Chapter 10
I’m translating the chapter directly into the required HTML format and preserving the comment/news blocks as styled divs. The last scene hinges on the painting identification, so I’m keeping the prose flow intact up to that reveal.CHAPTER_TITLE: The Hidden Masterpiece
At the Independence Hall’s Great Hall of the Nation.
Si-woo, dressed in a suit, sat in the audience and looked toward the stage.
The hall was packed with reporters and officials.
The director of the Independence Hall, the commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration, and the minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs were all present, along with senior lawmakers from both parties.
On the stage, a taegeuk flag and mugunghwa decorations had been arranged.
Cameras were broadcasting the moment live across the country.
Kim Young-soo stepped onto the stage, signed the donation certificate, then stood before the microphone and began his speech.
"These are things my great-grandfather kept hidden for his entire life."
His voice trembled.
"If they had been discovered during the Japanese occupation, our whole family would have been in danger. Even after liberation, there was no evidence, so they survived only as stories passed down among the elders of the family."
He took a breath and went on.
"My father used to say, before he passed away, that his lifelong regret was never being able to make his grandfather’s name known to the world. Those words stayed with me all my life, and yet..."
Kim Young-soo’s eyes turned red.
"It has been ninety years. Ninety years before my great-grandfather could finally step out into the world. If my father were still alive, how happy would he be? He must be watching from heaven."
Across the audience, the relatives of independence movement veterans could be heard sniffing back tears.
"And I’d like to take this opportunity to thank one person."
Kim Young-soo looked toward one side of the audience.
"It was Kim Si-woo who found these artifacts and, instead of keeping them for himself, informed our family about them. To be honest, when I first received his call, I couldn’t believe it. I wondered if someone like that really existed these days."
He continued in the same calm voice.
"If it hadn’t been for Kim Si-woo, these artifacts might never have seen the light of day. I’m sincerely grateful."
Applause broke out for Si-woo.
He rose from his seat and bowed his head.
The lady sitting beside him dabbed at her tears.
After the donation ceremony ended, the awards presentation began.
First, Si-woo’s name was called. He straightened his clothes, stood up from his seat, and walked forward.
"Si-woo, fighting!"
The lady’s voice from beside him gave him a burst of energy.
"For meritorious discovery and reporting of cultural assets, Kim Si-woo will be awarded the Prime Minister’s Commendation."
Hundreds of cameras flashed at once.
His face was probably appearing on televisions across the country.
Countless eyes were fixed on him.
This is seriously nerve-racking.
I can’t think of anything at all right now.
I wasn’t even this tense during my company interview.
The minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs personally handed him the certificate.
"You found a historic artifact and returned it to its rightful owner without any selfish motive. With young people like Kim Si-woo, the future of the Republic of Korea shines bright."
"You’re too kind. Thank you."
They shook hands.
Once again, camera flashes burst without pause.
Along with the commendation, a discovery reward was also paid out.
A reward under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act for reporting a buried cultural property.
It was the legal maximum: one hundred million won.
Next came the reward for the donation.
"We will present the National Medal of Merit to attorney Kim Young-soo, who donated state-level cultural artifacts."
Kim Young-soo returned to the stage.
As the minister handed over the medal, he said, "You donated precious privately owned artifacts to the nation. We deeply honor that intention."
"I believed it was only right, as a descendant, to carry on my great-grandfather’s will."
A donation reward was also set.
Taking the artifacts’ value into account, a total of five hundred million won was to be paid.
This was the final order of business.
The entire hall fell solemn.
"In recognition of the independence movement achievements of the late Mr. Kim Hak-jun, we hereby confer upon him the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal."
It was the moment he was finally recognized as a patriot, ninety years later.
The Patriotic Medal is the fourth class among the five grades of the Order of Merit for National Foundation, awarded to those whose contributions to the independence movement are clearly significant.
The minister placed the decoration into Kim Young-soo’s hands.
"Ninety years ago, he risked his life to protect the country. Though late, the Republic of Korea will remember that sacrifice."
Kim Young-soo took the medal with both hands.
"...Thank you."
His throat tightened, and those two words were all he could manage.
It was the moment an independence fighter, who had nearly been forgotten, finally carved his name into history.
* * *
After the donation ceremony, follow-up articles poured out.
* * *
After the live terrestrial broadcast, Si-woo’s phone started buzzing again.
The noise from the meme frenzy had only just begun to settle, too.
At first, the calls came from the broadcasting world.
All kinds of talk show invitations, YouTube booking requests, and interview offers came flooding in.
At this point, it felt like my number had become public property.
Those kinds of offers could be welcomed with pleasure.
The problem was that calls were also pouring in from unknown organizations.
Associations of one sort or another, hobby clubs, all sorts of groups.
Lately, even opening KakaoTalk felt exhausting.
Si-woo, I’m short on money urgently...
Hey, we’re friends, aren’t we? Lend me some. I’ll definitely pay you back later.
Let’s start a business together. A hundred million won is enough.
People I had exchanged only a few words with back in school.
People who hadn’t contacted me once since graduation.
Even people whose names I couldn’t remember at all.
Reading those messages one by one, he eventually pressed the block button.
Sigh.
One, then two, then three...
Before he knew it, the blocked list had passed twenty names.
So this is how human connections fall apart.
He couldn’t help feeling bitter.
Watching people contact him only because of money made something inside him sag.
He even wondered if all the relationships he had built had been worth no more than this.
While skimming a few news articles, he paused.
[Artifact Appraiser Kim Si-woo...]
[Kim Si-woo, who has been active as an artifact appraiser after taking leave...]
Some reporters had gone ahead and expanded the story on their own.
Now there were several articles that attached the title of artifact appraiser to his name.
Reading them, he looked like some extraordinary figure who had already racked up all kinds of achievements in archaeology.
They had even written that he graduated from Korea University’s Department of Archaeology.
I went to Korea University? I’d be badly misread by a lot of people if this kept going.
I’d said I was interested in artifacts, but I never once claimed to be an appraiser myself.
Should I send a request to have the articles corrected?
Just then, a KakaoTalk notification appeared.
It was reporter Han Ji-yeon.
A cat-bowing emoji appeared at the end.
He gave a small snort at her brazen message.
She really was an energetic person.
Right after sending the message, the smartphone rang.
Was it the reporter calling?
The name displayed on the screen was Shin A-young.
He had saved the number written on the business card she gave him.
He hadn’t expected her to call first.
What’s this about?
He answered.
"Hello?"
"Si-woo, congratulations. I watched the broadcast."
Her voice was soft and measured.
It really was Shin A-young.
"Thank you. By the way, how did you get my number?"
"I found it through Advisor Jeong Hae-won. I should have let you know by text first, and I’m sorry."
"Not at all. It’s fine."
"I’ll get straight to the point. Would you like to have dinner with me?"
He was taken aback.
A sudden call, and now dinner?
"Pardon? Dinner?"
"Yes. You were the one who identified the sword of Katakura Kiyomasa, weren’t you? We’d also like to express our gratitude, and we’re planning to promote this piece heavily through the gallery. We’d like you to take part in the event as well. It would feel incomplete if the person who identified it weren’t there."
She was talking about the Japanese sword he had appraised through the status window at the gallery.
"There’s been a reaction in Japan. It makes sense, since the sword belonged to none other than Katakura Kiyomasa. We’ve already received many calls from everywhere. Articles will be coming out soon too."
"I see."
When his response stayed lukewarm, Shin A-young’s voice grew more forceful.
"Wouldn’t it be good for you to take part too? If it hadn’t been for you, the sword would have been buried in history forever."
When he didn’t answer, Shin A-young hurriedly added, "You connected the actual owner of the sword by tracing the stroke from the potter’s name hidden inside the handle. Everyone’s amazed. There are many appraisers who have seen that sword over the years, and none of them found it, but you did."
"I was just lucky. You’re giving me too much credit."
"I’m not. Advisor Jeong Hae-won said the same thing about you. He said you were a young man with an eye rarely seen these days. And from the article I saw, this Yeongju artifact case too... It looks like you have more than enough skill to appraise relics. Just this one discovery is already enough to make you recognized in the field."
So Advisor Jeong Hae-won had said that?
He had already looked him up.
Professor in the Department of Cultural Heritage at Korea University. Appraisal advisor for Eterna Gallery. Former member of the National Museum of Korea’s relic appraisal committee. Former advisory member to the Cultural Heritage Administration.
He was a person with substantial influence in the field.
"Japan keeps wanting to verify the sword’s authenticity and historical context. But there’s no reason for us to agree to that."
"That much is true."
He took a drink of water to clear his throat and asked, "Is this about my buzz, by any chance?"
He asked bluntly.
He knew his name had been in the news a lot lately.
If she wanted to use that, there was no need to pretend otherwise.
"Of course we need the attention. If people hear that Kim Si-woo played a major role in identifying Katakura Kiyomasa’s sword, we can ride the current wave of interest. But please understand that’s not the only reason I’m calling."
Shin A-young admitted it without hesitation.
"I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal?"
"I’d rather explain it in person. It’s not appropriate to do over the phone."
Using his publicity was not unpleasant.
Business was supposed to work that way.
On the contrary, he appreciated that she said it openly.
"Understood. Please contact me anytime."
"Yes. I’ll text you as soon as possible."
He ended the call.
He was curious what kind of proposal Shin A-young had in mind.
There was no harm in her taking an interest in him.
She was the owner of a major gallery at such a young age.
After the call ended, while eating a light lunch, he opened the Artifact Gallery as usual.
Lately, as his discovery became a hot topic, people had started uploading photos of old things from their homes, and the gallery had become livelier than ever.
Whenever he had a spare moment, he checked through them in case there was something shining among the clutter.
[Is this porcelain in my house real? (photo attached)]
"Wasn’t this sold at Daiso?"
That has all the hallmarks of a fake. Definitely counterfeit.
If it turns out to be real, I’ll bet my arm on it.
[I found this while cleaning out my grandfather’s storage room. What do you think?]
"Oh, this actually looks like it has some character."
Fake. The lettering is modern type.
Wait, isn’t this real? Get it appraised.
Wow, the community appraisal squad has arrived lol
Don’t trust this place for appraisals.
[lol apparently my house has a relic from the Japanese colonial period]
"Oh? What is it?"
My great-great-grandfather’s police uniform.
lololol dude, is that something to brag about?
Seriously, hide it. No, better yet, burn it.
[I found this at my maternal grandparents’ house. Can someone appraise it for me?]
"This really does look old."
"Don’t ask the people here. Take it to an appraiser. Go go."
Unfortunately, there were no shining objects.
Scrolling down, he entered one post.
He didn’t have high expectations.
[Does anyone know what this is? My grandfather bought it a long time ago.]
Inside the photo was an old hanging scroll.
Within the faded colors of the painting, a courtesan and a scholar could be seen.
"Just throw it away. It looks fake at a glance."
There aren’t any appraisers around here, and I need money fast, so please give me a serious answer T_T
Doesn’t look like much.
Sell it to me. I’ll give you ten thousand won.
He stared at the photo in a daze for a moment.
A pure white light was pouring out from the hanging scroll.
A fierce white radiance.
If he could see light even in a photo, then the real thing would be even stronger.
That meant it was authentic.
But then...
The brushwork looked familiar.
A style he had seen somewhere before. Delicate figure rendering. Bold composition. The vivid energy characteristic of genre painting.
It looks similar to Sin Yun-bok’s genre paintings, but surely...