Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 457
Episode 457: Changing People pt.2. (2)
After some time, the overnight room where Seong Sam-moon and his group were located became fully occupied.
After taking a light bath, the gathered officials soon sat around Datak and chatted lightly.
Although the eyes of the officials were full of fatigue, few of them missed this opportunity to chat.
Because they gathered regardless of ministry, it was a valuable opportunity to hear stories from ministries other than their own. Just by collecting the stories flowing out of these places, one could understand the overall flow, and only those who could draw this well could advance to the top.
“I’m a little hungry… How about ordering a late-night snack?”
As Han Myeong-hoe, who was talking like that, patted her stomach and cried to those around her, Kwon Ram looked at his watch and shook his head.
“It’s too late. “It’s a shame.”
“Oh my…”
Han Myeong-hoe, who spoke for the first time, was licking his lips when Lee Gae, who was sitting with him, cautiously opened his mouth.
“I have some salami that I brought back from Area 51 during the day. Would you like to try some?”
“salami!”
As soon as Yi Gai said these words, the eyes of Kwon Ram and others sparkled menacingly.
“I have heard a lot! “I heard it’s a dish made by Western glass artisans working in Area 51, and it’s a delicacy?”
Everyone else nodded at Kwon Ram’s words.
Lee Gae searched the sleeve of the official uniform hanging next to the bed and took out an object tightly wrapped in paper. He placed the wad of paper on the table and received the words.
“To be precise, it is food made together by the western region people and the monks at the institute. “It’s similar to the sundae from the northern region, except that it’s a lot saltier, but it has a pretty good flavor.”
“Is that so?”
The mouths of the officials, who were fixated on the stack of paper as they listened to Lee Gai’s explanation, were already filled with saliva.
The knot tying the paper was undone, and inside the wide open paper was lightly grilled and thinly sliced salami.
“Try it.”
“Thank you!”
The officials who put the thinly sliced pieces of salami into their mouths immediately shook their heads.
“It really is a delicacy.”
“Do you like soju?”
“Soju is good, but I think mulberry water would also be good.”
Kwon Ram finished the piece amidst positive reviews.
“There was a reason why His Majesty the Lord praised you.”
* * *
Among the foreigners who came to Joseon, those who lived the most successful lives were Raphael and Pietro.
‘A glass artisan is needed.’
The two men brought by Mansour from the slave market in Alexandria at the request of the incense changed from slaves to free people and soon became key figures in the royal glass workshop established in Area 51.
Recognized for the importance of their skills, the two received shares in addition to their salaries, and soon amassed considerable wealth.
And as time passed, the two found themselves in a situation where they had to choose where to go.
“The promised 10 years are almost over…”
“That’s right.”
Pietro and Raphael pondered the future with serious faces.
‘Are you just going to put down roots in Joseon or are you going to return to your hometown?’
Even if they settled in Joseon like this, the two had no shortage. He built up a close relationship with Joseon’s glass craftsmen to the point where he could talk to them without hesitation, and the dividends he received through salary and shares were considerable.
If they settled down and lived like this, they were guaranteed an enviable environment in which to live.
Conversely, if I went back to my hometown, I would have to start all over again. If I opened a store with the money I had saved up, the initial hardship would be less, but I still had to be prepared for territoriality.
That was just a wishful thinking, and if they made a mistake, they might be imprisoned in the deepest part of Murano Island and have to spit out their newly acquired new technologies for free.
In the end, after much contemplation, Pietro and Raphael decided to remain in Joseon. Surprisingly, it was Raphael who made such a decision first.
“Err! Neither of us have blood relatives in Venice, so let’s live here as if it were our hometown!”
‘I got stuck in a trap.’ Pietro nodded at Raphael’s decision, as he had a great interest in the outside world and had a playboy temperament, to the point where the Korean expression “.
“That would be better. “Like you said, I have no blood relatives in Venice and I’m not sure I can succeed even if I go back.”
The two people made up their minds and told Hyang about their decision.
“What a difficult decision you have made! “That’s great!”
Hyang, who praised the two people, immediately reported this to King Sejong.
Although its influence was much reduced compared to the beginning, it was still good news that glass craftsmen with the best technology would establish themselves in Joseon.
After hearing the news, King Sejong immediately called the two.
“It is not easy to leave your hometown and settle down in an unfamiliar land a thousand miles away, so you are truly admirable for making such a difficult decision!”
King Sejong praised the two with a happy face and immediately continued speaking.
“Now that I think about it, I heard that the two of you don’t have last names. Is that correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Then can I give you my last name?”
“Glory comes!”
When the two people accepted it with great joy, Sejong, who had been thinking for a while, opened his mouth.
“First, Raphael. Since you have always led all matters as the head of the craftsmen, I will give you the surname Choi.”
“Here comes the honor of a lifetime!”
“And Pietro, since you are always looking for new and better things, I will give you a high name as your last name.”
“I am devastated!”
The two people who received the last name from King Sejong were so moved that they bowed their heads. I was even more impressed because they did not simply give us last names, but gave us words with meanings that suited each person as our last names.
Hyang, who was watching this scene from the side, muttered to herself.
‘The two together are the best?’
Since then, the Hanyang Choi and Hanyang Ko families, which are said to have produced the world’s best talents in the glass and ceramic industries, were born.
* * *
The two people who decided to settle down in Joseon soon started a family.
And in this process, they were two people who showed polar opposites.
“What a cow-like friend!”
“Stay stubborn!”
In the case of Raphael, who received this kind of evaluation from those around him, he sent a formal hawk to the house of the woman he secretly had in mind.
Most of the Koreans around Raphael and Pietro were craftsmen and low-level officials working in Area 51 and the royal workshop, so their families also knew Raphael and Pietro well. And there were quite a few wives and children who had feelings for Raphael and Pietro, who had exotic looks.
The house to which Raphael sent his hawk was the house of such a father-in-law, and the wife also had a crush on Raphael, so the two got married on an auspicious day.
And it was a great celebration as Hyang attended the wedding ceremony as a guest.
Conversely, in Pietro’s case, he had to make a choice surrounded by male relatives of the woman who crossed the line.
“They just held hands!”
The woman’s father pointed to the mat and said as he saw Pietro expressing his resentment at the men holding a club in his hand and glaring at him murderously.
“Choose. Do you want to lie on that mat or get married on that mat?”
Pietro, faced with a life-or-death crisis, eventually decided to get married.
* * *
The two people, who had started a family, recalled the food from their hometown that they had forgotten. No, from the moment I decided not to go back, it occurred to me even more strongly.
“Joseon’s food is delicious, but sometimes I crave food from my hometown.”
“Would you like to give me a taste?”
The two of them talked while recalling the taste of their hometown that they had forced to forget, and soon came to one conclusion.
“It’s also salami, right?”
“Salamiji. “These ingredients are easy to obtain even here in Joseon, and since there are kilns everywhere, you can turn them around a bit.”
While talking, the two wiped the drool from the corners of their mouths.
“Chulup! When you bite into a well-smoked salami with plenty of garlic and pepper…”
“Kyaaa!”
The two people who came together soon started making salami, but the work was not easy. They were both glass artisans, not salami artisans.
The two who were worried so soon found a solution, and it was the monks who went on a business trip from the research institute to Area 51.
The monks, who were self-sufficient, knew how to make salami, and their contribution helped create the finished product.
“This is a top-quality salami that is hard to find even in Florence!”
Upon seeing the result, the monks praised the two and presented the salami to Hyang and King Sejong.
“What a delicacy!”
It was a favorable review from King Sejong, who is well-known for eating meat. And King Sejong did not stop there.
“Sharing delicious food is a virtue, so think about mass production.”
“I follow your orders.”
The scent blocked the two people who came out after receiving King Sejong’s order.
“Look.”
“Yes sir.”
“Can you make butter or cheese?”
The two people answered Hyang’s question by scratching their heads.
“You can make it. “We know it to some extent, and the monks know how to do it.”
“But the cow is the problem. “It would be much easier if we had a cow.”
“You’re saying we can do this if we just find a cow, right?”
“yes.”
“I understand. “I will take care of that part, so you can prepare the rest.”
“yes? yes? “Yes?”
“Good luck!”
“No sir!”
Raphael and Pietro, with bewildered expressions on their faces, blew out the incense, but the incense was already disappearing into the distance.
The scent of returning to his office was filled with joy.
‘Salami came out! All you need is cheese and you have pizza! pizza!’
I completely forgot about the presence of tomatoes, the most important element of pizza eaten in the 21st century, and it was my favorite scent.
In this way, ‘Choi High Foods’, a food processing company boasting the world’s oldest history, was born.
* * *
Of course, the creation of the best food company was still a thing of the future, and salami was still a ‘rumored food only known to those in the know’ that could only be eaten by entering Area 51.
Of course, King Sejong came to the table as soon as he gave an order.
Because it was such a food, even the officials in the night shift room ate the salami in a hurry.
“wait?”
Kwon Ram, who was eagerly eating salami, suddenly put down the salami and looked at Lee Gae.
“This injection. “Didn’t you clearly say that you belong to the Ministry of Finance and Economy?”
“That’s right.”
“But why in Area 51? “No way…”
When Kwon Ram made an expression of wonder, Han Myeong-hoe and Shin Sook-ju’s faces turned pale and their hearts suddenly pounded.
“Oops! “It’s on!”
“Oops! “Wow!”
When the small commotion subsided, Lee Gae opened his mouth.
“Perhaps what Governor Kwon thinks is correct. A new object has been created in Area 51. “It is a seasonal product, but its marketability is excellent.”
“To what extent?”
“High-ranking officials are now seriously considering whether to sell it exclusively in the royal workshop or release it to the private sector.”
“Oh my…”
“Damn it…”
Everyone in the room let out a small curse at Lee Gae’s response.
The fact that they were considering it meant that the possibility of exclusive sales was very high. This meant that a large budget would be spent, starting with the cost of building a workshop to handle production, and they would have to think about how to protect the budget.
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to which Shin Suk-ju and Han Myeong-hoe belonged, had the added bonus of having to deal with diplomatic documents and envoys arriving from neighboring countries, especially the Ming Dynasty.
“What on earth is that new object?”
Lee Gae gave a short answer to Kwon Ram’s question.
“It’s called a windmill.”
“Windmill?”
In the 21st century, an object known as an electric fan finally appeared.