CRC 06

Chapter 6

When he put the slightly thick ceramic cup to his lips, he first felt its smooth texture.

He could smell the nutty scent of rice.

He couldn’t wait any longer and drank it in one gulp.

The slightly sour taste and soft sweetness spread over his tongue and smoothly went down his throat.

Even the aftertaste was strong.

“How is it?”

Yeon-eum asked with sparkling eyes, full of expectation.

Hwi-do had tasted many similar traditional rice wines before, so he didn’t expect much.

“Hmm.”

But it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was pretty good.

“It’s really delicious, right? Fragrant, rich, but clean! Want another cup?”

Before he could answer, Yeon-eum spoke proudly.

She looked so excited, like a chirping bird. Smiling slightly, Hwi-do looked down at the food. There was beef jeon dipped in egg batter and zucchini jeon.

He put a piece of beef jeon in his mouth. The savory taste spread quickly. The food made him want more alcohol, and the alcohol made him want more food.

He noticed Yeon-eum’s cheeks turning slightly red and began to worry she might get drunk again.

“How much can you drink?” he asked.

“Oh, I can easily drink one or two bottles of this.”

“I’ve never seen someone who brags about drinking actually drink well.”

“That’s not it. I’ve been drinking since I was young… Ah! That’s a secret.”

She shrugged and stuck out her tongue playfully.

“So you liked breaking rules when you were young?”

“No, no! Don’t misunderstand!”

She waved her hands.

“My grandfather let me taste it whenever he made alcohol. He said I should know the taste of our family’s liquor.”

“Your grandfather raised you strong.”

“Only one sip each time. The first time I really drank was…”

“I’ll ignore the unofficial drinking. When was your official first drink?”

She smiled softly, remembering something.

“Soon after I turned twenty, something really sad happened. I secretly took a bottle and was drinking alone in the storage room. Somehow my mom found out and came with two cups. And this beef jeon.”

Hwi-do looked at the remaining beef jeon on the table. She was looking at it too.

“I was crying so hard. Do you know what my mom said when she saw me?”

He didn’t know. He wasn’t used to these kinds of warm family stories.

“She said, ‘If your first drink is filled with sadness, you’ll always taste sadness. So don’t drink while crying. Drink while smiling. This alcohol is so delicious!’”

“…That wasn’t really your first drink, was it?” he said dryly.

“You said you’d ignore that! Anyway, this is the same alcohol from that day. The best one my grandfather ever made. It’s the pride of Jeongju Brewery.”

Her eyes were red.

She remembered what her mother had said proudly about her grandfather’s skills.

“One day, I’ll become a master brewer like him and make the best alcohol in Korea. When that day comes, Yeon-eum, you have to taste it.”

Her mother had always smiled passionately about brewing.

Maybe she was getting drunk.

Before she knew it, Yeon-eum was sharing her feelings with a man she barely knew.

Even though he spoke bluntly, he listened carefully. There was something dependable about him.

“My grandfather is sick now, so I have to take responsibility for the brewery. But I don’t know anything about it.”

She knew that if she sold the land and closed the brewery, she could pay off all the debt. But her heart kept leaning toward the harder path.

“Maybe it’s better to sell while someone wants to buy…”

Her words sounded weak, like a flame just before it burns out.

The man, who had been quiet, lifted his cup.

“Just because you hold onto something doesn’t mean it becomes yours.”

Was he telling her to sell?

He drank the rest in one go and gently refilled his empty cup.

“You can only pour new alcohol into an empty cup, right?”

To empty it and start fresh from the beginning.

Should she let go of the brewery and choose a new path?

Or not the old Jeongju Brewery, but a new one she creates herself?

“No matter what you choose, just make sure you won’t regret it,” he said firmly.

Could someone like her, who knew nothing, choose the brewery? A new Jeongju Brewery made in her own way.

She didn’t need big words of encouragement.

Maybe she just needed a small push while she was struggling alone.

When she let go of the pressure to restore the brewery exactly as it was, she felt more confident.

She nodded brightly at his steady voice. Her empty cup was filled again. Along with it, her courage seemed to fill up too.

“Oh? That’s already the last bottle.”

“That’s a shame.”

He slowly drank the final cup, savoring it. She could feel his sincere support.

He didn’t have to come. She had invited him while drunk, and they barely knew each other. But he really came. She was thankful.

When she felt alone after her mother passed away, he was the first person to visit the empty brewery.

Drinking with him gave her the courage to decide.

She would fulfill her mother’s unfinished dream.

She would make the best alcohol and rebuild Jeongju Brewery!

<Daebok Traditional Liquor Premium Theme Tourism Complex Confirmed in Jinhwa County!>

As Hwi-do’s luxury sedan exited the highway, banners were already hanging at the entrance.

He was on his way to the Jinhwa County office for a business agreement ceremony.

The town square was full of local residents who came to watch.

Reporters stood in front of a small stage, ready with their cameras.

The county governor, Pyo Young-bok, personally came to greet Hwi-do.

“Oh! Welcome. It’s so hard to see you in person.”

“More people came than I expected.”

As they walked to their seats, Young-bok stuck close to him and kept talking nonstop.

“This is the biggest event in Jinhwa’s history! We haven’t completely secured Cheonghyang Village yet, but…”

Hwi-do frowned slightly at the governor’s careless words.

“The late CEO Jeong was very stubborn. But that girl Yeon-eum will understand.”

Hwi-do turned his head at the sound of her name.

“You seem to know her well.”

“Of course! She grew up without a father, so we all raised her like my own daughter. And she’s the same age as my son.”

Hwi-do had guessed she didn’t have a father, but he didn’t like how the governor talked casually about her private life.

When the event began, it finally got quiet. But once seated, the governor kept bragging about his achievements.

“I devoted myself to Jinhwa County…!”

After he finally stepped down, Hwi-do went up to the stage.

“He’s so handsome!”

Someone shouted from the crowd. Others agreed loudly. Cameras flashed rapidly.

“Daebok Group plans to build a premium traditional liquor theme tourism complex here in Cheonghyang Village, Jinhwa County. We will do our best for regional development.”

Between the flashing lights, he briefly saw a familiar face.

Hwi-do had never needed to explain who he was to anyone.

But it was true that he had intentionally not told Yeon-eum who he really was.

He hadn’t meant for her to find out like this.

Aware of Yeon-eum standing in the crowd, he calmly continued his prepared speech.

Having just heard about the ceremony, Yeon-eum pushed through the crowd toward the front.

The man speaking on stage was someone she knew well.

‘Why is he here…?’

She was confused.

Wasn’t he the man who came late at night to her lonely mother’s funeral?

The man who drank with her when she was exhausted because of loan sharks?

He was the one trying to take her brewery?

All his words of encouragement—

were just her misunderstanding.