A Drive to Gapyeong
“How was yesterday?”
I asked as I shredded the mackerel into fine pieces.
“Just as expected. The waves were pretty rough.”
Junseok stretched once, then settled into his seat and continued.
“Still, most of the coins on the list you gave me rose before I sold them. Looks like I cleared about ten million won in total.”
“Good work in a tough market.”
I set a piece of mackerel on his rice bowl as I spoke.
“That’s what I’m saying. How do you even pick out the ones that climb in a market this brutal?”
Junseok looked at me with an expression that said he genuinely couldn’t figure it out.
“It’s a little complicated to explain in words. I’m not just hunting for things that already went up. I’m looking for the signs right before they do. Eat up—you must be hungry.”
Even as I spoke, candle chart patterns, the linkage between volume and news flow, and the movement patterns of certain wallets were forming in my mind.
These days I was recognizing patterns by feel alone.
I ate while thinking through the rest of my day.
Rest a little more this morning, then take a look at the stock market this afternoon?
They say crisis brings opportunity. There might be good names at this timing.
But I dropped the idea almost at once.
I’d nosebled yesterday. Better to rest a little longer.
Just as we finished eating, Beomjin suggested that since he finally had a day off, the three of us should spend some time together.
I’d already been planning to give my brain a break, and moments when all three of us were awake at the same time were rare, so we agreed readily.
There was just one problem.
“Wandering around outside is a bit…”
Junseok hated crowded, complicated places with a passion. Heading out of the city wasn’t an option either—none of us owned a car.
“Seriously, what have you guys been doing not buying a car? People who make ten million a day.”
My little brother grumbled.
Truth was, living in Seoul, I’d barely felt the need for one.
“There’s nothing to drive around for on a normal day, but the maintenance costs still pile up. You get used to not having one. And driving a car in Seoul is just inefficient.”
“…”
After that we sat across the table in silence for a while, just sipping coffee.
I wasn’t wrong, so no one had much to say.
Parking hell, insurance, maintenance, purchase price—more than half the office workers my age in Seoul didn’t own a car.
I wasn’t the weird one.
Come to think of it, if you opened both sides of the front gate, there was probably room for one car. Owning one would definitely be a big plus here.
Kind of a shame.
I’ve got plenty of money. Should I just buy one?
Bzzzt—
My phone buzzed.
I checked the messages. Employee Kang Bitna had sent a rapid string of texts.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Ha.”
I let out a short breath.
How is the timing this perfect?
Did she plant a bug on me or something?
What do I even reply?
I stared at the screen, lost in thought for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
The two of them noticed the absurd look on my face and leaned in with interest.
“Ah, well…”
I hesitated, then simply showed them the messages.
“One of my teammates. She just got a new car and wants to go for a drive.”
“Whoa!”
“Oh!! Is it a girl?”
The two of them checked the texts and suddenly exploded with energy.
“Insane. At this exact timing? Did you say something, hyung? That you wanted to go for a drive?”
I frowned.
“Of course not.”
“Is she pretty? How old? Does she have weird taste or something? Why’s she asking you?”
Typical guy priorities.
“Ah, whatever. Forget it. I’ll just say I’m busy…”
I was about to type when my brother stopped me at once.
“No no no! That’s not how this works. At least ask if it’s okay if we tag along.”
“Yeah. Isn’t this perfect? Just ask. We’ll sit quietly in the back. Swear.”
“Ha…”
I hesitated a little longer.
I’d meant to refuse, but Beomjin and Junseok kept catching my eye.
Both of them spent every day buried in the kitchen or their rooms. I wanted to give them a little fresh air at least.
In the end I sent the message.
The reply came as if she’d been waiting.
I ended up dropping the house address. Less than ten minutes later a horn sounded outside.
We’d just finished pulling on our coats and getting ready to leave.
It really had been lightning-fast.
Gotta give her credit for pure action power.
I shook my head and stepped out the front door.
When we came through the gate she was already out of the car, peering over the wall at the house.
Her outfit was comfortable yet polished.
A cream-colored loose-fit knit over jeans, white sneakers on her feet. Natural waves of hair drifted in the light breeze and caught the sunlight softly.
It was a completely different atmosphere from the one I usually saw at the office.
She looks… prettier than usual today.
“Bitna.”
“Ah! Hello, Manager Noh!”
Kang Bitna came over with a bright smile.
“Your house is so pretty. You’ve been hiding a place like this all this time.”
“I wouldn’t say I was hiding it…”
I gave an awkward laugh and nudged the two standing behind me forward.
“Anyway, this is my younger brother, Noh Beomjin, and this is my friend, Ryu Junseok.”
“Hello! I’m Noh Beomjin!!”
“Hello… Ryu Junseok…”
Beomjin greeted her with full energy. Junseok, completely different from how he was at home, suddenly turned shy.
Kang Bitna stuck out her hand enthusiastically, clearly delighted.
“Nice to meet you!! I’m Kang Bitna. Wow, I never thought I’d get to meet Manager Noh’s little brother! It’s an honor. Nice to meet you too.”
Beomjin took her hand and matched her energy.
“You’re too kind. But you’re really beautiful. Why on earth would someone like you go for our hyung— kack!”
“Don’t say weird things.”
I clamped a hand around Beomjin’s neck and pulled him back.
Once the little chaos settled, we climbed straight into the car.
I took the passenger seat; Beomjin and Junseok sat in the back.
“So the three of you live together?”
“Ah, yeah. It just kind of happened that way. Really sorry about this. It’s so last-minute, right?”
I gave a sheepish smile. She shook her head lightly.
“Not at all. Honestly I’m the one who’s happy. Brand-new car and it felt wasteful to drive it alone. The more people the better! Less awkward. Haha.”
From the back seat Beomjin let out a small gasp of admiration.
“This is a seriously expensive car…”
I’d been so focused on her that I hadn’t really looked at the vehicle.
Now that I did, it was a well-known foreign brand.
Even the cheapest model started at around a hundred million won, from what I’d heard.
Did she dump her entire salary into this? Don’t tell me she’s a car-poor?
The car was a soft lavender-tinted SUV. Inside, refined indirect lighting, premium leather seats, and a large display marked it as the latest model.
Kang Bitna started the engine and called out,
“All right, we’re off! I’m the driver today, so I pick the destination!”
“Yes! Anywhere’s fine! Let’s go!”
Beomjin shouted from the back. Junseok, on the other hand, quietly fastened his seatbelt and stayed silent.
The moment she cleared the alley she started driving with real speed.
“Our destination today is Gapyeong.”
“Gapyeong’s great!”
She set the navigation while Beomjin answered like he was already excited. Whether he actually knew anything about the place was another question.
In the leisurely afternoon light, soft sunlight filtered into the car, and each of us was caught in a different kind of anticipation.
And so the four-person drive began.
About an hour later the car left the highway and entered Gapyeong. It naturally followed the Bukhan River northward.
While she drove, Beomjin mostly threw out the questions, and she and I traded conversation back and forth.
Junseok, of course, stared out the window lost in thought.
Still, it feels like they’re actually healing. That’s nice.
I looked back and forth between Beomjin and Junseok and smiled contentedly.
“Manager Noh, I didn’t know you could make a face like that.”
Even while driving she must have glanced over, because Kang Bitna spoke with a faintly surprised tone.
Was my expression that weird?
I put on my usual blank face again and asked her,
“So where exactly are we headed?”
“There’s a café I know well. You can see the whole Bukhan River from there, and a lot of people doing water sports. It won’t be boring.”
She answered with a bright little smile.
“You must go there a lot with your boyfriend.”
Out of nowhere Beomjin leaned forward from the back seat and asked.
Kang Bitna suddenly flustered and shouted in a hurry,
“Huh? No! That’s a misunderstanding! I’ve never even had a boyfriend!”
“What?”
Beomjin looked genuinely surprised.
I was a little surprised too. Looks and personality like hers, and never once? …And why was her face turning that red?
“Th-there it is! We’re here!”
She pointed urgently to the opposite side of the road.
Because it was the weekend the parking lot was fairly full.
We parked quickly and headed straight inside.
The café building was quite large; you had to climb a long flight of stairs just to reach the entrance.
Most of the structure was built from logs, giving it real atmosphere.
The first thing that hit you once you stepped inside was the wide-open view of the Bukhan River.
“Whoa…”
While Beomjin and Junseok drifted toward the terrace as if under a spell, Kang Bitna and I headed to the counter to order.
As I looked over the display case, one canned beer caught my eye.
The design was distinctive enough to draw attention, and the fridge was nearly empty—clearly popular.
“What’s that beer? I’ve never seen it before.”
When I asked, Kang Bitna, who had been choosing a menu item beside me, turned and answered right away.
“Ah, it’s the beer that’s hot on social media right now. Tastes decent and sells well on the emotional image. They treat it almost like the main product here.”
“Selling this well even in the middle of winter—it really must be popular.”
The fridge door kept opening; the beer was flying out.
The economy’s terrible… yet alcohol still sells.
Even in a period when consumer sentiment had frozen solid, liquor remained strong. That fact left a deep impression.
Like an item that survived even inside a recession.
Something suddenly clicked.
If… emotional liquor brands like this are rising right now…?
In that instant my mind began spinning at high speed.
In a recession, consumer psychology had shifted toward cheap liquor, and low-priced “premium-looking” emotional brands were grabbing attention through social media virality.
If they succeeded at targeting the MZ generation through online distribution, they could easily hold on and even grow in this difficult climate.
The success pattern was crystal clear.
This is a defensive stock.
A consumer category strong in crisis.
A stock that could sit at the center of a defensive portfolio.
My head was already running stock-screening algorithms, pulling up unlisted liquor brands and small-to-mid-cap listed companies.