Artifact Reading Inspector

Chapter 42: Excavating and Collecting (1)

Only then did Sujeong smile and look at Haejin.

“Hehe… my reputation has preceded me.”

“What are you talking about? You haven’t even opened your shop yet, and you already got a job? Does that belong to someone you know?”

Sujeong shook her head and sat down again.

“No, I heard Ms. Eunhae is going to help you build a gallery. So, I talked to her employees about this and that, I also mentioned that I was going to open a shop about restoring porcelains and western painting. They then called me in less than a day.”

“They asked you to restore it?”

Sujeong was thinking about how to restore the celadon.

“Yes, isn’t it funny?”

“Not funny at all… so? Continue.”

“They were looking for you at first. They tried to reach me through you.”

“Reach you through me?”

As Sujeong had come to Korea only a while ago, guessing who wanted to find her wasn’t hard.

“Yuseong Corporate Group was looking for you?”

“Yes, Chairman Song Haecheol had an employee call me. So, I told him to come here, and he brought this.”

She picked one of the pieces, between the dozens, of the shattered celadon and studied it.

“He must know a lot of restorers. Why did he want you specifically?”

“Hehe… he must have recognized my potentials.”

“Really?”

Sujeong was about to boast, but soon she dropped her shoulders.

“Hmm… I wish I could say that, but my rational guess is that you appraised fantastically back then. So, he must have thought I will restore this as well as you did.”

“But did someone smash this with a hammer? Why is this in this condition?”

The restoration of porcelains can be divided into two cases.

First, putting together the pieces that had been destroyed during the excavation process.

Second, porcelains that were stored or exhibited in households or organizations might break because of an accidental mistake and needed to be restored.

However, the celadon Sujeong was looking at had been smashed into so many pieces that was hard to think that it had been excavated from a historical site.

“Right? They said it was smashed by mistake, but we know what really happened. A couple got angry during a fight and threw it, or a child nagged his parents for money and smashed it in rage… something like that.”

“Does that happen in Europe, too?”

Sujeong seemed to have gone through many cases like this, that made Haejin smile.

“Europe is not free from madmen. They are even more aggressive. Someone even murdered a person with a centuries-old sword displayed on the wall…”

“Hmm… chairman Song has given you a hard mission. And the money?”

“I got a million won as a start. I will get fifty million more if I succeed.”

“Oh… that’s a good start.”

“Yes… my eyeballs will be tortured for months, but it’s a good start.”

Getting fifty million won for one job might sound like a lot, but restoring shattered porcelain is harder than most would think.

If you want to find out how, buy porcelain, smash it with a hammer, and put the pieces together.

Unless you are a holy man like Jesus and Buddha, you will definitely end up cursing.

“Oh, but why were you so late? Shouldn’t you have come yesterday?”

As Sujeong said, Haejin should have come yesterday, but he had to stay for one more day because of Eric Holton’s hospitality.

“You are asking too quickly. I had a story. Anyway, stop staring at that shattered celadon and come here. You must see the painting I brought.”

Haejin put it on the table and carefully unwrapped it. He had wrapped it in many layers lest it gets damaged but, as he had unwrapped it once at the airport, the painting was soon revealed.

“Ohh… this says Danwon, right?”

“Yes, it is Kim Hongdo’s. Even though you don’t know about eastern paintings, you have learned from your father. You can read Chinese letters.”

“Of course, but this is impressive. You brought Kim Hongdo’s painting. If you have reported to the customs, there will soon be reports about it.”

The fact that Haejin had reported the painting to the customs meant that it would be registered to the Cultural Heritage Administrations soon. A painting from Kim Hongdo that had been abroad would be quite an issue.

“Probably.”

“Wow… I didn’t get a good start. You did. You haven’t opened your gallery yet, but the words will get out first. People will go to your gallery just to see Kim Hongdo’s paintings. Congratulations.”

“It’s a start.”

“Then, you’re buying dinner today, right? Oh, dad is playing Baduk with Mr. Yoon outside. I will bring him, so watch over the shop in the meantime.”

“Okay.”

Sujeong left. Haejin then walked around and spotted the celadon pieces. He had nothing to do, so he knelt down, like Sujeong did, to look at them, and suddenly he wanted to see it’s past.

Haejin didn’t want to see its shape before it was smashed, but he wanted to know why it had been shattered and how Yuseong got to own this celadon.

It was out of mere curiosity, but he had no business to use magic today, so he used water to cast the spell.

“Huh?”

Haejin exclaimed without realizing it. Surprisingly, Haecheol had gotten it just a while ago.

“Dad, look. It’s Kim Hongdo’s painting that Haejin has just brought.”

“Wow, you are amazing. You went to the U.S. and came back with a Kim Hongdo. I hope you haven’t sold an organ or something…”

“Please watch over the painting. I should go.”

Haejin interrupted Byeongguk’s silly joke and left the shop.

“Huh? Hey! I thought you were buying dinner today!”

“Later! Just keep that painting safe!”

Haejin hurriedly left Insadong’s alley and called Section Chief Yang Jeongjin of Yuseong. He answered after a few beeps, so he probably had Haejin’s number.

“Hello, Mr. Park Haejin.”

“Yes, hello. I have something to tell Chairman Song… is it possible to meet him?”

“What?”

Even heirs of other corporate groups wouldn’t dare to meet Haecheol so urgently, and an appraiser was asking to meet him. Jeongjin was confused.

Of course, Haejin had shown exceptional skills before but, to Jaeongjin, he was still an appraiser.

“I know it is hard. So please, tell him something. I will let him find the treasure from the coast of Sinan. Of course, if he doesn’t want it, I will ask someone else. So, he doesn’t have to feel bad about it. I will wait until 3 o’clock.”

“3 o’clock? Huh… okay.”

Jeongjin was shocked to see an appraiser asking to meet the chairman and was also setting a time limit.

Haejin hung up. In less than 10 minutes, Jeongjin called.

“Hmm… he will meet you. He has postponed a conference to meet you, so I hope it will be something meaningful.”

“It will be. I’m almost there.”

Haejin took a taxi while calling Jeongjin. He didn’t even think that Haecheol would refuse. He knew how much regret Haecheol had about the treasure ship in Sinan.

When Haejin arrived at the lobby, Jeongjin was waiting for him.

Haejin followed him to the top floor, went past the secretaries’ office, and stood in front of Haecheol’s office door.

“Mr. Park Haejin is here.”

“Let him in.”

A familiar voice came from the inside. It was Haecheol’s that Haejin had heard at the hotel before.

“This place is not a hotel. Be careful of what you say. Then…”

Jeongjin warned Haejin once again and opened the door for him. The chairman’s office was wide, but there was only a desk for Haecheol and luxurious sofas for the guests.

“Welcome. You look even better than before.”

“You also look good, sir.”

“I am too old to look good… don’t just stand there, sit.”

Haecheol sat and gestured to Haejin to sit next to him. Haejin sat down.

Haecheol then folded his hands on his belly and asked, “Actually, I am not feeling that good. I am a very busy man. If you didn’t help me before, I wouldn’t have thought about it… but as you are the one who said that, I couldn’t give up.”

“Thank you for thinking good of me.”

“Huh… it doesn’t mean that I think good of you. You were about to go to Lim Sungjun if I said no. I was… shocked, dumbfounded… I’ve never seen someone who threatens me so openly.”

“I am sorry, but it wasn’t a threat.”

“See? You never let a word go, and I know it is not an empty threat. That is why you are here. Now, show me your card. What kind of cards do you have for you to come here with such confidence? There can’t be another treasure ship in Sinan.”

Haejin caught his breath and got to the point.

“Yes. There isn’t another treasure ship in Sinan.”

Haecheol didn’t even blink an eye as if he had suspected this.

“Then?”

“That celadon you broke, where did you get it?”

Haecheol frowned.

“I got it through some personal friends… you can’t be threatening me by telling me it’s a stolen good…”

Of course not.

“That is not why I asked.”

“Yes, anyway, I bought it personally through an art dealer I know. Why? Is there a problem?”

“I think I know where it came from.”

“Where it came from? What do you mean?”

“It has been recovered from the bottom of the ocean. And quite recently… I don’t know if you know this, but there is only one place where that is possible these days. Do you know?”

Haecheol jumped to his feet.

“Taean… that celadon is from the sea in Taean?”

“Yes.”

Haejin had seen the celadon’s recent past through magic. It was in the deep darkness and was recovered by a net.

The scene of the deep ocean made fear come up in his heart, but he still could feel the thrill he felt the moment it reached the surface. Fortune was with him.

“Then you are here for…”

“Don’t you want to recover the treasures from the ocean with me?”