An Advertising Genius Falls into the Joseon Era - Chapter 7

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 7
Some time later.
Dal Jae made his way to the Government Office of a nearby District.
In his hand, he carried a plump native chicken.
Knock, knock.
“Administrator, it’s Dal Jae. I’d like to have a word with you about something.”
“Come in.”
Dal Jae carefully opened the door to the Administrator’s Office.
Creak.
Inside, Local Administrator Choi Hyang Seo, a lean man, sat at his desk studying a ledger.
Dal Jae quietly set the native chicken beside Choi Hyang Seo’s desk.
“Ah, Administrator. If you’d just hear me out for a moment.”
“What is it?”
“Have you heard the recent rumors, sir?”
“What rumors?”
“You know—that tavern, the Inseang Tavern or something, that’s apparently doing incredibly well.”
“Ah, yes, I’ve heard of it. They say their gukbap is quite delicious?”
At the Administrator’s words, Dal Jae clapped his hands together sharply and spoke with exaggerated concern.
“Yes, yes! Whether it’s delicious or not, I couldn’t say—but those bastards have been stealing all my customers right out from under me!”
“Stealing all your customers? By what method, exactly?”
“Ah! Well, it’s a bit complicated to explain…”
Once Choi Hyang Seo showed interest, Dal Jae began confessing everything related to the Inseang Tavern.
How the place had been completely renovated.
The various services they offered.
And even details about Ha Yoon.
“…And here’s this woman, without so much as a family register, who’s torn the whole place apart and rebuilt it!”
“She seems to use her head rather well.”
“But how can there be any order in the market like this? How are the other taverns supposed to survive? Isn’t that right, Administrator?”
“Hmm…”
Hearing Dal Jae’s words, Choi Hyang Seo fell into brief contemplation.
It was Local Administrator Choi Hyang Seo himself who had played the greatest role in making the Sanmaru Tavern the finest establishment in the District.
In exchange for backing Dal Jae, Choi Hyang Seo received money and various favors, while Dal Jae, with the Administrator’s support, had managed to maintain his position as the preeminent tavern keeper for a long time.
At least until very recently.
“Hmm…”
But now the Sanmaru Tavern found itself on the brink of collapse.
This was hardly good news for Choi Hyang Seo either.
After all, his own profits were shrinking.
Dal Jae had been faithfully paying the Administrator a fixed portion of his earnings each month.
“Hmm.”
Even so, Choi Hyang Seo was reluctant to get involved in this matter.
Administrator or not, if he wanted to mobilize administrative power, he would ultimately need the County Magistrate’s approval—and it was obvious that reporting such a trifling matter would only bring reprimand.
To gain the County Magistrate’s permission, he would need something more substantial.
Having weighed the matter, Choi Hyang Seo shook his head.
“That’s a matter for the market merchants to sort out among themselves. It’s not my concern. There’s no cause for me to intervene.”
“No cause? Didn’t I just explain it to you?”
What Dal Jae was trying to report wasn’t wrongdoing at the Inseang Tavern itself.
What Dal Jae was trying to report was the identity of Ha Yoon, the heart of the Inseang Tavern.
“There’s a woman working there whose origins are unknown—shouldn’t she be arrested and interrogated immediately?”
“Unknown origins? What do you mean?”
Once Choi Hyang Seo showed interest again, Dal Jae lowered his voice and spoke.
“There’s a woman working there whose manner of speech and bearing don’t seem to be from around these parts.”
“Not from around here?”
“Right. Her hair’s cut in a way I’ve never seen—it barely reaches her ears—and above all, she claims to have lost her memory and doesn’t know where she’s from. She’s clearly lying about it, isn’t she?”
“Hmm…”
Choi Hyang Seo stroked his chin, lost in thought.
“She must be a runaway slave who fled from somewhere. There’s no other reason she’d tell such lies, wouldn’t you agree, Administrator?”
“A runaway slave…”
As it happened, Choi Hyang Seo himself had bitter memories from years past of tracking down a slave who had fled with a fortune in tow.
Fortunately, he’d managed to capture the man in a village and recover at least some of the lost property.
The remainder he’d recovered by selling the slave to a salt merchant.
That unpleasant feeling from before crept back up, blooming fresh inside him.
“Now that’s a different matter entirely.”
In Joseon, slaves represented a form of resource with genuine economic value.
Capturing a runaway slave therefore counted as a significant achievement.
As a bonus, depending on whose slave it was, one could also reap secondary rewards.
For instance, if one were fortunate enough to bring back a slave belonging to some high official, one might receive a promotion in return, or secure a favor to call in later.
The calculations finally aligned, and Choi Hyang Seo brought his hand down hard against the desk with a sharp crack.
“Excellent! I’ll send Constables first thing tomorrow morning to confirm the woman’s status.”
“Thank you, Administrator! I’m truly grateful!”
Dal Jae’s mouth twisted into a contemptible smile now that he’d gotten what he wanted.
Even without drinking, Dal Jae felt intoxicated at the thought of the crisis about to befall the Inseang Tavern.
***
In the early morning, just as dawn was breaking,
Ha Yoon, who had risen early, sat alone in the empty tavern.
‘Why am I even here……?’
When she’d first fallen into the Joseon era, there had been no time for such contemplation — she’d been too frantic simply to survive.
The Joseon era, of all things.
What she’d only ever seen in dramas and novels had become her reality, leaving her mind strangely blank.
A pure instinct for survival had consumed her every thought.
But as the tavern stabilized and she gradually found her footing in this era, questions began to surface one by one.
They were deeper questions — fundamental ones about what had brought her here in the first place.
‘The Curved Jade. It was the Curved Jade that led me here.’
She remembered the moment of the accident — how the Curved Jade had trembled, its radiance enveloping her.
When she’d opened her eyes again, the Curved Jade had vanished without a trace.
She couldn’t be certain whether it had disappeared as a consequence of sending her to Joseon, or whether she’d simply lost it.
‘I have to find that Curved Jade again.’
Ha Yoon knew the truth.
The Curved Jade existed somewhere in Joseon.
Her father had emphasized that the Curved Jade was an artifact discovered in the Joseon era.
‘To do that, I have to achieve something great here!’
Whether to return to the future or to recover her father’s only keepsake, Ha Yoon could not afford to stop.
She needed to expand the Inseang Tavern far beyond its current size.
With that influence, she could track down the Curved Jade.
The tavern’s success was her key to returning to the future.
In the end, there was only one answer.
Survive.
And succeed.
The moment she’d formed a plan, the fog that had clouded her mind began to lift.
“Then today I’ll work hard at selling Gukbap!”
Just as Ha Yoon was about to rise and begin,
Bang—!
The tavern door suddenly burst open, and Constables stormed inside.
“What in the……wait!”
Startled by the noise, Moon Sik and Ok Bun rushed out in alarm.
“Why are Constables here……?”
“And more than that — why are they carrying weapons like that……?”
The Constables looked as though they’d come to apprehend a traitor to the throne. Moon Sik approached them cautiously.
“Begging your pardon, officers — might we know what brings you here?”
The one who appeared to be the leader of the Constables swept his gaze slowly across the tavern.
When he spoke, his voice was low and oppressive.
“This is the Inseang Tavern, is it not?”
“Yes, this is indeed the Inseang Tavern, but…….”
“There’s a short-haired woman here. Who is she?”
“……!”
The moment the Constables inquired after her, Ha Yoon’s shoulders tensed involuntarily.
Moon Sik kept his composure and continued to respond.
“If I may ask, officers — why are you looking for Ha Yoon?”
“That’s none of your concern. Just tell us where the woman is.”
“Well, that is…….”
Sensing something ominous in their manner, Moon Sik hesitated before answering.
If she told the truth, the constables looked ready to haul Ha Yoon away on the spot.
Seeing no way to avoid further trouble, Ha Yoon stepped forward herself.
“It’s me. I’m the woman you’re looking for.”
“Hmm.”
The constable compared the stack of papers he’d brought with Ha Yoon’s appearance.
In truth, there was barely any need to compare—Ha Yoon’s distinguishing features were unmistakable.
A woman with short bobbed hair could not exist in the Joseon era.
The constable studied her for a moment, then spoke.
“A report has been filed questioning your status.”
“A report?”
The constable said this and issued Ha Yoon a command.
“Produce your Household Certificate at once!”
“My Household Certificate!”
At the mention of it, the color drained from Ha Yoon’s face.
A Household Certificate was an identity document of Joseon—a wooden tablet that all persons sixteen years and older were required by law to carry at all times.
A modern resident registration card would have been different.
Ha Yoon, who had come from the twenty-first century, could hardly be expected to possess such a thing.
“That is… well….”
As Ha Yoon hesitated in her response, the constables pressed her harder.
“What are you dawdling about? Produce your Household Certificate now!”
“Ah, you see….”
Ha Yoon, who genuinely had no Household Certificate, continued to hesitate.
The constable’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Don’t tell me you have no Household Certificate?”
“……!”
The moment the constables realized Ha Yoon had no Household Certificate, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
Suspicion had hardened into certainty.
The commander then issued his order to the constables.
“Seize that woman at once and take her into custody at the Government Office!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Oh no! Ha Yoon!”
“This is wrong! That girl is no criminal!”
Moon Sik and Ok Bun tried to prevent Ha Yoon from being dragged away, but they were powerless against the constables.
“Stand back! Interfere with the magistrate’s business any further, and you’ll face the same charges.”
“Gasp!”
Faced with this threat, the elderly couple reluctantly stepped back.
Ha Yoon turned to comfort them both.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be all right.”
“Ha Yoon……!”
“I’ll be back soon. Please take good care of the Inseang Tavern until then.”
“Oh dear, what am I to do…!”
And so Ha Yoon, who had no Household Certificate, was taken into custody under the false charge of being a Runaway Slave, and dark clouds began to gather over the Inseang Tavern, which had seemed so bright before.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————