Kim Na Hee trusted the Kirukawa Mai matter with Ahn Soo Ho. That meant she respected what he would do whether he convinced her or kidnapped her. What was unfortunate was that despite his magical powers, it was quite difficult to suppress reason.
Dating techniques and intelligence weren't directly proportional.
Ahn Soo Ho didn't really know what women were interested in. The only reason why he didn't run away was because of his magic. Jang Seol Hyun wasn't the only woman in the world who would listen to his old man jokes.
The Rosette Hope Volunteer Group was busy with their schedules. It was a big team that included celebrities, famous people, the filming team, as well as guards to ensure their safety.
And the bigger the group, the harder it was to control everyone. Han Chae Kyung was cut out to be a boss. She didn't have strong charisma like Kim Na Hee, but she had the type of leadership of a young woman.

"Please check your group every once in a while, and if anything happens, please report it to me."

The first destination of the volunteer group was a native village in the East of Nairobi. Kenya played a leading role as a native nation in Africa. There was a reason why many international rescue groups came to Nairobi.
There were almost no civil wars within Kenya since its establishment.
There were some conflicts and protests here and there, but there weren't little boys shooting guns like in the other African countries. After America's Nigerian War, Central Africa was in the middle of a dispute with Ethiopia, but Southern Africa didn't seem like they were going to back down easily either.

"What's funny is that most of the countries fighting over dominance of Africa are a part of the Common Wealth."

South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria were all a part of the Common Wealth.

"Why is that? Because England is great?"

In the same way, France, who colonized Africa were on the decline, but British colonists weren't completely gone. Why? Because they were less cruel than France? Not at all. Both England and France had a great number of colonies.
As soon as Ahn Soo Ho paused, Go Ah Jin raised her hand.

"Is it because of America?"
"Why?"
"Because they speak English, too."
"Oh."

Ahn Soo Ho exclaimed in surprise.

"Am I right?"

Go Ah Jin was surprised.

"You're right. England is America's biggest asset and strongest weapon."

Culture came from language. In order to understand an English-speaker, one had to know English, and in order to learn about the basis of English, one had to know English literature. People had to learn about the identities and customs of other people in order to predict how they would think and act.

"Then why are they joining England instead of America?"

No one could answer that question.

"That's because America stresses democracy. They have a sense of duty to protect human rights and democracy. However, that's another type of imperialism. Luckily for England, they've shared many aspects with America, and America needed a bait in order to hide their intention."

Following the Second World War, France managed to become a leading country, but they were unable to rid themselves of their image associated with Germany. And that caused them to speed up their break away from the colony. International order functioned based on the reasoning of power. If a country grew weak, its uncivilized side would begin looking elsewhere.
The reason why England's colonial empire didn't collapse like that of France was because people saw America and England as one. And that was a misunderstanding. But the fact that they shared the same language worked in their favor.
America didn't have anything to lose either. In order to have more power in the following generations, the influence of the English language had to grow bigger. Unlike how French used to be the common language in Europe, it was now English, and America didn't hesitate to invest in England for that reason.

"America and England filled in what was lacking in each other."

The American and British empire's strategy was a success. After all, not everyone in the world had the kind of intelligence that was needed to graduate from Harvard. While America sold freedom, England sold the royal family. They sold the past and future at the same time.

"America used England as a shield while England used America's superiority in order to regain their reputation."

The topic that Ahn Soo Ho raised on the bus was random. However, there wasn't a single person that didn't listen. The fact that they came out to volunteer meant that they had an interest in the public interest. Just because they were young didn't mean they had no interest in politics or diplomatics.

"So are you saying language is also a national power?"
"Being able to communicate is more influential than you can imagine."

The worth of a language depended on the number of people that used it. Korean was a superb language, and it was impressive to know it. However, that was all.

"People have different mindsets depending on what language they speak."

People who mainly used Korean died as Korean. That was why Ahn Soo Ho had no choice but to be Korean. He was able to use his magic to speak all the languages in the world, but since Korean was his first language, that was his default basis for his beliefs and way of thinking. Even if he spoke English, French, and Spanish, he interpreted them in a Korean way.
Ahn Soo Ho didn't only talk about difficult topics. He even added some humor and some stories of corruption here and there. As soon as he revealed a president that had an affair with an actress and how much slush funds a famous dictator had, loud exclamations could be heard. 
The best story was the one of the kidnapped reporters in Nigeria. As soon as their rescue stories came out, their eyes sparkled. They couldn't hear these stories anywhere else, so it was more stimulating than any affair story.

"To be honest, affection fell upon Korea. Not Onami."
"Wow!"

Go Ah Jin looked impressed. No one expected him to pull out an old man joke at a time like this.

"I'm sorry."

Ahn Soo Ho immediately apologized. Do Min Ho's joking skills were definitely trash. There was nothing to learn from him.

"We're here."

After racing through the empty roads for 5 hours, they arrived at a village. As soon as they got out of the bus, Ahn Soo Ho realized what was going on.

'They're actors.'

Just like how foreigners looked at traditional villages in Korea and marveled at how Korean it seemed, the volunteers looked at the shabby-looking houses and marveled at how African it looked.
One of the main industries in Kenya was volunteer experience. When considering the safety of the volunteers, they couldn't bring them to remote areas. What if they got hurt, kidnapped, or even killed? That would be the Kenyan government's responsibility. So they secretly made a native village for volunteers to gain their experience.
Every single adult, elder, and children were educated actors. And the volunteers that knew nothing believed that they were actually volunteering. If one compared them to a real African that require help, they could be distinguished quite easily. But foreigners were unable to tell them apart.
He had no intention of ruining the fun for the volunteers who were handing water to the natives. Ignorance was bliss. Ahn Soo Ho approached the native guides gathered at the entrance.

"Where are we going today?"

Their eyes flinched when they heard Ahn Soo Ho speak their language so fluently. His pronunciation made him sound like he was a native.

"Huh?"

One of the bewildered guides got a hold of himself and stepped up.

"We're going to go to two more places after this."
"I see. Well, let's see. Then today's accommodation must be in… Garissa?"
"Um, yes."

Ahn Soo Ho took out a cigarette and handed one to him. He turned happy. Just because they were a guide in Kenya didn't mean they made good money. Africans also had a tendency to become friends if someone gave them something.

"How are the borders these days? Is it still hectic?"
"Somalia? It's always crazy there."

He obtained all sorts of information by smoking with the guide. During the days of the European empire, all sorts of borders were drawn, but they were rarely followed. Borders didn't mean much in Africa. Even the concept of a nation was vague, and the tribal mindset was so strong that not many thought of themselves as citizens.

"The UN is also planning to reduce the size of the refugee village. So the vibe has been strange these days."
"Why is that?"
"Do you seriously have no idea? It's because of the Al Shabab. They've already penetrated deep into Nairobi."

Al Shabab.
Just the fact that their name started with "Al" suggested that they were an Islamic group. They were one of the worst terrorist organizations in Eastern Africa.
Ahn Soo Ho thought that SI was actually worse than Al Shabab. Al Shabab at least didn't kill any Muslims but not the SI. They were close to heathens, and they punished Muslims.
After Boko Haram went to shit from the Nigerian war (they were actually shit on by Ahn Soo Ho), the African Islamic organizations naturally took over Eastern Africa. Due to the baseless rumors claiming that the US military's next target was Sudan, there was an energy of an oncoming war, but the Islamic terrorist groups exploded rather than reducing in size.
People with intelligence felt doubtful.
'Where did all that money come from?'
Where did they get the money to create a military of thousands of people? Some claimed that they must have made an agreement with the Somalian pirates. There were rumors that their funds came from those pirates.
Ahn Soo Ho shook his head. There were limits to how much money pirates could secure. And since there was no guarantee that they would succeed, it was common for the account of the pirates to take the money and leave.
And on top of that, the US marines were going in and out of Djibouti, so it was hard to be pirates nowadays. In order to protect the paths to the Suez Canal, India, Japan, China, Korea, and even Australia, they sent their Marines to help.

'That's why they needed the label of being environmental activists.'

The inside of Somalia was always chaos, but toward the ocean were marines of multiple countries. The NR Peace Keepers worked toward saving the Somalian refugees, and as a result, James Bungee's black heart decided to go a different direction.
The IAEA was huge with more resources than anyone could imagine. And when it came to modern civilization's nuclear fuel tracing technology, they were at a level of hitting below the pictogram range.
In other words, there was no hole to crawl out of.
Despite never having been near North Korea's nuclear facilities, the IAEA was able to predict what kind of experiments they were conducting. However, the IAEA weren't perfect either. If they targeted a region, they would find it 100%, but when looking through the entire world, it was impossible for them to detect nuclear materials.
And if they were hidden well, it was possible they would never find it.
After serving the native actors, the volunteer group proceeded to their next destination. That place was probably going to be similar to this one. Thanks to the photographer's passion, the famous people holding a black child and looking sad would probably be reborn as art.
Humanism
It could be described with that one word.
It had been a long time since rescue became a business. Average people believed that their small donations went to children in need, but the truth was, it all went toward a reserve. The money that actually went to the sites came from large sums, not small ones. Most of the small funds were spent on the preparations of the rescue operations.

"Huh?"

The bus was blocked by cars on their way to their next village.
They were Japanese cars in disguise.
While they loved Toyota cars, they killed way too many Japanese people. Just like Boko Haram, their flag was always a black background with white letters on top.

"#w$@^%#$!"

The bus driver immediately turned the handle, but as soon as he could, gunshots were fired.

Bang, bang-

As soon as the bullets went through the bus, it was pandemonium. The cars suddenly popped out of nowhere and shot at the bus from all sides.

"Agh!"

The guards that were supposed to protect everyone ran away, and some of them got killed in the process. Rosette Group's guards didn't have real-life experience.
Ahn Soo Ho felt weird.
He had very little memory of being attacked in such a way in the mercenary world. Just as Do Min Ho put it, this was a very fresh and new experience. He whispered something to Go Ah Jin, who was frozen beside him, and got up.

"Get down and lower your heads."
"Pardon? Ok… okay!"

As soon as Ahn Soo Ho got out of his seat, he met eyes with Han Chae Kyung. Ahn Soo Ho mouthed the words to her, and she reflexively nodded.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang-

An automatic gun landed in each of his hands, and as soon as he pulled the trigger, the heads of the assailants blew up like watermelons. A huge smokescreen followed.

Bang, bang, bang- Bang, bang-

The terrorists were taken aback by the sudden impairment of their vision. The shabby mercenaries ran away while the rest were taken care of quite easily, but the resistance grew stronger.

"Agh!"
"Agh!"

The screaming of his allies could be heard from within the smoke.

"W… what's going on?"

On their way from kidnapping the National Geographic filming team, they found another delicious prey and pounced. The more hostages they had, the better their negotiation would be.

'A… a trap?'

Was this a trap of the Kenyan government? He hadn't heard of anything like that though. While the command panicked, Ahn Soo Ho sniped the bastards one by one. As the gunfires slowed down, the smoke cleared up, and among the dead assailants was Ahn Soo Ho.
And with him at the center, red flowers bloomed.
And then there was a sunset.

"Gulp!"

It made no sense.

'This is crazy.'

Wasn't war a cruel thing? However, among the dead assailants' blood and death was Ahn Soo Ho looking more beautiful than ever. A famous Korean photographer, Yoon Ki Hyun captured this beauty on camera.
He blamed it on the instincts of an artist.

< Protect – Episode 225 – Green Peace [4] > The end.

Original Synopsis:

In a world where money and power trumps all, Ahn Soo Ho, A.K.A. Magician, uses his superhuman abilities and his knowledge of the intelligence world to climb to the very top of the totem pole.
 
Due to his intimidating stature and cold personality, most would assume he’s doing it out of greed, but what many don’t know is that he has three weaknesses: His mother, his little sister, and his top star girlfriend, Jang Seol Hyun.
 
Join Ahn Soo Ho on an adventure through the mercenary, the establishment of his own entertainment company, and a trip around the world as he makes his way to become the richest man of Korea and protects what truly matters to him.

------
Translator's Introduction

In a world where money and power trumps all, Ahn Soo Ho, A.K.A. Magician, uses his superhuman abilities and his knowledge of the intelligence world to climb to the very top of the totem pole.
 
Due to his intimidating stature and cold personality, most would assume he’s doing it out of greed, but what many don’t know is that he has three weaknesses: His mother, his little sister, and his top star girlfriend, Jang Seol Hyun.
 
Join Ahn Soo Ho on an adventure through the mercenary, the establishment of his own entertainment company, and a trip around the world as he makes his way to become the richest man of Korea and protects what truly matters to him.

--------

We corrected the title from "Protect" to "Sooho" when we discussed with Munpia Editorial Team

BTS have been described as "easily the biggest and most successful name in K-pop in the world" that can "do things no other name in their genre can", with Time giving them the nickname "Princes of Pop". Billboard Senior Vice President Silvio Pietroluongo said that BTS are comparable and as influential to the Beatles and The Monkees. Nielsen Music Vice President Helena Kosinski says that "although BTS weren't the first to open the doors to K-Pop worldwide, they were the first to become mainstream. They don't just appeal to young people but also to the 50s and 60s age demographic." As the first non-English speaking artist to make the Global Artist Chart in 2018, BTS had the second and third best-selling albums worldwide and were the second best-selling artists worldwide in terms of physical, digital, and streaming platforms, coming second only to Drake. In 2019, BTS were again named as one of the top 10 Global Recording Artists of the year by IFPI, for a second time, ranking #7. They were the only non-English speaking act on that list. In the United States, BTS accounted for 72.7 percent of the album consumption units generated by K-pop acts in 2018 out of a total of 17 acts. In South Korea, BTS accounted for 41.9 percent of album sales in the first half of 2019, up from their market share of 25.3 percent the previous year. In November 2019, Billboard ranked BTS at #4 on their Top Social Artist of the 2010s list, making them the highest group on the list. BTS was also ranked #45 on Billboard's Top Touring Artists of the 2010s list. They are the highest-ranked Asian act on the list as well as the only non-English speaking act.

BTS have been often regarded as "the biggest boy band in the world". They have also appeared in various power listings. The most tweeted-about celebrities in the world in 2017 and 2018, the band was included in Time's list of the 25 most influential people on the internet from 2017 to 2019, featured on the magazine's October 2018 international edition cover as "Next Generation Leaders," and were listed as one of Time 100's most influential people in 2019. The group was also listed as one of the most influential artists of the decade by CNN, for "popularizing K-pop in the US". According to a JoyNews24 'Power People of 2019' survey among industry professionals, BTS was chosen as #1 with 74 votes, with #2 being Parasite Director Bong Joon Ho with 29 votes. BTS also appeared in Bloomberg Market's 50 most influential in 2018, and Forbes Korea named them the fifth most influential celebrities of Korea in 2017, and the most influential celebrities of Korea in 2018. In 2019, BTS ranked 43rd on Forbes' annual list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities with earnings of $57 million. BTS also ranked first on the list of 'Top Rank Global Sustainable Future Leaders' during an announcement from the UN-sponsored SDG association at the United Nations headquarters, while BTS' fanclub, ARMY, were noted as the 'Top Rank Sustainable Global group'. Other notable people included in this list were Malala Yousafzai and Bill Gates. In California, BTS inspired a teacher to have his school be the first in the country to offer a Korean American Culture and Society course. Kang Soo Jung, exhibition manager at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, said that while preparing the 50th anniversary exhibition called "Square," she was greatly influenced by BTS's hidden track "Sea".

The group's influence has led them to address the United Nations at their 73rd General Assembly and to perform before 400 officials including South Korean president Moon Jae In at the 2018 Korea-France Friendship Concert in Paris, a summit meant to show the friendly relations between France and South Korea. Moon Hee Sang, Speaker of the National Assembly, said that "BTS is doing most of our work," attributing the results of his overseas trip to the credit of the global group on an overseas trip to promote "sales diplomacy". In September 2019, president Moon Jae in also mentioned BTS in his announcement for his '3 major innovation strategies for the contents industry', stating that BTS has pioneered innovative business models that communicate directly with fans. In October 2019, The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected BTS as a recipient for a 'Letter of Appreciation', for showing the world the beauty of Korean traditional culture (Hangul, Hanbok, Gugak) through creative re-interpretations in their music. In December 2019, according to the annual survey conducted by Gallup Korea, BTS were the most preferred artists of 2019 for a second consecutive year. According to the "2019 South Korean National Image" survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliate the Korean Culture and Information Service among 16 countries, BTS were chosen #2 with 5.5% votes. Despite cultural medals traditionally being given to recipients with more than 15 years of notable achievements, BTS became the youngest ever recipients honored with the Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea in 2018 after five years after debuting, due to their noteworthy contributions in spreading Korean culture and language.

BTS have measurably revitalized the Korean economy and the global music industry. Credited for the surge in popularity of online purchases of K-pop items and the growth of the Korean Wave between 2016 and 2018 by the Korea Customs Service and Korea Foundation, BTS were cited as one of the main driving forces for the recovery of South Korea's music-related sector to levels seen before China's 2016 ban on domestic cultural contents over soured diplomatic relations. Yung Duk Kim, vice president and chief operating officer of the Korea Creative Content Agency, stated K-pop has "skyrocketed" since BTS' popularity surged, creating jobs not only for BTS and their team but other K-pop idols as well. Various news outlets coined the term the "BTS effect" to refer to the commercial effects of BTS' influence, such as when KB Kookmin Bank savings accounts increased six-fold compared to the prior year following BTS' endorsement and when stock prices of entertainment companies in South Korea shot up for five days after BTS topped the U.S. Billboard 200. The effect was also observed when companies tied to BTS, such as Netmarble, NetMark, Soribada, Key Shares, GMP, Diffie, and Mattel had their stocks rise.In October 2019, Mattel's international gross sales rose 10% to $721.7 million, lifted by sales of dolls based on BTS. Data firm SM2 Networks estimated Hyundai Motor received ₩600 billion ($502 million) in promotional results after commissioning BTS as their promotional models in 2018. The Bank of Korea Economic Statistics System stated that South Korea's BOP for music and entertainment reached $114.7 million in the first quarter of 2019, attributing this to an improved relationship between China and South Korea, and the breakout global success of BTS, particularly in North America.

Signed on as tourism ambassadors in 2017, the Seoul Metropolitan Government credits BTS for the recovery of Seoul's shrinking tourism industry following the 2016 THAAD controversy, bringing in an average of 790,000 tourists to Korea annually. In December 2018, the Hyundai Research Institute estimated that BTS were worth more than $3.67 billion to the Korean economy each year, attracting one in every thirteen foreigners who visited Korea. BTS' two day fan-meetings held in  Seoul and Busan in June 2019 generated a total economic effect of ₩481 billion ($408 million) to both cities, accounting for 1.6% of Busan's 2018 GDP, and 0.9% of Seoul's 2018 GDP. Their three-day concert finale in Seoul for their Love Yourself World Tour in October 2019 was estimated to have an economic value of almost ₩1 trillion ($862 million) and brought in 187,000 foreign visitors to South Korea. As of June 2019, BTS' economic effect on South Korea is estimated to be over ₩5.5 trillion ($4.65 billion) per year, about 0.3% of South Korea's GDP. This is comparable to Korean Air, the flagship airline of South Korea, who's percent contribution to South Korea's GDP is 0.7%. The 2019 annual ticket sales data released by the Korean online ticketing site, Interpark revealed that BTS' world tour "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium ranked No.1, with BTS topping the ticket sales for the second consecutive year on Interpark. Outside of South Korea, BTS' concerts at Wembley Stadium were estimated to have brought around ₩100 billion ($82 million) as a direct economic effect to the city of London. After BTS went to Malta for their show, 'Bon Voyage 3', the Malta Tourism Authority reported a 237% increase of Korean tourists visiting the country, crediting BTS as the reason for the increase. Along with Ariana Grande and Drake, BTS were credited as a key act boosting global music sales to $19 billion in 2018. Such profit had not been seen since 2006 after digital purchases gained momentum.

BTS' work has influenced numerous artists, including (G)I-dle, D-Crunch's Hyunho, The Boyz' Younghoon and Hwall, SF9's Zuho, Euna Kim, Golden Child's Jaehyun, Wanna One, IN2IT, Park Ji Hoon, Kim Dong Han, Seven O'Clock, Hyeongseop X Euiwoong, Noir, Victon's Sejun and Byungchan, and Loona. After BTS released their single "Idol," the National Gugak Center had to expand the amount of Korean instrument sounds available due to increased demand from Korean and foreign producers alike. K-pop idol groups also began changing the themes of their lyrics from love stories to words such as "looking for myself" following BTS' "Love Yourself" era and RM's speech at the United Nations.

BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or "Beyond The Scene", is a South Korean boyband that has been capturing the hearts of millions of fans globally since their debut in June 2013. The members of BTS are RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook. Gaining recognition from their authentic, self-produced music and top-notch performances to the way they interact with their fans, the band has established themselves as global superstars breaking countless world records. While imparting a positive influence through activities such as the LOVE MYSELF campaign and the UN "Speak Yourself" speech, BTS has mobilized millions of fans across the world (named ARMY), topped prominent music charts, sold out worldwide tours including stadiums and has been named as one of TIME 100: The Most Influential People of 2019. The band has also been recognized with numerous prestigious awards like the Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards.

Hands shaking....Legs trembling.....eyes with full of tears.....heart filled with fear....she boarded the flight...
.
.
.
who is she..? why is she scared? where is she going?
.
.
.
She is Veronica, a young Indian girl...who is running away from her family...Is she running away with someone????? NO...she is running away for her passion..her urge to become a writer...Veronica is a 23 years old Indian girl who is leading her life normally. Since from childhood, she has been dreaming of becoming a writer...but her parents were always against her dream.They decided to get her marry to a guy and she was told to quit writing stories and novels after the marriage. Her heart broke into pieces,,,tears rolled down her cheeks...she cannot accept the truth and give up her dream. So she decided to follow her dream...she decided to go to South Korea as she has a friend who is writing scripts for korean dramas. She called her friend Maya, who is living in south Korea and asked her for help. As Veronica and Maya were childhood friends, Maya understood her situation and she booked a flight for veronica.
        But the wedding preparations had already begun in Veronica's home.All the relatives were arriving....the house is decorated with lights but there is no light in her eyes....the house is filled with joy and laughter but there is no joy in her heart....her heart is being shattered into pieces.The mehendi ceremony was started but she sat with the eyes full of tears in the ceremony.
       After the mehendi ceremony, her parents found a letter saying 
                "I am sorry mom and dad, I am going to follow my dream....One day I will return home as a 
                 great writer...please don't look for me.
                                                                 -veronica
Her parents were shocked and started to search for her, but they could not find her. Veronica was very scared as she did not travel alone since from her childhood, but today she is going far away from the country with the urge to become a writer.She boarded the flight with the heart full of fear but the desire in her heart to become a writer was greater than the fear in her heart. She consoled herself and opened a diary and started writing  about"New Journey" the journey she started to follow her dream.
  After a long journey, she arrived at Incheon airport in south korea. As a kpop and kdrama fan girl, it 
was her dream to visit South Korea once but she never knew that it would become a place to achieve   her dream. She was feeling the fresh air and the smell of the new country and enjoying the music of BTS. she called her friend maya but due to work maya was unable to pickup veronica at the airport.
     Veronica called a taxi but she could not communicate with the driver as she doesn't know korean.
While she was struggling to communicate, she heard a man with bold voice saying "Can I help u??" in English.  After hearing someone speaking in English,she was elated and turned eagerly to see the face...and she was shocked....

Hands shaking....Legs trembling.....eyes with full of tears.....heart filled with fear....she boarded the flight...
.
.
.
who is she..? why is she scared? where is she going?
.
.
.
She is Veronica, a young Indian girl...who is running away from her family...Is she running away with someone????? NO...she is running away for her passion..her urge to become a writer...Veronica is a 23 years old Indian girl who is leading her life normally. Since from childhood, she has been dreaming of becoming a writer...but her parents were always against her dream.They decided to get her marry to a guy and she was told to quit writing stories and novels after the marriage. Her heart broke into pieces,,,tears rolled down her cheeks...she cannot accept the truth and give up her dream. So she decided to follow her dream...she decided to go to South Korea as she has a friend who is writing scripts for korean dramas. She called her friend Maya, who is living in south Korea and asked her for help. As Veronica and Maya were childhood friends, Maya understood her situation and she booked a flight for veronica.
        But the wedding preparations had already begun in Veronica's home.All the relatives were arriving....the house is decorated with lights but there is no light in her eyes....the house is filled with joy and laughter but there is no joy in her heart....her heart is being shattered into pieces.The mehendi ceremony was started but she sat with the eyes full of tears in the ceremony.
      After the mehendi ceremony, her parents found a letter saying
                "I am sorry mom and dad, I am going to follow my dream....One day I will return home as a
                great writer...please don't look for me.
                                                                -veronica
Her parents were shocked and started to search for her, but they could not find her. Veronica was very scared as she did not travel alone since from her childhood, but today she is going far away from the country with the urge to become a writer.She boarded the flight with the heart full of fear but the desire in her heart to become a writer was greater than the fear in her heart. She consoled herself and opened a diary and started writing  about"New Journey" the journey she started to follow her dream.
  After a long journey, she arrived at Incheon airport in south korea. As a kpop and kdrama fan girl, it
was her dream to visit South Korea once but she never knew that it would become a place to achieve  her dream. She was feeling the fresh air and the smell of the new country and enjoying the music of BTS. she called her friend maya but due to work maya was unable to pickup veronica at the airport.
    Veronica called a taxi but she could not communicate with the driver as she doesn't know korean.
While she was struggling to communicate, she heard a man with bold voice saying "Can I help u??" in English.  After hearing someone speaking in English,she was elated and turned eagerly to see the face...and she was shocked....

Story of an Indian girl struggling between her career and love life......

Since Jason is a Korean-Canadian, there's a bit of Korean language mix in within their conversation. Name-hyung is used to address someone for the men to an older man, while name-oppa is used to address someone for women to an older man. While name-nuna is used to address someone for the men to an older woman, and name-unni is used to address someone for man to an older woman.

--

Music was in the air. The first thing that came through his mind.

 

Too loud.

 

Jason wanted to shut his ears, but a nudge from Gina made him stopped.

 

"Try not to die," said Gina.

 

She showed him a fake smile and went off mingling with the other cousins. Jason definitely knew what she meant by that. Jason stood there all alone, surrounded by people having the time of their life. He, on the other hand, had a stoic face not bother by the joy surrounding him. Like a boulder in the middle of a torrential river.

 

"Jason hyung, is that you?" someone from the crowd called out to him.

 

"Stop speaking in Korean, you know I'm bad at it," said Jason.

 

Yet the cousin kept on talking in Korean.

 

"Hyung, come and meet my dad."

 

"Dan, you don't-" Jason was dragged much to his annoyance.

 

Closer and closer, Jason was getting nearer to the main table which was right in front of the stage.

 

"Dad, I brought Jason hyung," said the young cousin of his.

 

"Jason," a wide smile on the birthday man himself.

 

A pair of arms wrapped around him as he felt the hug from his uncle.

 

"It's been a long time since I met you, how is it going. I heard you're trying your luck at Wall Street," said Jason's uncle.

 

Trying my luck?

 

Those words were not pleasant to hear but he flashed a fake smile.

 

"Yeah, it's all good," said Jason.

 

"Well, good luck. Things will get better," his uncle patted him by the shoulder.

 

Jason could only smile not saying a word. He then greeted the rest of his uncles and aunts. A few were asking about his parents while some asking about his accomplished siblings. Short answers were enough to satisfy these uncles and aunts of his. It was all smiles and laughter along with the same words of encouragement.

 

"Things will get better," said one of her aunts.

 

Jason left with the fake smile still hanging on his face.

 

--

 

Sitting at the far end of the hall at an empty table, Jason was eating in peace. His eyes glanced around and saw these people having fun, it got him thinking.

 

These people really don't care at all about the crack in the air.

 

The buffet, on the other hand, catered much to the client's desire and Korean food was nothing for this five-star hotel.

 

At least better than deliveries.

 

Since his tongue grew accustomed to delivery food, these high-class foods were cleansing his palate from those artificial flavors.

 

"Oppa," Jason tilted his head to the side seeing a cute lady dress in casual attire sat at his side.

 

"Oh," he didn't say much and continued on eating.

 

"Don't be so mean oppa, it's been a long time since we last met," said the woman who was in her early twenties.

 

"Speak in English Eugene, you know how my Korean is pretty rusty," said Jason.

 

"No can do, my mom's going to smack my head if she heard me talking in English, she said English is off-limits during the party," said Eugene.

 

While they were conversing another lad appeared and sat at the opposite end of the table.

 

"Yo, hyung. It's been a while," a cousin of Jason who was also in his early twenties.

 

"English, speak in English," said Jason.

 

"Sorry hyung, my English is kind of rusty. My Korean is better," said the guy.

 

"Yaa, Park Paul. You're born in New Jersey and you said you can't speak in English?" Eugene reprimanded Paul.

 

"Shut up Eugene, I've been studying at Seoul University for the past two years. You can't blame me for having rusty English," said Paul.

 

"Hmph, studying? From what I heard, more like every night drinking until you freaking faint," said Eugene with a smirk.

 

"What? You want a fight?" an annoyed look plastered across Paul's face.

 

These two started bickering while Jason sat there eating his meal ignoring these two.

 

"Hey, hey break it off you two," a man dressed in a fancy suit sat in the middle between the cat and mouse.

 

"Hyung, how've you been? Have you found a job yet?" asked the guy with a two-block hair cut.

 

Jason didn't bother telling this cousin of his to speak in English since the rest of them already ignored it.

 

"No, not yet," replied Jason as he munched down a rice ball.

 

"Ah, too bad. It's fine hyung, the economy is pretty bad lately, but hyung you want to try out a job in my company? The pay is pretty sweet but you're going to be under me, is that fine? Well, that doesn't matter right, as long as you got the money. We cousins need to help each other out, right. We..." this cousin of his kept on blabbering on with that condescending tone of his.

 

It really put Jason in a bad mood. He was already in an anxious state due to the crack in the air and now these cousins of his were driving his emotion to the edge. The sound of his fork dropped on the plate rang in the air catching the attention of these three noisy bunch.

 

"Oi, can't you piece of shits talk somewhere else? I'm freaking eating here and you guys got to mess it up huh. Eugene, why the heck are you here, go and talk with those people at Gina's table, and you Paul go f*ck off to Seoul if you can't speak English," he paused for a while taking a breather.

 

"and you David, f*ck off and mind your damn business," Jason stood up and left the hall after letting out his frustration at these younger cousins of his.

 

While the rest of the three sat there with a blank look on their faces. They didn't expect that to happen. After a few seconds, Eugene pouted.

 

"I don't like the people at that table."

 

---

 

At the emergency staircase, Jason sat there alone with a can of cola in his hand. He stretched his head in every angle before letting out a sigh.

 

"Those cousins of mine really annoyed me, at least Gina isn't there," said Jason as he complained to himself.

 

He opened the can of cola as the foam burst out. He frowned as he cursed out loud. Things aren't going well for this man. Then the door from behind him opened up. He glanced out of reflex and saw a person dressed in a rather glamorous dress. Their eyes locked at each other as silence surrounds them. It took him a while before something just clicked inside his head. Both of them spoke at the same time as their eyes opened up wide.

 

"It's you."

Jason Park, a man with ambition. At a ripe age of twenty-nine, he took this risk to struck big at the famously known street of Wall Street. Like any human in the whole world, money is everything. Yet for him, things didn't happen as he expected. Burn out and failing another one of his job interviews, he dragged his feet over the sidewalk of New York City. Yet something unexpected happened, a cry for help coming from the dark alley of the city. A city well-known for its two sides of light and dark. He hesitated at first but his morality swayed him. He came to help but what he found only opened a door that he wish it wouldn't open. 

He was the first and it wouldn't be the last.

An encounter that will bring forth a New World order.

A world hungry for blood, sweat, and tears.

While doing some pretty standard paperwork Geneva pops her head in and says " hey Adrian the Colonel is struggling to interrogate that pilot we dragged in wanna watch"

"Sure why not that sounds fun"

After putting away my work we run to interrogation and see the colonel yelling at the very cute North Korean pilot while pacing and smacking the table while saying things like "If you don't tell me where your friends are hiding right now I'll have to get physical with you and nobody wants that do we hehehe"

After he says that the pilot responds in Korean  " Please Sir I'm telling you what you want to know but you aren't even trying to listen and you don't even have a translator for this interrogation. I mean fuck are you even qualified to hold that rank or did you just weasel your way up in rank politically" thankfully I learned to speak Korean while stationed in South Korea so I'm translating all of this for Geneva while we're both laughing our asses of while watching this until I see the Colonel raise his hand to slap the pilot so I rush in to stop him.


"That's enough Colonel you are acting like an idiot I mean fuck you didn't even call for a translator even after finding out she doesn't speak English so back off and let me translate or do you need to start a committee for that asshole"

While looking at me like he's never been confronted with his own stupidity before he says " Go ahead Private see if I care but just know I'm going to report this"

"Fine go away now sir" he walks away and I say in Korean " Hello Ma'am I am Private Class Adrian Nygaard and I am here to interrogate you now please what is your name ma'am"

"Finally someone who speaks Korean I am Captain Ling Kwan but you may call me Kwan and I would like to defect to your ship and in exchange I will provide information on where my former comrades are based and the location of a habitable planet and all I ask is to be allowed to fly a ship,not be treated like a prisoner, and just because you are extremely handsome I'd like a kiss now how much of that will I actually get" she says with a relieved smile on her face.


"Well I can give you the kiss" I say as I give her a short kiss on the lips" but I have to ask my commanding officer about the other stuff okay Kwan"

"Of course Adrian I understand it's what I expected"

After she agreed with me I went to the General's office and asked him "Sir I managed to get the North Korean Pilot to defect but her conditions are that she wants to continue being a pilot and to simply be treated as a person oh and a kiss"

General Smith looks at me looking confused and says "wait is that it, like you're being serious with me"

"Yes sir that's it so is it approved sir"

He thinks for a minute and says "Sure but she's your responsibility understand oh and I'm reinstating you as a Captain because those charges were total horseshit so goodbye kid"


After making my way back to interrogation I tell Kwan " your requests are all approved but you are under my command and you are now a lieutenant and you will have to take english classes is that satisfactory Kwan"

She answers "sir yes sir"

After setting Kwan up with a bunk, uniform,and set up her daily english class I go back to my bunk put back on my Captain's strips and finish up my paperwork before going to bed.

we join our hero Adrian Nygaard as he tries his best to keep the earth refugee fleet safe after humanity left the decayed corpse of the earth using his wits and a mysterious alien technology that lets him purchase gear, ships,
and creatures from popular sci-fi media like movies and videogames

They were freshmen from Japan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea who had been selected by Hermes thanks to Qin Guan. The show required six Asian models, six African models and some white models. The boys felt really lucky to be on the stage.
The three Asian men expressed their gratitude and respect for Qin Guan. Their feelings had nothing to do with his age. They were only based on his achievements.
Daisuke Ueda took a deep bow before Qin Guan and stretched out his hands sincerely. When Qin Guan shook his hands kindly, the Japanese model looked up at him in admiration. He felt extremely flattered. Japanese people admired power and only obeyed people with authority.
Singaporeans, on the other hand, were more cunning. They only cared about profit, and power and money governed over the fashion circle. Age and appeal meant nothing to them. They only liked to cooperate and compete against each other.
Meanwhile, the Korean model walked closer to Qin Guan. This was rare, as Koreans were usually unable to read a situation correctly. This model had been born and raised in America though. He had received standard American education, so his English was much better than his Korean.
Thanks to the American media, he knew all about Qin Guan's status in the fashion and entertainment circle.
The industry was no heaven. Stories about the complexity of human nature circulated among the handsome models. 
Qin Guan had changed a lot through time. He was no longer the crazy model that had participated in the Chinese Fashion Week. Back then, he had accepted any offers he could get and left nothing for other models.
Now he had reached the top of the pyramid and was able to choose the best jobs, so there was enough work left for the struggling male models.
Everyone was grateful for his kindness.
The shining star left with his team amid the grateful gazes of his peers.
Far away from that noisy site, Qin Guan and his team found a good restaurant where they could have a party.
People had big dinners in France. The country had long enjoyed a good reputation for its delicious food, but finding delicious food at a reasonable price was really hard. French restaurants always charged too much.
If one travelled to Paris from far away, it would be a letdown for them to end up having dinner in Chinatown in District 13. Qin Guan's keen nose detected a small restaurant in a narrow street in District 10. A wonderful smell filled the entire street.
It was already 10:30 pm, so the restaurant welcomed their last wave of customers before closing time. The room was crowded with eight people.
A French girl with red cheeks and freckles walked over to them with a pencil.
"What would you like?"
Her English was poor. Despite the foreigners pouring into the city during the Paris Fashion Week, French citizens did not stoop so low as to learn English.
Qin Guan smiled warmly at her. "Where is the menu?" he asked in standard French.
The happy girl pointed at the paintings on the wall. "Right there!"
It was so simple!
"Beef, parsley and onion stew, served with a secret sauce."
"Chicken with tarragon and lemon meatballs, fried in various sauces."
"Mutton with cilantro, cumin and soy sauce, fried in alcoholic beverages."
 "Pork with fennel, red pepper meatballs and soup, the best choice for bread dipping."
"The vegetarian meatballs are a perfect mixture of chickpeas and eggplant, so they are refreshing, but not greasy."
There were various ingredients and cooking methods used. Everyone understood the menu thanks to Qin Guan, who translated it from French.
All the dishes cost a fixed 20 euros. For an extra five euros, one could get a soft drink and a portion of vegetables.
Everyone began feasting on the delicious meatballs. Even the restaurant's small bowls looked like artwork.
Each portion included five meatballs. When one cut them with their knife and fork, they could see steam rising from them. The tasty juice, spices and meat were a perfect match. This food was definitely worth the trip to France.
After dinner, they had some vegetables, fruit and cheese to clean their mouths. The soda bubbles in their glasses were twinkling like the stars in the sky of the strange city.
Hello, Paris, the place of any Chinese fashion designer and model's dreams.
Farewell, Paris. Qin Guan had changed the rules once again.


Qin Guan was reborn and sent back to his final semester in High School 18 years ago. Getting a second chance at life, he works hard to turn things around and eventually become a Prince Charming. What will his life be like the second time around? What will he have to go through? How will he succeed in turning from a loser into a Prince Charming? Read this story carefully and find out!

One word from the Duke was taken like a gospel to the Kurds in the royal territory.
The Kurdish people, who were forced to marry their fourth cousins, finally had a chance to break the cycle of the bad tradition now. The recommendation that the royal leadership and elders made for the sake of harmony among people was like an order to the Kurds because they valued authority more than traditions.
As the invisible barrier between people collapsed, Kurdish young ladies began to pursue men actively as they were so excited to break the tradition of pre-arranged family marriage which was a marriage between clan families.
Restaurants, pubs, and coffee shops in downtown were flooded with Kurdish women who were old enough to get married. Aside from the family marriage tradition, the Kurds encouraged marriage between Kurds because as part of the movement to give birth to many Kurds to make their own country.
Kurds living in Turkey and other countries had maintained a high birth rate, giving birth to more than one child in order to have a bigger population of Kurds in the future to pursue the goal of forming their own country. But for the Syrian Kurds who moved to the Kazakh royal territory, such goals were inevitably tarnished. It was because Princess Jelyan who was also a Kurd was already in the royal family.
Since Kazakhstan, home to a large number of ethnic groups, was proof that different people could live in harmony, the Syrian Kurds also had a different stance from Kurds living in other countries.


"Your Highness, it looks like Kurdish ladies are more fond of this than others. We might have to get ready for a joint wedding soon."

"Is there a reason why Kurdish ladies are attracted to Korean men?"
 
"Oh, you didn't know that Kurds have a history with Korea? Korea is a special country for Kurds. Sixty percent of the Turkish troops that were dispatched to the Korean Peninsula during the Korean War were Kurds. They have a strong affinity to Koreans because they think they share blood with Koreans."


Youngho felt like he was struck by lightning to hear the history between the Kurds and Koreans. He was not a nationalist, but he had a good feeling about the countries that sent troops to help South Korea during the Korean War. He praised the noble decision of those countries to shed blood for Korea. Whether voluntarily or not, their blood and sweat enabled Korea to survive as a free and democratic nation.


"That's a great coincidence. Accepting the Kurds has been paying back their grace."

"I think there are quite a lot of people who think that. The Kurds are very proud of that connection with our royal family."

"I thought our connection started from Jelyan, but it started from the Korean War."

"I thought you already knew that. That's why I thought you were taking care of the Kurds."

"It had nothing to do with Korea. The situation of the Kurds and our need to increase the population matched well. Of course, the fact that Jelyan is a Kurd played a big part."


Women in the Kurdish society had a very high status compared to other Muslim regions.
In particular, because of the relatively secular nature of the Kurds, they did not impose hijabs on women and allowed them to be actively involved in social activities.
They were also famous for their fast learning and adapting characteristics as they had to adapt themselves to live in different countries for generations. Being quick-witted also meant being smart.
This was something one could see right away from their language skills.
There were various ethnic groups living under the Arirang royal territory, including Serbs, Kazakhs, and Kurds, and each language was different from each other, so the official languages of Arabic and Russian must be mastered as basis.
Learning English was also necessary because the royal territory had many foreign companies and English was a must for students to study abroad, unlike other regions of Kazakhstan.
It would have been confusing to the Kurds as they moved to the royal territory where so many languages coexisted. Nevertheless, Kurds' language skills developed surprisingly fast. The Kurdish ladies who gathered in downtown already spoke English to the extent that they could communicate with Korean men. For French-speaking Kurds, English was not such a difficult language, just as Europeans spoke English rather easily than people in other regions of the world.


"Wow, they had been ignoring Korean guys so far even though they could communicate with them."
 
"You know Korean guys are not so fluent in English, and they are quite shy. That didn't really help either."


It turned out that the Kurdish ladies were interested in Korean guys in the first place, but they were reluctant to associate with them because of their marriage tradition.
The wall between them fell apart after Youngho's announcement, and now streets, cafes, and restaurants were full of young people who enjoyed dating despite the cold weather.
Soon after that, Park Jong-il's wife, Karajan, opened a marriage agency business and led a group to a blind date, and it received explosive interest among young people.
Since a soldier or civilian worker in the military would automatically receive a home if married, ladies were attracted to such perks, too.
 
 
***

 
The end of the year was already closing.
However busy Youngho was, he spent the end of the year with his family, so this year he decided to take a short vacation on the Arirang Island in the Aegean Sea.
Construction of the docks and related facilities were still in full swing, but the royal villa and runway were roughly completed, so it was not inconvenient to stay there for a while.
The royal family's travel was usually accompanied by many guards and entourages, but the travel to the Arirang Island did not need such a fuss as the island was safer than the royal territory. Fatima, who hated hassles, loved to have a private and cozy family trip.


"Fatima, did you hear from Zeynep?"

"She will arrive tomorrow."

"Why is she not coming home already? What's so fun in Denmark?"

"I think she's into watching Szechenyi's kids. You know how she loves children."
 
"She's not dreaming of getting married yet, is she?"

"She said she will live freely and will get married after 30, so don't worry."

"What? Live freely?"

"Haha... Why are you so surprised? Don't worry, she's such a good girl, and don't bother interfering because she's an adult now."

"Oh, don't say that I'm interfering in her life. It's because I'm really worried as if I let an infant go by herself outside."

"She knows that, and she is very careful about her actions. Can't you tell that already? I mean, she doesn't even have a boyfriend yet."


She had been in college for three years already, and it sounded like a problem if she never had a boyfriend yet.
 
 
"I hope it's not because she's not popular."

"Oh, she's surrounded by guards all the time. Who would dare to approach her? So please loosen it up for her a little bit."

"I must have been too strict on Zeynep."


At that moment, the life of Kurdish women flashed across his mind. They were forced to
marry men whom they did not love because of their tradition. He felt sorry that he had been too strict on Zeynep's life.

 
When Zeynep arrived, the royal family left for the Arirang Island on a small jet.
It was a trip of a little more than four hours, and Leon and Jelyan were not still even for a second throughout the whole time although they were on a narrow plane.
Jelyan, who was now becoming a lady, acted like a child whenever she was with Leon. Moreover, Zeynep's joining had added even more excitement to the trip. As they met their aunt after two months, they had to make a noise.
Rena was on vacation, so she had gone back to South Ossetia to be with her mom.
Looking at Jelyan's bright smile, Youngho smiled.
 

"Jelyan has grown so much."

"She grows so fast. This time, Jelyan connected a Kurdish lady to a Korean man."

"What does she know about marriage?"

"Among the Kurdish ladies who volunteered to assist Jelyan, there is a girl who has lost her parents and brothers. Jelyan thinks about her dearly, and she introduced her to one of her bodyguard."
 
"Huh! She's quite a matchmaker."

"That's not all. You won't even imagine how much she takes care of war orphans. She asked Zeynep's foundation for support for the underage orphans."

"I see."

"She thinks of orphans like family. You know it wouldn't feel like others' business to her."
 

Fatima was in tears, but she managed to end her sentence.
Considering the horrendous situation she experienced in Istanbul's slums, she was not different from Jelyan and the other orphans. Youngho hugged her silently as she sobbed.

Empire of the Ring is a Korean modern fantasy epic adventure novel that sets in the nations of the Caucasus mountain range which separates Europe and Asia. The nations of Caucasus are regions of many conflicts over territories, ethnicities, and religions. The story begins as Lee Youngho, a warm-hearted Korean merchandiser, takes a business trip to a disputed territory of the Caucasus nations to sell Korean unmanned security systems only to get misconstrued as a spy and caught by Armenian militia. Youngho eventually gets involved with the militia and CIA to help out people of the regions from conflicts and works toward a birth of a new empire in Caucasus.

This is an ongoing novel from Korea with more than 750 chapters as of today. The pace can feel a little bit slow in the beginning but as the story unfolds, you will be drawn into the world of Caucasus. If you are a modern fantasy/adventure lover, you will enjoy learning about different regions and cultures in Eurasia and Eastern Europe as Youngho travels around the places. Happy reading! 

*Disclaimer: The following contains depictions of religion and ethnic disputes. We do not support the author's views, we are only translating and editing the novel. This fictional novel is inspired by real-world people, places, and events — the author has taken these people, places, and events and embellished them as characters with conversations and backgrounds as done in fiction.

After taking a short nap at the café, Gun-Ho felt much better and he seemed to recover from fatigue. He was about to leave the café when his phone started ringing.
"It's Attorney Young-Jin Kim. Is he calling to ask me to play golf again?"
"It's me, Young-Jin Kim."
"Hey, how are you?"
"When are you going to China to sign the contract for the joint venture?"
"I'm leaving after a month."
"When you get there, say hello to Professor Wang and Seukang Li for me. And I'm actually calling to ask you if you know any good traditional Korean restaurant. I thought you probably know good ones since you should have a lot of chances to go to those places for your business."
"There are a lot in Insa Town, aren't there?"
"The restaurants in Insa Town are good places to eat, not for drinking though. A friend of mine came from the U.S. and I want to treat him in a special place."
"He must be an important client for you."
"Yeah, kind of. He is my client and also a friend. Jien Wang knows him too. He went to Yale University with us as well."
"What is he doing for a living?"
"He is working at Lymondell Dyeon."
"Lymondell Dyeon? It's a very famous chemical company, isn't it?"
"Oh, you know of that company. Not many people know about the company unless they work in that field. How do you know about the company?"
"I used to work at a plastic factory, remember? We used their products."
"Really? That's good. Why don't you join us, Gun-Ho? He is a friend of Jien Wang; we are then all friends, right? He is the same age as us."
"Well, I don't speak English. I don't want to make the meeting uncomfortable."
"It's fine. I will be there interpreting for you."
"But still… You will be uncomfortable too if I join you there."
"I insist. Join us and tell me a good place to go with him."
"I know one place."
"Where? Reserve the restaurant for tonight then. I will treat you; I mean our law firm will treat us."
"Really? I guess I will have fun tonight."
 
Gun-Ho made a call to Ms. Jang at Hannam Town.
"President Goo? How have you been?"
"I'd like to make a reservation for three people for dinner tonight."
"What time are you coming?"
"Umm, let's make it around 7 pm."
"Is your party all young people like you, President Goo?"
"That's right. One of them is American."
"Oh, then I will prepare our young ladies who can speak English."
"You have ladies who can speak English?"
"Hahaha. Of course. We can cover Japanese and English."
"Wow. Your restaurant is an international business."
"Hahaha. President Goo, you do international business as well. I heard you will participate in a joint venture."
"My business is with China."
"China is doing very well these days. One of our clients who is a government official brought a Chinese person last week. Our client said he is a very important person."
"Who was it?"
"We are a secret bar, President Goo. We don't share any information about our guests. Hahaha."
 
Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.
"Let's meet up at the main entrance of Soonchunhyang Hospital in Hannam Town. I will send someone there by 7 pm to pick you up."
"You don't have to send anyone. I can find the restaurant if you send me the address."
"The restaurant has no business sign; you wouldn't be able to find it even with their address."
"A restaurant without a business sign? How do they bring their customers then?"
"Right. There is a weird restaurant like that. You will see once you come."
"Okay. Let's go there then. Hannam Town is good. Easy to access from my home at Daechi Town and the hotel where my American friend is staying."
 
Gun-Ho had a haircut and he was getting ready for dinner in Hannam Town. He wore a suit with a dazzlingly white shirt and a tie. He even applied perfume lightly that he purchased at a duty-free shop on the way home from China. Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover heading to Hannam Town while humming.
Gun-Ho arrived at the secret restaurant and bar, 'Pine.'
"Pine, it has been a while."
There were two bouncers standing at the entrance; they looked like in their late 20s or early 30s. They were wearing a black suit and stood there with good posture. They respectively asked Gun-Ho.
"Did you make a reservation with us, sir?"
"Yes, I did."
"Are you by any chance President Gun-Ho Goo?"
"That's me."
"I will show you the way. Please follow me."
When Gun-Ho entered through the door, Ms. Jang who was wearing a beautiful Korean traditional dress ran to Gun-Ho.
"President Goo! Welcome to Pine. You always look like a groom whenever I see you. Hahaha."
Ms. Jang led Gun-Ho to a room that was decorated with a folding screen bearing folk painting. There was a floor table covered with white paper and six-floor cushions embroidered with a crane, placed on the floor.
Ms. Jang took Gun-Ho's jacket and hung it on a hanger.
"You look different, President Goo. Last time I saw you, you looked like someone who just came to the city from the countryside. Now, you look like a sophisticated businessman. Hahaha."
"Really? Haha. People change with time, I guess."
"Where are you supposed to meet with your party?"
"Could you send one of you waiters to the main entrance of Soonchunhyang Hospital? They would be easy to be found; one is Korean and the other is American."
"Sure, I will send someone there."
"The Korean man's name is Young-Jin Kim. He is an attorney at Kim&Jeong."
"Oh, Kim&Jeong? Several senior attorneys from there come to our bar often."
"And you can't tell me their names."
"Now you know."
Ms. Mi-Hyang Jang pinched Gun-Ho's arm lightly. Gun-Ho could smell her perfume.
 
When Gun-Ho was having warm tea, he heard people talking outside.
"I guess they arrived."
The room door was opened; Young-Jin Kim and his American friend entered the room. Gun-Ho stood up to greet them.
"Hey, Gun-Ho. Good to see you, man. I never expected to see a place like this inside Seoul City. My American friend couldn't stop saying 'wonderful.'"
"Really? I was hoping you liked the place."
"This is Richard Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon."
Gun-Ho and Amiel greeted each other and exchanged their business cards. Gun-Ho always carried two versions of his business cards. One was written in Korean and Chinese, and the other one was written in Korean and English.
"A real estate development company?"
Amiel stared at Gun-Ho's business card for a while.
"Let's have a seat."
Gun-Ho showed the floor cushion to sit.
"I'm not sure if your American friend could sit on the floor."
"He is fine. He is living in Tokyo right now. He doesn't have any problem with sitting on the floor."
Amiel looked around the room.
"This place is wonderful!"
Amiel showed his interest—particularly in the folk painting on the folding screen.
"Attorney Kim, can you tell him that the folding screen he is staring at right now is antique, about 500 years old, and the price is 1 billion won."
Attorney Kim interpreted what Gun-Ho said to Amiel while laughing.
"What?"
Amiel's eyes widened in surprise.
Gun-Ho and Young-Jin laughed loud by looking at Amiel's facial expression.
 
Ms. Jang entered the room.
"Are you having fun here? What's so funny?"
"Oh, this is Mi-Hyang Jang. She is a famous actress in the old days."
"Oh, really? I'm Young-Jin Kim."
"This guy is an attorney at Kim&Jeong."
"We have several clients from Kim&Jeong, senior attorneys. But don't ask me who, because I can't tell. Hahaha."
"Oh, really? I love the atmosphere of this place. My friend here from the U.S. loves the place as well."
While they were talking, the waiters brought a big floor table that was already set with all sorts of Korean food and liquor. Amiel looked at the food on the table with a curious look on his face. He started trying and tasting each dish.

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

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