Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 106

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

106. Hee Hwang’s Choice, and Glass (2)

After that, Raphael and Pietro were incredibly busy.

The first thing they did was to educate Joseon artisans for the mass production of plate glass.

‘Looking for artisans to create a new device called glass! Seeking applicants among artisans who make porcelain, earthenware, roof tiles, or bricks!’

Following the announcement from the court, potters working in royal kilns (官窯) [government-run kilns] and private kilns (私窯), as well as artisans and potters working in earthenware kilns and tile factories, applied one by one.

“Hey! We’re finally making a decent living, why are you quitting and leaving!”

Their colleagues tried to dissuade those who decided to switch jobs.

This was because, with Sejong and Hyang valuing artisans, the jobs had become stable, breaking away from the past of being looked down upon.

However, those who left also had their reasons.

‘There are plenty of artisans doing the same work anyway! I need to learn new skills in a new place to survive! It’s worth the challenge!’

They were people who sought new opportunities and challenges.

As they came with a spirit of challenge, they put all their efforts into not missing a single thing, and naturally, Joseon artisans quickly acquired the technology.

As the skills of Joseon artisans increased, mass production of plate glass became possible.

“If mass production is possible, we should implement it right away!”

“The budget….”

“Ah, damn it! Raid the Insun Department! What’s the point of life? I’ll just get a beating from Father later, I guess!”

Following Hyang’s decision, mass production of plate glass proceeded.

As funds were properly invested and plate glass was produced in large quantities, Hyang immediately replaced the outer doors of the Crown Prince’s residence from paper-covered doors to glass-fitted doors.

‘The Crown Prince is renovating the doors of the Crown Prince’s residence!’

Hearing the rumors, Sejong immediately visited the site with his ministers.

“Is this the glass?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It is truly clear. It is truly amazing that such an item can be made from sand and limestone.”

Sejong, who was admiring the transparent glass, looked around the doors that had already been installed. Just then, Sejong, seeing the glass sparkling in the sunlight, immediately exclaimed.

“Have the outer doors of Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbok Palace] and Gangnyeongjeon [the King’s living quarters] also be replaced with glass doors.”

At Sejong’s decision, Hyang immediately bowed his head.

“I will prepare and execute it immediately!”

‘Got him!’

As Geunjeongjeon and Gangnyeongjeon were fitted with glass doors, Queen Soheon and the concubines who saw this also requested that glass doors be installed in their residences.

Their requests were immediately approved, and soon the palaces of Hanseong [old name for Seoul] began to be surrounded by glass doors.

As glass was used in large quantities in the palace, rumors began to circulate in Hanseong.

* * *

A Gyegak [rice cake] house near Seosomun [one of the Eight Gates of Seoul Fortress Wall].

The men standing to buy Gyegak were talking.

“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”

“Rumor? What rumor?”

“I heard that the King replaced all the doors and windows of the palace with crystal instead of Hanji [traditional Korean paper]?”

“With crystal? That must have cost a fortune! Does this mean taxes will go up? It’s already hard enough to make a living….”

Another man standing next to him responded to the man who was worried about taxes.

“It’s not real crystal. The person who lives next door to me works in the workshop that the Crown Prince created, and he said they make it by melting sand.”

“Sand? The sand that’s all over the Han River?”

“That’s right.”

“Heo-eoo [an exclamation of surprise].”

“My goodness. That’s something, isn’t it? Making crystal out of sand?”

People around who heard the explanation couldn’t hide their surprise.

“It’s amazing… but isn’t it just ‘pie in the sky’ for us commoners anyway? It can’t be a cheap item, can it? Only the nobles in Bukchon [traditional wealthy neighborhood in Seoul] would use it.”

When one of those listening to the story showed a skeptical reaction, the man who was explaining added.

“Hey, mister! Among the things that the Crown Prince is rumored to have made, were there any items that were only meant for nobles to use? Has there been anything exclusively for the nobility?”

Everyone around him looked surprised and nodded.

“Huh? That’s true, isn’t it?”

“Really!”

“When I asked the nobleman next door, he said that even though it’s a bit expensive, if we save up some money, we can install windows in our house too.”

“Really?”

“Shall we save some money too?”

While people were whispering, the owner of the Gyegak house shouted.

“Hey! Are you not going to buy Gyegak! What nonsense are you spouting, blocking the entrance of someone else’s store!”

“Ah! One serving, please!”

“I’ll take two!”

As the people pointed out, there were no restrictions on users for Hyang’s first creation, the Gold Brush. Thanks to this, anyone, whether noble or commoner, or even the lower class, could buy what they wanted if they had the money to pay for it.

This brought about a result that Hyang had not anticipated, and the subservience to the nobles that ordinary people almost instinctively had was gradually fading away.

* * *

As the mass production of plate glass was handed over to Joseon artisans, Hyang passed on another task to Pietro and Raphael.

“You said you could make bottles out of glass, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you can add color to the glass?”

“Yes. But why?”

After confirming once again, Hyang gave an order to Raphael and Pietro.

“Make brown glass bottles. The size should be divided into four types, with the largest being about one mal [approximately 1.8 liters]. Is that possible?”

At Hyang’s words, Raphael asked back.

“It is possible, but why brown?”

“The research lab and Area 51, and many other places use a lot of acids, and this is to store those acids.”

“Ah….”

At Hyang’s words, Raphael and Pietro nodded.

When doing glass crafts, etching was often done because of metal decorations. Using acid for etching was essential, so they quickly understood.

The brown glass bottles made by Hyang’s order were soon greatly welcomed by those who used acids.

After confirming the reaction, Hyang rearranged the Joseon artisans and started mass production of brown bottles.

* * *

Hyang’s ‘milking’ continued.

With Hyang’s visits becoming more and more frequent, Raphael and Pietro’s faces were stiff.

“Can you make white glass this time?”

“White?”

At Raphael and Pietro’s question, Hyang rummaged through his sleeve and took out a piece of paper.

“It’s a lamp I thought of. The white glass will be used for the shade of this lamp.”

“Hmm….”

Pietro’s eyes sparkled as he examined the shape of the lamp that Hyang had presented.

Raphael and Pietro had both obtained the qualifications of artisans, but their strengths were slightly different.

Raphael, true to his diligent personality, excelled in simple and mass-producible parts such as plate glass and glass plates, while the free-spirited Pietro showed strengths in ornate or creative parts.

Having grasped the personalities of these two, Hyang whistled lightly and liked it alone.

“This is almost a cheat key?”

Thanks to this, Pietro was in charge of making the lamp. Pietro joined forces with the old blacksmith and showed off his skills.

Hyang, who received the results, greatly praised Pietro and the blacksmith and presented the first 合格品 (qualified product) [meaning ‘approved item’] to Sejong.

“Because Father enjoys reading and works late into the night, he always strains his eyes. I was worried about this, so I made this device.”

“Thank you.”

Sejong, pleased with Hyang’s thoughtfulness, lit the lamp and was greatly satisfied.

“It’s really bright!”

Due to the rarity of the material called beeswax, candles were precious items not only in Joseon at the time, but also around the world. Therefore, Joseon mainly used oil lamps from the royal family to the common people.

To use this lamp light as lighting, candlesticks with fancy copper plates attached were used, but the copper plates attached to the candlesticks had poor ability as reflectors.

However, the shade of the lamp that Hyang made showed much better performance than the copper plate of the candlestick, and Sejong, satisfied with this, soon ordered mass production so that it could be used in all government offices.

Of course, there were side effects.

The officials who heard this news had their hearts collapse at once.

“Damn it! Does this mean we have to work at night now!”

In response, Hyang newly recruited artisans to work in the glass workshop.

“Considering the future, we need more and more artisans! It’s impossible to keep going with the current patchwork!”

In this way, the glass workshop gradually increased in size, and Hyang purchased land right next to Area 51 and built a large glass workshop.

* * *

In the meantime, Pietro joined forces with the old blacksmith and caused an accident.

“Huh? What are you wearing on your eyes?”

“Ah, Prince.”

“Crown Prince!”

When the eunuch frowned and corrected Pietro’s title, Pietro corrected the title and explained in clumsy Joseon language.

“Crown Prince. Made to protect eyes.”

“Protect eyes?”

“The most work I do is watching the flames in the kiln? Eyes are hard. So I made it.”

“Hmm… let me see.”

Hyang, who examined the item made by Pietro, turned to the old blacksmith.

“You see a lot of fire too, don’t you?”

“Yes, Your Highness. That’s why blacksmiths like me suffer from eye problems when we get old.”

“Hmm….”

Pietro, watching Hyang pondering while looking at the object in his hand, gradually turned pale.

‘If he does that, he’ll definitely tell me to mass produce it….’

After a while, Hyang returned what he was holding and ordered.

“Mass produce it. I shouldn’t be known as stingy.”

The old blacksmith, who did not immediately understand Hyang’s words, looked at Hyang.

“Yes?”

“Are you the only ones who suffer from the fire in the kiln? Why are people so stingy?”

At Hyang’s words, the old blacksmith immediately bowed his head.

“It is truly overwhelming that you care so much about humble artisans like us!”

Hyang smiled and replied to the old blacksmith, who was so moved that he even shed tears.

“Overwhelming… Ah! When you make them, give only two to yourself.”

“Yes! I will make the best for you!”

This is how the world’s first sunglasses were born.

It was a truly interesting coincidence that the reason why sunglasses were born in Hyang’s past history was that Hollywood actors who had damaged their eyesight due to the strong lighting on the set began to wear them.

Sejong, who received the sunglasses, was satisfied once again.

He was just 30 years old, but his eyes, which had been overworked, complained of pain even if the light was only slightly bright.

However, when he wore the ‘Sunshade Mirror (遮日鏡)’ [literal translation] presented by Hyang, his eyes were comfortable even when taking a walk in broad daylight.

Greatly satisfied, Sejong ordered Hyang.

“Make a few more. I need to use some, and I need to give some as gifts.”

“Yes, Father.”

In this way, as the King and the Crown Prince used them, and the trusted subjects of Sejong also received them as gifts and began to use them, sunglasses with the name ‘Sunshade Mirror’ became a trend-setting item.

It was basic for those who had money and knew how to dress, regardless of gender, not only in Hanseong but also throughout Joseon, to wear these Sunshade Mirrors, and this trend soon spread to the Ming and Wa [old name for Japan] countries.

* * *

The Joseon artisans who learned how to make plate glass worked hard to make plate glass.

One of the artisans working so hard, Han Seok-gu, was dissatisfied with the plate glass he made.

“Can’t we make it flatter, can’t we make it bigger?”

The cylinder method taught by Pietro and Raphael was more efficient than other plate glass manufacturing methods that had been used so far.

However, there were limitations in size, and there was a problem that the thickness did not become uniform. To solve this problem, a method of pressing and spreading it with a hot steel rolling pin was introduced, but it required a lot of manpower and there was a risk of burns.

In the end, Han Seok-gu, who was searching for a suitable solution, found a new plate glass manufacturing method by getting a hint from the fact that water and oil do not mix.

“No matter what the bottom is like, the top of the water is always smooth and level. The same goes for the oil that goes on top of it.”

Han Seok-gu continued to think.

“Glass is the same as water when it’s melted. No, I need something like water that can float glass water like oil on top!”

Han Seok-gu, who came to a conclusion, looked for the best material.

“Mercury won’t work. Iron… the glass will boil completely… Copper is the same… What would be good?”

After such trial and error, Han Seok-gu found tin.

If you pour glass water on a large frame containing molten tin and gently pull it with a steel rake, you can easily make larger plate glass than the existing method.

“Truly commendable!”

Hyang, who received the report, greatly praised Han Seok-gu and ran to Sejong to request one thing.

“I understand the patent, but you’re saying we should give him shares?”

“Yes. If we do so, the artisans will have more affection for their work and develop new technologies.”

“So how much of a stake will you give him?”

“One ri [a traditional Korean unit of measurement, approximately 0.4 kilometers].”

“It’s appropriate, but will you give shares every time a new technology comes out?”

“No. We will only allow shares for technologies that can generate profits.”

Sejong, who pondered for a moment at Hyang’s explanation, immediately allowed it.

In this way, Han Seok-gu became the first Joseon person to acquire shares with his technology.