Chapter : 01
Yuil Planning Headquarters, 24th Floor.
“Impossible.”
The head of the Sales Division finally broke the heavy silence.
A large table was surrounded by fifteen people in total—twelve executives and representatives from the client’s side.
Spread across the table were reports showing dismal sales figures and mountains of unsold inventory.
“Three months. You’re telling us to clear out all 200,000 sets within that time?”
Despair seeped into the Sales Director’s voice.
“Even now, we could pay the penalty to our partners and delay the schedule…”
“No. It’s possible.”
Everyone in the conference room simultaneously turned toward the source of the voice.
A woman in her mid-twenties sat there with an air of confidence.
Im Ha-yoon, Creative Director of Yuil Planning.
The youngest-ever recipient of the Grand Prize at the Korea Advertising Awards, and a legendary figure who had risen to the top of the industry at just twenty-five.
Not a single project she had touched had ever failed.
Her appearance had completely changed the atmosphere in the conference room.
“Six weeks will be enough.”
“…Excuse me?”
The Sales Director stared at her in bewilderment.
“Director Im! Even you can’t possibly pull that off. They’re saying three months is impossible, and you want to cut that in half? What exactly are you planning to do?”
Ha-yoon’s challenge had clearly gotten under the skin of the twenty-year veteran. His face flushed red.
“Heh.”
But Ha-yoon didn’t even blink.
Instead, she calmly smiled and pushed her tablet forward as if tossing down a winning card.
A moment later, with a soft beep, a presentation screen unfolded in the air above the conference table like a hologram.
“The reason you failed is simple. You were only trying to sell a product.”
Ha-yoon rose from her seat and slowly walked toward the holographic display.
The sharp click of her high heels echoed through the conference room.
“So if you’re a cosmetics company, you’re supposed to sell cosmetics. What else would you sell?”
“Desire.”
Ha-yoon moved her finger, and the presentation advanced to the next slide.
“Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, improved skin elasticity… Do you really think consumers are going to read all these words? No. They don’t even care.”
She snapped her fingers, and the screen changed again.
“What they want is to know how special this product is.”
“Special…?”
The Marketing Director muttered under his breath, a spark of interest appearing in his eyes.
“Will this cosmetic make me more beautiful? That’s not the point. The real question is, How special am I if I own this cosmetic? That’s the key.”
Confidence filled Ha-yoon’s voice.
“We need to make people want it, brag about owning it, and feel like they can’t resist taking pictures and posting them online. We make the consumers advertise our product for us.”
Nearly twenty people were staring intently at her, but Ha-yoon didn’t so much as blink.
She spoke firmly.
“Recall every product currently on the market.”
“What? What did you say? Recall the inventory? We’re already short on sales as it is!”
The Sales Director shot to his feet and shouted. His face had turned bright red.
“Director, please calm down and hear me out.”
She had faced this kind of resistance countless times before.
At first, everyone always called her crazy.
But the results had always been successful.
Ha-yoon calmly continued explaining.
“First, put every last product in storage. Then, one month later, make an announcement. Say that due to problems securing raw materials, the product will only be available for a limited six-week period.”
“But…”
“At the same time, we launch a viral marketing campaign. Provide a small number of products to influencers, but absolutely no purchase links.”
Ha-yoon snapped her fingers, and the screen advanced again.
One by one, detailed marketing strategies appeared.
“And one week later, put a timer on the official website.”
[Remaining Quantity: 200,000]
“Display the number of products available for purchase and show the figure decreasing in real time.”
“What…?”
The conference room began to buzz with excitement.
The despair in their eyes had gradually begun to give way to anticipation.
“People don’t even look twice at something that’s everywhere. No matter how good a product is, they’ll simply walk past it.”
Ha-yoon paused.
“But what happens when you tell them they can’t have it?”
“That’s when they start desperately wanting it.”
Ha-yoon spoke with absolute conviction.
“Make them anxious. Create the fear that if they don’t buy it now, they’ll never get another chance.”
“That is the strongest purchasing motivation of the modern consumer.”
“Do you really think that will sell all 200,000 sets?”
“They’ll sell out easily.”
Ha-yoon smiled.
“No. To be precise, we’ll probably run short.”
She answered without hesitation.
“I guarantee it with my name.”
Her track record itself was a guarantee.
Three years ago, she had been the person responsible for taking an outdoor brand that was on the verge of bankruptcy and turning it into the number-one brand in the industry.
Everyone had said the project was impossible.
She had pulled it off in just four months.
Today, that same brand was a massive corporation boasting annual sales of 300 billion won.
Before that, she had rebranded an old, outdated regional soju brand and brought it to the number-two position in market share.
Every project she touched succeeded.
And her legend was still being written.
“Hm…”
The client slowly nodded after listening to the presentation.
“If Director Im is that confident, then…”
He paused before finally smiling.
“All right. Let’s trust you this once. But I want a progress report once a week.”
“Of course.”
With the client’s approval secured, Ha-yoon rose from her seat and picked up her jacket.
Then she immediately left the conference room.
Click. Click.
The sound of her high heels echoed down the hallway like a victory march.
“Hoo…”
Once she had confidently left the conference room, Ha-yoon quietly let out a sigh.
A flawless presentation.
A flawless conclusion.
But beneath that confident exterior, crushing pressure was bearing down on her.
I have to succeed no matter what. There’s no room for failure in my career.
An endless race toward success.
That was the life of Im Ha-yoon, the woman known as an advertising genius.
“Ha-yoon, you’re working late again?”
Her classmate Su-jin happened to run into her in front of the elevator and asked worriedly.
It was 11 p.m.
The empty lobby was filled only with the sound of a cleaning lady pushing a mop across the floor.
“Yeah. The launch is next week, so I don’t have any time to rest. You go ahead.”
Ha-yoon held up the briefcase in her hand and forced herself to smile brightly.
But there was something pitiful about that smile.
“Hey, you’re seriously going to collapse one of these days. Work is important, but you need to rest when you can.”
“I’ll rest once this project is over. I really will.”
It was a lie.
Ha-yoon knew it.
There would never be a “once this project is over.”
Another project was already waiting for her.
To maintain her title as an advertising genius, she had to keep proving herself through success.
A single failure was unacceptable.
No.
She simply could not allow herself to fail.
That was how Ha-yoon always pushed herself.
“You haven’t forgotten about next Friday, have you?”
“Next Friday?”
At Su-jin’s words, Ha-yoon suddenly remembered an event she had completely forgotten about.
“Oh, right! The reunion.”
“See? You forgot again. Are you going to skip it again this time?”
Ever since graduating, Ha-yoon had never once shown her face at a class reunion.
Looking apologetic, Ha-yoon clasped both hands together.
“…I’m sorry. I’ll definitely come this time.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. I promise I’ll come.”
Another lie.
An important meeting had already been scheduled for next Friday.
But Su-jin was her only friend and classmate, and Ha-yoon didn’t want to disappoint her.
Ding!
Just then, the elevator arrived, and Ha-yoon hurried inside as if escaping.
“I’ll somehow make time, even if it’s only for a little while. See you then!”
“You’d better come!”
The elevator doors closed.
Only then did Ha-yoon finally release the long breath she had been holding.
“Haaah… At this rate, I really am going to collapse.”
2 a.m.
After finishing her overtime work, Ha-yoon went down to the underground parking garage.
She sat in the driver’s seat and lowered her head, staring blankly ahead.
I’m exhausted. Completely exhausted…
When had it happened?
When had this job stopped being fun?
When she had first entered the industry, everything had been exciting and thrilling.
Coming up with new ideas.
Watching those ideas become reality.
She had enjoyed every part of the process.
But now?
She felt nothing.
It was nothing more than a struggle to keep herself from falling apart.
Click.
Out of habit, Ha-yoon opened the console compartment.
Inside was an unusual pair of interlocking jade pieces, shaped like curved comma-shaped ornaments.
They were the only keepsake her father had left behind.
Her father had been obsessed with collecting antiques.
[Ha-yoon, do you know what this is?]
[No. What is it?]
[It’s a rare treasure. There’s nothing else like it in the world.]
[But there are two of them.]
[Haha. They may look like two pieces, but they’re actually one. These two fit together to form a single object.]
Just as her father had said, the two jade pieces fit together with astonishing precision, like the teeth of gears.
No amount of force could separate them.
It was as though they had been one object from the very beginning.
Ha-yoon treasured the jade artifact, the only keepsake her father had left her.
“Dad…”
The smooth surface of the jade touched her fingertips.
Strangely enough, the sensation calmed her mind.
“Hoo… I’ll go home, take a shower, and think about it then…”
Ha-yoon spent several minutes absentmindedly rubbing the jade before finally starting the car.
Another long day was waiting for her tomorrow.
Vroom.
Ha-yoon drove out of the underground parking garage.
Seoul was quiet in the early hours of the morning.
Only the glow of streetlights illuminated the empty roads.
“…”
Ha-yoon drove with vacant eyes, staring straight ahead.
Then—
Screeeech!
Suddenly, the ear-splitting sound of tires scraping against asphalt rang out.
“Huh…?”
By the time she heard it, it was already too late.
A massive truck suddenly crossed the center line from the opposite lane and came barreling toward her.
Its headlights grew closer and closer.
CRASH!
An enormous impact struck the car.
The airbags exploded, and shattered glass flew in every direction.
The seat belt dug painfully into her body, as if it might tear her apart.
What…?
As her consciousness began to fade, Ha-yoon saw an intense radiance pouring from the jade artifact.
The light began to envelop her.
Am I going to die…?
Along with the light, everything around her began to move in slow motion.
Shards of broken glass floated motionless in the air.
Even the falling rain seemed to have stopped.
It was a bizarre sight, as though time itself had frozen.
No… I still have so much work left to do…
Even at a moment like this, Ha-yoon’s mind was filled entirely with worries about work.
Whoosh!
Moments later, the jade emitted a dazzling light that completely engulfed Ha-yoon.
And when that light finally disappeared—
Ha-yoon was gone without a trace.
“Hey, miss! Wake up! If you sleep here, you’ll be in trouble!”
A faint voice reached her from beyond her consciousness.
Someone was shaking her shoulders vigorously.
Am I in an emergency room?
Am I alive?
Her mouth was parched, and her head felt like it was splitting apart.
Enduring the pain, Ha-yoon slowly opened her eyes.
“Ugh… huh?”
She stared blankly at the person standing before her.
For some inexplicable reason, a man wearing his hair in a traditional topknot was looking down at her.
“Whew, you’re awake! I thought you were dead. Thank goodness you’re alive.”
Ha-yoon was even more shocked by the man’s appearance than she had been by the accident.
Who is this guy?
No, more importantly, why is he dressed like that?
The man was wearing clothing that looked as though it belonged in a museum.
He even had a wooden frame carrier strapped to his back.
Ha-yoon struggled to speak through her cracked, dry throat.
“Where… am I?”
“Where else? Mungyeong Saejae.”
Mungyeong Saejae?
Was that supposed to be a joke?
Ha-yoon assumed the man was kidding.
It was physically impossible for her to have been in the middle of Seoul just moments ago and somehow end up at Mungyeong Saejae.
But when she looked around, she saw scenery that genuinely resembled Mungyeong Saejae.
Ha-yoon narrowed her eyes.
Is this really Mungyeong Saejae?
But she soon shook her head.
No. The Mungyeong Saejae I know doesn’t look like this.
In the distance, she could see a cluster of houses.
Judging by their appearance, people actually lived there.
The problem was that every single house had a thatched roof.
And nowhere around her could she find the slightest trace of modern civilization.
No utility poles.
No paved roads.
Nothing.
Where the hell am I?
Realizing that something was terribly wrong, Ha-yoon forced herself to sit up.
“Ugh…!”
The aftereffects of the accident hit her all at once.
Every muscle in her body screamed in pain.
Desperate to call for help, Ha-yoon frantically searched through her pockets.
Nothing?
Where is it?
Her bag was gone.
Her wallet was gone.
Her identification card was gone.
Her phone was gone.
Even her father’s jade keepsake had disappeared without a trace.
Calm down.
Just calm down and figure out what’s happening.
Ha-yoon took a deep breath.
Then, maintaining as much composure as she could, she looked at the man in front of her.
“Excuse me… Could I borrow your cell phone?”
“Cell phone? What’s that?”
The man genuinely looked as though he had no idea what she was talking about.
Ha-yoon gave a helpless laugh.
“Oh, come on. Stop joking around and please lend it to me. I lost my phone.”
“How can I lend you something I don’t have?”
“You really don’t have one? A cell phone?”
“I’m telling you, I don’t.”
Judging by the man’s reaction, he clearly wasn’t lying.
For a moment, Ha-yoon was confused.
But she thought perhaps this was simply some extremely remote rural area.
She managed to remain calm.
For now.
“Then you must have a telephone, right? Please let me make one call. I’m begging you.”
“A telephone? What’s that supposed to be?”
“You don’t know what a telephone is either?”
Anxiety slowly began to creep in.
Ha-yoon’s voice started to tremble.
“Then what about 119? Please call 119 for me. I’ll compensate you generously.”
“Miss, did you hit your head? I’ve never heard you say a single thing that makes sense.”
“What? You’ve never heard of any of the things I’m talking about?”
The man didn’t know what a cell phone was.
He didn’t know what a telephone was.
He didn’t know what 119 was.
And there wasn’t a trace of modern civilization anywhere around them.
No way…
An ominous thought flashed through Ha-yoon’s mind.
“Excuse me… What year is it right now?”
“Let me see…”
The man thought for a moment.
“It’s the thirteenth year since our new king ascended to the throne. It’s the Year of the Red Goat.”
“The king?”
The moment Ha-yoon heard the word king, her heart sank.
And what on earth was a “Year of the Red Goat”?
By this point, Ha-yoon had begun to realize that something was terribly wrong.
“The Year of the Red Goat? What year is that exactly?”
“Good grief, you don’t even know that? You really are a strange young lady.”
There was no way a modern woman like Ha-yoon would know the traditional sixty-year sexagenary cycle.
Desperate for something to hold on to, she asked another question.
“Then could you at least tell me the name of the king currently on the throne?”
“How could someone like us casually speak His Majesty’s name? We’d be dragged away for treason!”
The man quickly lowered his voice.
Then, instead, he cautiously explained it to Ha-yoon in a roundabout way.
“All I know is that our current ruler is the grandson of the late King Sunjo.”
“Sunjo!”
Ha-yoon’s face turned deathly pale.
She didn’t know much about history.
Fortunately, however, she had memorized the entire sequence of Joseon kings starting with the familiar mnemonic Tae-Jeong-Tae-Se-Mun-Dan-Se…
So she knew who came after Sunjo.
Heonjeong…!
The thirteenth year of King Heonjong’s reign.
In the Gregorian calendar, that was 1847.
Roughly two hundred years ago.
This can’t be real!
I’ve fallen into the Joseon Dynasty?!
Ha-yoon had been thrown straight into the heart of Joseon Korea, during the reign of King Heonjong.
