39 Eric Holton’s Collection 1

"He, he…"

"My God…"

The crowd had a reason for being so shocked. It has been less than 30 minutes since that painting was sold for over ten million dollars, and Eric just poured wine on it.

The auctioneer was momentarily surprised, but he soon regained his coldness and stared at the painting.

Everyone, tensely, concentrated on the painting. A minute passed, two, after five… people started to show some disappointment.

"Maybe it's not Tom Keating's painting."

"He was probably unlucky. Or we all are mistaken…"

Eric realized that his bet failed. At the moment, his dark face was a contrast to the auctioneer's rising lips; however, the man, who had been the closest to the painting, yelled.

"It's melting! It's melting!"

The room turned hot in an instant as if they had been waiting for it.

"Uhh!"

"Where? Where is melting?"

Haejin had been also sorry to not see the painting melt, then he quickly looked back. He couldn't get closer because of the crowd but, as time passed, he could see the colors melting from afar.

"Haha! Yes, yes! See this? Can you see this? Glycerin is responding, and the paint is melting! It is Tom Keating's!"

Unlike Eric, who exclaimed in joy, the auctioneer looked at the melting painting and spoke without emotions.

"Yes. It appears it is Tom Keating's. This auction thinks that the responsibility lies on the buyers if the paintings are fake but, today, we will cancel your bid."

Eunhae flinched to see him canceling the bid so easily. So did Eric. His eyes flashed for a moment, but soon he laughed and turned back to his usual self.

"Hahaha! Of course! However, as I am guilty of not recognizing the painting properly, I will donate five million dollars, half of the painting's price."

"Ohh…"

"What a great man."

Everyone applauded to Eric's announcement. He shook his hands to say thank you and came to Eunhae and Haejin.

"Thank you, for telling me that it was a fake. I made a mistake earlier. You should never judge a person with his looks… my mistake. Can you give me a chance to make it up to you?"

Eric, who had been cheesy as if he bathed in butter, expressed his gratitude and apologized to Haejin.

"I will accept that apology. As for a chance to make it up… I usually take money in return when I appraise something, and as that painting was over ten million dollars, I would have taken 1% of it as my fee."

"1%? Then it's a hundred thousand dollars. You'll get it. I just promised to donate five million, so a hundred thousand is no problem. However, don't take away from me the chance to thank you with something else other than just money."

Haejin earned a hundred thousand dollars with just a few words, so he was naturally happy. Now, Eric was offering even more. He found it both uncomfortable and exciting at the same time.

So, he looked at Eunhae. She smiled and pushed Haejin to accept Eric's apology.

"Well… okay."

"Great! Then, let's go! Oh, you should take your painting, right? I'll be outside, so finish it quickly and come out."

Within the warm mood, there was someone who looked uncomfortable: the auctioneer. He watched Eric pat Haejin's shoulder and leave. Next, he turned around and went in.

They got the painting and drove for 2 hours following Eric' car. They arrived at a mansion with a private beach. Even Eunhae, who had Hwajin's blood although she had no power, was awed with envy.

The entrance to the mansion made them feel like they were on a vacation.

"He seems to be extremely rich, even for a major shareholder of Face Note. Wow…"

"Your uncle's house is shabby compared to this."

Eunhae agreed with Haejin.

"It is. Even though there are a few such huge mansions in Korea but, with this scale, the mansion's price must be extremely high. I think he is more than just a major shareholder of Face Note. I think he is probably the son of a trillionaire."

Eric didn't tell them to speak in English. He was sure, however, that they were admiring his home, even though he couldn't understand them.

When they went inside, they saw a large window in the living room showing them the beach. Eric turned one side of the room into a bar. He went in and made some cocktails and offered them to Eunhae and Haejin.

"This place looks like a fun place, right? Actually, I do call girls here for fun, but I greet the really important guests downstairs. It is the place for the artifacts I have collected so far."

"Important guests?"

"That's right. Friends who don't just like to play but those who truly love artifacts. I don't show my collection to others. Even if I show it to my friends, they will say the same thing. 'Ohh… is this expensive? How much is it? Why is it so expensive? It's not a Picasso or a Leonardo da Vinci.' Well, things like that…"

Eric exaggerated like a comedian, but that didn't look too unnatural. He was probably naturally this talkative and straightforward.

"You are right."

"I wanted to invite this lady, but then I had to invite you for giving me that exciting experience. You should be excited."

Eric drank his cocktail and winked. Haejin then asked him something that he had been curious about.

"You said you will donate five million dollars. Are you really going to do it?"

Eric frowned at this and looked offended for the first time.

"What, you think I'm a liar? I don't lie about that kind of thing."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have seen many things like that…"

Haejin apologized. Eric sat down on the sofa with his cocktail.

"This spot has a great view. It is as if I own the whole world. Someone once said, although money isn't the best thing in the world, there's nothing as good. I think so, too. However, I didn't pour wine on that painting to get those ten million dollars back. I wasn't angry just because I had lost that money."

Next Eunhae, who had been sipping the blue cocktail, asked.

"Then?"

"Pride. I blamed myself for not being able to tell a fake apart from a real and spending ten million. I haven't felt that kind of humiliation in front of people for a very long time. Five million dollars? Yes, I can feel bad about losing that money. However, that five million is for my pride. So, I am not feeling sorry at all."

"Hmm… I can relate to that."

Eunhae nodded. Haejin looked at Eunhae who thought spending five million dollars for pride was understandable and felt once again she and Eric lived in a different world.

Eric enjoyed the view while drinking the cocktail. Then, he spoke again.

"Anyway, it was so thrilling. I gave a punch to those nasty fellows, so they must be shaking and cursing by now. Especially at you."

Those nasty fellows probably meant the hosts of the auction, but Haejin didn't know why Eric's finger was pointing at him.

"Why would they curse me?"

"Because you told me that the painting was a fake."

That was true, so Haejin could say nothing.

"But, why would you call them nasty fellows?" Haejin asked.

At this, Eric looked at Eunhae confused. However, she was also confused and shook her head. Eric was surprised as he leaned back to his sofa.

"Haha, this is a surprise. You don't know it… where do you think they bring those impressive paintings from?"

"Well…"

Eunhae didn't think about it, so she shook her head. Eric's eyes sparkled.

"I do not know exactly how they can bring such precious artifacts every year, either. However, I can guess."

"I would like to know that guess."

Haejin and Eunhae sat opposite to Eric.

"Apart from galleries and museums, all the artifacts on auction must be owned by individuals. However, there is something strange. I couldn't find the owners of their artifacts anywhere. Just records about them."

"Yes. That record is what makes sure that there won't be any legal problems."

Eunhae agreed. Eric then put down the cocktail glass and folded his hands together. He was about to say something important.

"Do you remember Gogh's painting two years ago?"

"I do. Oh, then the person who got that painting…"

Eunhae widened her eyes.

"Yes. It was me. When I buy an artifact, I always wonder with what story it came to me. Knowing the history of an artifact makes me look at it in a different way."

That made sense. The jade buddha was valuable not just because it was an old statue but because of the story it had.

"I agree."

"So, I followed the record of the painting but, strangely, the record ended at some point. Of course, the record the hosts told me have been washed to become legal, so I didn't believe it entirely. I, however, thought there must be some truth in it, so I was very confused. Then, I found a record at Chicago Gallery. Coincidentally."

He strongly emphasized 'coincidentally'.

"Coincidentally?"

"Haha, let me just say that. Anyway, I was able to find the previous owners of the painting with that record. But…"

Eric's face was dark, he couldn't continue. He drank his remaining cocktail in one gulp and spoke again.

"They died. Very tragically…"

"Are you saying they killed him and took the painting?"

Haejin was aghast, but Eric shook his head.

"If that was what happened, taking care of it would have been easy, but it wasn't. The owners had to suffer because of the threats from the creditors. After the painting was taken away from them, they ruined their lives with drugs and eventually killed themselves. However, when I found that out, I suddenly thought that maybe…"

"Maybe?"

"That might be not the first time that kind of thing happened."

The mood turned heavy. Then, Eric suddenly laughed out loud.

"Hahaha! It is nothing but a theory yet. I have liked this stuff since I was a kid. It's probably because I'm a huge fan of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's books. Anyway, enough of those boring stories. I will show you my treasures."

Eric rubbed his hands and stood up. He confidently walked like a kid showing his toys to his friends.

They went down the spiral staircases and stood in front of a small door. Eric took a deep breath, winked and opened the door.

"Welcome to Eric Holton's Collection."