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chapter 19
“The Great Western Empire?!”
“Wow—”
Most of them were from rural areas who had never even seen people from other regions, let alone foreigners. Hearing that their very first guests would be traders from the Great Western Empire, the apprentices could not contain their excitement and buzzed loudly.
“I heard people from the Great Western Empire are three times taller than us and have blue faces.”
“I also heard they use strange sorcery we’ve never seen before.”
“I once saw a mask shaped like Cheoyong’s face! They say it wards off evil spirits!”
Hearing all this nonsense, Seorin couldn’t help feeling dumbfounded.
‘Where in the world are they even getting this ridiculous crap?’
“I–I actually made charms out of that when sickness spread in my village and sold them as talismans! It, it sold pretty well too!”
Gabi, not you too!
“Quiet!”
Lee Jeong-ah yelled sharply.
“How did you lot even pass the apprentice exams if you go around believing such absurd rumors?!”
The deputy director’s scolding made all the new apprentices bow their heads quickly.
Lee Jeong-ah massaged her temples and let out a sigh.
‘They have no idea what kinds of people from which countries will come here in the future, and they’re already making a ruckus like this…’
She decided this was a good time to warn them properly.
“If any of you display such behavior and are rude to a guest because of it, you’ll be thrown out of Hyeeumwon on the spot!”
“Y–yes, ma’am…”
‘We barely made it into Hyeeumwon—absolutely not!’
The apprentices shook their heads wildly, sweeping away the terrifying thought. They resolved not to be surprised even if a rabbit from the moon came down requesting a room.
Seeing how their eyes now shone with a different light, Lee Jeong-ah walked toward the large hanging scroll at the front of the hall.
“Now then, let me explain the work you’ll be doing.”
She untied the cord binding the scroll. With a swish, it unrolled downward, revealing a painted floor plan.
‘Huh?! That’s—!’
It looked identical to the aerial view of Hyeeumwon she had seen at the visitor center.
“Since you toured several buildings during the exam, you should already be somewhat familiar with the overall layout.”
Lee Jeong-ah extended a hand and pointed at the map as she spoke.
“When you pass through the main central gate, the first thing you will see is the Reception Hall, where guests check in. They receive their key tags there and then move to their respective lodging areas.”
The part she pointed to showed three large pavilions.
“The rooms are divided into three types by grade. Anbingak, the basic rooms mainly used by traveling merchants. Yeongwolgak, the mid-grade rooms. And Bohwagak, the luxury pavilion for VIP guests. Yeongwolgak also contains Bongmyeongjae, the exclusive area for officials on duty. Bohwagak contains Nanseoljae, the women-only quarters.”
She moved her pointer to a brightly painted multilevel pavilion.
“This is Manhyangru, specifically the dining hall Hyangmicheong, where guests staying at our station eat. Manhyangru also includes Gayeonjae for musical entertainment, and separated spaces Hiujae and Pungwoljae. The rear of Manhyangru contains the kitchen Chanseonbang and Hyangjeokdang, where we eat.”
The apprentices hurried to take notes.
“Above Hyeeumwon is the temporary palace where His Majesty stays, and Hyeeumsa, the temple. The medical office is located there.”
After finishing her explanation, she folded her pointer and turned to face them again.
“Now, let me explain your duties.”
But at that moment—
“Deputy Director!”
A clerk burst into the training hall, panting.
“What is it?”
His expression was too serious for her to scold him for barging in during training.
“A c–crisis! Something big has happened!”
He leaned in and whispered the situation to Lee Jeong-ah. As she listened, her expression hardened gradually.
The apprentices looked at her, confused.
‘What could possibly have happened at Hyeeumwon before it even opens?’
When the clerk finished, she asked in shock:
“Are you certain?”
“Y-yes, absolutely!”
After delivering the urgent news, the clerk hurried out. Lee Jeong-ah let out a long sigh and rubbed her face.
Noticing the apprentices staring worriedly, she tried to relax her expression, but it wasn’t easy.
‘Even if I explain it, will they even understand how serious this is? …But they’ll have to know sooner or later.’
She decided to tell them.
“Do not be alarmed. The Great Western Empire’s merchants… their arrival date has been moved up.”
“……?”
Their reactions were as she expected—completely unfazed.
“So… what about our training?”
—asked one, utterly carefree.
‘…Of course. There’s no way a new recruit would grasp how serious this is.’
But there was one exception.
The apprentice who, despite lacking formal education, had interned long enough to be a near-veteran. The top scorer of Hyeeumwon’s entrance exam: Oh Seorin.
Seorin’s face was completely drained of color—unlike the others.
‘Could she… actually understand what a “schedule change” means? What kind of storm it brings?’
But Seorin understood perfectly.
She had once interned at a hotel in Jeju.
A typhoon originally headed toward Japan abruptly swerved toward Jeju. As a result, a major travel agency canceled all outdoor itineraries and suddenly brought in a large tour group who were scheduled to arrive three days later.
The hotel had no choice but to accept them.
And the hotel went into full emergency mode.
A full-staff mobilization was ordered. Everyone scrambled to check room availability, assess spare food supplies, and prepare.
Indoor programs arranged specially for group guests had to be advanced immediately. They begged instructors to come early—if not, hired replacements, rewrote entire programs, and even paid cancellation penalties.
It was a nightmare Seorin would never forget.
Remembering it made her shiver.
“H-how much earlier is the schedule moved?”
Seeing Seorin trembling as she asked, Lee Jeong-ah answered plainly.
“A week… earlier.”
“S-surely not?! That means—”
“Yes. The merchants will arrive this afternoon.”
The merchants, originally scheduled to arrive a week later, were now arriving today. The message had been sent by courier—but due to complications, it reached Hyeeumwon only today.
Lee Jeong-ah’s head throbbed.
This merchant group was no ordinary group. They were the Al-Fayruz Caravan.
Their caravan master was none other than the brother of the Empress of the Great Western Empire.
After his younger sister became Empress, he used his influence to elevate the Al-Fayruz Caravan into the most powerful merchant guild in the empire in an extremely short time.
There were many inns across the world that had been forced to close after receiving just a few negative comments from them.
That was the level of influence they wielded.
“Huk!! Then—this is an emergency!”
“My words exactly!!”
Seeing Seorin’s ghost-white face, Lee Jeong-ah wondered if she truly grasped the situation. But after hearing the stream of frantic questions from the girl, she nodded.
“Do we have enough ingredients to feed the guests?!”
“Bedding! Is all the bedding prepared?!”
“Boilers—no, the heating fuel for the rooms?!”
“Do we have enough feed for the horses and oxen carrying their luggage?!”
“Amenities? Yoga programs?!!”
