Chapter 104: Charity Auction in Shanghai (1)
“You want me to go to Beijing?”
The ambassador to China couldn’t be anywhere else but in China, so he was probably asking Haejin to go to China. Haejin asked back just to be sure.
“Yes. I know this is too much to ask, but please, I have my reasons to ask this. Of course, we will pay for your trip.”
“We?”
The appraiser said ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. It meant Haejin was needed not by an appraiser but an organization.
“Actually, when Ms. Eunhae called me to ask this funny favor, I was delighted. I had been trying to think of a way to ask this, but she gave me an opportunity.”
Eunhae was sitting next to Haejin. She seems to be worried as she might have asked for someone who she shouldn’t have.
“What is it about?”
The old appraiser crossed his arms and spoke with a serious tone.
“I don’t know much about politics, but I do know that China and Korea are not on good terms now. So, the ambassador wants to improve that relationship, but he didn’t have a good way. Then, he found out that Chinese people love antiques and asked for my help.”
Haejin had told Jaewon he was close to the ambassador because Eunhae had mentioned it and he wanted to make it sound real, but it turned out that they were indeed close.
“Then, why don’t you go?”
He smiled at Haejin.
“If he were trying to find someone like me, he would have done that already. Do you know that your name is popular even in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now?”
What was that about?
“My name?”
“A while ago, a Korean ambassador went to the Arab Emirates and was treated as a very important guest. He said the prince told him about you, and that story made us appraisers feel great pleasure and thrill.”
“Oh…”
Haejin could see how it was going.
“The ambassador told it to me for an obvious reason: he wants me to introduce you to him.”
Eunhae chimed in.
“Is that an official request of the embassy?”
The appraiser smiled and shook his head.
“No, no. Even though this young man here is quite an issue among ambassadors, the embassy cannot officially invite you for such a thing. And the ambassador has asked me to find a way to do it personally. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would pay for the travel expenses.”
Whether it was an invitation from the embassy or a personal invitation from the ambassador, Haejin found it burdening.
Appraising or recommending artifacts to an individual was easy, but as he would have to help about matters between nations, one mistake could lead to a huge catastrophe.
“What am I supposed to do there? If it’s a simple appraisal…”
Before he could even finish, the old appraiser smiled and replied.
“That would be the best, but I’m afraid it’s not that simple. You will hear a more detailed explanation once you are in Beijing. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more, but once you hear about it, you’ll find out it’s not that complicated.”
That made Haejin feel even more nervous. He said that it wasn’t complicated, but he didn’t say that it was not hard.
“Why don’t you give me a hint?”
“You know how appraisers work. We appraise and examine the value, that’s all. You’ve discovered the fake Salvator Mundi. The ambassador has high hopes for you.”
He stood up, it meant he had nothing more to say. Haejin, therefore, gave up asking further questions.
“Then, should I wait?”
“They will contact you soon. If you have any appointment for today or tomorrow, you will have to cancel them. But do not be disappointed, he has great influence. You must know that you helping him means that you have become one of the greatest appraisers.”
As an appraiser going to where he was needed didn’t make him feel bad. It’s not like he would have to work for free…
The pressure was the problem but, on the other hand, it also meant that when finishing the job well, Haejin would get double the sense of accomplishment.
“Oh… you must not know him well enough. He is already one of the top appraisers. Do you think the prince of the Arab Emirates would hire just any appraiser?” Eunhae was listening to everything, she then started pouting and pretending to sulk while talking. Of course, she was joking. Apparently, she and the appraiser were very close.
“Of course, I know, but those snobs up there don’t. They don’t want to know… I also know that Vice Chairman Lim has acknowledged him, but the ambassador has an influence on the political world. There’s a big difference between someone who can help you with money and someone who can help you with political power.”
He patted Haejin’s shoulder and left.
“Please do well.”
After that, Eunhae sat opposite to Haejin and asked, “Anyway, what are you going to do about Mr.
Jaewon? Judging from how he reacted, I’m sure he would go around to sell that buddha…”
“What can I do? He’s a grown-up. I cannot stop him forever. I’ve done enough, but he couldn’t understand…”
Haejin smiled bitterly. He still remembered little Jaewon following him around.
“What if it appears in Insadong?”
“Why? You want me to take it? It will be worth three billion at least.”
“I was thinking maybe you would do it. It is nonsense, considering the museum’s finance, but honestly, you somehow easily get hundreds of millions out of nowhere, so I was worried you might do it again.”
“You don’t have to worry, that would never happen. And three billion won is too huge to just get it from somewhere. I don’t know if I’ll be able to buy it with three billion… and even if it was three hundred thousand instead of three billion, it is a bomb that can go off anytime, we cannot keep it.”
“Then, you want me to ignore it?”
“Yes. If the buddha appears in Insadong while I’m in Beijing, just watch quietly. At how much and to whom it gets sold….”
“You’re going to help?”
“No, it’s not to help. However, if someone buys it knowing that it is a stolen good, he or she must have bought other stolen goods, too. Plus, as it is an expensive stolen good worth more than three billion, there must be a financer involved, so they will work as a team. Find out about them, and we will be able to react if something happens later.”
“Oh… I see. Okay, I will contact some middle merchants and shop owners in advance.”
The conversation ended like that. And a few hours later, Haejin got a call from the embassy. They said they had gotten a plane ticket for tomorrow and he should hurry.
This time, Haejin went alone without Eunhae. For what reasons had he been summoned? It made him both nervous and excited.
When he arrived at the embassy, an employee went out to greet him.
“The ambassador is waiting for you. He is at the official residence now, so I will take you there.”
“Okay.”
Haejin followed him and arrived at the residence. A man in his early 50s in a suit, who Haejin had never seen on the news, welcomed him.
He wasn’t that tall, but he seemed nice, probably because of his grey hair and the fat face.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yang Dojin.”
“I’m antique appraiser Park Haejin.”
“Please, sit first. I’ve prepared lunch… is Chinese food okay?”
“I had Korean food earlier, so Chinese food would be nice.”
“Hahaha! That’s good.”
Haejin heard that the ambassador’s family also lived there, but he saw no one except for the cook.
They ate while having a meaningless conversation and moved to the living room. Dojin finally talked about why he had invited Haejin.
“I was impressed by what you did in the Arab Emirates. That’s why I invited you here.”
“I just got lucky.”
“Right now, I need that luck very badly. I do various things here, and the thing that allows me to do them well is human relationship… but it isn’t easy.”
“Could you tell me more?”
Dojin took a sip of his tea and slowly continued.
“There’s a man named Wang Huiyang in Politburo of the Communist Party. He is very troublesome. What should I say? He tackles everything about Korea.”
“He just hates Korea.”
“Yes. It’s not about politics and belief of the nation. He never wants to take a step back in all matters related to Korea, so he makes things very hard for me. Funny thing is, he never shows that he hates Korea when it comes to important issues between the countries.”
“Then how…”
“He doesn’t let Koreans do business in China, but I cannot officially protest about it… I tried to find out why he hated Korea so much, and there was a good reason. So, I think the best thing to do would be to make him change his mind, but I couldn’t find a way.”
If he still didn’t have a way, Haejin could do nothing. He was an appraiser, not a consultant.
“What is that good reason?”
“He used to like Korea. He even sent his son to Korea to study, but he was bullied because he was Chinese. He started to hate Korea after that.”
“Hmm… I see. Anyway, so?”
“I heard about you a while ago and thought about it. I can’t just bribe him, and I can’t change his mind with a few words at dinner, so I was worried, but I thought I could solve this by using antiques.”
How will that solve the problem?
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
“In three days, a charity auction for disabled children will take place in Shanghai. Wang Huiyang will donate a considerable amount of antiques.”
“Why would he donate his antiques to a charity auction?”
“It’s kind of a political action. His family is known to be very rich, so there are people who don’t like that. That’s why he’s appealing to the public and to the party members by doing it.”
“Oh… and?”
“We will participate in that auction, too. Out of courtesy, we are going to buy one or two with a small sum of money, and I am hoping you would help.”
“Me? How?”
It wasn’t like Dojin needed to buy something at a low price or get something really valuable, so Haejin couldn’t even guess what he was supposed to do.
“Many politicians and businessmen will participate in this auction. And, each one of them wants his or her piece of art to be sold at the highest price. They think it will raise their reputation.”
“Then, I should make Wang Huiyang’s artifacts get sold at the highest price?”
“Yes. What do you say? If it’s impossible, you don’t have to do it. I don’t want to ask too much.”
Dojin wasn’t just saying that. He was really saying that Haejin could refuse.
“Hmm… actually, I cannot tell you anything as I don’t know what kind of artifacts will be on the auction.”
“Of course. Being able to make your decision in this situation would have been even harder to believe. I’ve prepared the auction’s catalog.”
Dojin looked at Haejin and handed him the catalog.
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