Hyun-soo’s first time wielding a hammer with his right hand in four years.
He thought it would feel awkward, but it was as if he had been using it every day.
He understood why.
‘They say Ares is often used for therapeutic purposes.’
Hyun-soo was a special case in Ares, receiving no system corrections.
This experience in Ares kept his skills from rusting.
‘No, they actually improved.’
Hyun-soo finally took control of the forge.
He needed to create a total of seven blades for the Chiljido.
One central blade and six branches to represent.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
The cheerful sound of forging filled the air.
Hyun-soo’s hand, holding the tongs, continuously moved without rest.
The workshop fell silent for a moment.
Jin-seop and Ji-hye quietly watched him.
Jin-seop chuckled to himself.
As a doctor, he had seen countless surgeries performed by renowned surgeons.
Sometimes bold, sometimes cautious, and sometimes more precise than anyone else, always filled with confidence.
‘This is the real Hyun-soo…’
The Hyun-soo he had only heard about.
And Ji-hye, the nurse who secretly admired Hyun-soo.
She watched Hyun-soo, who was immersed in his work wearing a black t-shirt, and her cheeks flushed.
‘Is this the Hyun-soo I know?’
He was the one who looked like he was receiving a death sentence every time hospital bills were mentioned.
In the hospital, he always looked defeated, like the whole world was collapsing around him, but inside the forge, he was a completely different person.
Overflowing with confidence, his expression clearly showed, ‘I am the best in this field.’
Additionally,
Two members of the filming crew, sent by Ian.
Having worked at the same station as Ian, they had once seen Hyun-soo collapse and remarked,
“Ho-beom, you said you’d never work in broadcasting again, why are you editing for such a person?”
At first, they thought it was out of pity.
But now, it was different.
They watched Hyun-soo through the lens, capturing only his presence in the forge.
Zzzrrr—
The filming crew felt chills down their spines.
‘At his age…?’
‘This is absolutely a national treasure.’
Tall and handsome, his intense focus even as sweat dripped down his face stirred even the men in the filming crew.
‘This is going to be huge…’
Is it an occupational hazard?
They always related everything to viewership ratings.
Knowing about the current blacksmith trend, they had asked Ho-beom when this video would be released.
‘This is going to be the video of the year.’
‘How far will Hyun-soo rise with this video?’
The two anticipated.
And the work continued day and night.
People took turns sleeping in cars or at a temporary residence.
Then, one person who had gone to the residence came back.
It was Director Park.
Standing next to Jin-su, Director Park observed him.
‘How many hours has it been?’
His initial thought when he first saw him,
What could this young guy possibly achieve?
But his opinion was changing.
He had been the top historian in the country.
And also a professor of history at Korea University, the best university in the country.
He had also worked as a top appraiser.
Soon, the blade was nearing completion.
A prominent central blade with six beautifully arranged branches.
‘It’s real…’
Director Park was amazed.
After countless tempering and forging, Hyun-soo began the process of engraving the Chiljido with characters.
‘Geumsanggam technique…’
The Chiljido had golden characters engraved on it.
Using a chisel, he carved the characters to insert gold thread—a highly difficult technique with a joyful meaning.
‘Proof of the Korean Peninsula.’
It was a technique used to demonstrate that Baekje on the Korean Peninsula was the first to realize the Geumsanggam technique.
Before long, the gold thread began to fit into the characters, and hours later, Hyun-soo spoke.
“It’s completed.”
The filming crew hurriedly approached to capture the completed Chiljido up close.
‘Beautiful…’
Even those unfamiliar with blacksmithing could immediately recognize the quality of the craftsmanship.
And from a step away, Director Park also moved forward as everyone’s eyes turned to him.
Suddenly, wearing pristine white cotton gloves, he intently observed the Chiljido.
Hyun-soo felt nervous because he knew that Director Park was the country’s top appraiser.
Soon after, Director Park spoke, “It’s a perfect reproduction, no other words come to mind.”
Hyun-soo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hyun-soo then received the Chiljido back, and Ho-beom said, “Now it’s time for Blacksmith Hyun’s interview.”
The interview began shortly after.
***
Ho-beom’s heart swelled as he recorded Hyun-soo’s interview.
The first video production for him went beyond satisfaction, truly impressing Ho-beom.
‘Wow, to think he actually reproduced the real Chiljido.’
What are the limits of Hyun-soo’s potential?
Suddenly, he felt truly fortunate to be working with this person.
‘There’s something slightly disappointing, though.’
But Ho-beom licked his lips.
The masterpiece was created; now it just needed to be highlighted.
Of course, Hyun-soo had agreed to be interviewed by a staff member from the National Museum.
And this was conditional.
If the staff member was satisfied, they would agree to the interview.
“Ahem.”
Seeing him clear his throat, it seemed he more than met the condition.
But here was the issue.
‘The public will just think some government employee is doing the interview.’
Do we really care when a National Museum staff member is interviewed on TV?
No, we just think it’s one of the staff, maybe explaining how great the artifact is.
That’s why it was disappointing.
‘If only it were an interview with a more influential figure…’
Then the filming crew said, “All done. Let’s get the staff member’s interview and wrap up.”
Soon, Jin-su adjusted his tie.
Then, an unexpected figure stepped forward.
“I’ll do the interview.”
“…?”
Ho-beom looked surprised.
The one who stepped forward was none other than Director Park.
Ho-beom knew who Director Park was.
‘That man is quite well-known internationally.’
Of course, ordinary people, no matter how famous, generally don’t know much about appraisers.
But what if it was someone who had appeared on the show ‘Real or Fake!’?
During his time as a professor, Director Park had appeared on that program and had become quite familiar to the public.
“Director Park?”
Jin-su was taken aback.
Hyun-soo was also puzzled.
Director Park looked at Hyun-soo while making sure the camera wasn’t rolling yet.
Four years ago.
‘You mean the state can’t support him! What are you talking about, Kang Hyun-tae is one of the few remaining blacksmiths in the world! If not the state, then who will protect him!’
Unknown to anyone, Director Park had been the one who argued most vehemently in the parliament office for Hyun-tae’s medical expenses.
It’s also true that he was surrounded by prejudice for being just a young person and had underestimated Hyun-soo.
There was a clear reason he majored in history and became the director of the National Museum.
Because he loved history.
“Giving such a gift to someone who perfectly reproduced Baekje’s Chiljido is the least I can do.”
Director Park smiled slightly.
Then the interview started.
“This Baekje’s Chiljido is…”
Watching the interview unfold, Ho-beom was impressed.
‘So different from someone seasoned in broadcasting!’
He knew how to highlight the story.
“As you can see, this Chiljido was made using traditional techniques and is a true reproduction of the original Chiljido to the extent that it’s a masterpiece.”
He deliberately made the filming crew ask leading questions.
“I see, then what do you think about the creator?”
Director Park smiled slightly.
“I consider him a master craftsman, unique not only in our country but in the world. As someone who has appraised hundreds of artifacts…”
Ho-beom was amazed.
‘This is going to be huge, a real blockbuster!’
Hyun-soo had created a legendary piece above all legends.
And Ho-beom was confident this video would be his masterpiece.
Hyun-soo’s personal story.
The trauma he experienced during the creation process.
His overcoming it.
The perfectly reproduced Chiljido.
And finally, the compelling words of Director Park.
Gulp-
‘How many views will this get? 20 million? 30 million?’
Ho-beom thought it would reach that since not only people from Korea but also from around the world would be watching.
However, his prediction was completely off.
At that time, he did not know that it would record several times the number of views he had anticipated.
***
The shooting had ended.
The National Museum had to report to the higher-ups and appraise its value.
“The price will be assessed and transferred soon.”
Hyun-soo responded with a small smile.
“I will donate the Chiljido. And as promised, could you display it after my video is uploaded?”
Donating such a valuable Chiljido for free?
It was very good news for the National Museum.
Also, judging from Hyun-soo’s words, it seemed possible to arrange an exhibition in a few months, which the National Museum could certainly accommodate.
Soon, everyone left and Ho-beom asked,
“Even though it would be worth a considerable amount, you chose to donate it. That’s very generous of you.”
Hyun-soo smirked.
And Ho-beom thought that if the Chiljido had been made in Ares, it would have been valued even more than in reality.
It’s truly ironic.
That something’s worth more in a virtual world.
Then Hyun-soo said with a subtle expression,
“Probably, it will come back even more valuable.”
Ho-beom couldn’t understand his words.
After finishing the shoot, Hyun-soo returned to Seoul to visit his father.
Hyun-soo comes to the hospital every week to tell his father about what has happened.
Jin-seop said that even though Hyun-tae was in a vegetative state, he could hear everything.
Of course, that might just be a comforting thought.
“…I think we can get more people interested in our work, our dream we talked about. Of course, thanks to the virtual reality Ares. The Chiljido I donated will be the start.”
Hyun-soo smiled gently.
***
A few months later.
The National Museum.
Recently, the National Museum has been bustling with visitors.
After the crowd died down a bit, the children from Bright Kindergarten came for a field trip.
The kids, who were thinking of amusement parks or zoos, were disappointed to hear it was a museum.
Six-year-old Su-hyeon was no different.
Wearing a bee-like yellow outfit, Su-hyeon just wanted to quickly watch cartoons on a smartphone.
Then, the guide spoke.
“This replica is the currently popular Baekje’s Chiljido. During the Three Kingdoms period, King Geunchogo of Baekje…”
Behind the boring explanation, when the phrase “currently popular” was mentioned, Su-hyeon slowly raised her head.
Then, Su-hyeon was utterly amazed.
A mystical sword, reminiscent of beautiful branches, lay before her.
“Wow…”
“Awesome.”
“This sword looks really unique.”
“This Chiljido was crafted and donated by artisan Kang Hyun-soo, and recently in Ares…”
Su-hyeon was mesmerized by the sword.
She had only heard about such things and seen them in books.
Most of them were rusty and old.
But this was different.
It was so cool that Su-hyeon, captivated, asked,
“Teacher, if I learn, could I make a sword like that?”
Hyun-soo alone cannot change the world.
However, the lives of a few people were definitely changing.
Cliche Novel 