Pop-Up Encounters (1)
Ten-thirty in the morning finally arrived.
A roaring tidal wave of people surged into the department store all at once.
“Guests visiting the pop-up store, please maintain proper distance and proceed safely!”
Perhaps anticipating the sheer volume of the crowd, department store staff had deployed in force, guiding the sea of visitors along the corridors. The patrons shuffled forward in orderly lines, carefully adhering to the directions.
“It’s strictly one bottle per person, so make sure you grab one! Understood?”
“Subin, please… I’m telling you again, you are a celebrity…”
Having pitched a tent right on the concrete the previous night, enduring the bitter cold with only hand warmers and a thermos of hot coffee, Subin was undeniably the protagonist of this hour. The undisputed vanguard of the open-run brigade, she marched proudly at the very head of the procession.
“Wow, I really can’t wait!”
“Let me remind you just one more time—”
“Oh, I know, I know! That’s why I covered myself up like this, isn’t it?”
Subin tapped the brim of her low-pulled bucket hat and adjusted her oversized sunglasses. What she failed to realize, however, was that actors were not ordinary mortals. The distinct aura she radiated gave her away no matter how thoroughly she disguised herself. On top of that, everyone who had witnessed her impromptu dawn interview with Reporter Choi Yoon-sung already knew precisely who she was.
Not that any of that mattered to her right now.
“It’s going to taste so good!”
“Good grief. Why do I even bother?”
The party in question was far too thrilled at the prospect of tasting Meari to care about dignity or public decorum. Casting aside all pretension, she power-walked forward until she finally spotted it.
“Th-there! Over there!”
The pop-up store was visible even from a distance. The department store management had clearly pulled out all the stops for the setup. Alongside the handsomely brushed nameplate of Songhadang Distillery hung an expansive ink-wash painting depicting the majestic mountain that embodied Meari’s spirit. Anyone with an eye for the arts would have paused to admire the brushwork, but regrettably, the crowd flocking toward the booth had eyes for only one thing.
Meari.
The lush mountain that had sprung up to steep their hearts was born not of canvas, but from a single glass of liquor.
First place! I’m in first place!
Subin’s heart hammered with pure triumph. In fact, she might have been more ecstatic than anyone else in the building, being an aficionado who genuinely adored fine alcohol. Her routine on overseas trips was never to buy tourist trinkets, but to scour duty-free boutiques for each nation’s regional spirits.
Meari! The brand-new Meari!
With her thoughts utterly consumed by the mountain scenery she had once glimpsed through the original spirit, she closed the distance to the event counter. There, two figures caught her eye.
Huh? Who are they?
Behind the counter stood an impeccably dressed man and woman. In contrast to her sharp outfit, the young woman had dark circles reaching all the way down to her jawline. The man next to her, on the other hand…
Is he… an actor? But I’ve never seen him before.
Not all celebrities possessed otherworldly, striking features. Subin certainly belonged to that category herself, but there were others who naturally commanded the room’s undivided attention through presence alone. The man seated at the counter was undeniably cut from that cloth. Though he appeared to be in his early twenties, the composure in his posture and the steady depth of his gaze carried the quiet gravitas of a seasoned master. It was a face that inspired immediate, effortless trust.
As she came to a halt right before the counter, the young man offered a warm, genial smile.
“Welcome. I’m Song Yeonwoo from Songhadang.”
Why aren't you an actor? Wait, no—thank you so much for making liquor instead of acting!
Torn between conflicting waves of admiration, Subin’s inner monologue spiraled into pure, chaotic bliss.
“Think we can pull this off?”
“Of course we can, Boss! Out of every traditional liquor I’ve ever tasted, this is hands down the absolute best!”
Just before opening the booth, I had tossed out the question to ease our nerves, and Hajeong’s response came without a shred of hesitation. True to her word, she did not look the slightest bit anxious. Having worked beside her, I already knew she possessed nerves of steel. Whenever she launched into a project, she executed it without a flicker of doubt—a trait I had secretly envied on more than one occasion. Even this time, watching her churn out every single piece of design work for the pop-up store completely on her own in such a tight window had left me utterly astonished.
‘Don’t you worry about a thing! I can handle all of this myself! All you need to do, Boss, is brew delicious spirits!’
Just as she had boldly declared, she had built a splendid booth from scratch, earning herself a pair of profound dark circles in the process. Yet her expression remained radiant.
“Oh! This looks incredible!”
“Whoa. You did all of this yourself, Hajeong? That’s amazing!”
“Hehe! Thank you!”
Two new arrivals marveled as they inspected the counter and promotional banners she had designed.
“Thank you both for coming all this way, Seokjun, Sohyeon. You must be exhausted.”
“Not at all, Mr. Song! I volunteered for this! It’s the brand-new Meari release, after all!”
“Same here! Honestly, our CEO was dying to come in person, but given his age…”
Sohyeon trailed off with an awkward scratch of her head. Since CEO Yoon Juho was the one who had recommended this pop-up store in the first place, Juju Daily had dispatched support staff to assist us. Seeing the scale of the installation upon our arrival, I had realized right away that Hajeong and I would have struggled to manage it alone.
“I really appreciate the help. Without you two, we would’ve been completely overwhelmed.”
“Aha, does that mean you’re setting aside a bottle for us?”
“Naturally. I’ll make sure you get one of each variety.”
“Yes! Thank you so much!”
Invigorated by the promise, Seokjun flexed his arms playfully and threw himself into shifting boxes with renewed vigor. Not to be outdone by her colleague, Sohyeon hoisted another crate and hauled it over with spirited energy.
What truly precious relationships these were. Juju Daily, who had created this tremendous opportunity for us; Sejun, who couldn't be here today but was holding down the fort at Songhadang; and of course, Songha and Old Man Moktong.
And above all else…
“Because we have good alcohol on our side.”
“That’s right! It’s guaranteed to succeed!”
“Still, mistakes happen when you least expect them, so let’s stay sharp and not get too complacent!”
“Right. Thanks, Sohyeon.”
We had an extraordinary drink on our side, unlike anything that had come before. Glancing behind me, my eyes fell upon the magnificent mountain rendered in light ink and watercolor. We had originally planned to use traditional monochrome sumi ink, but Hajeong had insisted on adding subtle washes of color with an intensity I had never seen from her. The resulting centerpiece was the mural hanging at the back of our booth.
The mountain rose through supple, unbroken brushstrokes. Autumn foliage dotted the slopes in vibrant crimson and russet specks, while below, ripe ears of grain rippled in the breeze like a rolling sea of burnished gold.
“It really is a lovely piece. Every time I look at it, I’m impressed.”
“Thank you! I tried to capture every single tasting note I experienced while drinking it!”
Every element that defined Meari was woven into the canvas: the roasted nuttiness and savory grain of the malt, the gentle sweetness of dried orchard fruits drawn from virgin oak, and through it all, the pristine, verdant breath of the mountain that grounded Meari’s true identity.
Yes. Everyone had poured their hearts into this. I owed it to them to give it my all.
Ten-thirty arrived, and barely two minutes had ticked by on the clock when Hajeong gasped.
“Uh… Boss, I think our first guests are here?”
“They really didn’t need to run so hard…”
The first person to burst into view was a blonde woman clad in sunglasses and a mask, sprinting toward us as if her life depended on it. Behind her, a man scrambled along in an awkward, breathless jog, panting heavily as he struggled to keep pace. Darting up to our display as if being pursued, the woman began scanning our wares in frantic, darting motions.
It was certainly an unusual sight, but she was our first patron, someone who had sought out Songhadang’s craft. I extended a polite hand in greeting.
“Welcome. I’m Song Yeonwoo from Songhadang. You’re our very first guest today.”
“Ah… ah! Hello! I’m Jung—”
“Hey, hey! Shh!”
“Ah! I’m a huge fan!”
Snapping back to reality at the warning hiss from the man arriving behind her, the woman startled and blurted out an entirely different sentence. Her identity didn't change anything for me, so I reached below and brought out a bottle of Meari: Autumn that we had prepared in advance.
“Thank you so much. Was the wait outside too cold for you?”
“Ah! No, no! Not at all! It was totally fine!”
For this pop-up event, we had brought exactly three hundred bottles of Meari: Autumn. Its label carried a far more refined, luxurious aura than its predecessor. Though my role had merely been describing the visual impressions and fairy-like spirits that manifested from its aroma, Hajeong had clapped her hands in revelation and translated those visions onto paper. Seeing the guest’s eyes practically glued to the glass confirmed that the effort had not been in vain.
“Wow… this is practically a collector’s piece…”
“Spirits are meant to be enjoyed, after all.”
“You’re completely right. Absolutely.”
Since she was our very first customer, I carefully penned the signature I had practiced throughout the night onto the bottle and inscribed the numeral 1 beneath it. Receiving the bottle, she looked ready to leap for joy, and witnessing her sheer delight instantly lifted my own spirits. As the panting companion stepped forward, I began signing his bottle as well, marking it with the number 2.
“Um… Mr. Song… by any chance…”
“I won’t say a word.”
“Pardon?”
“She came here as a lover of fine spirits, not as a celebrity on a stage.”
The man’s eyes widened in stunned surprise. Of course I had recognized her. Her voice was a fixture on television; how could I possibly fail to identify it? The signature bleached-blonde hair was an immediate giveaway as well.
“Besides, it’s thanks to patrons who cherish our work like this that we’re able to brew good liquor in the first place. I’m truly grateful.”
“Oh, heavens, don’t say that. Subin is just hopelessly obsessed with good drinks… Haha. If our visit helped in any way, that’s more than enough. If you’d like an autograph from her…”
“I appreciate the thought, but that won't be necessary. It looks like quite a crowd is waiting behind you.”
“Ah…”
The man glanced over his shoulder at my gentle gesture. A dense throng of people was surging toward our booth, and a lengthy queue was already taking shape. Beside them, department store staff were working frantically to organize the line and keep the aisles clear. Seeing so many people eager to taste Songhadang’s craft filled me with profound, stirring emotion.
“You must have your hands full today. I wish you immense success.”
“Thank you. I wish the same for you and your guest.”
That modest exchange was just the right note to end on.
From that moment forward, the booth descended into a whirlwind of relentless activity. Customers pulled out notebooks, excitedly asking if their personal tasting notes matched what the master brewer had intended; others requested personalized messages inscribed beneath their bottle numbers. Some even treated me like a celebrity in my own right.
“U-um… Master Brewer! I’m such a big fan!”
“Excuse me?”
“Could I please get a quick photo with you?”
It was a surreal brush with fame, but it was impossible not to feel flattered. From people introducing themselves as popular video creators to representatives of prominent liquor distribution houses, my jacket pockets began swelling with business cards, even though I had expected nothing more than sitting quietly, greeting patrons, and signing a few bottles.
“Oh, right! Our CEO said he wanted a signed bottle too! He swore he was going to put it on permanent display right in our headquarters lobby.”
“I’ll sign a separate bottle for him outside this three-hundred batch,” I told Sohyeon with a wry smile. “Though I really don’t understand why my signature is in such high demand…”
“Because everyone is grateful to you! Thanks to Songhadang, the Smart Tasting initiative Juju Daily rolled out found its footing and took off without a hitch.”
That was news to me. In my past life before regression, I remembered hearing that the launch of their smart tasting service had suffered from considerable friction and setbacks. This time, the outcome was clearly different.
“The moment we featured your Meari in the lineup, customer reception exploded. Thanks to you, our CEO spends his days humming and counting his profits. Hahaha!”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
“Which brings me to my next question… how much inventory do you have left for this batch of Meari: Autumn?”
“We’ve already secured the volume allocated for Juju Daily, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Whew, what a relief! The boss explicitly ordered me to confirm that before I came back.”
Even after wrapping up our brief business discussion with Sohyeon, the event continued to resemble an impassioned fan meeting more than a retail stand. Before we knew it, a shout cut through the bustling noise.
“Attention, Songhadang pop-up store guests! The stock of Meari: Autumn has officially sold out!”
The announcement from the floor coordinator was met with collective groans of disappointment from the line. It had taken less than ten minutes for the entire three-hundred-bottle allocation to vanish into thin air. It was regrettable, but there was no helping it; at Songhadang’s current production capacity, meeting such overwhelming demand was simply impossible.
However, selling three hundred bottles was never our sole objective for this pop-up event.
“We are continuing our tasting event right over here!”
“Come take a commemorative photo with the master brewer!”
“Wait, me? Ah, yes, of course! Happy to take photos. Haha.”
Even though they hadn't managed to purchase a bottle of Meari: Autumn, the visitors continued to enjoy the atmosphere of the booth. Seeing their faces lit up with curiosity and genuine delight made my chest swell with warmth.
“This feels so wonderful…”
“You feel it too, Hajeong? Me as well.”
“We’re going to work even harder from now on, Boss!”
I wanted to deliver happiness to as many people as possible through Songhadang’s spirits. To achieve that, we needed to grow much further.
“Isn’t that why we’re preparing Dongjeongchun right now?”
“Exactly. Sejun tasted a sample once and practically threw himself into the work.”
“I honestly can’t keep up with President Sejun’s drive…”
Hajeong shook her head in fond disbelief at Sejun’s relentless work ethic. But from where I stood, her own passion matched his stride for stride. It was precisely because everyone had pooled their devotion together that we could witness this miraculous milestone today—selling out three hundred bottles in a mere ten minutes.
As I let the swelling pride settle gently within my heart, a composed voice spoke up from the front of the counter.
“Excuse me, Master Brewer Song. Would you happen to have a moment to spare?”
“Ah, hello. You were in line earlier…”
“You remembered me! I’m Choi Yoon-sung, a reporter with the Hankook Ilbo.”
The business card he offered bore the clear, crisp insignia of the national daily alongside his official press credentials.
“If it wouldn't be an imposition, I would like to conduct an interview with you. Would that be all right?”