Chapter 45
I’m translating the chapter into the required HTML format now, keeping the article, comments, and special in-universe text in styled blocks and normal narration in paragraphs.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 45
A few days later, word spread that Samjeong had purchased the Geumgang Uido and that Han Jeong-sik had made a donation, and the articles began to appear.
The painting has been officially acquired by the Raum Museum under the Samjeong Cultural Foundation, one of the nation’s leading institutions. Although the exact purchase price has not been disclosed, people in the art world estimate that, given the work’s value, it likely reached the hundreds of billions of won.
What has drawn as much attention as the story of the painting itself, which had been handed over in place of a debt twenty years ago, is the seller’s beautiful act of donation.
The original owner of the painting, an anonymous man in his fifties, donated 2 billion won from the sale proceeds to the Kim Hak-jun Public Foundation, where appraiser Kim Si-woo serves as a director.
What’s more, it was confirmed that the donation had been recorded under the name of the man who had first recognized the painting’s value, appraiser Kim Si-woo, rather than the donor’s own name.
(continued)
(Photo: Geumgang Uido by Gyeomjae Jeong Seon, confirmed as authentic)
[Joa Ilbo = Reporter Han Ji-yeon]
Even after his fame rose again, Si-woo’s daily life did not change.
As always, he went to work at Eterna Gallery.
He drank morning coffee with Shin A-young, then returned to his private office to browse auction sites for new pieces and check the flood of DMs that kept pouring in.
But this morning, Shin A-young set down her coffee halfway through drinking it and held out an envelope.
"What is this?"
Si-woo took the envelope with a puzzled look.
"Open it. It’s an invitation."
"An invitation?"
"Yes. An official invitation from Sotheby’s."
He carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was thick, luxurious paper of the finest quality. Gold-foiled English lettering gleamed elegantly across its surface.
Invitation: The Legacy of Qianlong
To. Mr. Kim Si-Woo & Eterna Gallery
The legacy of Qianlong.
This was a special invitation from Sotheby’s, addressed to Si-woo and Eterna Gallery.
"It’s a viewing invitation. If you want, it also includes a VVIP preview, a gala dinner, and even a private party in Hong Kong where you can meet collectors."
Shin A-young pointed to the invitation as she explained.
"And the treatment is extraordinary. Round-trip first-class tickets, plus a stay in a Peninsula suite at the finest hotel in Hong Kong. Sotheby’s is covering every expense during the trip."
"They’re really putting that much effort into it?"
He had thought it would end once he submitted the piece for auction.
He hadn’t expected them to care this much.
"Of course. Sotheby’s must have researched you thoroughly too, Si-woo. The hand of Midas who has uncovered so many remarkable relics, and now the key VIP who brought in the centerpiece of this auction. With that kind of weight behind you, this treatment is almost natural."
Shin A-young took out a tablet and showed him the screen.
Translated Chinese articles and social media reactions were packed across it.
"Look. Chinese media outlets have been covering it day after day. They’re fascinated by the story of the porcelain used as an umbrella stand that sold on eBay for 300 million won being identified as an imperial Qing-era piece from the Qianlong court. And they’re also amazed by the whole chain of discoveries you made along the way, so it’s been reported over and over."
She kept scrolling, explaining as she went.
"Collectors want to meet you in person. The story of the 'genius appraiser who found treasure on eBay' is a huge sensation among them. Chinese tycoons especially love this kind of dramatic story."
Si-woo stared blankly at the articles on the screen.
There’s this much going on?
He had had no idea he’d become this much of a topic in China.
"Sotheby’s probably didn’t send the invitation just as a courtesy."
He understood what Shin A-young meant.
His public appeal alone had value. Having the man who won the piece on eBay show up in person and tell his story to wealthy collectors would be more than enough to make it worthwhile for Sotheby’s.
"You’re going, right?"
Shin A-young’s question was calm.
He had no reason to refuse.
They had gone so far as to send him an invitation like this.
Besides, he didn’t have anything else scheduled.
"I should. I can’t pass up a first-class flight."
He said it as a joke, but he meant it.
When he had traveled for the company, it had always meant being crammed into a cramped economy seat.
It had only been a short time ago that he had been flying while worrying about the person beside him instead of even daring to stretch his legs.
And now he had skipped business class altogether and jumped straight to first class.
"When do we leave?"
"It’s booked for this weekend. If you want to change the time, that should be fine too."
"This weekend sounds fine. But isn’t there still some time before the auction?"
At Si-woo’s question, Shin A-young answered with an easy smile.
"That’s the point. Bringing you in before the auction day instead of only on the day itself means Sotheby’s values you that much. It’s their way of saying they want you to enjoy Hong Kong’s atmosphere and be properly hosted in advance, isn’t it?"
The taste of success was sweeter than he had expected.
"Then I should call General Manager Yang Dong-seok before I leave."
"Nutflix?"
"Yeah. Wouldn’t he like the idea of coming to film?"
"Oh, absolutely. He’ll come no matter what."
Si-woo placed the call. After a few rings, a hearty voice boomed through the line.
"Hahaha! Appraiser Kim Si-woo, what’s the matter?"
"Hello, General Manager Yang Dong-seok. Do you have a moment?"
"Of course. I was just reading the articles about appraiser Kim Si-woo. And Director Choi Min-ho said the footage from the Geumgang Uido shoot came out really well too. Hahaha."
"That’s a relief. Actually, Sotheby’s Hong Kong sent an invitation. It’s for this weekend, and I was wondering if the film crew might be able to come along as well..."
Before he could even finish.
Yang Dong-seok hurriedly shouted through the phone.
"Hahaha! Of course! We have to go together! I’ll follow you all the way!"
He couldn’t hide his excitement.
"Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction! That’s the climax of the documentary, if there ever was one!"
"Then can you make the schedule work?"
"Of course. I’ll make even a nonexistent schedule work! I’ll build a team with Director Choi Min-ho right away. We’ll work out separately with Sotheby’s how much we’re allowed to film. If it’s this weekend, the timing is tight, but still manageable."
"Though as far as I know, filming inside the auction house itself isn’t allowed. Will that be all right?"
"We’re aware of that. It’s because of bidder privacy. But we can film everything before and after the auction, and the interviews too. That alone will give us plenty of dramatic material."
Yang Dong-seok added,
"Appraiser Kim Si-woo, this Hong Kong shoot is really important. It’s about documenting how you’re recognized on the global stage. We’ll prepare carefully, and we’ll capture it in the best possible frame."
"Thank you, General Manager Yang Dong-seok."
"No, we’re the ones who should thank you. Hahaha."
Hong Kong.
...No, Beijing, China.
In the penthouse banquet hall of a luxury hotel on Wangfujing Street, security was tight in front of the venue hosting Sotheby’s private preview event, The Legacy of Qianlong.
Only VVIPs with invitations could enter.
It was, quite literally, a space for the chosen few.
At the center of the exhibition hall, inside a bulletproof glass case, the Qing Qianlong Nine-Dragon Pattern Large Vase stood alone in stately splendor.
Under the special lighting, the porcelain surface glittered as if the nine dragons painted across it were writhing to life.
At the front of it stood an old man leaning on a cane, his face mottled with age spots.
He was Chairman Wang, a Chinese real-estate tycoon and a man known as the godfather of antique collecting.
Behind him, his private secretaries and appraisal team stood like a folding screen.
"Chairman, this is the item that the Korean appraiser in America bought at auction."
The chief appraiser of the chairman’s private gallery spoke carefully beside him.
Chairman Wang said nothing. He only tightened his grip on the cane.
His wrinkled eyes gleamed sharply.
"Hmm..."
A low sigh escaped Chairman Wang’s mouth.
Even from the photographs, he had felt it was no ordinary object.
But the real thing was beyond anything he had imagined.
Each and every scale of the dragons, painted in the fencai technique, seemed to live and breathe in three dimensions.
"Look at that color. Three hundred years have passed, and yet how can it still be this vivid?" Chairman Wang muttered, stroking his white beard. "To think it had been used as an umbrella stand. It’s heartbreaking. For a relic from the Qianlong Emperor to be discovered only now... Tsk."
He could not conceal his outrage at the fact that a Qianlong-era porcelain vessel had been used as an umbrella stand.
At the same time, an unbearable greed for it burned in Chairman Wang’s eyes.
Then the entrance to the venue stirred with commotion.
A young man entered, accompanied by bodyguards.
He wore a tailored suit and a haughty expression.
He was Liu, the IT magnate from Shanghai.
A leading figure among the new rich, he was one of the chief forces driving up antique prices through his recent wave of aggressive investment.
Liu spotted Chairman Wang and approached with his characteristic relaxed smile.
"Chairman Wang, what a surprise to see you here. How is your health?"
"Hmph. I don’t need your concern to keep walking on my own two feet."
Chairman Wang snorted, but Liu didn’t mind at all and kept smiling.
"Haha! Seeing it in person, it really is something. It would look perfect in the lobby of my executive office. It would give visiting business partners a real sense of the company’s class."
Chairman Wang’s brow furrowed at Liu’s breezy tone.
To treat an emperor’s relic like a mere office decoration.
The young man’s arrogance knew no bounds.
"This isn’t something a private individual can handle carelessly. It belongs in the hands of someone who understands the weight of history."
"History is fine and all, but in the end, doesn’t money decide who owns a thing? This auction should be pretty entertaining."
With that provocative remark, Liu raised his champagne glass and strolled off to another part of the hall.
Watching his arrogant back, Chairman Wang drove the cane into the marble floor with a heavy thud.
"Arrogant brat. How dare some greenhorn talk money in front of me?"
The chief secretary, reading the murderous look in Chairman Wang’s eyes, hurried over and bowed low.
"Chairman, please calm yourself. Your blood pressure will rise."
Chairman Wang breathed heavily, rough and sharp.
Then he called the chief secretary in a voice like frost.
"Hey, Zhang Wei."
"Yes, Chairman."
Chairman Wang’s eyes flashed fiercely.
This was no simple anger.
It was a resolve to crush a rival without mercy.
"Make sure that arrogant bastard never, under any circumstances, gets his hands on it. Understood?"
Zhang Wei bowed deeply.
He understood exactly what Chairman Wang meant.
"Understood. I’ll prepare funds with no upper limit."
"Good. The only place those nine dragons belong is my museum."
Chairman Wang glared after the retreating figure of Liu and growled, "I’ll teach that rootless punk a lesson at the Hong Kong auction."
Across China, the wealthy were moving.
Their collecting instinct had already turned into a fight of pride.
Just as Sotheby’s had planned, the board was growing beyond control.
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