Chapter 4

I’m translating the chapter into HTML-formatted prose and preserving the in-universe broadcast and system outputs in styled blocks, as required.CHAPTER_TITLE: Episode 4

"Good evening. Welcome to the sixty-fifth broadcast of Treasure Appraisal Show! How Much Is Our Relic?"

"First, let me introduce the five judges who will be handling today’s appraisals."

The lineup was dazzling.

1. Professor Kim Do-hyun from the Art History Department at a national university.

2. Dr. Park So-eun, a registered specialist with the Cultural Heritage Administration.

3. Director Oh Jeong-min, the head of the National Museum.

4. Professor Han Ji-hoon, a scholar of antique restoration.

5. Appraiser Jeong Woo-seok, a working antique auctioneer.

Just hearing the introductions was enough to tell they were experts.

"Now, let’s welcome our first guest of the day. Grandpa Kim Wang-gyu, please come in."

The old man took the microphone and spoke calmly.

"This came from the time of the Korean War. I had gone to raid a North Korean village, and there was only a widow and her children there. I couldn’t bring myself to shoot, so I turned back, and they gave me this as thanks for sparing them..."

The item he had brought in for appraisal was a painting.

A familiar folk painting, the sort you would normally only see in textbooks.

The experts even put on pure white gloves and approached the painting with their own equipment in hand.

They began their appraisal, examining every detail.

"The tiger’s teeth are exaggeratedly large, and its eyes are fierce. It’s a textbook example of folk painting style."

"Judging by the artistic features and pigments, I’d estimate it dates to the late Joseon period."

"However, the brushwork is uneven. This is characteristic of minhwa painted by a folk artist rather than a professional painter."

"The artist is unknown. That necessarily limits its market value."

"Still, Hojakdo—the painting of magpies and a tiger together—is highly popular as an auspicious image. Collectors favor it."

After a meticulous examination, the appraisal was complete.

"Let’s confirm the appraisal price."

Beep-beep-beep-beeeep!

As if counting money, the numbers rolled onto the display one by one.

"Yes. This work has been valued at 3.5 million won."

"Congratulations."

The live reaction wasn’t bad either.

- Oh, that’s not bad for the price.

- So folk paintings aren’t that expensive either?

- Might be worth collecting if I have some money.

- Kind of cheap for a life, don’t you think? lol

- If only the artist had been famous, it probably would’ve had another zero on it.. what a pity T_T

The second person to step up was a young man in his mid-twenties.

He grabbed the microphone with a confident expression.

"My name is Im Seong-hyeok. This document is a precious family heirloom that my family has kept for generations. I was able to inherit it because I’m the thirty-first descendant of the Naju Im clan, and the direct eldest son at that. It’s really... really valuable. If it gets sold, my father might beat me to death."

"Wow, with you saying that much, we’re definitely looking forward to it. Shall we get the appraisal started right away?"

Once again, the appraisers stepped forward.

But before long, their expressions turned strange.

"It is a late Joseon-era Chinese-character document. The handwriting resembles official government script, but the content is a little..."

This time, the appraisal took less than five minutes.

The document, which the young man had imagined might be worth anywhere from several million to hundreds of millions, turned out very differently.

The price came out lower than expected.

"What? This is that cheap?"

Im Seong-hyeok’s eyes widened in protest.

"You didn’t even properly evaluate it... Isn’t this too stingy an assessment? Are you trying to lowball me?"

He was about to argue his case.

But then the appraisal committee member let out a long sigh and came closer.

"You see the Chinese characters here?"

[奴 林重滿]

"Yes. That’s our family name, Im. It must be an ancestor from long ago."

"The character in front of it is important. This character means 'slave.'"

"...What?"

"It’s a document reporting the transaction of a slave named Im Jung-man."

"...Th-there’s no way."

"To be precise, this is a slave sale document."

The appraiser adjusted his glasses and explained calmly.

"The name, age, and price are all listed in detail, so it’s a good historical source that shows the social class system of the time."

"..."

"The condition is not bad, and since it can be used as academic research material, it looks like it can fetch an appraisal value of one million won."

The live comment section was in an uproar.

- lololololololol this is insane

- A slave document lmao

- A family heirloom slave sale document lololol

- How’s he supposed to show his face tomorrow?

- Certified commoner family lol

- Sigh, that’s gotta be embarrassing T_T

- I went to high school with that guy lol. He used to brag like crazy about being from a noble family lololol. Turns out he was a slave-descended bastard lol

- Still, it’s not a fake, so I guess they won’t rip it up lol

- Looks to me like that guest is so pissed he’ll go home and burn it lolol

Not only the comments, but the audience members in the studio also burst into laughter.

Thanks to Im Seong-hyeok, who had been swaggering around the whole time, the broadcast actually got a lot more entertaining.

But on the other hand, I started feeling a little uneasy.

'I heard they intentionally bring in one fake a week for the sake of a more sensational scene...'

The first two items had turned out to be genuine, so I worried they might have prepared my porcelain bowl as a fake.

'They’re not going to smash it for real, are they?'

I was still deeply uneasy.

'But still, I only paid 30,000 won for it...'

Considering the appearance fee, it wasn’t much of a loss.

'Still, I hope it isn’t fake.'

It wasn’t the money or the time that mattered.

'If it’s fake, that means the system window is fake too.'

The thought that I might have to go see a psychiatrist over this made my mouth go dry.

'Even if it’s worth only 100,000 won, please just not be a fake.'

After I prayed earnestly in my head, my turn finally came.

"Last order of the day. Kang Seo-jun, please come up!"

Meanwhile, at the same time.

Kim Bu-jang from HR Vision had finished his delivery work after leaving the office and returned home rather late.

After showering, he grabbed a beer to wrap up the day, sat down on the sofa, and turned on the TV.

But an unexpected scene was playing on the screen.

"Uh... isn’t that Assistant Manager Kang?"

Assistant Manager Kang Seo-jun.

His face was on TV.

"You found it at Hwanghak-dong Flea Market?"

"Yes, that’s right. I was just out for a casual outing, but for some reason it really caught my eye. So I ended up buying it like I was possessed."

"I see. Do you happen to remember how much it cost?"

"30,000 won."

"Wow, if it’s genuine that’s a jackpot, and if it’s fake, well, there’s nothing to be done."

"Right. I’m not expecting too much."

"All right, then let’s get right to the appraisal!"

The five appraisers approached the white porcelain bowl at close range.

Front, back, top, bottom. Even inside.

As they examined it slowly, their expressions began changing in dramatic fashion.

One person’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Another rolled their gaze around before letting out a murmur of admiration.

A different judge lightly lifted the bowl, then set it down with great care.

The appraiser began folding and unfolding his fingers as if estimating market price, then let out a soft, impressed exhalation.

When they finished, they offered their assessments one by one.

"This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is definitely a white porcelain piece made in the late Joseon period."

The appraiser’s very first words made my ears ring clear open.

"Its rounded, generous form is typical of the style ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠produced at the Bunwon kiln in the late eighteenth century."

...Huh?

Wait a second.

It’s really white porcelain?

"That’s right. Looking at the surface, the glaze is evenly spread, but there are small air bubbles and flaws on the inside of the foot."

"There’s also a chipped section here."

"It was well preserved, but this looks like a blemish created during the firing process because of a problem with the kiln temperature. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have been presented to the royal court."

...What the hell.

That matched almost exactly what I had seen in the system window.

"This kind of moon jar represents the aesthetics of Joseon white porcelain. A perfect one would be considered national treasure level, but it’s a pity this work has to be rated lower because of its flaws."

The appraiser’s voice was genuinely regretful.

"A perfect moon jar starts at a minimum of 100 million won. Depending on the condition, it can go far beyond that... But this one isn’t at that level."

"On top of that, it was discounted a little more because of the chip."

"Its storage condition also doesn’t seem to have been good. It looks like it was exposed to sunlight for quite a long time."

"Still, this Joseon white porcelain is a superb masterpiece."

"That’s right. It’s not only a fine aesthetic work of art, but also a precious object with both academic value and artistic merit."

The comment section was just as extraordinary.

- Wow, the atmosphere here is insane.

- Looks like we’re finally getting something crazy good.

- How much is it?

- Do they auction this right away too?

- If the guest wants to sell, they do the auction over the weekend after the broadcast.

- Damn, I’m jealous.

- A Joseon white porcelain piece bought for 30,000 won T_T

- I want one too...

The MCs were also shining with excitement.

"This item has been confirmed as a moon jar, one of the symbols of Joseon white porcelain."

"That’s right. Hearing such high praise, I’m getting excited too."

"Shall we check the appraisal value right away?!"

***

"Huh..."

I was stunned.

A porcelain bowl I’d bought for a mere 30,000 won had somehow become worth...

"Thirteen million won?"

The return on investment had gone beyond four hundred times.

Of course, even the appraisers seemed a little disappointed by that. After filming ended, they came looking for me separately and said things like,

'If the condition had been just a little better, it would easily have gone over 50 million won.'

'It’s a splendid white porcelain piece, so don’t let anyone lowball you. Make sure you get a proper price.'

But unlike them, from my point of view...

'...This is more than enough to be satisfied with, isn’t it?'

Of course, it would’ve been better if it had gone beyond 50 million or 100 million won.

But that was close to winning the lottery, and this was money I’d gained with no real investment at all. It was, in the truest sense, pure windfall.

Besides, there was something even better to be happy about than the money.

'That ability is real...!'

The system and the status window.

They weren’t hallucinations after all. They were genuinely usable abilities, and that alone was the greater prize.

'At least I don't have to go to a psychiatrist.'

That was the biggest relief.

And what I liked even more was this.

"...So if I wait another three and a half weeks, I can use it again?"

That meant this wasn’t just a one-time haul of 13 million won.

It meant that every month, I could potentially obtain relics on this level.

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

'It definitely said I was unlocking my first talent when the initial notification appeared, right?'

That meant...

'There are second and third talents too, aren’t there?'

Goosebumps ran down my spine.

'Is there some way to awaken them?'

I rummaged through the system every which way I could, but unfortunately there were no hints to be found.

'Don’t get ahead of yourself.'

They’d show up when the time came.

'For now, maybe I should just sell the porcelain first?'

***

Monday morning.

Beep.

I woke to the refreshing sound of a notification.

The sale proceeds from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Joseon white porcelain moon jar had been deposited.

To be honest, following the experts’ advice, I had wondered whether I should keep it a little longer and wait for the value to rise.

'But carrying it around makes me more nervous.'

It was far too worrying to keep a porcelain piece worth over ten million won in my cramped studio apartment.

If it toppled over and broke, I’d be in serious trouble.

So I entrusted the sale to the broadcasting station and had them conduct ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the auction over the weekend.

Ordinarily, auction fees run from 10 to 15 percent, but since it was handled through the broadcaster itself, they said they would lower the fee to 8.8 percent.

Thanks to the broadcast premium, there were quite a few interested buyers.

The final winning bid came to a whopping 17.5 million won.

After the auction fee and the 3.3 percent withholding tax were taken out, the amount deposited was 15.43 million won.

'They really take a huge bite out of it.'

The fees stung a bit.

Still, I was satisfied that the money had gone straight into my account.

After lying in bed and checking my balance five more times, I finally thought, Right, I should go to work today too.

I took a shower at my leisure and put on a suit.

Just as I was heading out the door with a far lighter step than usual, another notification popped up.