An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 4

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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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Chapter 4
“Welcome to the Inlife Tavern! We’re so glad you’ve come!”
“Huh?”
The peddlers exchanged bewildered glances at the warm greeting.
Most taverns would simply
“Lodging or a meal?”
and that was the extent of it.
But Ha Yoon greeted them with a bright smile from the very entrance.
“This way, please. It’s breezy here, cool and comfortable.”
“Oh, y-yes. I see.”
“You must be tired from your journey. Let us take your packs. We’ll store them safely in the back.”
“You’ll take our luggage too?”
“Of course. We’ll keep everything secure, so you can relax and enjoy your meal without worry.”
Ha Yoon practically swept the peddlers’ belongings from their hands.
It was a calculated move—designed to keep them from leaving.
“Th-thank you.”
The peddlers watched her with confused expressions.
They’d never been treated this way before.
It felt as though they’d suddenly become nobility.
“Ungh, this is rather heavy.”
“If it’s too much, we can just leave it there—”
“No, no! Moon Shik, would you give me a hand with this?”
“Right! Oof! It’s a load!”
Ha Yoon and Moon Shik grunted as they hauled the baggage away. The peddlers watched them with curious eyes.
“Ha, well. You see all sorts of things in a lifetime.”
“That’s the truth. I’ve never been treated like this before.”
“The young woman’s got such a neat way about her.”
“Neat, nothing! That face of hers—she’s like a celestial maiden descended to earth!
By the standards of Joseon, Ha Yoon was undeniably beautiful.
Flawless, luminous skin and large, clear eyes.
The short hair was unusual for the era, but even accounting for that, her beauty was singular—no less striking than any noble daughter’s.
When such a woman greeted them with that radiant smile, the peddlers found it nearly impossible to look away.
“Lovely, she’s lovely….”
“I’m glad we came to this place….”
“Wish I’d known about this sooner.”
This too was part of a carefully calculated strategy.
‘There’s a statistic that pretty staff increase sales by thirty percent.’
It was common knowledge that hiring attractive employees boosted revenue.
So even if nothing else mattered, the floor staff who greeted customers were often chosen for their looks.
In the service trade, beauty was as much a weapon as anything else.
That’s why Ha Yoon, under the pretext of “investment,” had purchased new clothes and shoes to present herself well.
‘Heh, by this era’s standards, I’m practically a celebrity.’
Ha Yoon had been so absorbed in work that she’d never cared much about appearance, but now that she’d landed in Joseon, she had to make full use of every asset she possessed.
Whether it was looks, knowledge, or anything else.
“Ahem, well, we’re hungry. Shall we order some food?”
“Ah, where are my manners? Let’s order at once.”
“Then, eight bowls of gukbap—”
The peddlers were about to order without hesitation when—
“Wait just a moment!”
Thump!
Ha Yoon rushed over and placed a wooden board on the table.
“What’s this?”
“It’s our tavern’s menu board. Please take your time looking it over and choose what you’d like.”
“A menu board?”
The peddlers’ eyes widened—they’d never seen such a thing in their lives.
“Wh-what in the world is this?”
Set menus had already been added to the top of the menu board.
[Assorted Set]
(Serves 2) 2 bowls of Inlife Gukbap + 1 Pollock Pancake / 12◎
[Gukbap]
Gukbap / 4◎
Inlife Gukbap / 5◎
[Pancakes]
Red Pepper Pancake / 2◎
Potato Pancake / 3◎
Pollock Pancake / 5◎
[Seasoned Vegetables]
Bean Sprout Seasoning / 2◎
Seasoned Wild Garlic / 4◎
[Alcohol]
Makgeolli / 3◎
Dongdongju / 3◎
Inlife Liquor / 5◎
.
.
.
The peddlers stood frozen, struck by the sheer variety of dishes and the prices listed beside each one.
“A tavern with this many offerings……!”
“Wait, look — the prices are all written out.”
“Never seen a place this honest about their costs!”
The peddlers examined the Menu Board with fascination.
In an era where the concept of Fixed Price System didn’t exist, the proprietor’s word alone determined what you paid.
That’s why travelers, afraid of being cheated, ordered gukbap — a dish whose price held steady across all eight provinces, wherever they wandered.
But transparent pricing changed everything.
Now they could order other dishes without hesitation.
And the simple pleasure of choosing — that was a bonus in itself.
The peddlers lost themselves in the joy of selection, studying the Menu Board for a long moment.
“With everything written out, I want to try a bit of everything.”
“So, gukbap and…… a bowl of Makgeolli, and maybe the Pollock Pancake too?”
“Let’s do it. Let’s have a proper feast today.”
“Inlife Gukbap……? What’s that?”
Ha Yoon, listening nearby, answered the peddler’s question.
“Ah, that’s a special gukbap we serve only here at our tavern.”
“Only here?”
“Yes. It’s our standard gukbap with our house’s secret seasoning blend added. You’ll regret it if you leave without trying it.”
“Hmm…….”
The promise of something only available here tipped the peddlers’ hearts toward the Inlife Gukbap, despite its slightly higher cost — though truth be told, the difference wasn’t large.
“Well, let’s give it a try then. I’ll have the Inlife Gukbap.”
“Then I’ll have the Inlife Gukbap too.”
“After this kind of pitch, how could we not? Let’s all go with the Inlife Gukbap.”
The eight men were nodding in agreement, ready to unify their order, when—
“Wait.”
Someone spotted a set menu option and called out.
“Wouldn’t it be better to order a Two-Person Set instead? If you go with that, the Pollock Pancake costs only 2 mun.”
“What? Really?”
“That’s practically free!”
At the realization that Pollock Pancake cost mere pennies with a set order, their minds shifted again toward the set menu.
From basic gukbap, to Inlife Gukbap, to set menu — their spending climbed steadily at each step.
This, too, was part of Ha Yoon’s meticulous design.
“Then give us four Two-Person Sets here. Two bowls of Dongdongju as well. Today calls for a proper drink.”
“Of course. Right away.”
Ha Yoon turned back to place the order, a quiet smile forming inside her mind.
‘Just as planned.’
These men would have ordered a single bowl of gukbap. Instead, the Menu Board led them to sets and Dongdongju on top.
They should have spent 32 mun. Instead, they’d spent 54.
A full eighty-one percent increase in sales.
Shortly after,
Ok Bun emerged carrying bowls of gukbap, steam rising in gentle wisps. The broth shimmered white, heaped generously with meat and scallions.
“Here — eight bowls of Inlife Gukbap!”
Tap-tap-tap.
As the earthenware pot was set down on the wooden platform, anticipation began to bloom across the peddlers’ faces.
“Now that’s a color that kills.”
“Shall we dig in?”
That was when it happened.
“Wait just a moment.”
Ha Yoon suddenly approached with a small plate in hand.
On it lay a piece of fish, golden-brown and perfectly cooked.
The peddlers exchanged puzzled glances.
“We didn’t order this, did we?”
“This isn’t ours, is it?”
“It’s a complimentary item for you.”
Ha Yoon said this with a wink and a playful squint.
“Complimentary? What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, it’s an extra—free of charge.”
“Free?”
“It’s a little gift to commemorate you as our first customers today.”
Ha Yoon lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, her tone turning mischievous.
“Between you and me, the proprietress doesn’t know about this, so eat it quickly before she finds out—there’ll be trouble if she does.”
“Haha! Now there’s a girl who knows how to treat guests! We’ll savor every bite.”
“I can’t believe we’re receiving such hospitality.”
At Ha Yoon’s small gesture of goodwill, the peddlers broke into broad grins.
In truth, a single piece of fish cost almost nothing to make. Yet its effect was extraordinary.
With Ha Yoon’s attentiveness treating them like royalty, the actual taste of the gukbap had already become almost secondary.
The complimentary offering alone had already given them reason enough to return to the Inlife Tavern.
“Mmm, this is incredible!”
“I tell you, this tavern’s gukbap is extraordinary!”
“It’s the finest gukbap I’ve ever tasted in my whole life!”
Swept up in their pleasure, the peddlers quickly emptied their bowls without leaving a trace. Contentment brimmed across their faces.
“Best gukbap I’ve had in recent memory!”
“The name ‘Inlife Tavern’ is no accident, that’s for sure!”
With their meal completed and their spirits high, the peddlers began to settle their account.
“Well, I suppose we ought to pay now?”
“Fifty-four cash—it’s a bit more than I expected, isn’t it?”
“But we ate well, so it’s worth it, isn’t it? When else will we get a chance at a meal like this?”
“That’s right. If we had more time, I’d want to come back tomorrow.”
The peddlers counted out their coins one by one and handed them over, the copper pieces jingling merrily.
“Here it is—fifty-four cash.”
“Thank you. And please take this as well.”
Ha Yoon said this and slid a piece of paper across to them.
“What’s this now?”
“It’s what we call a coupon.”
“A coupon?”
“An exchange voucher, if you prefer.”
Ha Yoon demonstrated by pressing a stamp onto the paper.
On the stamped sheet was written the following:
[5 stamps / 1 Potato Pancake]
[10 stamps / 1 bowl of Inlife Gukbap]
“You receive one stamp per bowl of gukbap. When you’ve collected enough stamps, whatever is written there is yours free of charge. It’s a benefit reserved only for our regular customers at the Inlife Tavern.”
“You mean all of that is free? Unbelievable!”
“I’ve never seen a tavern like this before!”
Faced with this endless stream of generosity, the peddlers felt their heads spinning with astonishment.
They tucked the exchange voucher into their clothes as carefully as if they’d been handed treasure.
“Inlife Tavern—I won’t forget it.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Please come again soon.”
As the peddlers—their first customers—departed, Ok Bun came rushing out from the kitchen.
“Are they gone? Did they leave?”
“Yes, they’re all gone.”
“So how much did we make?”
Instead of answering, Ha Yoon opened the coin purse and held it out. Inside lay a quantity of copper coins unlike anything Ok Bun had ever seen before.
“Goodness! So many……!”
But it didn’t last long.
The tavern keeper asked, her tone tinged with worry.
“But if we give away this much, will there be anything left for us?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve discounted the price, given away fish for free, and now we’ll have to serve the gukbap free later too — won’t we end up losing money?”
“Mother, don’t worry. Selling like this is absolutely profitable.”
“How so?”
Ha Yoon turned to the bewildered Ok Bun and began explaining patiently.
“How long do you think those customers were sitting here?”
“Maybe…… thirty minutes?”
“Yes, that’s right. Just thirty minutes.”
The advantage of gukbap lay in its rapid turnover.
Since the broth was prepared in advance and you only needed to add meat and scallions before serving, the food came out quickly, and because customers ate rice mixed into soup, their meals didn’t take long either.
“But in those thirty minutes, we earned fifty-four coins. What if we get even more customers like them?”
“Our sales would increase beyond what they are now?”
“Then we’d easily make two nyang an hour. We’d be earning close to twenty nyang a day.”
“Twenty nyang!”
Twenty nyang corresponded to roughly 1.4 million won in modern currency.
For an ordinary tavern that barely made a single nyang a day, it was an almost unimaginable sum.
“And those people will come back just because of this exchange voucher.”
“They’ll come again?”
Ha Yoon continued her explanation with confidence.
“Plus, they’ll spread the word by mouth. You can’t even put a price on that benefit. We’re getting free advertising without spending a single coin on it. That’s what we call Viral Marketing.”
“Is that…… so?”
At some point, the tavern keeper stopped understanding Ha Yoon’s words and simply nodded along.
“Just wait and see. Before long, this place will be so packed you won’t have room to set foot.”
Ha Yoon gazed after the departing group of peddlers with a meaningful expression.

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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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