novelLouvre Abu Dhabi (2)
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"What do you mean?"
The words 'Allah's will' somewhat scared Haejin.
"You must know that the Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of the three museums that are built in the Saadiyat Island's Cultural District. The other two are not open yet."
"And?"
"One of them, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, has been built and is ready to be opened. However... while the artifacts were brought here from the U. S. , an international artifact criminal organization tried to switch some of them with fakes and was busted by our agents."
Did it make sense? Unlike in the movies, in real life, switching artifacts with fakes is not easy.
"Why would anyone try to do such a thing? The artifacts must be guarded by numerous security guards and security programs..."
"I see you think this is nonsense, but it's not the case. This international gang is bigger and more thorough than you think. There are so many people entangled in this matter that some of them don't even know they work for a criminal organization. Anyway, this is more than just an artifact heist. This can be turned into a political matter, so we must approach it very carefully."
"I guess so. But you said they tried to switch. Then there isn't a problem yet, right?"
"No, this is not the problem."
Prince Sahmadi was serious. He continued.
"The real problem is that one of the organization's members confessed that they already had switched artifacts when we loaned them from France's Louvre to Abu Dhabi's Louvre."
"Oh..."
The crisis was so serious that Haejin couldn't think of what to say.
"Because of that, the opening of Guggenhein Abu Dhabi has been postponed indefinitely. We have to solve Louvre Abu Dhabi's problem first. So, we must check which artifacts in the Louvre Abu Dhabi is fake, but we do not have enough professionals here."
Now, Haejin could clearly see why the prince was asking for his help. This was why he had given him that Degas' painting so easily, even though he had bought it at a dollar.
There had to be at least thousands of artifacts from France's Louvre, and checking them all perfectly would not be easy, even with all their wealth.
"Hmm... I cannot appraise all the artifacts..."
Prince Sahmadi raised his hands to comfort Haejin.
"Oh, you don't have to worry. We'll show you the most valuable things that our appraisers couldn't discern easily."
"I might make mistakes. I hope you don't think of my judgment as perfect."
"Of course not. However, I've never seen Mat Vellin here get so humiliated when it comes to appraisal, like today. He graduated from the best university with the best grades, and he is already the best appraiser by far in Europe. So, I didn't even imagine he would get a blow from this young appraiser from the east."
It was a compliment, but Haejin felt very uncomfortable at hearing it.
"Oh... it's embarrassing."
"It's okay, it's okay. Anyway, we are like kids with an extremely difficult homework now. We cannot tell anyone and even if we did, no one would be able to solve this for us."
"However, there's no guarantee that I would be able to solve it for us. I only have appraised one painting from Gogh."
Prince Sahmadi looked dispirited as he spoke.
"We've already finished with the scientific tests. We've done everything we could. If a problem occurs after that, the reputation of the royal family will be damaged. I can tell you all this only because you are from a place where this crime has nothing to do, and you are the first appraiser to surprise me and Mat Vellin."
The prince could have been ashamed, but he was being honest. Haejin could trust him.
"Okay. I'll do my best to help."
Prince Sahmadi relaxed a little at hearing this. A smile appeared on his face.
"When this is over, we will give you the right reward for your help."
Haejin looked forward to it. It encouraged him. He couldn't help but grin widely.
"Haha. I'm not helping you for the reward... hahaha!"
"If you haven't booked a hotel yet, we will get a place for you. You will like it. Oh, and do you want something else from me?"
Prince Sahmadi looked at Eric. He straightened his back and spoke.
"I can see that you love artifacts very much."
"I am embarrassed. It is Allah's will to cherish the artifacts from our ancestors. I am following that will."
"Actually, I am going after some crimes about artifacts that are happening all over the world."
"Crimes about artifacts?"
Prince Sahmadi narrowed his eyes. He was interested. He had been suffering because of the series of cases happening in Dubai so, of course, what Eric said caught his attention.
"Yes. There's this private auction that happens once a year in the U. S. , it is called Anton Baret Auction. Have you heard of it?"
That auction's name was Anton Baret. However, it sounded like a man's name.
"Of course. That auction is quite famous."
The prince said it as if it was only right for him to know it. Haejin thought it was slightly strange. No one would be able to win if the Arabian royals started to spend money, so how could Hwajin or Yuseong buy anything?
"You cannot participate, but you know about it."
"They don't send invitations to us. It is also not easy for a royal to travel to the U. S. ; although I cannot participate, I've heard about it. However, is there a problem with that auction?"
He didn't participate after all. Eric nodded and answered.
"That private auction has been selling great works of art that didn't appear on even huge auctions like Sotheby's or Christie's. At first, I just thought they were good. However, all of those artifacts were legally perfect. I found it strange."
"People normally go to that auction because their artifacts are legally clean."
"Yes, but I thought it made it even stranger. Why would the previous owners sell those great works of art, even for a huge sum of money? Even if they had sold them at a reasonable price, they must have received less than the winning bids."
"You are right."
"Still, the auction took place every year and they somehow acquired great paintings every year. I found that strange. Then, I happened to find the previous owner of a painting I bought quite coincidentally. However, he had met a very tragical end. That is when I started to keep an eye on Anton Baret Auction. I thought there had to be an international artifact criminal organization involved."
Prince Sahmadi stroked his beard and nodded slightly.
"It sounds like there is something indeed. How was the painting taken from its previous owner?"
"Great debt. The painting was taken because of that and the family was destroyed. In the end, the head of the family killed himself."
"Hmm... that's too bad. However, a huge debt... it is the most effective and traditional method."
"And the cleanest. There's no method that is legally neater than that."
"I think Allah has given me a lot today. Gogh's paintings and the savior to save us from this crisis that has come to my country. Unfortunately, I cannot stay here longer, so let us meet again later. Mr. Park, can you start working tomorrow?"
The prince looked at Haejin again.
"Do you mean going to the Louvre Abu Dhabi?"
"Yes. I don't want to stress such an important guest, but the situation is a little bad now. A problem can occur at any time. We banned the visitors from taking pictures a week ago. People are protesting, and the reputation and fame of the museum are dropping. We must end this as soon as possible."
"Okay. I will do my best."
The prince left. Mat Vellin then led them to a floating home with a calm emerald ocean.
The view of the huge house and the beautiful ocean was so fantastic.
"This is awesome! People call it the miracle of the desert for good reason. They can make such a great artificial island! It would be even better with a beautiful lady but, as we are guests of the royal family, I should restrain myself."
"Please do that. However, what kind of maniac is after the property of the Arab Emirates' royal family?"
Eric laid down under a parasol.
"Do you know how much money an artifact criminal organization make?"
Haejin didn't know, of course.
"A lot?"
"Yes, a lot. Think about it. You told me you sold the paintings at fifty million dollars. What if those two paintings were fake? Then, the forgers would have earned much more compared to the time and money spent on making those fakes. That's why the victim doesn't matter when it comes to artifact crimes of an astronomical price. They would go after anyone, even the Arabian royals."
"That's a problem."
"That's why artifacts appraisers like you are important. Even with all those new technologies, scientific tests are not 100% accurate. They just help. You are like the police or security companies as you will lose your job if everyone lives by the law."
"Should I be flattered?"
"Just saying. Anyway, I'm very curious. There are many artifacts that used to be in France and are now in the Louvre Abu Dhabi. And there were fakes among them... what did they take? And how could they switch them?"
"You are even more excited than me, although I am the one earning money with this."
"I told you before. I used to be a huge fan of Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. Things like this make my blood boil."
"Why don't you become a detective or work for the CIA? Oh, would the FBI fit you better?"
"I won't make much money with those jobs. Plus, I would be busted. I just want to enjoy myself without worrying about money. I cannot enjoy it if it becomes my job. Anyway, I am looking forward to tomorrow. Which artifacts will greet us?"
Haejin felt the same way. So, his feet were light the next morning.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi was magnificent.
However, the moment Haejin followed Mat Vellin into the exhibition room, he stopped at seeing the hundreds of artifacts filling the room.
"I have to choose among them?"
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