Chapter 34
Two teacups had already been prepared inside Im Sang-ok’s office.
“Have a seat.”
Hayun naturally took the empty seat. Im Sang-ok pushed a teacup toward her.
“How is work these days? Manageable?”
“I’ve gotten used to it now, so I’m fine. There’s nothing particularly difficult.”
“Is there anyone giving you a hard time?”
For a moment, one person flashed through Hayun’s mind.
‘Giving me a hard time…… I don’t know about that.’
Hayun muttered inwardly.
‘Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say he’s the one having a hard time?’
Facing Song Do-hyeon was no longer difficult for her.
Of course, there were times when he annoyed her, but the more she got to know him, the harder it became to hate him.
Especially after catching a glimpse of his true feelings not long ago, she found herself constantly thinking about him.
Perhaps because of that, she didn’t even know how many times she had stolen glances at him today.
Each time, a strange emotion welled up inside her chest.
A bittersweet yet wistful emotion.
‘Wait a second!’
Hayun’s eyes widened.
‘What am I thinking?’
Realizing the change in her feelings, Hayun hurriedly shook her head.
‘No way. There’s no way I’d worry about that annoying bastard, right?’
Before she knew it, Song Do-hyeon had begun to take up a small place in Hayun’s heart.
It wasn’t a green light, but it wasn’t a red light either.
If she had to pick a color, it would be orange.
In truth, even this was difficult for her to accept.
The fact that she was gradually becoming fond of him in the first place.
‘Pity. Yes, this is pity.’
Hayun desperately drew a line. But that line soon grew faint, as though it had been drawn on water.
“Not really. Everyone treats me well.”
“That’s a relief.”
Im Sang-ok nodded.
When he thought back to when Hayun had first set foot in Mansang, the phrase “a world of difference” came to mind naturally.
She had been mocked simply because she had worked at a tavern. And now that same Hayun had earned everyone’s recognition, there was no helping Im Sang-ok’s shoulders from rising with pride at having brought her in.
When all was said and done, the pinnacle of commerce was ultimately leaving people behind.
Then Im Sang-ok’s gaze shifted toward Hayun’s head.
“More importantly, isn’t that uncomfortable?”
“Huh? What is?”
“That topknot.”
“Ah?”
Hayun’s hand instinctively went upward.
Perhaps because she still wasn’t used to it, her topknot had become crooked enough that it looked as though it might come undone at the slightest movement.
Im Sang-ok chuckled softly.
“You can take it down. Make yourself comfortable in front of me. No one will be peeking in here, either.”
“Ah, yes.”
Without hesitation, Hayun undid her topknot.
Swish.
The hair that had been hidden away flowed down softly.
“Whew, I can finally breathe.”
Hayun shook her hair once, looking refreshed.
Her hair, which had once only reached below her ears, had now grown long enough to lightly cover her shoulders.
Im Sang-ok spoke with a somewhat surprised look in his eyes.
“Your hair has grown quite a bit.”
“I know. I always tie it up except when I sleep…… I didn’t realize it had grown this much, either.”
Im Sang-ok’s gaze lingered on Hayun’s hair for a moment.
His eyes looked as though he were thinking about something.
Then he spoke again.
“How about it? Would you reveal that you’re a woman even now?”
“What?”
“You said it yourself just now, didn’t you? That everyone treats you well.”
Im Sang-ok looked at Hayun with a proud expression.
“Even if you reveal that you’re a woman now, there shouldn’t be anyone who treats you harshly.”
If it had been in the past, it would have been something she couldn’t even imagine.
Given the poor first impression she had made, if it had also been revealed that she was a woman, she might have been thrown out on the spot.
But things were different now.
She had already proven herself through her abilities several times.
Being a woman didn’t mean she was incapable of doing business.
Across the sea, on Jeju Island, there was already an outstanding female merchant named Kim Man-deok. And Hayun, too, had achieved results that were no less impressive.
After thinking for a moment, Hayun opened her mouth.
“I’ll stay like this for the time being.”
“Why?”
Im Sang-ok looked at her in surprise.
“Because my identity issue hasn’t been resolved yet.”
“Hmm. I see. I’d momentarily forgotten.”
The identity Hayun was currently using was, after all, a fake identity.
On the surface, there seemed to be no problem, but if it were discovered that Im Ha-seong was a person who didn’t actually exist, everything she had built up until now could collapse in an instant.
It might not end with her simply being dragged to the local government office.
Even Im Sang-ok, who had provided that identity, could end up suffering the consequences along with her.
“More than anything, I’ve gotten used to looking like this.”
Hayun spoke calmly.
“When the time comes, I’ll reveal my identity in front of everyone.”
“Fine. Do as you please.”
After those words, silence lingered for a moment.
Sip.
Hayun lifted her teacup and took a light sip.
Then she got straight to the point.
“More importantly, why did you ask to see me separately?”
“The reason I asked to see you separately is……”
Im Sang-ok slowly set down his teacup.
He had never treated the haengsu differently from one another.
No matter how outstanding their results were, he never went out of his way to praise them, nor did he ever reprimand them for failing.
Whether it was Hayun or Song Do-hyeon, he treated them all from the same position.
For someone who had always acted that way, to call Hayun aside and bring up a matter like this meant that something serious was going on.
After a long silence, Im Sang-ok finally spoke.
“It’s because of the upcoming ginseng trade with Qing.”
Ginseng trade.
Mansang’s biggest source of income and the core business responsible for more than seventy percent of Mansang’s total sales.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Mansang’s very survival depended on this trade.
The reputation of Goryeo ginseng was already widespread throughout Ming China.
If the deal was successfully concluded, they could make a profit of as much as ten times their investment.
However, because it was a trade that crossed national borders, only merchant guilds that had received permission from the royal court could participate in the ginseng trade.
And the merchant guild that held the rights to that trade was Mansang.
The Daebang of such a Mansang.
Im Sang-ok stared directly at Hayun.
“I want you to go to Qing as Mansang’s representative.”
“Me?”
Hayun’s eyes widened.
Her reaction clearly showed how unexpected this was.
“Why? Do you dislike the idea?”
“No. It’s not that…”
Hayun trailed off.
It wasn’t that she disliked it.
It was just that even Hayun found it burdensome to readily accept such an important responsibility.
“Why aren’t you going yourself, Daebang-nim…”
“If it were up to me, I’d like to go myself…”
Im Sang-ok gave a bitter smile.
“Do you think going all the way to Qing is a matter of a day or two?”
He rubbed his back for no particular reason.
“My body isn’t what it used to be. At my age, handling such a long journey would be too much.”
Im Sang-ok smiled brightly.
“Surely you wouldn’t ask an old man over fifty to travel that far, would you?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant……”
“Then it’s settled. You go in my place.”
There was no hesitation in Im Sang-ok’s decision, as though he had already singled out Hayun as the right person for the job long ago.
“To lead the trade delegation, the title of an ordinary haengsu wouldn’t be enough, would it?”
After pausing for a moment, Im Sang-ok continued.
“Although it will only be temporary, I shall appoint you to the position of Daehangsu.”
“…Daehangsu?”
Daehangsu.
As the name implied, it was the position that oversaw all the haengsu.
A position responsible for coordinating the interests of numerous merchant guilds and bearing responsibility for the success or failure of trade.
Even with the qualifier “temporary” attached, its weight was by no means light.
The Daehangsu alone would have to conduct all negotiations with the merchants of Qing.
‘I’m going to Qing?’
A look of bewilderment crossed Hayun’s face.
If it were simply a business trip to China, she would have gladly accepted.
Hayun was a person from the 21st century, and back then, a smartphone was all she needed to have no trouble at all with an overseas business trip.
But this was Joseon in the 19th century.
There were no smartphones, no guides, nothing.
“However, there is one major problem.”
“What is it?”
After hesitating for a moment, Hayun spoke.
“…I can’t speak the language of Qing.”
“What?”
Im Sang-ok’s eyes widened.
It was an unexpected variable.
In this era, if one wanted to become a great merchant, it was only natural that they should at least know the language of Qing.
Because of how outstanding the results Hayun had shown so far were, he had naturally assumed that she could speak the language of Qing as well.
Come to think of it, Hayun was unusually weak when it came to Chinese characters.
She could write eonmun (Hangul) astonishingly well, yet whenever a word containing Chinese characters came up, she would habitually ask what it meant here and there like a seven-year-old child.
“Hmm, I see.”
After thinking for a moment, Im Sang-ok soon nodded.
“If that is the problem, don’t worry. I’ll assign someone else who is fluent in the language of Qing to accompany you.”
“Who would that be?”
Hayun asked cautiously.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Im Sang-ok’s mouth.
“Among us, Haengsu Song is the best.”
“Song Do-hyeon?”
A look of bewilderment crossed Hayun’s face.
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