An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 54

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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 54
Dawn was just breaking over the horizon.
Before the Inn where Ha-yun was staying, a long queue of merchants stretched out, all seeking ginseng.
“Now, now—don’t shove.”
“Who’s shoving? We’re just moving forward a bit at a time.”
“That IS shoving!”
“Tch, acting superior just because you got here early—”
Even a slight slip in position could mean losing out on ginseng entirely.
Knowing this, every merchant’s nerves were drawn razor-tight.
Bickering was the least of it; small scuffles kept breaking out here and there.
“That’s too much! You stole my place while I was gone to relieve myself—”
One merchant grumbled as he pushed toward the front of the line.
“If you didn’t want to lose it, you shouldn’t have left. Does anyone here lack urgency?”
“But that was my spot to begin with.”
“There’s no such thing. First come, first served. If you’re late, save your breath and move to the back.”
“What did you just say?”
The cheated merchant bristled, rolling up his sleeves.
“Step aside, will you? I was here first! That’s my place!”
“And if I don’t?”
“Damn it, you—!”
“Oh? Look at this.”
The two merchants’ quarrel escalated. They grabbed each other by the collar, ready to trade blows on the spot.
That was when it happened.
Creak—
The Inn door, which had been firmly shut, swung open, and someone stepped out.
“Everyone, stop.”
It was Yun.
Seeing the commotion, Yun moved quickly to restore order.
“I’ll distribute the ginseng according to the order of yesterday’s contracts. Come inside as I call your names.”
At Yun’s words, the merchant who had stolen the spot darkened visibly.
“This can’t be… how could I lose my place like this—”
“Ha, serves him right for getting cocky.”
“Geum Ga-jang, please come forward.”
At Yun’s call, the merchant Geum Ga-jang stepped ahead.
Beside him, a porter carried a silver box on his shoulders.
“I’ve scraped together every last bit of silver, just as promised.”
“Well done.”
Yun regarded him with an approving gaze.
Then he unfolded the documents that Ha-yun had organized through the night.
“Let me see.”
After reviewing the documents carefully, Yun turned to address the laborers.
“Give Geum Ga-jang one thousand pounds of ginseng.”
“Yes, understood.”
The laborers from Man-sang brought forward a box containing the ginseng.
“Please inspect it.”
“Mm.”
Geum Ga-jang examined the ginseng carefully.
The quantity, the quality, and any irregularities.
After completing his inspection, he nodded.
“Certainly the finest Korean ginseng.”
Geum Ga-jang gestured to his porter.
The porter set down the silver and hoisted the box of ginseng onto his shoulders instead.
“Then the trade is complete.”
“Thank you.”
With the first transaction concluded, Geum Ga-jang departed, laden with ginseng.
The other merchants watched him leave with envious eyes.
“Sigh, what I wouldn’t give…”
“Next, Yang Sang-hoe, please step forward.”
“Here.”
“Yang Sang-hoe, is it…”
Yun examined the ledger once more.
Then he issued orders to the workers.
“Deliver eight hundred catties to the Yang Sang-hoe.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was a slightly smaller quantity than before.
The merchant from Yang Sang-hoe spoke with regretful eyes.
“Couldn’t you spare a bit more? The silver we’ve brought would easily cover a thousand catties or more.”
Yun shook his head firmly.
“The Chief Manager has already set the quantity in advance, so I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it. She’s quite meticulous about these things.”
“Then there’s no help for it…….”
The merchant from Yang Sang-hoe lowered his head.
Having experienced Ha-yun firsthand, he knew all too well what happened when one fell out of her favor.
After that, the trading continued without pause.
“Next is Hwang-geum-jang. Seven hundred catties of ginseng.”
“Please, just a little more….”
“Take what’s written in the contract. Otherwise the quantities won’t match.”
“But surely we could adjust things a bit….”
“No. Either take as specified, or renegotiate the contract with the Chief Manager.”
“No, no, I’ll take whatever you give.”
At the mention of renegotiating with Ha-yun, one merchant’s face went ashen.
“Right then, next is Yu Yeong-bang. Come forward.”
The effort spent working late the previous night had borne fruit.
Thanks to having nailed down the terms in advance, the trading proceeded smoothly even without Ha-yun present.
“Next, Cheong-un Sang-haeng.”
The merchant houses came one by one to collect their ginseng, and with each exchange, silver boxes piled up neatly in one corner of the inn.
“Ahhhh.”
Shortly after, Ha-yun emerged into the courtyard with a long yawn.
Looking around, the trading was still in full swing.
A satisfied smile played at the corners of Ha-yun’s mouth.
“Things are going well.”
Then her gaze came to rest on one corner.
There stood Song Do-hyun, arms crossed, observing the trade.
Ha-yun’s feet carried her naturally toward him.
“You’ve been up early.”
“You’re the one who’s late.”
“And whose fault is it that I was organizing documents until late last night?”
Ha-yun pouted and spoke with mock irritation.
“You look rather well-rested. Your complexion is excellent.”
“Ha, yes. And I have someone to thank for that.”
“Oh, you know well enough.”
The two exchanged light banter and broke into soft laughter.
“How are the trades progressing?”
“As you can see, everything is moving smoothly.”
“That’s a relief.”
Ha-yun’s gaze turned to one corner of the courtyard.
There an enormous quantity of silver lay stacked.
“How much is all that?”
“At minimum, it should come to fifty thousand taels.”
“Fifty thousand taels?”
Ha-yun’s eyes widened.
Fifty thousand taels of silver.
Converting that back to Joseon currency and calculating by modern prices—she couldn’t even begin to fathom the amount.
But one thing was certain.
It was by far the largest sum of any transaction she had witnessed at Man-sang.
Still the silver continued to accumulate.
As one merchant house left, another entered immediately. Since the trade had to be completed by day’s end, the transactions proceeded without interruption.
Shortly after.
The trading was drawing rapidly toward its conclusion.
The ginseng boxes had noticeably dwindled.
“Finally, Tae-won Sang-hoe.”
The glory of the final transaction belonged to Tae-won Sang-hoe.
“Tsk, I’ve waited all day only to find not a single bundle of ginseng left….”
“If I’d known this would happen, I should have come a bit earlier yesterday….”
“Ah, the ginseng trade is finished for the year. Finished.”
As Tae-won Sang-hoe carried away the last of the ginseng boxes, the remaining merchants who had lingered with a faint glimmer of hope turned away with disappointed eyes.
The merchant from Tae-won Sang-hoe accepted the ginseng with a satisfied expression.
“Much obliged.”
Once the transaction was complete, he suddenly approached Ha-yun.
He looked at her and asked a question.
“What did you say your name was?”
(What is your name?)
Ha-yun turned to Song Do-hyun with a flustered expression.
Song Do-hyun chuckled softly and spoke.
“He’s asking for your name.”
“What? You could tell him something that simple.”
Song Do-hyun shrugged.
The merchant from Tae-won kept his gaze fixed on Ha-yun.
“It’s clear he wants to hear it directly from you.”
“Tch. Fine. Fine.”
Ha-yun stepped forward.
Having learned the Qing Language from Song Do-hyun in bits and pieces, she could now at least speak her own name.
“My name is….”
(My name is…….)
Ha-yun took a breath, collecting her voice before slowly beginning to speak.
“Im Ha-yun….”
(Im Ha-yun…….)
Perhaps it was the nerves.
In that moment, her real name spilled out before she could stop it.
……!
A flicker of recognition crossed Song Do-hyun’s eyes at those words.
‘Im Ha-yun…?’
Ha-yun’s true name, which he was hearing for the first time.
Now that he finally knew Ha-yun’s real name, Song Do-hyun repeated it to himself over and over.
“Ah!”
A moment later, Ha-yun belatedly realized her mistake and hastened to correct herself.
“…No, it’s Im Ha-sung.”
(…Not that, it’s Im Ha-sung.)
“Im Ha-sung, I see….”
(Im Ha-sung, then….)
The merchant from Tae-won Sang-hoe looked at Ha-yun and Song Do-hyun with admiring eyes.
“The Main Proprietor of Man-sang must be very fortunate indeed. To possess two such outstanding talents among your ranks… It seems Man-sang’s prospects are secure for the next thirty years.”
(Man-sang’s Main Proprietor must be doing well. To have two such talented people… Man-sang’s future will be worry-free for the next thirty years.)
The merchant smiled and extended his hand toward Ha-yun.
“It has been a fine transaction.”
(This has been a good trade.)
After that first exchange, she couldn’t understand a single word of what followed. Yet the sincerity carried in his voice was more than enough to feel.
Ha-yun smiled and clasped his hand in return.
“Likewise.”
With that, the merchant from Tae-won Sang-hoe completed their final transaction and departed from the Inn.
Thud.
The main gate shut firmly behind him.
The Courtyard, which had been bustling with noise, fell silent as if by illusion.
…….
Ha-yun stood in the middle of the Courtyard, gazing at the spot where the ginseng had been piled high.
In its place now stood stacks upon stacks of silver boxes.
“……It’s over.”
The people around her began to gather at her side one by one. Ha-yun turned slowly to face them.
“Everyone…….”
The trading party that had labored together for these past months.
As she looked upon them, emotions too profound for words welled up within her.
“You’ve all worked so hard these months.”
Ha-yun bowed deeply toward them.
“Thank you for trusting me, despite my shortcomings, and following me here. This trade mission succeeded only because of all of you.”
Then Ha-yun met each person’s eyes in turn.
“Jang, for hauling the goods so laboriously; Hyun-seo, for running about the Inn attending to the guests; Yun, for steadfastly taking on the hardest work; Man-su, for tending to the carriages and horses—”
Ha-yun called out the names of her trading party one by one.
“And finally…….”
She paused a moment, then turned her gaze toward Song Do-hyun.
“To Song Do-hyun, who has been my ears and voice, I express particular gratitude. No matter what anyone says, the greatest contributor to this trade mission is Chief Manager Song.”
“……!”
At Ha-yun’s words, everyone’s eyes shifted to Song Do-hyun. They nodded in obvious agreement.
“Of course. Chief Manager Song worked the hardest.”
“Dealing with those Qing men and running after Manager Im—he’d have needed two bodies.”
“Don’t even mention it. He was moving about day and night without stopping.”
“Truth be told, I’ve never seen Chief Manager Song move like that before.”
“You’ve really worked yourself to exhaustion! Chief Manager Song!”
“Kh……!”
Receiving praise for perhaps the first time in his life, Song Do-hyun turned his head in flustered confusion, clearly unsure how to respond.
Ha-yun gazed at him and smiled quietly.
A moment passed.
The clamorous atmosphere gradually subsided.
A long journey spanning several months.
Countless perils overcome, moments when death had seemed certain.
Ha-yun’s gaze swept slowly across everyone.
Sunburned skin and clothes soaked through with sweat.
Roughened hands and dust-covered shoes.
All the hardship they had endured remained etched upon them.
Yet there was no weariness in their faces.
Only the radiance of accomplishment filled their expressions.
Ha-yun looked at them and opened her mouth.
“Now let us return to Joseon!”
“Waahhhhh—!”
At Ha-yun’s declaration, the courtyard erupted in thunderous cheers that seemed to shake the very ground.

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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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