AGFJE 07

Chapter : 07

A short while later.

Dal-jae headed toward the government office in a nearby town.

In his hand, he carried a plump native chicken.

Knock, knock.

“Assistant Magistrate, it’s me, Dal-jae. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you for a moment.”

“Come in.”

Dal-jae carefully opened the door to the Assistant Magistrate’s office.

Creak.

Inside, a thin-framed Assistant Magistrate was sitting at a desk, looking through a ledger.

Dal-jae casually placed the native chicken beside his desk.

“Ah, Assistant Magistrate. Please, hear me out.”

“What is it?”

“You know about that rumor going around lately, don’t you?”

“What rumor?”

“You know, that tavern called Life Tavern or whatever it’s called. The rumor that it’s doing extremely well.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about it. I hear their gukbap is supposed to be incredibly delicious.”

At the Assistant Magistrate’s words, Dal-jae clapped his hands loudly and made a great fuss.

“Yes! Yes! I don’t know about whether it tastes good or not, but those bastards have gone and stolen all my customers!”

“They stole all your customers? How exactly did they manage that?”

“Ah! Well, it’s a little complicated to explain…”

Seeing that the Assistant Magistrate had taken an interest, Dal-jae began telling him everything that had happened concerning Life Tavern.

How the place had been completely renovated.

The various services they offered.

And even the story concerning Ha-yoon.

“…There’s this woman with no known family background who came along and completely overhauled the whole place. Can you believe it?”

“She certainly seems to have used her head.”

“Anyway, can this really be called a properly regulated market? What are the other taverns supposed to live on? Isn’t that right, Assistant Magistrate?”

“Hmm…”

After hearing Dal-jae out, the Assistant Magistrate fell into thought for a moment.

The person who had contributed greatly to turning Dal-jae’s Sanmaru Tavern into the finest tavern in the town was none other than this very Assistant Magistrate, Choi Hyang-seo.

In exchange for looking after Dal-jae, Choi Hyang-seo had received money and various forms of hospitality. With Choi Hyang-seo’s backing, Dal-jae had been able to maintain his position as the town’s top tavern for a long time.

At least, until recently.

“Hmm…”

But now, Sanmaru Tavern was facing a crisis as precarious as a candle flickering in the wind.

That was not entirely good news for Choi Hyang-seo either.

After all, it meant that his share of the profits would decrease.

In fact, Dal-jae had been faithfully handing over a certain portion of his earnings to Choi Hyang-seo every month.

“Hmm…”

Even so, Choi Hyang-seo was reluctant to get involved in this particular matter.

Although he was the Assistant Magistrate, mobilizing the administrative authorities ultimately required the magistrate’s permission. If he reported something as trivial as this to the magistrate, he would undoubtedly receive a furious reprimand.

He needed something more substantial before he could ask the magistrate for permission.

After weighing the matter carefully, Choi Hyang-seo shook his head.

“That is something the merchants in the market should settle among themselves. It isn’t something I should interfere with. Besides, I have no justification for getting involved.”

“Why do you say there’s no justification? Didn’t I just tell you?”

What Dal-jae intended to report was not any wrongdoing committed by Life Tavern.

What he intended to report was Ha-yoon’s identity—the very heart of Life Tavern’s operation.

“There’s a woman working there whose origins are completely unknown! We need to seize that woman and interrogate her immediately.”

“Her origins are unknown? What do you mean by that?”

When Choi Hyang-seo showed interest once again, Dal-jae lowered his voice and spoke.

“There’s a young woman working there, but the way she speaks and behaves… She clearly doesn’t seem like someone from around here.”

“She isn’t from around here?”

“Yes. Her hair is cut so short it barely reaches her ears, and, more importantly, she claims to have lost her memory and says she doesn’t know where her hometown is. Isn’t that obviously a lie?”

“Hmm…”

Choi Hyang-seo stroked his chin and thought for a moment.

“She must be a runaway slave. Otherwise, why would she tell such a lie? Isn’t that right, Assistant Magistrate?”

“A runaway slave…”

Coincidentally, Choi Hyang-seo had a memory from several years ago of going through considerable trouble to catch a slave who had fled with his property.

Fortunately, he had managed to catch the man in another village, and although he had not recovered everything, he had managed to retrieve part of his lost property.

He had made up for the remaining amount by selling the man to a salt merchant.

The unpleasant feelings from that time slowly began to resurface.

“If that’s the case, then this is a different matter altogether.”

In Joseon, slaves were a form of property with considerable economic value.

Therefore, capturing a runaway slave was considered a significant achievement.

Depending on whose household the runaway slave belonged to, there could also be additional rewards.

For example, if one was lucky enough to capture a slave belonging to a high-ranking aristocrat, one might be rewarded with a promotion—or gain a favor that could be called upon in the future.

At last, the calculation of personal interests and benefits came together.

Bang!

Choi Hyang-seo slammed his hand down on the desk.

“Very well! I’ll send the constables first thing tomorrow morning to verify that woman’s identity.”

“Thank you, Assistant Magistrate! Thank you so very much!”

Having finally obtained what he wanted, Dal-jae’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

Even though he had not drunk a drop of alcohol, Dal-jae already felt as though he were becoming intoxicated by the thought of the trouble that would soon descend upon Life Tavern.

It was just before dawn.

Ha-yoon, who had risen early, was sitting alone inside the empty tavern.

Why am I here…?

When she had first been thrown into the Joseon era, she had been so bewildered that she hadn’t even had the time to ask herself such questions.

Joseon?

The very idea of suddenly finding herself in the Joseon era was so absurd that when something she had only ever seen in dramas and novels became reality, her mind had simply gone blank.

All that dominated Ha-yoon was the instinct to survive somehow.

But after the tavern had settled down and she had gradually begun adapting to this era, questions slowly began to surface.

At the heart of them was one fundamental question:

What on earth brought me here?

The gogok. That gogok was what brought me here.

She remembered the moment of the accident—the gogok trembling violently as a brilliant light enveloped her.

And when she opened her eyes again, the gogok had disappeared without a trace.

She had no way of knowing whether it had vanished as a consequence of sending her to Joseon, or whether she had simply lost it somewhere.

I have to find that gogok again.

Ha-yoon knew.

The gogok still existed somewhere in Joseon.

Her father had emphasized that the gogok was an object that had been discovered during the Joseon era.

Then I have to achieve great success here!

Whether it was to return to the future or to find the only keepsake she had left from her father, Ha-yoon could not stop.

She had to make Life Tavern even bigger.

She had to use the influence it gained to find the gogok.

The success of Life Tavern was the key to returning to the future.

In the end, there was only one answer.

Survive.

And succeed.

Once she had made up her mind, the chaos in her head seemed to clear somewhat.

“Then how about I work hard selling gukbap again today!”

Just as Ha-yoon was about to stand up—

BANG!

The tavern door suddenly flew open with a tremendous noise, and constables stormed inside.

“What in the—?! Gasp!”

Startled by the commotion, Mun-sik and Ok-bun hurried out.

“Why are the constables here…?”

“No, more importantly, why are they carrying weapons like that…?”

The constables looked as though they had come to arrest some heinous criminal.

Mun-sik cautiously approached them.

“Excuse me… May I ask why the constables have come here?”

The man who appeared to be the leader slowly swept his gaze across the tavern.

Then he asked in a low, intimidating voice:

“This is Life Tavern, is it not?”

“Yes. This is indeed Life Tavern, but…”

“Who is the woman here with short hair?”

“……!”

When the constables suddenly asked for her, Ha-yoon instinctively shrank her shoulders.

Mun-sik calmly continued answering them.

“Forgive me, but may I ask why you are looking for Ha-yoon?”

“You needn’t concern yourself with that. Just tell me where the woman is.”

“Well, she’s…”

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Mun-sik hesitated.

If he told them the truth, it seemed as though they intended to seize Ha-yoon immediately.

Unable to cause them any more trouble, Ha-yoon stepped forward herself.

“It’s me. I’m the woman you’re looking for.”

“Hmm.”

The constable compared Ha-yoon’s appearance with the bundle of papers he had brought with him.

In truth, there was hardly any need for comparison.

Ha-yoon’s appearance was unmistakable.

A woman with short, ear-length hair simply could not exist in Joseon.

The constable stared at Ha-yoon for a moment before speaking.

“A complaint has been filed questioning your identity.”

“A complaint?”

With that, the constable gave Ha-yoon an order.

“Hand over your hopae immediately!”

“Hopae!”

At the word hopae, Ha-yoon’s face turned pale.

A hopae was essentially an identification plaque used during the Joseon era. Everyone aged sixteen or older was legally required to carry one.

If it had been a resident registration card, perhaps she could have understood.

But Ha-yoon, a woman from the twenty-first century, obviously had no such thing.

“Um, well…”

As Ha-yoon hesitated, the constables pressured her even more forcefully.

“What are you waiting for?! I said hand over your hopae!”

“Ah, well, you see…”

Ha-yoon hesitated because, in reality, she had no hopae.

The constable glared at her suspiciously.

“Don’t tell me you don’t have a hopae?”

“……!”

The moment the constables realized that Ha-yoon had no hopae, their attitude changed completely.

Their suspicions had turned into certainty.

The leader immediately ordered his men:

“You there! Restrain that woman at once and take her to the government office!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, no! Ha-yoon!”

“You can’t! That girl hasn’t committed any crime!”

Mun-sik and Ok-bun tried to stop Ha-yoon from being taken away, but there was nothing they could do.

“Stand aside! If you interfere with government business any further, you’ll be charged with the same offense.”

“Gasp!”

Faced with the constables’ threat, the husband and wife were eventually forced to step back.

Ha-yoon comforted the two of them.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be all right.”

“Ha-yoon…”

“I’ll be back soon. Until then, please take good care of Life Tavern.”

“Oh, dear… What are we going to do…?”

And so, Ha-yoon, who had no hopae, was taken to the government office under the unjust accusation that she was a runaway slave.

Meanwhile, dark clouds slowly began to gather over what had until then been a bright and prosperous Life Tavern.