Chapter 264: Crafting the Deal with Soonyang Gallery

“Ah, when contacting Soonyang Gallery, make sure not to give the impression that we’re only buying their pieces. Pick up a few works from other places as well. Don’t worry about the cost.”

“Excuse me for a moment?”

Bette Porter hurriedly grabbed Rachel’s hand and went outside. The two talked for over ten minutes before returning.

“I’m sorry, Howard. That was rude of me.”

“No, it’s alright. I did say something that could fluster anyone.”

“Just one question. If I can’t buy the Soonyang Gallery’s pieces, will Wentworth Art Gallery’s support fall through?”

“Didn’t I already mention it? I’m clueless about art. It’ll be like it never happened.”

Bette Porter bit her lip.

It was clear that there was something unsettling about these eager terms.

“Lastly… this might be a personal question, but is that alright?”

“Go ahead. If it’s a question I’m uncomfortable answering, I’ll just say no comment.”

“I heard Howard is part of the Soonyang Group’s owning family. Soonyang Gallery is also a foundation run by that group. So why go through such a complicated process?”

“Complicated family matters, no comment. Hehe.”

She shrugged her shoulders, seeing my smile.

“Okay. Let’s give it a shot.”

“That’s not enough.”

“Huh?”

“Just giving it a shot? If you approach Soonyang Gallery half-heartedly, you won’t even get a proper response. You need to approach them with a flawless plan to unlock Soonyang Gallery’s gates. The people behind the name ‘Soonyang’ are all monsters.”

I raised a finger and pointed at myself.

“Look at me, do I look like a reasonable guy?”

* * *

“What did you two talk about outside?”

“She asked what you are.”

“And what did you say?”

“I told her not to question it and just do as you want. Then I subtly hinted that her life would change.”

“Do you think Bette will listen to Rachel?”

“Probably… no, almost certainly.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Bette Porter is skilled and ambitious in that world. She just hasn’t had luck on her side yet. The art scene tends to be conservative, but she’s a bit radical.”

“So, I’m basically using money to indulge her eccentricities.”

“It’s not like you care that much anyway. Even if the gallery becomes incredibly successful, it’ll only leave you with pocket change.”

“My pocket money isn’t insignificant. I just don’t have time to spend it.”

Rachel was right. Bette Porter wasted no time leveraging her ambition, devising a meticulous plan and immediately putting it into action.

The first step was spreading rumors.

Rumors circulated that Wentworth Art Gallery had found a huge benefactor and that growing to a size comparable to major museums, though perhaps not quite reaching the level of the New York Metropolitan Museum, was not an impossible dream for a private gallery.

As if to support the rumors, galleries not only in the US but around the world received emails from Wentworth Art Gallery.

Attached was a list of artworks from each gallery’s collection that they were interested in acquiring.

You couldn’t do something like this as a joke. It was common knowledge that if you were just testing the waters or checking prices, both Wentworth Art Gallery and Bette Porter would be blacklisted in the industry.

Of course, Soonyang Gallery received the same email.

* * *

The executives at Soonyang Gallery didn’t worry too much about the email. The Soonyang Group’s New York branch had already investigated and confirmed its authenticity.

“So, this means they’re rebranding themselves in a big way.”

“Yes, sir. If the rumors are already widespread in New York, we can consider this a formal offer.”

“But will the Chairman of the board sell the paintings? Her desire for art is unmatched.”

“Still, we have to report it. Doesn’t she always say that we must report any offers to buy paintings? She says that’s how we know the actual current value of the pieces.”

“Then I’ll file the report. Elizabeth Porter, the director, has a good reputation in New York. It might be good to establish a relationship with our gallery through this opportunity.”

They submitted the New York branch’s investigation report and the email to Lee Pil-ok, the chairman of the foundation.

Lee Pil-ok carefully examined the report submitted by the head of the gallery’s operations before speaking.

“Are you sure? They want to buy our paintings? Do they have the means?”

“It seems so. The New York branch has confirmed it.”

“Really? Alright, you can go.”

“Yes, Chairman of the board.”

As soon as the head of operations bowed and left, Lee Pil-ok pressed the intercom.

“Get Secretary Song in here.”

Less than a minute later, a man who looked to be in his forties entered and bowed.

“You called for me?”

“Take a look at this.”

She casually handed him the report.

Secretary Song carefully reviewed even the email before lifting his head.

“What do you think? Not bad, right?”

“Chairman of the board, some of these on the list have already been secretly sold….”

Secretary Song lowered his voice.

“I know. So, make a new list with what we have. Pick out the valuable ones.”

“Yes.”

Secretary Song was about to leave, but Lee Pil-ok’s instructions weren’t finished.

“You’ll have to go to New York, right? Meet this Porter or Truck, whoever sent the email. And find out if they’ll accept our terms.”

“Yes, Chairman of the board.”

As Secretary Song left, a look of delight spread across her face. A perfect cash cow had appeared just when she needed to spend lavishly, and she wanted to make the most of it.

* * *

“I’ve been expecting you, Mr. Song. How was your flight?”

“It was pleasant. Thank you for the warm welcome.”

Bette Porter hadn’t expected such a quick response from Soonyang Gallery.

The prompt email reply, and their eagerness to discuss things in person, only made her suspect, as Jin Do-jun had said, that there were complicated circumstances.

“You seem quite aggressive in acquiring artwork. Is this the gallery’s new policy?”

“Rather than a policy, it’s more accurate to say we’re being reborn. We’ve found a generous benefactor.”

Secretary Song’s eyes twinkled at her explanation.

“Could you perhaps tell me who this benefactor is?”

Bette Porter’s eyes narrowed at the man who was interrogating her as soon as they met.

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that. It’s strange. The gallery, not the benefactor, is buying the paintings.”

“Ah, excuse me. The truth is, our Soonyang Gallery has only sold artwork to individuals.”

“Isn’t it well known that your gallery’s main clients are individuals? Are you perhaps thinking of using us to transact with the benefactor?”

“If I may be frank, yes. Is it possible?”

Bette Porter found it hard to understand. The money to buy the paintings would come from the benefactor anyway. Even if they dealt directly with the benefactor, wouldn’t the result be the same if the benefactor donated the paintings to the gallery?

This man who had flown all the way from Korea was just saying pointless things.

The only difference between a transaction with a gallery and a private transaction was whether the painting would be displayed in a public place or a private space.

Bette Porter finally realized what kind of deal this man wanted.

“Are you perhaps… wanting the paintings to be kept out of public view and the transaction to be kept secret?”

Secretary Song’s expression brightened.

“Exactly. That’s the deal we’re looking for.”

“It’s a common condition in private transactions.”

Many artworks disappear this way.

“Then even if our gallery buys them, there won’t be a problem as long as we keep that condition, right?”

“That’s right, but would a gallery be able to keep them out of public view?”

“We’d have to discuss it with the board of directors, but it’s not impossible. Soonyang Gallery’s collection contains masterpieces. If we consider their preservation, it might be possible….”

Seeing her positive reaction, Secretary Song moved the conversation forward.

“Would you like to take a look at this?”

He took out a thick folder of documents from his bag.

“Among the pieces you requested, there are some we can’t sell. This is a list of the available pieces. Please review it.”

As Bette Porter received the list, Secretary Song bowed slightly.

“Then please contact me once you reach a conclusion. How long will it take?”

“I’ll let you know by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Will that be alright?”

“Of course. Then.”

As Secretary Song left, Bette Porter let out a short sigh.

She was very curious about what exactly was happening at the famous Korean company that made phones.

* * *

“So, it’s that kind of condition.”

The terms Bette Porter had relayed confirmed the report from Executive Director Woo Byung-joon.

Just how many pieces were stored in Soonyang Gallery’s vault? He was quite confident that the few pieces worth hundreds of millions of won displayed during special exhibitions were all they had.

“Let’s see the list they brought.”

I compared it with the list of Soonyang Gallery’s artworks that Executive Director Woo Byung-joon had investigated, noted the missing items separately, and handed it to Bette Porter.

“Soonyang Gallery probably won’t sell these, but what’s their approximate value?”

She examined the list, her fingers tapping, and her mouth gradually fell open. When her fingers stopped moving, she shook her head.

“If we put these up for auction at Christie’s right now, no one could predict their final bid price. If they were auctioned off on the same day, the competitive spirit of the world’s wealthiest would ignite, and the prices would skyrocket.”

“I’m not asking for an exact price. Just give me a rough estimate.”

She fell into thought again, and finally, a number came from her lips.

“At least 2 billion dollars.”

Since many pieces would have already been sold off, even if he only considered half of that, his grandmother had buried over a trillion won in stocks. It was time to unearth all of his hidden grandmother’s wealth.

“Then how much would it cost to buy all the pieces from Soonyang Gallery?”

She looked at me strangely, not even flinching at the mention of 2 billion dollars, and was surprised once again.

“All of them?”

“Yes. Of course, they’ll propose a price, but we can’t just accept it, can we? So, we need to consider the optimal price that won’t break the deal.”

“600 million dollars.”

She answered without the slightest hesitation, as if she had already finished the calculations.

“Let’s buy them all.”

I didn’t hesitate either.

Bette Porter looked surprised and delighted, but I quickly put a stop to it.

“Wait a minute, Bette. This isn’t a donation. The buyer of the paintings will be Miracle, or me. It’s just a lease to Wentworth Art Gallery free of charge. We need to be precise about this.”

Disappointment flickered across her face, but she nodded, as this was also a common form of donation.

But soon, she frowned.

“This is… what’s the point of all this if our gallery receives the pieces but can’t exhibit them?”

I could feel her disappointment.

Wasn’t she someone who believed that locking away masterpieces deep underground was an insult to the art?

I smiled quietly at her.

“At most, it’ll be a year. In a year, I’ll make it possible for those pieces to appear in the world.”

“Really?”

“Of course. But before that, we need to close the deal, right?”

“If we accept their terms, the deal is practically done.”

“Is this your first time making a deal…? They’ve presented their terms, now it’s our turn to present ours.”

Her confused expression clearly showed as I smirked.