The Artifact in the Wall

Si-woo forced himself to stay calm.

White light was seeping through the wall.

Among all the relics he had seen so far, it was one of the brightest glows by far.

He tapped the wall again.

"Is there something strange here?" Kim Dae-hyun asked, looking puzzled.

"No. I was just checking how solid the wall is."

He smoothly changed the subject.

"Still solid, then."

"Even so, it doesn't seem like the wall's about to come down yet. Heh-heh."

Kim Dae-hyun let out an awkward laugh.

Si-woo's mind was racing.

There's something hidden inside the wall. Light bright enough to shine through like that means it has to be something extraordinary.

But there was no way to check right this second.

After finishing the tour of the second floor, he went back down to the first.

As Kim Dae-hyun locked the front door, he asked, "So? Do you like it?"

Si-woo pretended to think it over for a moment.

But the decision had already been made.

"It's good. I'll buy it. I'd like to look at the registry record. Is it in the office?"

"Huh? You're buying it without looking at anything else?"

"Yes."

The firm answer left Kim Dae-hyun a little dazed.

He gathered himself and replied, "Of course it's ready. The bank entrusted us with disposing of the property, so we have all the relevant paperwork."

When they arrived at the real estate office, Kim Dae-hyun pulled out a file folder.

"Here's the registry record. Take your time and check it."

Si-woo reviewed it carefully.

The bank held a mortgage on the property, but there were no other claims, such as seizures or provisional attachments.

Clean. It's hard to find conditions this tidy.

The bright glow from earlier was still lingering in his mind.

"I'll proceed with the contract."

"......Really? That was fast."

Kim Dae-hyun's voice brightened considerably.

"You really must like it. Usually people look around a little more, think about it, and call back days later."

"Yes. I don't think more time would change the answer. How much is the down payment?"

"Seventy million won."

"I'll transfer it right away."

Kim Dae-hyun's eyes widened.

At first, when a young man had come in, he'd assumed he was looking for a studio apartment or something small.

Then it was surprising enough that he was here to buy the place at all, but now he was looking at this troublesome house and signing immediately.

My luck's incredible today.

He was itching to ask whether Si-woo had made a fortune in crypto or was secretly the child of some rich family.

But what did it matter?

As a licensed broker, all he had to do was handle the house sale.

"No matter how much you like it, I can't believe you're deciding this quickly. And you're so young, too. That's impressive."

"Haha. Not at all. Please give me your account number."

Carefully, Kim Dae-hyun asked, "Oh, is your transfer limit okay? It's a pretty big amount."

"I raised it in advance."

He had set it up because he was planning to buy anything else that might turn up as a relic, but he hadn't expected it to help like this.

Kim Dae-hyun recited the account number.

A moment later, he exclaimed, "The deposit's been confirmed!"

He pulled out the contract and began filling it out.

"When do you plan to pay the balance?"

"As soon as possible, if that's okay."

"Yes, of course. I'll check with the bank representative."

Kim Dae-hyun called the person in charge.

"Hello, yes? The buyer would like to move quickly with the contract. Could the balance be handled within a week? Yes, yes. Three days from now the paperwork will be ready. Yes, understood. Thank you."

When the call ended, Kim Dae-hyun said, "The bank says it'll be possible in three days."

"Then let's do it in three days."

"Yes. Once the balance is paid in three days, I'll hand over the keys right away. From then on, it's yours to use freely."

The contract was finished and stamped.

Si-woo took the signed papers, and a smile spread across his lips.

The relic hidden inside the wall.

The day he would find out what it was was not far off.

* * *

After leaving the real estate office, Si-woo headed to a nearby hardware store.

He had to prepare to break through the wall in advance.

"Welcome."

A burly man in his fifties rose from behind the counter.

The muscles visible beneath his short-sleeved work clothes were no joke.

Just his forearms looked thicker than those of most gym trainers.

And yet his expression was unexpectedly gentle.

"I need a tool that can break through a house wall."

"A wall? What kind of wall? Concrete? Or drywall?"

He pulled out his smartphone and showed a photo of the house interior.

"It's a house about this old."

The shop owner studied the photo closely, then nodded.

"That's a very old house. This is a plaster wall. Modern houses use drywall, but older houses were all plaster."

As he walked toward the back of the shop, he kept explaining.

"A plaster wall is basically lime and sand applied over cement block. But once it's been around this long, the lime has weathered away, so it gets fragile. It's easier to break through than you'd think."

The owner took a hammer drill from a shelf.

"This hammer drill will be enough. It's a power drill with a percussion function, so it's ideal for making holes in walls."

One by one, he showed Si-woo the drill bits and explained.

"Use this thick bit to drill several holes first. Keep the spacing around ten centimeters. That'll weaken the wall."

"Got it."

"After that, use this hammer and chisel to break between the holes. You won't need much force. Old plaster falls apart if you just tap it a few times."

The owner also handed over safety goggles, a dust mask, and gloves.

"Make sure you wear all of this. Especially the dust mask. That plaster dust gets everywhere. Since it's lime powder, breathing it in can mess up your throat and bronchial tubes."

"Understood."

"And when you're working, keep the windows open. If you don't ventilate, you won't be able to breathe. The dust is no joke."

He added one more plastic bag.

"Oh, and this. It's a cleanup sheet and tape. If you lay it down on the floor before you start, it'll make cleanup easier later."

"Thank you. This is a huge help."

"Well, working safely is what matters. You shouldn't get hurt."

The owner smiled brightly.

For all his rugged appearance, the smile was almost boyishly earnest.

"And don't put too much force into the drill. The machine does the work itself, so just guide it. If you push too hard, you'll snap the bit instead."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Just in case, I'll throw in a spare bit. It'd be a pain if one broke."

"How much is it?"

"The bit's on the house. Come back if you need any other tools."

After gathering the tools, Si-woo left the hardware store.

He's really kind.

He had looked so rough that he'd been intimidating at first, but as expected, you couldn't judge people by their faces.

* * *

Three days later, on the day of the balance payment, Si-woo arrived at the bank ahead of time.

Kim Dae-hyun and the bank representative had already finished preparing everything.

"Mr. Si-woo, welcome."

"Hello."

The bank representative spread out the paperwork and explained, "Once we confirm receipt of the remaining 650 million won, we'll immediately begin the mortgage cancellation process. Please sign here on the confirmation form."

After checking the documents carefully, Si-woo signed them.

He took out his phone and transferred the money.

The total was 650 million won.

A huge sum vanished from his account in an instant.

"Yes, the deposit has been confirmed. The mortgage cancellation will take about two weeks, but even before then, you may use the property freely once you have the keys."

"Thank you."

Kim Dae-hyun took two keys from an envelope and handed them over.

"Here are the keys. One for the front door, one for the main gate. I'm glad it found a good owner. If you ever build a new house later, I can recommend contractors, so please give me a call!"

"Yes, understood."

Si-woo took the house keys and headed straight for the Yeonnam-dong house.

As he opened the gate and went in, a middle-aged woman in her fifties came out from next door to throw away trash, and their eyes met.

"Oh?"

The woman walked toward Si-woo.

"Hello."

"Are you the person who bought this house? I heard you were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠young."

When he nodded, the woman broke into a wide smile.

"Yes. I paid the balance today."

"Oh, thank goodness. The house finally has an owner. Do you know how much trouble it's been sitting empty for the past two years?"

The woman sighed and rambled on.

"People kept sneaking over to dump trash, and it smelled awful. In summer, standing water in the yard brought in swarms of mosquitoes. Everyone in the neighborhood was fed up with this place."

"I see."

"Well, now it's got an owner, so that's that. I heard it failed at auction three times before, and a young person bought it in the end. Hehe. You're planning to tear it down and build new, right?"

"Yes. That's the plan."

The woman looked around and lowered her voice.

"Do you know anything about the house's original owner?"

"No. It came straight from the bank."

"I heard his name was Park Kang-hoon, and that he lived here for about forty years. He passed away, what, five years ago now?"

She lowered her voice even further, as though sharing a secret.

"He was a peculiar man. He collected antiques. His house was packed with all kinds of things. Jars, paintings, old furniture, that sort of thing. He used to say, over and over, that he was quite famous in that circle."

Si-woo's ears perked up.

"He collected antiques?"

"Yes. That was his hobby. Antique collecting. He seemed to have had a fair bit of money, too......"

The woman wore a look of sympathy.

"But in his later years, he developed dementia. After that, his son secretly sold off all his father's antiques. Every valuable thing."

The middle-aged woman looked furious, as if it had happened to her personally.

"He sold off everything his father had spent a lifetime collecting, just to start some business... tsk. And then I heard he blew that up, too, and went bankrupt in the end."

"Good grief. That's terrible."

When Si-woo agreed, the woman became even more animated.

"Exactly! And that's not all. After going bankrupt, rumors spread that the bastard even stole company money and fled overseas."

She clicked her tongue.

"No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one even knows whether he's alive or dead. Creditors came all the way here and caused a scene, but nobody could contact him. That's why the bank took over the house."

"So that's what happened."

"That man was really pitiful. Dementia in his later years, his own child stealing his things, and after he died, even the house ended up like this. Tsk."

She let out a long sigh.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to unload all that on the person who just bought the house. Hehe. I'm sorry. I'm getting old and talking too much. My mouth runs away with me again. I talked your ear off, didn't I?"

"Not at all. It's fine. If anything, I'm glad I got to learn the history of the house."

"Anyway, welcome. It was a nuisance as an empty house, so I'm really glad someone owns it now. If you need anything, just let me know anytime. And when you build your new house, just give us a heads-up if there's going to be noise. Thanks to you, I don't have to worry about the place next door anymore. Thank you."

"Not at all. But, actually, I'd like to break into a few walls to figure out the house's structure. That should be all right, shouldn't it? It may be a little noisy today."

Seeing a chance, he quickly slipped the question into the conversation.

"Today? That's fine."

"Thank you. I'll be careful not to inconvenience anyone."

That was a relief.

He'd been planning to ask for permission anyway.

After the woman went back inside, he opened the front door and entered.

An antique collector and a relic hidden inside the wall.

There was a high probability that it had been something the man himself owned.

And his son had fled overseas, making his fate uncertain.

Which means there isn't an heir.

Even if something came out of the wall, there would be no one to claim rights over it.

He climbed to the second floor of the house.

The light was still leaking out.

He had been fretting that it might disappear after a few days.

He took out the tools he had prepared in advance.

First, just as the hardware-store owner had instructed, he spread a sheet of plastic on the floor.

Then he opened the window wide.

Time to find out.

He tapped the wall lightly.

Tap tap.

A different resonance from the other walls.

There was a hollow sound inside.

Just as I thought. There's space inside the wall.

He put on his safety goggles and dust ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mask.

Then he pressed the hammer drill against the wall.

Drdrdrdrrr-

With a deafening roar, the drill bit bored into the surface.

As the hardware-store owner had said, he relaxed his grip and simply guided the direction.

As carefully and cautiously as possible.

Dust flew everywhere.

If I hadn't worn the dust mask, I'd have been in trouble.

The forty-year-old wall gave way more easily than he had expected.

He drilled several holes at ten-centimeter intervals.

The plaster crumbled, revealing the cement block beneath it.

Now he used the hammer and chisel to break the spaces between the holes.

Thud! Thud!

Just as the hardware-store owner had promised, it came apart easily.

As the block broke, the opening widened further and further.

At last, an even brighter light burst from inside the wall.

As the dust settled, the space within became clearly visible.

Si-woo held his breath.

Inside the wall sat an old wooden box.

He carefully lifted it out.

It was heavier than it looked.

After brushing off the dust, he opened the lid.

Dazzling white light poured out.

Beams of gold mingled with a soft white radiance.

Inside the box rested a gilt-bronze Buddha.

A seated Buddha figure with both hands neatly placed atop its knees.

A faint smile curved around its lips.

The smile of Baekje.

The image of the Gilt-Bronze Gwanseum Bosal Ban-gasayusang naturally rose in his mind.

As he put on gloves and carefully lifted the Buddha ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠statue, a status window appeared.

His whole body trembled.

It was the largest amount he had ever seen.

Twenty billion.

Beyond the money itself, its historical value was immense.

This is an incredible discovery!

* * *