When the painting was still hanging in the Lin family's study, she was still young and her mother was still alive. Once her mother carried her into the study to get something, and her hand touched the painting.
Roseanne thought that no matter how much the painting cost, she should buy it and hang it back in the study of the Lin family.
"This painting is directed from China, indeed one of the ten most valuable painting." Park Jimin's flat voice rang and his gaze fell on her face. "You want it?"
Roseanne was about to speak when suddenly there was a familiar voice in the distance. She turned her eyes and saw, two rows from their seats, about six or seven meters away, where Rong Miyeon and Rong Yoon Soo were sitting. Someone got up to go out and passed by them and the sound of their voices reached here.
Roseanne's eyes just met Rong Yoon Soo's and the latter's face immediately darkened.
Roseanne: "..."
Just because his sister was rejected by the man she liked and now the latter showed up with a female companion, the general manager of the Rong Corporation gave her that look?
No wonder it was said that the kids of the "Capital Circle" were all arrogant. Now she knew what real arrogance was.
Roseanne indifferently withdrew her stare.
Rong Miyeon, sitting next to Rong Yoon Soo, had been looking at Park Jimin. The auction had been going on for nearly an hour and Park Jimin had never left Roseanne nor bidding for a single item.
He just sat there motionless. In such a noisy environment, he would not be drowned out by the noisy crowd, but stood out like a crane in a flock of fowls.
People had begun to bid. More than ten years ago or even nearly 20 years ago, this famous painting had been sold at a high price of more than 100 million won, now in a twinkling of an eye, the price had reached three hundred million won.
Roseanne had wanted to wait until the end of the bidding, so as not to raise the price too high, but there was no end to the bidding. But after the price reached as high as 300 million won, it began to increase by 10 million instead of 100 million won.
Roseanne kept staring at the painting, reminiscing of the time when her mother had loved to carry her back and forth in the study when she was a child.
When she didn't pay attention, Rong Miyeon and Rong Yoon Soo sat behind them. Roseanne heard the brother and sister talk. "Brother, the painting called 'The Land of Peach Blossoms' and Grandfather's favorite were both Zhang Daqian's works. Grandfather has always liked Zhang Daqian's paintings. Shall we buy this for him?"
Then Rong Miyeon said, "Now the price won't increase much. I think they will stop the bidding within 500 million won. The price within 500 million won is just right."
As soon as Rong Miyeon stopped, Roseanne's eyelid twitched.
500 million won?
The AP Group developed very well and had a lot of assets, but she would still consider carefully whether she should spend 500 million won for a single painting.
After all, this money was not a small amount, not even for a company like AP Group. She didn't have money to burn. Besides, a lot of her money was still in the company's working capital to support the stable operation of the company's various projects.
The price she could accept was two or three hundred million won.
Did Rong Miyeon and Rong Yoon Soo also like this painting?
Roseanne looked up at the painting hanging on the stage again without a word.
Just then, the auctioneer said, "'The Land of Peach Blossoms' of Zhang Daqian has hit the high price of 390 million won. Does anyone still want to bid? At present, none of the auctioned famous paintings has exceeded 400 million won in price. I wonder whether this painting will break this record today..."
"Forty hundred million won." Rong Yoon Soo raised his number plate at this time.
The auctioneer's eyes lit up at Rong Yoon Soo as he held up the number plate. "Great, it's a historic moment. Anyone still wants to bid?"
"..."
There was a moment of tension in the auction hall.
No matter how famous Zhang Daqian's paintings were, their market prices were not more than 200 million won. Now the price had hit 400 million won. They had to wonder if there was someone deliberately bidding up the price.
No matter how much the bidder liked collecting artworks, this price was way too high. Paintings could only be hidden at home and couldn't be taken out, and had no value other than meeting a hobby. People considered and the bidding voices in the hall gradually grew weaker and weaker until no one bid any longer.
"There should be no more bids, I guess?" Rong Miyeon whispered to Rong Yoon Soo.
From time to time, Roseanne tapped her knee with the number plate in her hand, staring at the painting, struggling inwardly. Should she pay a high price for this painting that she once saw with her mother when she was a child and used to belong to the Lin family, or should she save the money, considering that AP Group was scaling up and needed money? Five hundred million won was enough for the company to do many things.
"Four hundred million won once, four hundred million won twice..." The auctioneer solemnly grandly announced, "Four hundred million won thir..."
She was about to raise the number plate in the hand to bid. However, at the very second before she raised her hand, the man beside her had already raised the number plate in his hand one step ahead of her, and his low and indifferent voice sounded in the trapezoidal hall and stunned everyone else. "Six hundred million won."
"..."
"..."
There was a moment of eerie silence, followed by sounds of gasps.
Six hundred million! The painting was the only one to reach that price in South Korea's auction history.
Although Zhang Daqian's paintings were valuable, this price was way too high. Many people in the audience had given up when the price reached just 400 million won let alone this price. No one would dare to bid a higher price.
There was a silence in the hall, and the Rong Brother and Sister had no idea that Park Jimin, who rarely participated in such kind of an auction, would suddenly bid.
Rong Miyeon pursed her lips hard and stared at this man's back.
"Six hundred million Won once, six hundred million Won twice... six hundred million Won third, deal!"
The auctioneer struck the hammer with excitement.
Rong Yoon Soo's face was all dark. At the moment the hammer was struck, he got up and Rong Miyeon hurriedly grabbed his arm. "Brother."
Roseanne remained seated and did not get up.
She didn't know why he bid such a high price, but she could understand it was just to get the painting for her. After all, let alone the powerful Park Group, even the old Park Corporation had the financial resources that no other company in South Korea could match. But he spent six hundred million won to buy a painting! Even she felt that was too much.
Hearing Rong Yoon Soo's angry voice behind, she vaguely felt that it should be because Rong Yoon Soo bullied her in the bathroom that Park Jimin didn't save him any face now, not even leaving him room for continuing to bid for the painting.
Seeing Park Jimin remained deadpan and no looking back and saying sorry to them after bidding for the painting, Rong Miyeon felt hurt.