An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 46

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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 46
“Five taels? You’re saying five taels?”
Yun Jeopjang, having heard the story of what transpired at Heuksabang, echoed the words back in disbelief.
“They actually offered to buy genuine ginseng at five taels?”
“Yes. That’s precisely what they said.”
“Ha. This is absurd.”
Yun Jeopjang shook his head.
“Even if the big merchant isn’t here, to propose such a preposterous price…”
“Couldn’t we forge a trade relationship with someone else instead of them?”
Ha Yoon’s question earned another shake of the head from Yun Jeopjang.
“There’s no other merchant house in this region with the capital to buy such quantities.”
Wei Xiaogang’s ability to posture so confidently had a simple explanation.
There were no alternatives.
Other merchant houses did deal in ginseng, but most were deep in the interior of the continent—too far to reach in any reasonable time.
To sell the ginseng in this place, they had no choice but to go through them.
“What if we sold it ourselves? If we distributed the ginseng directly from here…”
“Impossible. If that were feasible, we’d have done it long ago.”
Yun Jeopjang cut him off decisively.
Ha Yoon bit his lip slightly.
“Then what if we returned to Joseon and sold the ginseng there? We could sell Goryeo Ginseng in Joseon without issue, couldn’t we?”
“The worst option.”
This time Song Do-hyun answered instead.
“Who in Joseon would pay premium prices for Goryeo Ginseng? And of course the unit price wouldn’t justify it.”
The mountain ranges and distinct four seasons of the Korean Peninsula were regarded as the climate most suited to ginseng cultivation.
Because of this, ginseng grown in Joseon was called Goryeo Ginseng and treated as exceptionally special.
Yet no matter how superior its properties, no one would pay a premium for something they could obtain from their own soil.
Faced with this impasse, Ha Yoon muttered aloud.
“We can’t sell here. We can’t return to Joseon. So what do we do now?”
“Mmm…”
They continued talking, but no viable alternative emerged. Heavy silence settled over the room.
Then Yun Jeopjang spoke quietly.
“In the end… we’ll have no choice but to accept their offer?”
“No.”
Ha Yoon’s eyes gleamed with determination—he wasn’t giving up.
“There’s still one method left.”
“What method?”
Both men’s attention focused on Ha Yoon.
Ha Yoon took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing.
“We start a ginseng craze here.”
“A ginseng craze?”
“Yes. We make ginseng fashionable—exhaust their entire inventory through artificially inflated demand.”
Ha Yoon’s plan was this:
The current problem was the massive stockpile of ginseng the Qing Dynasty merchants possessed.
It would take years for such quantity to deplete naturally.
But if they artificially exploded the demand for ginseng, everything changed.
As their inventory shrank, their leverage would evaporate with it.
“Hmm.”
Yet even after Ha Yoon’s proposal, Song Do-hyun and Yun Jeopjang remained skeptical.
“It’s not a bad thought, but… exactly how do you plan to make ginseng fashionable?”
“Ginseng isn’t some cheap trinket, after all…”
“There’s a method for everything.”
Ha Yoon smiled meaningfully.
“Yun Jeopjang. How much capital do we currently have?”
Yun Jeopjang opened the ledger and checked the budget.
“About five thousand taels in hand.”
In modern terms, that amounted to roughly three to four hundred million won—a substantial sum.
For traveling expenses, it was considerably more than usual.
In fact, the money had been set aside specifically to purchase Qing Dynasty specialty goods upon returning to Joseon.
Without extraordinary circumstances, it couldn’t be used for other purposes.
Ha Yoon intended to put that money to work.
“Isn’t there anything else?”
“There’s a money changer nearby—if we drop Manshang’s name there, we could probably negotiate another two thousand taels.”
“Good. Bring whatever you can get.”
Yun Jeopjang studied Ha Yoon with an uneasy look.
“But why such a large sum all of a sudden?”
“To wage war, we need war funds.”
“War?”
“War funds?”
Song Do-hyun and Yun Jeopjang’s eyes went wide.
“Yun Jeopjang. I want you to take that money and buy up every bit of ginseng you can find in this region.”
“Buy up ginseng?”
Yun Jeopjang’s eyes widened further.
“Did you misspeak? We can barely move what we’re selling now, and you want us to buy more?”
“That’s right. I want you to gather every last bit of ginseng in this area.”
“But what’s the point of doing such a thing?”
Yun Jeopjang looked at Ha Yoon with incomprehension written across his face.
“First, we need to deplete their ammunition.”
“Ammunition?”
Yun Jeopjang cocked his head at the unfamiliar term.
“Ah—I mean their inventory. Once their stock runs dry, they won’t be able to sit around so comfortably.”
“I suppose that’s true, but…”
Yun Jeopjang furrowed his brow.
“With the capital we have, we can’t possibly buy up all the ginseng. And more importantly, they’ll never sell to us anyway.”
“Of course—we’ll need to use other methods as well.”
“Such as?”
Ha Yoon continued as if he’d been waiting for the question.
“We’ll distribute the ginseng we buy for free.”
“Give away the ginseng—for free?”
Yun Jeopjang’s voice rose.
“Why would you give away such precious ginseng for nothing? Ha Yoon, have you lost your mind?”
“Yun Jeopjang. I haven’t lost my mind. My head is clearer than it’s ever been.”
Ha Yoon spoke calmly, steadying Yun Jeopjang as he laid out his plan step by step.
“And I won’t be giving the ginseng to just anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll distribute the ginseng only to the notable figures in this region.”
Ha Yoon explained the specific strategy.
“For instance, we seek out a famous opera performer in this area.”
“And then?”
“We ask them—during performances, to include scenes where Goryeo Ginseng appears.”
In modern terms, this was product placement.
A technique commonly called indirect advertisement—
it worked by naturally weaving products into films and dramas, seeding unconscious brand recognition in viewers while softening their resistance.
“We also seek out skilled chefs at famous restaurants and have them incorporate Goryeo Ginseng into their dishes, to elevate the quality of the food.”
Ha Yoon continued his explanation with measured precision.
“And we’ll also make the rounds to renowned physicians. If people get well after taking our ginseng, Goryeo Ginseng will sell like wildfire.”
Yun Jeopjang’s eyes narrowed.
“…You’re creating rumor and reputation?”
“Exactly right.”
Ha Yoon nodded.
“The more often people see something, the more they’ll seek it out. This effect is called the Subliminal Effect.”
“Sub… what?”
“In our tongue, we call it Gyeonmul Saengsim.”
No matter how little one cares for something, repeated exposure plants desire.
Once desire takes root, it grows into longing, and longing becomes action.
Song Do-hyun glanced at Ha Yoon sidelong.
“It’s certainly an ingenious idea, but…”
Even after hearing the explanation, conviction eluded him.
Grasping such a concept all at once was difficult.
The entire fate of Manshang hung on this decision.
Yun Jeopjang turned to Song Do-hyun and asked:
“What’s your opinion, Song? Do you truly believe this will work?”
“Hmm….”
Song Do-hyun fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Truth be told, somewhere along the way the explanation had stopped registering.
After a brief deliberation, Song Do-hyun spoke up.
“Let’s give it a try. After all, we don’t have any other viable options, do we?”
“Well, that’s true enough….”
There was no turning back now.
Only one path remained.
To settle this here.
“Don’t worry. This won’t fail—not a chance. Have I ever disappointed you before?”
Ha Yoon’s confidence shone through.
At this, Yun Jeopjang nodded slowly.
“Very well. I’ll follow your lead.”
“Thank you, Yun Jeopjang.”
With permission finally granted, vigor returned to Ha Yoon’s face.
“Then let’s move quickly from here on. Before they catch on.”
Ha Yoon issued rapid instructions.
“Yun Jeopjang, you’ll handle the war funds and purchase the Ginseng. Song Do-hyun and I will identify those we can distribute it to.”
“Understood.”
The moment Ha Yoon’s orders fell, all three rose and left the guest quarters.

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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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