AGFJE 10

Chapter : 10

“Hayoon!”

The moment Okbun spotted Hayoon in the distance, she rushed out.

“Oh my! Honey! Come out here for a moment! Hayoon is back!”

“What did you say?”

Hearing that, Moonsik dropped the axe and firewood he was holding and ran out as fast as he could.

“Oh my goodness! Who is this? It really is Hayoon!”

Moonsik’s face was filled with disbelief. His eyes quickly turned red.

Seeing the two of them, Hayoon was overwhelmed with emotion as well.

“Uncle! Auntie!”

“How… how are you here…?”

“Thankfully, things worked out well. I won’t have to worry about anyone making an issue out of my identity anymore.”

“That’s truly wonderful!”

The three of them, reunited after such a long time, shared a touching moment.

The affection between them felt like they were truly family.

“We were so worried that something might have happened to you… sob.”

Okbun wiped away her tears.

Ever since the day Hayoon had been taken away, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly even for a single day.

Every day, she went to the authorities, pleading and begging for news.

She even bribed the guards with money just to hear anything about Hayoon, but all she received in return were cold replies that there was nothing they could do.

And now, seeing Hayoon return safely like this, to the childless couple, it felt as if a daughter they had thought was dead had come back to life.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Sob… This poor thing must have suffered so much while being imprisoned…”

“You must have worried a lot because of me, right? I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Don’t say such a thing. The fact that you came back safely is more than enough.”

Seeing Hayoon safe and sound, Moonsik and Okbun finally let out sighs of relief.

Then, noticing the strangely quiet atmosphere inside the tavern, Hayoon cautiously asked,

“But… what about the customers?”

Only a few days ago, this place had been packed so tightly that there wasn’t even room to take a step.

But now, the tavern was completely empty.

Moonsik gave an awkward smile.

“Ah, that? Don’t worry about it. The important thing is that you’re back. Is that really something to worry about right now?”

“Exactly. We can always gather customers again.”

Hayoon’s absence had naturally caused major problems for the operation of Life Tavern.

All the customers they had worked so hard to gather had been taken away by Sanmaru Tavern.

After returning to Sanmaru Tavern, Daljae had copied the exact same system Hayoon created for Life Tavern and applied it to his own tavern.

And he did it with much cheaper prices.

For Life Tavern, which no longer had Hayoon, it was impossible to compete with such a price difference.

As a result, only a handful of customers were quietly eating inside Life Tavern.

It had returned to how it was before.

Moonsik laughed awkwardly.

“We tried managing it ourselves, but it didn’t work out.”

“Without you, there wasn’t much we could do. The customers were only looking for you.”

“Uncle… Auntie…”

Seeing Hayoon’s worried expression, Moonsik patted her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about running the tavern. We’ll take care of everything.”

“This isn’t the place to stand around. Go inside and rest. It’s not right to keep someone who’s been through so much standing here.”

Saying that, Moonsik grabbed Hayoon’s arm and pulled her inside.

“Huh…?”

Then he suddenly looked to the side.

Standing beside Hayoon was a middle-aged man he had never seen before.

Only now did he notice his presence.

“Who is this gentleman…?”

“Ah, well…”

Actually, Hayoon didn’t know much about the middle-aged man either.

She only knew that he shared the same surname as her.

As Hayoon hesitated, the middle-aged man introduced himself first.

“I am Hayoon’s uncle.”

“Uncle?”

“You had an uncle?”

Hayoon looked at the middle-aged man with surprise.

A playful smile appeared on his face.

Hayoon let out a small sigh and answered.

“Yes. Somehow, that’s what happened.”

“Does that mean… your memories have returned?”

“Yes. I remember everything now. The place where I lived. My parents’ names.”

“That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful!”

“My goodness, what an incredible blessing!”

Hearing that Hayoon’s memories had returned, Moonsik and Okbun rejoiced as if it had happened to them personally.

Then Moonsik asked,

“But it’s an awkward time for lunch. Have you eaten?”

“No, not yet.”

Hayoon shook her head.

“Then you must be hungry. Sit down here quickly. I’ll bring out a bowl right away.”

“Thank you.”

Okbun looked at the middle-aged man and politely asked,

“Would you like the same thing?”

“I would appreciate that.”

The middle-aged man smiled gently.

While Moonsik and Okbun went inside to prepare the gukbap, Hayoon and the middle-aged man sat at an empty table.

“Hmm.”

The middle-aged man began examining every corner of Life Tavern.

From the sign hanging at the entrance, to the murals, to the various interior decorations.

His eyes carefully inspected every detail, as if he were giving each one a score.

After a while, he looked at Hayoon and asked,

“You made all of this yourself?”

Hayoon scratched her head shyly.

“It’s nothing special. Just a little thing I came up with.”

“Nothing special?”

The middle-aged man shook his head.

“I have visited countless taverns throughout the eight provinces of Joseon, but I have never seen a place like this.”

His words were sincere.

For decades, he had traveled all across Joseon.

From luxurious taverns in Hanyang to shabby little inns in rural villages, he had visited countless places.

But he had never encountered a place like this.

A fresh shock struck his mind.

“Hmm.”

The middle-aged man then picked up the menu in front of him.

“What an interesting item. Did you make this as well?”

“Yes. I thought it would make things easier for customers if they could see the choices clearly, so I made what I call a menu.”

“Oh?”

The middle-aged man carefully examined the menu from every angle.

The names of the dishes and the drawings beside them.

The clearly displayed prices.

Even the set meals, such as the two-person combo.

His gaze returned to the interior of Life Tavern.

“The writing on the sign outside is quite impressive as well…”

He immediately recognized the skill behind Hayoon’s handwriting.

Although it appeared to be casually written, the delicate control of pressure and the beauty of each stroke were impossible to imitate unless someone had held a brush for many years.

“Most importantly, this.”

The middle-aged man’s gaze shifted toward the kitchen.

“I like how you made the kitchen visible. Being able to see what the owner is doing at a glance makes people trust the place.”

“……!”

Hayoon couldn’t help but be surprised.

The first thing she did when remodeling the tavern was remove the kitchen door.

‘He noticed even that?’

An open kitchen was a concept that only appeared in modern times.

By openly showing the kitchen, customers could see what was happening while waiting and naturally understand how the restaurant operated.

So even when the kitchen was extremely busy, no one complained.

Customers would look inside and think, “Ah, they’re really busy.”

It was a small detail, but until now, nobody had ever noticed its meaning.

Except this man.

His eyes sparkled brightly.

As if he had discovered a precious jewel.

“You came up with this idea too, didn’t you?”

“……Yes.”

Hayoon carefully nodded.

“Impressive. Where did you learn such skills?”

“Well, I was just born with it. Isn’t the Im family famous for being talented with their hands?”

“Hahaha! Yes, you’re right. Our Im family is known for having many talents.”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily at Hayoon’s joke.

At that moment—

“Here you go. Sorry for the wait. Eat your gukbap while it’s still hot.”

Okbun appeared carrying bowls of steaming gukbap.

The clear broth was topped generously with meat and green onions.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“I appreciate it.”

Hayoon and the middle-aged man quickly picked up their spoons.

Slurp—!

Perhaps because it had been a long time since she had eaten proper gukbap, it tasted even better.

Compared to the food she had eaten in prison these past few days, it was incomparable.

However, Hayoon was paying more attention to the middle-aged man than the gukbap.

With his sharp insight, he would surely have some kind of evaluation about the dish as well.

But the middle-aged man’s expression while eating the gukbap was complicated.

“Hmm…”

It was delicious.

Definitely delicious.

However—

It could not be called an exceptional taste.

It was the kind of good restaurant that existed two or three in every town.

If it was nearby, people might visit several times.

But they wouldn’t travel a great distance just to eat it.

There was no reason for customers to line up.

‘But customers gathered here…’

The middle-aged man’s mind continued turning as he ate.

Evaluating products was his profession, and he always searched for reasons behind everything in daily life.

Clack.

After a while, the middle-aged man finished the entire bowl of gukbap and gave his evaluation.

“You really were the one who saved this place.”

He looked at Hayoon.

“The taste is excellent, but it alone is not enough.”

Hayoon didn’t respond.

Because his words were correct.

Success could not come from taste alone.

That was true even in modern times.

To make a restaurant successful, various marketing techniques were needed beyond simply having good food.

Hayoon had placed countless elements throughout the tavern that made customers want to visit on their own.

Those elements combined together and created a brand called Life Tavern.

Realizing that, the middle-aged man could not hide his admiration.

“It would be a waste to let such talent rot away.”

At the praise, Hayoon lowered her head shyly.

“You flatter me.”

“I am not exaggerating.”

The middle-aged man’s expression became completely serious.

By this point, Hayoon’s curiosity about his true identity had grown unbearable.

She carefully asked,

“But who exactly are you to understand all of this…? What is your true identity, sir?”

“Hm. So only now you became curious?”

The middle-aged man smiled faintly, as if looking at a troublesome niece who had finally asked her uncle’s name.

Then he revealed his true identity.

“I am Im Sang-ok, the Daebang of Man-sang.”

“Ma-Man-sang!”

“I-Im Sang-ok?”

Instead of Hayoon, who still didn’t fully understand the significance, Moonsik and Okbun nearly collapsed in shock.

Man-sang .

Man-sang was one of the greatest merchant guilds in Joseon, based in Uiju.

They handled all kinds of goods, including ginseng, textiles, grains, and seafood, and even conducted trade with Qing China across the sea.

They had branches throughout Joseon, and thousands of merchants belonged to Man-sang.

And the leader of that enormous merchant organization was none other than Im Sang-ok.

“We need talents like you in Man-sang.”

“Pardon?”

Im Sang-ok, the Daebang of Man-sang, looked at Hayoon with a serious gaze.

“How about it? Would you like to work with me?”