Chapter 19
After safely placing the Baekje gilt-bronze seated Maitreya Buddha in Eterna Gallery’s storage vault, Si-woo came back out with Shin A-young.
“Oh, right, Mr. Si-woo. Do you happen to need a vehicle?”
The sudden question left him momentarily baffled.
He had actually been meaning to look into buying a car anyway.
“I was thinking about looking at a used car, actually.”
If he tried to buy a new car right now, the waiting period alone would be at least a few months.
With semiconductor shortages on top of everything else, popular models often took more than a year to arrive.
He needed something that could get him around immediately, so he had been leaning toward a used car.
“That’s what I was planning to tell you, too. I’ll show you a separate vehicle for work.”
“Pardon? For work?”
“Yes, a company vehicle. Mr. Si-woo, you’re Eterna Gallery’s appraisal adviser, after all. Even if it isn’t Namhae like last time, it’ll come in handy when you’re traveling around the country to locate or appraise artifacts. Come with me.”
The elevator took them down to the private parking level beneath Eterna.
Amid the rows of luxury foreign cars, Shin A-young stopped in front of a black van.
It was a Mercedes Sprinter, its three-pointed star emblem gleaming.
The sort of high-end vehicle only top celebrities seemed to ride in on TV.
“This isn’t just an ordinary van. We completely customized the interior and turned it into a dedicated space for transporting artifacts.”
Shin A-young opened the door and showed him inside.
Where the rear seats had been removed, there were now fixtures to secure artifacts safely, along with vibration-damping equipment.
It even had a precise temperature and humidity control system.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much money it had taken to add those kinds of features on top of the vehicle itself.
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
Then an old memory surfaced.
The day he had transported a celadon vase by taxi.
He had ridden with the wrapped artifact clutched to his chest.
That day, the cabby had been changing lanes roughly, and every time they hit a speed bump, his heart had dropped into his stomach.
“You were right, Representative. If you’re moving something precious, you need a vehicle worthy of it.”
“Exactly. You were the first person who ever came to our gallery in a taxi carrying an artifact worth tens of billions of won.”
They looked at each other and laughed, the mood light and easy.
“Use it for work whenever you like. Feel free to make it your own.”
After stepping away from the vehicle, Shin A-young stopped in front of another car parked beside it.
It was a black SUV with sharp headlamps and a massive kidney grille.
“And this one is a gift for you. It’s a BMW X5.”
“Pardon? A gift?”
“Yes. Think of it as a kind of bonus for signing with us. Use this car for your everyday driving. I’ve already registered it in your name. We’ve taken care of the tax side too, including the gift tax, so you don’t need to worry about a thing.”
Si-woo was so startled he didn’t know what to say.
“I’d already arranged for it to come out as quickly as possible, and somehow the license plate was issued today, too.”
Shin A-young handed him a BMW smart key in a leather case.
“You can drive it starting today. The insurance is already in effect.”
The driver’s seat was comfortable, and the smell of new leather filled his nose.
The smooth, heavy pulse of the six-cylinder engine traveled through him in a way that felt strangely satisfying.
He drove to Seoul National University Hospital.
He had received word that Jun-hyuk’s father had been moved from Changwon to a room in Seoul.
Honestly, I’d been meaning to visit him anyway. Coming to Seoul is probably better than staying at a regional hospital.
The VIP parking lot had such wide spacing that he could park carelessly without worrying about door dings.
After getting out of the car, he suddenly remembered Shin A-young handing him the key.
She knew that excessive consideration could become a burden to the other person.
Please don’t refuse it. This is a gift I’m giving you precisely so you’ll feel a little burdened, Si-woo.
With her trademark bright smile, Shin A-young had tossed out the joke.
I’ve even given you a car, so I’m sure you’ll keep being a big help to the gallery. I’ll be taking back everything I’ve invested, after all, Mr. Si-woo.
That was Shin A-young.
She had a way of making people feel oddly cornered while never actually allowing them to say no.
He didn’t dislike her businesslike nature.
On the contrary, that clear-eyed calculation made him feel more at ease.
Having a car made it easier to get around.
He took the elevator up to the 15th-floor VIP room.
A separate reception desk and security guard stood there.
He wasn’t allowed in until his identity had been verified.
When he knocked on the room door, Jun-hyuk opened it.
“Hyung! You’re here!”
Jun-hyuk’s gaunt, worn face had filled out, and he looked brighter than before.
There was life in his eyes again, and he seemed like a completely different person.
“Come in. Dad! Si-woo hyung is here.”
Once inside, he found a spacious room spread out before him.
It was easily more than three times the size of an ordinary hospital room.
Through the window, the Han River and Namsan Tower were visible at a glance.
Sunlight poured warmly into the room.
Jun-hyuk’s father, lying in bed, looked at Si-woo.
“Hello. I’m Kim Si-woo. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I should have come sooner. I’m sorry, sir.”
After the polite greeting, Jun-hyuk’s father slowly raised his right hand.
It trembled faintly.
But it was definitely moving.
“Dad, don’t strain yourself.”
Before Jun-hyuk could finish speaking, Si-woo carefully took the man’s hand.
It was rough and dry, but there was strength in it.
Jun-hyuk’s father looked at him, then slowly blinked three times.
Seeing that, Jun-hyuk explained, “He’s saying thank you, hyung. One blink means yes. Two means no. Three means thank you.”
Looking at his father, Si-woo answered, “Not at all. I only did what had to be done.”
His chest grew warm.
“He heard everything you did, hyung. The lawyer came and explained everything to him one by one. The painting of Shin Yun-bok, the trust for the assets, all of the medical expenses—everything.”
Jun-hyuk’s throat tightened.
“That was the first time,” he said, his voice catching, “that I ever saw Dad cry.”
Still holding the man’s hand, Si-woo said, “Sir, I’ve heard your recovery is going well. Stay strong. Jun-hyuk is waiting for you.”
Jun-hyuk’s father blinked once.
Yes.
Holding back tears, Jun-hyuk spoke with obvious pride. “The doctor keeps saying he’s recovering. The progress is really good. In a few months, he might even be able to start serious rehabilitation therapy, and maybe he’ll be able to speak again too!”
“Jun-hyuk, that’s a huge relief. I can finally rest easy.”
Feeling satisfied, Si-woo patted Jun-hyuk on the back.
Even as time passed, the uproar over Kato Kiyomasa’s sword showed no sign of dying down.
That was because whenever interest began to fade in Korea, Japan would toss more fuel onto the fire.
Japanese media echoed Korean articles, and Korean media echoed Japanese ones, until the whole thing grew more and more heated.
Then, a few days later, one article was published and both countries flared up all over again in an instant.
Eterna Gallery announced in an official statement that it had accepted the Japanese Cultural Properties Association’s proposal for joint research.
Representative Shin A-young emphasized that she believed a transparent verification process was the right choice precisely because she was confident Kato Kiyomasa’s sword was authentic, adding that she would reveal the historical truth through a public appraisal involving experts from Korea, Japan, and abroad.
“Will this be all right? The reaction in the comments from every country is a mess.”
At Jeong Hae-won’s question, Shin A-young sipped her tea with complete composure.
“It’ll be fine. The investigations are already finished. They won’t be able to casually call it fake. The moment they insist it’s a forgery, they’ll be the ones embarrassed internationally. As far as we’re concerned, there’s no reason to refuse. A joint study will only drive Kato Kiyomasa’s sword value even higher.”
“As expected of you, Representative Shin. I’m still nervous. I’ve been getting calls from all over the place. Even people in politics have reached out to me.”
Shin A-young gave a small shrug.
“Don’t worry about it. Once this is over, I want to get Mr. Si-woo’s newly discovered work by Hye-won Shin Yun-bok out into the world as quickly as possible. That will create a huge stir, too. After that, if we’re the first to announce the Baekje Maitreya seated Buddha from our gallery, it’ll be the finishing touch.”
“Yes. It’s more valuable than any artifact we’ve dealt with so far.”
While everyone else focused on the present, Shin A-young was already looking beyond it.
Kim Young-soo, the representative of the law firm, had been busier than ever lately.
The independence artifacts his great-grandfather had entrusted to Si-woo were not merely old objects to him.
They were the pride of a family long forgotten.
Kim Young-soo poured his own money into moving quickly to establish the Kim Hak-jun Foundation, named after his great-grandfather.
Thanks to his connections and influence in the legal world, the process moved at full speed.
“Representative, please review the final draft of the foundation board roster.”
The person who entered his office was Dr. Jeong Hye-jin, who would be overseeing the foundation’s day-to-day operations.
An authority on the history of the independence movement, she had been brought in as the foundation’s secretary-general after Kim Young-soo had courted her repeatedly.
The list she handed over was filled with highly respected figures.
Dr. Jeong adjusted her glasses and carefully pointed to one name near the bottom of the list.
“The other members all have sufficient scholarly or symbolic justification, but I do have some concerns about Kim Si-woo. Representative, this is a public-interest foundation. Appointing a man in his twenties with no degree or official credentials to the board is exactly the sort of thing that can be criticized as private repayment for favors.”
Without even looking through the documents, Kim Young-soo set down his pen.
“Private repayment for favors. Dr. Jeong, have you forgotten why this foundation was created?”
“Of course not. It was to carry on the noble spirit of Mr. Kim Hak-jun.”
“Exactly. But this foundation would never have existed without that young man, Kim Si-woo. Respected figures and descendants of independence patriots? Yes, they’re all worthy people. But the one who awakened my great-grandfather’s artifacts from their sleep inside that old house was not any of them. It was Kim Si-woo.”
Kim Young-soo looked out over the Seoul skyline beyond the window and spoke with unwavering certainty.
“The foundation only acquires real meaning once Si-woo sits on the board. Without him, none of this would have been possible in the first place. No matter what other people say, I don’t care. Doctor, more important than scholarly justification is giving proper respect to the true discoverer.”
After a moment of silence, Jeong Hye-jin bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. I misspoke. I’ll explain it to the board members and make sure there’s no unnecessary noise. I know well that Kim Si-woo has been drawing attention again and that his abilities are exceptional.”
After Dr. Jeong left the room, Kim Young-soo remained alone in his office.
He looked at the faded old photograph of his great-grandfather resting on the desk.