An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 11
“What do you say? Won’t you come work with me?”
“……!”
The moment Ha Yun heard Im Sang-ok’s proposal, her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
Joseon’s largest merchant house.
To work there was an opportunity that might come once in a lifetime, if at all.
If she went there, finding the Gok-ok and returning to the future would both become far easier than now.
Or rather, even if she never returned to the future, it wouldn’t matter. Simply seizing this chance would allow her to live comfortably in Joseon.
In modern terms, it was as if the chairman of a conglomerate had personally offered her a scout contract.
An ordinary person would have answered without hesitating even a second.
Ha Yun would have done the same.
There was no reason to refuse.
“……!”
Yet the empty tables of Innsaeng Tavern held her back.
If she left as things stood, it would be the end for her—but the two left behind would surely sink back into their old lives.
Back to a desolate tavern on the brink of collapse.
Though they might scrape by for a time on the foundation Ha Yun had built, the tavern’s ruin was ultimately only a matter of time.
‘Three years? Four, perhaps?’
In this business, survival was impossible without constant innovation.
And with Sanmaru Tavern entering the competition, the future of those left behind was all but written.
‘Customers would dwindle slowly, and then the doors would close…….’
The thought of Innsaeng Tavern closing its doors was unbearable.
She could not allow it under any circumstances.
What good was her own success if the two people who had suffered alongside her were ruined?
After long deliberation, Ha Yun declined Im Sang-ok’s proposal.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept.”
“Why not?”
Surprise flickered across Im Sang-ok’s eyes—he plainly hadn’t expected to be refused.
“I want to see Innsaeng Tavern through to completion first.”
Ha Yun spoke while looking at Ok Bun and Mun Sik.
“It would be disrespectful to these people to leave as things are. I cannot abandon this place either.”
“Hmm?”
At Ha Yun’s answer, Im Sang-ok’s expression grew thoughtful.
“I owe these people a debt I can never repay.”
Sincerity rang through Ha Yun’s voice.
“They found me when I’d lost my memory and was lying unconscious. They gave me shelter and meals for months. Until these people have the strength to stand on their own, I cannot leave this place.”
Ha Yun made her refusal clear.
Then Im Sang-ok suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
“Kekeke—you know the value of loyalty. I like you even more now.”
Im Sang-ok regarded Ha Yun with satisfaction.
“Among merchants, those who understand loyalty are rare. Most care only for profit above all else.”
Im Sang-ok, who had presided over Mansang and prided himself on observing countless types of people, spoke with authority.
Among them were those of exceptional talent, and others with loyalty beyond measure.
Yet few possessed both talent and integrity.
For merchants are bound by a structure where one side must lose—fundamentally at odds with loyalty.
But Ha Yun possessed both, so how could his admiration not grow?
“Then how about this?”
With that, Im Sang-ok proposed an unprecedented, extraordinary arrangement.
“I shall order all people associated with Mansang to patronize Innsaeng Tavern henceforth. Then these two need never worry about their livelihood.”
“……!”
Ha Yun’s eyes widened at the proposal.
Mansang, with branches throughout the provinces, employed thousands of affiliated workers.
Peddlers carrying goods, silk merchants selling bolts of cloth, fish sellers hawking their wares—all were connected to Mansang.
Moreover, Mungyeong Saejae was a crucial crossroads linking Yeongnam and Hoseo.
It was a place all merchants from every province of the Eight Directions had to pass through.
If people associated with Mansang came here regularly, that alone would generate substantial revenue.
‘A steady stream of customers!’
Ha Yun’s mind raced.
At minimum ten a day.
At most, twenty or more.
Every single day, in fact.
The income was enough for Ok Bun and Mun Sik to live without worry for the rest of their lives.
‘Even if we have fewer customers than now, stability—that’s what matters.’
Ha Yun finished her deliberation and looked at Ok Bun and Mun Sik.
They were watching her too, their faces urging her to accept quickly.
“Don’t worry about us, Ha Yun.”
“When will an opportunity like this come again? Go ahead and take it.”
In any case, she couldn’t stay here forever.
She had to find the Gok-ok and return to her original world someday.
When a proposal came for the couple to spend their remaining years in stability, accepting it didn’t seem like a bad choice.
After long deliberation, Ha Yun nodded.
“Very well. I’ll accompany you, sir.”
“Heh-heh, well thought. Good.”
Im Sang-ok broke into a satisfied laugh.
He then rose from his seat.
“Strike while the iron’s hot—pack up quickly. We leave for Uiju this very day.”
“Today itself?”
Ha Yun asked in surprise.
“What? You have much left to prepare?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Then I’ll give you until this evening.”
Im Sang-ok spoke, looking at Mun Sik and Ok Bun.
“If there’s anything left unsaid between you, say it now. I’ll wait at the village entrance.”
With that, Im Sang-ok left the Innsaeng Tavern.
……
An awkward silence fell over the tavern in the face of such sudden news.
Ha Yun, Ok Bun, and Mun Sik—the three of them couldn’t bring themselves to speak first.
Mun Sik was the first to break the silence, with difficulty.
“This is fortunate. Where else would such an opportunity come from?”
“Uncle…”
“The Mansang Geosaang made you that promise, and we’ll live without worry for life. That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry about us. Just worry about yourself.”
Ok Bun’s voice trembled as she spoke. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
Ha Yun swallowed her tears and continued.
“I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Us grateful? We should be. If it weren’t for you, this place would’ve closed long ago.”
“Come by whenever you miss the soup. If you’re coming, I’d rush out at dawn.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely visit.”
“Good. Now go pack your things and come out. The Geosaang will be waiting.”
Knowing that farewells are best kept brief, Ha Yun went to her room and gathered her belongings.
“Is this all?”
Her luggage amounted to nothing more than a small bundle.
Since she’d arrived here with nothing to begin with, it was just a few changes of clothes.
Ha Yun quickly finished packing and left her room.
“You didn’t forget anything?”
“No.”
“Here, this.”
Ok Bun handed over a pouch as if she’d been waiting for the moment.
“What is this?”
“Nothing special. Use it to buy provisions on your way.”
Feeling the weight of the pouch, Ha Yun looked inside. It was filled with the sound of jingling coins—copper coins, plenty of them.
“Aunt, this…”
“Don’t refuse. It’s all money you earned.”
What Ok Bun gave her was half of the profits they’d earned from the Innsaeng Tavern.
It was half in name only—when you counted the cost of food supplies and furnishings, it was practically everything they’d put in, not an overstatement.
Ok Bun pressed the fortune into Ha Yun’s hands and held them tightly one last time.
“Promise me you’ll live well?”
“Yes. I promise I’ll succeed and come back.”
Mun Sik reached out and patted Ha Yun’s shoulder.
“Send a letter now and then.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Then… go well.”
“Yes… farewell.”
Ha Yun took her leave from the Innsaeng Tavern with reluctant, measured steps.
After walking some distance, she turned to look back and saw Ok Bun and Mun Sik still waving from far away.
‘Thank you for everything.’
With Ha Yun offering a deep bow to the two of them, her connection to the Innsaeng Tavern drew to a close.
***
As they reached the village entrance, a carriage that Im Sang-ok had prepared in advance stood waiting.
Im Sang-ok spoke when he saw Ha Yun.
“You’ve arrived. Did you say your farewells properly?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
“Good then. Climb aboard.”
The large carriage bore the emblem of Mansang carved into its side. Ha Yun boarded the carriage, following Im Sang-ok.
‘It’s roomier than I expected.’
The carriage, which appeared to be a converted cargo wagon, boasted enough spacious interior for the two of them and more.
“We can depart now.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Im Sang-ok’s command, the carriage began to move.
Clatter. Clatter.
An awkward silence hung in the carriage for a time.
“…….”
Though Ha Yun had followed him here on impulse, there was still so much she didn’t know about Im Sang-ok.
She felt as though she’d heard the name Im Sang-ok somewhere before, yet she couldn’t quite recall where.
‘Now that I think of it, I think there was someone with a similar name among our ancestors…….’
What Ha Yun didn’t know was that Im Sang-ok was famous enough to have had his life dramatized for the screen.
He was a Geosaang among Geosaangs, his name inscribed even in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty.
Ha Yun had yet to learn that the blood of such a merchant ran through her own veins.
Im Sang-ok suddenly asked a question.
“You lost your Hopa, I hear?”
“Yes…….”
Ha Yun answered carefully.
Im Sang-ok pressed further with a piercing gaze.
“Did you lose it, or was there never one to begin with?”
“……!”
Ha Yun’s face hardened as the mark struck home.
The man before her was Joseon’s greatest merchant.
Ha Yun understood that clumsy lies held no sway before such a man.
“The truth is, I never had a Hopa to begin with. The reason being…….”
“Enough. That’s enough.”
Im Sang-ok cut her off mid-sentence.
Having no Hopa from the start meant either one was a fugitive slave or harbored a secret grave enough to hide one’s status.
Knowing this, Im Sang-ok drew something from his pocket.
“Here. Take this.”
“What is it?”
What Im Sang-ok produced was a wooden tablet inscribed with characters—a Hopa.
Im Sang-ok pointed to the tablet and spoke.
“This is your new name from now on.”
“A new name?”
Ha Yun examined the Hopa closely.
Though the characters were written in Hanja, Ha Yun could read them easily.
It was because it differed from her current name by only a single final character.
Ha Yun asked cautiously.
“Im Ha… Seong? Who is Im Ha-seong?”
“You’ll learn in time.”
A hint of bitterness flickered across Im Sang-ok’s expression.
“If you wish to avoid frequenting the magistrate’s office, it would be wise to live by that name. If you find that distasteful, you’re free to turn back even now.”
Ha Yun gazed intently at the Hopa.
Im Ha-seong.
Somehow, it was a name that felt familiar.
Perhaps it was because it matched her real surname.
Or perhaps because they shared the same generational character.
Either way, the name Ha Seong felt natural to Ha Yun.
More than anything, she needed that name to survive in Joseon.
After a brief moment of consideration, Ha Yun nodded.
“Very well. I shall live by this name from this day forward.”
“A wise choice.”
Im Sang-ok smiled with satisfaction at her decision.
“And another thing.”
But then his expression grew stern.
“Living as a woman in this land of Joseon is like wearing heavy chains.”
Im Sang-ok gestured toward Ha Yun’s head.
“Especially with hair like that.”
“……!”
Without thinking, Ha Yun’s hand rose to her hair.
Short, cropped locks that barely covered her earlobes.
A style uncommon even in the twenty-first century, it was utterly unthinkable in the Joseon era.
In an age where touching one’s hair was forbidden—”The body and hair are received from one’s parents”—such a style could never be tolerated.
Her hair had been the primary reason for her arrest.
Knowing this, Im Sang-ok proposed an alternative.
“What if you posed as a man until your hair grows back?”
“You’re asking me to dress as a man?”
Im Sang-ok nodded.
“Dressed like that, you’d only invite more accusations. And I can’t protect you from every denunciation that comes.”
“Hmm…….”
Now that she thought about it, his words made sense.
Even while working at the tavern, she’d spent most of her time explaining this hair away.
Questions poured in endlessly—how it happened, whether she was truly Joseon-born, whether she’d been caught in an affair and had her hair cut as punishment—all requiring endless explanations.
Eventually those explanations led to an accusation and a stint in jail.
Of course, this era had something called gache—hairpieces that could be worn on the head—but those were only used in the palace, and they wouldn’t suit her current circumstances.
Whether she liked it or not, male disguise was her only option.
‘Male disguise…….’
Yet Ha Yun didn’t want to succeed at the cost of such a transformation.
She was content as she was.
Whenever someone tried to change her, her stubborn streak emerged.
As her hesitation stretched on, Im Sang-ok offered a few words of encouragement.
“It’s only until your hair grows. After that, I won’t press the matter. Your hair is the problem now, not your being a woman.”
“Ah……!”
Understanding at last that the disguise was about her hair rather than her sex, Ha Yun nodded.
As he’d said, living with this hair didn’t align with Joseon’s customs.
“I understand. Then I’ll follow your guidance for now.”
“Good thinking. Here, try this on.”
Im Sang-ok produced a sangtu, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
Ha Yun wound it awkwardly around her hair.
“Is this the correct way to wear it?”
“Ha-ha, it’s a bit crooked, but now you actually look like a proper Joseon man.”
Im Sang-ok laughed warmly and adjusted her sangtu with his own hands.
“There, perfect now. Go on, have a look.”
Im Sang-ok handed her a small hand mirror.
Ha Yun examined her reflection.
“……!”
It was less strange or awkward than she’d expected.
It looked like her usual upswept style with the sangtu placed on top—at first glance, almost as though she’d tied it up with a hair band.
As Ha Yun donned her first sangtu, Im Sang-ok extended his hand.
“Welcome to Mansang. Ha Seong, head clerk.”
Ha Yun hesitated for a moment before grasping his hand.
“I’m grateful for your kindness, sir.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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