While Jinhyuk Park sat in his chair and smoked a cigarette, Junwoo Kim entered the room carrying documents that organized the artworks owned under the name of DS Telecom.
Jinhyuk stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took the papers Junwoo handed him, and skimmed through them. The documents listed the artists’ names, the titles of the works, and the circumstances of their acquisition.
“I thought they would have been obtained through auctions, but they aren’t?”
“Yes. Most of them were purchased through an art museum.”
“I see. They were purchased through a museum… but where is this place? Jeonghwa Art Museum? I don’t recall hearing that name before.”
Since more than one year had already passed, Jinhyuk had naturally adjusted to life here. Thanks to the help of those around him, he had memorized most of the information related to the corporation. However, the name Jeonghwa Art Museum did not ring a bell.
In fact, most art museums were operated by corporations. It was common for a corporate museum to be established as an independent foundation or operated through funds provided by the company. Thus, seeing the name Jeonghwa, there should have been a corresponding corporation that came to mind.
However, no such company was associated with that name. In response to Jinhyuk’s question, Junwoo handed over another set of papers he had prepared in advance.
“I looked into it separately because most of the artworks DS Telecom purchased were acquired through Jeonghwa Art Museum.”
Jinhyuk took the documents and looked up at Junwoo. Given that the man had prepared this extra information, Jinhyuk felt that Jeonghwa Art Museum might be a special place. Jinhyuk turned his gaze back to the papers and read the details about the museum.
“A small art museum in Gangwon Province? Where is this? Goseong? There’s an art museum in Goseong?”
It was in an entirely unexpected location. He wondered who would even visit an art museum located in Goseong, Gangwon Province. Furthermore, the fact that such expensive items were purchased through that specific museum left Jinhyuk with more than a few questions.
Knowing that Jinhyuk would be curious, Junwoo began to add more details to the contents of the documents.
“I haven’t visited it personally, but I gathered information through the internet. However, Jeonghwa Art Museum wasn’t actually a physical museum located in Goseong.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t actually exist?”
“It only exists on paper.”
“It’s just a shell company? Then is it something like a broker?”
Jinhyuk wondered if the art world also had intermediaries who sourced and delivered items for clients. Since this was a common method and didn’t seem particularly unusual, Jinhyuk spoke of it dismissively.
However, Junwoo tilted his head and replied, “That’s not entirely clear.”
“Not clear? What does that mean?”
“If it were a broker, they should normally trade with other places as well… but they haven’t traded with anyone else.”
“You’re saying they only traded with DS Telecom?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Well, look at this.”
Jinhyuk curled the right corner of his mouth upward and tapped the documents Junwoo had handed him with his finger.
“What’s the total amount of the purchases?”
“According to the records, approximately 70 billion won was paid to acquire sixty-five works.”
“How much? 70 billion won?”
Since the apparent value of the works was in the hundreds of millions, he had expected the total transaction amount to be quite high. However, Jinhyuk couldn’t help but be surprised to hear that it averaged over 1 billion won per piece. This was because 70 billion won was an amount far beyond what could be taken lightly.
“Since most of the artworks in our possession are large paintings or ancient ceramics, the prices seem to be quite high. The titles of the works and their purchase prices are listed in the first set of documents I gave you.”
Following Junwoo’s words, Jinhyuk flipped through the papers to check the amounts. Just as Junwoo said, hundreds of millions to billions of won had been paid to acquire items classified as ceramics. It was also noted that paintings were purchased at significant prices. Every single piece they bought was expensive.
After reviewing everything, Jinhyuk spoke.
“So… to summarize, we conducted art transactions with a place called Jeonghwa Art Museum, which only exists on paper, and those artworks are currently being stored at the Byeoksong Art Museum?”
“Yes. At least, that’s what it says on paper. I told them we would visit Byeoksong Art Museum tomorrow to verify the artworks. What would you like to do?”
Byeoksong Art Museum was the DS Group’s museum, named after the pen name of Jinhyuk’s grandfather. Seyoung Oh, Jinhyuk’s stepmother, currently held the position of Director there.
“I’ll go with you. But don’t tell them I’m coming beforehand.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Junwoo had asked because he thought Jinhyuk might be interested in the art. As expected, Jinhyuk showed interest and decided to go along. However, unlike what Junwoo thought, Jinhyuk’s interest stemmed from a different reason.
’70 billion won worth of items in a warehouse? Then what is the value of the entire Byeoksong collection?’
As far as artists went, Picasso was the only one Jinhyuk knew. Because of that, he wasn’t particularly interested in the art itself. What he was curious about was the total value of the items stored in the entire Byeoksong Art Museum.
He had always thought of art museums as nothing more than social venues for the wives of chaebols. Since no productive work happened there, he thought of them as merely places where they spent their time, or positions they held just so they wouldn’t have to tell others they were unemployed.
However, the fact that 70 billion won worth of DS Telecom’s assets were sleeping in a warehouse changed his mind.
‘It’s probably a much larger sum than I thought.’
He also remembered the painting in the study when he first met Junman Park. It was natural for an authentic piece to be hanging in a tycoon’s study, yet a fake had been displayed prominently. If he hadn’t pointed out that it was a fake, it would surely have remained there to this day without anyone knowing.
And seeing as the original was hung shortly after he pointed it out, he was certain that Seyoung Oh had been playing games with the originals and fakes.
‘I’m sure she didn’t just mess around with Junman Park’s study. I have to go see for myself.’
He suspected she might have touched DS Telecom’s assets as well, and he decided to visit and verify it with his own eyes.
Following Jinhyuk’s instructions, Junwoo immediately conveyed his intention to visit Byeoksong Art Museum the next day. He stated that the visit was to verify the artworks owned by DS Telecom. Since such visits were common at Byeoksong Art Museum, they coordinated the time and didn’t think much of the request.
—
“What? Why is he here? Did you hear he was coming?”
“No. If I had known, would I have just sat here? I would have reported it to the Director. By the way, where is she now?”
“The Director has been going to West Air every day lately. She’s probably there.”
“Why go to West Air?”
“I heard they’re having a meeting about extending the leave for the employees there.”
“I mean, why is the Director going to a meeting about West Air’s employee leaves?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? The President of West Air is her son.”
“Isn’t the man over there her son, too?”
“He’s her son, technically. But the problem is she didn’t give birth to him herself.”
The employees of Byeoksong Art Museum looked at Jinhyuk Park, who was standing with his hands behind his back, staring at a painting on the wall. They hadn’t cared much when they heard someone was coming from DS Telecom, but they were now shocked that Jinhyuk — the new President of DS Telecom and the Director’s legal son — had arrived.
“President, everything is ready.”
“Alright. let’s go.”
To allow for the verification of DS Telecom’s assets, the items had been moved from the warehouse and set up in a cleanroom. Jinhyuk followed Junwoo’s guidance to the cleanroom, where the staff of Byeoksong Art Museum were waiting for his arrival with the artworks laid out.
After lightly brushing the dust off his clothes and entering, Jinhyuk gave a short nod to the museum staff and immediately began inspecting the art.
“Are all the items laid out here owned by our company?”
“Yes. These consist only of the artworks owned by DS Telecom.”
Jinhyuk had directed the question at Junwoo, but the answer came from a museum employee. Jinhyuk turned toward the one who answered. A middle-aged woman, introduced as the Deputy Director, had come out to deal with Jinhyuk following his sudden visit.
“Manager Kim. Have you compared these with our inventory list?”
Junwoo and the staff from the secretary’s office had been meticulously checking the artworks, which were now displayed before Jinhyuk’s eyes. Junwoo handed the verified documents to Jinhyuk as he answered.
“Yes. The verification is complete. Aside from the twelve works we are keeping at the office, all fifty-three works stored here match the records.”
“Are you sure? Do they match?”
Contrary to his usual self, Jinhyuk frowned and looked at Junwoo, asking for reconfirmation. Surprised by Jinhyuk’s reaction, Junwoo checked the documents again. He then scanned the artworks spread out before him and replied.
“There are no issues.”
The images printed in the documents and the paintings in front of him were identical. The frame shapes and specific characteristics were also well-described in text alongside the pictures. It was organized so that even a non-expert could easily verify them. After answering, Junwoo continued to check the artworks just in case there was any error.
Jinhyuk turned his head away from Junwoo and fixed his gaze on the Deputy Director. He asked again.
“Are these ours?”
“Yes, they are. Is there some sort of problem?”
“Is that so? You’re sure?”
Jinhyuk let out an unrecognizable chuckle and looked away from the Deputy Director.
‘What are these?’
To the naked eye, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the artworks in front of him. They were so well-made that it seemed impossible to tell the difference visually, even if an expert searched carefully.
However, Jinhyuk’s eyes were different from those of experts or commoners. The values of the artworks he saw were screaming that something was wrong.
‘This one is 700,000, that one is 500,000, that one is 1.5 million…’
Every single piece of art owned by DS Telecom showed a value that differed wildly from its recorded purchase price. It meant that while they might look like originals on the outside, they were fakes.
Upon Jinhyuk’s questioning, Junwoo once again compared the artworks with the documents alongside an expert invited by the secretary’s office. Meanwhile, Jinhyuk stood to the side, observing the art.
The Deputy Director hesitated behind Jinhyuk for a moment before approaching him.
“Excuse me, President.”
“Yes?”
As Jinhyuk turned his head, the Deputy Director spoke with an awkward expression.
“It’s about time to rotate the works hanging at the DS Telecom headquarters with the ones we have in storage. When should we make the exchange?”
“You’re saying it’s time to swap them?”
“Yes. Paintings are like living organisms. No matter how well a warehouse is equipped with constant temperature and humidity controls, they lose their vitality if they aren’t shown to people. That’s why famous museums exhibit their works even though they know a lot of visitors might cause damage.”
Jinhyuk listened quietly to the Deputy Director and then turned his gaze toward the invited expert. The expert, who had been checking the works with Junwoo, heard the conversation and nodded in agreement.
Jinhyuk said without losing his smile, “So, you want to swap the works currently here with the ones at our office.”
“Yes. We can’t do it every month, but swapping them every quarter is beneficial for the preservation of the works.”
Jinhyuk nodded at her words and fell into thought.
‘The ones hanging in the hallway were at least genuine. If they swap them every quarter, it means they were originals until last quarter…’
He hadn’t been able to check if the works were real before, so he didn’t know the order of things. However, regardless of the sequence, the fact remained that originals had been swapped for fakes and put into storage.
“President? When would be a good time for us to visit?”
Jinhyuk stopped thinking and stared silently at the Deputy Director. The value she displayed was low enough to be a perfect fit for someone by Seyoung Oh’s side.
Jinhyuk knew that if the pieces were rotated, the originals currently in the hallway would also be swapped for fakes. Nevertheless, he felt like finding out what the woman in front of him and Seyoung Oh were trying to do. He felt that their goal wasn’t merely swapping the paintings.
“You can swap them as early as today. It doesn’t matter to me.”
When Jinhyuk finally answered after his long pause, the Deputy Director’s face brightened. She said with a beaming smile.
“I think we might not have enough time to swap them today, so we will prepare and visit tomorrow morning. If there are any pieces you like, we will swap them with those. Would you like to choose here?”
“Any work is fine. Do as you please.”
Jinhyuk answered simply and turned his gaze back to a painting depicting lines bent in geometric shapes. Perhaps because she had received the answer she wanted, the Deputy Director took a step back and began hurriedly giving instructions to a nearby employee.
After matching the documents and the items for a long time, Junwoo stated that there were no issues. Jinhyuk, having finished his business, intended to leave the museum. The Deputy Director tried to keep him there by saying that Director Seyoung Oh would arrive soon, but seeing her lack of persistence, Jinhyuk declined and got into his car.
“President. Did you discover something strange?”
Junwoo was entering his second year of serving Jinhyuk. Since he had stayed by Jinhyuk’s side almost every day for an entire year with hardly any days off, he had reached a level where he could roughly tell what Jinhyuk was thinking and feeling.
Jinhyuk’s behavior at the museum was not his usual self. Especially when he stood before the artworks owned by DS Telecom, his demeanor had indirectly signaled that there was something wrong with them.
Jinhyuk looked at Junwoo, who was glancing back from the front seat, and spoke.
“They’re all fakes.”
At Jinhyuk’s words, Junwoo’s face turned pale.