Artifact Reading Inspector

Haejin was expecting that Manseok would come back, but he came much sooner than he thought.

“He came with Saebom?” Haejin then asked.

Eunhae replied, “Yes, poor girl, she has lost weight in just a few days. I feel so sorry for her…”

“Tell them to wait. I must meet the people who came first.”

“Okay.”

Manseok and Saebom, who arrived in the morning, were finally received by Haejin long after lunchtime.

Previously, Manseok seemed confident and looked down on Haejin, but today, he was completely different.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Manseok bowed down deeply as if he was meeting an important client.

“You came again. Last time, you spoke as if you would never come near here,” Haejin said bluntly.

Manseok could only smile sheepishly, “Haha, but I was going to come back soon. How have you been?”

“Well, yes… and how have you been?” Haejin turned to Saebom.

“I’ve been fine,” the teenage girl replied.

Eunhae was right: Saebom had gone through a lot during the last few days. Her cheeks were sunken, and her shoulders were slumped.

Haejin found her pitiful and asked, “Is the lawyer helping you a lot?”

“Yes, he is so nice to me. He has taken care of the debts I don’t have to pay… uncle told me he works at a very expensive law firm. Thank you so much,” Saebom replied.

“You’re welcome… well, which auction agencies have you visited?” Haejin then asked.

Saebom looked at her uncle which meant he should answer the question.

“Khmm… three places. Korea Auction, Nara Auction, and Asia Auction.”

He had visited many agencies in just a few days.

As it takes time to appraise an artifact, he must have immediately moved to the next agency as soon as one agency was done with it.

Of course, he couldn’t have had it analyzed with scientific methods, but there wasn’t a single auction agency that would spend so much time and money on appraising a single painting.

“Those three are the biggest auction agencies in this country, so you’ve been to everywhere you can turn to,” Haejin commented.

There were a few other private auction houses, but Manseok would lose even more if he went to such places. He was not someone knowledgeable about antiques and auction.

In conclusion, the fact that he had come back after going to the three auction agencies meant none of them had concluded the painting as Sim Sajeong’s.

“We haven’t been to Christie’s and Sotheby’s, so we’re thinking about going there, too,” Manseok then said.

However, that was just nonsense.

“Haha, really? Then why don’t you go to those agencies?” Haejin asked.

Christie’s and Sotheby’s have no branches in Korea, so Manseok had to go abroad. However, that would mean breaking the law on the protection of artifacts.

He was bluffing in front of a real expert… it was so ridiculous that Haejin couldn’t help but laugh.

“But I thought it would be better to talk to someone we already know,” Manseok seemed to realize he had made a mistake and stopped mentioning Sotheby’s or Christie’s.

“Okay. Enough with the useless talks. Why have you come?” Haejin crossed his arms, showing he was willing to hear him out.

Manseok cleared his throat, “We are thinking of selling the painting at the price you offered us before.”

“Really? A moment, please,” Haejin said before calling a staff member of the museum.

Soon, an employee knocked on the door and came in. Then, she asked, “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes, please find out how much is the appraised price of this painting. Korea Auction must have records of a recent appraisal. They will tell you if you call and ask,” Haejin told her while pointing at the painting on the table.

The staff nodded, “Yes, sir.”

After she left, Manseok nervously asked, “But… what about buying at the price you offered before…”

“As I told you back then, the price has to be changed when we are buying a painting that has been appraised by another institution based on a completely different appraisal. I’ve already warned you about it,” Haejin explained.

Manseok bit his lips and protested, “But I don’t understand, it is still the same painting even if it gets a little controversial.”

Haejin waved his hand while taking a serious stance, “That is not what I am talking about. I am not buying it as an individual. This museum is buying it. It will be exhibited here soon if we buy it, and what should we tell people about the artist?”

Then Manseok said, “But you said it was Sim Sajeong’s…”

“Yes, and we will display it as his painting. However, what would happen then? The other institutions that have appraised this painting would say it isn’t Sim Sajeong’s. I would then have to go through the legal procedure to prove that it is Sim Sajeong’s. How much time, effort, and money would I have to spend on it?” Haejin asked.

“…” Manseok couldn’t say anything.

Haejin then continued, “Did you think the warning I gave you the other day was just a scheme to buy the painting at a low price? If it had been what I wanted, I wouldn’t have told Saebom that the painting was from Sim Sajeong in the first place. I could have just bought it, exhibited it as an unknown artist for a few years, and announce it as Sim Sajeong’s later, saying I’ve found evidence. Am I wrong?”

“Khmm…” Manseok’s face turned red with embarrassment.

Then, the staff came back and reported to Haejin, “Korea Auction has appraised it to be worth 4.3 million won, and it is by an unknown artist.”

“Okay, thank you.”

After she left again, the mood got even heavier.

500 million and 4.3 million. The difference was way too big.

“If the appraised price is 4.3 million, it won’t be sold at over ten million on auction, even if you get extremely lucky, right?” Haejin asked.

“That’s…” Manseok probably didn’t know if that was how auction worked or not.

He worked at an electronics company. He was good at his job, but what could he know about antiques and auctions?

Haejin then said, “No one in this country would pay more than ten million for this painting, so it is hard for us to give you 500 million for it. You must see it by now, right?”

“Hu… yes,” Manseok realized things were not going as he had wanted. At least he gave up sooner than Haejin had thought.

“We will buy it at 300 million. Will you accept the price?” Haejin offered 300 million for Saebom.

He thought it would be nice to buy a painting that was worth 500 million at 300 million, considering the expense for a legal dispute.

Of course, he could have bought it at an even lower price, but he didn’t want to do that for an artifact that belonged to a child who had just lost her parents.

“Hu…” Manseok turned to Saebom.

He looked ashamed.

His foolishness had cost them 200 million won, so of course, he felt sorry to her niece.

“It’s okay,” Saebom smiled but Haejin pitied her. He wondered if he had to do that and if he really couldn’t buy it at 500 million.

Manseok made him want to pay even less, but the poor Saebom had done nothing wrong.

“Hmm… okay then. And as for the money, I will ask the lawyer if it should be sent to Saebom’s account or given to the creditors and do as he says.”

“Okay, thank you,” Saebom must have been disappointed, but she never showed it, even though her uncle was pouting with anger.

After they left, Haejin had a break. Then, Eunhae came in.

In her hands were the documents she had received through the fax.

She then said, “I just talked to Saebom’s lawyer. It turned out her debt wasn’t that big. Her father used to do business and got an illegal loan. However, as the interest is too big, Saebom will only have to pay the principal. She got lucky. The creditors were not careful and left a lot of evidence probably because Saebom was young.”

“That’s good. Then how much does she have to pay back?” Haejin curiously asked.

“The total amount of debts is about 700 million won, and there are about 30 million won of the illegal loan,” Eunhae replied.

“Then it wouldn’t be a big problem if she takes care of it with the money she will get for the painting,” Haejin commented.

Eunhae then explained, “That’s not the case. Her home is the collateral, so it can be put under provisional attachment.”

“Then she’s about to lose her home?” Haejin asked.

“Yes,” Eunhae confirmed.

“Oh… what should I do? Just buy it at 500 million?” Haejin didn’t know what to do.

Eunhae replied, “But you said you didn’t want it…”

“Because it’s the museum’s fund,” Haejin explained.

“Then let’s watch how it goes for now. The lawyer might be able to find out more things.”

They concluded the matter like that for now. Then, the next client came in.

“Hello. It’s been some time, right?”

The woman with a warm smile was Executive Director Do Eunchae of Palas Hotel.

“Yes. How have you been?” Haejin asked.

“I’m fine, as always. However, you’ve become so famous that getting your appraisal is so hard now.”

“Haha, really? What do you want to have appraised today?” Haejin asked.

“I happened to get a painting, and I want to have it appraised properly… oh, what is this painting?” Eunchae’s eyes sparkled as she pointed at the painting on the table.

Although it didn’t have any writing or signature, it had Sim Sajeong’s skills. It was enough to catch people’s eyes.

“This one? This is Hyeonjae Sim Sajeong’s,” Haejin replied.

“Sim Sajeong?” Eunchae slightly tilted her head. It meant she didn’t know the name and wanted an explanation.

“He is one of the greatest artists of Joseon, the Three Wons and the Three Jaes,” Haejin explained.

“Oh…”

Usually, people would pretend to know something even when they don’t because they don’t like admitting their own lack of knowledge, but Eunchae didn’t mind it.

Haejin liked her for that reason.

It would be strange to know everything unless one majored in art history.

“Anyway, let me take a look at your painting,” Haejin then carefully removed the painting on the table and took Eunchae’s painting from her.

“Then I should go for now…” Eunhae, seeing that there was nothing to do for her, smiled and left.

Meanwhile, Haejin focused on the painting and after a while said, “It’s a Muninhwa. Of peonies…”

It was a painting about peonies, and the signature said Sochi Heo Ryeon.

Heo Ryeon was master of Muninhwa(scholar’s painting). Eunchae must have paid a lot for his painting.

“Please take a look at it. Now I cannot trust the appraisal from other people.”

It made Haejin look back on when he had first started working as an appraiser. He felt slightly embarrassed, but also proud of himself.

He examined the painting for some time and asked, clearly feeling sorry, “How much have you paid for it?”

Eunchae felt his tone was grave, and she worriedly asked, “Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

“Um… it’s not Heo Ryeon’s,” Haejin replied.

“What? No way… I bought this from Maeokdang Yu Hanwol.”

Haejin thought about that name for some time, then he realized there wasn’t such an artist. He then asked, “Who is he?”

“Maeokdang Yu Hanwol, he is very famous for his peonies paintings… I even took his painting lessons briefly. But how can it be fake?”

It turned out Yu Hanwol wasn’t a man from an old period. Instead, he was an artist of the current times.

Eunchae hadn’t come to find out if her painting was real. She had come to know how much it was worth.

Therefore, she was surprised to hear that it was fake.

“But at how much have you bought it?” Haejin asked again.

“I paid 70 million won for it!”

Eunchae hadn’t even imagined that it could be fake, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“I understand that you are shocked, but I cannot imagine for this to be Heo Ryeon’s. Why didn’t you ask me before you bought it?” Haejin asked.

“But I cannot consult you every time I buy a painting! What should I do now…”

Haejin then said, “You should get a refund first. Your husband will be mad again if he finds out about this.”

“Huh! But he doesn’t know a thing about antiques… anyway, please help me get a refund on this. Give me a certificate that says this is fake, okay?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t be a problem.”

Eunchae paid the fee, got the certificate, and hurried to leave.

Haejin thought she would get that refund without a problem since she held a high social status.

But the next day, to his surprise, Saebom and Eunchae came looking for him together.