An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 30

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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 30
“What did you say?”
“The time’s already passed?”
Half a Sijen—a mere hour—was far too brief to see the entire market.
Time had slipped away in an instant, and the customers couldn’t help their regret.
“To think you’d close after just half a Sijen of business…….”
“It’s shorter than I expected.”
“I haven’t even made it halfway around…….”
And the goblin merchants felt the same way.
‘What’s this? We’re just getting started.’
‘We’re sending away customers who went to such trouble to come here?’
‘Surely we’re not actually closing?’
‘Just thirty more minutes—say you’ll stay open thirty more minutes! Come on!’
The merchants’ eyes silently pleaded for a bit more operating time, but Ha Yoon firmly refused.
“I’m sorry, but the Goblin Night Market closes here for today. We hope you’ll visit us again tomorrow.”
At last, Ha Yoon announced the end of business.
“Ah well, can’t be helped.”
Customers who hadn’t managed to see the whole market turned away with reluctant glances.
“At least I managed to pick up some good things.”
“I barely bought anything. All my time went to browsing, and then it was over.”
“So just come back tomorrow—what’s the worry?”
“Come back here tomorrow, you mean?”
Because the hours were so limited, customers began naturally coordinating their return visits.
“I can’t make it tomorrow, but how about the day after?”
“Then I’ll have to come tomorrow and the day after both. There’s still so much I haven’t seen.”
“Same here. I can’t miss something this entertaining.”
Contrary to initial fears, the brief operating hours had actually boosted repeat visits.
And that created an effect no one had foreseen.
‘Regular short visits are better. That way we can sell much more.’
No one likes spending large sums all at once.
But bit by bit, the way small expenses accumulated like rain soaking into cloth, customers ended up spending far more than they’d originally planned.
‘It’s just like my credit card. Ha.’
Even beyond actual purchases, the merchants benefited greatly from customers visiting frequently.
Then one merchant caught sight of an empty stall and cried out in surprise.
“What’s this? Surely all those goods didn’t sell?”
“All of it? Completely sold out?”
“If only we’d had more time, I could’ve sold out too—what a waste.”
“Strange, isn’t it? More goods moved in those brief hours than in days before…….”
The merchants, having felt the power of the Goblin Night Market firsthand, marveled aloud.
The customers who’d come today certainly hadn’t hesitated to spend.
They’d actively sought out more goods, eager to buy whatever remained.
For merchants with decades of experience, this was something entirely new.
‘Hm, to think we’d run out of stock and have to close…….’
‘I never imagined opening a night market could be this effective…….’
‘That manager’s words were right, after all…….’
Yet such brisk business brought its own problem.
These merchants had only stocked goods for a few days’ worth of sales.
‘If this keeps up, what do we do about business next week?’
‘We didn’t know it would sell this well, so we didn’t bring nearly enough stock…….’
‘At this rate, even if customers come, we won’t have anything to sell.’
‘I have to get hold of that manager from Man Sang—no matter what!’
‘I’ll ask first thing tomorrow for goods to sell here!’
The light in the merchants’ eyes had shifted.
From a troublesome nuisance to the savior of Eunpyeong Market.
The merchants approached Ha Yoon hesitantly.
Among them were those who had tried to turn her away, now offering apologies.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
“We didn’t understand your deeper intention…….”
“Please accept our sincere apologies.”
“Forgive us for our foolishness.”
Ha Yoon did not accept their apologies.
“No, please don’t apologize.”
“What?”
“If you’re sorry, then starting tomorrow, why don’t you put in some real effort?”
Instead, Ha Yoon imposed upon them a heavy sentence: work.
“Put in real effort? How?”
“How could we do more than this?”
In truth, Ha Yoon was nothing more than an outsider looking in.
“Starting tomorrow, double the lanterns throughout the market. That way customers can wander into every corner.”
“Right you are, understood.”
Yet despite this outsider issuing them orders left and right, the market vendors harbored no resentment whatsoever.
“And tidy up the pathways, would you? Did you see those customers pushing through the weeds to get in? That’s no way for a market entrance to look.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll clear every last weed from this whole area.”
“Cutting grass—that’s our specialty, after all.”
No, if anything, they seemed anxious that Ha Yoon might leave them suddenly, eager to keep her attention.
“What else might she want us to do?”
One vendor volunteered without being asked.
Ha Yoon issued her instructions to him.
“I’d like you to hide in corners of the market whenever you have a chance, then pop out suddenly and startle the customers. Pretend to be a goblin, you see.”
“Startle the customers? Is that even allowed?”
“It’s a kind of surprise show. Customers enjoy themselves more with events like that.”
“A show? Events?”
They couldn’t grasp every word Ha Yoon spoke, but they seemed prepared to follow her instructions no matter what.
The vendors nodded in unison.
“Understood. Anything else you’d like us to do?”
“One last thing—please make sure to wear the Goblin Masks when night falls. The Goblin Masks are the heart of the Night Market, after all.”
“Of course!”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll wear this mask day and night.”
“That won’t do. The masks must only be worn at night. That’s what makes them special.”
At her firm reply, the vendor who had spoken fell silent, his expression turning downcast.
“Is that so? Hmm… very well.”
“What’s this? When did you say goblins were unlucky? Now you want to wear that thing all day long?”
“Well, back then we didn’t know this goblin was a good goblin, so that’s why we said so.”
When someone teased him, the vendor tucked the Goblin Mask deep into his robe.
“Now that we know this goblin brings us fortune, we should treat it like a household god. Shouldn’t we?”
“Ha ha ha, that’s true enough.”
“In fact, starting tomorrow we should hold a ritual every day. A goblin ceremony.”
“Ha ha ha! Now that’s an excellent idea!”
For once, bright laughter echoed through Eunpyeong Market.
Though hidden by their masks, you could sense the vendors’ mouths turned up in genuine smiles, different from before.
Ha Yoon, noticing the shift in their spirits, stirred their determination further.
“Then let’s really do this properly starting tomorrow!”
“Aye!”
“Long live the Goblin Night Market!”
From the masked figures cheering, there emanated a strange energy, as if they had truly become goblins themselves.
***
Days later.
Daegyo Market, where Song Do Hyun was.
A massive construction project to erect shade cloth across the entire Daegyo Market was well underway.
A worker climbed a ladder, fastening cloth to a support beam.
“Hey, hey, be careful it doesn’t tear!”
Rip!
Despite the market chairman Woo’s warning, the worker tore the cloth.
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry!”
“Dear me, I told you to be careful…!”
“I was being careful, but as you can see, the cloth is just too fragile….”
“Then you should have been even more careful! Tsk!”
Through the torn fabric, sunlight streamed in, and Market Chairman Woo frowned.
It was then.
“Good day. How is the construction progressing?”
“Oh, Song.”
Song Do Hyun appeared at the construction site.
He gazed at the shade spreading across the entire market with a satisfied expression.
“What do you think? Isn’t it much better now that we have some shelter?”
“It’s certainly cooler and pleasant, but…”
Woo scrutinized the torn section with a dissatisfied eye.
“The fabric tears so easily like this… I’m not sure how many years we’ll even get out of it.”
“We just need to make it through this heat wave. Surely next year won’t be this hot again?”
“I suppose not… but since we’re putting it up, we ought to make it last as long as possible.”
“If the cloth wears out, we simply replace it—what’s the worry? Installing the shade cloth doesn’t come cheap, does it?”
Song Do Hyun answered with such casual indifference that it might have been someone else’s concern entirely.
“But as you know, setting up the shade cloth isn’t a trivial expense… if we have to collect money again later, the merchants’ complaints will be endless.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, everyone’s happy to have the shade, aren’t they?”
“Tsk…”
Finding no common ground with him, Woo fell silent.
“Come now, don’t be that way. Let’s share some cool Sikhye. I went to considerable trouble to procure some iced Sikhye.”
“Oh! You actually managed to find ice!”
Woo stared at the cup filled with ice, wonder in his eyes.
In Joseon’s summer, ice was like a flower that bloomed in winter.
Both were so rare outside their proper season that one might never see them in a lifetime.
Summer ice had traditionally served only to keep meat from spoiling or to preserve rare medicinal ingredients.
To float ice in Sikhye was a luxury beyond all luxuries.
Song Do Hyun had put in the effort. He offered the iced Sikhye forward.
“I went to great trouble preparing this for you, sir. Please, drink it down while it’s refreshing.”
“What, you didn’t have to…”
Seeing the Sikhye with ice floating in it, his anger finally began to cool.
A single cup of cool drink beneath the shade.
If he could drink the entire cup like this, it would be paradise itself.
“I’ll enjoy it. Thank you, Song.”
Woo accepted the cup of iced Sikhye.
He was about to drink it down in one go when—
“Hahaha! Catch me if you can!”
“You can’t get away!”
“When I catch you, you’re in for it!”
Suddenly a crowd of children appeared and scattered throughout the market, running wildly.
Thump!
One of the children brushed past Woo as he ran by.
“Ah!”
At the same moment, the cup in Woo’s hand fell to the ground.
Crash—!
Woo, having spilled the iced Sikhye, erupted in fury.
“This—this precious thing!”
Nothing had gone right all day.
“You brats! If you’re going to run around, go do it somewhere else!”
With his anger fully kindled, Woo tried to chase after the children, but they had already vanished far away.
Instead, from the direction of the fleeing children, the sound of humming song drifted back.
Every night, at eight!
The Goblin Night Market in Eunpyeong Market!
Open for just one hour!
Miss it and you’re out of luck!
The song Ha Yoon had taught them days before had spread among the children like a fad.
“Goblin Night Market?”
Hearing the song, Song Do Hyun’s eyes wavered.
“Wait, did they just say Eunpyeong Market?”
He hadn’t misheard.
They had definitely said Eunpyeong Market.
A market that opened for only one hour every night at eight.
‘What in the world is she doing now…!’
Eunpyeong Market was the one Im Ha Sung was supposed to be managing.
Hearing these troubling rumors from that place, Song Do Hyun’s anxiety began to mount.
‘The time…!’
Song Do Hyun lifted his head, gazing up at the sky.
Judging by how the shadows were gradually lengthening, he reckoned it was around Sinsi, three to five o’clock in the afternoon.
‘From here to Eunpyeong Market is four hours….’
It was a distance that required brisk, steady walking to cover.
If he left right now, he could barely make it by eight o’clock.
‘I’d better hurry.’
He needed to find out what the Goblin Night Market was without delay.
Only then could he devise a proper countermeasure.
Having made his decision, Song Do Hyun hastily grabbed his fan and prepared to leave.
“Something’s come up, so I must take my leave. Forgive me.”
“Hold on! Song! Where exactly are you off to so suddenly?”
As Song Do Hyun hurried toward the door, the man surnamed Woo at his side grabbed his arm.
“At least stay until the work is finished, won’t you? Isn’t this your own venture?”
“There’s an urgent matter I must attend to elsewhere. I may be unable to come for some time, so please understand.”
“What? What did you just say?”
Woo could not hide the bewilderment in his eyes at this unilateral announcement.
He had invested considerable funds in this shade cloth business venture.
Song Do Hyun had merely pocketed the material costs without showing a shred of responsibility.
Having accepted five hundred nyang as payment, shouldn’t basic decency demand that he at least oversee how the work proceeded?
‘I welcomed him thinking he was a Man Sang administrator, and his arrogance reaches to the heavens!’
Had Song Do Hyun been a small, struggling merchant, it would have been difficult to refuse him. But Woo was the chairman of a major market like Daegyo—the situation was entirely different.
He wielded considerable power.
Just as the merchants of Daegyo Market had pooled their money at his word, he could just as easily sever ties with Man Sang if he chose to. It would be no trouble at all.
After all, Man Sang was not the only trading company supplying goods to all eight provinces of Joseon.
“Tsk! From now on, I’ll never do business with that bastard again!”
With that, Woo, having decided to cut off trade with Man Sang, glared after Song Do Hyun’s retreating figure with eyes burning with resentment.

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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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