Facing What Lies Ahead (Part 2)
"I'm nervous. All the more so because I have to be there in person."
<"What is there to fret over, my friend? Is this not an occasion to be with those who cherish the spirits you brew? Put your mind at ease.">
One of the conditions stipulated in the contract was that I had to remain on-site at the pop-up store myself, accommodating customer requests within reason. For that reason, Ha-jeong was accompanying me. Se-jun had desperately wanted to join us as well, but someone had to keep the stills running, so he stayed behind in Yeongwol.
Exhaling a long breath, I watched a plume of white vapor drift into the freezing air.
"I'll just have to do my best."
<"Indeed. If anyone can do it, it is you.">
Songha offered warm words of encouragement. His guidance had played a tremendous role in bringing about this transformation, and I was determined to work as hard as possible so I wouldn't fall short of his faith in me.
"Naturally."
"Ugh... it's freezing..."
On a deep winter night pierced by howling, biting gusts, Choi Yoon-sung, a reporter for the daily press, stood shivering on the pavement with his coat clutched tight around him. The ferocious cold wave bit straight into his bones.
"Man... what did I do to deserve this kind of suffering...?"
Though complaints never ceased spilling from his lips, his feet kept marching forward without pause. His urgency drove him on.
"Releasing only three hundred bottles? That's downright cruel."
He knew Songhadang wasn't a massive operation, but even so, wasn't three hundred bottles far too stingy? Yoon-sung genuinely thought so. When he had first heard the news about Meari: Autumn through YouTube and Songhadang's official website, he had been thrilled. Even without any aggressive marketing, Songhadang had earned immense respect among connoisseurs purely through word of mouth. When the very brewery that crafted such a spirit announced a new release, how could an enthusiast not be excited?
"Whew... Meari really was something else."
The original Meari released earlier had been a resounding triumph. Naturally so. If a spirit that tasted like that hadn't succeeded, it could only have been due to some bizarre foul play behind the scenes. If even Yoon-sung, who knew next to nothing about liquor, found it delightful, it had to be exceptional.
"I don't know much about alcohol, but at least it didn't turn my stomach like cheap soju."
In truth, Yoon-sung had never cared for liquor. To be more accurate, he virtually loathed it. Soju, beer, wine, whisky—regardless of the variety, his palate unfailingly picked up on the sharp, artificial notes inherent in commercial alcohol.
Yet Meari was entirely different. It glided down smoothly and cleanly, followed by a crisp, refreshing fragrance that never overwhelmed the senses.
"And on top of that, a pop-up store right at Sunkyung Department Store... This piece is guaranteed to pull in serious views."
That was why he had rushed here the moment the news broke. On the eve of the opening, when he mentioned his plan to cover the event, his senior colleague had barked at him:
'You're going there? Hey, then you'd better get your ass over there the night before and camp out.'
'Why the night before?'
'You idiot. That place is guaranteed to have an open-run frenzy. You'll only have a prayer of snagging a bottle if you wait in line from the night before!'
'Can't I just take a few pictures and come back...?'
'And get buried under everyone else's coverage? No way! Go buy one no matter what!'
"Ugh... that stubborn old fossil... It's so damn cold... Just how many people could possibly show up...?"
No matter how famous the liquor had become, did anyone really need to arrive this absurdly early?
Muttering to himself, he drew closer to the locked doors of Sunkyung Department Store.
"Wait... what?"
The moment his eyes took in the department store entrance, the chill was forgotten in sheer shock. Beneath the glow of the streetlights in the dead of night, several people were already huddled together, shivering as they waited. One of them had even pitched a small camping tent on the pavement.
"Are these people insane?"
He had come here to report on the event, but he had never imagined the enthusiasm would run this feverish. Even if an A-list celebrity were holding a fan signing, people rarely lined up overnight in the dead of winter.
Swallowing his disbelief, Yoon-sung quietly slipped into line behind the campers.
Yet the surprises were only beginning.
"Brrr... it's so cold!"
"That's why I told you not to come..."
"But it's Meari! Aged gin, no less!"
Voices drifted out from inside the tent. One of them sounded remarkably familiar, though certainly not belonging to any personal acquaintance. Just whose voice was that?
As he racked his brain, the man's voice spoke again from within.
"You're a celebrity, remember? Aren't you worried about your public image, Soo-bin?"
"Gasp... What is Jeong Soo-bin doing here...?"
Jeong Soo-bin.
The rising star who had skyrocketed to massive acclaim through her recent drama. Her acting chops were stellar, and thanks to her background as a former top idol, she commanded an enormous fandom.
"Why on earth is someone like her out here? I mean, I knew she loved a good drink, but still..."
"Agh, I don't care... Don't we have any hot packs? The other people out there must be freezing too."
"Sigh. Yes, we do. I'll go hand some out."
Contrary to her pure, lovely appearance and the gentle roles she had played on screen, Soo-bin was notorious in the entertainment industry as a legendary heavy drinker. Her devotion to alcohol ran so deep that the primary content on her personal YouTube channel was reviewing various drinks. The channel's name was something like Jeong Sul Bin.
Even so, camping out in front of a department store with her manager in sub-zero temperatures just to wait for a pop-up store was something no one could have dreamed up.
"What in the world is happening right now...?"
Dumbfounded by the absurdity of it all, Yoon-sung snapped out of his daze only when a voice addressed him directly.
"Excuse me?"
"Ah! Yes, hello."
"You're here to buy Meari, right?"
"Uh... yes, that's... right?"
"Here, take this."
The manager who had just been speaking with Jeong Soo-bin stepped forward and extended an unopened hand warmer. When Yoon-sung accepted it in a stupor, the manager spoke with a weary, gentle smile.
"It's terribly cold out here, and everyone's suffering. Please, take this to keep warm."
"Th-thank you so much."
"Stay warm."
Leaving behind those parting words, the manager walked past him toward the back of the queue. Turning around to look behind him, Yoon-sung let out a soft gasp.
"Wait... already?"
How long had it been since he arrived? A thick line of people was already tailing behind him. As if anticipating the brutal freeze, some had come prepared with multiple hand warmers, while others clutched thermoses of steaming hot tea. Clustered together like refugees in the biting wind, they stared yearningly at the tightly shut main doors of Sunkyung Department Store. Yet instead of irritation, their faces were radiant with keen anticipation.
Are all these people really gathered here for a single bottle of liquor?
His mind spun, but he shook his head vigorously to regain his professional composure. What kind of intoxicating charm did this spirit possess to lure out such a crowd in the middle of the night?
Wait, shouldn't I be getting an interview right now?
By every journalistic instinct, he absolutely, unequivocally had to. A megastar like Jeong Soo-bin risking public exposure by pitching a tent on the sidewalk overnight? Looking around, there wasn't another journalist in sight. If he just stepped out of line for a brief moment to interview her...
"If I just give up my spot and stand a little further back, wouldn't that be fine—eep!"
Glancing backward once more, Yoon-sung choked on a shriek. In that brief span of seconds, the line behind him had doubled in length. Even now, passengers were piling out of taxis and sprinting madly toward the queue.
If I step out of this line... I'll never get inside the store...
Yet... this was Jeong Soo-bin, the nation's premier A-list actress. Though he had never conducted a formal one-on-one interview with her, they had exchanged greetings in passing at press conferences. Word was that she wasn't prickly or conceited in the slightest. With an attitude like hers, couldn't he secure at least a few quotes?
Besides, just having the name 'Jeong Soo-bin' in the headline guarantees viral traffic!
Squeezing his eyes shut, he stepped out of the queue. The people behind him, momentarily baffled, instantly broke into broad, triumphant smiles. Biting his lower lip in a mix of regret and bitter resolve, Yoon-sung approached the tent and cleared his throat.
"Excuse me..."
"Who's—oh? Aren't you Reporter Choi Yoon-sung? We ran into each other once before, didn't we?"
"Ah, yes! That's right."
"Good to see you. Don't tell me you're doing an open-run too, Reporter Choi?"
Soo-bin's manager had spoken first, even remembering his name. Yoon-sung quickly clarified his presence.
"Ah... no, I came to cover the story..."
"Ah, I see. A reporter's life is never easy... Still, if you can get an autographed bottle, the article's traffic is practically guaranteed."
"That's why I came early. Haha. Though I just stepped out of line..."
"Hmm..."
The manager pondered for a moment, muttering softly under his breath. "Eyewitness accounts will blow up online anyway... Might as well take the initiative... Even if her glamour takes a small hit, an approachable image is all the rage these days..."
After a brief pause, he spoke again, offering a suggestion that was music to Yoon-sung's ears.
"Well, rather than standing out here like this, would you like to chat with Soo-bin while we wait? I'm sure she won't mind."
"Really?! That would be incredible! Thank you so much!"
"Then... Soo-bin! It's a reporter. Would you like to come out for a minute?"
"Oh my, a reporter?"
Soo-bin poked her head out of the tent, beaming brightly as she emerged fully into the cold.
"I wasn't eavesdropping, but tents aren't soundproof at all, hehe! An interview is totally fine with me! I was getting bored waiting anyway!"
"Th-thank you, Ms. Jeong Soo-bin! It's... it's an honor!"
"I'll come over to your side. Watch our spot for me, okay?"
After asking her manager to hold down the fort, Soo-bin walked over to Yoon-sung. Even wrapped in an ankle-length padded coat, a thick scarf, and a knit hat to ward off the brutal chill, her radiant star presence could not be concealed.
With trembling hands, Yoon-sung pulled out his voice recorder and notepad.
"First... before we begin... if there are any sensitive matters off-limits..."
"What could there possibly be? I'm just an ordinary person camping out in the cold to buy some good liquor, ho-ho!"
Seeing how carefree and accommodating she was, Yoon-sung was flooded with sheer bliss at the thought of the exclusive scoop he had landed.
"Then let's begin the interview... Whew... Ah, I'm sorry, it's just so cold..."
"No need to apologize! It really is freezing."
"Then... let's begin."
It was the very first moment the name 'Songhadang' would be printed in mainstream press.
Even as the interview was taking place at the very front, more and more people continued to swarm in. The morning sun finally crept above the horizon, and as the hour drew nearer, every set of eyes gravitated toward the clock tower dominating the facade of Sunkyung Department Store.
Click.
10:28 AM.
As the minute hand ticked forward, the Adam's apples of the crowd lined up before the building bobbed in unison. The sound of someone gulping down dry saliva was palpable.
10:29 AM.
Behind the locked glass doors, employees were making their final preparations. Thoughts raced feverishly through the minds of everyone in line.
'Rush straight in, then take the escalator...'
'No, the escalator's too slow. Better take the emergency stairs...'
Moments later, an employee dressed in a crisp, immaculately tailored suit walked briskly toward the entrance. Moving the red velvet stanchion barrier aside, he called out in a clear, resonant voice:
"We are now officially open!"
"Run!"
"The doors are open! They're open!"
And the great march began.