Chapter : 11
“Why don’t you come work with me?”
“……!”
The moment he heard Im Sang – ok’s offer, Ha-yoon’s heart began pounding wildly.
The largest merchant guild in Joseon.
Working there was the kind of opportunity that came only once in a lifetime.
If he joined them, finding the jade disc and returning to the future would become much easier than it was now.
No, even if he failed to return to the future, it wouldn’t matter. As long as he seized this opportunity, he could live comfortably in Joseon.
In modern terms, it was like the chairman of a conglomerate personally coming to recruit him.
An ordinary person would have accepted without hesitation.
Ha-yoon was no different.
There was no reason to refuse.
“……!”
However, the empty tables of Insaeng Tavern held him back.
He could leave right now, but the two people left behind would undoubtedly return to the life they had before.
Back to the desolate tavern that was on the verge of collapse.
Perhaps they could endure for a while thanks to what Ha-yoon had built, but eventually, it was only a matter of time before the tavern went bankrupt.
‘Three years? Or maybe four?’
Without constant change and improvement, surviving in this business was difficult.
And now Sanmaru Tavern had entered the competition as well. The future of the two people without Ha-yoon was practically predetermined.
‘The customers will slowly decrease, and eventually they’ll have no choice but to close the doors…….’
Insaeng Tavern closing down.
That was something Ha-yoon could never accept.
His own success was important, but what would be the point if the two people who had suffered alongside him ended up losing everything?
After a long deliberation, Ha-yoon rejected Im Sang-ok’s proposal.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot.”
“Why?”
A look of surprise filled Im Sang-ok’s eyes. He had clearly never expected to be refused.
“I want to finish what I started with Insaeng Tavern first.”
Ha-yoon looked at Ok-bun and Moon-sik.
“Leaving like this would not be respectful to them. And I cannot simply abandon this place.”
“Ho?”
Im Sang-ok looked intrigued by Ha-yoon’s answer.
“I owe these people a debt that I can never repay.”
Ha-yoon’s voice was filled with sincerity.
“They saved me when I collapsed after losing my memories. They provided me with a place to sleep and food for several months. Until these two have the strength to stand on their own, I cannot leave this place.”
Ha-yoon made his refusal clear.
Then, suddenly, Im Sang-ok burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha ha ha! You understand loyalty. I like you even more now.”
Im Sang-ok looked at Ha-yoon with satisfaction.
“There are few merchants who understand loyalty. Most only think about profit first.”
Having served as the leader of Mansang for many years, Im Sang-ok prided himself on having seen countless kinds of people.
Among them were those with exceptional talent, and those with unmatched loyalty.
But those who possessed both talent and loyalty were extremely rare.
After all, merchants often operated in a structure where one side inevitably had to lose, making loyalty difficult.
Yet Ha-yoon possessed both qualities.
How could Im Sang-ok not be pleased?
“Then how about this?”
Im Sang-ok presented an unprecedented proposal.
“I will order everyone connected to Mansang to use this Insaeng Tavern from now on. If I do that, you will no longer need to worry about their future.”
“……!”
Ha-yoon’s eyes widened at the offer.
Mansang had branches throughout the country, and the number of people connected to it reached several thousand.
Carriers transporting goods, silk merchants selling fabric, seafood merchants selling fish—every one of them was connected to Mansang.
Furthermore, Mungyeong Saejae was a major passage connecting Yeongnam and Hoseo.
Not only Mansang but merchants from all across the eight provinces of Joseon had to pass through this place.
If people connected to Mansang came to this location, that alone would generate sufficient income.
‘Regular customers!’
Ha-yoon’s mind began racing.
At least ten people a day.
Sometimes more than twenty.
Every single day.
That would be more than enough income for Ok-bun and Moon-sik to live without worry for the rest of their lives.
‘Even if the number of customers decreases compared to now, stability is what matters.’
After reaching a decision, Ha-yoon looked at Ok-bun and Moon-sik.
They were also looking at him with expressions that clearly said he should accept.
“Ha-yoon, don’t worry about us.”
“Where else would you get an opportunity like this? Hurry and accept it.”
After all, Ha-yoon could not stay here forever.
He had to find the jade disc and someday return to his original world.
If an offer came that could guarantee these two a stable future, accepting it was not a bad choice.
After a long hesitation, Ha-yoon nodded.
“Alright. I will follow you, Master.”
“Ha ha ha! You made the right decision. Good.”
Im Sang-ok let out a satisfied laugh.
Then he stood up.
“They say when you decide to remove a bull’s horn, do it while the iron is hot. Quickly organize things here. I will head back to Uiju today.”
“Today?”
Ha-yoon asked in surprise.
“Why? Do you have a lot left to organize?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
“Then I will give you until this evening.”
Im Sang-ok looked at Moon-sik and Ok-bun.
“If there are things you still haven’t said to each other, go and talk. I will wait at the entrance of the village.”
With those words, Im Sang-ok left Insaeng Tavern.
“…….”
Because everything had happened so suddenly, an awkward silence filled the tavern.
Ha-yoon, Ok-bun, and Moon-sik could not bring themselves to speak first.
Eventually, Moon-sik opened his mouth with difficulty.
“It turned out well. When else would such an opportunity come?”
“Uncle……”
“Master of Mansang made such a promise. We can live without worrying for the rest of our lives. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s right, that’s right. Don’t worry about us. You only need to worry about yourself.”
Ok-bun’s voice trembled as she said this. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
Ha-yoon swallowed his own tears and spoke.
“……Thank you for everything.”
“Thank you? We’re the ones who should be thanking you. Without you, this place would have closed long ago.”
“Whenever you miss my gukbap, come visit. If you come, Ha-yoon, I’ll run out even if it’s the middle of the night.”
“Yes. I promise I’ll visit.”
“Good. Now go pack your things. The master is waiting.”
Knowing that farewells were easier the shorter they were, Ha-yoon went to his room and packed his belongings.
“Is this everything?”
His luggage was nothing more than a small bundle.
After all, he had arrived here with nothing. A few changes of clothes were all he had.
After quickly packing, Ha-yoon left his room.
“Did you pack everything?”
“Yes.”
“Here. Take this.”
Ok-bun handed him a pouch as if she had been waiting.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing. Use it to buy something to eat on the way.”
Feeling the heavy weight inside, Ha-yoon opened the pouch.
Inside were countless jang of coins that jingled together.
“Auntie, this is……”
“Don’t refuse. Every bit of it was earned by you.”
What Ok-bun gave him was half of the profits they had earned from Insaeng Tavern.
Although she called it half, after considering the money spent on food supplies and renovating the tavern, it was practically almost everything.
Ok-bun grabbed Ha-yoon’s hand tightly as she handed him the large sum.
“You must live well, okay?”
“Yes. I’ll succeed and come back.”
Moon-sik patted Ha-yoon’s shoulder.
“Send us a letter sometimes.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Then…… take care.”
“Yes…… goodbye.”
Ha-yoon forced himself to take steps that refused to move as he left Insaeng Tavern.
After walking for a while, he turned around.
Even from a distance, he could still see Ok-bun and Moon-sik waving their hands.
‘Thank you for everything.’
Toward those two people, Ha-yoon performed a deep bow.
And with that, his connection with Insaeng Tavern came to an end.
When Ha-yoon arrived at the entrance of the village, a carriage that seemed to have been prepared in advance by Im Sang-ok was waiting.
Seeing Ha-yoon, Im Sang-ok asked:
“You came. Did you say your farewells properly?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
“Good. Then get in.”
The large carriage had the symbol of Mansang engraved on it.
Following Im Sang-ok, Ha-yoon climbed inside.
‘It’s bigger than I expected.’
The carriage seemed to have been modified from a cargo wagon and had enough space for two people to sit comfortably.
“We can depart now.”
“Yes, Master.”
At Im Sang-ok’s command, the carriage began moving.
Clatter. Clatter.
For a while, an awkward silence filled the carriage.
“…….”
Although he had followed him without hesitation, Ha-yoon still knew very little about Im Sang-ok.
He felt like he had heard the name Im Sang-ok somewhere before, but he could not remember exactly where.
‘Come to think of it, I think there was someone with a similar name among my ancestors…….’
Ha-yoon did not know it, but Im Sang-ok’s life had been famous enough to be made into a television drama.
He was a merchant among merchants, a legendary figure whose name was even recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.
Yet Ha-yoon still had no idea that the blood of such a great merchant flowed within him.
Suddenly, Im Sang-ok asked:
“I heard you lost your hopae?”
“Yes……”
Ha-yoon answered cautiously.
Im Sang-ok asked again with a sharp gaze.
“Did you lose it, or did you never have one from the beginning?”
“……!”
Ha-yoon’s face stiffened after being struck exactly at the truth.
His opponent was the greatest merchant in Joseon.
Ha-yoon realized that a clumsy lie would not work in front of him.
“Actually, the thing is…… I never had a hopae from the beginning, but the reason is……”
“Enough. Stop.”
Im Sang-ok interrupted him.
A person without a hopae was either a runaway slave or someone hiding a serious secret.
Knowing this, Im Sang-ok reached into his clothes and pulled something out.
“Here. Take this.”
“What is this?”
What Im Sang-ok took out was a wooden identification plaque with characters carved on it.
A hopae.
Im Sang-ok pointed at it.
“This is the new name you will use from now on.”
“A new name?”
Ha-yoon carefully examined the hopae.
Although it was written in Chinese characters, Ha-yoon could easily read it.
Because only the final character differed from his current name.
Ha-yoon cautiously asked:
“Im Ha…… Seong? Who is Im Ha-seong?”
“I will tell you little by little later.”
A faint bitterness appeared on Im Sang-ok’s face.
“If you do not want to keep entering and leaving government offices, it would be better for you to live under this name. If you dislike it, you may return even now.”
Ha-yoon stared at the hopae.
Im Ha-seong (林河成).
The name felt strangely familiar.
Perhaps because it shared the same family name as his own.
Or maybe because they shared the same generation name.
For some reason, the name Ha-seong did not feel unfamiliar.
More importantly, he needed this name to survive in Joseon.
After a short hesitation, Ha-yoon nodded.
“Alright. From today onward, I will live under this name.”
“Good decision.”
Im Sang-ok smiled with satisfaction.
“And one more thing.”
Then Im Sang-ok’s expression hardened.
“To live as a woman in Joseon is no different from carrying a heavy chain.”
Im Sang-ok pointed at Ha-yoon’s head.
“Especially with hair like that.”
“……!”
Ha-yoon unconsciously touched his hair.
A short bob barely covering his ears.
A hairstyle uncommon even in the 21st century was something completely unheard of in Joseon.
In an era where touching one’s hair was considered taboo due to the belief that one’s body and hair were gifts from one’s parents, such hair was unacceptable.
The biggest reason Ha-yoon had been reported was because of his hair.
Knowing this, Im Sang-ok suggested a solution.
“How about pretending to be a man until your hair grows out?”
“You want me to disguise myself as a man?”
Im Sang-ok nodded.
“If you continue walking around with that appearance, someone will report you again. I cannot help you every time that happens.”
“Hmm……”
Thinking about it, there was some truth to his words.
Even while running the tavern, Ha-yoon constantly had to explain his hair.
Why it had become that way, whether he was not actually from Joseon, whether he had cut it because of an affair—he wasted a great deal of time explaining himself.
Eventually, someone reported him and he even ended up imprisoned.
Of course, there were wigs called gache in this era, but those were items mainly used in the royal court and did not suit Ha-yoon’s current situation.
Whether he liked it or not, disguising himself as a man was his only option.
‘A man’s disguise…….’
However, Ha-yoon did not want success badly enough to go as far as disguising himself.
He liked himself the way he was.
Whenever someone tried to change him, his rebellious nature came out.
Because of this hesitation, his answer was delayed.
Im Sang-ok added a few more words.
“It is only until your hair grows. After that, I will not say anything. The problem right now is not that you are a woman. It is your hair.”
“Ah……!”
Realizing that the disguise was not about gender but about his hairstyle, Ha-yoon finally nodded.
As mentioned, living with this hair in Joseon was impossible.
“Understood. Then, for the time being, I will follow your wishes, Master.”
“Good. Then try wearing this.”
As if he had been waiting, Im Sang-ok handed him a sangtu.
Ha-yoon awkwardly tied up his hair and placed the topknot.
“Is this how it’s supposed to be worn?”
“Ha ha ha, it’s a little crooked, but now you finally look like someone from Joseon.”
Laughing, Im Sang-ok personally fixed Ha-yoon’s topknot.
“Alright. Now it’s perfect. Take a look.”
Im Sang-ok handed him a small mirror.
Ha-yoon checked his reflection.
“……!”
It was not as awkward or strange as he had expected.
It looked like his usual tied-up hairstyle with a topknot added on top. Depending on how one looked at it, it almost seemed like it was simply tied with a hairband.
To Ha-yoon, who had just created his first topknot, Im Sang-ok extended his hand.
“Welcome to Mansang, Haengsu Im Ha-seong.”
After a moment of hesitation, Ha-yoon took his hand.
“I look forward to working with you, Master.”
