An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 2

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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 2
“So, you say you had some kind of accident, and when you came to, you were here…… Is that right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“What sort of accident was it?”
“I’m afraid I…… can’t remember clearly.”
Ha Yoon’s answer was evasive.
If she said she’d come from the future, she’d be branded mad without question.
“Well, you do seem to have hit your head hard. All this nonsense you’ve been spouting since earlier proves it.”
The man clicked his tongue and swept his eyes over Ha Yoon from head to foot.
Formal Trousers caked in dirt, a torn Blouse.
And those pointed shoes called High Heels.
No sane woman would appear in such a state.
“Where in heaven’s name did you get those clothes? And why is your hair so short?”
“Ah, well…….”
Ha Yoon hastened to touch her hair.
Her hair was cut in a short style that barely covered her earlobes.
It had cost thirty thousand won, but this was none other than Joseon.
In this Confucian nation where the principle “Body and Hair Received from Parents” was preached, a woman with short hair was either a criminal or a madwoman.
‘Stay calm. I just need to get through this moment.’
Ha Yoon hastily offered an explanation.
“I must have fallen from a cliff or somewhere and it happened then. Or else, why would anyone cut my hair this short?”
“Tsk, tsk, how did such a young woman come to suffer such a calamity…….”
The man regarded Ha Yoon with a look of sympathy.
Fortunately, the lie seemed to have worked.
“Then your family — do you remember where your family lives?”
She shook her head firmly.
Ha Yoon turned her head side to side.
“That too, I can’t quite…… remember.”
“Hmm, and you can’t remember your relatives either?”
“No, I don’t remember anything at all…….”
“Well then, your name? You must remember that at least.”
“Ha Yoon…… Im Ha Yoon.”
Ha Yoon found it too difficult to even lie about her name and revealed her true one.
“Mm…….”
The man, having learned of Ha Yoon’s plight, gazed toward the ridge.
By now, the sun was sinking low on the horizon.
At this rate, she would have no choice but to spend the night here.
If a woman who’d lost her memory spent the night in such a place, the outcome was plain.
‘If she’s not eaten by tigers, that would be a mercy…….’
The man asked with concern.
“Do you have anywhere to sleep for the night?”
“No…… I don’t.”
“Well, I suppose there’s no help for it.”
The man gestured toward Ha Yoon.
“Follow me. I’ll give you a place to stay for the time being.”
“Thank you so much, sir.”
“Sir? That’s too formal.”
The man, finding the formal address burdensome, introduced himself.
“My name is Moon Sik. You can call me Moon if you like.”
“Yes, Mr. Moon.”
Ha Yoon carefully followed along behind Moon Sik.
***
“Oof!”
“Ugh!”
“Eep!”
Ha Yoon’s ankle twisted with every other step.
The rough, uneven mountain paths of Joseon were without any proper construction.
Walking such paths in High Heels was impossible.
Moon Sik turned back with a worried glance.
“Watch yourself. You’ll fall over in those strange shoes.”
“That’s true. It’s just uncomfortable for no reason.”
Ha Yoon gazed down at her High Heels with a vacant expression.
Whenever she had a presentation, she always wore them.
To her, High Heels were a tool that summoned confidence.
Yet here, those same High Heels served no purpose at all.
Not as footwear.
And certainly not as a source of confidence.
If anything, they were torture devices that sprained her ankles.
‘I won’t be needing these anymore…….’
Her expression as she looked at the High Heels was complicated.
Now that she knew this was Joseon, the shoes were barely useful except as nails—and that was being generous.
A moment later,
“Ugh!”
Whoosh!
Having made her decision, Ha Yoon hurled the High Heels far into the distance.
“Wait—is that really okay?”
Moon Sik watched the gesture with concern, but Ha Yoon’s face had broken into a radiant smile.
“Much better. Let’s keep going.”
“Goodness, you’re a bold one, aren’t you?”
Hair disheveled and matted.
Clothes caked with dirt.
Walking barefoot down a mountain path, no less.
Had anyone who knew Ha Yoon seen her now, they would not have recognized her.
‘I have to change. To survive in this country called Joseon.’
Walking barefoot turned out not to be as bad as she’d feared.
At first, she’d been cautious, worried she might step on something.
But there were no discarded cans here, no plastic, nothing at all. Her bare feet encountered no obstacles.
Even the air was remarkably clear.
The deeper she breathed, the clearer her mind became.
So much so that despite having walked for hours now, she wasn’t even winded.
After walking for some time,
Moon Sik pointed toward a ramshackle building in the distance.
“There it is—our Tavern.”
“A Tavern?”
“What? Didn’t I tell you? That we run a Tavern?”
That was a Tavern?
Moon Sik’s establishment was less a Tavern than an old thatched cottage on the verge of collapse.
The roof was peeling away in places, weeds choked the courtyard, and dead leaves had accumulated thick on the wooden bench.
Not even a single lamp was lit inside—presumably to save oil.
For a business meant to serve customers, it was impossible.
‘This looks ready to close down.’
Location.
Appearance.
Cleanliness.
Attitude.
Everything was abysmal.
If she could have given stars, one would have been too generous.
“I’m home, dear!”
At Moon Sik’s call, a woman emerged from the Tavern.
“Why are you so late—huh?”
The woman stopped dead and fixed Ha Yoon with a hard stare.
“Who’s that behind you? Don’t tell me you’ve taken a second wife without telling me?”
“Come now, woman. A second wife, nothing of the sort.”
The woman had the sturdy frame of a seasoned Tavern keeper.
Her roughened hands on her hips and her forearms bore the marks of a life lived through sheer grit and survival.
Moon Sik made the introduction.
“Pay your respects. This is my wife, Okbun. And this one here…….”
“I’m Ha Yoon.”
Before Moon Sik could even finish, Ha Yoon bowed respectfully at the waist.
She had sensed hostility in Okbun’s gaze.
Yet Okbun’s suspicion showed no sign of easing.
“You haven’t just come from some gisaeng house, have you? With a face like that, you look exactly like a gisaeng. And those strange clothes too.”
“A gisaeng house? We could hardly afford such a thing. She collapsed on the road while I was gathering wood, so I brought her here.”
“You expect me to believe that now?”
As Okbun shot Ha Yoon a skeptical look, the young woman nodded earnestly in affirmation.
Moon Sik continued his explanation.
“Would I have brought her here otherwise? Where would I find such a woman?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! Why would you bring her here in the first place?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? A person was collapsed on the ground—would I just walk past? What kind of heartlessness is that?”
Moon Sik’s voice rose.
Then he drove his point home like a wedge.
“She’ll be staying here for a time. You understand?”
“What did you just say?”
At his unilateral announcement, Okbun’s voice climbed higher as well.
She seized Moon Sik by the arm and dragged him inside.
“Stop the chatter and come with me. We need to have a serious talk.”
“Why are you like this? Put me down and we can talk. Put me down.”
A moment later.
Raised voices erupted from the inner room, as if Okbun meant for Ha Yoon to hear.
“Have you lost your mind? With the state we’re in, who has the means to care for anyone? Do you have any idea how hard it is just to put another mouth at the table?”
“You say she’s lost her memory from an accident—what am I supposed to do about that? Should I have left her to die so you could feel better about it?”
“That’s not the point! The point is why you had to bring her here. Business is bad enough as it is—we’re barely getting by!”
The husband and wife’s voices grew louder with each exchange.
“Since when is poor business my fault? The customers don’t come—what am I supposed to do about that?”
“Because you’re always wandering around! If you’d actually stay here and mind the place, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“Enough of your nagging! In any case, she’ll be here for a few days. Accept it!”
Bang!
Moon Sik shut the door hard, and after that, no more voices could be heard.
Ha Yoon felt as though she were sitting on needles, knowing the quarrel had erupted because of her.
‘I feel terrible about this…….’
She had forgotten something.
That this was Joseon.
Unlike the material abundance of the modern world, caring for another person in this era was not unlike giving one’s own blood and flesh.
Moreover, having brought someone like herself—an uninvited guest—to a tavern that could shut its doors at any moment without warning, Okbun’s position as its keeper was entirely understandable.
“Honestly, what a temperament she has.”
Moon Sik scratched his head as he approached Ha Yoon.
In his hand was a clay pot.
Thud.
Moon Sik set the clay pot down without ceremony.
Inside it sat gukbap, brimming with a milky-white broth.
“I’ve brought you a bowl of gukbap. Eat at your ease.”
“Gukbap?”
“Of course. A tavern means gukbap, naturally.”
Ha Yoon stared down at the gukbap with a vacant expression.
Atop the milky broth lay generous portions of thick-cut meat and scallions.
The savory aroma rising from the bowl tickled the tip of her nose.
“Why aren’t you eating? I’ve already had my fill, so don’t mind me—just eat.”
“Well, that is…….”
Truth be told, Ha Yoon had never cared much for gukbap.
Or rather, she’d never felt any need to eat it.
In the modern age, where a single phone could deliver delicacies from across the world, gukbap had not been a particularly appealing choice.
Gulp.
Yet, whether from having fallen into the Joseon era or some other reason, the moment her eyes fell upon the bowl before her, her mouth began to water unbidden.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Ha Yoon quickly lifted the spoon.
“……!”
The instant she took a single spoonful, she froze entirely.
‘……What is this?’
A rich, deep broth flavor filled her mouth.
There was none of the dull aftertaste peculiar to seasonings, none of the artificial umami of condiments.
The deep, rich flavor that rose from bones long simmered melted smoothly across her tongue.
‘Delicious!’
She’d experienced Michelin-starred restaurants, omakase, fine dining—all of it.
Yet none of them could compare to this Gukbap.
This humble bowl carried a depth that rivaled any cuisine she’d ever tasted.
No technique, no flashy plating.
Only honest ingredients.
Because it bore no pretense, the flavor shone all the clearer.
A taste built from a lifetime devoted to a single dish.
“Ahhh!”
Ha Yoon drained the last of the broth and let out a sigh of genuine satisfaction.
Moon Sik watched her with a look of quiet pleasure.
“Well? Worth eating?”
“Yes! It’s the best Gukbap I’ve ever had in my life! I mean it!”
“She may not look it, but my wife’s a master in the kitchen. That’s why I’ve stayed with her all these years.”
It was then.
“Tch. As if that matters.”
Okbun, who had stepped outside, tossed out the words like cold water on a flame.
“We barely get customers anymore. We’ll be closing soon. What does it matter how good the Gukbap is?”
Resignation threaded through Okbun’s voice.
Her voice cracked slightly—she seemed on the verge of tears.
They’d scraped by until now, but if this continued, they’d have to shut down the Tavern by winter’s end.
This place she’d grown attached to over twenty years would slip from her hands.
Ha Yoon, grasping the situation, narrowed her eyes and assessed the Tavern with care.
‘The location isn’t bad. It’s right at the crossroads of Mungyeong Saejae—there should be foot traffic.’
As she’d seen before, the platform was buried under fallen leaves, and the entrance was so overgrown with weeds that you couldn’t even tell if the place was open.
The biggest problem was the complete absence of any appeal to draw customers in.
‘Classic absence of Marketing.’
The flavor was perfect, but promotion was zero.
A good product no one knew existed.
It was always the same problem.
‘That’s exactly my specialty.’
A smile bloomed across Ha Yoon’s face.
It was a thrill she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Not mere obligation, but passion bubbling up from within.
A hunger she’d forgotten stirred to life.
Ha Yoon opened her mouth carefully.
“Would you… let me help you with the business?”
“Eh? You’re going to help us run it?”
Moon Sik and Okbun turned to stare at Ha Yoon at once.
Okbun let out a laugh of disbelief.
“What talent do you have? You look like you’ve never even gotten your hands wet.”
She had a point.
Ha Yoon had never once done the dishes herself.
She’d never even properly cooked a bowl of noodles, let alone anything else.
But Ha Yoon possessed a talent others didn’t have.
“I may look like this, but I have considerable business acumen. I’ll earn my keep, so trust me and leave it to me.”
Ha Yoon’s eyes had transformed.
They held the gaze of an advertising genius who’d seen countless projects through.
“……!”
Okbun found herself shrinking back before that unwavering certainty.
“Just one month.”
Ha Yoon held up a single finger and spoke with absolute confidence.
“Just one month is all I need. Within a month, I’ll make this the finest Tavern in all of Joseon.”
“One month?”
“The finest Tavern in Joseon?”
Moon Sik and Okbun’s eyes went wide.
The finest Tavern in Joseon?
Out of a shabby place on the brink of closure?
“She’s definitely lost her mind.”
Okbun clicked her tongue.
Yet deep within her heart, a faint spark of hope flickered. And Moon Sik felt it too.
“A month, you say…….”
Moon Sik regarded Ha Yoon with a tentative expression.
The Tavern had shown no improvement at all despite decades of effort.
So when Ha Yoon offered to transform it, he couldn’t help but be tempted.
After a moment, Moon Sik slowly nodded.
“Give it a try. It’s a failing establishment anyway. What difference does it make who ruins it?”
The moment he consented, Ha Yoon spoke with conviction in her voice.
“Just wait and see. I’ll make this place the finest Tavern in all of Joseon.”

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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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