Artifact Reading Inspector

“Where did you have it appraised?”

“What? That-that’s… if you are so sure, will you go talk to Yang Sangman?”

“Then, let’s go. We can visit the agency with him. Wait here for now, I need to change my clothes.”

Hwang could only nod, he didn’t expect Haejin to behave like this.

A while later, Haejin came out in a pair of jeans and a hoody.

Hwang had still some doubts on his face. He then said, “Let’s go. I came because I was shocked as well. But do you really know how to appraise artifacts?”

“Nonsense! If you don’t believe me, you shouldn’t have shown it to me in the first place.” Haejin answered bluntly.

Embarrassed, Hwang looked away.

“I thought all appraisers are the same. You did well the last time so I thought you would do well this time too, but you made a mistake.”

Hwang would rather put his faith in that expert than believing in Haejin.

It didn’t matter anymore. What happened has already happened, Haejin will never again waste his time with Hwang. He just wanted to see the face of the expert who said that the porcelain, which was worth tens of million won, was a fake.

“Where is that place? The appraising agency.”

“Ha! I told you it’s pointless to go there. It’s the ‘Cheonjin Appraising Agency’. It is a really famous appraising agency in the middle of Insadong. Don’t even bother going there and embarrass yourself. Just go to Yang and tell him that you are sorry. Then, give him the money back.”

“I will take care of it myself. Just let’s go.”

“Huh…”

His father was not just a grave robber. If he had the opportunity to graduate from university, he would have become a respected archeologist in Korea.

He was even called a legend in Insadong, everyone knew him there.

Yunseok was a great archeologist and grave robber. As soon as Haejin started to talk, the father took him to museums and galleries. Later, when he started to learn reading, he was taught Korean and Chinese.

Even though he couldn’t participate in the process, by the time he was in elementary school, he saw all kinds of artifacts that his father excavated.

While the other kids learned literature, English and math, he learned about paintings, sculptures and porcelains from his father.

If only Yunseok had bought land and a few apartments with the money he had gotten from grave robbing, Haejin would be a wealthy man by now.

Instead, Yunseok took Haejin and traveled around the world, visiting the Louvre, the British Museum, National Palace Museum of Taiwan and many others. Therefore, Haejin ended up living in the slums.

Of course, spending all their money and artifacts they had to get Yunseok out of jail was the biggest reason.

“Sir! He says that his appraisal is correct, and we should go back to the agency to find out more!”

Hwang took Haejin to that shabby real estate agency they had visited a few days ago. Yang Sangman was sitting in front of an old desk. Just in a few days, he looked much older. His back was bent and, while coming out, he was glaring at Haejin.

“Find out what? It is all over. Well, even if it was real, it’s not worth that much. The construction won’t be stopped, so both you and I are saved, Hwang. I was crazy to ask that young boy… you, give me my money and get the hell out of here!”

Haejin knew this was going to happen. So, he planned to go to the appraiser with Sangman since he was not satisfied with their answer… but now he changed his mind.

“Really? Okay, I get it. Then, how about this? Sell me those fakes. I will give you 1,000,000 won for each. I will buy them all. Oh, and I will give you back the 300,000 won you gave me.”

“What?”

“I will buy them all. You are going to bury the whole thing without telling the Cultural Heritage Administration, right? Or have you sold them all to that appraiser at an insanely low price?”

If that had happened, it would be the worst situation. However, Haejin didn’t think Sangman was that stupid. The expert was probably waiting for his scheme to work.

“No, but… will you really pay 1,000,000 for each? Wait, how did you know that there is more than one?”

“You wouldn’t have rejoiced so much just for 10,000,000 won. There must be more. Anyway, sell them to me. After what happened, it would be better for you to sell them at 1,000,000 per piece.”

Sangman and Hwang looked at each other, then, glanced at Haejin. However, they were not doubting the professional appraiser, they were scorning Haejin.

Maybe it was natural. Anyone would trust more an appraiser than a guy who works as a construction worker.

“You will buy them at 1,000,000 each? Really?”

“Yes, I will send you the money right now.”

Haejin had saved about 20,000,000 through labor. Moreover, it was unlikely that more than 20 porcelains came out of the site.

“Okay! Deal!”

“Oh, sir, if you decide it so hastily…”

Hwang tried to stop Sangman who had made the decision too quickly but, in the end, he didn’t back off since he wanted to give a lesson to this young man.

“What? 1,000,000 for each. Good. I can get rid of these useless things and resume the construction. Stay here, don’t go anywhere!”

Sangman told Haejin to not run away and hurried to get inside to bring the items. There were five of them in total.

“Well, will you buy them all? Huh?”

The white porcelains were all real and valuable.

There was even a bowl without any decoration, which looked worthless, but the mud and the glaze used were the best. They were grey with a soft glow.

The others were all Blue Flower White Porcelains. One of them was a dish that was used to contain water for the ink. It had an apricot flower and a bamboo drawn on it like the first one. The other three were all Red Dye White Porcelains that were 30cm tall.

They looked even better together. Unlike the blue porcelains, white porcelains may seem simple and dull but, because of their mysterious blue-white hue, you would never get tired of looking at them, so they were very valuable. Additionally, these white porcelains were able to keep their beautiful shape.

“Give me your bank account number and let’s write a contract.” Haejin said.

“What? Write what?”

“Write a contract that says you are giving me those porcelains at 1,000,000 for each. You said they are fake. I don’t want you to change your mind and come back to me after you give them to me.”

“Haha…”

Sangman just kept saying ‘haha’; however, even kids could tell that he was just dragging for time.

“What? Are you worrying about them turning out to be real? Then, I don’t have to give back that 300,000 won. Don’t bother me ever again. You should just blame yourself…”

Haejin showed his anger while Sangman’s face turned red.

“Okay! You think I can’t do it? How dare you boy talk to me like that… okay. Don’t you come back and beg to get that money back!”

Sangman took out a new piece of paper from his printer and wrote down the contract.

“Here! Send me the money and sign it with your thumbprint!”

“Okay.”

Haejin sent the 5,000,000 won to Sangman’s account with his smartphone, he then showed it to him, “You see! I sent the money.”

Next, he applied red paint on his thumb, stamped it on the contracts and then took one of the two contracts.

“They are all mine now, right?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then, I will take them all with me. I am also giving you back that 300,000.”

He put down that yellow envelope on Sangman’s desk and called a cab. He then got some paper boxes and newspapers from the nearby supermarket and carefully wrapped the porcelains with them.

As it was far from downtown, it took some time for the cab to arrive. Haejin got a soda from the supermarket and waited while Sangman came to him.

“Where will you go now? Are you going to that appraiser? It will all be in vain. Something fake won’t turn into real.”

“Of course, something fake will not turn real.”

“Then?”

“They were real in the first place.”

“Huh… you haven’t come to your senses yet. Young man these days don’t know how to value money. You don’t even think about saving money, huh? 5,000,000 won could be spent as the deposit money for rent!”

Haejin knew why Sangman was accusing him like that, his wish was that the items he sold were actually fake.

“Sir, you have never bought antiques, right?”

“Huh?”

“You have never bought some and I am the first person you sold them to, right?”

“Khmm…”

Sangman just coughed as he had nothing to say at this sharp question.

“When it comes to antique goods, you should never sell the things that have become yours so easily.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the last advice I can give you. Goodbye.”

The cab had arrived so Haejin carefully put the items on the back seat.

“Oh, you are crazy. This black cab is really expensive… you don’t know how to value money…”

Sangman kept tutting, but Haejin just smiled. Unlike what he said, Sangman had an urgent face as if he was about to cry.

Not caring about his feelings, Haejin closed the door.

“Sir, these are very valuable objects. If any of these cracks, you will have to sell your car. So please drive carefully. I don’t care about the fare.”

“Okay. All the better for me.”

The cab driver with some white hair drove slowly.

“Uh? Uh?”

Sangman couldn’t catch the car. He just grabbed the air and plopped down. Now, he felt that something might be wrong. The young man was so confident while he, himself, acted too quickly.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh, Jongro, Seoul.”

While Haejin wanted to keep scolding Sangman, he held it back. Sangman was a victim, there was a really bad guy out there.

He was going to Jongro instead of Insadong not to show that he had antiques but to leave the porcelains at a nearby business hotel.

The cab ride cost him 130,000 won, but he paid with the card. Compared to the money he would get from selling those porcelains, this was nothing.

Once he was at the hotel, he put the things in his room, took a water container and headed to Insadong.

He started whistling. Even though he had just a few porcelains, he felt like he had the whole world.

Suddenly, he missed his father.