episode_0781

Due to the cataclysm, this country has become a nation-state, and although it seems a bit excessive, there are times when you think, ‘This is the same.’

When comparing with other countries, especially people who have traveled to other countries, there is a clear belief that ‘Korea is better in this case’.

It can’t be said to be relative or absolute, but things like theft don’t happen when items are left in a cafe for a while.

Even if you walk around alone in the city late at night, most of the time you won’t encounter any major problems.

When I see that things that were the case in reality appear even more strongly in this world, I think it’s really amazing that it’s a soup.

Even the bad parts are covered up under the name of Gukbbong.

“Teacher, where is this place? I’ve never been here before.”

“Korean Cultural Heritage Archive.”

I took Ymir down to the basement of Phenix City, a place with a structure similar to a museum.

“It’s a real museum?”

“This place was built with the intention of later tearing up the entire underground area and loading it onto an aircraft carrier.”

“…an aircraft carrier?”

“It’s a traditional cultural property of Korea. That too was leaked ‘outside’ in Korea.”

There is no one in the museum.

There is no one there right now because I said I would take a look around, but normally only the manager and those with permission are allowed in here.

“Korea has continued to have its cultural assets plundered. Among them, some came to America, and some were leaked to other countries and then passed over as stolen goods by collectors.”

“But now they’re all back here?”

“That’s right.”

It is said that there were various methods.

They collected cultural assets by securing Korean cultural assets among the stolen goods obtained while clearing out criminal organizations, or by exchanging the cultural assets obtained there with cultural assets stored in Japan, China, France, etc.

“You may be used to it by now, but these cultural assets are all totems.”

“You mean it’s a totem that increases the probability of giving birth to someone with special abilities?”

“Exact. And after the cataclysm, many criminal organizations made every effort to secure stolen goods.”

What is the most Korean thing?

People are people, but the Korean spirit is also reflected in history.

Especially if it is a cultural property.

“Having Korean relics and cultural assets increases the probability of giving birth to a person with special abilities. Even though it is not a museum, your chances increase if you make the place you live in a Korean style. Shamanism is also Korean, right? So, when the group attacked the rich people of America, it was said that the villa hidden away from satellite observation had a very similar structure to a folk village.”

“You mean, they make pregnant women live there and then provide postpartum care as if they were staying at a noble house?”

“Okay. All the items there are leaked cultural treasures.”

“And now the leaked cultural assets are on display here…”

Ymir pointed to a sign in the museum area.

“…1 floor for each era, and even 3 floors for the Joseon Dynasty during the pre-mid and post-war periods. The first floor alone looks very spacious, but how did so many cultural assets leak out?”

This museum area, as indicated by the sign, consists of a total of 9 floors.

The classification is organized by era and country, so cultural assets are classified as if you were looking at the table of contents of a Korean history textbook.

“The story about the aircraft carrier didn’t come up for nothing…”

“Do you think it’s a bit much?”

“Yes. Very.”

It is said that each item on display in the museum occupies a generous space of about 1 to 2 pyeong, but even taking that into account, there are too many cultural assets here.

“Would you like to try tutoring after a long time?”

“It’s been a really long time. There’s still so much to learn about the other side of this world. First of all, it’s the sunshade again, right?”

“Ding. Wrong.”

I lightly flicked my finger on Ymir’s forehead.

“The subjective answer to most math problems is 0 or 1, so if you don’t know something, it’s not advisable to write it down first.”

“…Right now, I feel betrayed.”

Ymir seemed greatly shocked by my words.

“It’s a stolen item, so how is it not related to the sunshade?”

“Because I don’t have money.”

“Yes?”

“They sold blood. I made a lot of money just by doing that, and I made a lot more that way than if I had to go through the trouble of obtaining these cultural assets and sell them.”

“…In other words, you considered it, but gave up because of low profitability?”

That’s correct.

“Instead of stolen goods, cultural goods were exported at a high price through a museum-linked project, but that was not a criminal act.”

Of course, Haegeuneul tried to sell cultural assets, and actually did business with cultural assets, but he was not very enthusiastic about this kind of ‘selling stolen goods.’

“Exporting traditional culture-related goods sold online by the National Museum of Korea. It was a business carried out in connection with the government, and they said that since they were selling goods in the first place, they only made general profits.”

“I guess it wasn’t enough to increase the probability of being a totem.”

“Okay. It was said that Haeguneul entrusted cultural heritage-related projects to someone other than Choi.”

Although Hae-neul has a hand in most criminal activities, that does not mean that Hae-geun is the ‘leader’ in all crimes.

“But there are numerous cultural assets leaked from Korea here.”

“But it is not the shade of the sun. If that’s the case, then someone else leaked the cultural assets…”

“Who is it? The answer has already been found in what we talked about.”

“…Government?”

match.

“That’s correct. To be exact, civil servants under the previous government.”

“Wow…. Is that okay?”

“No, but who cares about the integrity and innocence of someone who takes bribes for their own sake?”

Cultural assets are money.

If it makes money, you will do anything.

“Most of the cultural assets here were leaked ‘after’ the cataclysm.”

“…….”

“The original. It’s real. About 70% of these items are even on display in museums in Korea.”

“In the name of the original.”

Ymir’s eyes half sank.

“It’s fake.”

“It’s fake. There are a lot of things like that in movies, right? In the process of stealing extremely expensive jewelry, putting a fake in the place of the real, even if only for a moment of deception.”

The same was true for cultural assets.

We live in a time when gold earrings from the Silla period unearthed from ancient tombs in Gyeongju are sold more expensive than genuine diamonds, which everyone has heard about among jewelry collectors.

Of course, in the back world.

“It will be easier to talk now. I wonder if I can even talk about this, but you can rest assured that this is something that doesn’t happen here. It’s a story about the world I originally lived in.”

“…No, wait a minute.”

Ymir stretched out his hand with a straight face.

“Are there any more application problems? Is there a more serious theory here?”

“Yes.”

“…I feel like I need to look into a deeper abyss?”

“It’s okay. It’s no big deal. You can just think of it as Korea, which takes place in a world line where there is no ability, and is not the world’s most powerful country, but is at the foot of the developed world… a country that calls itself the head of a developing country.”

“I don’t want to listen.”

Ymir covered his ears with his hands.

“Ah, I can’t hear you. Considering the flow of the story, I think I will feel more disillusioned with the existence of humans.”

“You can just think of it as a hypothetical situation, right? I think we hear what the villain in the movie does. At least in this world, for us, it’s something that doesn’t happen in ‘reality’.”

It can’t happen.

Because no one buries or destroys wild ginseng that they find while hiking.

“Phew. great. Get ready… it’s over. Please tell me.”

“In Korea, a different world line, it is said that when cultural assets are found at a construction site, it is not uncommon for them to be replaced as if they never existed.”

“…….”

Ymir’s expression is a sight to behold in many ways.

Because he is smart, he understands the differences in environment, but his expression became bizarre, like someone who heard that mint chocolate seasoned chicken is being sold successfully, no matter how different the world is.

“Why?”

“One. To sell it as stolen property. Of course, in that world, even if you sell it, you won’t make any money, and since it is a crime, there is a high possibility that you will be punished. So, this is how we do it.”

I took out the goblin bat and pretended to hit it at the gilt-bronze incense burner that was on display without a glass case.

“Destroy it?”

“Uh. It’s smashing it. No trace can be found at all.”

“It’s a cultural asset?”

“If it becomes known that it is a cultural property, the cultural property department will immediately begin an investigation. Excavation by carefully digging up the ground through academic research is similar in this world, but is the level of compensation really the same?”

In this world, did you find cultural assets while digging in the ground?

The government mobilizes people with special abilities to sell land.

And the owner of the land receives a huge financial compensation, more than the price of the building, for excavating cultural assets.

“Building the building can be delayed. The compensation for cultural assets during the sale will be at least several billion won, and after the building is built, the ‘cultural asset excavation area’ will become a tourist destination for foreigners.”

“It’s because it was a historically magical place…?”

“Correct answer.”

This is not a world where there is financial loss just because cultural assets are found while digging.

“It is not for nothing that people say that in some world, land that is likely to become a cultural asset is not even considered for redevelopment.”

“…It’s kind of a culture shock.”

“Okay. However, despite this, the criminal acts are similar. As is the case everywhere where people live.”

Human beings will do anything if it makes money.

“The cultural assets on display are faked, and the real ones are sold off. It’s still the same now.”

Since it has been done so far, it will do the same thing this time.

“I must have thought about changing so many cultural assets so far, even less than a day after the finals ended.”

“Those people….”

“Once this incident is over, everyone will be arrested for concealing and counterfeiting cultural assets. It is also a criminal act that could spread into an international problem.”

I tapped my ear lightly with my finger.

“GPS is also installed, but wouldn’t a wiretapping device be cute?”

“…….”

“This is how the organization drives out corrupt people in power and greedy officials.”

It goes without saying.

“Gyeonmulsaengsim? no. Because crime has become a habit, we commit corruption like we breathe.”

There is also a view that leaving a wallet on a cafe table gave an excuse to someone who neglected to take care of it.

“The crime is the fault of the person who committed it, not the fault of the person who committed it.”

That’s a criminal’s logic.