Chi You.
The god of war who appears in Chinese legends.
He is also famous as the progenitor of the Dongyi people who battled the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan at Zhuolu.
“This is the ritual bell used to seal Chi You.”
The young man shook the golden bell for everyone to see.
Clunk— clunk— clunk—
Instead of a clear ring, only a dull thud echoed.
Even after the young man finished speaking, the appraisers stayed silent for a long time.
Then.
Laughter rang out from somewhere.
At the same time, the appraisers began to sneer one by one.
“You’re seriously talking about that Chi You from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors myth?”
“So you’re saying this is an artifact tied to China’s founding myths?”
“Heh heh, how impressive! We’re getting to see something from the twenty-first century BC!”
“No matter what, that’s pushing it… If you’re going to scam people, at least make it believable.”
Mockery erupted from every direction.
Yet the young man continued calmly.
“If I wanted to scam anyone, I wouldn’t have brought experts like you here. There are plenty of rich antique lovers in the world—I could have just invited them instead.”
There was no reason to bluff in front of these battle-hardened professionals.
It would be no different from making a voice-phishing call to a police station.
At that moment, a gaunt man in his early forties stepped forward.
“You’re absolutely right. What would be the point of calling in experts just to run a scam?”
Prominent cheekbones, protruding front teeth.
Narrow, slit-like eyes and eyebrows shaped like the number eight.
Overall, he gave off a sharp, finicky impression.
Not a speck of dust marred his perfectly tailored suit.
The man in his forties offered the young man a business card.
“I’m Nam Yunjung, representative of Global Appraisal Agency.”
Nam Yunjung.
Even Kim Cheolhyun knew the name well.
An elite among elites who had majored in art history and archaeology at Oxford University in England.
He possessed encyclopedic knowledge of ancient art and the drive to rush from one site to another.
He was widely regarded as one of South Korea’s most promising next-generation antique appraisers.
Nam Yunjung smiled brightly.
“To be honest, I’m genuinely impressed. There are quite a few valuable pieces here, and above all, their condition is flawless. Anyone who cares this much about art wouldn’t pull a scam. However…”
A glint flashed in his narrowed eyes.
“…the most convincing lies are always cleverly hidden behind the truth. You showed us the perfect pieces first, and then—”
“What’s your point?”
The young man cut off the chatter cleanly.
Nam Yunjung gave an awkward laugh and continued.
“That was just a joke. A little icebreaker! The truth is, I’d like to make you an offer.”
“Go ahead.”
“Chi You… ahem, yes. The ritual tool you described—this bell. None of the appraisers gathered here will believe your claim. It lacks credibility.”
Nam Yunjung kept speaking.
“Both you and the bell, that is. Of course, my view is slightly different. Someone who stores high-quality antiques this excellently can’t possibly lack discernment.”
“So what’s the offer?”
“How about a bet with me? You personally appraise the authenticity of the antiques. All you need to do is correctly identify five pieces. It will build trust in your collection, and more importantly, the items you mentioned earlier—”
“Why would I?”
Nam Yunjung blinked like someone whose words had been cut off.
Watching from the side, Kim Cheolhyun let out a quiet chuckle.
He had no idea what Nam Yunjung was scheming, but there was zero reason for the young man to accept.
Even so, Nam Yunjung pressed on persistently.
“If you win the bet… our agency will purchase any antiques that remain unsold today at double the appraised value.”
High-value antiques did not need to be pushed; buyers would compete and fight to take them.
On the other hand, mediocre pieces became dead stock piling up in storage.
Disposing of that junk at twice the appraised price was an incredibly generous offer.
Nam Yunjung continued.
“In return, if we win, we ask for first priority to purchase your antiques. Of course, we will buy them at fair market value.”
Win the bet and clear out dead stock at a premium; lose and suffer no real loss.
Nam Yunjung winked.
“Think of it as entertainment. You’ve got reporters here too, right? It’ll be great advertising!”
There was no reason to refuse.
Sure enough.
“Sure, why not.”
The young man accepted Nam Yunjung’s bet.
***
The conditions Nam Yunjung proposed were simple.
1. The young man would appraise a total of five antiques.
2. He only needed to declare whether each was genuine and state its appraised value.
Soon, employees from Global Appraisal Agency carried in antiques wrapped in cloth.
Nam Yunjung pointed at them and said,
“Having you appraise your own items wouldn’t be fair. But we happen to have several pieces that were entrusted to our agency for appraisal. All you need to do is confirm whether they are genuine or not.”
“Sure, let’s start right away.”
The young man was already wearing a distinctive monocle.
The special lens made it impossible to see anything through the glass.
Nam Yunjung pulled away the cloth covering the first antique.
Rustle—
A round bronze bowl with a reddish hue.
The appraisers gathered around began examining it closely…
“Correct. Genuine. Appraised value: 5.2 million won.”
The young man finished the appraisal in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, a Global Appraisal Agency employee spoke.
“Th-that’s correct.”
It was spot on.
The appraisers could only blink in stunned silence.
But the young man’s performance was far from over.
Second item: a bronze Buddha statue of Shakyamuni.
“Correct. Replica.”
Third item: a half-broken golden incense burner.
“Correct. Genuine. Appraised value: 400,000 won.”
With whirlwind speed, the young man appraised the third piece as well.
Kim Cheolhyun unconsciously let out a small laugh.
The young man’s valuations were almost identical to his own.
Sure enough.
“E-every single one so far has been correct…”
The young man’s appraisals were flawless.
Nam Yunjung smiled and nodded.
“As expected, you have excellent eyes. Then let’s move straight to the fourth antique!”
Rustle—
The thick cloth was pulled away, revealing a splendid golden crown.
It was adorned with decorations resembling peacock feathers.
Intricate carvings covered the crown’s surface.
The appraisers began quietly appraising among themselves.
“Looks like a gold crown from the Daegaya period.”
“What do you think the value is?”
“At least 700 million won. Preservation condition is excellent too.”
The appraisers declared it genuine.
However, Kim Cheolhyun’s opinion was completely different.
‘…It’s fake.’
The sheen on the curved sections of the crown was slightly distorted.
The texture on part of the surface was ever so slightly different.
It was like a fashion designer instantly spotting a mismatched color code, or a blacksmith recognizing metal by the sound of hammering alone.
To Kim Cheolhyun’s eyes, those tiny differences were glaringly obvious.
Nam Yunjung would have noticed them too.
After feeding them easy questions, he had suddenly slipped in a trap.
A cleverly made fake that looked real.
He probably planned to force an incorrect call, then prove it with machines and humiliate the young man.
On top of that, reporters were present.
If an article came out, Global Appraisal Agency would get perfect advertising.
Kim Cheolhyun glanced back and forth between the young man and Nam Yunjung.
The young man examined the antique with an expressionless face.
Nam Yunjung stood beside him, smiling pleasantly.
‘…Same old snake as always.’
At that moment.
“It’s fake.”
An entirely unexpected outcome occurred.
The young man had delivered a perfect appraisal.
“How could that be fake?”
“He’s still just an amateur.”
“His earlier calls must have been pure luck.”
The appraisers muttered among themselves.
In contrast, Nam Yunjung’s expression had changed completely.
The corners of his mouth twitched awkwardly, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
For the first time, he showed clear signs of panic.
Kim Cheolhyun felt the same.
It had taken both Kim Cheolhyun and Nam Yunjung decades to learn how to spot those minute differences.
Yet a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties had done it effortlessly.
Soon, a Global Appraisal Agency employee announced the result.
“Fourth antique: replica.”
The room began to stir.
“Wait, that was fake?”
“What the… Did the machine malfunction?”
“Hmm, hmm! I did think it looked a little off…”
“Reporter, please don’t write about this one. Hey, don’t take pictures!”
The appraisers who had called it genuine cleared their throats awkwardly.
Four out of five antiques had been correctly identified.
Only one piece remained to decide the outcome.
Nam Yunjung’s shirt was now soaked with sweat.
If he lost here, Global Appraisal Agency would have to buy antiques worth at least several billion won—at double the appraised price.
Kim Cheolhyun looked at the young man.
His expression remained perfectly calm, without a single flicker.
The young man’s discernment far surpassed Nam Yunjung’s.
He might even have reached a higher level than Kim Cheolhyun himself.
‘Talented people hit targets others can’t see. Geniuses hit targets no one else even notices… That saying is exactly right.’
A smile spread across Kim Cheolhyun’s lips.
His heart, which had felt as hard and cold as stone, began to beat hotly again.
Finally, the fifth and final antique was revealed.
A white ceramic piece decorated with dragons and clouds.
Once again, the young man spoke without hesitation.
“Correct. Genuine. Appraised value: 50 million won.”
At that moment, a glint appeared in Nam Yunjung’s eyes.
Nam Yunjung smiled brightly and said,
“You’ve judged it as genuine. Ah, but what a shame. No matter how you look at it, this appears to be the last white porcelain from the Joseon dynasty, yet it is actually a replica made in China. They only left one behind, so it really is a pity—”
The young man cut him off with a calm expression.
“It was made in China, but it’s not a replica.”
“How could a Joseon white porcelain made in China possibly be genuine instead of a replica?”
Nam Yunjung smirked.
The young man continued regardless.
“Because this isn’t Joseon white porcelain.”
“What?!”
“It’s Yuan dynasty white porcelain.”
The room began to stir once more.
The young man and Nam Yunjung’s opinions had split sharply.
Most of the appraisers sided with Nam Yunjung.
Even Kim Cheolhyun found it difficult to judge which was correct this time.
In the end, a Global Appraisal Agency employee brought out a carbon-dating device and appraisal tools.
And the result was:
“W-Wow… It really is Yuan dynasty white porcelain.”
The young man had won.
The young man removed his monocle and, for the first time, smiled.
“By the way, what’s the daily transfer limit?”