Sooho

Chapter 141: < Protect – Episode 140 – World Class [4] >

There weren’t many questions that were asked to Ahn Soo Ho.

They just asked a few questions. Since he came all the way to the police station himself, there wasn’t much they could do. It seemed as though he received orders from the Blue House, and that was why power was strong. The relationships between powers that went from friendly to vicious were complicated, to say the least.

Ahn Soo Ho asked to speak with Kim Min Shik. A testifier meeting with the defendant was against the rules. However, they allowed him to see him for just 15 minutes. This was an example of corruption.

“You don’t look so bad.”

“What do you mean? Did you expect me to be all beat up? Our country isn’t that bad.”

“It depends, case by case.”

It was still hard to claim that there were absolutely no police officers forcing people to make fake confessions and testimonies.

“You should have said something.”

“Then I would have come with a bunch of lawyers. I believe people should know their place.”

Ahn Soo Ho sighed deeply in response to Kim Min Shik’s heavy response.

“You’re thinking of appointing a public defender, aren’t you?”

“If I use an expensive lawyer, how would I be any different from the rich? I didn’t make the charge to screw the government over. I only did it to prove whether or not the governmental authority really makes an effort for the citizens.”

“Just like Kyung Il... you made a difficult choice.”

Yoon Chul thought Han Kyung Il was cunning, but the way Ahn Soo Ho saw it, he was a revolutionist who was going after a difficult dream. If something went wrong, he was very close to going from efforts for peace to a violent activist trying to topple the government. Ahn Soo Ho’s secret efforts to help his friend might not have been completely pure.

‘Without my help, I don’t know what he might do.’

If he didn’t have a tendency to be unyielding, he wouldn’t have quit the Naval Academy. All 8 members of the 8-member group were dumb. And when a bunch of dumb people got together, it was more likely for them to act rashly. And with all things considered, whistleblowing was the only thing that Kim Min Shik could do on his own in a quiet manner.

“Don’t try to butt in, Soo Ho. The more you say, the more complicated things will get.”

“Okay.”

Kim Min Shik had a plan of his own. Before leaving the room, Ahn Soo Ho looked back at Kim Min Shik one more time.

“We’re friends, right?”

“Yeah, we are.”

He couldn’t immediately leave the police station. Since the police usually held onto people and investigated them for a long time, people wouldn’t have looked favorably upon Ahn Soo Ho leaving after just an hour. Yoon Chul—who followed along and dressed up as a secretary—spoke with Ahn Soo Ho in a waiting room.

“What did he say?”

“He told me not to get involved.”

“Because of his pride?”

“No, I think Min Shik has a plan of his own.”

People always had their own plan of getting justice.

“Are you really just going to sit back and watch?”

“For now.”

“The government officials are minding everyone right now, but in the end, they’ll end in a vague way after pressuring the court. If that happens, only Min Shik will be screwed over.”

Yoon Chul was in the police force in Korea once, so he knew just how difficult whistleblowing was. The whistleblowers who did it because of their conscience always regretted it later. Many things changed after Ahn Soo Ho’s paparazzi incident, but that was in the case of anonymity for Kim Min Shik who revealed his identity; it was hard for him to be protected.

“Is it the government who’s keeping the public interested?”

“Yeah. Because as soon as the media turn their backs, Min Shik will get the death sentence.”

When big corruption scandals took place, most people remembered that the scandal took place, but they rarely knew how it ended. The more people got involved, the longer it got, so people who were watching eventually got tired and stopped showing interest. They could probably show interest multiple times, but if one thing continued for 3 to 5 years, it was hard for them to keep focusing on it.

Ahn Soo Ho’s party left the police station 6 hours after the press conference. In the meantime, he became the headlines of many portal sites, and they responded well to Ahn Soo Ho’s opinion that loans and investments should be heavily regulated.

What was the most responsible for the gap between the rich and the poor was that the rich kept on getting richer. Most citizens got 95% of what they earned through working while the top 0.1% received all sorts of benefits from the financial system. Simply put, they got money for just breathing. They always said this. That if one wanted to become rich, one would have to study hard and chase after opportunities.

“In our country, getting a job is harder than entering the foreign legion.”

If there was an interviewer claiming that a person was lacking in effort, that person had the right to give them the finger.

“People are talking about how you visited the police station. Did you meet with Min Seok?”

After leaving the police station, Ahn Soo Ho and Yoon Chul met with Chio Jung Yeon. Seeing how the person who was the most against men got married the fastest, she must have been into misandry. She might have been a loving wife and mother as well as a doctor, but Ahn Soo Ho and Yoon Chul were surprised since she changed so much.

“He told me not to butt in and to just stay still.”

“Min Shik is right, Soo Ho. You’ve been too reckless these days. The medical association has been talking about you.”

“The medical association?”

“Yeah.”

“No one has any common sense around here.”

“All rights associations are the same. They’re all about cutting the heads of those who get in the way.”

“What can the medical association do anyway? They’re not even connected to any companies.”

“I can’t believe there’s something Ahn Soo Ho doesn’t know. This is why people need to keep living. Listen to me.”

Ahn Soo Ho laughed bitterly to Choi Jung Yeon’s cocky yet playful way of speaking.

“The health field is smaller than you think. Their influence is not only in hospitals but in fire stations, police stations, and everything that has to do with sanitation. Chul should know about that. Disease control, airports, ports, and quarantine stations are all under us.”

“That’s true. Doctors are more powerful than we think.”

Yoon Chul nodded.

Police was most often insulted and rarely respected while doctors were most often respected and rarely insulted. What led governmental authority were life-or-death authorities. There probably wasn’t a single person who didn’t go to the hospital when they were sick. What truly controlled all industries of Korean society was the medical association.

“Who do you think inspects the safety of high-rise buildings? Ministry of Land? Building maintenance? The fire station? They’re partly responsible, too... but Disease Control is at the top. If they claim that there’s a disease in star tower, the building would close down. Something that extreme probably won’t happen, but they could do it if they wanted.”

When it came to national disaster countermeasures number 1 was natural disasters, number 2 were diseases, and number 3 was war. A natural disaster couldn’t be prevented by humans. However, number 2 and 3 could be prevented and controlled by people.

“I didn’t know diseases came before war.”

“In the case that a disease breaks out, people don’t have to worry about war. That’s why it’s not the military that keeps the chemical weapons. They don’t have the ability to keep them safe either.”

Come to think of it, the chemical warfare division wasn’t just a part of the US Navy. People often looked down on the military hospital, but the military doctors were the best of the best in terms of skill. What could also be added to this was microbiology. Chemical and biological weapons were so powerful that people often called them nuclear bombs of the poor.

“Do they get special education?”

“As a divided nation, of course. If Korea ever goes to war with North Korea, half of Seoul will blow up in less than an hour.”

Just like how the reserved forces got training, the doctors also received education about chemical warfare. What most of Korea didn’t know was that North Korea’s real threat was biological weapons and that nuclear weapons were just a backup.

“Soo Ho, you don’t have any intention of soothing the medical association, do you?”

“I have no reason to bow my head as I walk in.”

“Then there’s only one way.”

Ahn Soo Ho urged Choi Jung Yeon to continue with a shrug.

“We’ll just have to make a new hospital and medical school.”

“The medical association wouldn’t stand for that.”

“Not all doctors are obsessed with money. There are lots of real doctors in our country as well.”

“There are real police officers, too.”

Yoon Chul senselessly butted in, but Ahn Soo Ho ignored him and asked Choi Jung Yeon another question.

“Let’s say we do as you say and build a medical school and hospital. How long would that take?”

“Maybe 6 to 7 years? In order to start with a strong and healthy root, we need some time.”

“You just want to become a hospital director as soon as possible, don’t you?”

“To be honest... yeah. I want to be a hospital director. That’s the only way I’ll get to stop the unchanged ways in the medical field.”

She shared her aspirations and dreams.

“If we bring some people from the university hospital I’m in right now...”

“I’ll take care of that.”

Was it a hospital after a broadcasting company? He could clearly see Oh Joo Kyung’s knitted brows in his head.

“Okay. You know Director Oh, right?”

“I contact her more than I contact you.”

“I feel like I’ve been tricked.”

“Don’t be.”

“Anyway, I’ll tell her while you push forward with it. Don’t overdo it though.”

Ahn Soo Ho didn’t forget to give the last warning. On his way back after parting with Choi Jung Yeon, he saw Yoon Chul looking like a dog that needed to poop.

“What is it?”

“What about the police?”

“Police welfare is pretty decent.”

“No, it’s not! There are so many in trouble!”

Ahn Soo Ho smirked at Yoon Chul’s reaction. When he was with the police, he was busy trying to bring them down, but now that he was out, he was actually protecting them.

“Let’s take our time in thinking about that.”

“But then again if we donate to the police welfare now, people will say crap about how it’s bribery.”

Just like how not all doctors were obsessed with money and politics, not all police officers were about power and authority. There were 100 times more good police officers than bad ones. The next day, she came prepared with all materials related to hospitals and medical schools when Oh Joo Kyung called her over. She felt like she was tricked, but she didn’t feel bad about it either.

The reason why the 8-member group was from all different fields was in order to use each one when the time was right. Since Ahn Soo Ho didn’t need to convince Choi Jung Yeon if she came on strong, he actually preferred it. A press conference opened a few days later, and Oh Joo Kyung took the stand.

“Not only will we take responsibility for the societal responsibilities of the company, but our CEO would like to help out the difficult job market of Korea by making a big donation for hospital facilities.”

Reporters raised their hands, but she didn’t respond.

“I’ll answer your questions a little later.”

Oh Joo Kyung was known for having a strict personality that didn’t suit the age of Ahn Soo Ho’s right-hand woman. There was even the famous story of how someone from a broadcasting company fooled around thinking they were powerful enough but ended up going to jail.

“We don’t plan on earning profits from the medical school, nursing school, and hospital. Our CEO has stressed that the profits will be turned towards society.”

Oh Joo Kyung then pointed at the closest reporter.

“Does that mean you don’t care if your business is in a deficit?”

“Since this is for the good of our country’s medical field, a deficit is okay with us.”

“How much are you investing?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you the most important part. I apologize.”

She naturally apologized, but she intentionally left it out to make it look dramatic.

“We will donate 500 billion won every year for 20 years which totals to 10 trillion won.”

“Wow!”

“Gasp!”

Some reporters were in awe while others gasped in surprise. Hostility would start to pour down on Ahn Soo Ho who humiliated rich people in front of the police station. If 70% of the citizens were supporting him for dissing the classes with rights, 10% were calling him out for being rich thanks to the rich.

% might have seemed small, but that wasn’t really the case.

CEO Ahn says to pay taxes, but does he do that himself?

According to a tax informant, Hosoo Entertainment has also collected a lot of money.

People must report all the money they earned in a foreign land and in their own country.

According to an investment informant, Ahn Soo Ho also has mineral rights under his name.

There were lots of rumors going around about Ahn Soo Ho and taxes. People talked about how he had corrupt support, that he was an assassin for a financial cartel, as well as those talking about how he was a legend in the international government. At the same time, the announcement of Hosoo Entertainment’s tax investigation was also held. It was rare for the director to speak at the press conference himself.

There wasn’t much to the beginning of the speech.

“Our investigations showed that some reports were omitted. Therefore, we have recommended measures as well as charging Hosoo Entertainment with 78 million won in penalty fees.”

The reporters who were friendly with rich people other than Daesan had sparkles in their eyes. 78 million won was less than they hoped, but what it meant was that tax evasion existed. If they combined this with other rumors about Ahn Soo Ho, something good was bound to come out of it. However, their hopes were crushed by what the director said next.

“The total amount that Hosoo Entertainment and Mr. Ahn Soo Ho paid in taxes so far as well as this year is... Ahem, I apologize. This includes some personal information, so I’ll just tell you the grand total. The total is 23 trillion won.”

“Ho... how much?”

The reporters asked in surprise.

“23 trillion won. Of course, they were founded this year, so there was particularly a lot. It’s predicted that it’ll be less next year.”

The reporters couldn’t hear anything else.

23 trillion won. All Daesan Group paid last year for taxes was 7 trillion won. How much money did Hosoo Entertainment have that they have to pay taxes worth 23 trillion won?

‘We were wrong!’

Ahn Soo Ho couldn’t be compared to the typical rich person in Korea. His wealth level was world class. He was pretty much at the same level as the Arabian king. At that moment, the reporters came to their senses. They had to hop over to a different side from now on.

‘He’s not just rich, but crazy rich!’

They weren’t kidding when they called him Ahnfeller and Ahnchild.

< Protect – Episode 140 – World Class [4] > The end.

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