Chapter 13 — The Mask Isn't Real

The cafe Tuyen chose is hidden in a small alley near the provincial hospital, where he still takes his son for dialysis three times a week - a familiar, safe place, and perhaps also has a personal meaning for him.

Uyen Nhi arrived at the appointed time, saw Tuyen already sitting at the innermost table, opposite him was a woman in her forties, her hair tied in a bun, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, the calm appearance of someone used to meticulous work. The woman stood up when she saw Uyen Nhi approaching, bowed slightly, her eyes were both cautious and somewhat challenging.

"This is Vu Boi Tran." Tuyen introduced, her voice somewhat tense. "The person I mentioned the other day."

Uyen Nhi sat down, carefully observing the woman in front of her - her slender hands, her fingers with small calluses typical of someone who has held a brush for a long time, no different from her own hands. "What do you do?"

"I am a specialist in restoring paintings and ancient artifacts, working part-time for a private museum in Hanoi." Boi Tran answered frankly, without evasion. "And just like Mr. Tuyen said, I'm the one who finished drawing the 'high-end' masks you found in the workshop."

That frankness made Uyen Nhi a bit surprised. She had prepared herself for a tense confrontation, not such a calm confession.

On the way to the bar, she imagined all sorts of scenarios — a woman hiding, denying it, or even an aggressive man willing to threaten her to keep it a secret. But the person sitting in front of her exuded the tiredness of someone who had silently carried a burden for too long, just waiting for an opportunity to put it down.

"Why did you do that?" Uyen Nhi asked, trying to keep her voice non-judgmental, even though there was still anger in her heart.

Boi Tran took a sip of coffee, looking far away through the shop's glass window. "Official restoration work pays very low wages, you know? I have a degree and more than fifteen years of experience, but a month's salary is less than a small fraction of the value of an item I restore that is later sold. I have always been resentful about this, and when Ho Bao Ky came to me through an acquaintance in the world, offering to pay for each 'detailed finishing' item many times higher than my monthly salary, I agreed without thinking much."

"You know it's a fake, right? It's not a restoration of the real thing."

"I know." Boi Tran looked straight into Uyen Nhi's eyes, not avoiding the question. "I told myself that the line between 'restoration' and 're-styling' is very thin in this industry — many major museums around the world still hire people to make copies to display in place of originals, there are still courses that teach 'studying master style' by copying their techniques. I used that argument to justify what I was doing, even though in my heart, I knew the difference between learning the style and deliberately tricking buyers into thinking this was the work original product."

Uyen Nhi felt another anger rising, different from the anger and pity for Tuyen. This is not a person cornered by debt or sick children. This is a person who has expertise, has choices, and has chosen the easier path for financial gain.

"So why are you sitting here now, talking frankly to me?" Uyen Nhi asked, unable to hide her doubts.

Boi Tran was silent for a moment, twirling the coffee spoon on the table. "Because last month, I discovered that Ho Bao Ky had secretly recorded a video of my working process during a visit to the factory to check the goods, perhaps just in case I needed something to 'ensure' that I never dared to speak out against it. I realized that not only was I doing something wrong, but I was also being controlled by the person who hired me, turning me into a puppet with no way out." She looked up, her eyes showing a bit of real fear for the first time. "Mr. Tuyen contacted me, told me about his meeting with her, about how she had found the truth behind the old batch of damaged goods. I thought, maybe this is my chance to get out of this before it's too late, instead of continuing to wait for the day when Ho Bao Ky decides I'm no longer needed."

"You said you were afraid of Ho Bao Ky's death. So does he know you're sitting here with me today?" Uyen Nhi asked further, her eyes quickly scanning the shop door as a reflex of vigilance.

"No." Boi Tran shook her head decisively. "I told him I was busy with family matters today. But I knew I couldn't hide it for long, so I wanted to do it quickly and decisively, before I lost my courage."

"Can you provide any evidence about Ho Bao Ky? Documents, messages, photos of transactions?"

Boi Tran nodded, pulled out a small drive from her bag, and placed it on the table between the two of them. "I backed up all business messages, a few photos of the lots before delivery, and a call recording from three months ago, in which he clearly talked about using 'fake origin records' to bypass the appraisal department of the auction house he was working for. I kept it for my own safety, but I didn't expect that one day I would use it for this purpose."

Uyen Nhi picked up the drive, feeling like it was much heavier than its small size. This was the last piece of the puzzle she needed - direct, irrefutable evidence that Ho Bao Ky knew and deliberately organized this fraud ring.

"Thank you." Uyen Nhi said, her voice sincere even though her heart was still complicated. "But I need you to understand, just because you cooperate now does not mean you will completely avoid responsibility. You still intentionally faked and intentionally deceived buyers."

"I get it." Boi Tran nodded, not showing any surprise or objection. "I'm willing to take responsibility for my part, as long as it helps stop this whole thing, and as long as I don't have to bear the consequences alone while the real mastermind remains at large."

Tuyen, who sat silently throughout the conversation, now spoke up, her voice low and tired. "I'm grateful to Ms. Boi Tran for agreeing to meet you today, Uyen Nhi. She didn't have to do that. She could have remained silent, keeping herself safe, but she chose to face it."

Uyen Nhi looked at the two people sitting in front of her - a father in despair because of his sick child, an expert tempted by the injustice in the profession he pursued - and she realized that, the deeper she went into this story, the line between victim and accomplice became more blurred than ever. Only one thing remained clear in her mind: Ho Bao Ky, who stood at the top of this entire network, knew everything, and chose to take advantage of the plight of others for his own gain.

"I'll need a few days to carefully review the contents of this drive, and discuss with my journalist friend how best to use it." Uyen Nhi stood up and carefully put the drive in her inner pocket. "But I promise you both, I will find a way to see justice served without necessarily completely destroying the lives of those who were forced onto this path against their will."

Stepping out of the cafe, the late afternoon sunlight poured down the small alley. Uyen Nhi looked back once and saw Tuyen and Boi Tran still sitting there, two strangers who had now become reluctant allies in an effort to atone for their own mistakes.

She stood outside the shop for a while, looking through the glass window inside, seeing Boi Tran quickly wiping the corner of her eyes, and Tuyen placing a hand on her shoulder, a simple comforting gesture of two people who were once strangers but now share the same burden of conscience. That scene made Uyen Nhi suddenly realize that she was not only investigating a counterfeit case, but also unintentionally becoming a witness, and perhaps even a guide, for a journey of redemption for many people at the same time.

She called Nhat Vu as soon as she stepped out of the alley, her voice still shaking slightly because of everything she had just gone through. "I have evidence. Real evidence, enough to convict Ho Bao Ky." The other end of the line was silent for a second before Nhat Vu responded, his voice equally tense: "So now we need to think about how to use it at the right time, in the right place. Once released, there will be no turning back, Uyen Nhi."

"I know." Uyen Nhi stood against the wall of a grocery store at the end of the alley, looking at the flow of people passing by on the street, everyone rushing about their own lives, no one knew that in her pocket she was carrying a hard drive that could overthrow one person's entire career, and save another person's honor. "But I think I'm about to have the courage to do it."