An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 34

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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 34
Two teacups had been prepared in advance inside Im Sang-ok’s office.
“Sit.”
Ha Yun settled naturally into the empty seat. Im Sang-ok slid a teacup toward her.
“How is it? Are you managing the work these days?”
“I’ve adapted well enough now. There’s nothing particularly difficult about it.”
“No one’s been giving you trouble?”
The image of one person flickered across Ha Yun’s face.
‘Trouble, I’m not sure about…’
Ha Yun murmured to herself.
‘Or should I say a troublesome person?’
Facing Song Do-hyeon was no longer unbearable.
Of course, he could still be irritating at times, but the more she came to know him, the harder it became to truly dislike him.
Especially since overhearing his true feelings recently, her mind kept drifting back to him.
That’s why today, too, she’d caught herself stealing glances at him more than once.
Each time, a strange feeling stirred in her chest.
A feeling both bitter and wistful.
‘Wait.’
Ha Yun’s eyes widened.
‘What am I thinking?’
Catching the shift in her own mood, Ha Yun shook her head urgently.
‘That’s nonsense. There’s no way I’d actually worry about that insufferable man.’
Without her realizing it, Song Do-hyeon had begun to carve out a small space in Ha Yun’s heart.
Not a green light, certainly, but not a red one either.
If she had to name it, something like amber.
The fact was, even that was hard to accept.
That her feelings for him were beginning to shift.
‘Pity. Yes, that’s all it is.’
Ha Yun drew a line, determined.
But the line faded like a mark drawn on water.
“Not at all. Everyone treats me well.”
“That’s fortunate indeed.”
Im Sang-ok nodded slowly.
When he recalled Ha Yun’s first days at Manshang, the saying “how times change” came naturally to mind.
She’d faced nothing but mockery simply for having worked in a tavern.
Now that she had earned everyone’s trust, Im Sang-ok couldn’t help but feel a certain pride in having brought her here.
After all, the pinnacle of commerce was ultimately about leaving people with something worth remembering.
Then Im Sang-ok’s gaze drifted to Ha Yun’s head.
“But isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“Pardon? Uncomfortable how?”
“That sangtu, I mean.”
“Oh?”
Ha Yun’s hand rose reflexively to her hair.
Perhaps because she hadn’t grown accustomed to it yet, the sangtu was already slightly askew, ready to unravel at the slightest movement.
Im Sang-ok smiled faintly and spoke.
“You can undo it here. Make yourself comfortable in my presence. No one looks into this room anyway.”
“Yes, of course.”
Ha Yun loosened the sangtu without hesitation.
Soft.
Her hair tumbled down in gentle waves, no longer hidden.
“Ah, that feels better.”
Ha Yun shook her hair out, clearly relieved.
Hair that had once fallen just below her ears had grown long enough now to drape lightly across her shoulders.
Im Sang-ok regarded her with mild surprise.
“Your hair has grown quite a bit.”
“It has. I’m always binding it up except when I sleep… I didn’t realize it had grown this much myself.”
Im Sang-ok’s gaze lingered on her hair for a moment.
There was something like contemplation in his eyes.
Then he spoke again.
“What do you think? About revealing that you’re a woman, even now?”
“Pardon?”
“You said it yourself just moments ago—that everyone treats you well.”
Im Sang-ok regarded Ha Yun with evident pride in his eyes.
“Once your true identity as a woman comes to light, I doubt anyone here will turn cruel.”
In another time, such a thing would have been unthinkable.
With an already unfavorable first impression, the revelation of her womanhood alone might have seen her cast out on the spot.
But now, things were different.
She had already proven her worth through her abilities, again and again.
Being a woman didn’t mean she couldn’t conduct business.
Across the sea on Jeju Island, there already existed Kim Man-deok, a remarkable woman merchant. And Ha Yun had demonstrated results no less impressive than hers.
Ha Yun, who had fallen silent in thought, finally spoke.
“For now, I think I’ll remain as I am.”
“Why is that?”
Im Sang-ok looked at her with surprise.
“My identity issue remains unresolved.”
“Ah. Yes, I see. I had let that slip my mind.”
The identity Ha Yun currently used was, after all, nothing but a fabrication.
Though it appeared seamless on the surface, if it came to light that Im Ha-seong was not a real person, everything she had built could crumble in an instant.
It might not end merely with a summons to the magistrate’s office.
Im Sang-ok, who had provided her with this false identity, could face ruin alongside her.
“Besides, I’ve grown accustomed to this form.”
Ha Yun spoke without hesitation.
“When the time comes, I’ll reveal my true identity to everyone.”
“Very well. Do as you see fit.”
With that, silence settled between them for a moment.
She sipped gently.
Ha Yun raised the tea cup and took a light drink.
Then she moved straight to the matter at hand.
“But what is the reason you wished to see me alone?”
“The reason I wanted to see you alone is…….”
Im Sang-ok set down his tea cup slowly.
He ordinarily showed no favoritism among the Haengsu.
No matter how outstanding one’s performance, he never singled anyone out for praise, nor did he rebuke anyone for failure.
Whether it was Ha Yun or Song Do-hyeon, all received equal treatment.
That such a man would now call her aside and broach a subject meant something of consequence was at hand.
After a long silence, Im Sang-ok finally spoke.
“It concerns the Ginseng Trade with the Qing Dynasty coming soon.”
The Ginseng Trade.
Manshang’s largest source of revenue and the lifeblood of the company, responsible for over seventy percent of total sales.
It was no exaggeration to say the very survival of Manshang depended on this trade.
The reputation of Goryeo Ginseng had already spread far through the Ming Dynasty.
Should the transaction succeed, profits of tenfold could be realized.
Yet because it was cross-border commerce, only merchant houses sanctioned by the court could participate in the Ginseng Trade.
And Manshang was the merchant house that held that trading right.
As the foremost representative of such a house,
Im Sang-ok locked eyes with Ha Yun directly.
“I’d like you to go to the Qing Dynasty as Manshang’s envoy.”
“Me?”
Ha Yun’s eyes widened.
It was a reaction of utter surprise.
“Do you find it disagreeable?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
Ha Yun’s words trailed off.
It wasn’t that she disliked the proposal.
Rather, the gravity of such a task made even Ha Yun hesitant to shoulder it readily.
“I only wonder why you don’t go yourself, sir…….”
“In my heart, I’d prefer to go myself…….”
Im Sang-ok smiled with a hint of resignation.
“Is the journey to the Qing Dynasty a mere day or two?”
He tapped his lower back absently.
“My body isn’t what it used to be. It’s asking too much of a man my age to keep up with such a grueling schedule.”
Im Sang-ok smiled faintly as he spoke.
“Surely you’re not asking a man over fifty to undertake such a long journey?”
“Ah, no—that’s not what I meant at all…….”
“Then it’s settled. You’ll go in my stead.”
There was no hesitation in Im Sang-ok’s decision, as though he had already marked Ha Yun as the right person for this task long ago.
“To lead a trading expedition, an ordinary Haengsu title won’t be enough.”
Im Sang-ok paused for a moment before continuing.
“It’s temporary, but I’m promoting you to Dahaengsu.”
“……Dahaengsu?”
Dahaengsu.
In its truest sense, it was the position of overseeing all Haengsu.
A role that reconciled the interests of countless trading houses and bore responsibility for the success or failure of the entire expedition.
Even with the modifier “temporary” attached, the weight of it was anything but light.
The Dahaengsu alone would have to conduct all negotiations with every Qing merchant.
‘I’m going to Qing?’
Bewilderment flickered across Ha Yun’s face.
If it had merely been a business trip to China, she would have accepted readily enough.
Ha Yun was a twenty-first-century person; back then, all she needed was a smartphone to conduct business abroad without any difficulty.
But this was nineteenth-century Joseon.
There was no smartphone, no guide—nothing at all.
“There is one grave problem, however.”
“What might that be?”
Ha Yun hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“……I don’t speak Qing Language.”
“What?”
Im Sang-ok’s eyes widened.
It was an unforeseen complication.
To become a great merchant in this age, one ought naturally to speak the Qing Language without question.
Given that Ha Yun’s accomplishments thus far had been so exceptional, he had simply assumed she would naturally speak Qing as well.
Now that he thought about it, Ha Yun was peculiarly weak with Chinese characters.
She wielded Eonmun with remarkable skill, yet whenever a word containing Chinese characters appeared, she would invariably ask its meaning here and there like a seven-year-old child.
“Mm, I see.”
Im Sang-ok, who had fallen into thought for a moment, soon nodded.
“Don’t worry about that problem. I’ll assign someone else who is fluent in the Qing Language.”
“Who would that be?”
Ha Yun asked carefully.
A faint smile crossed Im Sang-ok’s lips.
“Song is the finest among us.”
“Song Do-hyeon?”
A look of confusion crossed Ha Yun’s face.

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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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