Artifact Reading Inspector

The host of the show laughed and stopped them. Then, he dragged Haejin to his side.

“Well, that is enough… we have an expert here with us! Before we listen to you, I must say you are so good-looking. You really are the Prince Charming of Insadong. You’ve heard that a lot, right?”

“Oh, um, yes…”

Then Park Donghun, the young comedian, chimed in with a laugh, “Wow, he isn’t denying it. He knows he is charming, too. You’ve tried to win over some girls at clubs, right?”

Haejin decided to go along as he was on a comedy show. He smiled and answered, “A few times, haha!”

“Ohh! You sound like a real Casanova!”

“But I never dated for long…”

“Ohh! It makes you sound you even cooler! I envy you!”

They laughed and chatted like that and managed to get to the point after some time.

“But we really want to know how valuable Mr. Jaesu’s porcelain is. Mr. Haejin, do you think it is worth a lot?”

“Let me take a look first,” Haejin couldn’t be sure yet. He studied the porcelain’s surface and lifted it to look at its bottom.

“Hmm…” Haejin wondered if the situation was all real or there was some kind of script he hadn’t been told about.

The host could see that he was worried and asked, “Oh, but are you wondering if you really can say what you have to say?”

Haejin replied, “Actually, I do wonder that. I’ve never been on a comedy show before…”

“We know that, too. Hahaha! But really, there’s no script or something, so please take it easy. And this porcelain…” the host, Kim Jeongmin, grabbed the vase’s neck and lifted it while shaking it in the air.

“It’s fine to say this is fake…”

He waved it as if it were a sword, but Haejin grabbed his arm in surprise.

“You can’t do this.”

“What? Really?”

“Of course. It’s really valuable…” Haejin said while taking the porcelain from his hand and carefully putting it back on the table.

Jeongmin was surprised to see this. He asked the producer, “Jaeil, are you pulling a prank on us?”

However, Jaeil looked equally surprised. He made a huge x with his hands.

It made Haejin realize all of them were really thinking the porcelain was worth 30 thousand won.

Jeongmin carefully asked Haejin, clearly in doubt, “Is this really expensive?”

“Oh, yes. I don’t know if this really has been bought at Dongmyo Market, but judging from its shape, the engraved decoration, and its heel, it appears to be from the Chinese Song period,” Haejin explained.

It was way too shocking, and silence filled the room.

Then Park Donghun, who had been mocking the old comedian, spoke as if he couldn’t believe it, “Oh… no way! It’s a lie! It’s a prank, right?”

He looked at every member of the production crew and turned to Haejin for last.

“No, I’m the one who’s wondering if it’s a prank. How could this be bought with 30 thousand… isn’t that a lie?!” Haejin replied.

Donghun, who really couldn’t believe it, shouted “No way! It has to be a lie! I was with Jaesu when he went to Dongmyo and bought this at 30 thousand for this filming!”

Jeongmin asked Jaesu, who was just smiling blankly in shock, “Is that true? Have you really bought this at Dongmyo Market with Donghun?”

“Yes, but… is this really not a prank? This is really from the Song period?

Haejin nodded, “Yes, right. Although its color has faded, and it looks like a makgeolli cup, if you look closer, a lotus flower pattern is engraved on its surface. That pattern was often used on white porcelains in the Song period. It can be called White Porcelain Vase with Lotus Pattern Engraving.”

Jaesu asked what mattered the most with a trembling voice, “Then, then how much it would be…”

“Wow… see? His voice is shaking!”

Haejin smiled at Donghun’s protest, “Chinese porcelains are generally expensive. And as it hasn’t been damaged and the glaze was applied with great skill, it is in very good condition. I think it is worth at least 50 million won.”

Donghun pulled his own hair and moaned, “It’s crazy! It’s crazy! I saw him buy it at 30 thousand, and now it’s worth 50 thousand!”

Jeongmin asked him, “Oh, but you just asked him if he hadn’t bought it at three thousand!”

“I was just making a joke. Even Jaeil knows I was with Jaesu when he went to Dongmyo Market! Tell them! I was with you!” Donghun was clearly in sorrow, on the other hand, Jaesu rubbed the vase against his cheek in joy.

“This is why you have to be kind all the time. That’s how I got this fortune. Donghun, be nice to me.”

Donghun, instead, just gulped down cold water.

Although they were expressing themselves in an amusing way, Haejin could see they were genuinely surprised.

Their shaking breath and eyes proved that they hadn’t seen it coming.

“Wow… it’s surprising, really… how can this happen? It’s like winning a lottery. And it was Jaesu who got this fortune… what should I say… I’m learning that not all kind men get rewarded.”

However, as Jeongmin said that, he kept glancing at Haejin and Jaeil as if he was waiting for one of them to laugh and say, ‘It’s a prank!”.

Jaeil realized this and explained, “We have videos of them going to Dongmyo Market on Monday and buying it.”

“Oh, really? Wow… then it’s really real? I’m suddenly getting angry.”

“Jeongmin, just let it go. You should have been nice to others like me.” Only Jaesu mocked the others and laughed, “Hu… then let’s look at the next antique, shall we? It can’t be real again, right? If it’s expensive as well, I’ll quit filming today.”

Everybody laughed at this, but Jaesu looked at Haejin with excitement and hope while saying, “Please examine them well. Don’t mind these stupid men here. Concentrate on these things… you know what I mean, right?”

“Oh, of course. Anyway, congratulations. People often buy antiques at markets, but less them one out of a thousand is something decent. There are so many fakes and most of them are only one or two decades old. Really, your ancestors have helped you,” Haejin replied.

“Of course. Although I don’t talk about it often, my family is a prestigious old family,” Jaesu bragged.

“But your family tree record was just bought,” Donghun said.

“Have you seen it? Have you seen my ancestors buying it?”

“Then we can have it appraised. You can appraise a family tree record, right?”

Jaesu quickly stopped Donghun, “I don’t have it because my grandfather wasn’t the eldest son. It’s at my relative’s house, and it goes back on dozens of generations…”

“Stop lying!”

Jeongmin stopped their silly joke, “Now, now. We all know that Jaesu really comes from a great family. Was your grandfather’s name Nakamoto?”

“Hey!”

“Hahaha! Okay. Well, what kind of antique is this?”

It was a silver dagger, as big as a hand.

Jaesu started to tell its story with a sad face, “This silver dagger has a sad story. My grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother used this to protect herself from vicious Japanese…”

“Grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother? But that can’t be the right generation.”

“Don’t mind the useless details!” Jaesu yelled.

Jeongmin laughed and asked Haejin, “Well, okay. Mr. Haejin, what do you think? Did it really belong to Mr. Jaesu’s grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother… or is it also from Dongmyo Market? Please verify.”

It appeared to be quite old.

It had delicate engravings on it, and the tassel made of red yarn had gotten dirty.

Haejin carefully unsheathed it. Although the blade was rusty, he could see it had been made by a great craftsman.

He examined it for some time. Then, he looked back and forth between Jaesu and Donghun. Haejin cautiously asked, “Have you bought this at Dongmyo Market, too?”

“My grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother…”

Haejin had a feeling that it was nonsense and asked again, “I’m just asking because I’m curious. If you have bought this at Dongmyo, you are very, very lucky…”

The moment he said that, Donghun lunged at him and snatched the dagger while saying, “I chose this. You know, right? It’s all on camera!”

They had bought it at Dongmyo, after all.

Jaesu had gotten great luck that most people don’t get to experience once in their lives twice.

“Hey, hey! But I paid for it!”

“But I chose it,” Donghun replied.

“Do you really have to do this? Fine, 8:2”

Donghun then asked, “Do I get 8?”

None of them were serious. They were just accepting the fortune with a laugh.

Still, they were shocked and soon looked back at Haejin who explained the history behind it.

“It was made long ago. There were records about women carrying little daggers during the Japanese invasions in Korea (1592-1598) to attack the enemies or kill themselves to protect their chastity, and the year when the war started is written on this dagger. I don’t know if this was really made on that very year, but it is at least a century old. Scientific tests would be needed to find out when exactly it was made.”

Haejin could have used magic to find that out, but as he couldn’t give objective proof of it, he didn’t.

Nevertheless, it was clearly very valuable.

“Then it’s very precious, right?”

Haejin continued, “It greatly depends on which period it was made. Unfortunately, there’s no record about it, and it doesn’t have a special mark or symbol, so it is not as valuable as the vase, but it’s not something you can normally buy at Dongmyo Market. You got very lucky, Mr. Jaesu.”

Jaesu shouted in joy at this, “Jaeil, make a reservation at the biggest barbeque restaurant nearby. I’m buying everyone dinner today!”

“No way… it can’t be… why would any god give this kind of fortune to that devil?”

While he despaired, Jaesu took out yet another antique while saying, “This is really my family’s treasure. I didn’t buy this at Dongmyo. My grandfather left this…”

It was a medal.

It was rusty and had an unrecognizable symbol on it. On its back, the Chinese letters 大 禮 記 念 章 were written on it.

“Oh… this one really looks valuable,” Donghun and Jeongmin looked at it with awe.

However, the moment Haejin saw it, he glanced at Jaeil and Jaesu again.

Now, he was in trouble again.

“What is it?” Jeongmin saw him troubled and asked.

Haejin went to Jaesu and whispered to him, “Is this really yours?”

Jaesu nodded as if Haejin was asking something obvious.

Haejin, even more worried, whispered, “This medal is for the pro-Japanese…”