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When Kim Cheolsu opened the file folder, what appeared were photos of all sorts of relics.

Relics.

True to their name, left behind by people of the past, the relics in the photos all appeared old and worn out.

Pieces of carved stone whose use was unrecognizable, gold ornaments marred by scratches and dents, an oddly blood-tinged jade ornament, a book with an impressive leather cover, a silver jar made in Persian style, and a glass cup with patterns of two birds facing each other…

In fact, they resembled junk more than relics.

Yet, Jinseong gazed at those seemingly worthless items with great interest.

“A divine object. Though they look like cultural heritage…”

“Oh, that’s true.”

Kim Cheolsu nodded at Jinseong’s remark.

“Among divine objects, those with cultural heritage value are managed by the Cultural Heritage Administration. What you see here are divine objects that, despite not holding significant cultural value, are assessed as low risk.”

Jinseong nodded in agreement with Kim Cheolsu’s words.

He naturally assumed that would be the case.

Why would they offer rare and powerful divine objects just to appear on a broadcast?

If they possessed sufficient cultural heritage value, they would need to be hidden away or boasted about, and if they were dangerous, it would be common sense to manage those divine objects strictly for use as weapons in emergencies.

And something that was both rare and powerful?

That’s just a treasure.

Kim Cheolsu looked at Park Jinseong.

As if to ask whether he was disappointed.

But Jinseong instead smiled contentedly.

“Even a divine object this precious holds cultural heritage value; what truly excellent and valuable items they are.”

His smile seemed grateful for the opportunity to obtain such rare items, his eyes gleaming as if he could not afford to miss this chance. It was as if desire was consuming him.

Yet, contrary to his appearance, Jinseong’s mind was quite calm.

“Hmmm. I wonder what useful items might be among these.”

A relic and a divine object?

Indeed they were valuable.

Both divine objects and relics are sold for considerable sums.

What if the two were combined?

Selling just one would yield quite a satisfactory amount of money.

So generally, one should be elated about this.

Generally speaking, that is.

But Jinseong had seen countless such things before.

What had he always sought out at the ruins?

He had gotten his hands on all sorts of relics and divine objects and had used them meticulously for research. And when he saw them as no longer useful, he even broke them down to use elsewhere.

He had lived a considerable life engaging in such acts.

So how could he be swayed by mere objects like those?

“Hmmm. Low risk indicates low return. With little expectation for returns, it would be best to choose items that could shed light on the old Korean magic system or can be put to different uses.”

With that thought in mind, Jinseong smiled and looked at Kim Cheolsu.

“Could you please explain?”

“When it comes to explanations…?”

“Well…”

Kim Cheolsu also smiled as he looked back at Jinseong.

“There are various things, aren’t there?”

“Haha, indeed!”

Kim Cheolsu understood the profundity in Jinseong’s words and burst into laughter as he pulled out a bundle of documents, leaving the last set at the back while tossing the remainder into his bag.

“Park Jinseong, Shaman. Now, shall we discuss the contract?”

“Sounds good.”

The document Kim Cheolsu pulled out contained the tasks Park Jinseong was to undertake and the cost associated with them. Of course, it explicitly stated that the cost was for ‘divine objects possessing cultural heritage value owned by the Cultural Heritage Administration’ and firmly noted that it pertained to ‘the divine objects shown during the contract process’ to prevent any issues.

Naturally, the numerical value was left blank.

That number would fluctuate according to the contract.

“Park Jinseong, Shaman. First, let me say one thing. The maximum I can offer before coming to this meeting was three divine objects.”

“Three?”

When discussing the contract, Kim Cheolsu revealed from the start the maximum number he could offer based on his discretion. Moreover, his face was resolute and sincere, making it impossible for anyone not to trust him.

The demeanor of a company employee who would go to any lengths to close a deal shone through. Even as he revealed his weaknesses, he displayed a determination to see this contract through, giving the impression he was pleading with a superior.

But in reality, that wasn’t the case.

After all, Kim Cheolsu only needed to finalize the contract to have Park Jinseong appear on a broadcast.

What happened next was not his concern.

Three?

He could have easily negotiated for ten.

The Cultural Heritage Administration?

It wasn’t even his department.

A few grumbles would be enough to settle it.

However, regardless of the differing departments, they were still both under the government, and there would frequently be instances requiring collaboration while working. Thus, calling for an impossible number wasn’t feasible, so he simply disclosed the maximum from the outset.

In the end, all Kim Cheolsu needed was to make the contract happen, and as long as they stayed within the limits, the Cultural Heritage Administration would be okay with it.

This is what they call a win-win.

“If three is the case, that’s truly sufficient; I’m satisfied.”

Jinseong saw right through Kim Cheolsu’s intentions.

Though Kim Cheolsu’s expression seemed polished enough to invoke thoughts of scammers or actors, the atmosphere and attitude he exhibited felt like someone spending someone else’s money.

“Good. As noted in the contract, you can choose three from the file folder I’ve provided. Ah, of course, this isn’t a straightforward transfer of ownership like a sale. If it were, it would be a national loss, and there would be uproar about selling cultural heritage and unjust enrichment. Therefore, externally, it would just appear as if the Cultural Heritage Administration had sent the divine objects to Park Jinseong, Shaman, for research purposes. The term is… indefinite, or it could have a deadline but be renewable.”

There are various ways to use and own items.

One could buy items legitimately and use them, inherit them, or share items owned by family members.

So if he could borrow without limit and receive no pressure to return them, could this not also be considered ‘ownership’ of the items?

“Since this is a research commission, please be careful at first to prevent the items from going missing or being damaged. However… If they do happen to get damaged, you really don’t have to worry much. That kind of occurrence is quite common in research, you know?”

Kim Cheolsu subtly added that statement.

This wouldn’t be just a matter of straightforward borrowing.

Essentially, he conveyed that it was okay to treat them as one’s own, and if they got damaged or went missing during that process, there would be no accountability taken.

Moreover, there was a clever hidden meaning in what Kim Cheolsu said.

“‘You could report they were damaged or lost, and if you do, there would be no repercussions, and the items would be processed as having been lost or damaged. Then the divine objects would be entirely free from any entanglements, landing right in your hands.’

‘Getting caught? No problem at all. They’ll be officially listed as destroyed and missing. Just say you happened to acquire something similar. Or simply alter the appearance. How does that sound?’”

Receiving Kim Cheolsu’s signal, Jinseong smiled.

“Your Excellency Kim Cheolsu has shown great consideration.”

“Haha, no. It’s not me, it’s the government.”

That couldn’t be true.

No matter how much the government was involved, they wouldn’t offer a trick like this to a promising shaman.

In other words, this was Kim Cheolsu’s goodwill.

Of course, whether that goodwill stemmed from self-interest or other reasons would require further scrutiny.

“Given how plentiful the benefits are from this contract, I find myself a bit worried. Is it not the natural order that the larger the dark cloud, the heavier the rain?”

“Ah, about that…”

When Jinseong brought up the broadcast, Kim Cheolsu stroked his chin and replied with a somewhat excited tone, as if sending Park Jinseong the message, ‘This is a fantastic opportunity!’

“Right now, the government is considering three appearances.”

“Three?”

Three.

Not just one, but three.

There was a strong intention to do more than simply use it as a promotional tool.

“Oh, it’s nothing grand. You just have to appear once in a few different formats,” Kim Cheolsu explained, spreading three fingers and began to outline one by one.

“The first broadcast you will appear on is an investigative reporting program called… ‘Track, Investigate, Report.’ Are you familiar with it?”

“Haha. Yes, I know. It’s quite a famous program, isn’t it? One that has been running on national television for ages…”

“Yes. You will be featured investigating monsters.”

Kim Cheolsu continued speaking.

“They say the most important part of everything is the first step, right? After much consideration, we decided on this investigative reporting program. I did think about documentaries, but they don’t seem to gain much attention. As you know, people don’t often show much interest in them. There’s a perception that they’re stale and boring. Therefore, even though we borrowed the format of a documentary, I sought something effective for information delivery, and that turned out to be…”

“An investigative reporting program.”

“Exactly.”

It was not a bad idea.

High ratings, strong impact, plenty of buzz.

Additionally, since it was a well-known program, one could assume the ratings would be somewhat guaranteed.

“Moreover, the broadcast featuring Park Jinseong, Shaman, will be composed as a special segment.”

Kim Cheolsu flashed a grin as he continued.

“We’re planning to promote it heavily… Not only will it not air in the late night time slot, but we’ll have it pushed to an earlier time.”

 

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