WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 128: Mountains, Silk, and Publishing Houses

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Ayame was so suddenly startled that Han San jumped along with her.

"Ah, yes. A publishing house. You and me together..."

Han San had perfectly reasonable reasons for making the suggestion.

Aside from Ayame's career and connections making her a good fit in many ways, he had also considered the family she belonged to.

'The Hajama family.'

He had become involved with members of that family in one way or another.

Their relationship wasn't bad. It would be fair to say they held more than enough goodwill toward each other.

'But if I look at the details... My connection with Mr. Tsuchikaku comes from my abilities, so that's one thing. But with Miss Ayame, almost all of it has been based on her goodwill.'

She was the sort of woman who helped with company business, arranged construction workers, and even offered to connect Kim Yu-jeong with a publisher, just as she had a moment ago, all out of that goodwill.

He was immensely grateful for it, but...

'Wouldn't tying ourselves together through profit make it a firmer, healthier relationship?'

Or rather, Han San felt a little uneasy if he didn't.

He didn't say any of that aloud, including his slight unease. He knew that was unusually restrained of him, but still.

Ayame blinked.

"A publishing house... with San..."

"Yes. Every job needs people to do it. I don't know about anything else, but wouldn't you know the connections around here better, Miss? You're a reporter, after all."

"A publishing house... with San..."

"We can split the shares fifty-fifty."

This was necessary, and important.

Publishing houses in this era were like plump little cheeks. Anyone passing by would want to poke them once or twice.

'But what if it's a publishing house funded half by the Hajama family?'

Hadn't Ayame said it herself just now? [Since it will be published through my grandfather's publishing house, you don't need to worry too much about that sort of thing.]

The fingers that had wanted to poke at it would curl themselves back, and even when censorship came down from above, they would already have half the battle won...

As Han San thought that over, Hajama Ayame's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Fifty-fifty shares... fifty-fifty with San..."

Then, bang! Ayame spread both palms and slammed them down on the table with all her strength. Rising to her feet, she cried happily,

"Yes, San! Let's start a publishing house together!"

Han San smiled.

"All right. Then the investment will come from your grandfather's company..."

"I'll pay from my personal funds!"

Han San paused.

She would put up half the money to establish a publishing house from her personal wealth?

'She really is unbelievably rich.'

Before the overwhelming class order represented by Ayame, the tiny red warrior in Han San's heart... did not so much as stir.

'More importantly, what even is a tiny red warrior in someone's heart?'

Why would such a thing exist in people's hearts to begin with? Han San von Han's Myriad Commerce de Gaunetgor, the young president of a thriving mega-corporation in Chuncheon, simply could not understand the mindset of dirt-spooners...

In any case.

'If her grandfather's company invests, we could openly trade on Fusataro's name, but...'

Company money always came with company people attached.

Just as Han's Myriad Commerce had the Chuk Brothers, a major businessman like Hajama Fusataro would naturally have trusted subordinates of his own.

If they formed a joint venture and established a publishing house, one of their executives would naturally join the new company. That could weaken Han San's control over the business. If the executive proved capable, they might even gradually encroach on Han's Myriad Commerce's control as well.

But if it was Ayame's personal money?

'We can still fully benefit from the symbolic effect of the Hajama name. And since I'll be sharing the profits with her, it fits the original purpose, too.'

He agreed immediately.

"Good. You and I will each put up half and establish it together."

"Yes!"

"Then, the question is what we should name the publishing house..."

Following his usual naming convention, it should have been Hanga Publishing without question, but Han San did not name it as he pleased this time.

The person investing half the money was right in front of him.

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"Hm."

Ayame cleared her throat softly, tilted her head, and thought hard for a moment.

"Your name is San, written with the single character for mountain, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm Ayame. The Aya is written with the character for silk. The me simply means girl."

In Korean terms, it was like the Soon in Jeomsoon.

'So Miss Ayame is Miss Silk-Soon...'

"San?"

"Ah." Han San cleared his throat. "Um, yes... Then really, I could just call you Miss Aya."

"Ah." Ayame tilted her head back slightly and furrowed her brow, then paused. "Um, what did you say, San?"

Han San blinked.

"Pardon? Ah... that my name is San, written with a single character?"

"The part after that!"

"So Miss Ayame is Miss Silk-Soon..."

"What!? When did you say that, San? Ah! You were thinking that earlier!? No wonder! I thought you had the face of someone having a strange thought!"

"I'm sorry... No, no, um, you told me to say thank you rather than sorry. So... thank you?"

"Sorry is the right thing to say right now! Why are you thanking me for that!? No, that's not the important part! The part after that!"

"Uh... Miss Aya?"

"Mm! While you're at it, more! Drop the ‘Miss’!"

"No, that might be a little much."

"Ah, not yet... Mmm... All right, then keep the ‘Miss’..."

"Miss Aya."

Ayame clenched both fists and smiled proudly.

"Yes! I forgive you!"

"Uh..."

Han San scratched the back of his head. Ayame sat back down with an ahem and made her suggestion.

"Then how about Sanreung Publishing?"

"Sanreung Publishing."

Mountain and silk.

"That's a good name."

"Hehe..."

Ayame smiled. Between her proud smile from earlier and her slightly shy smile now, a pale gradient bloomed across her face like crushed pastel dust.

Han San smiled along with her.

Then, as he smiled, he suddenly thought, Huh?

What was this?

The inside of his chest felt ticklish. It was a little strange somehow. No, more than that, unfamiliar.

Han San cleared his throat once more.

Ayame was beaming at him. She cocked her head deeply to one side, watching him through her glasses with eyes that seemed oddly delighted, then said,

"Then leave the preparations for opening the publishing house to me. San, please also look around for people near you who might be suited to work at our publishing house."

"All right, Miss Ayame..."

"Mmm?"

"Miss Aya." Han San cleared his throat for the third time. "Yes, understood."

Ayame broke into a broad smile. Han San wondered what to do, then ended up smiling back.

The moment he left the teahouse, Han San quickly pulled himself together.

'What we need is educated people.'

He certainly couldn't leave recruitment entirely to Miss Ayame... no, Miss Aya. It was their company together.

'The teachers in Mogok are the first people who come to mind.'

But they had a school to run. In fact, considering how rapidly the number of students was growing, they needed to hire more teachers themselves.

'Perfect. I'll ask them to introduce me to some educated people around here while they're hiring more teachers.'

As in [A Ready-Made Life], one of the few Gyeongseong-set novels Han San had read in his previous life, educated people had connections of their own.

School classmates, fellow students from overseas, this society and that literary circle, and so on.

'Hm... Speaking of educated people.'

Chuk Jae-seok, the Intelli-Red among the Chuk Brothers, suddenly came to mind.

'A good number of educated people in this era are Reds, too.'

It wasn't that he meant anything by it. Han San simply thought that perhaps he could be introduced to connections on that side as well.

'Jae-seok's expression hasn't looked too good since Myo Gang joined us, either. I can bring it up over tea while we talk about how he's doing as an employee.'

So an hour later, Han San sat across from Chuk Jae-seok.

"Chief Secretary. I'm disappointed in you, Chief Secretary Jae-seok. Do you know that?"

At Han San's stern words, Chuk Jae-seok was startled.

"Pardon? Uh... Sajang, did I do something wrong...?"

"Your expression hasn't been good lately. Ever since Myo Gang joined us. What's wrong? Is it because of that promissory note attack after all?"

When Myo's Myriad Commerce had launched its promissory note offensive, Chuk Jae-seok had held the position directly below Han San. He had felt a great deal of responsibility at the time.

'Could he still be carrying a grudge over that?'

Or perhaps Myo Gang seemed to be showing skill in management, and Jae-seok had become anxious that his own role in the company was shrinking...

'Well, either way.'

Han San sounded stern on the surface, but he had no real intention of reprimanding him.

'Jae-seok is young.'

It was only natural for a bright, well-educated young man to get lost in his thoughts sometimes.

But then...

"Ah... I'm sorry. I certainly haven't been able to focus on work much lately."

Chuk Jae-seok gave a small smile and scratched the back of his head.

"It's not because of Myo Gang."

He genuinely didn't look like he was lying.

That was unexpected, so Han San immediately straightened up.

"Then why? Did something happen? If there's trouble at home..."

"Home... Um, it's not family trouble. Though in a way, it is..."

Chuk Jae-seok hesitated. His lips moved several times before he raised his head to look at Han San, his face set with resolve.

"Sajang. Have you ever heard of someone named Lee Jae-yu?"

"Lee Jae-yu?"

Of course Han San knew the name.

"The Gyeongseong Troika man?"

Lee Jae-yu.

Born in Samsu County, Hamgyeong Province.

The son of slash-and-burn settlers, he enrolled in a public school.

He dropped out because there was nothing left for him to learn, studied on his own, and transferred to Boseong High School. He quit because of tuition, only to transfer to Kaesong Songdo High School the very next year.

Then, the year after that, he even went to Tokyo and was accepted into Nihon University.

Yet the person he truly revered as his master was neither a schoolteacher nor a professor, but the great teacher Marx.

Lee Jae-yu took part in, and at times organized, various labor movements. After being imprisoned, he was deported to Korea.

The moment he completed his sentence, though, he returned to Gyeongseong and made his move. That was the Gyeongseong Troika, which shook up the labor world during this period.

"Starting with Dongdeok, Jungang, and Paichai, he led coordinated school strikes across prominent schools. Rubber factory strikes, silk-reeling factory strikes... You can assume he was involved in most of the major actions that have taken place around Gyeongseong since last year.

"The Special Higher Police chased him for two straight years, but he slipped away every time. They even called him The Man Who Could Not Be Caught."

Han San furrowed his brow at Chuk Jae-seok's explanation.

He knew well enough that Reds in this era had an unusual way of moving. Weren't they like Marios, bouncing around as if they had three extra lives?

Still, Han San frowned only because his refined nature demanded that he point out the facts.

"But he was caught. Around the latter half of January this year."

"Ah, yes. Well."

Chuk Jae-seok's expression wilted after taking that factual blow.

Han San recalled when Lee Jae-yu had been arrested. Had that been right around the time of Myo Gang's promissory note offensive?

'Wait, then could it be that Jae-seok had been helplessly caught up in that offensive not simply because he hadn't thought as far as managing the clients...'

"Is he your friend?"

Han San asked directly.

Chuk Jae-seok sighed.

"Yes... Well. That's why... I haven't been able to focus on work since then... I'm sorry, Sajang..."

Han San waved it off.

"No. If your friend was arrested... and for doing Red... no, um, leftist activities? Right, anyway, if he was arrested for that, he's obviously going to suffer. Of course you might not be able to focus on work because you're worried about your friend."

What was past was past. Han San had resolved it all, hadn't he?

The problem was what came next.

"It's April now. It's already been three months. Are you still having trouble coming to terms with it? Then would you rather take a few months off? I'll keep your position open until you come back..."

"He escaped."

Han San paused.

Chuk Jae-seok lowered his voice another notch.

"On the night of the thirteenth this month, Jae-yu escaped from the holding cell at Seodaemun Police Station."

That was right.

The Reds of this era really did move differently.

Footnotes:

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