Artifact Reading Inspector

What the shaman put on the table was a strange-looking silver cup.

“You’ll give me this instead?”

“Yes, but no discount.”

Did she know what it was?

The cup’s stand was in a bronze container with the heel and cupholder on the bottom and top. It had sawtooth patterns around its well-trimmed surface. Inside that circle, there were birds with human faces holding a flower, dragons, deer, birds, unknown animals, lotus flowers, and trees.

The diameter of the stand was about 15cm. It was not too small and not too big.

The silver cup itself was almost a hemisphere. It was also a casting. On the bottom, a separately made cylinder-shaped heel had been attached. It was clean and in good condition, not corroded at all.

“Hmm… okay. Let’s sign the contract.”

“Then, let’s do it now.”

She stood up as if she had nothing more to say. Her attitude clearly showed she was not refusing to sell the incense burner to get money.

The incense burner probably had some kind of shamanistic meaning. It was a shame, but Haejin couldn’t do anything more.

The agent smiled widely to see the deal proceeding so quickly and led them to his office. Haejin and the shaman followed him.

“You are very lucky, madam. Making the deal at this price without negotiation is impossible. You’re getting a lot more compared to the market price.”

The agent smiled as he printed the contract and brought it. She glared at him.

“I’m not a madam.”

Inside Yeonhwadang, she had a different aura, but outside, she was just a woman with pride.

“Oh, okay. Then, how should I call you.” ƒ𝑟𝙚e𝔀𝗲𝒃n𝒐𝘷𝗲Ɩ.c𝗼𝚖

“See my identification card over there. Ju Haejeong. Call me Ms. Haejeong.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

The agent was embarrassed, and his face turned red.

He sat down and asked, “Then, when you can leave the place?”

“I will move out as soon as I get the money. I’ve been planning to pray for a few years.”

She was probably going to go into a mountain to pray. Things were proceeding so quickly.

“Then, when do you want to pay the down payment and the balance?”

“I will pay at once today.”

“Oh, really? Then, Ms. Haejeong, could you move out tomorrow?”

She didn’t know it would be so soon. She hesitated and spoke.

“Tomorrow is too early. We have to make preparations, so we’ll move out the day after tomorrow.”

Haejin could understand that. What mattered now was to sign the contract fast, so they proceeded without saying much.

After signing all the documents and transferring the money, Haejin was relieved. Now, all that was left was to demolish the house after Haejeong leaves and to start excavating carefully.

Of course, he was also excited about the cup with the stand he had gotten.

After the deal, Haejeong left the agency and went back. Haejin followed her.

“Why are you following me?”

“Umm… I think it would be wrong of me to just go. Let’s write another contract.”

“What? What contract?”

“About this.” 𝐟𝙧ℯ𝑒𝒘𝐞𝒃𝗻𝒐ѵ𝘦𝑙.com

Haejin lifted the cup in his hand. She smiled.

“You think I will change my mind later? Oh… I serve a god. I cannot lie!”

“I’m not worried about you lying. As I have bought this, I want to pay you the right price. So, let’s go in first.”

Actually, Haejin felt a little nervous about going back to Yeonhwadang as Haejeong would have a strange change, but he decided to think that it would be fine.

And as for being strange, Haejin was even stranger than Haejeong who served a god. He had magic.

She would be more surprised than him.

Haejin went back to Yeonhwadang and wrote on a blank paper that he would buy the cup with the stand at a hundred thousand.

“A hundred thousand? You’ll buy this at a hundred thousand?”

Haejeong was shocked. Her eyes said that she couldn’t believe it. Judging from her attitude, she wasn’t possessed.

“Yes. This thing is worth it.”

She stared at the contract which read a hundred thousand won.

“You could have just taken it. Why are you giving me such a huge sum of money?”

“It’s just that ripping someone who serves a god off would make me feel uncomfortable.”

Haejeong liked the answer. Content, she smiled and nodded.

“Haha, of course. If my general gets mad, you will have to live in fear for the rest of your life. You thought well. However, I didn’t know this was that valuable. I hope this is not much more expensive than a hundred thousand? Answer carefully. My general knows everything.”

Haejin was doing that because of his conscience. It wasn’t like Haejeong was a foreigner. Buying an artifact at a dirt-cheap price from someone who didn’t know about its true value wouldn’t be much different from what a Gaidasis did a long time ago.

“Of course, I think it is worth more than a hundred thousand. That is why I’m offering you that amount. However, whether it is worth billions, I do not know.”

That was a lie and the truth at the same time. Although Haejin thought the cup would worth much more than a hundred thousand, as the Silver Cup with the Bronze Stand had never been sold on auction, he couldn’t assume the price.

The shaman narrowed her eyes to glare at Haejin, but soon he smiled.

“Okay. As the general does not say anything, I believe you. I’ll be able to give the poor Yeonok his retirement pay.”

She signed the contract.

“Then, I’ll start the construction three days later. You should leave before that.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Haejin sent a hundred thousand right in front of her. After finishing everything, he was delighted.

“Then, I hope you get much more divine power at a holy place. That incense burner is also an important artifact. Please keep it safely.”

She looked into Haejin’s eyes at this and spoke.

“Beware of alcohol.”

“Excuse me?”

Haejin was puzzled. She continued seriously.

“You might face great danger this year. You have avoided one with luck… but beware of alcohol, or you’ll surely meet death.”

She was possessed by god again. As first, Haejin had thought it was a little scary, but now he found it rather funny.

“Then, should I quit drinking?”

“That’s up to you.”

“Okay. I’ll be careful.”

Haejin bowed deeply and left Yeonhwadang with the cup in his hands, wondering why Haejeong wasn’t getting many customers when she had such power…

Haejin couldn’t just wait three days in Iksan, so he headed to Seoul. However, when he was driving on the highway, he got a call. It was Byeongguk.

He put on his earphones and answered. Byeongguk sounded urgent. He asked a question without even saying a hello.

“Haejin, where are you?”

“I’m going to Seoul now. I just passed Jukjeon Service Area.”

“Really? Then, you’ll be here in an hour, right?”

“I will if the traffic isn’t bad, but why? Is there something wrong?”

“Oh… do you remember who asked Sujeong to restore her painting, right? That rude and arrogant woman.”

“I do. And?”

“Her husband is the CEO of Korea Airlines. She almost tore Saeyeon Gallery apart!”

“Oh, really? There’s nothing that can be done. Although Ms. Eunhae didn’t sell it, Saeyeon Gallery did.”

“Huh? Why are you so calm? And Eunhae didn’t sell it?”

“I’m not surprised because I know how things are going. And Ms. Eunhae didn’t sell the painting. Vice Chairman Lim Sungjun’s wife, who used to own the gallery before her, did that.”

“Really? I had no idea?”

“But how did you know what is going on in Saeyeon Gallery?”

“That woman called Sujeong. She’s at the gallery now. She needed a witness as Sujeong is the one who found out it’s a forgery.”

Haejin planned to not care about it as Eunhae was supposed to handle it on her own, but Sujeong was involved in this. That troubled Haejin. He was worried that Sujeong might get into trouble.

“Okay. I’ll go as fast as I can. I’ll go straight to Saeyeon Gallery, so call me if Sujeong comes back.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Bye.”

Even though Haejin went through the highway fast, there was always a traffic jam at Seoul, so when he arrived at Saeyeong Gallery, more than an hour had passed.

As the sun had set, a bright light came out from the gallery.

Haejin couldn’t leave the valuable artifact inside his car, so he carried it with him and went in. He could feel the heavy atmosphere immediately.

“Oh, hello.”

A staff who knew Haejin came closer.

“I heard someone came because of a painting. My friend Sujeong has been brought here because of that.”

Her face darkened quickly.

“They’re inside the office.”

“Really? Okay. I’ll go in.”

Normally, the staff would try to stop when someone tries to go in without an appointment, but this one backed off. She was hoping for Haejin to go in.

Knock knock!

Haejin knocked and went into Eunhae’s office. There were about a dozen people inside.

Of course, as he was the newest arrival, everyone looked at him. Haejin didn’t care. He went to Sujeong who was standing in a corner.

“What are you doing here?”

She didn’t know he would come. However, Haejin didn’t answer. He looked at Eunhae who was equally surprised.

“If Sujeong is done here, she can leave, right?”

“What? Oh, okay.”

Eunhae nodded and gestured them to go. However, the woman Haejin had met at the workshop talked.

“The appraiser. You are being too rude when you are such a young person. You came in without permission…”

Haejin knew why they were here so he didn’t pay attention to his manners, but he realized that he had been rude.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve been distracted. I am Park Haejin. I appraise artifacts. Hmm… and, is Sujeong needed here? Didn’t Ms. Eunhae say she will compensate for all the problematic paintings?”

Haejin looked at Eunhae. She slightly nodded. She had talked about compensation.

“Do you think we’re here for money? That’s nonsense… I’ve been so humiliated. Will she give me tens of millions to compensate me? Do you think I’m a beggar or something?”

Haejin didn’t even get mad as if it wasn’t his business.

“Oh, really? That’s too bad. Anyway, it’s been proved that Sujeong here found out your painting was fake while restoring it, so she is not needed here, right?”

The woman snorted and shook her hand. It meant they should leave quickly.

“Well, whatever… anyway, we just cannot get over with this. This is one of the country’s greatest galleries. How could you take care of things in such a way?”

She yelled at Eunhae but another lady, who had been sitting quietly, opened her mouth.

“Excuse me, may I take a look at that?”

She was looking at the silver cup in Haejin’s hand.