An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 38

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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 38
“At last……!”
Yeogak began to appear in the distance.
Beyond the gate, he could see the bundles of porters who had arrived earlier stacked upon the ground.
“We’ve finally arrived!”
The moment Ha Yoon stepped into Yeogak, he collapsed to the floor as if completely drained.
“Ugh……!”
All the pain he’d been holding back came flooding in at once.
Both his legs were swollen, and his shoulders throbbed as though they might tear apart any moment.
“I have to do this all over again tomorrow?”
Now that he’d actually reached Yeogak, worry began creeping in.
He’d managed to endure one day somehow.
But two days. A week. A month.
Walking like this every single day was simply not feasible.
Yet there was no other option available to him.
An era without automobiles or trains.
The only way to travel was to walk steadily on his own two feet.
“Ah, forget it. Forget it. Let me rest for now and worry about tomorrow later.”
His mind had gone blank.
All he wanted was to lie down and rest.
“Is that our lodging over there……?”
Familiar voices drifted from not far away.
Ha Yoon dragged his exhausted body toward the lodging.
That was when it happened.
“That’s not the way.”
Yoon Jeop-jang, who had arrived at Yeogak first, called Ha Yoon to a halt.
He raised his hand and pointed in a different direction—not toward the room where the porters were gathered.
“Ha Yoon, I’ve arranged a separate room for you.”
“Why is that……?”
Ha Yoon looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Yoon Jeop-jang opened his mouth.
“Well, temporary though it may be, you’re still deputy manager in title. A deputy manager ought to have a private room.”
“……Thank you.”
Taken aback by this unexpected consideration, Ha Yoon bowed his head.
Then Yoon Jeop-jang gestured toward the back.
Song Do-hyeon had arrived by then as well.
“Song, you and I will share a room. We’ve arranged separate quarters for ourselves too.”
“Understood.”
Song Do-hyeon bowed.
Then Yoon Jeop-jang called Ha Yoon aside again.
“Ha Yoon.”
“Yes?”
“Will you have a moment of free time later?”
“I suppose so, but why do you ask……?”
Ha Yoon asked wearily, and Yoon Jeop-jang explained his reason.
“There are some matters concerning our trade with the Qing that I’d like to discuss in advance.”
“Of course, we should.”
“Then come to our room by the Hour of You.”
“Understood.”
After settling on a time, the three men dispersed to their respective rooms.
***
The Hour of You.
Yoon Jeop-jang and Song Do-hyeon’s lodging.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Ha Yoon.”
“Come in.”
With the knock, Ha Yoon stepped inside.
Yoon Jeop-jang and Song Do-hyeon were already seated in the room.
“Sit.”
Yoon Jeop-jang indicated the empty seat.
The moment Ha Yoon took his seat, the meeting began.
“Well then, let’s hear what our acting chief has to say on this matter.”
“Before that, could you tell me how the Ginseng trade has been conducted until now? That way I can formulate a proper plan.”
“Fair enough.”
Yoon Jeop-jang nodded in agreement.
He then launched into an explanation of the Ginseng trade.
“Truth be told, there’s nothing particularly special about Ginseng trading. We do what we’ve always done—provide the goods and collect payment.”
“I see.”
“The payment comes in silver, for what it’s worth.”
“Silver?”
Ha Yoon’s eyes widened slightly.
“Silver is convenient for further transactions. Both Qing and Joseon accept it as is, you understand.”
“Ah, I follow.”
Ha Yoon pressed on with another question.
“How much should we receive per box of Ginseng?”
“Thirty taels of silver.”
“Is it acceptable to ask for more than thirty taels?”
“If it were possible, perhaps. But it won’t be easy.”
“Why not?”
“Our counterparts are Qing merchants with a notorious reputation for stinginess.”
Yoon Jeop-jang shook his head with a weary expression.
“Those Qing merchants are skilled negotiators. They open with absurd prices as a matter of course, and they won’t hesitate to resort to collusion, intimidation, and other petty tactics.”
“Yet somehow the trade has continued all this time. How?”
At Ha Yoon’s question, Yoon Jeop-jang let out a dry chuckle.
“Our chief once taught those bastards a proper lesson.”
“How?”
Yoon Jeop-jang paused for effect.
Then he spoke matter-of-factly.
“He burned the Ginseng.”
“I’m sorry—what?”
Taken aback by the unexpected answer, Ha Yoon’s eyes went wide.
“He burned every last bit of Ginseng right before their eyes.”
A faint smile crossed Yoon Jeop-jang’s lips.
As if the memory itself amused him.
“When those fools offered an outrageous price, our chief set the entire shipment ablaze. Burned it right up, he did.”
“But surely—”
Imagining the mild-mannered Im Sang-ok doing such a thing was nearly impossible.
Yoon Jeop-jang chuckled and continued.
“The bastards panicked then. They came crawling, begging him to sell what remained.”
“So he sold it for—?”
“Ten times the original price.”
“Well, well……”
Ha Yoon let out a hollow laugh.
It was a story that clashed entirely with the gentle, dignified Im Sang-ok he’d always known.
‘Our chief is far more fiery than he appears.’
Im Sang-ok showed infinite kindness to those who honored the Merchant Way, but he showed no mercy whatsoever to those who violated it first.
And that blood—that legacy—flowed through Ha Yoon as well.
“After that, they never complained about the prices we set.”
“Understood.”
“But the atmosphere has shifted lately.”
Yoon Jeop-jang’s expression darkened suddenly.
“As our chief has grown older and withdrawn from sight, whispers of discontent have begun to surface.”
“Ah……”
“That’s precisely why he’s made you the representative.”
Yoon Jeop-jang looked Ha Yoon squarely in the eye.
“Dealing with those Qing merchants requires someone with your boldness—someone who can charge forward when necessary.”
“I see.”
Now it truly sank in.
Just how critical this negotiation was.
The weight of it settled on him then—that the very fate of Manshang rested on his shoulders.
“If those fools come at us crudely again, burning the ginseng won’t work twice, will it?”
“They’re not so foolish as to fall for the same trick twice.”
“Hmm…… Then I’ll need to think more carefully about what to do?”
Ha Yoon rested his chin in his palm, muttering to himself.
“For now, we can’t know how they’ll come at us….”
“True enough. If a good idea comes to you, let me know whenever.”
The strain of today’s efforts had worn his mind to exhaustion.
When Ha Yoon began to show signs of fatigue, Yoon Jeop-jang moved to wrap up the meeting.
“Let’s call it here for today. There’s still a long road ahead.”
“Understood.”
Before the meeting could close, Ha Yoon asked one final question.
“Ah, one more thing. Who’s the trading representative from the Qing? At least I should know a name.”
“A man called Wi So-gang.”
“Wi So-gang……?”
At the mention of Wi So-gang’s name, Song Do-hyeon, who had been listening quietly the entire time, narrowed his eyes.
Yoon Jeop-jang glanced at him sidelong.
“Ah, isn’t Wi So-gang and Song the same age?”
“Yes…… that’s right.”
“In any case, he’s apparently the trading representative now. I hear he drove out the previous director and claimed the position for himself.”
“That’s…… so.”
Song Do-hyeon’s face hardened.
In truth, Song Do-hyeon and Wi So-gang had once been fellow attendants who had participated in several trades together.
While Wi So-gang had somehow risen to become the Qing’s representative, Song remained a minor supervisor, stalled at the bottom.
It was bitter to swallow.
Yoon Jeop-jang watched Song’s expression for a moment, then spoke.
“You’ve seen him a few times yourself, so you know he’s not an easy man to deal with.”
“I’m well aware.”
Wi So-gang had originally operated in back alleys.
The merchant company he belonged to was far from legitimate business.
The Black Serpent Society, which Wi So-gang was part of, had begun by extorting merchants and forcing fraudulent sales upon them.
They became notorious for every manner of vice—stealing goods from rival companies, launching surprise attacks to burn warehouses, and worse.
Now that their power had grown, such brazen acts had become less frequent, but the Black Serpent Society still carried a cloud of suspicion wherever it went.
The very disappearance of the previous society head had been surrounded by dark rumors.
“In any case, now that he’s come as the trading representative, this won’t be easy.”
“Then I have a suggestion, if I may.”
Song Do-hyeon suddenly offered a proposal.
“What is it?”
“That man values appearances above all else.”
True to his origins in the underworld, Wi So-gang was weak before the strong and ruthless toward the weak.
He did not hesitate to make crude threats—even drawing steel at the negotiating table itself.
“He’s grown accustomed to looking down on others. We must not allow ourselves to be underestimated.”
“Well spoken.”
“Therefore, we must present ourselves in a manner befitting his respect.”
Song Do-hyeon paused for effect before continuing.
“What if we entered the city on horseback?”

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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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