An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 29

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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 29
Blink. Blink.
Caught off guard, the merchants stood frozen, their eyes wide as saucers, blinking vacantly.
Then people began to approach them.
“Excuse me, is this really the Goblin Market?”
Those who had come looking for this place had heard the song the children were singing and arrived out of curiosity.
But there were as many as twenty of them.
The truth was, going to a remote place at such a late hour on nothing but rumor alone had made them nervous enough that they’d decided to come in a large group.
And so a crowd had arrived all at once.
“Is it not? The Goblin Market?”
“Well, you see……”
The merchant holding Ha Yun hesitated, clearly at a loss for words as the question pressed on.
“Ow!”
Ha Yun jabbed sharply at his ribs and spoke up.
“What are you doing? Get ready to welcome the customers already.”
“Oh? Right, yes. Of course.”
The merchants, as if nothing had just happened, gently set Ha Yun down on the ground.
“So customers really are coming……?”
“I know……?”
Whatever the reason, customers had indeed arrived at this late hour.
Moreover, they numbered twenty strong.
The same number that had passed through Eunpyeong Market all day long.
Clear my throat, ahem.
Ha Yun, now on the ground, pulled something over her head. It was none other than a Goblin Mask.
“Ah, ah.”
After checking her voice briefly, Ha Yun began to deliver the lines she’d prepared.
“Welcome, honored guests, to the Goblin Market. We are goblin merchants who appear and disappear each night at the Hour of the Rat.”
“Wow! A real goblin!”
At Ha Yun’s genuinely goblin-like introduction, the customers cheered enthusiastically.
Though they could see her putting on the mask right before their eyes, and it was obviously fake, that hardly seemed to matter.
‘It’s a bit like a maid café, I suppose.’
The customers knew it too.
That there were no real goblins here.
But they had come to this place because they wanted to see goblins, even if they were fake.
And fulfilling those customers’ fantasies was precisely Ha Yun’s role.
Fully immersed in the act, Ha Yun pressed on with her lines.
“You human guests who have come today are most fortunate.”
“Why is that?”
“Because today is the opening day of the Goblin Market.”
Ha Yun paused for effect before continuing.
“I shall give you all the special opportunity to draw a Fortune Pouch each.”
“A Fortune Pouch?”
“Come now, each of you shall draw one.”
So saying, Ha Yun held out a pouch whose interior could not be seen.
With a subtle gesture, a customer standing nearby reached into the pouch.
“Like this?”
“That’s right. Draw one from inside.”
When he withdrew his hand a moment later, a folded slip of paper came with it.
“Have a look.”
At Ha Yun’s word, he unfolded the paper.
“It says ‘Fifth Prize.'”
“Fifth Prize, is it? Let me see here.”
Having confirmed the ranking, Ha Yun rummaged through another pouch she’d prepared beforehand.
Then she withdrew the prize corresponding to fifth place.
“For fifth prize, I have a lovely Goblin Mallet as your reward.”
“Haha, thank you!”
The Goblin Mallet Ha Yun had given him was a small toy whittled from a twig.
It wasn’t as grand a prize as they might have hoped, but given the theme of this place, it was perfectly suited.
“I want to draw too!”
“Me too! Me too!”
“Please, let something good come out!”
“I’m definitely getting first place!”
Other customers lined up to try their luck, but the best ranking among them was fourth.
Of course, among the countless Fortune Pouches, there was only one first prize. Most of the rest were nearly blanks—fifth place.
“Ugh, fifth place. Such a shame.”
“I wanted to draw something better, too….”
“Sigh, there’s nothing to be done….”
For the disappointed customers, Ha Yun spoke up.
“Don’t lose heart. There’s still a chance ahead.”
“Really?”
“From now on, I’ll give another chance to draw a Fortune Pouch to anyone who purchases goods from the Goblin Market.”
“Wow!”
It was a small event, nothing much.
But that small gesture of goodwill provided both a sales boost and entertainment.
Ha Yun spoke urgently.
“The market closes in half a double hour, so you’d best hurry and browse. Once the moon fills, we have to leave.”
“Yes!”
Hearing that time was running short, customers scattered throughout Eunpyeong Market at a gallop.
With darkness settling over Eunpyeong Market, it was as though a real Goblin Market had materialized.
Abandoned buildings scattered here and there. Massive goblin statues towering above.
And Ha Yun, masked, welcoming the guests.
All of it together created the illusion of stepping into an actual Goblin Market.
“The atmosphere is absolutely incredible….”
“I know, right? It really feels like a real goblin might appear.”
“Hah, it’s summer, yet I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.”
“This is too good to see alone, isn’t it?”
“I should bring other people tomorrow and come back.”
In the Joseon era, when there was hardly anything to see, the Goblin Market that Ha Yun had designed was practically a theme park unto itself.
And Ha Yun knew this well.
Wallets opened easily in a theme park.
‘You’re not spending money. You’re buying memories.’
A theme park where families come together.
In such a place, it’s hard to refuse when a child asks for something.
Any parent wants to give their child a special memory.
Even without family, everyone loosened their purse strings for that one day.
“Oh! Look, pumpkin taffy!”
Customers who spotted a pumpkin taffy vendor drew closer. Ha Yun’s brow furrowed at the sight of him.
‘Ah! That person!’
He was the merchant who had sold Ha Yun pumpkin taffy on the first day.
Quick-witted as he was, he had already donned a Goblin Mask and was greeting customers.
“Excuse me… how much is this?”
When asked the price, the merchant silently held up one finger.
“One pun?”
He nodded. Nodded again.
“Not expensive at all. I’ll take it.”
Even though pumpkin taffy wasn’t an expensive item, it normally wouldn’t sell this easily.
At the same price, there were plenty of similar snacks to choose from.
But because a masked merchant was selling it, even ordinary pumpkin taffy felt remarkably special.
After that, countless customers bought pumpkin taffy.
“I was getting a bit peckish anyway. This works out. Give me one pumpkin taffy, please.”
“Wait, then I should buy one too.”
“Me as well. I’ve been sweating so much, I’m drawn to something sweet.”
“Just give me ten, would you.”
The power of the Goblin Mask was remarkable.
With just a single mask, people gathered of their own accord.
In the Goblin Market.
Only those wearing a Goblin Mask.
Looked like true goblin merchants.
Proof of that lay in the vendors still without masks—their stalls remained empty.
‘That’s it!’
Seeing his success, the merchants all rushed to don the Goblin Masks themselves, one after another.
And immediately began their pitch.
“Right here! Come see the wares crafted by goblins!”
“Goblin Shoes for sale! They’re light as feathers, I tell you!”
“Goblin Rice Cakes! Wonderfully chewy—the taste is absolutely exquisite!”
Being merchants, they all possessed sharp instincts.
Having grasped that the Goblin Mask was good for business, they’d eagerly claimed their own goblin personas.
Then something magical happened.
Customers who would have ignored any ordinary hawking began crowding around the stalls, drawn to examine the merchandise.
“That rice cake… should I try one?”
“Why not? Since we’re here, let’s give it a go.”
“So this is the Goblin Market? There really is something peculiar at every corner.”
“Look at these shoes. Being Goblin Shoes, they really do look light.”
“Mister—or rather, Goblin. I’d like a pair of shoes as well, please.”
“I’ll wear them tomorrow and show them off all over the neighborhood.”
This was the power of a story.
Even identical goods held different value depending on where they were purchased.
Items bought here today would be the talk of the town for days to come.
That alone was reason enough to shop at the Goblin Market.
People had given themselves something to boast about for the next several days.
‘You bought something from the Goblin Market?’
‘A market where goblins sell wares?’
‘It only opens for one hour each night?’
‘Impossible. Where could such a place exist?’
‘If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.’
In this manner, the rumors would spread, sparking curiosity among the people.
And those consumed by curiosity would seek out the market, bringing still more customers in their wake—of that there was no doubt.
‘We don’t need to advertise anymore. People will gather on their own.’
Ha Yun was already thinking beyond promotion, planning the next phase.
For this place to endure, it would need not only the concept, but also genuine sincerity from the merchants.
“Wow! Look at that! They even have a Goblin Hood!”
“Then is this goblin clothing?”
“Everything crafted by goblins seems somehow special……”
“I want this one and that one too……”
Just as the customers were contentedly gazing about the Goblin Market with wonder, it happened.
Clang, clang, clang—!
A bell’s chime suddenly rang out.
Then Ha Yun, wearing a Goblin Mask, appeared.
“I apologize, but we must close for today.”

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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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