Chapter 54
The SG Distillery website was already drawing visitors, even though it hadn't sold a single product yet.
A pop-up appeared on the site with something no one had expected.
[SG Distillery Cheonsang (Celestial): All 999 bottles of the initial release have sold out. Thank you for your support. The second sale date will be announced later.]
People who'd confidently insisted that the 300-million-won liquor had to be a pricing error were left speechless when it really sold out, and everyone was bewildered.
─Wasn't it an error?
└Wait, if it wasn't an error... did 999 bottles of liquor at 300 million won each really sell?
└That's almost 300 billion...
└Who bought all that?
─Fuck, 300-million-won liquor? That's insane. It's on a whole other level. Must've been rich Hunters or something.
└But when something like this comes out, there's always some celebrity Hunter who posts it on Insta, and even they didn't post about it?
─Isn't this totally staged?
└Segyun hyung might be ugly, but he's not that kind of person.
└Don't say something that'll make the 100 Million Kkyu-Kkyu Club furious.
└Kkyu-Kkyu! (Meaning: If it's the 100 Million Kkyu-Kkyu Club, wouldn't it be a billion?)
└Kkyu-Kkyu-Kkyu! (Meaning: If it's a billion-Kkyu-Kkyu Club, wouldn't it be two billion?)
A thousand bottles of liquor priced at 300 million won each, sold without even proper advertising?
It was an absurd story.
It sounded so absurd that the story was soon twisted into this:
─Tsk, people who don't know the first thing about business are taking that at face value. They're doing this to evade taxes.
└For real? Well, otherwise it doesn't make sense.
└Even Segyun Man wouldn't be stupid enough to make it that obvious, right?
└They were trying not to make it obvious, but it became obvious anyway. That's why they didn't run any ads.
─I'm a current tax-accounting student. That's tax evasion.
└I'm a practicing tax accountant. I'll just be on my way.
└Don't just leave, explain it first lol.
─Seems like they ran a wash trade because of tax issues.
└Can you even do that?
└Honestly, I dunno either.
Well, I could understand that.
It was only natural to assume there had to be some reason behind it.
But...
It was legendary that even the National Assembly picked up this talking point.
When it looked like it might even reach a parliamentary hearing, I got a call about it.
It was Director Cho Hyeong-bin from the Management Bureau.
─Um, that new company you set up...
“...Don't tell me even the government is taking this seriously?”
─N-No, not at all!
He sounded like he was. What did he mean, no?
─Ahem, well, there's been a lot of talk lately. We know that's not the case, but...
“You don't have to pay taxes yet, so I just need to show the deposit records, right?”
─Yes! We'd be very grateful if you could do that!
“I'm doing the Management Bureau a favor here.”
─Yes, yes, I know, I know.
I should make sure to take credit for it while I could.
After hanging up, I fell into thought for a moment.
Should I reveal who bought it, too?
They'd believe it if I did.
“Ah, since I'm laying everything bare anyway... I should reveal the rest of the lineup, too.”
Naturally, Nectar didn't form when liquor was brewed in massive, factory-style batches all at once.
It seemed that Nectar only formed when a great deal of care went into brewing the liquor.
Besides, not every batch brewed with that much care ended up containing Nectar.
That didn't mean the liquor without Nectar was defective, of course.
I didn't know the exact reason, but for some reason, it was just a spoonful or two short of ‘perfection.’
The liquor that didn't form Nectar was still excellent.
It was probably in a class where ordinary liquors couldn't even compete.
Deciding on a price range was the hard part...
But I had an idea for that, too.
**
Kim Yuseon, a Korean YouTuber specializing in whiskey.
With 800,000 subscribers, he was one of the biggest YouTubers in Korea, and countless liquor companies entering the Korean market invited him to their events.
That was because one review from him was more effective than most ads.
One day, an invitation arrived from a new liquor company called SG Distillery.
At first, he was going to ignore it.
It wasn't as if invitations were a rare thing for him.
But when he looked into it, he found that SG Distillery's parent company was SG Group—and that it was owned by Kim Segyun, the Hunter currently being called Korea's national representative.
He was also the one who'd recently consolidated all the major dungeon development companies, turning the director into a bull and warming his stock account.
And the clincher...
The event was supposed to include a tasting of the much-talked-about 300-million-won liquor at the end. How could he refuse?
A review of the 300-million-won liquor alone would make the views explode.
The whole country was focused on SG Distillery's 300-million-won liquor right now.
Thinking there was nothing to lose, he arrived at a luxury hotel in Gangnam.
It was the venue for the event.
But there were...
Quite a lot of foreigners at the venue?
And a lot of familiar faces, too.
“...Isn't that Angry Davey?”
He asked the producer he'd brought along, since each guest was allowed one companion.
The producer, busy filming, swung his camera toward a white man standing to one side.
“...I think it is.”
An American white guy with 30 million subscribers.
He was a liquor reviewer who mainly covered American bourbon whiskey.
A huge Black man suddenly walked past behind him.
“Fantasy Brewery?”
“...That looks right, too.”
A cocktail-specialist YouTuber with 23 million subscribers.
One after another, the liquor industry's all-star cast appeared.
He didn't know everyone, of course, but the people he didn't recognize were sure to be just as famous as he was... no, probably even more famous.
“Wow, this is intimidating, hyung.”
“...We're the big shots in Korea. Where are we?”
“Korea.”
“Right. Stand up straight.”
Meanwhile, he spotted one more familiar face.
This time, people were murmuring, too.
There were few people in the liquor industry with fame on this man's level.
His reviews alone could move an entire industry.
“Roger... Parker...”
“So even that old geezer who never leaves home showed up?”
With even the legend of wine reviews in attendance, all he could wonder was what on earth Kim Segyun was planning to do by gathering so many famous people from the global liquor industry.
Before long, the event began.
It was a little disappointing that Kim Segyun didn't show up, contrary to expectations.
He'd been hoping he might get to see Kkyu-Kkyu.
It was common knowledge these days that Kkyu-Kkyu videos were a cheat code on YouTube.
Instead, a professional event MC began hosting.
“Today, you'll be tasting three different liquors. After each tasting, please write down your evaluation and the price you think it should sell for.”
It was a simple tasting event.
For the first pour, the event staff brought out bottles and filled everyone's glasses.
They were transparent nosing glasses designed to let you see the color and concentrate the aroma.
“They seem pretty confident.”
“Why?”
“A nosing glass concentrates bad aromas along with the good ones. But traditional Korean liquors like cheongju inevitably come with a nuruk smell.”
“So it'll bring out the nuruk smell, too?”
“Yeah. Some people like it, but others really hate it. And most of the foreigners here won't be used to that smell.”
“Try it first.”
Kim Yuseon nodded, smelled the liquor, then drained the glass.
“...Wow.”
“What is it? How is it?”
“You try it, too.”
The producer, who was also served a glass as his companion, couldn't help letting out an exclamation either.
“Wow, this is...”
“Yeah, that's easily the best cheongju in Korea. Even pretty expensive sake can't compete. There's not a trace of that nuruk smell.”
“But the alcohol content... It seems like ordinary cheongju.”
“Right? Didn't they say it was 40 percent?”
“Then maybe this isn't the 300-million-won liquor.”
“They said we'd have three pours. Maybe it's coming later.”
Fermented liquor at 40 percent.
Honestly, he hadn't expected much.
They must have added spirits or something to raise the proof.
Doing that ruined the aroma and flavor of the fermented liquor, leaving you with a bizarre drink that was needlessly strong.
But when he drank the next glass...
His eyes opened so wide they nearly split.
“Th-This...”
A taste unlike anything he'd ever had before.
It seemed to be around 30 percent, but it felt much smoother.
The concentrated flavor of rice, with a subtle fruity note like grapes.
And most importantly...
“They didn't add spirits to this.”
“...But hyung, you said that was impossible. Didn't you say the yeast would die?”
“It's impossible scientifically.”
“Exactly.”
“Is science all there is in the world we live in?”
“Huh?”
“Who is Kim Segyun? He's a big name even in the Hunter industry, right? It wouldn't be strange if someone like that found a way.”
“Wow, so this liquor was made with dungeon technology?”
“Yeah. You'd never get this taste if they'd added spirits. You'd get this irritating bitter flavor. But this tastes like the lower-proof cheongju from before, just concentrated.”
The other experts around them reacted the same way.
Everyone watched Roger Parker closely, and he, too, let out an exclamation before saying,
“This has overcome the limits of fermented liquor. It's scientifically impossible... but it seems dungeon technology must have been involved.”
Kim Yuseon, who understood the English, said triumphantly to his producer,
“See? See? Roger Parker said the same thing. Dungeon technology.”
“You're right. You're amazing as always, hyung. But wouldn't this taste even better if it were aged in an oak cask?”
“Honestly, how many whiskies taste so harshly of alcohol that they try to cover it up with cask aging? When the liquor itself is this high quality, the vanillin from the oak would only ruin it.”
While they were talking, the final liquor was brought out.
The sharp burst of hot alcoholic vapor suggested it was high-proof.
People were sure this was the 300-million-won liquor.
From all around, they heard people saying 300 million won, or 200,000 dollars, or 200,000 euros.
And the people who drank it said...
“This seems like the 40-percent one, but it's definitely better than the 30-percent one. Really good.”
“If they sold this for 300 million, you wouldn't buy it, right?”
“I wouldn't. The pricing is way off. What kind of sucker bought a thousand bottles of this?”
“Wasn't that just publicity?”
“They said it wasn't. Segyun hyung doesn't lie.”
“Yeah, yeah. That's you Segyun fans for you.”
The others reacted similarly.
Roger Parker's voice rang out softly amid the crowd's responses.
“It's good. It's a good liquor. Taking into account its significance as something the world has never seen before, a price comparable to a Bordeaux Grand Cru wine would have been acceptable. The most I could pay for this would be around ten thousand euros. Even that's a little steep... I'd understand seven or eight thousand euros. But 200,000 euros...”
He clicked his tongue.
Roger Parker shook his head.
The others nodded as if they agreed, but they didn't forget to drain their glasses.
It might not be worth 200,000 euros, but liquor worth seven or eight thousand euros was still precious.
And so, the tasting event ended on a somewhat underwhelming note.
Just as everyone thought that...
─Today's special tasting is the fourth bottle. It's the one you've all been waiting for.
At the MC's words, everyone's eyes widened.
“...The fourth?”
“Wait, then what we just drank...”
“That wasn't the 300-million-won one?”
They swallowed nervously and watched as the bottle was brought in.
Then the liquor began to be poured into fresh glasses, one for each person.
They were surprisingly generous with the pour for a 300-million-won liquor.
“Take a look at this!”
While the others stared blankly at the liquor itself...
Roger Parker held it up against a white sheet of A4 paper to check its color, then gasped.
A faint rainbow shimmer seeped through the slightly yellow cheongju.
“Well, this one is definitely different.”
“Try it. I'm dying to know.”
And when everyone took a sip...
Silence stretched on for a while.
Once again, it was Roger Parker's voice that broke the silence.
“...I thought the first time I'd encountered a liquor that reached the realm of the divine would be the first and last... but I was wrong. There was a god here, too.”
A god. The word fit this liquor perfectly.
And then...
“For a liquor that reaches the divine to appear just when he visited Bordeaux, and for me to sense the same quality in a liquor he sells... There are no coincidences in this world. I'm certain now. The liquor from Château Pétrus... Hunter Kim must have made it or helped make it.”
At Roger Parker's words, exclamations erupted all around them.
He'd connected the dots that far.
But perhaps it was an obvious conclusion.
“And now I'm envious of whoever bought this liquor. If I'd known, I would've bought two or three bottles myself.”
It was the moment the world's top critic himself confirmed that it was worth 300 million won.
─Ah, and I'm sure many of you are curious who bought all of it. Of course, the rumors going around about tax evasion are absolutely false. The buyer was none other than...
**
[SG Distillery: Cheonsang (Heaven Above), the 300-million-won liquor—is it too expensive? Lower-tier lineup, Cheonha (天下) 40, Cheonha 30, and Cheonha 20, coming soon!]
[Was Kaiser the one who ordered all 999 bottles of the 300-million-won liquor?]
[SG Distillery official: It's true that Kaiser Corporation ordered the entire lot.]
[Is Kaiser about to begin another legend of buying at the bottom?]
[The world's top wine critic, Roger Parker: Cheonsang is absolutely worth 300 million won!]
Praise for Kaiser began all over again.
From questions about how he'd known the value and bought it in advance, to rumors of a connection between Kaiser and Segyun, to claims that the 300 billion won was a signing bonus and Kim Segyun was transferring to Kaiser Corporation.
But Kaiser didn't have a moment to pay attention to such rumors.
Kaiser Corporation board meeting.
In Kaiser's absence again, investor hedge fund managers directed disgruntled shouts at Sophia Heinrich, who was attending in his place.
“Is it true that CEO Heinrich spent nearly 220 million dollars of his personal fortune to buy almost a thousand bottles of liquor?”
“Is there really any need to disclose to the board how the CEO spends his personal money?”
“If the information you used to spend your personal fortune came through the company, that's a problem! If you got the information through the company, shouldn't it have been purchased with company assets and managed by the company?”
“What evidence do you have that the information was obtained through the company? That was just the CEO's personal hobby...”
“Buying ten bottles could be called a hobby. A hundred bottles? We could somehow understand that, too. But a thousand? Two hundred million dollars? At that point, isn't it business and investment?”
Sophia didn't so much as blink at the hedge fund managers' protests.
Kaiser's authority was still so formidable that none of their outcries could affect her.
However, one last question irritated Sophia.
“Is the reason CEO Heinrich has been keeping to himself these past few days that he's been drinking nonstop?”
The questioner was the head of a hedge fund that coveted control of Kaiser Corporation.
The same investor kept bringing up the risk of succession, too.
Sophia Heinrich.
He was the one who kept stirring up public opinion, claiming she lacked the ability to lead Kaiser Corporation and that Kaiser was too old, so a new CEO should be appointed.
And that man...
Continued with the corners of his mouth raised high.
“An executive being an alcoholic is a serious ground for disqualification.”
“Grandpa... I mean, the CEO is a great Hunter!”
“We've seen plenty of cases of even great Hunters being brought down by alcohol or drugs.”
Murmur, murmur.
In the murmuring boardroom, Sophia Heinrich could only bite her lip.