182 – 182. Fighting corporations(1)
While Ahn Soo-ho was relieved for a moment, the attack Seong Yu-jin prepared for that weekend was not a physical attack.
Public Opinion Exhibition.
Sung Yu-jin used all means of the Winter Alliance and Yeo-il, the second largest chaebol group in Korea, to publicize the issue of An Su-ho.
A parasitic monster who ran amok against the special lease in Neverland. That it was still on Ahn Su-ho’s right arm.
And despite that, there was a mysterious ‘backward transaction’ that led to Ahn Su-ho’s release.
Ahn Su-ho and Min Chae-ryeong never expected Sung Yu-jin to attack with such means. To be precise, he thought that such a means would be possible, but he had no doubt that he would never choose it.
That’s because the attack through public opinion was a double-edged sword that entangled not only Ahn Su-ho but also Seong Yu-jin herself.
Sung Yu-jin committed a number of crimes related to the beginning of silver. In addition, the crime was not limited to that individual, but was a crime of considerable scale connected to the Winter Alliance, Yeo-il, and even the Chinese Communist Party.
So Seong Yu-jin had no choice but to move secretly and cautiously. He approached Ahn Soo-ho while avoiding public attention. That move made Ahn Su-ho and Min Chae-ryeong more strongly believe that Seong Yu-jin wanted to solve the situation quietly.
Right now, when Min Chaeryeong met Seong Yujin, she mentioned that and even pressured him.
Nevertheless, what does it mean that Sung Yu-jin rather raised the situation himself and waged a public opinion war?
This was obvious.
‘It means I’m confident in winning.’
The confidence that they can hide their crimes and retrieve the silver from the beginning no matter how the situation goes.
As soon as he realized that fact, Ahn Soo-ho realized how serious a crisis he was facing.
‘Min Chaeryeong said he would contact me after he checked the situation, but… …. No matter how much Min Chae-ryeong flies and crawls, it will be impossible to win a public opinion war against a company. Besides, Min Chae-ryeong already wielded the power of the shadows when she got me out of the detention center. If it comes to the surface…….’
Maybe Min Chaeryeong is in a more dangerous situation than she is right now. As he thought so, thick cold sweat broke out from Ahn Su-ho’s fists.
-Tiririririri!
Then the phone rang again. A premonition close to foreknowledge that it will never be a pleasant phone call.
“Ryu Tae-hyeon…… ?”
After checking the screen, a deeper sense of anxiety spreads across his face. Ahn Soo-ho answers the phone with a hopeless heart.
-Brother. Did you see the news?
A complicatedly subdued voice. When Ahn Su-ho replied yes, Ryu Tae-hyeon spoke calmly.
-This morning, I got a lot of calls from unknown numbers. When I checked, they were all newspapers and broadcasting stations. Something was weird, so I looked on the internet and saw hyung’s photos going around…….
Even if something goes wrong, it’s definitely wrong. When I said that I had contacted him with that thought, Ahn Soo-ho sighed silently.
-Brother. Could it be that this person named Seong Yu-jin made up all of this now?
“Perhaps. It’s not certain yet, but it’s 99% circumstantial.”
-Isn’t that a bit strange? My older brother said that he had to take a strong stand before sending a contractor secretly. And yet, raising the work on such a large scale…….
“I think it’s strange too. So I’m trying to figure out why he did this now.”
The problem was that no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a plausible answer.
Ahn Soo-ho, who answered like that, asked Ryu Tae-hyeon insinuatingly.
“Taehyun-ah. Isn’t that a big deal? Even though there were a lot of calls, there were a lot of reporters…….”
-Yes. There is no such thing here. Even if reporters come, they will be blocked at the front door anyway. Oh, besides me, there are a few other kids who got calls from reporters. It seems that the list of police investigations was probably leaked somewhere.
“Taehyun-ah. Can I ask you a favor?”
-Please? What? Say it.
Due to Seong Yu-jin’s attack this time, An Su-ho’s range of motion was greatly limited. It’s a situation where you can’t leave the house right away, and even if you move to another place to avoid attention, going out freely will be impossible for the time being.
So Ahn Su-ho was trying to ask Ryu Tae-hyeon to do something that was impossible for him.
“Let me take care of Haneul. Seong Yu-jin might take advantage of the commotion and harm my acquaintances.”
-What else can I say? Okay. In any case, everything overlaps with Haneul, whether it’s class or training, so I’ll keep sticking with him. I can’t follow you to the dorms, but you can ask Seol or the other girls for that.
At Ahn Su-ho’s request, Ryu Tae-hyeon readily nodded. The appearance without the slightest worry or hesitation could be said to be just like the main character.
“Thank you. Taehyung.”
-Thank you for what. I also get help from my brother often…… Didn’t you lose? Come to think of it, I helped my brother most of the time, but I don’t think he helped me much?
Ahn Su-ho laughed at Ryu Tae-hyun’s joke. Come to think of it, I had only received help from him ever since the succubus incident I met for the first time. Even during the double dungeon, Ryu Tae-hyun got out of the dungeon on his own.
“I’ll buy you a meal next time. Is that okay?”
-You’re not trying to make a meal out of it, are you?
“…… I’ll buy you as much as you want to eat. Are you done now?”
-I definitely said that. Hyung, I’m looking forward to it because I’ll make it empty.
After hanging up the phone, Suho Ahn let out a sigh of relief. On the Kang Ha-neul side, if Ryu Tae-hyun and his friends were there, it was safe.
However, the relief did not last less than 10 seconds. Even if Kang Ha-neul is safe, the situation has not improved in the slightest.
‘What on earth is Sung Yu-jin’s purpose?’
In common sense, if you want to retrieve the silver from the beginning, it would be crazy to make it this far. No, beyond madness, it was nothing more than a distraction.
Unless Su-ho Ahn voluntarily handed over the silver from the beginning, he would have resorted to illegal means, so how can he harm An Su-ho now that the media’s attention is focused on him?
‘I can think of two things. First of all, while I can’t move, I’m threatening people around me like Ha-neul or Ye-won. Like kidnapping or something. And the other…….’
Ahn Suho swallowed the silence at the thought that followed.
‘In case he intends to use good means rather than illegal means of the dark. For example, arresting me once again and then bribing the police with the financial power of Yeo-il to rip off the original silver. Or, by arguing well with the Chinese side, pretending that the primordial silver was originally an artifact owned by the Winter Alliance, and then extracting it through a legitimate lawsuit.’
There were as many ways I could think of. Nevertheless, the reason I didn’t think of such a possibility in the first place was because all of those methods were cumbersome, costing a lot of money and time, and attracting public attention and attention.
‘Silver in the beginning is expensive, but it’s 3-4 billion at the most. I thought there was no way they would burn thatch to catch fleas. But now…….’
Right now, when all kinds of media are talking about Ahn Su-ho and the parasitic monster, it was like burning down not only the thatched-roof house, but also the entire village. So Ahn Su-ho was a question.
How much is the silver of the beginning worth?
‘Except for the ego, it would be just a simple enhancement artifact. Could it be that there is more meaning to Seong Eugene and Yeo Il?’
I thought about it over and over again, and added assumptions to reasoning, but even so, it was only my own worries, unfounded reasoning and assumptions. Since we know the contents of the original work, we are trying to come up with a plausible hypothesis. It wasn’t difficult, but there was no way to check it right away.
“Mmm. Ugh, Suho Ahn…… ? What are you doing there?”
At that time, Yewon Ji woke up from the noise outside. After tidying up her messy hair and adjusting her clothes, she asks An Su-ho, who is standing by her window.
“Why? Is there anything going on outside?”
There was a strange feeling of anxiety on Ji Ye-won’s face. Even though she hadn’t figured out her situation yet, she had a hunch that something unusual had happened.
While trying to explain her situation to her, Ahn Suho’s gaze suddenly turns to the wall.
‘Xiaomei is probably still sleeping.’
When she wakes up too, she will notice the strangeness outside. Then she’d better wake up now and explain the situation.
Ahn Su-ho thought so and said to Ji Ye-won.
“…… Wash it once Things are bothering me a bit, so I’ll move over there and explain it in one go.”
***
Yewon Ji, Suho Ahn, and Xiao Mei.
The three were gathered in a room that was originally Ahn Su-ho’s house. The time is 3:00 PM, about 7 hours after Ahn Su-ho noticed the situation.
In the meantime, the situation went exactly as Ahn Su-ho expected.
The media sent groundless and speculative reports about Mr. A (24), a suspect in the parasitic monster incident, and his identity, which had been stolen before he knew it, was going around all over the Internet.
In addition, the media’s attention was directed not only to Ahn Su-ho, but also to those who went to the amusement park with Ahn Su-ho that day, namely Ryu Tae-hyun and his friends. Among them, Ryu Tae-hyeon, who fought alongside Ahn Su-ho, suffered the most, and thanks to that, he was called by the professor separately in the name of fact-finding during the afternoon class.
Meanwhile, Min Chaeryeong’s situation was also similar to Ahn Suho’s expectations. Min Chae-ryeong, who said she would give her instructions after quickly grasping the situation, lost contact with her for a while after that. It was because it was more urgent to take care of herself than to take care of her eyes.
Anyway, Min Chaeryeong was in such a situation, so Ahn Suho couldn’t move hastily.
Although the outside was somewhat reduced, it was still crowded with reporters, and I couldn’t predict what would happen if I went out and was caught on camera.
‘Besides, it’s not just me and Xiaomei who are in danger right now.’
Ahn Soo-ho leaned on the bed and looked at Ji Ye-won, who was using her cell phone.
Currently, there are a lot of broadcasting station cameras running outside. If even one of them catches Ji Ye-won’s face, her face will be broadcast nationwide.
‘Three months ago, Yewon betrayed the Rising Team. There might be some in the Dawning Corps who are still chasing Ye-Won. So I must absolutely avoid being caught by the broadcasting camera.’
Maybe Ji Ye-Won is in more danger than An Su-Ho or Xiao-Mei. Ahn Su-ho worried about what would happen to Ji Ye-won because of herself.
However, Ji Ye-won herself was very carefree. She, of course, wasn’t without her worries, but if she showed anxiety, only her An Su-ho would make her feel uncomfortable, so she was trying to hide herself as much as possible.
-Ugh.
At that moment, the vibrating sound of the cell phone resonated throughout the room. Xiao Mei pulls out her cell phone from her pocket.
“What happened?”
“This is a call from a fellow broker. Why did you say that I have a colleague who recognizes my stowaways…? … Oh, damn it.”
Xiaomei’s expression, which was at least calm, crumples at once. Before Ahn Su-ho can ask why, she shows the screen of her smartphone to the two of them.
“Nominations…… Wanted?”
“Illegal arms smuggling and civil war conspiracy. You charged me with a crime that’s not even funny. Perhaps this is also the work of the Yeoil group.”
“This is a big deal.”
Ahn Suho’s expression was much darker than before.
“Big deal? Why?”
“The process of Xiaomei coming from the academy dormitory to here is all recorded on the nearby CCTV. It must be an instant for the police to find out that Xiao-Mei is at my house. Maybe you already know.”
“That means… ….”
“That means they can break into this place at any time under the pretext of arresting a wanted man. Maybe right now.”
I had to move the place as soon as possible. But where are you going in the current situation? Wherever they go, the eyes of the police and media will be after them.
‘I never thought things would turn out this way in just one day.’
Ahn Su-ho was cursed with his own complacency. Even if it was unexpected that Seong Yu-jin would put such open pressure on him, at least he should have acted based on the perception that he was dealing with the Yeo-il group as a whole, not Seong Yu-jin alone.
‘No, that was for the best at that moment. Satisfying Seong Yu-jin with the information I could play was the only way out. It’s a problem because it didn’t work out properly.’
Reviewing the flow of the past and regretting that choice were useless now. What mattered was what to do next. But the reality was bleak.
That would also be the case with Yeoil. It was the second largest conglomerate in the country. What can Ahn Su-ho, an individual, do when such an opponent is determined and is being squeezed from all sides?
Although An Su-ho, an individual, showed outstanding ability in individual-to-individual battles, he was nothing more than a candle that waned in the face of a huge corporation.
In order to fight against such a company, Ahn Su-ho should have the corresponding power, but there was no way that An Su-ho would have such power.
For Suho Ahn, that is.
-Tiririririri!
Three people raised their heads at the same time as the phone rang loudly. This time, it was Ahn Su-ho’s cell phone. As soon as he checked the screen, his eyes widened.
‘Why is this person…… ?’
Why did this person call you right now? The sudden question that popped into my head didn’t matter too much. I didn’t know that the person on the phone might be the way to overcome the current situation.
Sooho Ahn answered the phone with trembling hands.
Now then.
-Mr. Suho Ahn? Don’t you need my help?
The voice that is familiar from hearing it a lot, but sounds particularly warm today, greeted Ahn Su-ho.