Chapter 7
He went back to the village meeting hall.
The elders were seated on the wooden platform, playing go-stop.
"Oh? You're back already?"
The village head lifted his chin. "Did you take care of everything?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I was able to look around properly."
"No need to go out of your way and come back again. Is something wrong?"
Si-woo hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "Could I possibly speak with your grandson, Kim Young-soo, again?"
The village head raised his brows in confusion. "What's this about? Why do you want to contact him again?"
"I found something inside the house."
"Something? What kind of thing?"
All the elders turned their attention to him at once.
"I'd like to explain the details to Kim Young-soo directly, if that's all right."
The village head studied Si-woo for a moment, then took out his mobile phone. "Young-soo, it's me. That young man said he has something else to tell you."
He handed the phone over.
"Hello. This is Kim Si-woo. We spoke earlier."
- Yes, go ahead. What is it, Mr. Kim Si-woo?
"I found something in the ceiling. Old letters and documents. They seem to be relics related to the independence movement."
For a moment, silence fell on the other end of the line.
He probably thought it was a prank, or that someone was trying to fool him.
- The independence movement?
The voice carried unmistakable disbelief.
"Yes. There's a ledger of independence funds, a letter and an unpublished poem by the poet Lee Yuk-sa, a letter from Kim Gu, and even a taegeukgi and photographs."
- ...I honestly can't believe this. Are they real?
"I couldn't believe it at first either. But it seems authentic. This isn't something I should keep for myself. I thought it was only right to let the owner know, so I called."
Silence returned.
- ...I'll come straight down from Seoul. Can you wait there for me?
"No, that's not necessary. I was planning to return to Seoul anyway, so I'll come to you instead. Just send me the address."
- You'd really do that? Then come to Seoul. I'm in Seocho-dong. I'll send you the exact location by text. When you arrive, give my name at the front desk and they'll guide you in.
"All right. Understood."
He ended the call and handed the phone back to the village head.
A moment later, a text came through.
[You can come to Kim Young-soo Law Firm in Seocho-dong, Seoul. The front desk will guide you from there.]
Kim Young-soo Law Firm?
It sounded familiar.
He searched for it on his smartphone.
His eyes widened.
Kim & Kim, Yulcheon, and Gwangjeong.
It wasn't among the so-called three biggest law firms in Korea, but it was one of the top firms just below them.
In corporate litigation and M&A, some even rated it above the big three.
The owner of that ruined house was the representative of a law firm?
Si-woo got into the rented car he had borrowed through the Sarca app.
Navigation said it would take two hours and forty minutes from Yeongju to Seoul.
* * *
Seocho-dong, Seoul.
He stopped walking when he saw the place he had been told to visit.
A high-rise building with a glass exterior gleaming in the sunlight.
His eyes were drawn to the name engraved on the outer wall.
Kim Young-soo Law Firm
He stepped into the lobby.
Marble floors. A high ceiling.
A neatly dressed female receptionist sat at the front desk.
When she looked up and saw Si-woo, her brow furrowed slightly.
A rumpled hoodie.
Pants dusted from rummaging through a ruined house.
Hair that had gone tousled from lack of sleep.
A face that looked a little worn around the edges.
Who is that guy?
That was the expression on her face.
When Si-woo approached, she asked warily, "How may I help you?"
Her voice was cold.
"I have an appointment with Representative Attorney Kim Young-soo."
The receptionist's eyebrows lifted a fraction.
An appointment with the representative in that outfit?
Her suspicion deepened.
Still, she had a job to do.
"May I have your name?"
"Kim Si-woo."
That was definitely the name she had been told.
No way...
Half in doubt, the receptionist picked up the phone.
A conversation passed over the receiver.
Then, all at once, the expression on her face changed.
"What? Yes! Understood. I'll guide him right away."
The moment she hung up, she sprang to her feet.
"Mr. Kim Si-woo. The representative has been waiting for you."
Her tone and expression were completely different now.
The cold look was gone, replaced by a smile.
"This way, please."
She hurried ahead of him.
At the elevator, she pressed the button herself and opened the doors.
"I could have done that."
"Please go up to the twelfth floor. I apologize for not recognizing you."
She bowed deeply, looking as though she had committed some grave offense.
It was almost more awkward for Si-woo than it was for her.
"It's all right."
"Please, go up comfortably."
She stayed bent at the waist at a ninety-degree angle until the doors closed.
What was this?
Si-woo stood there in bewilderment, then caught sight of himself in the mirror inside the elevator.
Once he realized why she'd been so guarded at first, he straightened his clothes.
When the doors opened, he found what looked like a secretary's office.
A secretary greeted him with a smile.
"Mr. Kim Si-woo, correct? The representative has been waiting for you. This way, please."
They passed through a wide corridor.
Various awards and newspaper articles lined the walls.
At the end of the corridor, the secretary knocked on a door marked Representative's Office and opened it for him.
"Welcome."
Kim Young-soo stood and extended his hand.
He looked to be in his late fifties, with a tidy, composed air about him.
Behind silver-rimmed glasses, his gaze was sharp yet warm.
"You came straight from Yeongju? That must have been tiring."
"Not at all. I thought it would be best to bring it to you as quickly as possible."
"Please, sit. Would you like some tea?"
"I'd appreciate that, thank you."
He was shown to a spacious reception area.
After he sat on the leather sofa, a secretary brought out tea.
"Even hearing about it over the phone, it was hard to believe. Independence movement relics? It felt like being struck by lightning out of a clear sky."
"I felt the same way."
Si-woo carefully took the bundle out of his bag, handling it as though it were a sacred object, and placed it on the table.
"Here it is."
Kim Young-soo examined each item one by one with great care.
The ledger of independence funds.
Kim Gu's handwritten letter.
A letter from the poet Lee Yuk-sa.
Black-and-white photographs.
For a long while, he said nothing.
Si-woo found himself thinking that the man in front of him resembled one of the figures in the photograph.
Kim Young-soo stared at the picture for what seemed like an age.
"My God."
His voice caught in his throat.
"I was told that my great-grandfather had been involved in the independence movement. But there was never any proof. It was just something I heard from the elders in the family."
He wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
"Actually, I was planning to tear that house down. I was going to have a contractor come next month and level it. Nobody was buying it anyway."
"I see."
"I nearly bulldozed the whole place without even knowing something like this was hidden there. I almost committed a terrible wrong against my ancestors."
"That's not your fault. You couldn't have known."
"But how did you find it? You said it was inside the ceiling."
"Yes. It was originally covered up, but the house is so old there was a crack in the ceiling. It felt out of place, so I pushed against it and it opened."
"A crack in the ceiling?"
Kim Young-soo looked at him with fascination.
"Most people would just walk past something like that, wouldn't they? You're remarkable."
Instead of answering, Si-woo gave an awkward laugh.
"Mr. Kim Si-woo."
"Yes."
"You're truly not a greedy man."
"Pardon?"
"If it were me, I would have taken it without saying a word. After all, no one would have known, would they? Who would even know what was hidden in the ceiling?"
Si-woo replied lightly, "You're the representative of a law firm. I'm glad I came back to return it instead of taking it with me."
"Hmm?"
"If I had taken it and gotten sued, there's no way I'd beat you in court."
Kim Young-soo burst into laughter.
"Haha! That's true enough."
Si-woo laughed along with him.
The atmosphere had become strangely comfortable.
When the laughter subsided, Kim Young-soo spoke again with a serious expression.
"I'm thinking about how to handle this."
"What do you plan to do?"
"I'm considering donating it to a place like the National Memorial of Korea or the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. This is part of our history, and I want it to be seen by everyone rather than kept in my possession."
"I think that's a wonderful idea."
"And also..."
Kim Young-soo looked out the window as he continued.
"I think I'll establish a foundation."
"A foundation?"
"Yes. I want to create one bearing my great-grandfather's name. It would support things like independence movement research and descendants of activists."
Kim Young-soo turned back to Si-woo.
"You said my great-grandfather spent everything he earned on the independence movement. I want to carry that spirit forward."
"That's an admirable thought."
"It's thanks to you, Mr. Kim Si-woo. If I hadn't found this, I never would have thought of it."
Kim Young-soo stood, opened a drawer, and took out an envelope.
He held it out to him.
"This is a token of my gratitude."
"No, that's not necessary."
Si-woo waved it off without even checking the amount.
"Please accept it. You should take it."
"Really, it's fine. I only returned it."
"Mr. Kim Si-woo."
Kim Young-soo's voice hardened.
"These are relics whose value can't be measured in money. On top of that, they can prove that our family took part in the independence movement. You returned them instead of quietly taking them for yourself. This is the least I can do in return for that character."
Si-woo did not back down either.
"You said these relics have a value money can't measure. That's exactly why I can't take money for them."
Kim Young-soo gave a small sigh and set the envelope down.
"Fine. I won't force you."
"That's the right call."
"Instead..."
He handed Si-woo a business card.
"Please contact me anytime. I'll help you with anything."
"Pardon?"
"My personal number. Whether it's a legal issue or anything else, just tell me if you need something, Mr. Kim Si-woo. I'll help however I can."
Si-woo accepted the card in a daze.
The representative of one of Korea's top law firms was saying something like that to him.
The weight of a single word from a man like that would be enormous.
"...Thank you."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you, my great-grandfather can finally be known to the world."
Kim Young-soo held out his hand.
Si-woo took it and shook.
"I hope we can keep a good connection going forward."
"So do I."
* * *
The relics were authenticated in the curatorial research office at the Independence Hall of Korea.
Experts conducted a thorough analysis of the handwriting, the paper, and even the ink composition of the letters.
Two weeks later, the results came in.
They were all authentic.
A few days after that, his phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
"Hello?"
- Hello, is this Kim Si-woo?
A strange woman's voice.
"Yes, this is."
- I'm Han Ji-yeon, a reporter with the culture desk at Joa Ilbo. Would you have a moment to talk?
A reporter?
Si-woo paused.
"What is this about?"
- You're the one who discovered the independence movement relics in the hanok in Yeongju, aren't you?
"Huh? How did you know?"
- I found out while covering the story through the Independence Hall. Would you be willing to do a short interview? If you'd prefer, I can make sure your face doesn't appear, and I'll send you the article for review before it goes live.
There was an earnestness in her voice.
He considered refusing, but by then he had already worked out with the Cultural Heritage Administration that his face and name would be made public at the donation ceremony anyway.
"Hmm. All right. Where should we meet?"
- I'll go wherever and whenever is most convenient for you, Mr. Kim Si-woo.
"Then any cafe near Hongik University Station is fine."
- Understood. Please contact me again when you have time.
* * *
A cafe near Hongik University Station.
Si-woo arrived first and took a seat by the window.
Not long after, a woman in her late twenties came in.
She wore horn-rimmed glasses and had a bob cut.
She was dressed in a fitted suit, her skin fair and smooth, and as she approached with large, bright eyes, she asked, "Are you Kim Si-woo?"
"Yes."
"I'm Han Ji-yeon from Joa Ilbo. Thank you for agreeing to the interview."
Reporter Han Ji-yeon sat across from him and handed over her business card.
His hands felt oddly empty.
Come to think of it, he didn't have a card to give anyone.
He was on leave that was practically the same as resignation, so he couldn't hand over a company business card.
As the tax accountant had suggested, he would probably need to register as a business owner in antique appraisal.
"I'll order the coffee. What would you like? I'm paying with the company card, so you can order whatever you want. Otherwise, a pricey meal is fine too. Sushi, for example."
She seemed more interested in the sushi than he was.
But since eating while interviewing might leave him feeling queasy, he declined.
"No meal is necessary. I'll just have an iced Americano."
Han Ji-yeon returned after placing the order, visibly disappointed that she had missed the chance to make full use of the company card.
She set her laptop, smartphone, and various pieces of equipment on the table.
"May I record this? I want to make sure I write it accurately when I draft the article."
"Yes, that's fine."
Han Ji-yeon pressed the record button.
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