I Regressed and Became Too Good at Brewing - Chapter 13

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 13. The Schemer (2)
“The editing came out well, didn’t it?”
“Isn’t it a bit too much like a social exposé video?”
“Well, what’s wrong with that? It is a social exposé.”
Two videos had been uploaded to the Songhadan Channel.
One was the protesters’ outrageous remarks—filmed by Se Jun and edited by Ha Jeong—and the other was my own direct explanation of Songhadan’s Eco-friendly Distillation Process.
Truth be told, I hadn’t intended to launch YouTube this way.
I’d wanted to capture the natural beauty of Yeongwol where Songhadan was located, the faces of our staff, and everyone’s efforts to craft the finest liquor.
But circumstances had changed.
“Hey. The view count keeps climbing every time I refresh this.”
“Didn’t you upload it the day before yesterday?”
That’s right. But we’ve already hit a hundred thousand views.”
“What? How is that even possible?”
I hadn’t expected this.
Meari had gained some popularity, but Songhadan wasn’t a distillery famous enough to command this kind of reach.
Especially in a country where most people think of soju when you mention alcohol—hitting these numbers seemed nearly impossible.
But there was something I hadn’t known.
“It’s been circulating through all sorts of online communities. There’ve even been news articles about it. Radical environmental protests have been trending lately anyway, so reporters probably thought it was perfect for driving up views.”
“Ah, I see.”
I nodded at Se Jun’s explanation.
Protect and preserve the environment?
I agreed with that sentiment too.
Grandfather had built Songhadan—the name meaning “pine and river”—specifically to construct a distillery that coexisted harmoniously with Yeongwol’s natural surroundings.
That’s why we took great care in our brewing process.
We minimized wastewater discharge and recycled by-products from liquor production as livestock feed.
“Honestly, the news keeps showing protestors spraying paint on artworks and spreading adhesive on roads. This time, we just rode that wave.”
“We got lucky.”
Of course, the people protesting us hadn’t been engaging in anything that extreme.
Shouting while holding signs was relatively tame by comparison.
But those who saw us grouped with them thought differently.
– Wow, now they’re doing this there too?
– What is Songhadan anyway?
– It’s a distillery that makes Nokpaju, a Korean Traditional Liquor.
– Stop drinking and protect the environment instead.
└ Are you part of the protest group?
└ It looks pretty eco-friendly, honestly.
“Public opinion is on our side.”
“But it looks like they haven’t given up on protesting yet?”
“They won’t give up easily.”
Perhaps because they were being pressured from multiple directions by public opinion.
The days of protesters swarming Songhadan came to an end.
Only a small handful remained to hold the line.
But now they’d switched tactics—calling or sending emails to continue harassing us.
Of course, the substance of their claims had changed too.
Apparently they’d noticed the shift in public sentiment and adjusted accordingly.
“Since the environmental angle won’t work anymore, they’ll now pivot to the issue of residents’ consent.”
“It’s really remarkable. How do you always predict exactly what they’ll do?”
“It’s predictable.”
The complaints had now become “Opposition to factory establishment without resident consent,” “Who bears responsibility for residents’ drinking water?” and the like.
They’d fundamentally shifted their strategy to imply we were causing harm to the people of Yeongwol.
“The Meari Label designs are all finished, right?”
“Yes. We got approval too. Just need to release it.”
“And what about the other project we’re working on?”
“I’ll explain that!”
Ha Jeong threw her hand up and pulled out something thick.
When the book opened, what lay inside were drawings.
A sleek bar interior, and even what looked like a traditional liquor establishment.
Different designs throughout, but they all shared one thing in common.
“A collection of Songhadan Bar design concepts!”
This was the final plan we’d been preparing.
Running a business without considering the residents?
That doesn’t make sense at all.
Grandfather had always been on good terms with the people in this area, and following his example, I’ve come to know many of the elders myself.
When Grandfather later entrusted me with the distillery, didn’t those elders come visit and offer their congratulations and support?
‘Good people, indeed. Though not everyone realizes it.’
‘Tee-hee! So you’re quite the vocalist, Song Ha? Is that why you’re thinking of opening a tavern? How exciting! Your wife must be quite the artist too?’
The two dokkaebi, more interested than inclined to drink, craned their necks to admire Ha Jeong’s sketches.
The Songhadan bar had always been one of the plans we intended to pursue.
I’d hoped that future distillery tours would include a space featuring only Songhadan’s liquors, and besides, I wanted to give back to the local residents who had helped us so much.
“I never imagined it would debut like this, though.”
“We’re turning crisis into opportunity!”
“I like it. Hmm. Let’s narrow down the options.”
Though there were genuinely impressive bar designs, we decided to exclude any that would require excessive time and effort.
We couldn’t possibly obtain building permits in such a short timeframe, and since this was meant to be a one-time event, we settled on remodeling the existing container.
So from Ha Jeong’s sketches, we eliminated anything too elaborate.
But we didn’t discard them.
There’s no telling how we might repurpose them later.
“And though I’d hope otherwise, having an actual bar layout might be difficult.”
“But isn’t it supposed to be a bar?”
“The people coming here will be elders. Since we’re only running this for a short time, I’d like it to feel familiar to them.”
For this reason, all those dark, moody bar designs were scrapped.
But overly folksy designs were eliminated too.
Only one design remained.
“This one’s nice.”
“It has rather a café feel to it, doesn’t it?”
“Oh. That’s really nice! I like it!”
The bar’s atmosphere, decided upon unanimously, was that of a small café.
A café with a view of the mountains surrounding Songhadan.
Tables there, paired with select liquors and appetizers to match.
And guests gathered there, conversing and slowly warming with pleasant intoxication.
Isn’t it a beautiful sight just to imagine?
“Then let’s settle on this.”
“Where will we put it?”
“Since it’s also part of the tour, I was thinking next to the Aging Facility.”
‘Splendid! This old fellow loves having many drinking companions! Tee-hee!’
“We’ll have plenty of work ahead. But I feel good about it!”
At Ha Jeong’s words, we all nodded.
“Then why don’t you show us what Songhadan is really like?”
* * *
Preparations proceeded without a hitch.
We decided to use the same contractor we’d selected when expanding the Aging Facility before.
They’d been reliable and efficient then.
Sure enough, the workers made quick work of something or other, and in less than two days, the interior of the container had been transformed into a café with a warm atmosphere.
Curious how they’d managed it, I asked—and got this answer instead.
‘You just do it, and it gets done.’
I decided to stop asking questions at that point.
What mattered was that a beautiful bar had come into being.
“So now only the most important part is left?”
“Right. A bar needs customers. Some people did say they wanted to come, but this space is for sharing with our residents.”
News of the bar where people could taste Songhadan’s liquors was uploaded through YouTube and the homepage.
The response was overwhelming.
Everyone asked when exactly they could visit, saying how curious they were.
But since this was meant to be an event for the local residents, we had no choice but to put them off.
“Representative Yun Joo Ho seemed disappointed too.”
“We can invite him when we officially operate it. For now, let’s go.”
“Sigh… I’m already anxious. How are we supposed to get through that crowd……?”
The protesters were still at the main gate, showing no signs of tiring.
I’d expected them to give up by now, but they were far more persistent than I’d imagined.
The way they clung so desperately was strange—as if someone had put them up to it.
As soon as we stepped out the main gate, the protesters raised their voices again.
Se Jun carefully steered the car toward the nearby village.
Since the residents’ average age was quite high, he wanted to escort them personally to Songhadan.
“Say, did you call the Village Chief?”
“Yeah. He seemed happy about it. He even got angry on our behalf. Ha ha ha.”
“Goodness. I wonder how they’ll manage to get inside…….”
We arrived at the village, carrying both worry and anticipation.
I remembered it as a quiet, peaceful place from my last visit.
Serene and charming.
But when we reached the village entrance, what Se Jun and I saw was an entirely different scene.
“Huh? Wait, is this the right place?”
“I… I think so?”
“Hey! You here, Song Ha?”
The moment we stopped the car and got out, we were greeted by elderly residents scattered across several trucks.
Where on earth had those trucks come from?
The Village Chief, the youngest among them, walked toward our car and waved, calling out.
“We’re all set!”
“Chief, what is all this…….”
“You said free liquor, didn’t you? I even recorded the message! Tsk tsk. I told everyone that if Song Ha’s brewed liquor was being given away, they should come, and they all showed up. I scraped together every truck in the village.”
As he spoke, the elderly residents behind him waved and called my name.
My heart swelled in that moment.
A smile leaked through.
I bowed deeply, my gratitude overflowing.
“Thank you so much.”
“What for! It’s free, isn’t it! We old-timers are the ones who feel cheated, missing out on free liquor. And those wretches are selling us out, you say? When we heard that, folks from the next village came too. Come on, let’s go! Hey! Someone get behind the wheel!”
The Chief, apparently planning to drive a truck himself, shouted instructions to everyone before climbing aboard.
And so, with Se Jun’s car in the lead, several trucks rumbled after us.
Not long after, we arrived at Songhadan.
The protesters who’d meant to block us couldn’t seem to handle the Yeongwol cold and several trucks all at once.
Though some still shouted, we managed to pass through the main gate without incident.
“Song Ha, can you hear them in the back?”
“How could I not? They’re shouting that loudly.”
“Oh dear. If they get angry, their blood pressure will spike…….”
We’d grown used to it, but the villagers hadn’t—they saw the protesters and yelled back, calling them wretches.
The protesters’ words were quickly drowned out by their force.
There was that saying, wasn’t there.
That to survive is to be strong.
“They’re good people. Getting angry on our behalf like that.”
“Which is why we need to treat them even better.”
“Of course.”
I got out of the car and texted Ha Jeong, who was still preparing, that we’d arrived.
After receiving her confirmation, I hurried to the Chief as the elderly residents climbed down from the trucks one by one.
“My, it’s cold. So cold.”
“I did warn you…….”
“This is nothing. So where’s this free liquor? We’re all thirsty for it.”
“Ah, this way, please.”
As I ushered the residents, each full of anticipation, into the bar, Ha Jeong greeted them all with a brilliant smile.
Everyone laughed in the warmth of the indoors and settled into their seats.
Then they began chatting about what liquor and side dishes would be served.
Now the real show was beginning.
“Se Jun, you keep an eye on the video.”
“No need to say it twice. I’ve already been filming on the way here.”
“Ha Jeong?”
“She’s in the kitchen. She’s fired up showing off what she’s been practicing. Heh heh.”
Food Pairing was important when it came to liquor—the dishes served alongside it mattered.
So Ha Jeong, who’d always had an interest in cooking, poured all her effort into preparing a Food Pairing that would complement Meari.
“If you have a free moment, could you help me out?”
“Sure thing! I’ll handle the serving and film it at the same time.”
“Then let’s get started!”
As Se Jun and I approached different tables, the elderly residents were chatting animatedly among themselves.
“Say, is this Songhadan?”
“That old man Song really bragged about how splendid it was, and he wasn’t wrong!”
“Well, what—it’s soju, right?”
“No, no! I’m telling you, it’s Traditional Liquor.”
“What do you mean? Is it something like that Andong soju?”
The overall response was positive, though that was where it ended.
Understandably so.
Korea’s Traditional Liquor had seen its lineage nearly severed during the Japanese colonial period.
So the elders today had little reason to be familiar with these restored varieties.
“I’m most worried they won’t be able to enjoy the taste and aroma.”
“Not at all. It’s Meari. They’ll understand, I’m certain of it.”
“If you say so, that’s a relief.”
As he spoke, Song Ha caught the scent of Meari sitting on the bar table.
It was genuinely fine.
He had confidence in it.
Confidence that everyone would feel Meari’s distinctive, crisp allure.
His only lingering worry was that after tasting Meari, they might find other liquors unsatisfying.
He straightened his clothes and stepped forward.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Oh! Aren’t you Yeon-u? You’ve grown so much.”
“Ha-ha. I suppose I should be growing by now. Shall I pour you some?”
“Of course! And some snacks too! We old folks came with sky-high expectations!”
The grandfather answered with a broad grin.
Then there was only one thing left to do.
“I’ll bring it right out.”
Now it was just a matter of letting them enjoy the liquor.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————