Free Web NovelI wasn’t trying to blame him.
I simply liked the Buddha statue in front of my eyes.
“Haha. That’s right. Auctions are more fun when you actually place a bid rather than just watching. Since you came all this way, we prepared an item so you could have a good experience.”
I glanced at Manager Ma, and he picked up the item, box and all.
After checking it, I met Peterson’s eyes.
“Just like you said, once I actually bid, I understood why people participate in auctions. But how did you even manage to bring that here as an auction item?”
The Avalokitesvara statue I won had once been in the hands of a Japanese individual.
There had been quite a stir over the issue of recovering it, so I remembered it clearly.
The government offered 4 billion won, while the owner demanded 20 billion. The gap never narrowed, and in the end the government had no choice but to give up.
If a precedent were set of buying back cultural assets illegally taken out during the Japanese colonial period for huge sums of money, it could have a negative impact on future repatriation efforts.
“I’m sorry, but we cannot disclose the owner.”
“I’m not asking you to reveal who the owner is. I just don’t understand why the person who owned this would choose to put it on the auction market now.”
Normally, the Avalokitesvara statue wouldn’t have become known to the world until much later.
The Cultural Heritage Repatriation Foundation wasn’t even established until the 2010s.
“In fact, the owner had been debating for a long time whether to put the Avalokitesvara statue up for auction.”
“Really?”
“I’m not sure how this might sound to you, but......”
Peterson trailed off, watching my reaction.
“It’s fine. Go on.”
“Korean cultural artifacts aren’t as popular on the auction market as you might expect. If that had been a Chinese artifact, its value would likely have been appraised much higher.”
It was something I already knew.
Just as Peterson said, Korean cultural artifacts weren’t very popular on the auction market.
It was a completely different situation from Chinese artifacts, which were highly valued in the market.
“As for the Avalokitesvara statue you now own, we expected it to sell for around 10 million dollars. The owner wanted more than 15 million. But since it seemed unrealistic to get that price, he gave up on putting it up for auction.”
“Until I showed up.”
“That’s right. We believed that if it were you, you would buy it no matter the price. Korean devotion to cultural heritage is fairly well known in the auction world.”
So Peterson hadn’t just been running auctions all these years for nothing.
His boldness, sharp instincts, and wide network of connections had brought him to where he was.
“I contacted the owner and persuaded him that it could be sold at the price he wanted.”
Peterson had targeted me precisely and skillfully procured an item that would whet my appetite.
He was a man with strong execution power—enough that Murdoch himself had praised his competence.
“I see. I liked it. If any Korean cultural artifacts ever come up for auction, please contact me. If I can’t attend personally, I’ll send a representative.”
“Understood. Then, after deducting the commission from the sale proceeds and subtracting the price of the Avalokitesvara statue you purchased, where should we remit the funds?”
I considered it briefly, then shook my head.
“I’ll remit the purchase amount separately. As for the sale proceeds after deducting the commission, please divide them into four transfers.”
Manager Ma handed Peterson a single sheet of paper.
On it were four UBS bank account numbers in Switzerland.
“You want the funds split into four transfers?”
“I’d appreciate that. If I receive it all at once and then distribute it myself, I’d have to go into Switzerland personally.”
“That level of service is no problem for us.”
As expected, the auction market really is a sanctuary for money laundering.
The fact that he agreed so readily—without questions or objections—to do exactly as requested made a natural smile spread across my face.
“I’ll remit the purchase amount immediately. May I have the account number?”
Peterson pulled out a business card with nothing but an account number written on it and handed it to Manager Ma.
“Manager. Please transfer it right away.”
After checking the card, Manager Ma took out his laptop to make the transfer.
“Charlie, when do you think I might be able to see your other artworks?”
While Manager Ma was transferring the funds, Peterson asked cautiously.
“Hmm...... I’m still thinking about it. Whether or not to put the collection up for auction again. I haven’t even finalized the list yet. And I don’t plan to put the artworks in the UK up for sale anytime soon.”
“If you need a place to store them, there’s /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a warehouse in Switzerland that stores art and artworks. They manage it so no one even knows who the owner is. Probably half of the artworks sold through our auction house are stored there.”
“Such a place exists?”
Switzerland really does all kinds of business. When I asked, Peterson instead posed a question back to me.
“Are you familiar with the Geneva Freeport?”
“I am.”
“There’s a private warehouse complex there called Port Franc. In the past, it stored grain or industrial goods, but as the art market grew, it’s becoming a storage vault for the wealthy’s art collections.”
“I didn’t know it played that kind of role as well.”
“Freeports are under Swiss sovereignty, but they’re exempt from customs duties. That’s why many collectors, trying to avoid enormous taxes, often send the artworks they’ve acquired directly there.”
Peterson continued explaining the Port Franc warehouse complex.
“If all the artworks and artifacts stored there were to hit the market, it’s estimated the total value would exceed hundreds of billions of dollars.”
Hundreds of billions of dollars...... It was a staggering amount. Just how many works were sleeping there?
As if he’d read my thoughts, Peterson continued immediately.
“Even Picasso paintings alone are estimated to number in the hundreds.”
The mere existence of such a place reflected the current reality of art collecting.
Most people weren’t acquiring works to appreciate them, but purely as investment assets.
“What happens if stolen items are discovered?”
“The Swiss authorities would probably seize them. But cases like that have been extremely rare in the several decades since the warehouse began operating.”
No matter how tight the security, it meant that if someone was determined enough, it could always be breached.
The moment I heard that, I discarded the thought of entrusting anything there.
Given that many items in Hussein’s collection were suspected to have been acquired on the black market, there was no reason to take on unnecessary risk.
“In that case, I think I’d feel more comfortable storing them separately on my own.”
Peterson looked as if he wanted to say more, his lips twitching slightly.
Just then, with perfect timing, Manager Ma spoke up after completing the transfer.
“Boss, the transfer is done.”
“Is it? Peterson, please check.”
Peterson took out his phone and called somewhere.
A moment later, after ending the brief call, he smiled and said,
“The transfer has been confirmed. Thank you.”
Peterson bowed politely. After finishing his greeting, he spoke in a low, eager tone, his eyes gleaming.
“I look forward to working with you in the future. Please make sure I get to see the entire collection.”
“I’ll contact you once I’m ready. This auction helped me understand what kind of person you are, Peterson. And you’re also Chairman Murdoch’s acquaintance.”
I added that playfully and stood up.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Where are you headed?”
“I’ll probably leave the UK and head into Russia.”
“I wish you a pleasant journey.”
Leaving Peterson behind, I exited the Sotheby’s auction house.
* * *
After leaving the UK, I arrived in Moscow.
Instead of going straight to the Kremlin from the airport, I headed to my residence on the outskirts of Moscow.
“Chairman Kim Muhyuk. It’s been a while.”
Medvedev visited my estate late at night. He must have known I’d entered the country, but he asked as if surprised.
“You came without any notice. What brings you here?”
I had deliberately not contacted the Russian government.
It wasn’t a scheduled visit, and there was no reason to make a fuss by notifying them.
“Hahaha. If Chairman Kim has entered the country, of course I should come see you myself. Have I been rude?”
“Not at all. Not rude at all. It’s nice to have another drinking companion. Let’s go inside first.”
I led Medvedev into the reception room.
Since I’d planned to drink with just Manager Ma tonight, there were only two glasses prepared in the room.
“Manager. Please prepare one more glass.” fгeewebnovёl.com
After giving the instruction to Manager Ma, I sat down with Medvedev.
As soon as we sat, he spoke first.
“I heard you went through a lot in Iraq.”
“It wasn’t that bad. It just happened that way.”
“The video the U.S. released this time—that was your doing as well, wasn’t it?”
The video Medvedev referred to was about the operation to eliminate the terrorists.
Despite various suspicions being raised, the U.S. government made no particular response regarding the hostage rescue.
As time passed, attacks from the Democratic Party intensified, and even within the Republican Party the issue began to be taken seriously.
‘And the fallout hit Korea as well.’
Domestic public opinion was focused on the hostage rescue.
But the U.S.-originated scandal affected Korea too.
In order to uphold the U.S. government’s principle of no negotiation or concession with terrorists, a conspiracy theory began circulating online that the Korean government had negotiated with the terrorists on America’s behalf and paid the ransom itself.
At first, the rumors circulated only online, but once major media outlets began raising suspicions, they spread rapidly.
— Hey! Muhyuk, what do we do about this?
Suddenly, Myungsoo’s panicked voice on the phone came back to me.
When I was staying in the UK, I received Myungsoo’s call, and we discussed follow-up measures together.
The more dramatic an incident was, the greater its aftereffects. So I deliberately waited until the flames burned even hotter.
Of course, Kim Mugil was affected as well, but saving his life alone was enough to fulfill my duty.
What came after that was no longer my concern.
“That’s correct. After paying the ransom and rescuing the hostages, I had Black Bear wipe them out.”
At a time when both the U.S. and Korea were in an uproar, a video was released through one of Murdoch’s news channels.
It was footage of Igor’s team carrying out the annihilation operation against the terrorists.
Although it was filmed from the air, the image quality was clear enough to convey the sense of being on the scene.
At the same time, the Bush administration released an official statement.
— Our administration adheres to the principle of making no negotiations or concessions to terrorists. However, we could not abandon our citizens again. After close discussions with the Korean government, we proceeded with this operation.
The U.S. media and the Democratic Party, which had enthusiastically raised suspicions day after day, were hit by a backlash.
The same was true in Korea.
The Progressive Party halted the protest it had planned to hold in Gwanghwamun together with civic groups. As a bonus, the approval rating of the Yoon Changho administration rose.
“After seeing Black Bear’s operation firsthand, I understand why so many countries are seeking out Black Bear alone.”
In the hostage-taker elimination operation, Igor’s team wiped out the terrorists with absolute precision, without a single casualty.
With that footage released around the world, no country could afford to underestimate Black Bear’s capabilities any longer.
“Thanks to special forces veterans from the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. Igor’s team ranks among the top three in operational capability even within Black Bear. And since we carried out the operation in North Korea together, you should know better than anyone.”
Medvedev nodded bitterly. It seemed he regretted that such talent from the former Soviet Union now belonged to Black Bear.
Manager Ma brought over the new glass.
“Manager, sit down too. Let’s drink together.”
After pouring vodka into the new glass, I slid it toward Medvedev.
“Let’s just enjoy ourselves tonight and drink in moderation. Every time I drink with Medvedev, the next day is unbearable.”
When I exaggerated, Medvedev burst into loud laughter.
“What are you talking about? I’ve never beaten Chairman Kim at drinking even once. Someday, I’ll win for sure.”
In the warm atmosphere, we all emptied our first glasses together. The conversation naturally continued, turning to mercenary matters.
“This time, our government is thinking of creating a private military company.”
“The Russian government stepping in directly?”
Medvedev set his glass down and shook his head.
“On the surface, it will have absolutely no connection to the government.”
At Medvedev’s words, a notoriously infamous private military company from my previous life came to mind.
But that company hadn’t been established until after 2010.
“......If it gets exposed later, the repercussions will be huge.”
“It will never be exposed.”
Medvedev spoke confidently, but the Western world would quickly realize that the Russian government and that private military company were connected.
“Even if Western countries might be fooled, any private military company created in Russia can never escape the influence of the Russian government. What country would believe otherwise?”
