The Idiot's Wild Bet on Wine
Ha! You dare bet on wine? You're just some rank 33 conglomerate at best!
Lee Hanul was a hooligan.
When things didn't go his way, he started cursing. If his mood soured, he tossed things around. If he got irritated, he hit people. There had even been times when he slapped his secretary for no reason at all.
Once he stopped the car in the middle of the road because the driver displeased him and made the poor man get out.
That was Lee Hanul.
A man who didn't give a damn about harming those around him.
What set him apart from other hooligans was that he was the youngest son of the Inha Group, ranked tenth in the chaebol world. The youngest prince of Inha. All his crimes were tolerated under the banner of the name Inha.
Just that single name had been enough to make anyone hesitate to cross him. If you poked at him, you'd only end up losing out.
The cruise party this time was no different.
Of course, the youngest daughter of Seohan Group, Seo Jia, was also in attendance. But Seo Jia didn't interfere with Lee Hanul in the slightest.
There was an unspoken rule among the chaebols.
Don't meddle in other people's family education. Solve your own household problems at home. Turn a blind eye as long as the line isn't crossed.
That was how the chaebol society worked.
But this time it was different.
“You damn pig!”
Kaboom!
Lee Hanul slammed his fist on the casino table.
Chips flew everywhere.
The dealer flinched, and the surrounding people held their breath.
“Ha… fuck.”
Normally, the opponent would have lowered their head first.
Without a word, everyone would crawl for him.
But today, that towering figure was different.
He had been fed a mouthful of shit right in front of everyone.
Even after playing a few more hands afterward and winning back all the lost money, his rage didn't fade.
He hadn't bet on money in the first place.
“I've looked into him.”
The aide standing beside the snickering Lee Hanul said carefully.
“Here is the information on that person.”
“Read it.”
The aide spoke right away.
“KJ President, Kang Taeseong.”
“…KJ?”
Lee Hanul frowned.
“Where the hell is that?”
Even if KJ had declined after the late Chairman Baekho's death, it was still a prestigious group.
If you had even a little interest in the chaebol world, you wouldn't have missed the name.
But Lee Hanul had no interest.
If it was a company he knew, it would only be groups ranked within the top ten including Inha.
Drinking, gambling, women.
That was all he cared about.
In the end, the aide explained KJ in words Lee Hanul could understand, at his level.
“…”
For a moment, Lee Hanul stared at the screen, then laughed in disbelief.
“Hah! Hahaha!”
His laughter grew louder and louder.
“Just.”
Grabbing his phone as if to throw it, he bared his teeth.
“Just some rank 33 conglomerate daring—”
A lecherous smile spread across Lee Hanul's lips.
“To feed me this kind of shit?”
Ranking in the chaebol world was nothing different from actual rank to Lee Hanul.
Kang Taeseong's actions were just as much an act of high-handedness to him.
“This bastard is completely insane.”
“Young Master.”
The aide hurried over.
“President Kang Taeseong is in the main hall.”
“…What?”
“He’s participating in the wine event.”
Lee Hanul chuckled.
“Perfect.”
He shot up from his seat.
“Let me see his face up close.”
Main Hall.
People formed a circle.
Lee Hanul squeezed through the crowd to look inside.
“…”
Kang Taeseong, Seo Jia, Cha Minhyeok.
The three stood together.
“Oh dear.”
This was inconvenient.
No matter how much of a hooligan Lee Hanul was, he wasn't a fool who didn't care about consequences.
Seo Jia.
The youngest daughter of Seohan Group's chairman.
Just by ranking, she was above him.
If he interfered unnecessarily, he would only get scolded.
Lee Hanul stood with arms crossed, quietly watching the situation.
But.
“…Huh?”
The situation was surprisingly entertaining.
“President Kang seems to have little knowledge of wine.”
Cha Minhyeok said with a gentle smile.
“That's fine. It could happen.”
The surrounding people began whispering too.
“I wonder why he doesn't drink wine much.”
“If you're a chaebol, you should know at least this much.”
“Haha, big build but a child's palate, I guess.”
Cha Minhyeok had deliberately created the perfect atmosphere for him to step in.
That atmosphere was subtly pressuring Kang Taeseong.
Lee Hanul's lips curled up.
“Good. Very good.”
That damn pig.
Watching him break face right in front of everyone wasn't so bad.
After making his judgment, Lee Hanul stepped forward.
“With just one junk item, it's not fun.”
“Lee Hanul?”
“…You're the Inha Group hooligan, aren't you?”
Lee Hanul raised his voice and looked at Kang Taeseong mockingly.
“Ha! You dare bet on wine? Just some rank 33 conglomerate like that!”
All eyes in the surroundings turned to him at once.
Enjoying the gaze, his lips twisted arrogantly.
“Then I'll expand the game.”
He pulled a black card from his pocket and slipped it between his fingers.
Inha Leisure Black membership card.
A top-tier membership card that allowed unrestricted use of domestic and international resorts, golf courses, hotels, yachts, and ski resorts.
Because it was a limited edition, even if you wanted it, you couldn't get it.
Its value couldn't even be estimated in cash.
“This pig won't be able to bet on wine at all.”
Thud.
The card fell on the table.
“I'm betting this.”
What's that?
Before Kang Taeseong could ask, voices from the surroundings rose.
“Inha Leisure Black? You're betting that?”
“That membership card you can't get even if you pay money!”
“Throwing a black card just for one bet!”
He had boasted enough and pointed at Kang Taeseong with a finger.
“If I guess right, I'll acknowledge it and give you the membership card.”
At that moment, the main hall fell silent.
“Well? Will you take it?”
*
…What kind of guy is this?
He suddenly jumped in and rambled on about chaebol rankings.
All of a sudden, he bets a ridiculously expensive membership card pretending it's a wager.
Since he had unilaterally expanded the game, it was no disadvantage to me.
No risk, high return.
I had nothing to lose.
Even if I was wrong because I lacked ability, I wouldn't lose anything. At most, a little face would be scraped.
No matter how much I thought about it, it didn't make sense.
“Is he an idiot?”
Why would he buy something to lose with?
Upon thinking about it, his face seemed familiar.
Recalling a bit more, it hit me immediately.
“Ah.”
That kind-hearted young man who had been my lifeline in the casino.
Whether it was slots or cards, he would bring it to me one after another.
In the end, he couldn't hold back his frustration and chased me here.
“Tsk tsk, the game is the game.”
Was I that frustrating?
Well, for me, it was definitely fortunate.
I had planned to put Cha Minhyeok's nose in order anyway, so I would accept.
But if this was the case, there was really no reason not to.
“Since you've laid out the game this much, there's no reason not to accept.”
Hehe.
An involuntary laugh escaped.
“…Ugh.”
“Angry? You don't seem like such a gentle person.”
“Right, if everyone is ignoring you like this, it's strange not to get angry.”
Seo Jia carefully grabbed my arm.
“…Pig.”
Her voice had been lowered.
“You don't have to do it.”
Seo Jia glanced around.
All the gazes from the people in the main hall were now directed at this side.
She knew what Cha Minhyeok was aiming for.
“He's doing it on purpose.”
Seo Jia's eyes toward Cha Minhyeok grew cold.
“He's setting the stage to humiliate you.”
A worry flickered across Seo Jia's expression.
“If you step in unnecessarily and lose, it'll only be your face scraped.”
Usually, she would judge the situation more coldly than anyone else, but now she was worried about me.
“It's fine.”
She raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You really have confidence?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing my expression, Seo Jia stared at me for a moment.
As if trying to confirm sincerity in my face.
“…”
And eventually she let out a small sigh.
“Haa.”
She let go of my hand.
“You're really stubborn.”
Her tone was grumbling, but worry was there.
“Still, don't overdo it.”
Seo Jia said quietly.
A light laugh escaped.
“Worrying for me?”
“Don't misunderstand.”
As soon as Seo Jia turned her head, the tips of her ears were subtly red.
Cha Minhyeok, who had been interrupted by Lee Hanul, was momentarily taken aback too.
His closed eyes trembled slightly, but soon a gentle smile returned to his face.
“Fufu, even an unexpected person is interested.”
He put down the wine glass leisurely and looked at me.
“Will you really do it?”
The surroundings fell silent.
Cha Minhyeok slowly raised the wine glass.
“Tasting the aroma, color, and texture of wine and distinguishing it through them requires thousands of samplings and experience.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“If you don't have confidence, you can withdraw now.”
His tone was polite, but the meaning inside was clear.
“If you don't want to be humiliated, run away.”
I picked up the first glass without a word.
Cha Minhyeok also stopped talking now that I had accepted the challenge.
He pretended to smell the aroma with his nose.
He pretended to swirl the glass and savor the wine.
But what I focused on was elsewhere.
Wine information floating in front of my eyes.
When I slightly rolled my eyes, it appeared right away.
◈ Premier Grand Cru Classé
“Château Margaux 2015.”
“…”
The host's eyes widened.
He glanced at the materials to confirm for a moment, then shouted.
“Correct!”
A commotion erupted from the surroundings.
“He really guessed it?”
“…”
Cha Minhyeok's expression hardened slightly.
The face that had been smiling leisurely until just now.
That gentle smile shook for a brief moment.
“…”
Cha Minhyeok looked at me.
He couldn't hide his surprise at the unexpected result.
Lee Hanul was the same.
“What…”
He muttered small.
“He really guessed it?”
Gazing at the wine glass and me alternately with disbelief.
From the beginning, there was no condition of how many guesses he had to make.
The moment he guessed the first glass, the wager had already been decided.
At that time.
“Ha, hahaha!”
Lee Hanul suddenly burst into laughter.
A forced, fake laugh that anyone could tell.
“It must be luck.”
He said, trying to sound casual.
“I just guessed and got lucky, right? Yeah? Lucky? KJ!”
Lee Hanul's voice was subtly trembling as he spoke.
It felt like he was forcing out words he didn't even believe.
“If I stop here, he'll definitely make that sound.”
I had already expected it.
Guessing just one glass wasn't enough.
Anyone could think it was luck.
Then I would show it clearly to be sure.
Not just a lucky guess like Cha Minhyeok.
I would reveal the true identity of the wine in every glass on the table.
“I'll go to the end.”
Immediately, I picked up the second glass.
Same as before.
He pretended to smell it. Pretended to taste it.
And confirmed the information.
◈ One of the world's top-tier wines
“Romanée-Conti 2017.”
“…”
Correct.
Second, third, fourth.
Every time the glass changed, the atmosphere around changed.
At first, some people thought it was just luck.
But.
◈ Premier Cru
“Opus One 2018.”
“Correct.”
◈ Super Tuscan
“Sassicaia 2016.”
“Correct.”
◈ Premier Grand Cru Classé
“Château Pétrus 2016.”
“…”
Correct.
Not one mistake.
I placed the glass down naturally, as if I had been studying wine for a long time.
When I set down the last glass, the entire noisy main hall fell silent.
The host opened his mouth with an incredulous expression.
“You guessed all of them… correctly. Not even one wrong.”
At the same time, cheers erupted from everywhere.
“Impossible.”
“Guessing the entire blind tasting?”
“Is that even possible?”
“Even professional sommeliers can't do that!”
For the first time, the leisure was gone from Cha Minhyeok's face.
He had been forcing the gentle smile, but his eyes were different.
His eyes around were visibly shaking with emotion.
Lee Hanul's reaction was even more intense.
“Impossible!”
Lee Hanul shouted.
“There's no way! This is fraud! What kind of trick did you use?!”
Gazing at me with disbelief.
“Just some rank 33 conglomerate!”
He pointed at me with a finger and gritted his teeth.
“A provincial bumpkin who doesn't even know the taste of wine…!”
“Noisy.”
I set down the glass I was holding.
And slowly wiping my lips, I said.
“Hand over the membership card quickly.”
“…”
Lee Hanul's face twisted.
“T-This bastard…!”
But it was already too late.
All the gazes that had been heading toward me were now directed at him.
The people who had been mocking Kang Taeseong until just now.
The people who had tried to humiliate him by saying he didn't know wine.
All those gazes now stabbed back at him.
“Do I really have to give it?”
“Whoa, I got caught properly.”
“Haha, thanks to you, it was an interesting show.”
Cheers and laughter echoed inside the cruise hall.