AFJE 06

Chapter 6

A while later.

When Dal-jae arrived at Life Tavern, he could not believe his eyes.

“W-What in the world is all that?”

Even though it was well past lunchtime, people were lined up all the way around the corner of the wall.

It was the complete opposite of Sanmaru Tavern, where not even a shadow of a person could be seen.

‘People are lining up and waiting? At a tavern?’

In all his years of running a tavern, Dal-jae had never seen anything like this.

A tavern was simply a place where people walked in and sat down.

Then they would gruffly order a bowl of gukbap, and that was it. Nothing else was needed.

But they were actually waiting in line.

It was difficult for Dal-jae to understand with his common sense.

‘What on earth is so special about this place……?’

His curiosity was difficult to suppress.

If people found out that he, the owner of a competing tavern, had come here, he would obviously be in an awkward position. But he could not return empty-handed.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Covering his face, Dal-jae went to the very back of the line.

That was when it happened.

“Is this your first time here?”

Suddenly, a woman who appeared to be an employee approached him.

Not knowing that she was Ha-yoon, Dal-jae lowered his head and answered.

“Ah, yes. Yes.”

“Please have a cup of cool sungnyung while you wait. I’ll show you to a seat as soon as one becomes available.”

Ha-yoon handed him a bowl of sungnyung and walked away.

Dal-jae could not hide his surprise at her kindness.

‘She came all the way out here just to give me a cup of sungnyung?’

It was a kind of service Dal-jae had never provided before.

No, in fact, even when customers came, he often ignored them because he was busy drinking.

And yet his tavern had always run well enough.

That was how taverns were supposed to be.

Gulp, gulp!

“Ah!”

After drinking the cool sungnyung, some of the alcohol in his system began to wear off.

Dal-jae looked around suspiciously.

‘But there’s no way this alone could make so many people gather here…….’

A little later, when his turn finally came.

Only then did Dal-jae understand why so many people were gathering here.

“Next customer, please come in!”

At Ha-yoon’s voice, Dal-jae entered the tavern.

The inside was bustling even though the mealtime had already passed.

Warm, cheerful voices could be heard from every platform, and the customers eating gukbap all had happy smiles on their faces.

“This gukbap really is the best!”

“I know, right? I have to come again next week.”

“Owner! One more bowl of makgeolli here!”

“And one more dongtae-jeon, please!”

A warm atmosphere filled the entire tavern. Just looking at everyone eating here was enough to bring back an appetite that had not even been there before.

Moreover, despite the large number of customers, the place was well organized and clean, making it clear that someone was working hard to manage it.

“Hmm…….”

On the other hand, at Sanmaru Tavern, the drinking table that Dal-jae had been sitting at just a short while ago had been left exactly as it was.

There was no need to compare the two.

The answer was already obvious.

‘Hmph, there’s nothing special about it.’

But Dal-jae refused to accept that fact and tried to find the reason somewhere else.

‘Let’s see just how amazing this gukbap really is.’

With that thought, Dal-jae was about to order gukbap when—

“Hey! One bowl of gukbap……!”

“One moment, please!”

Ha-yoon quickly interrupted him and brought over a menu.

“T-This……!”

Dal-jae could not close his mouth after seeing the menu.

This was an innovative item that had never existed before.

[Set Menu]

(For 2) 2 bowls of Life Gukbap + 1 Dongtae-jeon / 12 coins

[Gukbap]

Gukbap / 4 coins

Life Gukbap / 5 coins

[Jeon]

Red Pepper Jeon / 2 coins

Potato Jeon / 3 coins

Dongtae-jeon / 5 coins

.

.

.

“Please look at the menu and call me again when you’re ready to order.”

After Ha-yoon left, Dal-jae stared intently at the menu.

‘There are this many dishes? And the prices are all written down?’

Naturally, in this era, there were many people who could not read, so a menu could not fully serve its purpose.

But Ha-yoon had taken that into consideration as well.

She had drawn small pictures representing each dish, and she had even used coin symbols so that customers could understand the prices.

Dal-jae could not help being surprised by such small details.

‘Who made something like this? The owner in the kitchen? Or that Munsik fellow?’

Dal-jae looked around.

Munsik and Ok-bun were so busy that they did not even seem to realize that he was here.

‘No. If they knew how to do this, they would have made something like this a long time ago.’

Even if they were capable of making something like this, he could not expect them to have such attention to detail.

The strange writing at the entrance and the colorful pictures drawn throughout the tavern were clearly the work of someone who had received professional education.

After realizing this, Dal-jae’s gaze shifted.

‘Could it be that woman?’

Dal-jae carefully observed Ha-yoon.

Her short hair, with no telling where it had been cut.

Her enthusiasm as she rolled up her sleeves without hesitation and worked.

Even her unique way of speaking, which made it impossible to guess where she was from.

‘Where on earth did a woman like her come from……?’

A young woman, all alone.

She had settled down and started working at a tavern where she had no previous connection.

There could only be one explanation.

‘A criminal? Or a runaway slave?’

Whatever the circumstances, she certainly was not someone with a respectable background.

Otherwise, why would such a beautiful woman be working in a place like this?

Especially dressed in such a strange way.

A strange woman who suddenly appeared one day at a tavern at the end of a remote mountain road.

This was not a coincidence.

There had to be a story behind it.

‘Hmph, so that’s how it is?’

Dal-jae looked at Ha-yoon suspiciously.

“Customer, are you ready to order?”

“……!”

Just as Ha-yoon approached, Dal-jae hurriedly ordered his food.

“I’ll have the Life Gukbap. And one makgeolli.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

A little later.

“Here are your Life Gukbap and makgeolli. Please enjoy.”

Ha-yoon placed the steaming bowl in front of him and walked away.

Dal-jae grumbled as he picked up his spoon.

“Hmph, acting all high and mighty when you’re nothing but a runaway slave…….”

Slurp.

The moment he put a spoonful of the soup into his mouth, his eyes widened.

‘The broth really is refreshing…….’

Rich broth. Tender meat. A clean taste.

Objectively speaking, the gukbap here was easily one of the top three he had ever tasted.

Dal-jae, who desperately needed something to cure his hangover, finished the entire bowl of gukbap.

‘But it’s not different enough to make that much of a difference?’

Dal-jae tilted his head.

The gukbap at his own Sanmaru Tavern was also quite delicious. Even compared to this place, it was not far behind.

After all, Sanmaru Tavern had been opened because his wife, Mrs. Yang, was an excellent cook.

‘Then why are people flocking here?’

The quality of the food was almost the same.

Then the cause had to be somewhere else.

Dal-jae looked around once more.

‘Ah…….’

And then he realized it.

Nine-tenths of this place’s sales were being handled by Ha-yoon.

From her friendly service to the menu she had created.

There was hardly a single place in the tavern that had not been touched by Ha-yoon.

Come to think of it, the biggest difference between this place and how it used to be was the presence of Ha-yoon.

‘That woman is the root of all this.’

Having found the reason his own tavern was failing so badly, Dal-jae glared at Ha-yoon.

A little later, he approached her under the pretense of paying.

“I ate well. Here are eight coins.”

“Thank you.”

“But I’d like to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

At his sudden question, Ha-yoon raised her head and looked at Dal-jae.

“Who changed this place so completely? I don’t remember it being like this before.”

At Dal-jae’s question, Ha-yoon scratched her head.

“I’m embarrassed to say it, but I did it.”

“You?”

Dal-jae’s eyes became sharp.

“You completely changed this place and made things like the menu yourself?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“You’re quite impressive.”

Dal-jae continued the conversation sarcastically.

“But your way of speaking is a little unusual. Where are you from?”

“Ah, my hometown is Daegu…….”

Ha-yoon answered without thinking, then quickly changed her words.

“……No, actually, I don’t really remember where it is.”

“You don’t remember your hometown?”

Dal-jae looked at Ha-yoon suspiciously.

“Yes. Actually, I lost my memory. So I’m staying here for a while.”

“Of course you are.”

Seeing Ha-yoon make such a poor excuse, Dal-jae’s suspicion grew even stronger.

“I hope you recover your memories soon.”

“Thank you.”

Having found out everything he was curious about, Dal-jae turned around.

That was when Ha-yoon suddenly called him back.

“Wait! You have to take this with you.”

“?”

As she said that, Ha-yoon held something out to him.

It was none other than a stamp card.

“Here’s your stamp card. Once you get ten stamps, you get one free bowl of gukbap.”

“Free gukbap!”

Dal-jae’s eyes trembled as he looked at the stamp card.

Why had he never thought of something like this?

It was such a simple yet effective way to encourage customers to return.

“……Thank you very much.”

Dal-jae snatched the stamp card and left Life Tavern.

Outside the tavern.

Rip! Rip!

Pieces of the Life Tavern stamp card that Dal-jae had torn apart scattered in the wind.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

He felt as if he had been dealt a devastating blow.

He had gone there simply to find out why his business was failing, but all he had found was despair.

The menu.

The stamp card.

And even the friendly service.

In all those areas and more, Sanmaru Tavern could not compete with Life Tavern.

He wanted to introduce such methods to Sanmaru Tavern even now, but there was one problem.

There was no one who could actually put them into practice.

There was an unmistakable talent in the work Ha-yoon had done throughout the tavern, something he could never overcome.

Unfortunately, Dal-jae might have had a little money, but he did not possess such talent.

And even if he copied her now, it was already too late.

Anger and a sense of crisis wrapped around Dal-jae’s entire body.

‘This can’t go on. I have to get rid of them.’

Dal-jae clenched his fists and looked toward Life Tavern.

“How dare you…… hide a runaway slave without fear?”

In the Joseon era, hiding a runaway slave was a serious crime.

It was not something that could be settled by simply paying a small fine.

Anyone who hid a slave or helped them escape could be sentenced to 100 lashes.

Depending on the circumstances, they could even be sentenced to three years in prison.

It was one of the most serious crimes, one that could shake the very foundation of Joseon society, which was built around yangban, commoners, and slaves.

‘If that woman really is a runaway slave…… Munsik will be caught up in it too.’

Munsik, the owner of Life Tavern, was widely known as a kindhearted man.

That was why he had never bothered to ask where Ha-yoon came from or what her status was.

He had simply believed her claim that she had lost her memory and accepted her.

Because of that carelessness, their necks were now about to be caught in a noose.

“Yes…… now I can see the way forward.”

A vicious smile appeared on Dal-jae’s lips as he found his method.

Dal-jae turned his head and glanced at Life Tavern.

Cheerful laughter was still ringing out from inside Life Tavern.

“You’d better laugh as much as you can now. Soon, that laughter will suddenly come to an end.”

Dal-jae glared at Life Tavern for a long while before abruptly turning around.

And the place he headed toward was not Sanmaru Tavern.

It was the direction of the local government office.