Chapter 47: Mark (Part 1) (First Update)

  I got up early and finished writing what I didn't finish yesterday, and sent it out ahead of schedule! This plot occupies only a few chapters, about two chapters or so. The investment and all that won't be mentioned much, mainly because I wanted to take this opportunity to let Mark make an appearance, not just exist as a symbol. According to my idea, the protagonist will have more opportunities to cooperate with him in the future, holding shares can only be considered as a stepping stone.

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  "All of a sudden, why do you want to go to America?"

  The next day, Quan Baogen rushed back to the company after receiving a phone call and was surprised to see An Junhe sitting leisurely behind his desk.

  An Junhe got up and poured him a cup of hot water, smiling: "A friend invited me to go over there and take a look, haha, can't refuse, no way."

  "But it can't be now!" Quan Baogen fiercely scratched his recently thinned hair, "When is it not okay to visit friends? I received the news last night that an investor is preparing to buy the copyright of the drama you're in from KBS. The person who revealed the message to me said that the TV station is a bit moved, and maybe they'll really sell it soon. At this time, how can you go abroad? What if both parties reach an agreement and the new production side wants to gather the main cast, but you're in America and can't come back? How am I supposed to explain to them?"

  He looked worried and unhappy.

  If it were another agent, the artist under him would have been scolded severely for making such a decision on his own, but he couldn't, or rather, didn't dare. Although he had been trying to forget it intentionally recently, no matter how hard he tried to hypnotize himself, he just couldn't shake off the image of that day when Ahn Jun-ho was standing next to him, and that young man named Cha Won-seong had a handgun holstered under his arm. That was a firearm, a terrifying weapon that ordinary people could hardly access. In his impression, only official institutions, private bodyguards, and gangsters possessed such things.

  This realization made him curious about An Junhe's true identity, but only to the extent of curiosity, without any desire to investigate further. After all, for him, whether it was a personal bodyguard or a gangster, the meaning and background they represented were not something he could afford to provoke. At the same time, he had some fear in his heart towards An Junhe.

  He thought for a moment and sighed: "......Do I really have to go?"

  "Hmm! If possible, I don't want to leave at this time either." Ahn Jun-hee nodded and said that negotiations for the acquisition of KBS's copyright have begun, which is exactly when he needs to pay close attention behind the scenes.

  "Alright, how long will it take?"

  "If everything goes smoothly, it will be done in two or three days. Even if it doesn't go smoothly, I'll still be back within a week."

  He said that in a week, plus the time it takes to get the documents ready, his brother's side and KBS TV might still not be able to come to an agreement, but no matter what, they won't delay things.

  Quan Baogen nodded, "Alright, I'll help you contact the person and get your passport and visa as soon as possible..." He glanced at An Junhe, hesitated for a moment, then said: "Don't try to cheat me, no more than one week."

  An Junhe cried and laughed, "Got it, do you want me to swear?"

  "Haha, if vows were useful, what would be the use of laws..."

  After a few jokes, Quan Baogen immediately used the company's channels to handle An Junhe's passport and visa. The company has frequent contact with relevant departments due to business relationships, so it is very familiar in this aspect. In just two days, Quan Baogen handed over all the documents to An Junhe.

  August 26th, still in the midst of a scorching summer, Seoul had just experienced a brief coolness after the previous cold air mass, but it has started to heat up again. The sun hangs high in the azure sky, releasing terrifying light and heat onto the ground.

  An Junhe boarded a plane bound for the United States in such weather.

  When the next day Xiu Ying and several girls wanted to play at his house for two days on the weekend, when Xiu Yan called him, he was already in a foreign country, that beautiful city by the sea - San Francisco, or its other name would make people more familiar:

  San Francisco!

  Buildings full of exotic flavors, the long iron rails and track cars laid out on the sightseeing route, white, yellow, black people speaking English, all of this is fresh for An Junhe, he has been abroad many times in his dreams, but most of them are within the Asian range, not many from the United States, and San Francisco, a city that has never been visited before.

  If he had the time, he might have taken advantage of this fresh feeling and played around a bit, but since his trip was urgent, he didn't have much leisurely spirit, so as soon as he got off the plane, he rushed to the train station.

  Su-yeon called when he was waiting for a train to Paro at the train station.

  As soon as the call connected, I heard Soo-young's loud voice on the other end of the line. I couldn't help but furrow my brow. "Where are you? Why is it so noisy?"

  "I...". An Junhe was about to say he was in San Francisco, but suddenly thought of something and burst out laughing, teasing her with "Guess!"

  His rare cuteness stunned Xiuyan for a moment, and she didn't know what had gotten into him. "How would I know... you..."

  Just then, on the other side, Ahn Jun-hee stood in the bustling waiting hall, holding up his phone high. The soft voice of the announcer reporting the train number through the broadcast suddenly turned into a signal and entered Su-yeon's ears. It was a language that was extremely familiar to her, as well as place names that were somewhat unfamiliar but never forgotten.

  Her heart suddenly started racing, an impulse she couldn't control surged up from the bottom of her heart, turning into excited emotions. Her face flushed red as she tightly hugged her phone and shrieked: "San Francisco... you're in San Francisco?"

  The ear-piercingly sharp high note was like fingernails scratching glass, making everyone in the dance studio shiver and get goosebumps. They all stared over in surprise, but she didn't care about that anymore, directly sitting on the floor, both excited and agitated, "Is that the San Francisco train station? Is it?"

  "Hahaha! Yeah, I'm at San Francisco train station now, got off the plane this morning and waiting for the train to Palo Alto!"

  She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat trembled and only made a choking sound.

  That was the city where she was born and grew up, holding the most carefree moments of her life. To her, that place was home. Now, the place she is in feels like a foreign land. In recent years, she has often thought back to the house and community she used to live in, the elementary school she attended as a child, the childhood friends she hasn't seen in a long time, and the warm, golden light of sunset that shone through the ships and skyscrapers at the harbor, bathing the entire city in its gentle glow.

  Many scenes appeared before her eyes, flashing quickly, and she couldn't distinguish the specific content. Those were her memories of ten years in that city, which had been buried deep in her mind. Today, they suddenly burst out all at once. Her head was slightly dizzy, and she didn't know if it was because of the intense heartbeat causing blood to flow too fast, or if it was the intense thoughts that made her spirit almost unbearable.

  It took her a long time to recover from this sudden and intense surprise, making an effort to calm her breathing, and asked in a trembling voice: "You... how did you go there?"

  "Ah, I have something to do in Paro, and I'll be passing by here... Sooyoung, do you want me to buy some things for you to bring back? It's been a long time since you've received gifts from your hometown, right?"

  "I did receive it every year!" The girl puffed out her cheeks and said stubbornly, then heard Ahn Jun-hee burst into loud laughter from the other side.

  Her family had all moved back to Korea, and the relationships she had here were severed by distance and time. Who would still send her gifts from afar? After laughing for a while, Ahn Jun-he looked at the train schedule and said, "Alright, my train is arriving soon, do you want me to help you carry something?"

  The girl, who was laughed at by him and felt a bit embarrassed, opened her mouth to say "no", but the memories that still flashed in her mind made her stop. She hesitated for a moment, then murmured: "If... if possible, can you go to where I used to live and take a picture of it? I... I want to see what it's become..."

  In the bustling train station, Ahn Jun-hee covered his ear with one hand and listened intently to her soft request. He didn't expect her request to be this, so he was taken aback for a moment before responding loudly: "Okay, I'll send you the address later, I'll go take a look before I leave... The train is arriving, see you later, bye!"

  “bye！”

  She blankly hung up the phone and sat still, her eyes staring blankly ahead, dazed...

  ……

  In the United States, San Francisco, Ahn Jun-hee, who had been on the bus for over an hour and was approaching his destination, received a text message from Soo-young.

  "This girl, so long, and still nothing?" she muttered softly to herself, saving the message.

  The areas near San Francisco are extremely densely populated, the trains rush by, and the scenery outside the window quickly retreats, except for buildings, there is no other place with such magnificent scenery, and naturally, it doesn't arouse people's interest in sightseeing. After receiving a message, I closed my eyes and rested for a while, and soon arrived at this time's destination, Palo Alto, a very delicate and charming small town.

  With his backpack on, Ahn Jun-hee got off the train and into this small town where Silicon Valley originated. The station was packed with people, and he was pushed forward by the crowd as he tiptoed to get a glimpse of someone outside the exit. He finally spotted a guy wearing a T-shirt and shorts, with slightly curly brown hair that looked like it hadn't been styled in a while. His beard seemed freshly shaved, with a noticeable scab on his chin...

  A young man holding a placard with the Romanization of An Junhe's name, looking around nervously in all directions towards this side of the passageway, his expression slightly tense.

  "Who would have thought he'd become a legend in the future? He probably wouldn't even believe it himself if he looked in the mirror..."

  Seeing a completely different confident, mature and yet still very young man on TV, An Junhe couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. He squeezed his way through the crowd, raising his hand high: "Mark! Over here! Over here!"

  The surging crowd drowned out his voice, and Mark outside the channel didn't notice him until a while later, hurriedly squeezing into the crowd, laughing and waving the sign in his hand.

  "Ah, Ahn, you're really tall..."

  "Never thought our first meeting would be like this," An Junhe said, laughing and crying at the same time. He put down his backpack and gave him a hug: "Mark, my friend, finally met you."

  This intimate gesture took Mark by surprise, and the initial awkwardness and shyness were all gone in the hug. The friendship accumulated over the past few months through online and phone conversations was immediately dispelled with this hug, eliminating the distance that had never been bridged before due to lack of close contact. He also hugged back tightly, "An, my friend, welcome to Palo Alto!"