<CHAPTER 02>
FULL TRANSLATION
I Was Mistaken for a Genius Antique Appraiser – Episode 2
What?
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
It wasn’t an illusion.
There was definitely a faint light emanating from inside the box.
A sticker on the mansion’s front gate read: “Please feel free to take discarded items.”
Were they throwing things away while moving?
I slowly approached the box.
I became curious about what that glowing object could be.
I looked around, but people showed no interest, passing by without a glance.
I approached and looked inside the box.
What I saw was a cracked ceramic vase and various miscellaneous items on the side.
But the soft glow that had been hovering over the vase was gradually fading.
What?
Si-woo watched this scene, rubbing his dry face.
What on earth was happening?
Not knowing if he was seeing things, he cautiously reached out his hand.
His fingertips touched the cold ceramic surface.
Ding.
Then a semi-transparent window appeared before his eyes.
[Appraisal Result]
[Name: Blue and White Porcelain Dragon Pattern Vase]
[Made in the 18th year of King Yeongjo of Joseon, at the Bonwon Government Kiln in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do.]
[A royal gift from King Yeongjo to the scholar Yi Jong-seong upon his appointment as Minister of Personnel.]
[The dragon’s claws are depicted as 4, proving it is a royal item.]
[Estimated Value: Minimum 100 million won]
Si-woo stared blankly at the window floating in the air.
He tried to touch the window with his hand.
His fingers passed through the text.
There was no sensation at all.
He closed his eyes and opened them.
The window was still there.
A status window appearing on a glowing vase.
This wasn’t some game.
But his mind snapped awake at the sight of the item’s value.
‘Minimum 100 million?’
His heart began to race rapidly. If what the window before his eyes showed was true.
Si-woo swallowed dryly.
Calm down. Stay calm.
He had almost fainted at the amount of 100 million.
Was what he was seeing really reality? Could he be hallucinating from the stress he experienced at the company?
He pinched his cheek.
It hurt. It wasn’t a dream.
He reached out and carefully lifted the vase.
This was definitely a real object.
That’s when it happened.
“Tsk.”
Si-woo jumped in surprise and turned around.
An old man who had approached without a sound was looking down at the box, clicking his tongue.
“The owner left that there.”
“Ah, yes.”
Si-woo felt like he’d been caught stealing.
“They said it was broken junk and threw it away.”
The old man shook his head.
“Young people these days don’t know they’ll get reported for illegal dumping leaving it like this. Tsk.”
Si-woo cautiously asked.
“Do you…………… perhaps know the people who lived in this house?”
“Know them? I’ve lived in this neighborhood for fifty years, how could I not know?”
The old man looked up at the mansion and continued.
“But the elder of the family passed away recently. After that, the children said they were immigrating abroad and hurriedly cleared things out.”
The old man glanced inside the box.
“That vase, it used to be in the living room. Must have cracked while moving.”
So it was originally intact.
Si-woo was curious.
Whether it really had value, and if they knew and threw it away.
The old man provided the answer.
“Tsk. Young people don’t know the value of antiques. They must have just seen it as cracked trash and threw it away.”
“Do you know the value of this antique?”
Si-woo asked, pretending to know nothing.
“How would I know that, I just heard the elder received it as a gift long ago and treasured it.”
“Then may I take it?”
The old man pointed to the sticker on the gate with his chin.
“What does it say there, if it says take it, then you can take it.”
The old man clicked his tongue.
“Heh. Anyway, those people who immigrated won’t be coming back, and if you have use for it, take it.”
“Thank you.”
“Heh. It’s not even mine. Better than it being thrown on the street.”
The old man finished speaking and walked back into the alley.
Si-woo carefully lifted the vase, box and all.
It felt heavier than expected.
They say when one door closes, another opens.
He didn’t know who said that.
But it seemed that saying wasn’t wrong.
Whether it was a status window or whatever, he had confirmed the substance of the information his eyes showed.
The process of confirming it was simple.
Searching on his smartphone for Yi Jong-seong, a scholar from the Yeongjo era.
[Yi Jong-seong (李宗城, 1692-1759) was a scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty during King Yeongjo’s reign.]
[His clan seat was Jeonju, his courtesy name Jago (子園), and his pen name Ocheon (五川).]
[He passed the civil service examination in 1714 (40th year of King Sukjong) and entered government service, later serving as Royal Secretary, Censor-General, and Minister of Personnel before eventually becoming Chief State Councillor.]
It’s real?
At least he confirmed that the person and description written in the status window were genuine. Next important was whether it was really worth over 100 million.
The next day, Si-woo wrapped the vase in several layers of cloth and put it in his bag.
He had stayed up all night but wasn’t tired.
After searching online, the famous places for antiques in Seoul were Insa-dong and Janganpyeong Antique Art Mall.
Insa-dong seemed like it would overcharge tourists, and Janganpyeong was where dealers mainly traded.
‘For a proper appraisal, Janganpyeong would be better.’
He took the subway and got off at Janganpyeong Station.
Coming out of the station, what he saw were densely packed antique shops between old buildings.
Every sign had words like ‘Antiques,’ ‘Fine Arts,’ ‘Ceramics Specialist’ attached.
Not knowing where to go, he wandered for a while.
Shiny signboard shops somehow didn’t feel trustworthy, and places too shabby made him wonder if they could do a proper appraisal.
After wandering the alley a few times like that.
A small shop with a neat calligraphy signboard in a narrow alley caught his eye.
Through the glass window, old ceramics were densely displayed.
Unlike other shops, there were no flashy advertising slogans, just silently maintaining its place.
‘This place looks good!’
When he opened the door and entered, a subtle fragrance tickled his nose.
It was agarwood. Somewhere, the melody of a gayageum flowed gently, calming his mind.
“Welcome.”
A calm voice came from inside the shop.
An old man with neatly combed white hair was sitting there.
He looked over seventy but stood straight, wearing a neat gray hanbok with a black vest.
A celadon teacup was placed before him, and sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the old man.
“I have something I’d like to get appraised.”
“Is that so? Please sit first.”
The old man pointed to the seat opposite with his hand.
“Would you like some tea?” “Yes. Thank you.”
Si-woo sat down in a daze. The old man lifted the teapot and poured tea into the cup. Each movement flowed naturally like water. There was no hint of haste.
“Young people these days are all in a hurry. Let’s drink tea first and talk.”
Si-woo held the teacup with both hands. Warmth spread through his fingertips. His tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly. When he took a sip, a subtle fragrance spread in his mouth.
“It’s good tea.”
“It’s Six-Eyed Quail Feather. There’s nothing better for calming the mind.”
The old man set down his teacup and looked at Si-woo. His eyes were gentle but held an unfathomable depth. Eyes that seemed to pierce through a person’s inner thoughts.
“Now, let’s see what you have.”
He carefully took out the vase wrapped in cloth from his bag and placed it on the table. As he unwrapped the cloth layer by layer, the blue patterns of the blue and white porcelain were revealed.
The moment the old man’s eyes touched the vase, a sound of admiration was heard as he took a slight breath.
“Hoo…………… May I touch it?” “Yes, of course.”
The old man carefully lifted the vase with both hands.
He handled it as cautiously as handling a precious living being.
His wrinkled fingers slowly moved along the vase’s curves, and under the sunlight, the blue hue of the cobalt pigment appeared even more vividly.
The old man slowly examined the vase, then suddenly stopped after checking the inside, and brought a magnifying glass to examine the vase’s interior.
“Look here.”
The old man’s finger pointed to the inside curve of the vase.
Si-woo leaned in to look.
There was very small, faint writing engraved in a place he hadn’t checked.
“What does it say?”
“It says ‘Jang Seok-chil Respectfully Made, Branch Kiln.'”
The old man’s gaze changed.
Then the old man carefully set the vase down on the table.
“He was the finest master potter of the Bonwon Government Kiln during King Yeongjo’s era. An artisan who exclusively handled royal tribute ceramics. Few of his works remain. Such inscriptions were usually secretly placed by artisans as a means of marking their work.”
The old man picked up the vase again and examined the base carefully.
“And look here. It’s engraved with ‘Royal Gift, 18th Year of Yeongjo.'”
“Royal gift means it was bestowed by the king.”
This matched the status window’s description.
“That’s right.”
The old man examined the dragon pattern against the light.
“Count the dragon’s claws. How many are there?”
Si-woo looked closely at the vase.
The image of a dragon ascending through clouds. Its claws were clearly visible between them.
“Four.”
“Yes, it’s a four-clawed dragon.”
The old man calmly continued his explanation.
His voice held the depth of many years.
“Five-clawed dragons, the five-toed dragon, could only be used by the king alone. Four claws are the pattern used when the king bestows upon his subjects.”
The old man set the vase on the table and looked at Si-woo.
“With Jang Seok-chil’s work, royal gift inscription, and four-clawed dragon pattern, blue and white porcelain with all three conditions is extremely rare. If records remain in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, we might even know the owner.”
The old man looked at Si-woo.
“If the story contained in this blue and white porcelain or the recipient of the royal gift could be determined, the value would rise further. If put up for auction right now, it would fetch over 100 million won,”
Si-woo’s heart pounded.
The information shown by the status window was proving accurate.
“However.”
The old man continued.
“The price varies wildly depending on who you sell to. If you meet a proper collector, it could go for 200 million, even 300 million. But if you pass it to a shady middleman, you won’t even get half.”
The old man took out a business card from his drawer.
“I know a collector. Someone who has collected only Joseon ceramics for over thirty years. For an item like this, he’ll pay a proper price.”
Si-woo respectfully received the card with both hands.
On the luxurious paper, concise writing was printed.
“If you’re interested, contact him. Just say Old Man Song sent you.”
“Thank you.”
“Nothing to thank me for.”
The old man looked at the vase and spoke.
“Good items find their rightful owners.”
The old man lifted his teacup and drank the last sip.
“I hope this vase receives its proper value. It has endured three hundred years. It should remain and be passed down for a long time to come.”
Si-woo bowed his head in respect. His steps were light as he left the shop.
