Chapter 1551 Nurturing (1)

Whirrrr... Rumble...!

Rays of pure white light filled up the spacious interior of a certain building. The light soon faded away, revealing the figures of Choi Yeon-Ha and Han Eun-Sol.

She propped herself up against a nearby wall, her head falling helplessly.

“Urgh...! Isn’t there something we can do about this stupid motion sickness?!”

Han Eun-Sol worriedly asked, “How are you holding up, noona? Is it bad?”

“No, I think I can hold it this time, but... Wuuuhp! B-blergh!”

“Ehhheii?! You can’t throw up here, noona!”

When Choi Yeon-Ha urgently bent forward and began retching, Han Eun-Sol freaked out and patted her on the back.

She yelled back at him. “What are you doing?! You only pat someone on the back when you want them to vomit!”

“Oops! You’re right!”

Han Eun-Sol quickly stepped back, allowing Choi Yeon-Ha to stand up straight again while shaking her head.

“Argh... Seriously! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that sensation. What about you, though? Are you okay, Eun-Sol?”

“I was also getting a bit dizzy just now. Kinda like... getting seasick? Maybe?”

“Oh? Have you been on a boat before?”

“Nope.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes. Was it really okay to have this idiot as her manager? When she was now a globe-trotting star?

“Hah-ah...” She groaned and shook her head again, then adjusted the time on her watch and the settings on her phone. While glancing around at their new location, Choi Yeon-Ha curiously muttered, “There’s no one here.”

Han Eun-Sol replied, “Apparently, no one’s allowed inside, noona. It’s to prevent any mishaps. Or so I heard.”

“Is that so?”

“Still, isn’t this so weird? It’s like I’m dreaming or something, noona.”

“This is not our first time, you know.”

“I still can’t get used to it, though.”

If Choi Yeon-Ha was being honest, she, too, felt the same way as her manager.

I mean... It feels like I’ve been lied to my whole life, you know?

She would’ve never guessed that amazing things like magic were real.

“I know it’s a bit weird to ask this at this point in our lives, but...” Han Eun-Sol cautiously muttered.

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at Han Eun-Sol. “Where are you going with this lengthy preamble?”

“Just who or what is our chairman, noona?”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut after failing to think of something to say.

Han Eun-Sol asked again, although his question was rhetorical in nature. “Is he an alien? Or maybe a metahuman?”

It’d be nice if Mister Jin-Ho was like that. Choi Yeon-Ha groaned in her mind. But the truth is, he’s a wrinkly old man inside, Eun-Sol.

“It’s about time I got used to it, but I can’t. I can’t understand a single thing, noona! Just how is something like this even possible?”

“Don’t try to understand, Eun-Sol, and just go with the flow, okay?”

“How am I supposed to rely on this thing if I don’t get it at all?”

“Do you know how planes fly, then?”

“...No, I don’t.”

“But you have no problem riding in one, right?”

It was now Han Eun-Sol’s turn to clamp his mouth shut.

From his perspective, both of those things made no sense. How could a massive lump of metal fly in the air? Or how could humans travel across such a vast distance in the blink of an eye?

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “Let’s keep it simple, Eun-Sol, and not worry about it, okay? If that’s not good enough for you, you can always fly in a plane.”

“Don’t say something so horrendous, noona!”

Han Eun-Sol shuddered in dread, as if he didn’t even want to imagine it.

They only needed a few seconds to reach America. Literally. But covering this distance in an aircraft would mean they needed at least ten hours. Ten hours of nonstop flying!

Of course, he could do that, no problem. If he had been going on a vacation or traveling in first-class accommodation and spending most of the flight lying on a luxurious seat, that was!

However, even with conditions like that, he’d still lose his patience pretty quickly. Imagine traveling to and from America twice a week; most people would rather swallow sleeping pills and sleep through the flights to keep their sanity!

Besides, that kind of schedule will no doubt sap our stamina, too.

All things considered, he should call this teleport magic circle thingy a blessing. To think he now had the ability to travel between America and Korea in mere seconds!

If such... technology could be mass-produced one day, it’d usher in an unprecedented revolution to the logistics business.

Although I know such a thing would never happen!

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at the distant doorway. “In any case... Let’s get out of here. No need to waste time in this place.”

“Agreed, noona.”

They exited through the doorway and ran into a group of people waiting for them right outside.

A smiling Caucasian man kitted out in a clean business suit and a pair of sunglasses stepped forward and greeted the duo in fluent Korean. “Welcome to America, Miss Choi! Thank you for visiting our country so soon. I have to say, you’re as beautiful as the rumors say.”

“Thank you for your kind words. But who am I speaking to?”

“Introducing myself is the correct etiquette, but... Mm, I don’t think that will be necessary this time, miss. I won’t be here all the time, after all. No, my role this time is to provide you with a brief summary of the current situation.”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. “A... brief summary?”

“Yes. As we’re MK’s alliance partner, we’d like to offer you several services. Firstly, whenever you use the portal, our side will coordinate with the Korean government to create records of you leaving and entering the two countries.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. The records will show that our side has provided you with a private plane.”

“I’m not sure I get it, but... You’re saying this will take care of potential problems?”

“Yes. It’ll certainly minimize the risk of paparazzo tailing you.”

“Now that’s wonderful news.”

“Also... Oh, would you like to discuss the rest while we head outside?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Choi Yeon-Ha stood a little prouder than before while walking ahead. But that was because inwardly, she had gotten a bit timid from this interaction.

Who could’ve guessed that I’d be conversing with someone from the American government? Not me, that’s for sure!

This was definitely different from being assertive toward an individual person.

However, her thoughts changed somewhat when another event greeted her as soon as her group stepped outside the building. The companion of the American “representative” rushed over to the corner of the building for some reason, before disappearing from view.

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head, then asked the representative. “Did something happen?”

“I’m not sure yet, miss. Why is he doing that, all of a sudden...?”

The American representative raised both hands as if he was flabbergasted. While Choi Yeon-Ha stood there thinking that it was not easy to get used to Westerners and their exaggerated mannerisms, a bald man making a hardened face walked around from the back of the building and approached her group.

“Y-you’re here, sir?”

The bald man stopped before the “representative,” before taking his own sunglasses off and scowling deeply. He growled in English. “Are you stupid enough to forget the details of your assignment?! Get out of my sight, now! Go back to the office and wait for your punishment. Don’t worry, because I’ll be the one personally punishing you later!”

“I’m sorry? D-Deputy Director! What did I do wrong?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Get out of my sight!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The representative, now looking stiff and well-disciplined, rushed outside, past the parking lot. The bald man, meanwhile, groaned softly before extending his hand toward Choi Yeon-Ha for a shake.

“Please excuse us, Miss Yeon-Ha Choi. Our side made a serious mistake just now. I hope you’ll graciously overlook this slip-up.”

He still spoke English to her, prompting Han Eun-Sol to translate right away.

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. “I’m sorry? What mistake?”

“I sincerely apologize. Unfortunately, some people in this world can’t help but get full of themselves just because they work for the government. He was assigned to this job because of his fluent Korean, but that was a mistake on our part, Miss Choi. Again, I offer you my sincerest apologies. We will properly punish that man, so if you don’t mind...”

The bald man furrowed his brow in slight exasperation.

“Could you refrain from informing him of what happened here?”

“Him? You mean... Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, him.”

“Excuse me, I still don’t know what that other guy did wrong, okay?”

“It’s a little tricky for me to explain. I’m sorry,” said the bald man.

Choi Yeon-Ha groaned. “I... I give up. Fine. Since nothing happened, I have nothing to tell, either.”

“Thank you for your generosity. My name is Evan Parker. Nice to meet you.”

The bald man, who had identified himself as Evan Parker, sighed deeply.

That motherf*cker!

Despite knowing who he was dealing with, that bastard dared to catcall Choi Yeon-Ha? While hiding his name, no less?! Had Evan Parker not assigned additional personnel to welcome Choi Yeon-Ha’s group, something horrifying could have happened today.

Every organization dealing with the Martial Assembly was aware of how much Kang Jin-Ho valued Choi Yeon-Ha. What if she went back to Korea and complained to him about what happened here today? Obviously, the news would reach the Department of Defense, and then...

The director will have my hide next!

Actually, it’d be a relief if the punishment ended there!

While sensing the cold sweat soaking his back, Evan Parker grinned like a kind uncle. “Allow me to take over the explanation. While you’re visiting our fine country...”

Evan Parker pointed toward a large luxurious sedan parked not too far from them.

“We will provide you with a chauffeur and a vehicle, plus a residence where you can relax after work. Make that two residences, actually. One will be a villa near your filming location, while the other will be a penthouse on the outskirts of the city. When you’re filming, you can stay in the villa, but you can also stay in the penthouse if you wish to get away from everything and just relax. Please use either one at your leisure.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh, and all the employees in both places are professionals. They will never divulge your information to outsiders. You have my word on that.”

“N-no, wait. That’s not what I’m concerned about,” said Choi Yeon-Ha while hurriedly waving her hands. “Why? Why are you providing us with all these things? I’m merely an actor, you know?”

Not only that, but an actor who barely passed her first audition in America, no less! That made her a fresh-faced rookie in this neck of the entertainment woods, didn’t it?

“Is it because I’m Mister Jin-Ho’s girlfriend? I’m not the type to shy away from riding on the coattails of my boyfriend, but this is still a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“Please don’t misunderstand our intentions, Miss Choi.”

“Sorry?”

“The American government... No, more correctly, the Department of Defense has signed a contract with the Martial Assembly and MK. Which means we will be in a cooperative relationship for the foreseeable future. It’s natural for us to make your stay in our country as convenient as possible, since you’re one of MK’s directors.”

“Oh...”

That kind of made sense?

Evan Parker was right. Choi Yeon-Ha indeed was a director at MK, wasn’t she?

“That’s why you don’t have to be uncomfortable about this arrangement. Feel free to use them as you see fit, Miss Choi. Also, just in case... Would you like to hire a professional interpreter? We can arrange one if you want.”

“No, that’s fine.”

Han Eun-Sol’s English wasn’t good enough to pass off as a native speaker, but having him translate should still be less inconvenient than dragging a stranger around everywhere. Even if that stranger was a paid professional!

“Understood. But if you change your mind later on, please call us right away. We’ll provide you with the best interpreter money can get.”

Choi Yeon-Ha nodded silently. If she was being honest here, it was getting harder to wrap her head around everything that had happened so far.

I shouldn’t kid myself. They wouldn’t be doing this because I’m a director working for MK.

Even if Hwang Min-Su or Lee Hyeon-Ju had come here, the American government would still have extended a warm welcome. But Choi Yeon-Ha had a hunch that the welcome they received wouldn’t quite match hers.

Well, as long as they are offering... I should gladly accept, no?

Choi Yeon-Ha tried to stand tall and proud again. As she had said before, she wasn’t the type to refuse the freebies on offer. It was just that her heart needed a justification to accept them with a straight face.

Evan Parker cautiously asked, “How is he doing lately?”

“You mean, Mister Jin-Ho?” Choi Yeon-Ha casually shrugged. “He’s the same as always. But you sound like you’ve met him before?”

“I’ve seen him from afar, but that’s about it, unfortunately. My position isn’t important enough for me to engage him directly.”

Choi Yeon-Ha looked at the bald American man in slight surprise after realizing something. This Evan Parker must be someone occupying a prominent position in the American government, judging from how easily he dismissed the other guy with only a few words. Yet he seemed genuinely scared of offending Kang Jin-Ho.

Geez. It feels like my boyfriend is treated even better outside of Korea.

Didn’t something similar happen in China, too?

Maybe because she had been hanging out with Kang Jin-Ho so often, Choi Yeon-Ha couldn’t really grasp his true status in society. But this moment helped her with getting a peek at the truth, and that brought a smile to her lips.

There was absolutely no reason to feel bad about her boyfriend going places, after all!

Choi Yeon-Ha smirked deeply. “So... We can call you anytime? If something happens to us during our stay, that is.”

Evan Parker nodded. “Yes. We’ll resolve it right away, whatever it is.”

“Oh, I see. Even if I’m having trouble with the director of the shoot?”

Evan Parker’s expression stiffened a little. “We... can’t exactly get involved in incidents involving private individuals or corporations, unfortunately. That’s our policy, after all.”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled airily. “I was only kidding! I’m not shameless enough to expect such things from you, anyway.”

“Oh, hold on. We can persuade some of the investors of the production you’re in and maybe increase your screen time...”

“Please calm down, Mister Parker. I was kidding. Really!”

“I see. Haha. What a relief.” Evan Parker laughed while heading toward the rear door of the parked black sedan. “Here, Miss Choi. We’ll drive you to your destination.”

“Wow. American taxis are huge, aren’t they?”

“It’s a high-class taxi, after all.”

After exchanging that little banter, Choi Yeon-Ha climbed into the rear seat. Han Eun-Sol hurriedly went around the other side and climbed inside, too.

“Then, I hope your stay in America will be a pleasant one, Miss Choi. Goodbye.”

Evan Parker smiled brightly and watched the car drive away.