Chapter 82
Hayashi Reiko answered the phone.
“Oh, my. Ayoung, what’s going on? You hardly ever call, and now here you are.”
Her gentle voice was full of warmth.
But Shin A-young replied in a flat tone.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“Has our Ayoung finally reached the age to marry? Need me to look around Japan for a decent groom?”
“I didn’t call to talk about that.”
Shin A-young cut her off firmly.
“I need the help of the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association.”
“Hmm…”
There was a teasing note in Reiko’s hum.
“Look at you, my proud little Ayoung, asking your cousin for a favor. Well, I suppose there’s a first time for everything. Fine, tell me what this is about.”
Shin A-young let out a quiet sigh to herself.
This was exactly why she had been reluctant to call.
“Do you happen to be somewhere no one can overhear you?”
“Yes, I’m in my room. Unless there’s someone in here tapping the line, we’re fine. Hohoho, what’s the matter?”
Before Shin A-young could answer, Reiko spoke again.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a boyfriend! The appraiser named Kim Si-woo at your gallery’s been the talk of the town lately. He’s not bad-looking, either.”
“Unni.”
“What?”
“This is urgent. Can we get to the point?”
Shin A-young’s voice cooled.
Reiko, a little disappointed that she could not tease her any further, caught the shift in mood and dropped the playfulness.
“All right. Go on.”
Shin A-young explained the situation.
The rusted sword discovered on a Japanese secondhand marketplace app.
The engraved inscription on its blade.
Ryueuk Seongseong.
The possibility that it was the sword Gwon Yul had carried during the Imjin War.
As she spoke, the silence on the other end deepened.
After listening for quite a while, Reiko finally answered.
“So what you’re saying is that our Ayoung wants to use the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association to safely transfer a relic that might be Gwon Yul’s sword?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Good. I’ll help. That’s a wise plan.”
“Huh?”
“A favor from our Ayoung? Of course I should do it. Besides, these days things with China aren’t exactly smooth, so there’s growing sentiment that Japan needs to strengthen ties with Korea. If this exchange helps ease tensions, no one will oppose it. But Eterna Gallery is out of the question, you know that, right? Since that’s where Kim Si-woo the appraiser works.”
“Yes. That’s why we’ll go through another exchange association and handle it as a cultural relic swap.”
“Good. And do you have a Japanese relic you can offer in return?”
“I’ll look. There should be something suitable from the Edo period.”
“All right. But there’s one condition.”
“...What is it?”
“When this is over, meet me once. Let me see your face. I’ll buy you dinner.”
It was such a simple condition that all the tension drained out of her at once.
“Understood.”
“Good. Send me the details tomorrow. I’ll prepare everything on my end.”
The call ended.
Shin A-young set down her smartphone and looked out the window.
It had been almost two years since she had called her cousin.
* * *
Choi Yi-seo arrived at Haneda Airport in the late afternoon, and that was when Kim Si-woo received her message.
I’ve arrived! I’m on the Keikyu Line now, heading toward Shinagawa.
From Haneda to Nerima Ward, it was a little over an hour by train.
If he added the time it would take to walk from there to his senior’s house, she should be there by early evening.
Several hours passed after that, and there was still no new text.
By then, she should have already arrived.
Let’s not be the one to message first. If I rush her, I’ll only put pressure on her.
Then, while he was eating dinner.
The message he had been waiting for finally came.
Photos followed shortly after.
They looked better than the ones the owner had taken, which was a relief.
There was nothing especially troublesome to point out.
Kim Si-woo: Thank you for your hard work. I’ll speak with Representative Shin A-young and arrange for you to meet Representative Reiko right away.
His mother leaned out from the kitchen.
“Your expression’s a lot lighter. Good news?”
“Yes. The thing I was worried about worked out.”
His mother came over in her apron.
“What did I tell you? Worrying over it only makes things harder to move. It all works itself out if you let it.”
“Yes, yes. You were right.”
Si-woo smiled and nodded.
He picked up a piece of braised short rib and took a bite.
It tasted different from earlier.
Maybe because the tension had eased.
The sweetness of the soy marinade spread warmly through his mouth.
Kkamangi, too, saw Si-woo eating and, as if reassured, went back to its cushion, settled down on it, and closed its eyes.
* * *
Shin A-young moved at once.
On the Korean side, she reached out to the Buddhist Cultural Exchange Association, with which there had already been existing ties.
There was a long history of exchanges between Korean and Japanese temples in the Buddhist world, and since they had already maintained working contacts with the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association, things progressed quickly.
On the surface, there was nothing particularly problematic.
Japan’s diplomatic relations with China had recently worsened, and concern about the future was growing.
At a time when it was more important than ever to maintain stable relations with Korea, cultural exchange at the private level was the kind of thing both governments welcomed.
The exchange list was settled.
The Korean side offered two Edo-period prints owned by a private collector in the country and one Meiji-era lacquerware piece.
The Japanese side offered one Goryeo-era celadon piece and two white porcelain plates that had been kept at a temple.
And then they included a single broken old hwando in the list.
The battered sword Yi-seo had secured in Tokyo was, thanks to Reiko’s meticulous groundwork, registered in the paperwork as though it had been one of the Joseon relics stored by the Japanese temple.
And so Gwon Yul’s sword was added to the return list.
Hayashi Reiko, chairwoman of the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association, said, “It is only natural for cultural properties to return to the places where they belong,” and added, “I hope cultural exchange between our two countries will continue in a spirit of mutual respect.”
The article ran, but it was quickly buried in Korea.
That was because a more shocking story began spreading, one that eclipsed it entirely.
The artifact exchange article was quietly buried so that attention could be focused elsewhere.
Private exchanges like this had happened before.
It wasn’t the kind of news that would attract massive public interest.
But just in case, they did not want anyone taking interest in a broken old hwando.
We need to draw as much attention as possible.
The news that the Fabergé egg was coming to Korea spread not only across the country but around the world.
Once the article broke, the internet erupted.
* * *
A few days passed.
By then, a flood of articles about the Fabergé egg was dominating the news.
Incheon International Airport, cargo terminal.
In a separate area hidden from ordinary passengers, a chartered jet had landed.
A specially sealed storage case was carefully unloaded.
Security guards stood watch on both sides of the container with heavy vigilance.
Si-woo smiled in welcome when he saw the foreign man approaching.
The person who had gotten off the plane was James Miller.
They exchanged a brief hug and a handshake.
“You’ve been coming to Korea quite often lately.”
At the light joke, James Miller laughed heartily.
“Hahaha. Every time I come to Korea, something good happens, so if I get the chance, I’d like to keep coming back.”
He went on, “Since I’m here anyway, I’m thinking of doing a little traveling before I head home. I was recommended Haeundae in Busan last time, but I haven’t been able to go yet.”
“That’s an excellent choice. The weather’s good this time too, so it’ll suit you perfectly.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Once the greeting was over, the atmosphere changed.
James Miller’s eyes sharpened.
He had shifted into a businesslike manner.
“The Chariot and Angel Egg. There were no abnormalities during transport. Temperature, 18 degrees Celsius; humidity, 45 percent. From departure to arrival, it never once went beyond the standard range.”
“Thank you.”
“It was transported under the reputation of Crosier Fine Art. We couldn’t allow even the slightest flaw.”
James Miller took a transport log out of his briefcase and handed it over.
The record was neatly compiled, from hourly changes in temperature and humidity to vibration detection logs and security shift reports.
As Si-woo scanned the document, a camera rolled from a short distance away.
“Ha. That alone is a shot. What a shot.”
Yang Dong-seok stroked his beard and stared at the monitor with a satisfied expression.
Director Choi Min-ho nodded beside him.
“The storage case coming down from the chartered jet. The line of guards, and Kim Si-woo the appraiser shaking hands with James Miller. We could use this as the Season 2 teaser trailer.”
“It’s perfect as a teaser to release before the main show comes out.”
Choi Min-ho looked back at the image on the monitor.
The afternoon sunlight came in from behind, wrapping the silhouettes of the two men in gold.
“We won’t even need narration. Showing this scene alone is enough.”
“Uh-hahaha. Very good.”
Yang Dong-seok never took his eyes off the monitor.
He had no doubt that Nutflix Season 2 would be a hit as well.
* * *
Around the same time, the private cultural relic exchange ceremony between the Buddhist Cultural Exchange Association and the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association was underway.
Three or four Korean and Japanese reporters were there with cameras as a matter of formality, but interest was minimal because everyone’s attention was fixed on the Fabergé egg’s arrival.
Customs clearance had also gone smoothly.
The official documents from both associations and the relic lists were complete, and no one paid attention to the “one broken hwando” listed at the very end.
Each side handed over its cultural relics.
The representatives shook hands and posed for commemorative photos.
Camera shutters clicked a few times.
After the event ended, the reporters packed up their equipment and drifted away one by one.
A representative from the Buddhist Cultural Exchange Association approached Reiko.
“Chairwoman, this exchange was a satisfying result for both sides. Especially in the current climate, the fact that a private exchange like this could be realized is meaningful in itself.”
It was an entirely ceremonial remark.
“Thank you. Cultural relics should return to where they belong.” Reiko answered with a neat bow.
Once the representative had left, Reiko took out her smartphone and sent a short message.
A few seconds later, a reply came.
Shin A-young: Unni, thank you so much. I won’t forget the promise.
Reiko smiled and slipped her phone back into her bag.
The broken hwando at the end of the list.
Of everyone present, only Reiko knew what kind of object it really was.
At last, Gwon Yul’s sword had come home.
---