The Sales Pitch of a Lifetime

Deep within the inner residence, the air was thick with a faint, lingering fragrance. Priceless treasures lay stacked in every corner—a lacquered cabinet inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a table carved from red sandalwood, calligraphy scrolls bearing the brushwork of celebrated masters. Not a single item in the room lacked an air of refinement. It spoke volumes that even the teacup Hayun was sipping from bore exquisite handiwork.

Slurp.

Hayun drained her tea, all the while gauging Lady Choi's expression. The tea itself was a rare, premium green variety, its delicate aroma lingering long on the tongue.

"So. What is it you've come to show me?"

Lady Choi asked in a dry, clipped tone.

"This, my lady."

Hayun held out the wrapped bundle with care. Her hands trembled almost imperceptibly, but she forced herself to remain composed.

"......"

Lady Choi looked down at the bundle with indifferent eyes, her face betraying no particular expectation.

"And what would this be?"

She had met countless merchants in her day and seen more rare treasures than she could count. To eyes like hers, an ordinary cloth bundle stirred no interest whatsoever.

"See for yourself, my lady."

At Hayun's words, Lady Choi slowly began to untie the wrapping.

Swish.

The knot came loose, the cloth fell open, and the wooden box hidden beneath revealed itself.

"Hm?"

For the first time, Lady Choi showed a flicker of interest.

The box was impeccably crafted. Its surface of paulownia wood had been sanded perfectly smooth, and the joinery at the corners was seamless—without so much as a hair's width of gap. Even at a glance, the handiwork of a seasoned master was evident. A piece of this quality was not easily come by.

"And this...?"

Lady Choi's gaze drifted to the lid of the box, where small, intricately carved letters caught her eye. The calligraphy was graceful and refined.

It was only the words themselves that displeased her.

"Mansang, Yeonggwang Gulbi?"

Lady Choi frowned as she read the inscription. She had expected something genuinely rare, and here it was—nothing but fish.

She asked, sounding rather let down, "Don't tell me there are dried corvina inside this thing?"

"That's correct."

Hayun answered evenly. At the reply, Lady Choi's eyes turned cold. The curiosity she'd shown at first had clearly evaporated, and her slightly forward-leaning posture sank back against her cushion.

"You've made all this fuss just to show me a few dried corvina?"

"This is no ordinary gulbi."

"Then what is it?"

Hayun didn't answer with words.

Instead, she showed her.

Click.

The moment the box opened, a subtle scent of paulownia wood spilled out and began to fill the room.

"Ohh...!"

From the gulbi resting neatly inside the box radiated a brilliant gleam. Their surfaces shimmered gold, glinting like jewels.

"Is that... silk thread?"

Lady Choi's eyes widened as she confirmed that the cord binding the fish was pure raw silk.

"It is. You truly recognize quality at a single glance."

Even for a woman who had beheld countless priceless treasures, this was the first time she had encountered a product so sensually designed. Lady Choi leaned forward once more, her interest unmistakable now.

"Why on earth would you bind mere fish with such precious silk?"

"That is a secret, but..."

At the question, Hayun made a show of glancing around the room, as though no one else must overhear.

"These gulbi were originally intended as royal tribute for His Majesty the King. However, circumstances arose, and the delivery date has been postponed."

It wasn't a lie.

Someday, they truly would be presented to the throne. The order had merely been shuffled. Hayun had that much confidence in herself.

"Royal tribute...!"

The words made Lady Choi's eyes waver. Goods of the highest order, reserved for the King of Joseon alone—the one man who enjoyed absolute power. Tribute goods were the kind of thing no amount of money could buy.

"Are you telling me these are truly the corvina the King himself will eat?"

"Indeed. This box was specially made to be presented to His Majesty. Surely that explains the silk thread as well?"

"Hm..."

The more Hayun spoke, the less ordinary the product seemed. Lady Choi's gaze was now fixed on the gulbi inside the box, and Hayun, noticing it, pressed her advantage.

"Normally we would wait until the next tribute deadline—but could we really afford to? Who knows how these gulbi might spoil by the time they'd grace the royal table?"

"I suppose not."

Lady Choi nodded, satisfied by the logic.

"So as I pondered what to do with them, I thought of you, my lady, and came straight here. After the King himself, is there not one household in all of Uiju more worthy than this one?"

Hayun beamed at Lady Choi. The flattery had landed; a rather pleased smile bloomed on the older woman's face.

"Tribute goods, you say..."

Lady Choi's eyes returned to the box. Somewhere along the way, the look in them had changed entirely.

Her fingertips brushed lightly along the edge of the box.

Stroke.

The wood grain was silky smooth. The weight of the box felt just right in her hands. The quality of the silk thread and the gulbi went without saying. Even the grains of salt resting atop the fish were neither too coarse nor too fine—precisely as they should be.

Examined from every angle, the product whispered of meticulous care.

"The quality is certainly fine, I'll grant you."

"As expected of you, my lady—such a discerning eye."

Hayun added the compliment at precisely the right moment.

'We're halfway there!'

She had caught the shift in Lady Choi's demeanor. Greed was beginning to pool in the woman's eyes. She feigned indifference, but her speech had grown noticeably quicker.

Hayun slipped in another remark, timed to perfection.

"As you can see, this is the finest of the fine—perfect as a gift for anyone of standing. Who wouldn't be delighted to receive such a present?"

"At this quality, it's true..."

Lady Choi nodded slowly. In the Joseon era, such a thing was almost beyond imagining. A box fashioned from paulownia wood, each gulbi bound in precious raw silk. The silk alone, resold, would fetch enough rice to fill a household for months.

Sweep.

Lady Choi's hand lingered on the box, reluctant to leave it. After a moment's thought, she asked, "What is the price of this?"

Hayun's mind raced.

'Name an ambiguous price, and it won't sell at all.'

Her counterpart was the premier noble house of Uiju. A sum only slightly above ordinary gulbi would invite suspicion instead. When dealing with the wealthy, one had to price boldly. Only then would the product's true worth be complete. It was a moment that demanded a price both audacious and exact.

After the briefest hesitation, Hayun answered.

"Twenty nyang."

"Twenty nyang!"

Shock flashed across Lady Choi's face. Ordinary gulbi sold for five nyang a dureum. Twenty nyang, then, was four times the going rate—a price even the most sheltered aristocrat would recognize as steep at a glance.

"And this fish is worth that much?"

Doubt clouded Lady Choi's eyes.

"I understand your disbelief, but it's true."

Hayun did not look away. She met Lady Choi's gaze square on.

"Only one hundred boxes in the entire world were made for the royal tribute."

"A hundred boxes...!"

The number made Lady Choi's eyes waver yet again.

"The silk thread alone, as you can see, tells you how rare this is."

Hayun gestured to the gulbi in the box, where the sheen of raw silk caught the sunlight and glittered.

"Even so, that's a preposterous—"

Lady Choi let her sentence trail off. The certainty she had held moments before turned cold the instant she heard the price.

The problem was not the money. Would the finest house in Uiju truly begrudge a mere twenty nyang? What Lady Choi feared was whether the goods were genuine.

She had purchased far more expensive things countless times—the furniture in this very room was worth several hundred nyang. But if she let Hayun's patter fool her into buying ordinary corvina at twenty nyang a box, there could be no greater humiliation. Losing money was a small loss; losing face was beyond all reckoning.

"Hmm..."

Lady Choi's gaze darted between the box and Hayun. Deep in thought, she even began tapping the table with her fingertips—tak, tak, tak.

"Haah..."

When the silence stretched too long, Hayun abruptly heaved a great sigh.

"What a disappointment."

"What did you say?"

Lady Choi stared at her as though she had misheard.

"I came here hoping that you, my lady, of all people would recognize this item's true worth, and yet..."

Click.

With that, Hayun closed the lid of the box. Bewilderment flickered in Lady Choi's eyes.

"If it doesn't please you, there's nothing to be done."

And with that, Hayun began pulling the box back toward herself.

Slide.

Slowly. Deliberately slowly.

Lady Choi's gaze followed the box as it receded from her reach.

"If you won't buy, my lady, I'll simply have to find another buyer."

Presently she began wrapping the box in its cloth again—and this, too, at a pace deliberately slow enough to be seen.

"Who knows? Perhaps Lady Min, wife of Minister Choi, or Lady Park, wife of Vice-Minister Park, might appreciate this item's value."

Murmuring to herself, Hayun rose from her seat. Gathering the bundle, she bowed.

"I apologize for taking your time. Then, if you'll excuse—"

That was when it happened.

"Wait."

Lady Choi stopped her abruptly. Urgency bled through her voice.

Hayun froze mid-step.

But she did not turn around.

Not yet—she couldn't let the woman see her smiling.

Instead, Hayun began slowly counting numbers in her head.

'One, two, three, four...'

As Hayun counted, ten thousand thoughts raced through Lady Choi's mind as well. Her gaze darted between Hayun and the bundle in her hands.

A moment later—

"I'll buy them."

Lady Choi declared, her tone resolute.

A faint smile spread across Hayun's lips.

"I knew you would."

Turning back, she wore a brightness as if nothing had happened, and asked, "How many boxes will you require, then?"

Hayun drew a small ledger from her robes. The deal had to be closed before Lady Choi could change her mind.

"Since this is your first purchase, I'll offer you as much stock as you desire, without reserve."

Now everything hinged on just how many boxes Lady Choi would buy.

"Hmm..."

Faced with the final decision, Lady Choi fell into brief contemplation. Hayun waited anxiously for her answer.

Then the woman's mouth opened—and Hayun's jaw dropped.

"A hundred boxes."

"I'm sorry?"

She was so stunned she nearly dropped the ledger from her hands.

"A h-hundred boxes?"

Lady Choi nodded. She looked Hayun dead in the eye.

"Every box you have. Bring them all to me."

"......!"