The Hidden Plaque That Glowed Gold
The hot California sun beat down on the afternoon.
Near Los Angeles International Airport, the secure storage room of Crozier Fine Art’s California branch stood under heavy guard, cool and sealed off from the heat outside.
Jason Kwan, a specialist in Chinese ceramics, held his breath as he examined the large Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era dragon-pattern vase.
No matter how many times he looked at it, he never grew tired of the piece.
It really is beautiful.
The nine dragons decorating the surface looked so vivid they seemed ready to burst free at any moment.
The pigments layered in with the fencai technique came alive under the lights, revealing a dazzling, sculpted depth.
“There’s no way this could be fake. It’s absolutely genuine.”
Jason murmured the words with absolute certainty.
By then, his colleague David had opened the door and come over, smiling.
“Isn’t it ridiculous? Winning something like this at an eBay auction.”
“Exactly. What kind of person even takes a gamble like that after seeing only a photo?”
“Well, it worked out in the end. From what I found, he’s a Korean artifact appraiser named Kim Si-woo. Apparently he’s already famous over there for uncovering a number of remarkable relics.”
Jason looked at the porcelain with a regretful expression.
“Even the crazing in the glaze is beautiful. It’s an organic trace of time, something you could never fake by hand. David, what do you think this piece will fetch at auction?”
David scratched his brow and answered carefully.
“Well... it’s certainly an extraordinary piece. But it doesn’t have the kind of dramatic backstory collectors like to go wild for. Still, if it went to auction...”
He paused.
“I’d say forty billion won. Maybe even fifty billion or more. A similar piece once sold at Sotheby’s for eighty billion won.”
“Eighty billion...”
Jason nodded along.
“That sounds entirely possible. If it turned into a pride contest among Chinese tycoons, that kind of price would be within reach. Still, what a pity. To think we have to send a treasure like this back to Korea with our own hands.”
He clicked his tongue.
“If it were up to me, I’d keep it in my study at home and admire it every day.”
David gave a snort of laughter and shook his head.
“Store a porcelain piece worth hundreds of billions at home? Ha. If it were me, I’d never sleep without worrying. I’d be fretting every night about burglars or a fire.”
“Fair enough.”
Then David said to Jason, “Jason. Take a good long look now, while you still can. Once it leaves for Korea, it may never appear before our eyes again.”
Thirty minutes later, a black specialized vehicle was waiting in front of the secure storage room.
It was on an entirely different level from an ordinary transport truck.
This was a top-tier security vehicle from a fine-art transport company.
“We’ll begin the final procedure before packing,” one of the staff said.
Jason and David moved in for the last inspection.
“No problems.”
“I’ve finished my check as well.”
The Qianlong vase had been placed in a special case, protected on all sides by shock-absorbing foam.
It was a flawless package, complete with automatic temperature and humidity control.
“Has the transport route been confirmed?”
“Yes. It’ll go straight to the LAX cargo terminal. Two security vehicles will escort it front and rear.”
David checked his tablet and said, “Insurance?”
“Confirmed for coverage up to eighty billion won.”
It was information they already knew, but the formalities still had to be observed.
Jason looked at the case.
“Good. Then let’s depart.”
Eight armed guards stood around it, keeping watch with extreme vigilance.
A few men carefully lifted the case and moved it into the vehicle.
Inside, a special mount with vibration-dampening equipment had already been prepared.
Once the case was secured, the head of security in the driver’s seat raised his radio.
“Headquarters, this is Delta-7. Cargo loaded. Ready to depart. Please confirm.”
[Screeech- Headquarters confirms. Departure authorized.]
The vehicle doors closed, and the engine gave a low rumble.
Black-tinted armored SUVs stood at the front and rear.
Between them, the special transport vehicle took its place.
Then the convoy began moving toward the airport.
* * *
Si-woo had come to Eterna Gallery dressed in a suit, which was unusual for him.
Today was an important day at the gallery.
Reporters had gathered in large numbers from across Korea and even Japan, and invited figures from politics and business had come as well.
In particular, high-ranking officials from Japan were in attendance, including the Japanese ambassador and the commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Gato Kiyomasa’s sword might have been extraordinary, but the fact that they had all come suggested a political dimension as well.
Of course, it had little to do with Si-woo personally.
Shin A-young moved with practiced ease, speaking naturally with the people arriving one after another.
In front of the special exhibition room where Gato Kiyomasa’s sword was displayed, the place was packed shoulder to shoulder.
Not only the major Korean dailies, but also reporters from NHK, Asahi Shimbun, and other leading Japanese outlets filled the corridor.
After a while, they moved into a large conference room.
Before entering, Si-woo straightened his suit and adjusted his clothing.
As soon as he stepped inside, dozens of camera flashes burst like lightning.
“Appraiser Kim Si-woo! Please look this way!”
“Please give us a few words about this discovery that has drawn attention in both Korea and Japan!”
Amid the reporters’ calls, he kept his composure and faced the officials from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.
In particular, the commissioner, Hiroshi Kawada, came forward, took both of Si-woo’s hands, and bowed deeply.
The gesture was deeply disconcerting.
“Mr. Kim Si-woo. When I heard that you had uncovered the name hidden in the inscription on the sword, I was thrilled. For a young appraiser to bring to light the Gato Kiyomasa sword that no one had recognized for centuries, I offer you my respect.”
The interpreter relayed the words.
With a gentle smile, Si-woo answered, “Not at all. I only happened to appraise the relic by chance.”
During the ensuing Q&A, a Japanese reporter asked a somewhat sharp question.
“Mr. Kim Si-woo, Gato Kiyomasa is a complicated figure in Korean history, isn’t he? How did you feel when you identified the owner of this relic?”
The room fell silent in an instant.
It was a question that touched on a sensitive point in Korea-Japan relations.
It was best to avoid political issues as much as possible.
“I’m only an appraiser. I look at relics objectively. Still, the craftsmanship imbued in a sword never lies. The sword made by Fujiawara Masakuni contains sincerity. I believe the role of an artifact appraiser is not to handle emotions between nations, but to reveal the objective truth a relic holds for the world.”
As the interpreter conveyed Si-woo’s answer, applause broke out among the Japanese officials.
Si-woo, caught off guard by the reaction, only looked confused.
I was just trying to smooth things over by borrowing a line from a Japanese article and dressing it up a little...
It seemed to have landed with surprising emotion.
Low exclamations rose from all around.
Commissioner Kawada also applauded before speaking.
“I deeply agree with that.”
After that, another question came flying in.
“Did you realize at a glance that it was Gato Kiyomasa’s sword? And how did you feel when you unraveled the secret?”
How did he feel?
He had been startled while reading the explanation that popped up in the status window.
Again, the room became so quiet that only breathing could be heard.
Everyone was waiting for Si-woo’s answer.
He could feel how focused they all were.
“The traces left in the inscription of the legendary swordsmith Fujiawara Masakuni... I felt they hadn’t simply been erased by time.”
The professional translator standing beside him rendered it into Japanese on the spot.
“When I connected the empty spaces left in the strokes into dots and Gato Kiyomasa’s name appeared in kanji, I got chills. The moment I became certain that the swordsmith had hidden his lord’s name inside his own inscription, I’ll never forget the thrill of it.”
That should be a decent enough answer, right?
It wasn’t the sort of thing that would cause controversy.
“Oh...”
The Japanese reporters didn’t seem displeased either.
Commissioner Kawada rose from his seat and said, “Thank you for those kind words.”
Si-woo shook hands with him and the other senior officials from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs as he moved through the crowd.
They were completely taken in by what he had said.
“That’s truly remarkable!”
“We’ve heard that you’ve uncovered many other relics as well, Mr. Kim Si-woo.”
He was somewhat surprised by how favorable the Japanese response was.
They flew across the ocean to get here. This much they ought to say. It doesn’t cost them anything.
Si-woo bowed his head modestly.
“Thank you. It was truly moving to see a swordsmith like Fujiawara Masakuni express his loyalty to his lord in this way.”
With that additional bit of lip service, the Japanese reporters’ eyes shone even brighter.
“Oh! Is that how you see it?”
“Oh...”
More exclamations of admiration rose among the Japanese officials.
Then one Korean reporter asked a sensitive question.
“But isn’t Gato Kiyomasa a figure who was basically an enemy to us? How do you evaluate him?”
At the reporter’s words, Si-woo was thrown off balance inwardly.
What, is this reporter here to socially execute me? What kind of grudge did I have in my past life to deserve a nuclear bomb like that?
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
To survive, he scrambled for a quick answer.
“I’m not someone who judges the nationality of a relic. I’m someone who judges its authenticity. History can be painful at times, but I believe facing it squarely is more important than turning away from it.”
Camera flashes burst among the Japanese reporters.
“Mr. Kim Si-woo, do you plan to take greater interest in Japanese relics in the future?”
“Of course. My goal is to find not only Korean relics, but the lost relics of all East Asia. To appraise artifacts beyond borders and uncover their secrets. That, I believe, is the role of an appraiser.”
Soon the Q&A session ended, and when the attendees began viewing the piece, Shin A-young approached Si-woo and whispered softly.
“You were perfect, Si-woo. Did you see how the Japanese side reacted?”
“Yes. Their response was much better than I expected.”
His tension easing, he let out a small breath.
“Si-woo, you’re really good at lip service. Especially when you mentioned craftsmanship. That was excellent.”
Shin A-young said it playfully.
“There’s no harm in saying what they want to hear. Besides, it seems my image in Japan isn’t bad.”
“Exactly. Did you see the commissioner’s face? He looked completely moved.”
“I’m glad. Honestly, I was a little worried.”
* * *
Late in the evening, Si-woo returned home and threw himself onto the bed.
“Haa... what a brutal day.”
When else would he get the chance to meet political and business heavyweights in person like that?
Each one of them held a lofty position, so he couldn’t help but feel tense around them.
Then the smartphone lying at the edge of the bed vibrated.
“This old man sent me another text. He’s the Asia-Pacific director for Nutflix, so shouldn’t he be busy?”
If approval came through, they had agreed in principle to film the next Nutflix documentary season immediately.
They had already made a verbal arrangement to shoot one season at a time and continue the broadcast from there.
After sending a polite reply, he turned on his computer out of habit.
He searched auction sites thoroughly for relics that had been uploaded today.
He clicked through page after page, checking whether anything new had appeared.
He looked through several auction houses, but regrettably nothing stood out.
“Nothing again today, huh?”
Then he picked up his smartphone.
Should I skim my DMs and call it a night?
The moment he opened Byeolstagram, a shocking number jumped out at him.
[Unread notifications: +999]
“......When am I supposed to read all this?”
The ripple effect of the article was still going strong.
Reporter Han Ji-yeon’s exclusive interview had been pushed down several notches by political headlines, but it was still holding a high ranking.
He began checking the piled-up DMs.
For some reason, there was a message from a woman in revealing clothes, sent along with a photo.
Messages from women saying they wanted to meet him.
Suspicious people asking whether he wanted to start a business together.
Even long, rambling messages asking to borrow money and laying out some pathetic sob story.
“Celebrities probably get it worse than this... no, probably not less.”
He could suddenly sympathize with their hardships.
He decided he’d only look for messages related to artifact appraisal.
He skimmed through a few messages like that, but found nothing that shone.
He was just about ready to stop when one message caught his eye.
Without thinking, he clicked the message.
In the photo, there was an old, worn plaque that looked as though it would crumble the moment anyone touched it.
What?
For a moment, he was speechless.
Inside the photo...
Just as when he had once found that independence movement relic...
a brilliant golden light was pouring out.
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