***
"Just tell me one by one. Please begin."
"Yes, Young Master."
It was still early noon, too soon for Seokhoru to open its doors. Taking along one attendant who had arrived early, I headed toward the basement.
The basement of Seokhoru was filled with a cool air. Thanks to the fact that the building sat right beside a lakeside, the chill of the water veins seeped straight through, making it the perfect environment for storing liquor.
"First, twenty mal of aju made into Seokhwangju. In addition, three mal of aju made into Odo-ju, and two mal of Yeonmi-ju..."
On my first day of work, an artisan called Jugong had brought liquor from Daeseok Yangjojang.
The liquor had all been moved to the storage before I had a chance to inspect it. That was why I was now reviewing the inventory anew.
Which liquors sold well, and which ones had too much stock left. Grasping this was the first step of business.
The attendant recited the types of liquor from the front one by one. I was cross-referencing this with last week's ledger, conducting an actual audit.
The first I encountered was Seokhwangju, the representative liquor of Seokga Estate. It was the very liquor that Seok Du-won had proudly presented at last week's banquet.
"Aju refers to unaged liquor, correct? Odo-ju and Yeonmi-ju must be yellow wine."
"Yes, that is correct. From here on are the aged liquors. There are six mal of five-year-aged Seokhwangju, and one and a half doe of ten-year-aged."
"Good. What comes next?"
"Next is Haepungnyang-ju. All of it is aju, five mal."
One mal was roughly eighteen liters by the standards of where I came from. The bottles used here held two hop, approximately three hundred and sixty milliliters, so one mal yielded fifty bottles. Seokhoru received no small amount of liquor.
"Hmm. Is that so?"
As I looked at the ledger recording last week's sales performance and the delivered liquor, something strange kept catching my eye.
First, since this was my first time seeing it, I let it slide for the moment.
"The hongju, a fruit wine brought in from a neighboring province, amounts to eight doe. All of it is aju."
The things that bothered me were gradually increasing.
It wasn't the quality of the liquor or the types that bothered me. What bothered me right now was simply—
'Why would they send less of the liquor that sells well...'
The deliveries of liquors other than Seokhwangju were strange. According to the ledger, the fruit wine called hongju sold just as well as Seokhwangju.
Its sales volume should be three times that of the Haepungnyang-ju mentioned earlier. Yet, as if by some demonic trick, the delivery had decreased after just one week.
The ledger stated that from around mid-week, they had been unable to sell hongju because it was out of stock. It was clear that this delivery defied common sense.
Moreover, a similar trend was visible in the ledger from the week before last, so this could largely be seen as an intentional issue.
"Hmm. Hongju is not a liquor made at Daeseok Yangjojang. Were there no messages delivered separately? That supply was not going well, or that it had spoiled?"
"No. I haven't heard anything like that. A neighboring province isn't so far that the liquor would spoil in the middle of winter. No, wasn't it the gentleman called Jugong who brought the liquor in the first place? It's always like this. Jugong simply looks at the ledgers on his own and unilaterally sends liquor like this. It's even worse when it's not a liquor directly made by Daeseok Yangjojang."
"Excuse me?"
The moment I heard those words, I doubted my ears. What kind of ridiculous situation was this? Dumbfounded, I stared at the attendant for a long while.
"It wasn't exactly a problem for business, so..."
Right, it wasn't exactly a problem. But what struck me once again was that this was a world where romance and savagery coexisted.
How could there be so little system, so little order? That thought struck my mind quickly.
"Didn't the managers upstairs say anything?"
"If we don't have one liquor, we can just sell another, can't we? If we tell a guest looking for medicinal hongju that we don't have it, they'll order Haepungnyang-ju or yellow wine instead..."
He was saying they hadn't made an issue of it. An attitude of utter complacency.
"..."
I thought I had been through all sorts of establishments. Truly, there was no shortage of places run by the seat of their pants even in the modern era.
But this was a bit... how should I put it? Wasn't it too much? Especially as someone who used to be a bartender, this was utterly unacceptable.
Those who paid money and spent their time visiting an establishment like Seokhoru were people who naturally wanted a specific drink.
It was the same for those who visited a bar.
Intentionally taking away their choices and making them drink something else. This was something I could never tolerate as a bartender.
"What about white liquor?"
"Seokbaek-ju, Seokga Estate's white liquor, isn't very famous. People drink it because it's cheap. There can't be more than three mal. Instead, we do have some white liquor brought in from elsewhere. We should have about six mal of Guonchun-ju from Namjik-ye."
"That one is normal, then."
"White liquor isn't exactly Daeseok Yangjojang's flagship product."
Fortunately, such signs were not visible with the white liquor. This was likely because the brewery operated by Seokga Estate focused on yellow wine. Even so, someone's intentions were clearly heavily influencing the delivery of yellow wine, and the fact that this someone had little interest in Seokhoru's profits was an obvious problem.
'Jugong...'
I lightly touched the corner of my lips, recalling the old man with the impression of an angry raccoon I had met the day before.
I had thought I would only deal with him after reaching into the brewery. But it seemed the time to meet him would come a little sooner.
***
"Great Hero Cheol."
After coming up from the basement and reviewing the ledgers, I went straight to Cheolhwan.
Compared to those employed solely at Seokhoru, Cheolhwan, who belonged to the main family of Seokga Estate, seemed perfect for consulting on this matter.
"Yes. Young Master Yi."
"Do you know about Jugong?"
"What? Did you say Jugong...?"
As expected. The moment the name was mentioned, Cheolhwan's expression could not hide his bewilderment. It seemed this man called Jugong was notorious within Seokga Estate for his temper.
"It doesn't have to be special information. Just tell me anything you know."
"Hmm. That is not an easy question. Jugong, you say."
Cheolhwan made an expression as if he did not want to think about it even for a moment, then soon scrunched up his face.
As though he too had suffered at Jugong's hands.
"Well, to put it simply, you could say he is a man crazy about liquor. How should I put this... It doesn't mean he drinks every day, clutching a bottle. However, when it comes to liquor, Jugong is perhaps like a martial artist."
"A martial artist?"
"Do martial artists not devote themselves madly to martial arts? They also have the pride that the martial art they hold is the best. He is exactly like that. Instead, Jugong is merciless to people. Hmm. It would be more fitting to say he likes liquor more than people."
"A complicated man."
A complicated man. After hearing Cheolhwan's words, I could define Jugong in that single phrase.
The words carried plenty of eccentricity, but it was also true that he did not seem like someone pursuing personal gain.
He seemed like someone who could not be judged by one-sided thinking alone.
"He's not the type to line his own pockets or embezzle... is he?"
"Of course not. He has served Seokga Estate since the previous Estate Lord's time. If he were such a person, he could not have remained. Embezzlement, you say? Heh heh. In my eyes, Jugong does not seem like that kind of person."
"Is that so?"
"He has tremendous pride as well. Did you not see when Chief Steward Gong arrived? The disposition of not easily bending to others comes from being upright oneself."
"Hmm. I see."
The reaction was similar to what I had expected. Cheolhwan's words were that Jugong was not that kind of person.
There seemed to be no particular closeness between them, and I could see he disliked the man on a personal level, which made his words all the more believable.
"Is there a problem?"
"There is a problem, albeit a small one. Also, I had questions about Jugong's work, which is why I asked. Is there a way to meet him?"
"Hmm. If you go to the brewery, there is a way... But if you are going to confront him, even if you go, he would lock the door and not come out."
"If I want to ask him directly, I have no choice but to call him here."
"Would he come just because you call him? I wonder."
"How about it, Chief Cheol, could you perhaps escort him...?"
"Heuh. I forgot I had to stand watch on the outskirts. I shall take my leave now. Farewell."
A chief wouldn't have to stand guard duty separately. I simply smiled and saw off Cheolhwan, who disappeared as if fleeing.
It wasn't what I had hoped for from the start.
After sending Cheolhwan off, I immediately ran to the office and wrote a brief letter. I entrusted it to a young attendant to deliver to the brewery.
"Young Master Yi. I... I went to the brewery."
"What did they say?"
"..."
The young attendant who returned could not say a word. In his trembling hand, the letter I had sent was still sealed, its envelope unopened.
"Did they not accept it?"
"Yes... They said if you have something to say, come yourself... I couldn't even get past the main gate."
"Ha."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. If they want me to come myself, then I shall go myself. Leave the letter here and go attend to your work."
Well, I hadn't expected him to come easily. I was merely dumbfounded that the situation was unfolding exactly as expected.
"I will step out for a moment."
What choice did I have? If he said to come, I had to go. Most of those who had dealt with Jugong up until now had probably spat in disgust around this point and given up right away.
But I was different. I went all the way to the end. At least when it came to liquor, I could not yield a single inch.
Therefore, I left the office, left behind a single word, and headed straight for Daeseok Yangjojang.
But.
"It is the rule of the brewery not to admit outsiders. I am sorry, but the message is for you to withdraw."
"...I came because he told me to, so what is the meaning of this?"
"I am merely a lowly servant who runs errands. I am only delivering the words as Jugong instructed me to."
"..."
I had walked confidently right up to the front gate of the brewery. But the gate of the brewery was firmly shut.
I knew that breweries generally did not allow outsiders to enter freely. However, at least this time, I was not exactly an outsider.
Moreover, only a servant who was not even formally employed by the brewery came out to deliver the message, so pressing him further would paint a strange picture.
I had no choice but to bite my lip tightly and return to Seokhoru.
Most likely, right here.
Even those who had endured a bit longer past this point would have given up on dealing with Jugong.
Whether through reason or brawling, you had to meet to get anywhere. Yet since it was hard to even see his face, and he wore people down like this, everyone must have fallen away.
I decided not to give up this time either.
The ledger and the incoming stock did not align with reason. If so, it was only natural to call in the person who had caused this result and question him.
The only person who could give me an answer to this was Jugong. But there was no way to meet him. It seemed there was no method other than causing a commotion to call him out.
"Chief Hong!"
The first person I sought upon returning to Seokhoru was Hongak. Hongak, who had acted as the head among the attendants and even opposed me.
However, that Hongak had been subdued by me in just one day, and after that—
"Yes! Young Master Yi!"
he was working briskly and efficiently. I had even placed on him the empty title of chief, a hat with no real authority, so it seemed a sworn oath of loyalty was not far off.
"Are there any people free right now?"
"Yes! Since we haven't opened yet, many are free. We can easily spare about ten!"
"That's good. Could you gather them at the basement entrance? Right now."
"Right now, you say?"
"Is it difficult?"
"How could it be! I shall gather them at once!"
"Please call for a few carts as well."
"Yes sir!"
Hongak moved so quickly he seemed about to make a swishing sound. After he stamped his feet a few times, attendants who had been holed up somewhere before opening appeared one by one.
The number of people gathered was exactly ten.
The attendants, still wearing their own clothes since the garments from the fabric store had not yet arrived, stood in a line before the stairs leading down to the basement.
Outside, several carts were parked neatly.
"From now on, go down to the basement and take out all the liquor received from the brewery. Leave only what we'll use today, and remove everything else. I've marked the liquor to be sold today separately, so you'll know when you see it."
"E-excuse me, did you say all of it?"
"All of it."
When I answered firmly to the question asked as if in disbelief, the murmuring stopped.
Perhaps thanks to what happened yesterday, my words carried weight.
"Do you object?"
"No sir! We shall do it!"
It worked especially well on Hongak. Once he, the oldest and most experienced, took the lead, the other attendants had no choice but to step forward.
Hongak immediately directed the attendants down below and had them carry out all the unmarked liquor jars.
"Load them onto the carts just as they are."
The removed liquor went not to the floor but straight to the carts. They were stacked up neatly, exactly as they had looked when delivered.
"We have loaded everything, Young Master Yi."
The managers and attendants working on the upper floors, and the cooks working in the kitchen as well—
everyone poked their heads out, busy watching what was going on.
It wasn't exactly a common sight to see the new manager suddenly removing liquor and loading it onto carts.
Even Cheolhwan, who had hidden himself saying he had to stand watch, approached and was sneakily observing.
Cheolhwan quietly watched this for a moment.
"Y-you don't mean... Young Master Yi!"
He came running to me, an expression on his face as though he had realized something.
"Chief Cheol, didn't you say that Jugong is a man crazy about liquor?"
"Yes! I did. But if you do this to such a crazy man, he will bite you!"
"It's fine. He ignored my letter asking for an explanation, and when I went to him, he wouldn't meet me. However, I need to see that man's face right now. I would be grateful if he bites me and comes rushing at me after seeing this."
"..."
'Are you crazy too?' Such an expression hung on Cheolhwan's face. Was there anyone with such insight?
As expected, martial artists are different.
Coincidentally, the nickname "crazy bastard about liquor" was often used where I came from too.
And I, too, was someone who had been called that.
It takes a crazy bastard to deal with a crazy bastard. Today, I would do something truly crazy to call that crazy man before this crazy bastard.
With such thoughts, I shouted a crazy declaration to the attendants seated on the carts.
"Take these carts as they are to Daeseok Yangjojang! Tell them it's all being returned!"