<CHAPTER 08>
Mistaken for a Genius Relic Appraiser
Han Ji-yeon looked at Si-woo through her horn-rimmed glasses.
Si-woo felt his lips going dry.
Now that the interview was actually happening, he felt nervous.
“First question. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your occupation? You don’t have to say if it’s inconvenient. Just which field you work in would be fine.”
“I was working in a company planning team, and I’m currently on leave. Right now, I’m interested in the antique art field.”
Looking at what he’d done since taking leave, it wouldn’t be wrong to say he had one foot in the antique art industry.
Han Ji-yeon’s eyes sparkled.
“You’re interested in antique art? So that’s why you went looking for old hanoks?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Without changing his expression, the lie came out naturally.
The more critical the moment, the bolder he had to be.
“Making such a remarkable discovery wasn’t entirely by chance, then. You certainly have an eye for these things.”
“I was lucky.”
Han Ji-yeon tapped on her laptop.
“Then I heard you discovered relics in the ceiling of an old hanok. Could you explain how you found them?”
“They were originally well hidden, so they wouldn’t have been visible. Since it was such an old and neglected hanok, there were gaps everywhere in the ceiling, but one section in particular looked unnaturally straight, as if it had been cut. It didn’t look like a gap formed by age—it seemed like someone had deliberately made it, so I touched it, and the panel came loose, dropping a bundle wrapped in hanji paper.”
Her questions continued.
“This is a personal question. You could have made a fortune by taking the relics and putting them up for auction. Why did you return them to the owner? No one would have known if you hadn’t said anything.”
Si-woo gave a bitter smile at the question.
“Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t tempted. But they weren’t my belongings. Of course I should return them to the rightful owner.”
Han Ji-yeon stopped typing and pushed up her horn-rimmed glasses.
“That’s remarkable. These days, it’s rare to find people who actually practice what they believe. The more valuable an item is, the rarer that becomes.”
“Is that so?”
Han Ji-yeon took out her smartphone.
“I’m sorry, but could I take just one photo before we finish? I’d like to attach it to the article. Is it alright if your face, name, and age appear?”
“Yes. That’s fine.”
He adjusted his posture awkwardly.
“Don’t be nervous. I have professional experience as a camera assistant. I’ll take a good one.”
Han Ji-yeon skillfully found the angle and took several shots.
The camera shutter sounds rang out in succession.
This was his first time, so he felt unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Wow, you’re photogenic. They came out well.”
“Thank you.”
He’d considered keeping his personal information private.
But this was a good deed, and there was no reason to hide it.
He also calculated that this article would help gain others’ trust when he discovered shining objects later.
The interview continued with several more questions.
Before they knew it, the americano had reached the bottom.
“Have you had any other experiences with antique art before this?”
“I once found something valuable among items someone had discarded on the street, and I also identified whose sword was being kept at a certain gallery.”
“So it wasn’t just a casual interest. You need to be a renowned expert to appraise at a gallery, don’t you? Could you tell me about that?”
Si-woo told the brief story.
As Han Ji-yeon listened, she realized two things: that the man before her was no ordinary person, and that this article would be a major hit.
The next day.
Si-woo was awakened by a notification sound on his smartphone.
[Han Ji-yeon: Mr. Kim Si-woo, hello. This is reporter Han Ji-yeon. I’m sending you the article. Please check the content. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like changed!]
Already finished writing?
He must have overslept—when he checked the clock, it was already past 12 PM.
[Kim Si-woo: Yes, understood. I’ll check and contact you.]
He opened the attached file.
The article title was ‘Letters Handwritten by Kim Gu and Yi Yuksa Discovered in Gyeongsangbuk-do Abandoned House… Emerging After 90 Years.’
A simple headline without clickbait.
He liked it.
He slowly read through the article.
The article content itself was unproblematic.
The issue was the photo.
It felt awkward seeing his own face embedded in the article.
[Kim Si-woo: I’ve checked it. There’s nothing to change. Thank you for writing such a good article.]
[Han Ji-yeon: Thank you for checking! The article will be published tomorrow morning. Have a good day!]
As she said, articles began pouring out the next day.
[Exclusive] Letters Handwritten by Kim Gu, Yi Yuksa Discovered in Gyeongsangbuk-do Abandoned House… Emerging After 90 Years
“A large number of relics related to the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period were discovered in an old house in Yeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
They include a handwritten letter from Kim Gu, an unpublished poem by the poet Yi Yuksa, a military fund ledger, and a Taegeukgi.
Kim Young-su, the attorney who owns the relics, announced he would donate all of them to the Independence Hall of Korea.
Kim Si-woo (28), who first discovered the relics, is known to have delivered them to the owner, saying ‘They weren’t my belongings.'”
Then another article followed.
[Follow-up] ‘They Weren’t My Belongings’… Young Man in His 20s Who Didn’t Covet National Treasure-Class Relics
“Kim Si-woo (28), who discovered national treasure-class relics in an abandoned house in Yeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, has become a topic of conversation.
Kim, who was a company employee, recently took leave and began taking a serious interest in the antique art field, discovering the relics in the ceiling while examining an old house.
In an interview with our newspaper, Kim expressed his feelings, saying ‘They weren’t my belongings. It was the natural thing to do.’
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Kim previously discovered a Joseon Dynasty vase discarded on the street and identified whose sword was being kept at a gallery.”
Following Han Ji-yeon’s article, various articles came out in succession.
Like a tidal wave, articles began flooding in.
Is this okay?
It became a bigger topic than he had imagined.
Meanwhile, Yi Yuksa’s unpublished poem caused a great stir in academic circles.
Until now, only about 40 of Yi Yuksa’s poems were known, so the discovery of new works was evaluated by Korean literature scholars as “the greatest literary discovery since liberation.”
Kim Gu’s handwritten letter is also expected to be used as important material for Provisional Government research, and the independence military fund ledger is expected to be utilized as historical material showing the state of fund raising and the domestic secret organization network.
As the articles rose in rankings, comments began heating up.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Students taking the CSAT have more to study now
CSAT students wailing
Was studying Yi Yuksa’s Cheongpodo until just now, then saw this article ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-If they’d left it in the abandoned house, it would have been thrown away as garbage during demolition
It was even scheduled for demolition next month
ㄴThe timing is truly miraculous
-Wait, why return it when the owner didn’t even know ㅋㅋㅋ Anyone can see it’s worth a fortune
ㄴRight ㅋㅋㅋ No one would have known if he hadn’t said anything
ㄴIf it were me, I’d store it for 10 years then put it up for auction
Really amazing, how did he return it immediately?
-This person was working at a company, took leave, and now goes around finding relics? ㄷㄷ
ㄴAccording to the article, he also discovered a Joseon Dynasty vase on the street and identified whose sword it was at a gallery—legendary
-He’s handsome and has a good heart too
Mr. Kim Si-woo, please enter
Should he not have revealed his personal information?
Late regret came over him.
-He was a deputy at our company, left after whistleblowing on a supervisor taking rebates. The charisma was explosive then, there was a manager everyone hated but no one could touch, and we all felt relieved inside ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Really?
ㄴYou believe comments? ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴThis is true, check Blind and you’ll see it was quite a topic at that company
-‘They weren’t my belongings’—this one phrase is really cool!
A rare person these days, overcoming greed for material things
His parents raised him well
Younger than me but I respect him, this is innate rather than education, his character itself is different
Si-woo stopped reading the comments. If he kept reading like this, there would be no end.
When others praised him, he couldn’t stop looking.
Comments are addictive too.
Like watching short videos.
With his name, age, and face revealed and becoming a topic, he couldn’t help but look back on his past.
Had he done anything wrong in his life so far?
Meanwhile, various texts and messages piled up.
His friends were asking “Is it really you?”
Even middle school classmates he didn’t remember contacted him from who knows where.
Then the phone rang.
He looked at the smartphone screen.
Mother. Madam Gong.
He urgently pressed the answer button.
“Hello.”
“Oh my, you rascal.”
“No, Madam Gong.”
“They say my son was on the news, it’s chaos all over the neighborhood. They say ‘Madam Gong’s son was in an internet article,’ and the ladies are texting me, do you know how surprised I was? You should have told me beforehand if something like this was happening!”
“Ah, well…”
“And why did you take leave from the company? Looking at the comments, it seems something happened. It’s not serious, is it?”
“No, please don’t read the comments. And Madam Gong. Do you not trust your son?”
“I don’t trust you, you always said it was fine when it wasn’t.”
He couldn’t refute that.
“It’s not serious. Really, I just wanted to rest a bit.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Really.”
A small sigh came through the phone.
“Alright, I understand. Mom believes in her son. Okay?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
“Si-woo.”
Madam Gong’s voice softened.
“Yes.”
“Come down to your hometown soon, I’ll make you a warm meal.”
“…Understood. I’ll definitely come.”
“And.”
“Yes?”
“I’m proud of you. Our son.”
The call ended.
Looking down at his phone, a gentle smile formed on Si-woo’s lips.
After a few days, the situation flowed in an unexpected direction.
“Because they weren’t my belongings” had become a meme.
He stared blankly at the short videos appearing.
[SNL Korea—They Weren’t My Belongings]
This was the starting point.
A parody video of “They weren’t my belongings” mentioned in the interview became a major topic.
Thanks to that, various videos appeared on short-form platforms.
[Coin investor’s bear market video]
In front of a screen showing a red graph plummeting vertically, a man speaks calmly.
“They weren’t my money”
It’s borrowed money from Asia
Leverage 100x, it’s real though
Why are your eyes moist? ㅋㅋㅋ
[CSAT student checking score report video]
His expression hardens the moment he sees the score report.
“They weren’t my scores.”
ㄴThose are your scores though
Denial of reality, stage 1 of 5
-What would the actual interview subject think if he saw this? Suddenly becoming a meme like this
Probably bewildered, what else ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ We just laugh and that’s it
Right. He was truly bewildered and speechless.
Is this funny?
He hadn’t expected that one phrase from the article would have such repercussions.
‘At least I didn’t become famous for something bad!’
That was enough.
He tried to accept reality.
After all, trends would fade within a month.
That’s what memes are like.
Sejong City, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs,
The Director-General of the Independence Patriots Honors Division submitted a report to the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
“Very good. This is not bad. We should proceed with the donation ceremony at the Independence Hall of Korea. Prepare it on a substantial scale as outlined in the report. This is a very good opportunity for the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to gain public attention.”
“Minister, what scale are you thinking?”
“Since this discovery is so significant, let’s make it big. Coordinate with the Independence Hall of Korea side to proceed as a special commemorative event. Let’s combine the relic donation ceremony with a meeting with descendants of independence patriots and awards all at once.”
“Understood. And regarding the discoverer—”
“Ah. That young man, Kim Si-woo, was it?”
“Yes. You know of him, Minister. Public opinion is quite favorable toward him right now.”
The Minister passed over the report.
“Hmm. Let’s increase this friend’s prominence. There’s a lot of negative perception toward the younger generation these days, but this case makes for good publicity. An honest young man, a citizen who found history. That kind of feeling. The President will like it too. Invite historians and Korean literature scholars to the commemorative event as well.”
“Understood. If we prepare the event with dignity, there will be plenty of media exposure, and we can preserve the meaning as well.”
“For this matter, proceed in coordination with the Independence Hall of Korea Director. And what’s the maximum limit for cultural heritage discovery rewards?”
“100 million won.”
“Considering the topicality and value of these relics, that seems appropriate to give to this friend. If we also push for a Prime Minister’s Commendation, it will make for a good picture. Complete the administrative procedures and submit another report later.”
“Understood, Minister.”
Fortunately, people’s interest in Si-woo quickly cooled.
His worry about whether he should change his phone number became meaningless as things quieted down after a few days.
He didn’t realize how the day passed, answering various contacts and messages.
Then a call came from an unknown number.
Another appearance request or interview request from somewhere?
After deliberation, he decided to answer.
“Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Kim Si-woo?”
“Yes. Speaking. Who is this?”
“This is Park Jun-hyeok, staff officer in charge of the Independence Patriots Honors Division at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.”
“Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs?”
For a moment, he suspected it might be voice phishing.
“We’re contacting you regarding the independence movement relics you discovered, Mr. Kim Si-woo. First, allow me to express our deep gratitude.”
“It’s nothing.”
“You seem busy, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
The staff officer took a breath.
“We’ve decided to hold a special commemorative event at the Independence Hall of Korea to mark this relic donation. The Minister is personally overseeing it.”
“Is that so?”
“You will appear on stage at the event as the discoverer, alongside the relic donor. There will be a Prime Minister’s Commendation presentation and a discovery reward of 100 million won.”
“100 million won?”
Si-woo’s eyes widened.
An unexpected reward and a Prime Minister’s Commendation.
“Yes. This is a legitimate reward under the Buried Cultural Heritage Act. Considering the historical value of these relics, it was exceptionally set at the legal maximum limit.”
“And there’s one more thing to tell you.”
“Yes. Please speak, Officer.”
“This event will be conducted on a fairly large scale. High-ranking officials including the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will attend, and numerous descendants of independence patriots will be invited. And…”
The staff officer continued.
“The event will be broadcast live nationwide on public television. We hope you will attend and grace the occasion. You may bring your family as well. Please let us know the number of attendees in advance.”
A live nationwide broadcast.
He felt dizzy.
He couldn’t refuse a national event.
“Understood.”
“After the donation ceremony, your name as the discoverer and Kim Young-su as the donor will be permanently engraved at the Independence Hall of Korea Special Exhibition Hall.”
“My name?”
“Yes. It will read ‘Discoverer: Kim Si-woo, Donor: Kim Young-su.'”
His name remaining at the Independence Hall of Korea.
It was an unexpectedly great honor.
