The sight of Won Seung-hwan and Cha In-beom sighing made Moon Bang-woo feel sorry for them.
They are well aware of how much effort the two have made to bring in cultural assets from China. But the juniors ruin it...... No, it's dirty.
Hong Seok opened his mouth to him.
"Maybe... ...the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took it out while moving things, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism replaced the real with a fake."
"I think so...... Yes."
As Won muttered with a sigh, Hong-seok asked.
"How did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs find out fake goods that even experts in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism did not recognize?"
At Hong Seok's question, Won Seung-hwan also looked at Cha In-beom as if he was wondering. He is also curious.
All the artifacts being prepared for display at the museum have been identified as genuine by experts several times.
Cha In-beom said, looking at the mysterious eyes of the two men.
"I told you before, but...... there are agents like 007 among the foreign ministry staff who are abroad.”
Kang Chul-jae saw Cha In-beom at his words.
"Did you say 007?”
"I've done some of those things, except kill people. Anyway... ...our cultural assets came out on the French black market 'Napoleon.'"
"Napoleon, France?"
"It's a place that sells things you can't sell openly."
Then Cha In-beom continued to look at the people.
"Our agent thought it was strange that there was a cultural asset that was being returned to our country this time."
"Are you sure?"
Cha In-beom nodded at Won Seung-hwan's question.
"The agent majored in private school. And I participated in the recovery of Chinese cultural assets. So that's for sure.”
"Can't you think you're fake?”
Won Seung-hwan shook his head at the principal's question.
"French black market Napoleon is a place for world-class VVIPs. It's like the real thing to be there."
"Have you ever been?"
"People like me can't participate. It's literally a market for VVIPs. I've heard it by name only.”
"Then how did the agent get involved?"
They wonder how a South Korean foreign ministry official participated in such a place.
Cha In-beom shook his head at the principal's question.
"I'm sure he's involved because he has business to attendances."
Kang Chul-jae said, looking at Cha In-beom, who didn't elaborate.
"007 would go to places like that. I used to go to places you didn't even think about."
"I'm telling you a serious story, stop it."
"Well... ..that's what I'm saying."
Moon Jae-chul said after a while at Kang Chul-jae's words.
"Wherever it's targeted at global VVIPs......you mean what's out there is real.”
Cha In-beom nodded at Moon Jae-chul's words.
"You can say it's a foreign version of Chongjindang. Of course... ...the stethoscope of the old man's."
Moon Jae-chul sighed at the word "Cheongjindang." Cheongjindang is a good memory, but...... because I remember being scammed at the end.
Looking at Moon Jae-cheol, Cha In-beom said.
"If the stuff in the black market is real, then the one in Korea is fake. So I did an investigation at the Foreign Ministry."
"Just tell me the conclusion. So what happened?"
At Won's urging, Cha In-beom said.
"At first, I thought China would give us fake goods and sell them to us...... I did some research, and it was true when China gave it to us. So......."
Cha In-beom saw Won Seung-hwan.
"It must have been replaced when we checked it."
Jong-seok opened his mouth after a while at Cha In-beom's words.
"Well, this is...….”
When Jong-seok stopped talking, Cha In-beom spoke instead.
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism...... no, the people involved in this would have been conspiring with each other."
Even if the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed the item, it still needs the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to steal it.
"How many fake goods do you have?”
"I don't know exactly what the artifacts are in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, but there are two artifacts we've identified."
"What about the missing artifacts?"
"There's only one confirmed."
Jong-seok opened his mouth after a while in response to both of you.
"Confirmed......it's done."
"Yes."
"Have we not known each other until now?"
"We've been doing a secret investigation because it's a matter. I haven't heard about it in a few days."
"The same goes for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry.
In other words, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the fake goods and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed the missing items.
And we kept it a secret, but we got to know each other at the stationary store today.
Hong Seok sighed at the words of Won Seung-hwan and Cha In-beom.
"I wish the agencies could exchange information with each other...... sometimes we don't get along like this because we don't exchange information."
Then Hong Seok looked at his friends and said,
"I think there's nothing missing, nothing fake......I think there's more.”
Won Seung-hwan looked at Hong Seok's words.
"Why do you think so?"
"I think this job......the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, plus China's public security...….”
Clap!
Hong Seok, who clapped his hands, continued.
"It's a salty go-stop.”
"You mean each other?"
Hong Seok nodded at Won Seung-hwan's question.
"How did you identify the missing items?"
"A total of 126 artifacts from China. Among them, there is a gilt-bronze incense burner made by Baekje.”
When Won Seung-hwan found the gilt-bronze incense burner in his cell phone photo album and showed it to his friends, Hong Seok gave it to him while watching it.
The adults saw the picture and gave it to Jong-seok. Jong-seok smiled at the picture.
"It's detailed and beautiful.”
The gilt-bronze incense burner was delicately carved with the background of the mountain, such as the crane turtle.
Adults nodded at Jong-seok's remarks.
"Certainly... ...beautiful.”
"Baekje was good at this precious metal work.”
Won Seung-hwan spoke to the elders.
"When you smell incense, smoke flows out of a hole that resembles a mountain, and it looks like a cloud wrapped around it. And between those clouds...….”
"You'll see the crane turtles.”
Won Seung-hwan nodded at Jong-seok's words.
"It was recovered from a family of four thousand."
"Family?"
"This is the family of a man who was a Qing Dynasty commander who came to Korea during the Manchu Invasion of Korea. Anyway, this time we're going to take from generation to generation...... No, I was going to bring it."
When Won Seung-hwan said, Jong-seok, who was looking at him, asked.
"If you were coming down from the family, it's personal property. How did you plan to bring it?"
"In our country, if you belong to a private property, you can't just call it a national treasure, but...And that's not China again.”
"Ah......."
When Jong-seok nodded, Won said.
"I'm not in charge, but they called me because they thought I was in charge.”
"Contact? Do you want me to return it to the gilt-bronze incense?"
"I wanted to exchange it with the gilt-bronze incense burner for the equivalent or higher Baekje relics."
"Exchange?"
"It's a family that's been carrying the gilt-bronze incense burner for nearly four hundred years. It's an important artifact for us, but it's also a family treasure for hundreds of years. And he wanted some money back somehow.”
"So? You decided to exchange it?"
Won shook his head at the principal's words.
"Value may be a profit-taking deal, but we can't just convert cultural assets into values."
"Was it rejected?"
Won shook his head again.
"Are you saying you refused or said yes?"
"I wanted to refuse, but where can I go at my disposal? I'm not even in charge. So I talked to the vice minister, and......the vice minister recognized that there was no gilt-bronze incense burner.”
"That's why you knew things were gone.”
"If there's no one who's given it to you, then there's an accident in the middle....I've been looking for somewhere in the middle, but I can't find it.”
Cha In-beom nodded at Won Seung-hwan's words.
"What happened in our country is difficult to hold accountable, but it's even more difficult because it happened in China."
Listening to what he said, Cha In-beom seemed to have found out where the fake goods were changed.
And he didn't find out after all.
Jong-seok said to the two men.
"Then what kind of fake is it?”
Won Seung-hwan looked at Cha In-beom as if he was curious about what Jong-seok said.
"Yes, what?"
For Won, it was curious and mysterious.
These days, they are said to be overflowing with fake works, but they are cultural assets that have been studied in museums for a year.
But there is a fake among them.
"Buncheong-gi blue-white porcelain."
At Cha In-beom's words, Won Seung-hwan looked at him.
"Buncheong-gi blue-white porcelain?"
"That's what's in France."
Sweep!
Cha In-beom raised the ticket and pointed to one side. There was a porcelain there.
"That came out?"
"And this too...….”
The table showed the artifacts on display in small pieces. pointed to one of the incense burners.
"That... ..that can't be?"
Looking at Won Seung-hwan who seemed shocked, Cha In-beom said.
"Don't be too surprised. I'm sure the people who planned this are that much prepared."
Hong Seok nodded at Cha In-beom's words.
"There's a saying that ten men can't stop a thief......how do you know when you're determined to do it?"
At Hong-seok's words, Cha In-beom saw him.
"Are you saying that China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have put their hands and feet together?"
"Some of the scumbags are hand-to-hand."
Then Hong Seok continued to look at Cha In-beom and Won Seung-hwan.
"And you can catch it."
"Is there a way?"
Hong Seok nodded at Cha In-beom's question.
The change of cultural assets in the middle can be done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism together. But it's only if China isn't with us to make things disappear. If we sent 130 from China, and if we only got 126 from Korea, we'd have problems right away."
"I suppose so."
No matter how high the corruption index is, China does not openly do so. If the corruption index is high, the punishment for it is also high.
"So the Chinese are in the game."
Sweep!
Hong-seok saw Cha In-beom.
"What happened to the auction of buncheong wares and white porcelain?"
Cha In-beom answered Hong Seok's question.
35 billion."
35 billion...….”
Surprised by the huge amount of money, when Jong-seok opened his eyes wide, Won Seung-hwan opened his mouth.
"The faded gilt-bronze incense burner will cost about 50 billion won."
The elderly simply nodded at the amount of money that sounded like a billion won. Although it is a huge amount, they are interested in ancient art, so they know how expensive these cultural assets are.
"Then it's about 100 billion with just the two that came out now. And there will be more lost and changed items......about 4,000 to 600 billion editions?"
asked Won Seung-hwan, Hong Seok's words.
"Do you think so many artifacts have escaped?"
When asked by Won Seung-hwan, Hong Seok pulled a bowl and picked up a yakgwa. Then he pushed the bowl into the middle of the table.
Sweep!
Hong Seok opened his mouth when he saw the yakgwa he had in his hand.
"If there's a pile of yummy things like yakgwa, there's one of them who wants to eat it secretly."
"So you're saying there's one more hand-in-hand that you secretly took out?"
"Do you know how your thieves or crooks steal things?"
said Kang Chul-jae at Hong Seok's words.
"Why don't you just tell me easily. Can't you see In-beom and Seung-hwan's face is stiff?"
When Hong Seok saw the two at Kang Chul-jae's words, he nodded and said,
"Those things that you don't do are just steal things, but big thieves decide where to sell things in advance before they do."
"You mean you're looking for a place to sell before you steal it?"
"It's not a penny, it's tens of billions of dollars....it's harder to sell than to steal."
Sweep!
Hongseok saw yakgwa.
"And tens of billions of things are auction houses? It's not like we've got the owner in advance."
"Then?"
"Well? Then what...….”
Hongseok put the yakgwa in his mouth. Feeling the sweet taste of medicine, Hong-seok opened his mouth.
"I'll find the one who took this medicine first this medicine."
"How? Napoleon keeps a tight secret about the seller and the winning bidder?"
In the words of Cha In-beom, Hong Seok pushed the medicine and bowl on the table by hand.
"If anyone's been snooping around the yakgwa that we were going to share...….”
Hong Seok saw the steel.
"What would you do?"
"If I had eaten what I was trying to eat all by myself...….”
When Kang Chul-jae glanced at him, Jong-seok smiled and said,
"Speak comfortably."
Steel saw Hongseok at the horse of Jongseok.
"I'll take it easy."
Hong Seok nodded at Kang Chul-jae.
"That's right."
Hong Seok saw Cha In-beom and Won Seung-hwan.
"Let's look for someone who's got a cramp somewhere.”