Sooho

As an average Japanese visiting Korea for fun, Nobuhisa was meeting with the ambassador at the Japanese embassy in Korea.

“Why did you ban all foreign activity?”

“He’s in Korea right now. There’s no harm in being careful.”

“The ones at the top want results as soon as possible.”

Nobuhisa smirked.

“You must all want to die.”

“Hey.”

He was about to nag him and then stopped. In contrast to how young Nobuhisa looked, he was actually a killing pro who had murdered hundreds before. Not even a messenger of Fidelity Association wanted to mess with him. However, he felt differently.

‘Crossbreed!’

The trash disposal group weren’t average Japanese people, and seeing how the diplomats knew a secret that they didn’t even know about themselves, they mustn’t have been any old monitor. Nobuhisa was unable to read minds, but he felt the unpleasant vibe in the air.

‘Yeah, it’s always been like this.’

He always felt like he was treated in an unfair way.

“I’ll be going then.”

Nobuhisa said goodbye and left the embassy. He looked back at the Japanese embassy in Korea and got rid of all lingering feelings. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t be Japanese. Once he turned around and walked away, his footsteps felt lighter.

He took out his phone.

“I’ll accept the deal.”

“Good.”

“What should I do now?”

“come back to the hotel you’re staying at.”

“Pardon?”

What did it mean to go back to the lion’s den?

“You need to do some cleaning up, Nobu.”

“Cleaning up?”

“You’ll see.”

“Okay.”

He was no longer brainwashed, but it took a while to get rid of his habit of following orders. He accepted Ahn Soo Ho’s command without much thought. This was probably the first time Fidelity Association mobilized 200 men. Even during the Yamashita Gold incident last year in the Philippines, they only dispatched 50 men.

‘That was a huge failure.’

The Yamashita treasure that Naicho brought over buried hundreds of lives in the ground and ended just like that. When they detected a facility hidden underground, they thought they hit the jackpot, but it wasn’t easy finding an entrance. In the end, during some friction with the Filipino government that lost their patience, the passageway they managed to find caved in.

‘Come to think of it, the ones in charge said they met Ahn Soo Ho.’

They used Ahn Soo Ho as an arbitrator to mediate with the Filippino government.

‘I wonder…’

Nobuhisa’s thought got interrupted. Once he got out of his taxi, he was faced with police and ambulance cars in front of his hotel. Nobuhisa quickly hid and took out his phone. He tried calling his subordinates, but no one answered. He proceeded to the underground parking lot and hid from the police.

‘This is the way to the maintenance room.’

The best spies were thoughtful in choosing their hotel. They even had the design of the hotel in their heads. The police were in the maintenance room as well, but he stole a police vest and shamelessly entered.

“Ha! Looks like we have to stay up all night.”

“This time, Bridal Mask is a woman. And she’s a hot one.”

“Stop the nonsense and make the copies.”

The officers watching the CCTV footage were sighing and aweing at the same time. When the police got to the hotel, they were shocked by the pile of bodies. They were used to seeing bodies from Bridal Mask, but this was the first time they saw so many at once. This was mass murder.

They lost blood and went into shock as a result of gunshots.

The way each head had a bullet through it just went to show how skilled the shooter was, and when they pulled out the knife from one of the victim’s throat there was a clear hole. A bigger problem was that all of them were Japanese tourists.

“The special division said they’ll send over the one in charge of Bridal Mask. Did you notify the Japanese embassy?”

“They said they’ll leave it to the diplomats. Moreover, why did Bridal Mask kill a bunch of Japanese tourists? This is a horrible diplomatic incident.”

Dozens of Japanese people were murdered at a hotel.

It was just a matter of time before the media found out, and the Korean Japanese relation was bound to suffer as a result. Until now, all of Bridal Mask’s victims were horrible criminals or corrupt capitalists that misused their power, and they were all Korean. This was the first time they killed foreigners.

“I’m not sure. Maybe this was a copycat crime.”

“Watch the footage. Where could a copycat criminal have gotten a silenced gun? And seeing how skillfully they used the gun and knife… it was 100% them. The dead Japanese might actually have some kind of connection to Korea National Association.”

“Japanese people connected to Korea National Association…? Do you think the rumors are true?”

“Maybe.”

After Ahn Soo Ho’s reveal, the Korea National Association was labeled as pro-Japanese. However, the Korean government chose not to comment on that matter.

“There are rumors that there are more members of the Korea National Association than exposed on the list.”

“The rumors that there’s another list?”

“Yeah. What’s been revealed could just be the tip of the iceberg.”

If that was the case, Bridal Mask’s objective was bound to be something more than just justice.

‘Maybe they’re using justice as an excuse to bring down the ones in power… CEO Ahn Soo Ho is definitely connected to this.’

Behind the friendly mask—that he was wearing on television—was a scary monster.

‘Or did the president and the Blue House really create the Bridal Mask?’

Whatever it was, it wasn’t something the police could mess with.

“Her movements tell me she’s had military training. Ha! That’s impressive.”

The way the beautiful woman wore a mask and mass murdered everyone was kind of like art. It should have looked scary and horrible, but she was surprisingly engaging.

“This is no time for admiration.”

The more Bridal Mask did, the more the police and prosecution got criticized. People said this was only happening because they didn’t do their job properly. The investigative authorities felt like this was unfair because not even the most powerful organizations had superior rights. The police dragnet tightened around Korea National Association, but it had been long since the key connections went off in hiding, and as a result, Koreans were ranging even more.

They must have really looked down on the people to form an association and monopolize power. Every time the familiar names of organizations, groups, and famous people were mentioned, the rage heightened even further. The human rights organizations criticized Bridal Mask’s unlawful conduct, but most of the public cheered on Bridal Mask for bringing down the villains with money and power. The court should never have been a place of hiding the truth.

After listening in on the officers’ conversation, Nobuhisa slipped out quietly.

‘Who’s that?’

He was no CIA agent, but his skills as someone trained as a member of the trash disposal group was not half bad. In particular, his skills were strengthed by Ultra, which made him comparable to a special agent. Among the female mercenaries that worked with Ahn Soo Ho that came to Korea with him, the only one he knew of was Alexa Ivananof.

‘But she’s not that short.’

Alexa wasn’t a combat agent. He was speechless about the situation that just unfolded. Once Nobuhisa left the hotel, he checked all of the bases secretly set in the Korean peninsula and then knitted his brows.

‘They’re all gone.’

The trash disposal groups standing by at all the hotels, motels, and secret bases were all wiped out. There were only 7 survivors remaining at the last base.

“You’re alive, Team Leader.”

They showed straight faces in response to Nobuhisa’s appearance.

“Are these all the survivors?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“What about the emergency line?”

“It’s been blocked.”

“And the contact agent at the embassy?”

“The number no longer exists.”

They had already started to cut off the lizard’s tail.

The monitor disguised as the diplomat was likely to be more active toward the end. The Japanese embassy was probably very busy at the moment due to those Japanese deaths. The Japanese embassy in Korea didn’t know why Bridal Mask and the Japanese tourists conflicted. This was probably going to make the vibe in Japan a lot tougher.

“No rescues?”

“Probably not. Unless we’re exposed to the outside, our existence will strongly be denied.”

They didn’t see Bridal Mask’s attack coming, and the old men really didn’t want to acknowledge it because they looked down on Ahn Soo Ho. And those who still missed Showa still called Korea Joseon. Who in the world made such a foolish command?

‘We shouldn’t have set foot in Korea in the first place.’

Whether they were brothers with the Korea National Association or not, they should have just given up.

“I surrender.”

“Pardon?”

Before the subordinates could even blink after jolting their eyes open in shock, holes formed in their foreheads. He looked down at the dead bodies and then put down his gun.

“How stern.”

He picked the gun back up when he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking Japanese, but he didn’t pull the trigger. She was definitely the woman he had just seen in the CCTV footage wearing the Bridal Mask. Nobuhisa asked with his eyes. How did she find him here?

“There’s nothing the magician doesn’t know.”

Ahn Da Sol took off her mask. Luckily, or unfortunately, he didn’t recognize the woman that planted the explosive in his head.

“Who are you?”

“I’m… Ms. A. That’s what you can call me.”

Was she talking about Ms. A, B, and C that came up in gossip magazines? Nobuhisa looked at Ahn Da Sol with a shocked face. She looked awfully bright for someone who just killed dozens of men.

“Don’t be nervous, Nobu. I promised Soo Ho that I wouldn’t kill you.”

Seeing how she addressed him comfortably, she was definitely one of his monsters.

“Mr. Guardian asked me to clean it up.”

“Did I make too much of a mess?”

“Since Japanese men were just murdered, this will become a diplomatic issue.”

200 Japanese people getting murdered at once had never happened before since the Pacific War besides plane and ship accidents as well as natural disasters. Same went for Korea, as Korea had never seen so many foreigners die at once in the Korean peninsula since the Korean war. The investigative authorities instigated an embargo, but they couldn’t control the photos and videos of Bridal Mask that were being spread on the internet.

‘I love you!’

Following the cool Bridal Mask, the dignified Bridal, Mask, the humorous Bridal Mask, and the Cynical Bridal Mask, it was a sexy Bridal Mask this time. Ahn Da Sol looked at Nobuhisa as if she was asking to see his skills.

“Do you have a solution?”

“I do have a scenario.”

It was true that Fidelity Association was controlling Japan from the background, but they couldn’t step out of the dark. If their identities were to be revealed to the public, the backlash was going to be huge. For that reason, they had many plans ready to go. What was funnier was that there were more plans for the scenario that they would get exposed than the plans they had for facing off with enemies.

“The dead will be camouflaged as yakuzas. They’ll say Bridal Mask killed the yakuzas for committing crimes in Korea.”

“The Japanese are going to diss their own people?”

“The political world of Japan doesn’t like unpleasant vibes. Most importantly, we have no relation to Japan. There’s no reason to care about the dead’s honor.”

If they were disguised as yakuzas, everyone besides their family, friends, and lovers weren’t going to say anything. And if someone did, the Fidelity Association was going to conceal it themselves. Sending an entire troop to get revenge? They would have considered it if Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t around, but it was impossible now. The agents that they sent this time were also sent with a lot of determination.

“Is that right?”

Ahn Da Sol took out her phone.

“It’s me, Soo Ho. I have a proposal… Private loans. Let’s do it. Yeah. The list is probably at the embassy, don’t you think? Okay.”

She ended the call and smiled at Nobuhisa.

“Will you escort me to the Japanese embassy?”

******

“That crazy bitch.”

Ahn Soo Ho looked down at his phone with a shocked expression and mumbled to himself. Was she suppressing a lot of things as a trainee? She really blew up.

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

When Lee So Hye turned around, Ahn Soo Ho shook his head to say nothing was going on. Him, his sister, and Alexa were taking a look around the broadcasting company. When Ahn Soo Ho asked where she wanted to go, Lee So Hye said she wanted to see HBS. They were still using the old building, but the broadcasting company had the manpower and supplies of a beast.

He didn’t bother revealing his identity.

If he did, they were very likely to come out and try to escort them around and act bothersome. He used his magic to give themselves some freedom, and when the news got out that there was a mass murder of foreigners in the middle of Seoul, the broadcasting company went into chaos. Actually, it was just the reporting headquarters that was in chaos.

Stories of Bridal Mask shook up the country in the beginning, but then people started getting used to it. People tend to always put their own lives first. If Bridal Mask agreed to speak in an interview, that would have caused a wave, but who would have imagined the truth? Those monitoring Ahn Soo Ho weren’t his shackles, but his alibis.

“What’s there to see at the broadcasting station? You come here all the time anyway.”

“There’s a difference between starring in a broadcast and producing one. I want to become a producer or reporter one day.”

It was obvious who gave her the idea.

‘Kim Soo Jung! You little!’

Once he put her in charge of the reporting department, she went at the government, protesters, major corporations as well as small and medium-sized companies.

‘Fair media? That’s fine, but you should at least put advertisements to it!’

Her combative coverage and revealing reports only gave the legal team a hard time. She even attacked a cult which made a bunch of believers protest in front of the broadcasting company, and when she exposed a construction company, they came and threatened with dump trucks.

‘I don’t know how I put up with her temper all this time.’

Kim Soo Jung was always crazy, but he didn’t know Choi Jung Yeon was going to be like that, too. The medical welfare foundation she was in charge of created a huge conflict between the Korea Medical Association and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. He didn’t know that the evaluations for welfare foundations were trickier than that of scholarship foundations.

‘If there were problems, they should have convinced them slowly. Why did they charge in like that? Are they copying me?’

Ahn Soo Ho only went at it because he was capable of resolving the issue, but it was different for other people. He didn’t want to call them an ass in a lion’s skin, but he couldn’t just ignore it either because they were his friends. Ahn Soo Ho left his sister with Alexa. There was 1 minute until the surprise show. Ahn Da Sol was a crazy bitch, but she wasn’t an average person, so she planned it all out in 20 minutes.

“Kya!”

Someone screamed at the news desk.

The anchor who was delivering the news froze and Bridal Mask who was captured on camera conveyed a strong impression. Shay Leeper glanced over at Ahn Soo Ho in the corner and then opened his chest. The Bridal Mask’s appearance while wearing an explosive vest turned the news desk into chaos. Kim Soo Jung ran out with a frozen face and stared at Bridal Mask who was holding a female anchor hostage.

“You son of a bitch!”

“You need to watch your mouth, Ma’am.”

“What do you want?”

“What else would I want here? A broadcast, of course.”

“Do you think that’s possible, you terrorist son of a bitch?”

“It will be. As long as that man over there allows it.”

As Kim Soo Jung turned to where Bridal Mask was pointing, she became more shocked than when he first appeared.

“You?”

He was pointing at Ahn Soo Ho.

“What are you doing here, Soo Ho?”

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Soo Jung. Get ready to hold the broadcast.”

“What?”

He passed Kim Soo Jung and sat across from Bridal mask.

“Since I’m here now, why don’t you let her go?”

“Sure.”

Bridal Mask immediately let the female anchor go. The broadcasting company’s security team surrounded the area in no time, but they were unable to approach due to Ahn Soo Ho’s gesture. Kim Soo Jung and the other reporters discussed whether they were going to do the broadcast or not. In any case, the cameras started rolling and the footage was being shared.

“Okay, the cameras are on, Mr. Bridal Mask. What is it that you want to say?”

Shay Leeper was laughing behind his mask. On one hand, this was a well-scripted comedy. Ahn Soo Ho was definitely a criminal with no righteousness or conscience.

‘He’s the progenitor of evil!’

That was what he was saying on the inside while other words flowed out of his lips.

“Will you give me 10 billion if I turn myself in?”

He said it as a joke, but no one laughed. Leeper snickered before turning back to his serious voice.

“Those with no crimes don’t have to fear us. Why, you ask? Because we’re the protectors of the people.”

He switched from Korean to English to French to German, and that was not all that changed. He took off his Bridal Mask to reveal a Fawkes mask followed by a Captain America mask.

“We’re not only in Korea. We’re everywhere.”

Everyone dropped their jaws to the changing of his masks.

“And wherever there’s evil, we’re there with them.”

Leeper pointed at the camera.

“I want you!”

Uncle Sam?

< Protect – Episode 178 – Ahn Da Sol vs. Trash Disposal Group [3] > The end.