AGFJE 02

Chapter : 02

“So, you got into some kind of accident, and when you woke up, you found yourself here… Is that what happened?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“What kind of accident was it?”

“I… I don’t really remember.”

Ha-yoon gave a vague answer.

If she told him she had come from the future, there was no doubt he would think she was crazy.

“I suppose you did hit your head pretty badly. You’ve been spouting nonsense ever since I found you.”

The man clicked his tongue as he looked Ha-yoon up and down.

Her suit pants were covered in dirt, and her blouse was torn.

Then there were the pointed shoes known as high heels.

Anyone who saw her appearance would have had trouble believing she was a sane woman.

“Where in the world did you get clothes like those? And why is your hair so short?”

“Ah! This is…”

Ha-yoon hurriedly touched her hair.

Her current hairstyle was a bob that barely covered her earlobes.

She had paid 300,000 won for that short haircut, but this was none other than Joseon.

In a Confucian society where people believed in the principle of “the body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents,” a woman with short hair would be regarded as either a criminal or a madwoman.

Stay calm. I just need to get myself out of this situation first.

Ha-yoon desperately came up with an excuse.

“I… I must have fallen from somewhere like a cliff and ended up like this. Otherwise, why would anyone cut a woman’s hair this short?”

“Tsk, tsk. What kind of misfortune must such a young lady have suffered to end up like this…”

The man looked at Ha-yoon with pity.

Fortunately, it seemed he had believed her lie.

“What about your family? Do you remember where they live?”

Ha-yoon shook her head.

“I don’t really remember that either…”

“Good heavens. You don’t remember your relatives either?”

“No. I don’t remember anything…”

“Then your name? Surely you remember that.”

“Ha-yoon… Im Ha-yoon.”

Unable to bring herself to lie about something as fundamental as her name, Ha-yoon revealed her real name.

“Hmm…”

After learning about Ha-yoon’s circumstances, the man looked toward the mountain ridge.

The sun was already beginning to sink below the horizon.

At this rate, they would inevitably have to spend the night out here.

If a woman who had lost her memory spent the night in a place like this, the outcome was obvious.

I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up as tiger food…

The man asked worriedly,

“Do you have somewhere to sleep tonight?”

“No… I don’t.”

“Hmm. Can’t be helped.”

The man gestured for Ha-yoon to follow him.

“Come with me. I’ll give you a place to stay for the time being.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Sir? What’s with that?”

Perhaps uncomfortable with being called an elder, the man introduced himself.

“My name is Munsik. Just call me Mr. Moon.”

“Yes. Mr. Moon.”

Ha-yoon cautiously followed behind Munsik.

“Ugh!”

“Ow!”

“Eek!”

Ha-yoon’s ankles kept twisting beneath her.

The mountain path through Joseon was uneven and completely undeveloped.

Walking along such a path in high heels was simply impossible.

Munsik turned around and looked at her worriedly.

“Be careful. You’re going to fall because of those strange shoes.”

“You’re right. They’re just uncomfortable.”

Ha-yoon stared blankly at her high heels.

Whenever she had an important presentation, she always wore high heels.

To Ha-yoon, high heels were almost like a tool that gave her confidence.

But here, they served absolutely no purpose.

They weren’t functional as shoes.

They didn’t even give her confidence.

Instead, they were little more than torture devices designed to twist her ankles.

I probably won’t need these anymore…

Ha-yoon stared at the heels with mixed emotions.

Now that she knew she was in Joseon, the best thing she could hope to do with them was probably use them to hammer nails.

A moment later—

“Enough!”

Whoosh!

Having made up her mind, Ha-yoon hurled her high heels far into the distance.

“Huh! You sure that’s all right?”

Munsik looked at her with concern.

But instead, a bright smile appeared on Ha-yoon’s face.

“Much better. Let’s keep going.”

“My, what a bold young lady.”

Her hair was disheveled.

Her clothes were covered in dirt.

She was even walking barefoot along a mountain path.

If someone who knew Ha-yoon had seen her like this, they wouldn’t have recognized her.

I need to change.

If I want to survive in this Joseon, I have to change.

Surprisingly, walking barefoot wasn’t so bad.

At first, she was cautious, worried that she might step on something.

But there were no discarded cans here.

No plastic.

Nothing at all.

There was nothing preventing her from walking barefoot.

The air was also astonishingly clean.

The deeper she breathed, the clearer her head seemed to become.

So much so that even after walking for several hours, she wasn’t particularly out of breath.

After walking for some time—

Munsik pointed toward a shabby building in the distance.

“That there is our tavern.”

“A tavern?”

“Hm? Didn’t I tell you? My family runs a tavern.”

That’s a tavern?

Munsik’s establishment was so shabby that calling it a tavern almost felt embarrassing.

It looked more like a thatched house that was about to collapse.

The roof was coming apart in several places.

Weeds covered the courtyard.

A thick layer of fallen leaves had accumulated on the wooden platform outside.

There was even only a single lamp lit in order to save on oil.

Even though it was already past mealtime, this was hardly acceptable for a place that operated a food business.

This place is practically on the verge of shutting down.

Location.

Appearance.

Cleanliness.

Mindset.

It was terrible in every possible way.

If she could have given it a rating, even one star would have been too generous.

“My wife! I’m home!”

At Munsik’s voice, a woman emerged from inside the tavern.

“Why are you so late… Huh?”

The woman stopped in her tracks and glared at Ha-yoon.

“Who’s that young woman behind you? Don’t tell me you secretly took another concubine!”

“Good grief, woman. What are you talking about? A concubine?”

Like a proper tavern mistress, the woman had a sturdy build.

Her rough hands resting on her waist and the muscular forearms she had developed told the story of someone who had fought tooth and nail simply to survive.

Munsik introduced her.

“Say hello. This is my wife, Ok-bun. And this here is…”

“My name is Im Ha-yoon.”

Before Munsik could finish his introduction, Ha-yoon bowed politely.

She could feel the hostility in Ok-bun’s gaze.

Even so, Ok-bun’s suspicion didn’t disappear.

“Don’t tell me you came from some gisaeng house. With that pretty face of yours, you look exactly like a gisaeng. And what’s with those strange clothes?”

“Gisaeng house? With our circumstances? Don’t be ridiculous. I found her unconscious while I was out gathering firewood, so I brought her here.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

Ok-bun glared at Ha-yoon.

Ha-yoon repeatedly nodded as though to confirm that everything Munsik had said was true.

Munsik continued explaining.

“If it weren’t for that, why would I bring a woman like her home?”

“That’s exactly what I’m asking! Why did you bring her here?”

“Of course I did! Someone was lying unconscious. Was I supposed to just walk past her? Why are you being so heartless?”

Munsik raised his voice.

Then, as if to put an end to the argument, he added,

“She’ll be staying here for the time being, so that’s how it is.”

“What did you say?”

Ok-bun’s voice rose along with his.

She practically dragged Munsik inside.

“Enough with the excuses. Come inside. We need to have a serious talk.”

“What are you doing? Let go and talk. Let go.”

A moment later—

Loud voices could be heard from inside, seemingly loud enough for Ha-yoon to hear every word.

“Have you lost your mind? With our situation, who are we supposed to take care of? Do you have any idea how hard it is to feed another mouth?”

“She says she lost her memory in an accident! What else was I supposed to do? Would you have been satisfied if I left that poor girl to die?”

“That’s not the point! Why did you have to bring her here? Business is already so bad that I’m going crazy!”

“Is the poor business my fault? What do you expect me to do when no customers come?”

“That’s because you’re always wandering around! If you actually stayed here and ran the place, do you think it would have become this mess?”

“Good grief, woman, you never stop nagging! Anyway, she’ll stay here for a few days, so that’s that!”

BANG!

The sound of Munsik slamming the door shut brought the argument to an end.

Ha-yoon felt like she was sitting on pins and needles because of the marital quarrel she had caused.

I feel bad about this…

She had forgotten.

This was Joseon.

Unlike the materially abundant modern world, taking care of another person in this era was practically the same as sharing one’s own flesh and blood.

And considering that the tavern was already on the verge of closing, Ha-yoon could fully understand Ok-bun’s position.

She had suddenly been forced to take responsibility for an unexpected guest.

“Good grief, that woman’s temper…”

Munsik scratched his head and approached Ha-yoon.

By then, he was holding a large earthenware bowl.

Clunk.

He placed it down in front of her with a blunt motion.

Inside was a generous serving of gukbap, rice and meat served in a steaming, milky broth.

“Here. I brought you a bowl of gukbap. Eat comfortably.”

“Gukbap?”

“Of course. What else would a tavern serve?”

Ha-yoon stared blankly at the gukbap.

Chunks of meat and plenty of green onions floated atop the milky broth.

The savory aroma rising from the bowl tickled her nose.

“Why aren’t you eating? I already had something earlier, so I’m not hungry. Don’t worry about me. Go ahead and eat.”

“Ah, well…”

The truth was, Ha-yoon had never particularly liked gukbap.

Or rather, she had never felt any real need to eat it.

To a modern woman who could enjoy delicacies from around the world with nothing more than a smartphone, gukbap wasn’t exactly the most appealing choice.

Gulp.

But perhaps because she had been thrown into Joseon, the moment she looked at the bowl in front of her, her mouth began watering.

“I’ll enjoy the meal!”

Ha-yoon quickly picked up her spoon.

“……!”

And the moment she took her first spoonful, she froze.

…What is this?

The rich broth spread throughout her mouth.

There was none of the artificial aftertaste or excessive savoriness associated with MSG.

Instead, the deep flavor extracted from bones that had been simmered for hours flowed smoothly across her tongue.

This is delicious!

She had experienced Michelin-starred restaurants.

Omakase.

Fine dining.

She had tried them all.

But none of them could compare to this gukbap.

That was how deep the flavor was.

There were no complicated techniques.

No elaborate plating.

Just honest ingredients.

Because it wasn’t dressed up with unnecessary embellishments, the flavor stood out even more clearly.

It tasted like the result of someone dedicating their entire life to perfecting a single dish.

“Ahhh!”

Before she realized it, Ha-yoon had finished every last drop of broth.

A deep sound of satisfaction escaped her.

Munsik watched her with a pleased expression.

“So? Was it good?”

“Yes! This is the best gukbap I’ve ever had in my life! I mean it!”

“Even though she looks like this, my wife is an excellent cook. That’s why I’ve stayed married to her all these years.”

Just then—

“Hmph. So what?”

Ok-bun had emerged from outside.

She casually threw cold water on the conversation.

“We’re about to close down because we have no customers. What does it matter how good the gukbap tastes?”

Resignation filled Ok-bun’s voice.

Her voice sounded hoarse, almost as though she had been fighting back tears.

They had somehow managed to hang on until now.

But if things continued like this, they would have no choice but to close the tavern after this winter.

They would have to leave the place they had grown attached to over the past twenty years.

Having roughly understood the situation, Ha-yoon narrowed her eyes and began analyzing the tavern.

The location isn’t bad.

It’s right along the road through Mungyeong Saejae, so there should be plenty of foot traffic.

Just as she had noticed earlier, the wooden platform was covered in fallen leaves, while weeds had grown thick around the entrance.

It was difficult even to tell whether the tavern was open.

The biggest problem was that there was absolutely nothing about the place that made anyone want to enter.

This is a textbook case of failed marketing.

The food was perfect.

The advertising was nonexistent.

A good product that nobody knew about.

That was always the problem.

And that is my specialty.

A smile slowly spread across Ha-yoon’s lips.

It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Not mere obligation.

Not responsibility.

But genuine passion rising from deep within her.

A pure desire she had forgotten she possessed.

Ha-yoon carefully opened her mouth.

“Would you like me to… help you with the business?”

“Huh? You?”

Munsik and Ok-bun stared at Ha-yoon simultaneously.

Ok-bun snorted in disbelief.

“What could you possibly know about running a business? You look like you’ve never even gotten a drop of water on your hands.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Ha-yoon had never washed dishes in her life.

She couldn’t cook.

She couldn’t even properly make instant ramen.

But Ha-yoon possessed a special talent that others didn’t.

“Even though I may not look like it, I’m pretty good at business. I’ll earn my keep, so just trust me and leave it to me.”

Ha-yoon’s eyes had changed.

They were now the eyes of the advertising genius who had handled countless projects.

“……!”

Faced with that unwavering confidence, Ok-bun unconsciously shrank back.

“Just one month.”

Ha-yoon raised one finger and declared confidently,

“That’s all I need. Give me one month, and I’ll turn this place into the greatest tavern in all of Joseon.”

“In one month?”

“You’ll turn this place into the greatest tavern in Joseon?”

Munsik and Ok-bun’s eyes widened.

The greatest tavern in Joseon?

This rundown establishment that was practically on the verge of shutting down?

“She’s definitely crazy.”

Ok-bun clicked her tongue.

Yet deep inside, a faint sense of anticipation began to stir.

Munsik felt it too.

“If it’s only one month…”

Munsik looked at Ha-yoon with a hopeful expression.

The tavern had shown no improvement despite decades of effort.

So hearing that Ha-yoon could somehow transform the place was undeniably tempting.

Eventually, Munsik slowly nodded.

“Go ahead and give it a try. This tavern is doomed anyway. Doesn’t matter who runs it into the ground.”

With his permission, Ha-yoon spoke in a confident voice.

“Just wait and see.”

“I’ll make this the greatest tavern in all of Joseon.”