Artifact Reading Inspector

Chapter 118: The Enemy Inside (1)

Momoko and Eunhae were already waiting outside. It was early morning, but no one looked tired.

Eunhae was tense like a soldier waiting for the final battle.

Haejin and Byeongguk took out the three celadons and two swords. Eunhae quickly took one celadon and asked, “Is it over?”

Actually, Haejin wanted to pour water or oil in the tomb. However, what good would it make? Ogura was already dead…

Haejin retrieved the Double Dragon Sword he had stolen to end Korea, so Haejin decided to be content with that. And this wasn’t the end.

There were countless more artifacts he would have to retrieve in the future, so he couldn’t leave any traces.

“Yes, let’s go now.”

The retrieved artifacts and the tools they had used were all loaded on a pickup truck.

As for last, they mended the tomb again with some of the soil they had dug up. They even planted some grass.

It was a perfect cover. No one would think a grave had been robbed in this place.

The tools were buried in a desolate mountain tens or kilometers away. They moved again and ditched the truck in an abandoned cabin.

There was a small SUV waiting there.

Momoko made everyone get on to the new car and headed to Niigata Port. Taking a ship to Busan was the route the NIS had set for them.

“The NIS is certainly thorough. Even us professional grave robbers don’t take such care.”

Byeongguk glanced at Momoko as he spoke. He had been shocked when he met her at Narita Airport, but after hearing she worked for the NIS now, he couldn’t look at her straight.

He was probably afraid as she worked for the government.

“This isn’t enough. We can’t relax until we arrive in Busan.”

“I know that. Except for that woman, no Japanese knows that Ogura’s tomb had been dug up.”

“It would be really bad.”

Even though they had left no traces, once it was discovered, escaping would be hard. All the customs and maritime police would be warned.

The car never stopped until it arrived at Niigata Port. It was afternoon.

They couldn’t leave the artifacts in the car, so they bought some food from a nearby convenience store and waited. The ship would leave at night.

They waited at the parking lot and got out of the car at 11 p.m. sharp.

“This way.”

Momoko walked faster and faster. The group followed her, but they looked around in worry.

They reached the end of the port. In there, they could see a ship where even the light didn’t reach.

Tap, tap!

A strange sound came from the ship. Momoko took out her phone, turned on the light, and drew a strange signal with it. Then, the dark silhouette of a man appeared on the ship. He waved his hand.

“Get aboard.”

Momoko spoke, and Haejin got abroad first. It was to take care of(?) enemies in case it was a trap.

They went inside where three men were waiting with their arms crossed.

The man in front was in his early 20s or late 30s. He stretched out his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hwang Yeongchan.”

Haejin took his hand and asked, “I’m Park Haejin. Is that your real name?”

Yeongchan smiled.

“Maybe. Welcome. We will escort you from here. These friends here don’t like to talk, so if you have any question, please ask me.”

He said it politely, but it meant they couldn’t talk to the other agents. Was it to protect them or for other reasons? Haejin didn’t know, but he didn’t care as long as they could get Haejin’s group safely to Busan.

“Okay. Thank you.”

Eunhae, Byeongguk, Momoko came in as well. Yaongchan made the ship depart.

“This ship is small, so there is no space for you to rest. You must be tired, so sit there and lean on each other.”

They sat in a row and leaned on the next person’s shoulder to sleep, but Haejin didn’t close his eyes.

He thought he couldn’t lower his guard until he was in Busan.

Yeongchan found that strange. He sat down and asked, “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine.”

“Usually, when people say that, their faces show that’s not true, but you really don’t look tired.”

After Haejin learned magic… no, after his magic was upgraded thanks to Lee Shian’s ring in China, he barely felt tired by using strength.

He slept every day, but it was out of habit, and he could go on without sleep. He hadn’t slept at all for two days now, but he wasn’t that tired.

“Probably because I’m nervous. I might not look that way, but I’m a wimp.”

“Hahaha! You’re saying you are afraid?”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t look like that. From what I heard, you dug for two weeks to get those artifacts… you look like one of our agents who is used to ordeals.”

Yeongchan studied Haejin with glaring eyes. Haejin thought he was a member of the special force or at least had been trained by special force.

He emitted a dangerous aura that was overwhelming.

That was probably why he thought Haejin was strange. Few people were so calm in front of him.

“I just can’t sleep because of nervousness.”

“That nervousness tends to go away when you meet us. Look at them…”

He pointed to Haejin’s sleeping friends. Then, he smiled and stood up.

“You will have to be on guard even after we arrive in Korea.”

“What? Why?”

“We got lucky this time.”

He went to captain’s cabin after saying that. Haejin wanted to ask more, but he couldn’t stand up because Byeongguk’s head was on his shoulder, so he decided to let it go.

He thought if it was something he had to know, Yeongchan would have told him.

After hours of sitting like that, Eunhae and Momoko got seasick and woke up. The sun then came up.

“We’re here.”

To Eunhae and Momoko, that was salvation. They started to move with energy. About 10 minutes later, they finally stood on land.

Everyone left, relieved to think that it was all over, but again, Yeongchan whispered to Haejin.

“If you hide it, it will be taken. It would be better to disclose it.”

Haejin wanted to ask what that meant, but Yeongchan left with his men and Momoko.

“Well, we didn’t get to say goodbye to that Japanese lady.”

Byeongguk frowned.

“We will meet her again.”

Eunhae wanted to go home and take a shower now. They then took the train to Seoul.

“What is it? Is there something wrong?”

Byeongguk was still tired and fell asleep again. Eunhae saw Haejin was troubled and asked.

“No, no. It’s just…”

Haejin couldn’t forget what Yeongchan told him. He clearly knew something… but he didn’t explain.

There had to be a reason.

“What are you going to do with the artifacts you retrieved?”

“Of course…”

Haejin had planned to hide them and discuss with the Cultural Heritage Administration, of course.

However, what Yeongchan said troubled him.

“Of course?”

Eunhae stared at Haejin.

“Not, of course, but… I am going to call the reporters and release the news.”

“Really? Where are you going to say you got it?”

Haejin couldn’t say he had taken it from Japan. Even if most of Ogura’s artifacts had been illegally excavated, robbing graves a century ago and doing it now was a completely different matter.

“I’m going to say I bought them from an American collector.”

“To whom are you going to ask that kind of favor… oh! Eric Holton!”

Eunhae slapped with her hand as she recalled him.

“Yes. I can ask him to help, so I should say that for now.”

There wouldn’t be trouble if they just hid it, but after showing them to the public, problems could occur at any time.

Eunhae knew that. She was worried about Haejin’s decision, but she didn’t object. She thought Haejin must have had a reason.

When they arrived in Seoul, Byeongguk let Haejin take the celadons and head to Insadong. Haejin and Eunhae loaded the artifacts on the car of an employee who had been waiting for them and went to the museum.

“There is a visitor.”

The employee spoke as soon as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“A visitor? Who is it?”

“I don’t know. He wants to meet both of you.”

Haejin had a bad feeling about this. He immediately turned to Eunhae and said, “Make the staff prepare now. They should prepare a press release about the Double Dragon Sword.”

“Already?”

“Yes. Make them prepare so that it can be done immediately when I give the order. And make sure no one except for our staff knows this.”

“Okay.”

Eunhae called Curator Lee Jisu and gave her the instructions.

A while later, they arrived at the museum. A man they had never met before was waiting at the entrance. He saw Haejin and came closer.

“Haha… hello, I’m Lee Dongcheol.”

He had white hair. He was a famous politician of the ruling party Haejin had seen on TV a few times.

He was smiling warmly, but he seemed to be very greedy. He grabbed Haejin’s hand.

“Oh, nice to meet you. But may I ask why you have come…”

A man came next to Dongcheol and said, “There are too many people here. Let’s go somewhere quiet.”

Haejin couldn’t say no.

“Okay.”

Haejin took them to the director’s office, and Dongcheol’s aide came in as well.

Haejin didn’t know what to say, so he sat down. Dongcheol sat down on the opposite side and got rid of the kind attitude he had shown at the entrance.

“You have brought something from Japan, right?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Haejin pretended to be ignorant, and Dongcheol frowned.

“You really don’t know?”

“Yes, I really don’t know.”

Maybe Yeongchan had known this would happen all along.

Haejin secretly sent a text to Eunhae and told her to start what he had told her earlier immediately.

“Khmm… you are really hopeless… you have stolen something from Japan, right?”

He was accusing Haejin, and Haejin’s head started to hurt. The only good thing was that Eunhae had come in with the artifacts through the back entrance.

Meeting Dongcheol at the main gate with the artifacts would have been bad.

“I didn’t.”

“You didn’t? I know everything!”

“Is there proof? Proof that says I’ve stolen something from Japan?”

“That’s…”

Dongcheol turned red. He couldn’t say anything. Of course. Even if there was proof, he couldn’t openly admit that he knew about it.

“And why are you looking for it? Ah, of course, I haven’t stolen it… but I think it is what you are looking for. What do you want with it?”

Haejin wondered why on earth Dongcheol was looking for the sword. He hesitated for a second and said, “It’s not good for the relations between the two countries. We should give it back.”

Haejin was shocked. A pro-Japanese collaborator of the 21 st century was right in front of him…