expression hardened slightly at the word “Dawning Assassination Team”. In her mind, the memory of the day she almost died is replayed. However, she soon shakes her head.
“…… You say it as if you were assuming that I would have been robbed unconditionally. Did you see the future?”
“Because it is obvious. The Hunter from the Winter Alliance, who was supposed to trade with them, was attacked by the Dawning Team at the same time. The guys who found out the trade information approached you specifically in the crowd. If I hadn’t disguised myself as Hangaram and got the goods, you would have been robbed of the original silver in the end.”
“So? It’s good that you took the primordial silver instead of them, what do you mean?”
“Aren’t super artifacts better than falling into the hands of terrorists?”
The two faced each other tightly without backing down. Ryu Tae-hyun, caught in the middle, seemed to be sitting on a cushion of thorns.
“…… I’d rather fall into the hands of terrorists. Thanks to you, I’m about to die right now………….”
Xiao-Mei was helpless.
Public Security and the Winter Alliance. Having turned both forces into enemies, Xiao-Mei’s life was now at stake. At least now, he is safe thanks to hiding in the academy with tight security, but Ryu Tae-hyun hides him for a few days, and someday he will be tempted to leave the academy.
And that’s when Xiao-Mei’s luck runs out. Public Security Punishment for Taking State Property Out. Or the private remedies of the Winter Alliance, which cost 4 billion won. Either way, Xiao-Mei’s future was infinitely dark.
“…… Brother. It’s not that I don’t understand what your brother is saying, but can you also consider Xiao-Mei’s circumstances? Whatever the reason, it’s true that my brother stole the artifact. I think you should help Mr. Xiao-Mei.”
It was very straightforward to say that the name and color are the main characters.
“…… That’s what I was thinking. So it’s not like this now. I won’t be able to return the original silver, but if there’s anything else I can do, I’ll help as much as I can.”
At Suho Ahn’s willingness to take a step back, Xiao-Mei widened her eyes in surprise. But the very next moment, her expression darkens again.
“Do you have 4 billion in cash?”
“No.”
“Or the public security connections?”
“No.”
“Then nothing will be solved with your help.”
Ahn Suho was lost in thought at Xiaomei’s pessimistic words. He organizes the current situation in his head.
“…… Are the only two forces hostile to you right now, the Public Security and the Winter Alliance?”
Before long, Xiao Mei nodded her head at the question he brought up.
“Yes. Because the party member who stole the artifact immediately took the money and threw it away. Oh no. Since the fact that the original silver was taken out to Korea has been known to the whole world, they might try to kill you to keep your silence.”
“But, whether you are a public security officer or a party member, aren’t you going to be very weak in Korea? I wonder if you go back to China.”
“Right. Instead, if I stay here, the S-level guild executives who lost 4 billion will punish me. They might extort that much money by threatening you, or they might try to kill you for revenge or as an example.”
“I don’t know about the Chinese side, but I can use my hands on the Winter Alliance side.”
At Suho An’s words, Xiao-Mei tilted her head. ‘Something like you? How?”
“I don’t know why the Winter Alliance wanted the primordial silver, but depending on the reason, there might be room for negotiation.”
“Negotiation? You say you don’t have 4 billion. But how do you negotiate?”
“I don’t have money, but I have information. You can give them useful information in exchange, or you can blackmail them with information that could be a weakness.”
No matter how much I read the original, I don’t know all the worldviews. However, as far as ‘Sung Yu-jin’, who seems to be behind this incident, Ahn Su-ho knew quite a lot.
‘If I do well, I might be able to attract Seong Yu-jin as an ally. If not, at least I’ll be able to stop them from being a nuisance.’
Ahn Su-ho felt fortunate again. If Sung Eugene was not a character who was a villain in the original work, in other words, if he was not a character who received a certain amount of weight, this kind of countermeasures would not have been established.
“…… The Winter Alliance gave up its primordial silver just for information?”
“You said ‘depending on the reason’. If the Winter Alliance is simply something you need to use, then there’s nothing you can’t negotiate. If that wasn’t the case, but if the original silver itself was needed for some reason, we wouldn’t be able to negotiate…….”
“… ….”
“So? Why did they try to buy the primordial silver? Even paying more than that.”
At Suho An’s question, Xiao-Mei fell silent. I was speechless, you could say.
“…… Is there any reason why it’s hard to say?”
“No. Yes i don’t know Brokers don’t ask more than they need to.”
“Think carefully. I may not be able to help you in time if I hide it for nothing.”
“You really don’t know, do you? Hey, do you really want to entrust a request to a broker who asks questions every time you ask for something? Silence is trust in this industry! I really don’t even know…….”
“Come on, both of you, don’t raise your voice so much. Let’s calm down.”
Taehyun Ryu intervened between the two to cool the overheated atmosphere. The open roof, of course, spreads the sound far away. I didn’t know if I raised my voice even a little, the guards passing below might catch me.
“Anyway, winter alliance? Isn’t Suho-hyung having some countermeasures about that? Then I’ll leave that task to Suho-hyung. Rather, let’s start by solving the immediate problems.”
“The problem at hand?”
Aren’t you already talking about the problem at hand? Ahn Su-ho was puzzled and asked back, and Ryu Tae-hyeon answered with a shy expression.
“Actually, Xiaomei-san, I was caught by Mr. Geeksa yesterday for hiding it.”
“What?”
“Yes?”
An Suho and Xiaomei’s exclamations overlap. Both of them look in disbelief.
“I don’t even know where I got caught. Earlier in the afternoon, there was a call after class, so when I went there, he told me indirectly. Have you ever hidden a girlfriend in your room? Of course, I was evasive, but he was completely convinced, so I just admitted it straight up because he said he was going to come in right away.”
“You hid your girlfriend?”
“No way. I only revealed what I could reasonably reveal. There was someone who was in trouble, so I ended up helping him. Fortunately, he didn’t say much and believed in me, probably because he was good at what he did.”
It was funny to say that his behavior was good, but Ryu Tae-hyun fully deserved it. Ryu Tae-hyun was known as a model student who seemed to be in a picture both inside and outside the academy.
“But anyway, you can’t sleep together. They told me to get it out this weekend. So, Mr. Xiaomei can stay in my room for the next three days.”
“In other words, the problem at hand is… ….”
“It’s a housing issue.”
The reason Ryu Tae-hyeon made Xiao Mei stay in his room was because of the security of his academy. No matter how much her powers, neither her public security nor her winter allies would be able to wreak havoc on her in the middle of her country’s number one academy grounds.
But when Xiao-Mei goes outside, the story changes.
“A place where you can stay for a long time until this situation is over, and if possible, the security is tight. If we don’t find such a place, Mr. Xiao-Mei’s safety is at risk.”
That’s what they said, but how common are places like that? Although the green house’s security is breached whenever an incident occurs, its objective level is comparable to that of quite a few military units. It must be difficult to find a shelter with similar security.
Because they intuited that fact, Ryu Tae-hyeon and Xiao-mei’s expressions were extremely dark.
However.
“Yes. A place where you can stay for a long time with security comparable to a greenhouse.”
The two looked at him with surprised eyes at Ahn Su-ho’s words.
“Is that true bro?”
“It’s true. There is a safe house that Yewon used when she was being chased by the Rising Team. It is owned by Hansung Group, but my boss, Min Chaeryeong, has the actual right to use it. I might be able to use it if I ask for it.”
“Are you sure about the security?”
Ahn Suho nodded at Xiao Mei’s doubtful question.
There are numerous CCTVs in the high fence. Thick steel gates and solidly built exterior walls. In the basement, there was a bunker as well as an emergency escape route. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the level of security is equal to or higher than that of the Green House.
“Anyway, if a skilled assassin decides to break in, it will break through, but at least it’s the safest place I know. And even if it breaks through, if I’m with you, I’ll be able to defeat quite a few assassins.”
“Together, Rani? You want to stay with me?”
From nob le mt l dot com
Looking at the puzzled Xiao-Mei, Ahn Su-ho nodded.
In fact, she treated her coldly throughout the conversation, but An Su-ho also felt that she was responsible for Xiao-mei’s situation. It’s not to the level of not being able to turn a blind eye to people in trouble like Ryu Tae-hyun, but if someone dies because of something he caused, his dream place will be uncomfortable.
“I can’t return the original silver, but I have to take the minimum responsibility. Until this situation is over, I will stick by your side and protect you as much as I can.”
Xiao Mei opened her eyes wide as she was speechless at An Suho’s declaration. Soon she cast her gaze down to her side and threw her ballmen.
“………… What the. Do you know who would appreciate that? Speaking of artifact thieves…….”
That’s what he said, but there was a hint of surprise and gratitude in his voice. Ahn Soo-ho answered her with a smile.
“Don’t expect too much. It’s not yet confirmed whether or not a safe house can be used. Well, it’s not that difficult, so I’ll listen to it after a while…….”
“Really? Do you think your boss cares about you very much?”
“…… What is it like?”
Ahn Su-ho laughed softly as he looked around vaguely. That Min Chaeryeong cares for herself. She didn’t even sound funny.
‘Still, can I really refuse?’
The relationship between the two could never be good, but it was a business relationship in which each other wanted to help each other as much as possible. Unless she had really unavoidable circumstances to Min Chae-ryeong, she wouldn’t be denied her request.
Ahn Suho was so confident.
However.
“No.”
“No, why are you doing that, Team Leader? I’m not asking for a difficult request, am I? All you have to do is give me one empty room-“
“No. Don’t give i will never give up So give up.”
The next morning. Ahn Su-ho talked about going to work for the first time in almost two weeks and was rejected in three seconds. She didn’t even hear the right reason.
Ahn Soo-ho, who couldn’t understand her, questioned her.
“Why the hell not? In the past, I was able to use it well. Did you hide a jar of honey there while you were gone?”
“… ….”
Min Chae-ryeong, who was literally stabbed in the heart, swallowed her dry saliva.