Chapter 5. Resembling Pear Blossoms

“No, I’m not.”

Even with Gwon-ha’s immediate reply, Do-ah didn’t lower her guard.

The hostility that rose within her was doubled by the memory of the outsiders who had shown up in Yehwa Village over the past few days.

They had strutted in looking polished and refined on the outside, only to insult and stir up the village.

The mere sound of the name “Daeseong Brewing” made her instinctively speak sharply.

Her deep, probing eyes bore straight into Gwon-ha.

After a pause, he began weaving his story.

“I’m, uh… the founder of a startup. I recently started a one-man company specializing in pairing handcrafted traditional liquors with food. My goal is to help globalize traditional Korean liquors, and I came to seek Ihwado-ga’s advice so we can grow together.”

“…”

“Oh, where are my manners. I should give you my card…”

He pretended to check his pockets, then gave a theatrical “ah” as if he had just remembered something.

“Ah, I must have left it behind.”

A faint snicker came from somewhere, and Do-ah glanced around, but all she saw were endless pear blossoms swaying in the breeze.

The whole situation felt deeply unpleasant.

The man’s smooth smile made it feel like he was mocking her.

I’m from Yehwa Village. I’m the granddaughter of Master Choi Eun-ja. I’m someone who will live and die here at Ihwado-ga.

—When you return, come straight to the inner sanctum.

Recalling Eun-ja’s words, her voice became firmer.

“Enough with the jokes. You’re not the first person to come here saying things like that.”

“I’m nothing like those people…”

“You’re no different, as far as I can see.”

Her ankle throbbed, but she stood her ground without wavering.

“So leave. Yehwa Village doesn’t need outsiders.”

She walked right past him.

Every step made her ankle ache, but she clenched her teeth and kept going.

“And who are you to tell me where I can or can’t go?”

His mocking voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Does this whole place belong to you or something?”

“…”

“Didn’t think so. Then what gives you the right to talk to me so rudely?”

Rude… ha.

A long sigh slipped through her clenched teeth.

Who exactly was being rude to whom here?

Then again, people like him never failed to act this way.

‘He’s definitely one of them.’

Her earlier suspicion now hardened into certainty.

The aura he gave off and the arrogance in his eyes made her instincts, honed from years at Eun-ja’s side, speak clearly.

This man is with Daeseong Brewing.

She turned her head slightly and met his gaze head-on.

“I’m from Yehwa Village. I’m part of Ihwado-ga too.”

“…”

“This land belongs to all the people of Yehwa Village. Which means I have every right to tell you this.”

Her icy stare carried a sharp warning.

“So get out. Right now.”

* * *

Watching her disappear, Gwon-ha let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

Had she had pear blossom petals stuck in her hair?

Her retreating figure lingered in his mind like an afterimage.

“With lips like flowers, all she leaves behind are thorny words.”

What was this feeling?

It was irritating, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Her lips, which had shot back retorts without a hint of hesitation, were a vivid red.

Her sharp, intelligent eyes stood out even more against her pale skin, gleaming like dark jewels.

What had he been thinking when he looked into those eyes?

Why had he reacted so strongly to something he normally would’ve brushed off with ease?

As his thoughts tangled, Secretary Shin approached, pale-faced and trembling.

The hand holding the phone was visibly shaking.

Gwon-ha, not noticing, issued an order.

“Secretary Shin, find out who that woman is.”

“Um… Sir. Earlier, you asked me to find out who Ihwado-ga’s successor was, right?”

“And?”

“Now you’ve asked me to find out who this woman is.”

“And?”

His tone sharpened. He hated repeating himself.

Shin said nothing more. Instead, he handed over his phone.

Gwon-ha gave him a questioning look, then checked the screen.

There were several photos taken from different angles, but it was clearly the same woman who had spoken to him so bluntly moments ago.

She wasn’t smiling in a single one. Her face was completely expressionless.

Beneath the photos was a brief dossier.

Wow. Shin worked fast.

“This came directly from the Chairman just now,” Shin explained.

Ah, of course. Grandfather.

Gwon-ha skimmed the information with a knowing look.

“Name, Joo Do-ah… Age… thirty. A younger sibling mouthing off to her older brother, huh? No manners.”

He laughed under his breath and scrolled down.

Then he froze on the last line.

His eyes rippled like pebbles thrown into a still lake.

“This is a joke, right, Secretary Shin?”

“…”

“Come on. It’s not real. Tell me it’s not.”

“It’s real,” Shin said firmly.

Gwon-ha shook his head in denial. His lips parted in disbelief.

“How could this woman…”

…be Ihwado-ga’s successor.

* * *

Eun-ja sat on the wooden porch, her body sinking with exhaustion.

Age and illness weighed heavily on her.

Leaning against the main pillar, she closed her eyes for a moment, but then Jeong-ja’s voice rang out, signaling the end of the day’s tasks.

“Master, we’ve stored all the fermentation jars in the Yeweol Storage.”

“Good work.”

“What about the Seol Igangju we brewed two years ago? Seems like it’s about time to take it out…”

Seol Igangju was another famous Ihwado-ga liquor made with rice, yeast, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, honey, and pears.

Unlike other breweries, Ihwado-ga always started brewing it on the first snowfall of the year, which is why the character “seol” (snow) was added to its name.

Its color and flavor were the complete opposite of Cheondo Ihwaju.

Each ingredient was fermented separately for six months, then blended and aged for one to three years. It was a labor of love, and highly sought after despite its high alcohol content. Reservations were backlogged for years.

“When Do-ah comes back, we’ll check it together.”

Right then, Do-ah entered the yard, pulling a small cart attached to the back of her bike.

Inside were twenty bottles that would be used to store the first batch of this season’s Cheondo Ihwaju, meant for the village ritual.

“You’re back?”

“Yes, Grandmother. I brought the bottles, but Mr. Bang said the item you requested isn’t ready yet. He’ll bring it over himself.”

“All right. We’ll go to the inner sanctum tomorrow. For now, let’s head to the Yeweol Storage.”

Hearing this, Jeong-ja clapped her hands joyfully.

“Oh, finally going in!”

The two women with stoic faces watched her glee, then headed inside.

Do-ah bowed politely to Jeong-ja as she passed, taking quick steps.

Jeong-ja smiled warmly, as if used to this sight.

“At last, the decision’s been made. Who else could take that position if not our Do-ah?”

Just as she turned, she noticed two pairs of eyes peeking over the wall.

“Hey, who’s there!”

* * *

Under the Ihwado-ga wall, two men stood.

The wall was tall, but with his 190 cm frame, Gwon-ha had no trouble seeing over it.

On the other side, he saw the woman he’d bumped into earlier.

She was speaking with Master Choi Eun-ja.

They didn’t look alike, but the calm, cool atmosphere around both women was almost identical.

“So what you’re saying, Secretary Shin, is that I have to go in there as that woman’s assistant? Eat, sleep, and take a dump in this mud hut?”

He’d put a little too much emphasis on the “assi” part of “assistant,” making it sound like a curse.

“‘Assistant’ is just an old word, sir. Think of it as a helper. And this isn’t technically a mud hut.”

“Secretary Shin. Ha… Secretary Shin!”

That’s not the point!

Gwon-ha couldn’t stop laughing in disbelief.

He shook his head, clenched his fists, looked up at the sky, laughed again, then sighed at the ground.

“Ha. This is insane.”

Anyone watching would think he’d lost his mind.

Which, from Shin’s perspective, was not entirely inaccurate.

Gwon-ha looked up at the sky and muttered.

“Secretary Shin, do you honestly think this makes sense?”

And then came the unfiltered truth.

“I mean seriously, at my age, with my career, with this face?”

Shin had no answer.