Artifact Reading Inspector

“Yes, a few. But why do you ask? Are you thinking about smuggling in artifacts from North Korea?”

“I haven’t decided on anything. I’m just curious.”

That was a vague answer. Usik then glanced at Haejin and pointed at his porcelain while saying, “First, pay for that. How much do you think it is?”

The Goryeo celadon was about 50cm tall. Its shape was that of most porcelain vases, with its top wider than its bottom.

However, there was a small difference. There were two rings that looked like ears attached to its shoulder.

Haejin didn’t even have to use his magic. It clearly was a genuine Goryeo celadon. It was invaluable.

“How much do you want for it?” Haejin asked.

“Are you trying to bargain with me?”

“No, I just want to know how much you want to get for it,” Haejin replied.

“What are you going to do if I say I want ten billion won?”

“Umm… honestly, this museum doesn’t have such a huge sum of money yet.”

Haejin’s answer sounded somewhat like a joke. Usik was about to accuse him, but then he decided not to. He then glared at Haejin for some time.

“Hmm… you know how to touch people’s conscience. Fine! Give me just a billion,” Usik said.

Haejin smiled.

He had asked Usik to name his price because he wanted how much of the story he had told was true.

If he really wanted that artifact to be kept well in Korea, he wouldn’t have said a higher price. That was why Usik said he knew how to touch the people’s conscience.

In the end, Usik asked for a billion. It was a huge amount of money, but as for the price of the celadon, it was way too small.

“Would a billion be enough for you?” Haejin asked.

Usik then answered, “Stop making me feel so troubled! Just promise me you will never sell this abroad, and I will give it to you at a billion.”

“Okay, I promise.”

Haejin immediately called a member of the staff to write the contract.

He transferred the money and told the staff to take the porcelain to the preservation room. Then, he turned to Usik again.

“Why don’t we start where we left it? Do you still have some friends in Sinuiju?” Haejin asked again.

“Of course. I used to work there for more than a decade. Every grave robber and artifact dealer in there knows me,” Usik replied.

“Are North Korean artifacts still being sold to China?”

Usik frowned and sighed, “Hu… yes, a lot of them, but not in huge amounts. As I said before, most fake porcelains going around in North Korea are brought in through Sinuiju, and most of them were made in South Korea. So, South Korean porcelains in North Korea are relabeled as North Korean porcelains. Then, they are sent to Sinuiju again and then to China.”

“Oh… they must not have enough technique to make fakes themselves,” Haejin commented.

“Yes. It’s not like traditional porcelain manufacturing skills are still alive in North Korea, and even if they were, where can porcelains be made? They must be brought in from South Korea and China…”

“Anyway, North Korean artifacts are still leaving the country through Sinuiju, right?” Haejin asked.

Usik then confirmed, “Yes. Do you happen to know any government official? Then, I could understand your thinking…”

Haejin just smiled and stood up while saying, “I cannot tell you anything as I haven’t decided yet. I will call you later.”

“Well, okay. Then, here is my phone number.”

Usik could guess what Haejin had in mind. So, he smiled and left.

The business card he left had his phone number and the name of his company, ‘Taeil Trade’.

“Hmm… it’s remarkable.”

After a few days, Jeong Sanghun of the National Intelligence Service came to Haejin’s appraisal room.

He was looking at the celadon Usik had sold. He kept exclaiming, then looked up and said, “But you are showing me this because…”

Haejin explained, “The man who sold this to me a few days ago used to rob graves in North Korea and China, then sell artifacts. He has decided to settle here recently.”

“Hmm… in short, you are openly admitting this is a stolen good. So?”

Haejin continued, “Of course. It is illegal, but let’s think about the greater good here. A number of North Korean artifacts are still being smuggled out through Sinuiju. They are mostly fake, but some of them are real artifacts. I know the government cannot openly intervene in this. It can become a diplomatic problem, but are you going to let those artifacts be sold abroad?”

“Go on,” Sanghun was waiting for Haejin to finish.

“I’m not asking you to do anything about it. I’m just… asking you to open a hole at Incheon customs.”

Sanghun’s jaw dropped in shock and said, “Are you asking a NIS agent to help with illegal artifact smuggling?”

“Or you can let those artifacts be sent to foreign countries,” Haejin replied.

“Hmm… you do know I cannot decide on this, right?” Sanghun asked.

“Oh, of course.”

Haejin wasn’t doing this because he was sure it would work. He was just asking because he felt bad about North Korean artifacts being sold abroad.

He thought it was worth a try, and if didn’t work, he was going to give up.

He thought the NIS would probably not accept it, so he didn’t have much expectation.

However, a few days later, Sanghun came back and said something unexpected.

“Was the man who sold you the celadon Choi Usik of Taeil Trade?”

“Huh… you investigated me?”

“Well, that sounds too serious. I just did some research,” Sanghun replied.

“Hmm…”

“Haha, don’t take it too badly. We had to know something to decide whether or not to help you. Plus, we cannot open the customs in your name. A company’s name would be better…”

“Then…”

“I think we can do it if we use Taeil Trade’s name,” Sanghun said.

“Wow, honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, but you are really helping me.”

Sanghun seemed to be rather surprised at this, “Oh, but we even asked you to rob a tomb in Japan before! Why were you not expecting this much? You even looked like you were asking this because you thought we would say yes… you are very good at acting.”

Well, they had asked Haejin to rob graves in Japan.

It was only possible because they were the NIS.

“Are you saying it is really possible?” Haejin asked.

“You must know you cannot do this alone anyway, right?”

“Yes. I would need someone who knows about Chinese antique markets and Sinuiju,” Haejin replied.

That was also why he had asked Usik if he still had friends in Sinuiju.

“If we are to work with Mr. Choi Usik, we must do more background checks on him first. It might take some time. It may take a month or six months,” Sanghun then explained.

“And if he proves to be fine?”

“Then the rest would be easy. You and the company will do everything. Me and my colleagues will just have to open the customs for you and check the artifacts that come in, so it wouldn’t be hard,” Sanghun answered.

It was easier than Haejin had thought.

In the end, he called Usik and told him about what had happened. He offered him to work with him to buy North Korean artifacts in China with the help of the NIS.

Usik agreed, probably because he still felt bad about robbing graves in the past. He said that he would stay in Qinghazhen, China, to prepare until the NIS gives him permission to work with Haejin.

So, Haejin got an unexpected business like this. Meanwhile, people kept coming to him.

Most of them had seen him on TV and wanted his appraisal. A few of them made a fuss and insisted on meeting Haejin immediately because they didn’t want to wait in line.

There were these kinds of people who had to be treated differently everywhere. They sometimes raised their voice at the museum, but the staff had been instructed to not give in to that kind of attitude. They just erased their names from the waiting list.

Although Haejin’s appraisal fee was high, people still kept coming. His fee alone was now enough to run the museum.

After a few days, Silvia finally called him.

“Do you remember the place we met before?”

Surprisingly, she spoke in Korean.

“Wow… your pronunciation is really good!” Haejin commented.

“I’ve been studying a little.”

She was now speaking fluent Korean.

Haejin finished working and arrived at that small coffee shop in Gangnam. A beautiful woman smiled when she saw him and waved her hand.

Her blue eyes like a lake were just like before, but her chin had gotten sharper and she was now even more beautiful than before. Haejin couldn’t take his eyes off from her for some time.

“Have I become pretty?” Silvia asked.

“Yes, you used to be beautiful before, but now…”

“That is why they say this country is the heaven of beauty. Sit down, others are watching!”

“Oh, of course.”

Haejin was embarrassed for being stunned like that and quickly sat down. Silvia then got coffee for them.

“Has anything strange happened?”

Silvia smiled and shook her head, “No, not at all. They haven’t shown any movement since you took care of their members here. I think they are gathering power.”

She couldn’t explain well in Korean yet, so she spoke in English.

“They are gathering power? What do you mean?” Haejin asked.

“You can’t be thinking those few men you have taken care of are all of the Trinitatis, right?”

“Of course not,” Haejin replied.

Silvia then explained, “They must be summoning their members spread all around the world. I don’t know what they are planning to do… but you must get more power, just in case.”

“I am quite strong now.”

Haejin was not bluffing. He really meant it.

“Honestly, I don’t know anymore. Have you gotten strong enough? Or do you need more power? You are living in a world I do not know, so I can only help you,” Silvia replied while looking into his eyes.

He thought he wouldn’t feel nervous because of a pretty woman as he had gotten used to Eunhae’s beauty, but Silvia’s face felt somewhat different.

“Let’s go on a trip,” Silvia suddenly said.

“A trip?”

“Yes.”

“To where?” Haejin asked.

“Sichuan, China.”

It was where Liu Bei used to hold power.

“But why…”

“I’m not saying we should go immediately. I must find out more… but you must make time. If I’m right, you have to go there,” Silvia was insisting, and there had to be a reason for it.

“Okay. I don’t know when it will be, but when you decide, tell me,” Haejin replied.

“Haha! Okay. Oh, and Mat Vellin is coming here in a few days.”

Mat Vellin was an appraiser of the Abu Dhabi family and managed the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Why was he coming to Korea so suddenly?

“Mat Vellin? Why is he coming?” Haejin asked.

“Because of me, and you. For these two businesses.”

Haejin didn’t have to ask what the business about Silvia was, but as for the one about himself…

“Does he have something to be appraised?”

“He didn’t tell me the details. I didn’t ask, as I wouldn’t be of much help. He will arrive on the weekend,” Silvia replied.

“Oh… okay.”

“Then we should leave now.”

Silvia stood up without finishing her coffee, then Haejin also quickly stood up while asking “Are you going somewhere again?”

“No, let’s go to have lunch. We haven’t had a proper date yet, do you know that?”

Haejin couldn’t help being confused by the unexpected comment and started saying, “Oh… then where should we go? Is there…”

“Let’s go to eat Ganjang Gejang*.”

“What?”

Silvia had lived in Abu Dhabi for more than 20 years, and she wanted to eat Ganjang Gejang…

*Ganjang Gejang is a Korean food. It is raw crabs marinated in ganjang (soy sauce).