I Regressed and Became Too Good at Brewing - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 45. Hops and Hope (1)
“Hyogi…….”
“Yes, young master. That is indeed my name.”
To my murmur, Hyogi bowed her head gently once more and answered.
This was the second time I had witnessed the birth of a Dokkaebi, but it felt entirely different from when Mokttong appeared.
Mokttong had been something like a stubborn old craftsman—gorging himself on liquor inside the aging room and then growing irritable the moment I showed up—whereas this Dokkaebi, who introduced herself as Hyogi, carried the air of a noble’s daughter from some great house.
“I am honored to make your acquaintance, young master.”
Hyogi’s voice rang out clear and bright like a gayageum string plucked, yet it held the deep resonance of a jar that has cradled centuries.
Perhaps that was why.
Looking at her, I grasped something intuitively.
She was not the embodiment of Songhadan’s land itself, like Songha, nor the aging room made manifest, like Mokttong—but rather a Dokkaebi born from an entirely different realm: the Fermentation Room.
“Could it be… you were born when the Fermentation Room was built?”
“That would be both true and false, young master.”
The Dokkaebi Hyogi, dressed in a jade-green jeogori and indigo skirt, bowed once more amid the subtle earthen scent and pine fragrance of the Fermentation Room.
With every movement she made, a warm, living aroma arose—sweet and nutty like freshly baked bread—rippling through the entire Fermentation Room like heat shimmer.
“I have existed since fermentation first took place in this space. Yet my essence was present though without form, unable to manifest.”
According to Hyogi’s words, it was like this:
She was a Dokkaebi embodying the fermentation process itself—all of it, from nuruk to base alcohol and everything in between.
But to hold such power, she needed a special space to define herself.
Until now, despite brewing diligently, she could not take form; but now that the Fermentation Room was complete, she could finally assume a body.
“Now that Songhadan’s Fermentation Room—bearing the purest clarity under heaven—has been completed, I offer my felicitations, young master.”
“Ah… yes. Of course.”
“You may speak more freely if you wish.”
“No, I’m comfortable with formal speech for now.”
How could I slip into casual language with someone I’ve only just met?
Besides, she may wear a human form, but she is a Dokkaebi.
There’s no way I could suddenly speak casually.
“In any case, welcome to Songhadan.”
“I am grateful for your kind reception.”
“Hmm? A new presence caught my attention, so I came to check, and it’s someone I already know?”
Mokttong slipped through the wall of the newly built Fermentation Room and tossed out a remark.
Following him in came Songha, who offered a slight bow toward Hyogi.
Hyogi, who had been ignoring Mokttong and pretending he didn’t exist, now greeted Songha with meticulous courtesy.
“Tch! Bang! This old fellow never gets proper greetings, not ever!”
“Understand, you see—that child Hyogi is curious by nature, but not one inclined toward unnecessary risk.”
“You see most keenly, Master Songha.”
“What! So greeting me is a risk, is it? Is that what you’re saying?”
Yet for all the words, smiles bloomed on the faces of Songha, Mokttong, and even Hyogi, whom I was meeting for the first time today.
It felt like seeing an old friend after a long separation.
“And so, bound together as one in service to the young master, I offer my renewed devotion.”
“Bang! I don’t like that woman!”
“And I likewise have no desire to serve alongside one who does not value courtesy, though I have no choice in the matter, have I?”
… Did I misunderstand?
Though I’d only known them briefly, Hyogi and Mokttong displayed personalities that were complete opposites.
Hyogi always spoke with courtesy, while Mokttong was the very definition of a Dokkaebi who spoke his mind without filter.
“Hah, I fear I’ve shown my friend an awkward side of myself.”
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
It seemed it would be Songha who would suffer between these two.
Of course, Songha was no ordinary figure either, so he might manage to mediate between them well enough.
“In any case, Hyogi—have you exchanged greetings with my friend here?”
“I’ve offered a brief introduction of myself, though I have not yet spoken of all my abilities.”
“Then allow me to explain on your behalf, my friend. You know that Hyogi’s essence is the Fermentation Room itself, yes?”
“Yes, I just heard.”
“Then the abilities Hyogi governs touch upon fermentation. Might you demonstrate directly?”
“As you wish.”
With a bow of respect, Hyogi walked softly to one of the Stainless Steel Fermentation Tanks.
Inside it was none other than base alcohol—the kind used to make Meari or Dalbord.
She placed her hand gently upon the tank and opened her mouth.
“What I am able to do is not much, I’m afraid. Compared to you two elders, it is merely a trifling skill.”
Speaking softly, Hyogi gathered her energy in her palm and let it flow into the tank.
All I do is strengthen the children within this vessel, helping them endure more steadily. Keeping them alive and breathing is the full extent of my meager talents.
For a moment, I wondered if I’d heard wrong.
If by “children in the tank” she meant yeast, then what else could it be?
So helping them endure must also refer to the yeast.
You might ask why I thought I’d misheard when I seemed to understand perfectly well?
The reason is simple.
“That’s incredible!”
Yeast, that essential creature without which no alcohol could be made, was unfortunately extraordinarily temperamental.
If the temperature rose, it died from heat; if it fell, it died from cold.
Did you think that was all?
Atmospheric pressure and humidity were among the factors that affected it too.
It could even die depending on the alcohol concentration it produced.
“But you’re saying you can keep them alive and healthy?”
Yes, it is merely my humble skill.
What modesty could there be in such a thing?
The largest portion of why alcohol gets discarded is precisely due to problems arising in this fermentation process.
With Hyogi here, production would increase noticeably.
Yet it seemed she herself couldn’t be satisfied with that.
Master Songha, forgive my boldness, but might I offer a gift to the young master?
Please, be at ease. We are all friends here—no need for such formality.
I’m grateful for your permission. Then, young master, I beg your pardon for a moment.
Hyogi walked slowly toward me and brought her slender fingers before my eyes.
Though her touch didn’t make contact, somehow the warm gentleness of freshly steamed rice seeping through seemed to settle softly above my brow.
From now on, you will hear the “voices” of the children breathing alive.
Whooooom~
The moment her words ended, a colossal heartbeat sound flowed through my ears.
And simultaneously, from the small experimental fermentation vessel sitting in the corner of the Fermentation Room came a bizarre and electric sound I had never heard before, flowing in through every cell of my being.
‘I’m hungry! Give me more, give me more sweet!’
‘Ah, so warm…… I’m getting sleepy…….’
‘Aah! It’s too sour here! Help me!’
It was a sequence of the simplest, most primal words.
Rather than human language, it resembled the cooing of newborns or the undulation of instinctive emotion.
But I grasped instantly what it was.
The unified cry of the yeast currently gnawing at the sugars converted from rice starch inside the vessel, spewing out alcohol with every breath.
“Is that… the sound yeast makes?”
I gazed at the fermentation vessel with awe-filled eyes.
Yes, it is.
Hyogi smiled and added her explanation.
The children are so small and simple that they cannot think complex thoughts. They only cry out sorrowfully when hungry, sated, when the surrounding temperature is pleasant, or when they’re hurt and attacked.
So this ability too was as tremendous as what Mokttong and Songha had given me.
What clearer compass could a brewer ask for?
If I could fulfill what they wanted when they complained of hunger, before the spirit itself cried out in pain……
“I could make alcohol of perfect fermentation!”
But adaptation was still necessary.
Since I’d only just received Hyogi’s gift, it was difficult to distinguish the voices clamoring from all directions.
I shouldn’t use it freely until I could at least confirm only the yeast in the cask I desired.
It truly is a remarkable ability no matter how many times I see it.
And isn’t your own ability remarkable as well, Master Songha?
Mine? No, what about mine?
“Not bad.”
Once again, Hyogi offered a word to Mokttong.
I decided I really ought not let those two get too close.
And in that moment, something suddenly came to mind.
A business card worn by fingerprints touched my hand from inside my pocket.
It was from Jinwoo and Euncae, a couple from The Hop Brewery.
That incomprehensible combination—a terrible-tasting beer filled with Dokkaebi essence—circled through my mind once more.
Their beer wasn’t spoiled or rotten.
It was simply that the newly introduced substitute yeast hadn’t adapted to the brewery’s environment, and the scent spirits that should have bloomed were instead shriveled like mummies, unable to grow.
‘The reason the fragrance didn’t grow…… it was because the yeast was silent, or screaming.’
Traditional Takju and Cheongju had already entered a perfect orbit where every variable could be controlled—my hands, Songha’s touch, Mokttong’s sense, and now Hyogi’s blessing added to them all.
Songhadan already possessed the system to craft the finest spirits, whether or not it commanded that ability right now.
Then why couldn’t they resurrect that extraordinary beer—the kind so remarkable a Dokkaebi had lingered to taste it—if they solved the problems?
No, perhaps they could go further still and create a beer more delicious than any they’d ever tasted before.
The moment that thought crystallized, his body was already moving.
“Sejun!”
He pulled open the Fermentation Room door and called out into the courtyard.
Sejun, who’d just hung up another round of incoming orders and was wiping sweat from his brow, turned with a bewildered expression.
“Oh, Yeonwoo? How’s the new Fermentation Room? No problems, right? Anyway, those department store buyers are absolutely losing their minds right now. They want to set up a meeting immediately…….”
“Postpone the meeting for now. You can attend as my representative.”
“What? Where are you going? If the owner disappears at a time like this, what happens to everything!”
Sejun’s eyes widened as he reached for him, but Yeonwoo was already holding the car keys.
“Dobongsan. There’s a place I promised to visit during the Korean Liquor Festival. ‘The Hop’ Brewery.”
“Ah… those beer people? You’re heading there right now? But that’s beer.”
“Beer is alcohol too. Songhadan doesn’t discriminate by type. So…….”
He stepped out through the door and turned back to Sejun one last time.
“Act as interim owner until I sort this out.”
“What?”
“I’m off. Fighting.”
From beyond the doorway, Sejun’s protesting voice rang out, but Yeonwoo walked forward with a light step, his thoughts already dwelling on the new spirit awaiting him.

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