The One (3)
On an afternoon when the winter rain had finally ceased after falling all day, the interior of Golden Grain Soju House was filled with the scent of damp iron and the subtle, earthy aroma of grain.
Resting neatly on the table were the stars of the day: Echelon, Sylphide, Cerasia, and The One, its clear liquid shimmering within the white glass.
Journalist Miriam Ross placed her recorder in the center of the table and smiled. The notepad she pulled from inside her light dress jacket bore clear, sharp creases from being folded and unfolded.
"Alright. The photo shoot is finished, so now we just need to talk. Don't be nervous—just speak to each other as you normally would."
Jacob took a deep breath and nudged my side with his elbow.
"Don't be nervous."
The person most nervous in this room was Jacob himself. Even now, he was sitting with his back unnaturally straight, staring fixedly ahead.
Surprisingly, the most relaxed person was Armando. He wore a self-assured smile, gazing lovingly at Miriam Ross. Objectively speaking, the journalist, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, was quite pretty.
"How did the four of you first meet? It feels like four different paths converging in the same direction."
Armando was the one to answer, as usual.
"It was destiny."
"......"
Seeing Armando staring intently at Miriam, the three of us who knew him exchanged glances, feeling a wave of secondhand embarrassment. But Armando, pretending not to notice, continued to pour on the charm.
"We all attended Vintage High School here in Napa and were interested in farming—except for Chloe."
"I *was* interested, you know!"
As Chloe glared at him, Armando just laughed and waved a hand.
"Let's just say that. Anyway, we gathered around Brian here. He has a genius-level talent for agriculture. Jacob, as you can see, is incredibly strong, and Chloe’s family is loaded. As you saw during the shoot at her farm, she has a 200-acre cherry orchard in Brentwood, and that’s not even all of it."
"And what about you, Mr. Cortez?"
"I... am a romantic."
We all collectively looked away or bowed our heads.
"Oh, really?"
"But there is one thing. I am sincere about farming. The vast vineyards, the grapes ripening with the seasons, and the repetitive work we do every day to craft them. It might seem boring to some, but looking down at the farm from above is a joy. Especially the view of the Russian River from our vineyard—it’s like a painting. You saw it when you were filming, didn't you?"
"I did. It was breathtaking."
"You know what’s funny? When I first thought about getting into farming, I assumed it would be incredibly dull. But it’s nothing like that. There are specific tasks for every season, and you have to constantly study and adopt the latest research. If you fall behind, you can't get ahead."
"Ah..."
What was truly surprising was that while my friends and I were dying of embarrassment, Miriam Ross was listening to Armando with sparkling eyes, as if he were telling the most fascinating story in the world.
At first, I thought it was just professional courtesy, but as time went on, she seemed genuinely captivated by his words.
"But there is one downside: it’s lonely. Farming is a lonely business. The fact that a farmer must bear the weight of every result entirely on their own... that’s what makes it lonely."
"Oh, my..."
She looked so misty-eyed that if there hadn't been other people around, she might have actually reached out to hold his hand. Unable to watch any longer, Chloe cleared her throat.
"Ahem... Anyway, we met in high school, and we’ve all received help from Brian at some point. That’s how we became close, and we grew even closer when we all went to UC Davis."
Perhaps snapped out of her trance by the change in topic, Miriam Ross continued her questions.
"That’s fascinating. Now, let’s go a bit deeper..."
The interview lasted for nearly an hour, and we talked about farming, wine, and our respective lives.
Finally, Miriam turned off the recorder and said, "That’s plenty. This will likely be the lead feature in the January issue. It was quite an impressive story."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I can reach out to your contact, right? I feel like I could share a lot more about new farming techniques or even the alcohol we're producing."
Armando continued his flirting until the very end. At his persistent efforts, Chloe shook her head and muttered under her breath, "I want to kill him." Yet, the sight of Miriam Ross nodding shyly at his request left us even more dumbfounded.
Regardless, even though the interview had gotten unexpectedly sticky thanks to Armando, we were all quite satisfied.
The eventful year of 2005 passed, and the dawn of 2006 arrived.
None of us were taking it easy just because it was winter. I, who should have been the busiest, was actually the most relaxed. Armando had taken out an additional loan to age a portion of his vinegar in oak barrels to ensure the quality of the batch he was currently manufacturing, while also preparing for the next year's farming.
Jacob was running his distillery non-stop because of The One, which was starting to make a name for itself. Chloe was stabilizing the soil of the land she had cleared, transitioning a tomato farm into an orchard for growing pears, in addition to her existing cherry farm.
Then, one day:
"Brian! Look at this!"
Chloe burst into my house, waving a magazine in her hand.
"Oh, Chloe~ You get prettier every day."
"Thank you, Mrs. Choi. You’re looking more beautiful yourself."
"Don't say such things. Have you eaten?"
"No. Please make me something delicious."
"Of course, sit down. But what is that?"
"Guess what? We’re in a magazine!"
"The one you interviewed for?"
"Yes!"
When I came downstairs, Chloe had already claimed a seat at the dining table, shaking the magazine.
"Come here! We’re in it!"
The cover of the January 2006 issue of Blender featured Britney Spears. Past the table of contents, in the third section titled 'Fresh Faces,' there we were.
The title was written in large letters: [The One, Four Young Farmers of California], followed by a smaller sub-headline: From Vine to Spirit, A Generation’s New Taste.
The photos were varied: me looking out over a distant field while sitting on a tractor; Armando holding a valve next to a stainless steel fermentation tank; Chloe leaning against a cherry tree; and Jacob shining a light on The One beside his still. Below the photos was a short caption:
[They are not making alcohol. They are making a future.]
"Not bad, is it?"
At my reaction, Chloe widened her eyes and looked at me strangely.
"Is that all you have to say? It’s Blender!"
"Aren't you the one getting too excited? You were so quiet during the interview, I thought you found it annoying."
"That was... all because of Armando. He was hitting on the reporter so blatantly that I couldn't keep a straight face. Anyway, look—don't I look good?"
Chloe, wearing a cowboy hat, looked like a professional model posing for a farm-themed photoshoot.
"It's fine."
"Pfft, just 'fine'?"
"It means it's good."
My mother, who had brought out the food, took Chloe's side.
"He’s always a bit blunt. When he says something is 'fine,' it’s actually quite a compliment—it means he thinks you’re pretty. And in my eyes, you look much prettier than that woman on the cover."
"Really? Prettier than Britney Spears?"
"I don't know who that is, but to me, Chloe, you’re much prettier."
"Thank you. I'll eat well."
After thanking her, Chloe looked at me with a 'did you hear that?' expression.
"I didn't say you weren't pretty, either."
Avoiding her sparkling gaze, I examined the magazine more closely. Seeing Jacob smiling brightly while holding The One, I couldn't help but think that perhaps Korean-style distilled spirits might establish themselves in the U.S. more easily than I had anticipated.
"Mom! Look at this!"
At the same time Chloe was storming into Brian's house, Jacob was doing the exact same thing at his own home, magazine in hand.
"What is this? Oh my... is this really my son?"
Mrs. Maggie stroked Jacob's face in the magazine he showed her.
"It’s a great photo. You look just like your father when he was young."
"Really? Anyway, now the liquor is going to sell like crazy."
Aside from the 500 cases that Unity Spirits had taken after signing the contract, there had been no additional shipments. They were likely distributing that initial stock to key supermarkets and bars, waiting to see the reaction.
"I believe in you. And it makes me so happy to see you looking so close with your friends. Even if you have money and success, a lonely person is unhappy. I don't want you to become that kind of person."
"Don't worry, Mom. I have a great relationship with these friends. And since they all have so much more to teach me than I do them, I’d never treat them poorly."
Of course, he hesitated slightly while thinking of Armando... but he decided to let it slide, thinking that even Armando had things to teach him.
"That’s right. If you treat close friends carelessly, you’ll end up hurting their feelings. Always be careful and treat them well."
"I know."
A week after the magazine hit the stands, a phone call came in. It was Malcolm Lee, the Vice President of Unity Spirits.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Jacob. Did you see the magazine? I told you, didn't I? The One—it’s causing a real stir."
His voice was filled with that characteristic, infectious excitement.
"I saw it. But is there more?"
"The reactions are already pouring in. Clubs in LA are scrambling to place orders. The big ones want 20 cases, and even the small bars want 5 each. We’re already over 300 cases combined!"
"Really?"
"It’s exactly the reaction I wanted. People in the clubs are holding the bottles and taking photos. The DJs are shouting 'To The One!' before they play their tracks! Your liquor is flowing right along with the music, wahaha!"
It was incredible news. Jacob clenched his fist, unable to hide his excitement.
"Is that for real?"
"How much stock do you have in the warehouse right now?"
"I have 500 cases ready."
"That’s not enough."
"What?"
"You realize the magazine didn't just circulate in California, right? Because the magazine mentioned it’s a Korean-style liquor introduced by your Korean friend, the reaction is currently centered around clubs in LA with large Asian populations, but it’s going to spread. I need 1,000 cases right now. Can you do it?"
"I... I can."
"Okay, bro. Fill that warehouse with The One immediately. My staff is heading over to empty it out right now."
"Got it."
After hanging up, Jacob clenched his fist and let out a silent cheer.
A thousand cases meant over $120,000 in revenue. Considering that rice was the primary ingredient, the profit margin was likely close to 50%, which would go a long way toward solving the financial issues he’d faced while running the farm.
"I can do it. I can really do it..."
Just as Jacob was reaching the threshold of success,
[Redwood Vineyards]
I had changed the name on the fence of the farm, which had originally been Ironwood Cellars. Combining a portion of the Silveroak Hills property with this land, the farm now spanned over 60 acres. It was finally starting to look like a mid-sized operation.
"Whew... it’s huge."
I smiled faintly as I gazed out over the sprawling fields. There was still a lot of work to be done with soil treatment, but in 2006, we were projected to produce over 100 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Even for Echelon alone, the output was expected to be triple what it was last year.
"Last year was just a pilot case."
The next vintage of Echelon would be crafted using state-of-the-art equipment, complete with temperature sensors, dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors, and CO₂ sensors for fermentation. Even though it was the same one-year aging process, it was bound to be a different wine than before.
It won Double Gold last year—I wonder how it will fare this year?
I was already starting to look forward to it.