Mistaken for Genius Appraiser – Chapter 2

What was that?
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
It wasn’t a hallucination.
A faint light was definitely emanating from inside the box.

A sticker on the mansion’s front gate read, ‘Take anything you want, freebies!’

Did they abandon it while moving?

I slowly approached the box.
I became curious about the identity of the glowing object.
I looked around, but people passed by without a second glance, seemingly uninterested.
I approached and looked inside the box.
Visible were a ceramic vase with a crack on its side and a few miscellaneous items.
However, the faint radiance that had been on the vase was slowly fading.

What is this?
Siwoo stared at the scene, wiping his dry face.

What on earth is going on?
Not knowing if he had seen an illusion, he cautiously reached out his hand.
His fingertips touched the cold ceramic surface.

Ding.

At that moment, a translucent window appeared before his eyes.

Siwoo stared blankly at the floating window in the air.
He reached out to touch the window.
His fingers passed through the letters.
There was no sensation.
He closed his eyes and opened them again.
The window was still there.
Suddenly, a status window appeared on the glowing vase.
This wasn’t some kind of game.
However, upon seeing the item’s value, his mind snapped to attention.

‘A minimum of 100 million won?’

His heart began to race. If the window before him was real.
Siwoo swallowed dryly.
Wait. Calm down.
He was mesmerized by the 100 million won figure.
Was what he was seeing truly reality? Or was he experiencing hallucinations due to stress from his company?
He pinched his cheek.
It hurt. It wasn’t a dream.
He reached out and carefully picked up the vase.
This was undeniably a real object.

Just then.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Startled, Siwoo spun around.
An old man, who had approached without a sound, was looking down at the box and tutting.

“The owner abandoned it.”
“Ah, yes.”

Siwoo felt like he had been caught stealing.

“They said they were throwing it away because it had a crack.”

The old man shook his head.

“Leaving it like this, I guess these young people don’t realize they can be reported for illegal dumping. Hmph.”

Siwoo cautiously asked.

“Do you happen to know the person who lived in this house?”
“Of course. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for fifty years, you think I wouldn’t know?”

The old man spoke, looking up at the mansion.

“But an elder of the family passed away recently. Then their children are immigrating abroad, so they hurried to get rid of things.”

The old man glanced into the box.

“That vase was originally in the living room. It must have gotten cracked while moving the furniture.”

So it was originally intact.
Siwoo was curious.
Did they really know its value when they discarded it?
The old man provided the answer.

“Sigh. These young people don’t know the value of antiques. They probably just saw it as broken trash and threw it away.”
“Do you know the value of this antique?”

Siwoo asked, feigning ignorance.

“How would I know that? I only heard they received it as a gift a long time ago and kept it carefully.”
“Then… can I take it?”

The old man gestured with his chin towards the sticker on the gate.

“What does it say there? If they said to take it, then you can take it.”

The old man clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. The people who moved abroad aren’t coming back anyway. If you have use for it, take it.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s not mine anyway. It’s better than being left on the street.”

With that, the old man turned and walked back into the alley.

Siwoo carefully lifted the box.
It felt heavier than he expected.

* * *

They say when one door closes, another opens.
I don’t know who said it.
But it felt like the words were not wrong.

I confirmed the reality of the information displayed on what I assumed was a status window.
The process of confirming it was simple.
I searched for Lee Jongseong, a scholar from the Yeongjo period, on my smartphone.

It was true?
At least I had confirmed that the person and description in the status window were real.
The next important thing was whether it was truly worth over 100 million won.

The next day, Siwoo wrapped the vase in several layers of towels and put it in his bag.
He had tossed and turned all night but didn’t feel tired.

A quick internet search revealed that Insadong and Janghanpyeong Antique Market were famous for antiques in Seoul.

Insadong seemed likely to overcharge tourists due to the many visitors, while Janghanpyeong was said to be where dealers mostly traded.

‘If I want a proper appraisal, Janghanpyeong would be the place.’

He took the subway to Janghanpyeong Station.
As soon as he exited the station, he saw rows of antique shops nestled among old buildings.

The signs all read ‘Antiques’, ‘Antique Arts’, ‘Ceramics Specialist’.

He wandered for a long time, unsure where to enter.
Shops with flashy signs didn’t inspire confidence, while overly run-down places made him doubt their ability to provide a proper appraisal.
After walking around the alleys a couple of times.

A small shop tucked away in a narrow alley, with a sign in neat calligraphy, caught his eye.
Inside, through the glass window, old ceramics were densely displayed.
Unlike other shops, there were no flashy advertisements; it gave the impression of quietly standing its ground.

‘This place looks promising.’

As he opened the door, a faint incense scent wafted to his nose.
It was agarwood. A gentle gayageum melody played from somewhere, calming his mind.

“Welcome.”

A calm voice came from inside the shop.

An elder with neatly combed graying hair sat there.
He looked over seventy, but his back was straight, and he wore a black vest over a neat gray hanbok.

A celadon tea cup sat in front of him, and sunlight streaming through the window illuminated him.

“I’d like to get something appraised.”
“Of course? Please, have a seat first.”

The elder gestured to a seat opposite him.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Yes, thank you.”

Siwoo sat down hesitantly.
The elder picked up the teapot and poured tea into a teacup.
Each movement was as fluid as water.
There was no hint of haste.

“Young people these days are all in a hurry. Let’s have some tea first before we talk.”

Siwoo held the teacup with both hands.
The warm heat spread to his fingertips.
His tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.
After taking a sip, a subtle aroma spread throughout his mouth.

“This is good tea.”
“It’s Yuk-an Gwapi-eo. Nothing calms the mind like it.”

The elder placed his teacup down and looked at Siwoo.
His eyes were gentle, but there was an unfathomable depth to his gaze.
It was an eye that seemed to pierce through a person’s inner thoughts.

“Well then, let me see it.”

He carefully took the vase wrapped in a towel from his bag and placed it on the table.
As he unwrapped the towel, layer by layer, the blue pattern of the blue-and-white porcelain was revealed.

The moment the elder’s eyes fell on the vase.
A faint sound of him inhaling, as if in admiration, could be heard.

“Hooh… May I touch it?”
“Yes, of course.”

The elder carefully lifted the vase with both hands.
His touch was as careful as if handling a precious living creature.
His wrinkled fingers traced the curves of the vase, and the blue hue of the underglaze became more vivid in the sunlight.

After carefully examining the vase, the elder paused, then brought out a magnifying glass and began to examine the inside of the vase.

“Look at this.”

The elder’s finger pointed to the inside of the base of the vase.
Siwoo bowed his head to look.
In a spot he hadn’t noticed, tiny, faint characters were engraved.

“What does it say?”
“It says ‘Bunwon Jang Seokchil Geunjak (分院 張石七 謹作)’.”

The elder’s gaze changed.
Then, the elder carefully placed the vase back on the table.

“He was the best ceramic craftsman at the Bunwon kiln during the Yeongjo period. An artisan who exclusively made ceramics for royal supply. Only a handful of his works remain. Usually, artisans would secretly inscribe them as a means of leaving their mark.”

The elder picked up the vase again and examined the base closely.

“And look here. It’s inscribed ‘Yeongjo 18th year royal gift (英祖 十八年 御賜品)’.”
“A royal gift means it was bestowed by the king.”

This was in accordance with the status window’s description.

“That’s right.”

The elder held the vase up to the light and examined the dragon motif.

“Count the dragon’s claws. How many are there?”

Siwoo looked closely at the vase.
The image of a dragon coiling through the clouds, ascending to heaven. The claws were clearly visible between them.

“Four.”
“That’s right. It’s a four-clawed dragon.”

The elder continued his explanation calmly.
His voice carried the depth of many years.

“The five-clawed dragon is for the king alone. The four-clawed dragon is a motif used when the king bestows a gift upon his subjects.”

The elder placed the vase on the table and looked at Siwoo.

“A work by Jang Seokchil, with the inscription of a royal gift. This vase is no ordinary item.”

The elder’s finger pointed to the cracked area.

“You might think the crack is regrettable…”
“Can’t it be restored?”

Siwoo asked cautiously.
The elder shook his head.

“No. It doesn’t need to be restored.”
“What?”
“A crack like this is a mark of time. It’s proof that it has endured three hundred years. Collectors sometimes value these natural marks more.”

The elder picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“If you hastily restore it and lose its original character, that would be a greater loss.”

Siwoo’s throat felt dry.

“So… how much would it be worth?”

The elder did not rush, and examined the vase slowly once more.

“Jang Seokchil’s inscription, the record of a royal gift, and the four-clawed dragon motif. Blue-and-white porcelain with all three conditions is extremely rare. If there is a record in The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, we might be able to identify its owner.”

The elder looked at Siwoo.

“If the story behind the blue-and-white porcelain or the recipient of the gift can be known, the value will increase further. Even now, if put up for auction, it’s possible to get over 100 million won.”

Siwoo’s heart pounded.
The information provided by the status window was proving to be exactly right.

“However.”

The elder continued.

“The price will vary greatly depending on who you sell it to. If you meet a genuine collector, it could go for 200 or 300 million won. But if you sell it to an unscrupulous middleman, you won’t even get half the price.”

The elder took out a business card from a drawer.

“I know a collector. He’s been collecting Joseon ceramics for over thirty years. He’ll give it a fair price for an item like this.”

Siwoo respectfully received the card with both hands.
Concise text was written on the luxurious paper.

“If you’re interested, contact him. Tell him Elder Song sent you.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”

The elder said, looking at the vase.

“Good things often find their rightful owners.”

The elder raised his teacup and took the last sip.

“I hope this vase receives the recognition it deserves. It’s an item that has endured for three hundred years. It should remain and be passed down for a long time to come, shouldn’t it?”

Siwoo bowed his head in thanks.
His steps were light as he left the shop.