Artifact Reading Inspector

Haejin already knew what painting it was before it was uncovered. There was only one Boston Sox painting that was worth more than 20 million dollars.

It was 1m tall and 1m wide. It was clear, and every detail was depicted just like a photo. It showed the locker room of the Red Sox. There were veteran players who were somewhat overwhelming, and the rookie who had just arrived in a suit.

“You really got this as a gift? I can see why you are worried.”

Haejin stood up and went to the painting.

“The person who gave me this must have known I am from Boston and a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox. If it were another 20-million-dollar painting, I would hope it to be real. Then, I would sell it immediately. But I wish this is a fake, I know it sounds like a lie, but I mean it.”

“Really? Frankly, that’s hard to believe.”

Haejin thought there was no way Howard really wanted such an expensive painting to be fake, but Howard shook his head.

“20 million dollars is too much. Way too much. It will bite back on me at any time. But if it’s fake, then I can enjoy this painting as much as I want. That’s why I truly want this to be fake.”

Haejin couldn’t see what he really was thinking, but at least he looked sincere.

“I don’t know if you heard this, but my fee is 1% of the appraised price. Even if it’s fake, I will charge 1% of the real painting’s price. If you don’t want to pay me that much, I will erase what happened here from my mind and leave.”

“As the painting is worth 20 million dollars, the fee is 200 thousand dollars.”

“Yes.”

“I will pay. Just appraise it.”

Eric had said he was a scrooge, but he was willing to pay that much.

“Okay then, I will do my best.”

Haejin went closer to the painting. Howard then asked, “Do you know this painting?”

“I guess you are not asking when and at how much it was sold at auction?”

“As I said, I don’t care about that stuff.”

“Actually, I am not that interested in baseball. If this hadn’t been sold at 22 million dollars in 2014, I would have never got to know about this painting.”

Haejin had been working as a construction worker in 2014, so he had stopped studying archeology and art history. However, he still paid attention to auctions.

“That’s honest.”

“This was a funny and unique painting, so I did some research on why it turned out to be so expensive.”

Usually, Haejin didn’t say that about other paintings, but he had done his research on this one. This painting has originally been part of a magazine’s cover.

“Then you don’t need me to explain?”

“Well…”

Howard looked a little disappointed. He was a baseball fan and was dying to give a lesson.

Haejin regretted saying that he had studied it, but Howard couldn’t stand it anymore. He stood up.

“When I was young, my father was a Red Sox fan, of course. So, he had many article pieces about Red Sox and souvenirs. The most interesting thing was a cover of the Saturday Evening Post that came out in 1957.”

It was this very painting. What was in front of them was the original, and at the time, it had been printed as the magazine’s cover and delivered to each home.

“That’s why you were impressed the moment you saw it.”

“Close. I hadn’t seen it for decades since I was a kid, so when I saw this for the first time, I thought it was familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen it. I managed to recall about 10 minutes later. I was then so shocked to hear this had been sold at 22 million on auction!”

“I see.”

“My father liked Ted Williams (the last MLB player to bat over .400 and one of the best players of Boston Red Sox in a season), the guy glaring at the rookie.”

Howard proudly showed who the men in the painting were. He was really a Boston Red Sox fan.

“I heard he was one of the best players of Boston Red Sox?”

“Yes, he was the best. But do you know who the rookie is?”

“Norman Rockwell, the artist, created him. All the other players are real.”

“It is so realistic. It makes me feel like I am in that locker room. I used to think all the oil paintings were about beautiful and a little unreal stuff. This painting has given me a greater thrill than any other painting gave me. I cannot give this up.”

“Is that why you want it to be fake?”

“If it’s real, I would have to return it quietly. It’s good that you’re going to keep the secret. If the media gets to know about it, they will talk about it even if I return it.”

“I understand.”

Regardless of what Howard wanted, Haejin had to find out its authenticity. He focused on the painting.

Actually, he hadn’t seen Norman Lockwell’s other paintings. He was just studying craquelures and looking for traces of overpainting and an awkward touch of the brush. However, no matter how hard he looked, there was nothing strange.

The texture of the athlete’s uniforms and tendons of the arms and hands were depicted down to every detail. Additionally, judging from the great way of it being described with the reflection of the light, the painting must have been made with great effort.

Haejin had no choice but to use magic. Now, he only got a small headache.

“Hmm…”

Haejin stroked his chin and didn’t say anything. Howard stood up again.

“Why? How is it?”

“Well… it’s my first time disappointing the owner with the real painting.”

Howard sat down, but he looked genuinely disappointed.

“My, my… what a shame.”

“It is hard to make a fake of such a detailed painting. And as the painting is this big, one small mistake would be plainly seen if there were any.”

“That’s why I thought it was real,” he sounded disappointed.

“As the person who gave this to you knew its value, I think he wants to ask you to overlook a very profitable business or something bad to the citizens of New York.”

That was probably rude, but Haejin said that because it really was the giver’s intention.

He had given Howard the painting in secret for a project worth billions of dollars.

“Haha, I will keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just an appraiser who works for money, so I did my best.”

He was saying Howard should pay him as promised. Even though he didn’t worry about money anymore now that he had Hassena as his sponsor, 200 thousand dollars was huge. He couldn’t give that up so easily.

“I hope I won’t have to doubt your conclusion?”

Howard checked for the last time. Eric, who had been quiet till now, spoke for Haejin.

“I and Mr. Goldberg chose him. Doubting his words is like doubting me and Mr. Goldberg.”

“Well… and the Abu Dhabi family of the Arab Emirates would be included in that list, too. Okay, but… I will pay you with something else other than money.”

Haejin had had a feeling it would happen. This is why politicians couldn’t be trusted.

Eric frowned and sighed.

“You know what? I told Mr. Park here to be careful about coming here as he might not get his fee. And you didn’t deny my expectation.”

Howard didn’t even blink an eye at this.

“It will be worth 200 thousand dollars, although it is not cash. I never said I will pay him 200 thousand dollars in cash.”

That was absurd, but he was the one with power. Haejin could say nothing. Plus, he wasn’t that shocked, probably because he had heard Howard was a scrooge.

He was even more interested in that other thing.

“Then, what are you going to give me instead of 200 thousand dollars?”

The governor smiled widely.

“I know that you own a museum. So, from now on, I will help Korean cultural properties return to Korea.”

Haejin laughed, and Eric was even angrier than him.

“So, you were planning to get your painting appraised for free. You are great, Governor Howard Johns.”

Howard shrugged as if it was perfectly fine.

“Artifacts of Joseon are very valuable. Isn’t my help even better than 200 thousand dollars? I think I’ve given something even better than that money, but I guess you don’t agree with me. I’m disappointed, you can see the tree but not the forest.”

Howard clucked his tongue while Eric snorted.

“The typical logic of politicians. Think of the future instead of the past. It may sound like something, but it is just an empty promise without any proof. Well, even schools teach you to consider the candidate’s pledges instead of what kind of policies he or she has supported or what kind of life that person has lived so that it can be easier to fool everybody!”

That was harsh, but Howard kept his smile.

“Yes, but you also know that we made that education. Not I, but we. Your father also had power and wealth no smaller than mine. Those things have made your family become what it is now. Well, enough with this meaningless talk. You, trust me and leave for now.”

Howard just threw an empty promise and stood up and turned around as if he had nothing more to say.

Haejin had thought he wouldn’t get all 200 thousand dollars, so he had planned to just leave as long as Howard paid him a few tens of thousand dollars. However, Howard was so shameless that he couldn’t just leave.

“Eric, could you go out first? I would like to talk to the governor for a minute.”

Both Eric and Howard were surprised to hear this. Then, Eric nodded and went out while Howard smiled.

“This is scary. Well, what do you want to say?”

“You’re not going to sell this, are you?”

At that moment, Howard’s face hardened for the first time.

“What are you saying?”

“You never planned to sell this. You wanted it and asked for it in the first place?”

Howard looked at Haejin with shaking eyes. Then, Haejin spoke again.

“How I have found out about it, don’t try to find out. What matters is that you have gotten yourself into trouble after trying to save those 200 thousand dollars.”

“I didn’t even imagine you were linked to that company. No, was that why Anthony told me about you?”

Howard was making things up all by himself, but Haejin didn’t care.

“I don’t care about what you think. That 200 thousand dollars… I won’t take it.”

“Then why…”

“You have promised me to return the cultural properties of Joseon. If you were joking or bluffing, you’d better start taking it more seriously. If there’s no progress within this year, I will tell the media of this country what I know. If you want to talk about me and Princess Hassena, do it. There is nothing going on between us, so we will not suffer. However, you will have to pay the price.”

Howard’s face was red, he was sweating.

Haejin scolded him and added, “I guess you will have lots to talk about with the director of the Metropolitan Museum. I thank you in advance, on behalf of all Koreans. We will meet later.”

Haejin left the room, but Howard couldn’t say anything.