Chapter 40
Si-woo set out with Shin A-young for Raum Museum, perched on the slopes of Namsan in Hannam-dong, Seoul.
A museum shaped by world-class architects.
It was a monumental work of art in its own right, the very heart of South Korea’s art world.
"Are you nervous?"
Shin A-young, hands on the wheel, asked the question.
Si-woo looked at the great museum’s imposing silhouette through the window and adjusted his tie slightly.
"If I said no, that would be a lie. I’m going to the country’s finest museum to sell an artifact."
"Then be confident. The ones at a disadvantage right now aren’t us, but Raum. What they need most is already in your hands, Si-woo."
After parking and stepping out, they were greeted by a curator from the museum’s research office, who had been waiting for them.
"Appraiser Kim Si-woo, Representative Shin A-young. We’ve been expecting you. Deputy Director Park Sang-gi is waiting in the VIP reception room."
Following the employee’s lead, they walked down a long corridor.
Under the soft lighting, Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain stood with an aristocratic stillness, as if they were breathing.
Still, Si-woo felt a strange emptiness somewhere in the air.
In 2021, the museum had donated countless national treasures to the state in what had been called the Gift of the Century.
"Welcome."
A middle-aged gentleman rose from the sofa inside the room and greeted them with a gentle smile.
Immaculately dressed in a suit, with intellectual silver-rimmed glasses.
The elite of the art world, and the driving force who oversaw Raum Museum’s operations, apart from the Samjung Group’s owning family.
He was Deputy Director Park Sang-gi.
"A pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Si-woo."
"Haha. To finally meet the man we’ve been hearing about so often in the news. It’s a pleasure. I’m Park Sang-gi, Deputy Director."
Park Sang-gi’s gaze moved to Shin A-young, standing beside him.
"Representative Shin, it’s been a while. Seeing Eterna’s standing rise day by day, I can’t help but feel proud myself."
"It’s all thanks to Si-woo."
After a brief exchange of greetings, they took their seats.
Deputy Director Park studied Si-woo closely before speaking.
"Tomorrow is the award ceremony, isn’t it? The youngest recipient of the Gold Crown Order at twenty-eight. It will go down in the history of cultural heritage. Congratulations in advance."
"It’s an honor beyond my due. I was simply lucky."
"Discovering the gilt-bronze Maitreya seated Buddha of Baekje and donating it to the nation wasn’t luck. It was discernment. I deeply respect the courage it took to make that decision."
Park Sang-gi’s manner was polished and courteous.
He had the kind of speech and bearing that lifted others up without ever losing his own dignity.
Before long, the teacups the secretary had brought were set down, and the real conversation began.
"I heard in advance through Representative Shin. You’re said to have an unpublished masterpiece by Gyeomjae Jeong Seon?"
There was a faint note of anticipation in Park Sang-gi’s voice.
Of course, he knew very well how much the late chairman had cherished Jeong Seon’s works.
In that sense, Jeong Seon carried great weight within Samjung.
"Yes, that’s right. It hasn’t been shown to the public yet. It’s called Geumgang Rainy Landscape."
Si-woo opened the briefcase he had prepared.
Inside were documents from the Cultural Heritage Administration’s appraisal, carbon dating results, and files containing pigment analysis data.
Park Sang-gi examined the appraisal report with a sharp eye.
He read it with such gravity it seemed as if he refused to miss even a single character.
"It certainly looks like something the appraisal committee would recognize as authentic. There isn’t a single suspicious point. May I see the actual piece now?"
At Park Sang-gi’s words, Si-woo put on gloves and took Geumgang Rainy Landscape from its special storage case.
The moment the scene of rain falling over Mount Geumgang came into view, Park Sang-gi’s eyes sharpened behind his silver-rimmed glasses.
He looked over Geumgang Rainy Landscape.
"......!"
His expression shifted from surprise to admiration, and then quickly into something deeper, more yearning.
"This brushwork... the unconventional technique of scattering and rubbing the ink to express the downpour. It’s a level no one but Master Jeong Seon could have dared to attempt."
He spoke without taking his eyes off the hanging scroll for a long while.
"As you know, in 2021 our Raum, following the late chairman’s wishes, donated countless masterpieces to the state, including National Treasure No. 216, Clearing the Mountains After Rain. It was a cause for celebration nationally, but..."
Park Sang-gi lifted his head and met Si-woo’s eyes.
"From the standpoint of those managing Raum Museum, it was also disappointing to see so many representative works disappear from the museum."
A bitter smile settled over his face.
"The Inwang Mountain after the rain has left, and now the Mount Geumgang in the rain has come to take its place."
"Do you think Geumgang Rainy Landscape can fill that void?"
At Si-woo’s question, Park Sang-gi answered with certainty.
"Not just fill it. This will become a new symbol. Among Jeong Seon’s true-view landscape paintings, there is no work centered on the theme of rain that has been reported in the academic world. The rarity, the artistry, and the story of how Appraiser Kim Si-woo discovered Geumgang Rainy Landscape—all of it together will, I’m certain, make this the new face of Raum."
The atmosphere had ripened.
They had reached an agreement on the work’s artistic value.
What remained was a matter of reality.
"Appraiser Kim Si-woo. As Deputy Director of Raum Museum, I believe this piece is something we must acquire. However..."
Park Sang-gi let the sentence hang for a moment and made a troubled face.
"This isn’t something I can decide on my own. An acquisition price that could run into the tens of billions of won can only be executed after approval from the board of the Samjung Cultural Foundation, and ultimately the final authorization of the owning family."
"I understand that completely."
Park Sang-gi straightened in his seat and bowed his head politely.
"That’s why I’d like to ask for your patience. Please give us about a month."
"A month?"
"Yes. We trust the Cultural Heritage Administration’s appraisal results, but we need to carry out our own diagnosis and verification through Raum’s conservation research lab as well. It’s our principle, and the process I’ll need most in order to persuade the owning family."
Si-woo glanced at Shin A-young, seated beside him.
She gave a faint nod, as if to say it was reasonable.
"All right. I’ll trust you with it, Deputy Director. Should we send the piece to the storage vault today?"
"Thank you. If you do that, it couldn’t be better."
Park Sang-gi rose from his seat and held out his hand to Si-woo.
"Thank you for bringing Master Gyeomjae Jeong Seon’s new masterpiece out into the world. And thank you for offering it to Raum first."
The handshake carried a warm intensity.
As Si-woo left Raum Museum, he drew in a deep breath. The air of Hannam-dong felt unusually fresh. Now the dice had been cast.
The painting once treated as though it were worth fifty thousand won now stood at the final gate before being hung in the highest halls of South Korea’s finest private museum.
* * *
The next day, a black official vehicle came to a quiet stop in front of Si-woo’s home.
It had been sent by the presidential protocol team.
The driver stepped out respectfully and bowed.
"Appraiser Kim Si-woo, ma’am. I’ll take you to the Blue House banquet hall."
"Thank you."
He helped Gong Mrs. get in first.
"Here, you get in first."
"Si-woo, do we really have to go to this length...? We could just borrow one and go."
Gong Mrs. murmured under her breath.
For today, she wore the elegant jade-blue hanbok tailored for the first time in her life.
But the expensive hanbok seemed to make her uneasy, and she kept fiddling with the ties of the jeogori.
"Come on. When else would we ever get to go to the Blue House? There’ll be photos too, so the clothes you wear on a day like this should be kept for the rest of your life."
Si-woo took her trembling hand firmly in his own.
He could feel the roughness of her palm.
Gong Mrs., who had spent her whole life working stubbornly in a factory.
The car pulled away smoothly.
The official vehicle passed Gwanghwamun and headed toward the Blue House.
Before long, the blue roofs came into view outside the window.
The heart of South Korea.
The car entered the Blue House, a place usually seen only on television news.
Strict identity verification was carried out at the guard post.
"Appraiser Kim Si-woo, are you attending the Gold Crown Order ceremony?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"Please show your identification."
After checking the IDs of Si-woo and Gong Mrs., the security officer bowed politely.
"Welcome, honored guests. You may proceed now."
The barrier rose.
The car slowly drove into the Blue House grounds.
Neatly trimmed lawns and pine trees lined both sides.
Feeling tense, Gong Mrs. gripped Si-woo’s hand even tighter.
"It’s all right. I’m here too."
The car stopped in front of the banquet hall’s main entrance.
"We’ve arrived."
The driver got out and opened the back door for them.
A red carpet stretched toward the banquet hall.
Gong Mrs. looked almost afraid to step onto it.
"Mother. This way, please."
Si-woo took his mother by the arm and walked forward with confidence.
The honor guard stood in formation on both sides.
A Blue House protocol staff member came forward and greeted them politely.
"Mr. Kim Si-woo, ma’am. I’ll guide you inside the banquet hall."
The entrance to the banquet hall.
The great doors opened.
* * *
A massive crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, scattering brilliant light in every direction.
The hall was silent and solemn.
The recipients were already seated.
A protocol staff member guided Si-woo and Gong Mrs. to the center of the front row.
"Your seats are here."
A giant taegeukgi hung on the stage in front.
Below it, on the podium, sat a velvet case containing the Gold Crown Order.
"We will now begin the 57th Culture Medal Award Ceremony."
Time passed, and the voice of the protocol officer rang out.
Everyone rose to their feet.
The national anthem flowed out solemnly.
"Honorable President. And distinguished guests who have joined us here today."
The host’s remarks began.
"Today we have gathered for this meaningful ceremony to confer the Gold Crown Order on someone who has made immense contributions to the preservation and discovery of South Korea’s cultural heritage."
The host’s gaze turned to Si-woo.
"At only twenty-eight years old, Kim Si-woo has set an unprecedented record in the history of our cultural heritage."
The voice grew stronger.
"He unearthed artifacts from the independence movement, reminding us of the painful history of our people, and he rediscovered two unpublished works by Hyewon Shin Yun-bok, shedding new light on the value of Joseon genre painting."
The host paused briefly for breath and went on.
"He also discovered the gilt-bronze seated Maitreya Buddha of Baekje, revealing to the world the essence of Baekje art from 1,400 years ago, and donated it to the nation."
Gong Mrs.’s eyes began to redden.
"Cultural heritage is not merely an object. It is a mirror that shows us our pride and our history."
The host’s voice rang through the hall.
"Appraiser Kim Si-woo has understood and embodied that value better than anyone. In recognition of these achievements, the Government of South Korea wishes to present him with the Gold Crown Order. Mr. Kim Si-woo, please come to the podium."
The host’s voice echoed across the room.
Si-woo swallowed his tense breath and rose from his seat.
Gong Mrs. gripped her son’s hand tightly.
"Don’t be nervous."
"You seem more nervous than I am, Gong Mrs. I’ll be right back."
"This kid..."
He smiled at her and walked toward the podium.
He stepped onto the red carpet and climbed the stairs slowly.
The flashbulbs of the press photographers stationed at the Blue House began to erupt.
At the center of the podium.
The President stood waiting before the taegeukgi.
Si-woo bowed respectfully according to protocol.
The President responded with a slight nod.
A protocol secretary waiting nearby opened the case containing the Gold Crown Order.
The splendid sash, woven with gold and crimson, shimmered in the light.
"You’ve done something truly remarkable. A young man protecting a national treasure makes me proud as well."
"You honor me too much, Mr. President."
The President first took out the sash attached to the medal, the wide ribbon.
He personally placed it over Si-woo’s right shoulder.
Then he carefully adjusted it at the waist so it would not wrinkle.
"Thank you for protecting our national treasures."
"I only did what had to be done."
Next, the President pinned the decoration to Si-woo’s left chest.
A gleaming silver star-shaped medal was fixed over his breast.
Finally, the award certificate and the watch presented as a bonus were handed over.
The youngest recipient in history had been born.
"Congratulations."
The President extended his hand.
Si-woo took it with both hands.
Click, click, click!
At that instant, dozens of photographers waiting on one side of the banquet hall fired their flashes all at once.
The field of vision burst white.
Si-woo stood beside the President and looked straight ahead.
The flamboyant sash of red and crimson draped over his right shoulder.
The decoration gleaming on his left chest.
That single photograph would occupy the front page of tomorrow morning’s newspapers.
From the seats, Gong Mrs. dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Now the recipient will say a few words of acceptance."
Following the protocol officer’s guidance, Si-woo stepped up to the podium.
Silence settled for a moment in front of the microphone.
The gazes of countless figures from every field were fixed on him.
Si-woo opened his mouth.
"First, I’d like to thank everyone involved for preparing such an honorable occasion."
Si-woo’s voice was calm.
"But to be honest, I’m not sure whether I deserve this medal. All I did was recognize the value of cultural heritage I happened to find."
His voice grew steadier.
"I dedicate this honor to everyone across this country who quietly protects our cultural heritage."
He added one final line.
"Cultural heritage is not simply an object."
Si-woo slowly raised his head and looked straight ahead.
"It is the breath of our ancestors, the testimony of history, and the pride of our nation."
He bowed deeply once more.
"I will continue to do my utmost to protect our cultural heritage. Thank you."
The President rose first and began to applaud.
At that moment, everyone in the hall stood together, and thunderous applause rolled through the banquet hall.
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