A Guest Beneath the Pines (1)
“Boss! I’m here!”
“I’m here too…”
“Welcome, Yehyeon, Yeeun. Come on in.”
With Songhadang’s expanding lineup, I had brought on two additional employees. Fraternal twins, as it happened. Rather than searching for candidates with deep brewing backgrounds, I had prioritized finding good people who genuinely loved liquor and enjoyed the craft behind it. After all, practical skills could always be learned on the job.
“What should we tackle first today?” Yehyeon asked, bouncing on his heels.
“First… today…?” Yeeun echoed softly.
“Could you give Sejun a hand over in the cellar first? I’ll be right behind you.”
“Understood!”
“Okay…”
For now, the two were learning the ropes of brewery operations from the ground up under Sejun’s guidance. Clad in their work aprons as they stepped out from the staff quarters, they hurried off toward where Sejun was waiting.
“Fine young folk, both of them,” Songha murmured, his cultured voice floating beside my ear.
“I think so too.”
“Thanks to their hands, Songhadang is steadily growing into quite the respectable establishment.”
Songha was right; the brewery had undergone a dramatic transformation. First and foremost was the proper staff dormitory. It was an incomparable upgrade from the days when we had crammed into a refurbished shipping container.
“There are five of us now, counting me,” I said. “We couldn’t keep squeezing into a metal box forever.”
“Old Man Moktong was thoroughly delighted when the maturation cellar was expanded as well.”
“Well, the demand called for it.”
Thanks to the sturdy distribution pipeline established through Juju Daily, we needed to age far greater volumes of liquor. Seizing the momentum while building the new staff quarters, I had boldly expanded the underground aging cellar as well. Knowing he would soon have far more jars and barrels under his watch, Moktong had spent days walking around with a grin stretched from ear to ear.
“Though it certainly cost a pretty penny,” I added wryly.
The renovations had taken a substantial bite out of our funds, devouring well over half the profits we had accumulated so far.
“Yet the liquor sells briskly, does it not?”
“Thanks to Meari: Autumn.”
That single oak-aged spirit had been bringing in over twenty million won a month on its own.
“And we’re about to officially roll out the new aged yakju, too.”
“Ah, the one that tippler has been waiting for with bated breath?”
“Pretty much. Anyway, I’d better head over to Sejun.”
The moment I had casually mentioned the upcoming aged yakju to Yoon Juho, the CEO of Juju Daily, the man had nearly jumped into his car to drive straight to Yeongwol. Only an overwhelming crush of business in Seoul had kept him away. Even so, his text messages had arrived almost every single day without fail.
A liquor nearing its debut naturally meant it needed a proper name. As I stepped into the warehouse, Hajeong, who had been packaging the newly bottled bottles of aged yakju, leaped to her feet with a bright beam.
“Boss! I’ve finished boxing the Dalvorde!”
“Oh, already?”
“Man, Dalvorde really does roll off the tongue,” Sejun chimed in, wiping his hands on a towel. “It’s easy for English speakers to pronounce, too.”
“That was the whole idea.”
The name chosen for Songhadang’s competition entry and newest release was Dalvorde. Derived from the native Korean word dalbodre, meaning sweet and tender, it had been carefully tailored with future overseas expansion in mind, ensuring foreigners could read and speak it effortlessly. We had wracked our brains for days over that name.
“From here on out, you’re in charge of naming everything, Yeonwoo,” Sejun said, shaking his head.
“Me? Why me?”
“I’ll just stick to drawing…” Hajeong mumbled, looking sheepish. “Though I still thought ‘Cookie’ wasn't half bad…”
“It definitely wasn’t ‘Cookie,’ Hajeong…”
They say heaven is fair; it certainly hadn’t blessed the rest of Songhadang’s crew with a knack for naming spirits.
“At any rate, this ought to go smoothly,” I said.
“Yeah. As long as we stick to the schedule, there won’t be any hiccups.”
“Good. Oh, by the way, did you send that message to Subin?”
“Ah, right! I’ll fire it off right now.”
A former idol who had seamlessly transitioned into an A-list sensation, Jeong Subin had ascended to the rank of ‘National Actress’ in her early twenties. Backed by her immense public popularity, she had praised Songhadang’s signature Meari on her YouTube channel with such genuine, fiery passion that anyone watching would have sworn it was a paid sponsorship. That single broadcast had catalyzed our meteoric rise.
“If that had been an actual commercial gig…” Sejun muttered.
“We probably would’ve had to sell the entire brewery just to afford her appearance fee.”
Sejun wasn't exaggerating. That was simply the market value of a bona fide A-list star.
“Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t even have the standing to offer her anything, so it’s a blessing she loves our liquor so much.”
Murmuring softly, Sejun pulled up his laptop and began drafting an email to Subin’s agency. The premise was simple and sincere:
Thank you so much for enjoying the liquor we pour our hearts into crafting. Your support has been an immense help to us. We would love to send along a modest gift to express our heartfelt gratitude.
“Clear, polite, and to the point,” I remarked.
“Think she’ll accept it? She’s an absolute superstar, after all.”
“Without a doubt. She’ll take it.”
“Well, here goes nothing. Sending it now.”
Not long after that email was sent, an unexpected commotion broke out in the office.
“Wait… what? Huh? Why is this…?”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Uh… well… b-boss…”
Yehyeon seemed to have temporarily lost the ability to form coherent sentences, babbling incoherently while pointing a trembling finger at the monitor. Stepping up beside him, Yeeun peered at the screen, froze mid-breath, and blinked.
“Subin… sent… an email…”
“I told you she’d respond favorably,” I said with a smile. “A good person knows good alcohol when they taste it.”
“N-No, Boss… I don’t think that’s the issue here!” Yehyeon stammered, clutching his head.
“What do you mean, Yehyeon?”
It turned out Subin’s devotion to top-shelf liquor ran far deeper than I had ever imagined.
“She says… she wants to come here in person!”
“…Come where?”
“Here! To Songhadang! Where else?!”
Thrown entirely off balance by the revelation, Yehyeon’s speech devolved into a comical squeak. As I stood rooted to the floor, struggling to process the sheer absurdity of the situation, Songha’s amused chuckles echoed in my mind.
“‘Tis no dream, my friend.”
“Tsk! What in blazes is all this fuss over one slip of a girl showing up?” Moktong grunted crustily. “More importantly… is the lass a proper tippler, too?”
With the two dokkaebis grounding me back in reality, the weight of the news finally sank in.
“Jeong Subin… is coming to Songhadang?”
And just like that, our humble Yeongwol brewery was set to host the most unexpected guest imaginable.
“Is everything set?”
The appointed day arrived, and Songhadang was a hive of activity from early morning. Granted, brewery mornings always started before dawn, so our wake-up call wasn’t out of the ordinary, but an undeniable flutter of excitement hung in the crisp mountain air.
“Naturally,” Sejun replied, adjusting his collar. “I’ve completely mapped out the walking route for the tour.”
“I compiled a list of questions she might be curious about!” Hajeong announced, raising her hand proudly.
Both of them had thrown themselves into preparing every conceivable comfort for her visit. Not to be outdone, the twins chimed in right behind them.
“Just to be safe, I completely weeded and spruced up the garden!” Yehyeon said.
“I read online… that she’s terribly directionally challenged…” Yeeun murmured softly. “So I put up arrow signs everywhere…”
“And on top of that, in case her throat gets dry, I set out customized herbal water—”
“Alright, that’s bordering on overkill,” I chuckled, cutting Yehyeon off.
“Ah. Is it?” Yehyeon scratched the back of his neck, his hands trembling with nervous energy.
The others, despite trying their best to look composed, were hardly any calmer. It was only natural; this wasn't a casual, low-key sightseeing drop-in.
“I never imagined things would snowball this far… Did you see this coming, Yeonwoo?” Sejun asked.
“How could I possibly have known?”
Heaven was my witness; I hadn’t suspected a thing. All I had anticipated was sending a gift box of liquor and receiving a polite thank-you message in return. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined this.
“Who could’ve guessed she’d be the one to propose shooting a YouTube collaboration video together?”
It had all stemmed from that initial email to her agency. While we would have been grateful if anyone had simply read it, her reply had arrived with lightning speed. She insisted on picking up the alcohol in person. Not only that, she had followed it up with a formal joint filming proposal.
Stated simply, since both Songhadang and Subin operated YouTube channels, she suggested producing a crossover video together.
“What did she say the concept was again?”
“A countryside healing getaway, basically.”
“Well, Yeongwol is certainly the countryside.”
Songhadang was nestled deep in the mountain folds of Yeongwol, making it an ideal backdrop for the rustic aesthetic her team wanted. Our role was straightforward: guide her through the brewery and pour the artisanal spirits she adored.
“Though our brewery isn’t an actual pub…” Sejun noted.
“She framed it as an experiential brewery tour, so it fits nicely. It’s fantastic publicity for us anyway, and we’ve already hosted similar tastings for the village elders.”
“Hmm… that’s true, Boss.”
“By the way, Sejun. You got that ready, right?”
“Ah… that? Heh heh. Naturally.”
A sly, theatrical grin spread across Sejun’s face, not unlike a petty drama villain hatching a scheme.
“Hajeong and I put our blood, sweat, and tears into getting it ready,” he added smugly.
“An opportunity like this doesn't come knocking twice. We have to seize it.”
“Of course! That goes without saying.”
“And the cleaning?”
“Spotless. Honestly, sticking to our daily sanitization routine is more than enough to keep the place gleaming.”
“Just making sure.”
“Pardon me for cutting in while you two are chatting,” Songha’s voice suddenly drifted between us, amused and curious. “It seems the young lady named Jeong Subin has arrived. Hah! I can already sense the unmistakable aura of a formidable drinker.”
“Kuahaha!” Moktong’s raspy cackle rattled through the rafters. “So this lass can put away her drink too! A truly blessed old age I'm having! Ohoho!”
Glancing out the office window, I saw a sleek black passenger van gliding smoothly into Songhadang’s gravel parking lot. Subin had been notorious for her love of alcohol in my past life as well, so Songha’s assessment of her as a true drinker was spot-on.
“She radiates an aura scarcely inferior to that fellow Yoon Juho,” Songha remarked.
I hadn’t realized she was quite on that level.
“Looks like they’re here. Let’s head out.”
The van came to a halt. The driver stepped out first, followed a beat later by someone practically rocketing out the sliding door like a loosened arrow.
“Waaaah! We’re finally here!”
“Haah… Subin, please… have some decorum…” her manager pleaded, trailing behind with an exhausted sigh.
“Come on! I was trapped in that car the whole ride down, and every muscle in my body is stiff! *Ngggh!*”
The moment her sneakers hit the gravel, Subin arched her back into a full-body stretch, showing off her tall, slender silhouette. Then, catching sight of us standing by the entrance, she swiveled around and offered a brilliant, dazzling smile.
“Oh! Hello! I’m Jeong Subin!”
It was a radiant, picture-perfect smile. It was immediately apparent why she commanded the screen; a single flash of that grin was enough to stop most people dead in their tracks.
“Whoa… it’s really Jeong Subin…”
“Gosh… she’s unbelievably pretty…”
“A real celebrity… an actual star…”
“Her proportions… her face is so tiny you can barely even see it…”
Even viewed through an objective lens, she was stunning. A person virtually designed to be adored the second anyone laid eyes on her.
“And yet, my friend, you appear entirely unfazed,” Songha observed wryly.
I wasn't about to lose my composure like the twins. In my book, losing one’s senses was a privilege reserved strictly for spirits with alluring hues, lingering legs, and breathtaking aromas and flavors that captivated the nose and palate all at once.
“Ah, my friend. Truly, I am glad beyond measure to have you as my companion.”
“Heh heh! That's it! Liquor reigns supreme!” Moktong chortled, thoroughly pleased. “Of all the mortals under heaven, you're the closest thing to a dokkaebi there is, boy! Heheheh!”
I was just nodding in agreement that spirits who understood good alcohol made the finest companions when Subin’s voice rang out again.
“It’s great to see you again! I actually stopped by your pop-up store before, you know!”
“Hey! Jeong Subin! You weren't supposed to mention that!” her manager hissed, waving his hands frantically.
“Why not? What’s the big deal? Either the boss already knows or he doesn’t! Besides, I already uploaded the whole visit to my channel anyway, so what’s the point in playing coy now?”
“Ugh, seriously… please… You’re an A-list actress…”
Leaving her nearly tearful manager to wallow in despair, Subin strode briskly across the yard and thrust her hand forward with disarming enthusiasm.
“Hello! I’m Jeong Subin! I came here today to drink some amazing liquor and kick back!”
“Welcome. I’m Song Yeonwoo, the master brewer here at Songhadang.”
“Hehe, I know. Please take good care of me today, Boss!”
It was a delightfully bold, refreshingly unpretentious first greeting.