The deep pomegranate-colored liquid swirling in the glass carried aromas of blackberry, cinnamon, and a subtle hint of vanilla. Its bold yet pleasant tannins filled the mouth, leaving behind an elegant, lingering taste. Even without a perfect decant, it was obvious this was a premium wine—Château Mouton Rothschild, vintage 2000. A bottle could fetch up to five million won, and even then, it usually required paying a premium due to its rarity. Yet here was Ha Jo-Eun, sharing it with Ma Dong-Pal. "Aside from the price, it's hard to even find. How did you manage to get it?" I asked. When I identified the exact name and vintage, Ma Dong-Pal's eyes darted nervously. According to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, both the giver and the receiver of an unlawful gift could be punished. Suddenly, Ma Dong-Pal raised his voice in defiance. "You... You just looked up an expensive wine name online, didn't you? You think just saying stuff makes it true? What do you even know about wine? You're no sommelier!" 'What do I know about wine? I know it extremely well because of Kim Dong-Soo.' Before the regression, the high-ranking officials he and I met often enjoyed wine. These officials used wine knowledge to measure class and refinement. Because I had a complex about my education and background, I memorized everything about wine history, origins, and vintages just to keep up. Eventually, even those elites acknowledged me, saying I was better than a sommelier. Back then, I gritted my teeth studying all that. I never imagined it would come in handy . Calmly, I began to unfold just a sliver of what I knew. "Mavrud is a Greek wine made by the Chandari family. Compared to this Château Mouton Rothschild, it's more acidic. Also, Mavrud wines usually have stronger fruit notes and a ruby color. This wine matches neither." As I spoke with ease and confidence, Ma Dong-Pal fell silent. He never imagined someone like me, a talent agent in his late twenties raised in an orphanage, would know so much about wine. Once I silenced him, I turned to Oh Han-Guk with a composed expression. Oh Han-Guk nodded and spoke. "CP Ha. You do know it's illegal for a PD to accept expensive wine gifts, right?" At that, Ha Jo-Eun quickly shook her head. "M-Mr. Oh! I really did order a cheap wine! And honestly... I don't even know wine that well. I just pretended for show." 'Oh really? So that's the angle now?' Ha Jo-Eun was claiming to be a wine novice to escape the situation. Then Ma Dong-Pal joined in. "I-I don't really know much about wine either! I just ordered the cheapest one! Please believe me! I'm just a talent agent. How much wine could I possibly know?" In the end, they both tried to shift the blame onto the owner of Wine Bar W, President Ha Sun-Joo. Just as Oh Han-Guk looked like he had heard enough, Ha Sun-Joo herself came over quickly, alerted by the commotion. "Looks like we have some important guests. What's going on?" She recognized Oh Han-Guk and Han Yoo-Sik and bowed politely. The moment Oh Han-Guk was about to respond, Ha Jo-Eun cut in. "Mrs. Ha! We ordered the Mavrud glass wine, but I think a different wine was served instead." Despite being cousins with Ha Sun-Joo, Ha Jo-Eun pretended not to know her, speaking formally. However, she was unaware that Oh Han-Guk already knew of their family ties. Sensing the danger, Ha Sun-Joo managed her expression and smiled. "We might have made a mistake with the wine. Since I'm also a sommelier, may I check it briefly?" Ha Sun-Joo smiled and reached for the stem of the wine glass. At that moment, Oh Han-Guk covered the top of the glass with his hand. "Just a sip. If you drink it all, you'll be speaking not to me but to KBC's legal team." "Haha. Don't worry. For a tasting, a single sip is enough." When Oh Han-Guk nodded and removed his hand from the glass, Ha Sun-Joo raised the glass to her lips. Sipping gently, she closed her eyes while savoring the flavor. She swirled the wine on her tongue and inhaled deeply. Then she slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "You're right. We made a mistake. This isn't Mavrud." "Then do you admit you served Château Mouton Rothschild as Chief Jung said?" "No. It's neither Mavrud nor Château Mouton Rothschild." Oh Han-Guk's face darkened. "What did you say?" Ha Sun-Joo placed the glass on the table and smiled brightly. "Ultra-premium wines like Château Mouton Rothschild aren't served by the glass. This is Mouton Cadet, a product from the same vineyard with similar flavor and aroma. It's a second wine, so you likely made a mistake." Second wine referred to a less prestigious wine from the same estate, yet shared a similar taste. The reason Ha Sun-Joo specifically called it a second wine was because Mouton Cadet was the most widely sold Bordeaux wine in the world. This meant that it was easy to get and cheap—about forty thousand won per bottle to be exact. In short, she was trying to pass off a five-million-won-per-bottle wine as something else, treating me like some clueless amateur. "Unless you're a sommelier, most people can't really tell the difference. It's a common mistake, especially for amateurs who think they know wine. Anyway, this Mouton Cadet goes for around forty thousand won a bottle, so we sell it at ten thousand won a glass." As soon as Ha Sun-Joo finished her explanation, Ha Jo-Eun and Ma Dong-Pal let out a sigh of relief. However, the whole scheme was laughable. 'Did they really think I wouldn't know better?' Besides, Mouton Cadet was now its own independent brand and was no longer the second wine of Château Mouton Rothschild. These days, the second wine was Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild. Confident in my knowledge and my palate, I responded firmly. "Mr. Oh, let's just call the police." Follow current novᴇls on novel-fire.ɴet At that, Ma Dong-Pal shouted, "Hey! Didn't you hear? The owner herself confirmed it's cheap wine!" "No. This person is lying or her palate is extremely unrefined." Ha Sun-Joo's face reddened as she snapped back, "Hey! What did you say? You'd better take that back or I'll sue you for business interference!" She tried to intimidate me psychologically, but I calmly told Oh Han-Guk, "Just one call solves this. I know the labs that verify vintages." Oh Han-Guk hesitated, because trusting me on this could lead him to facing serious liabilities. Then, among a couple seated two tables away, a large man in a suit stood and said, "I'm a certified sommelier. Allow me to verify." It was someone I knew. He was Chief Choi Gyo-Yoon, a thirty-eight-year-old agent from The Best Detective Agency often used by Lee Soo-Chan and assigned to surveillance today. Being a former police officer, he rarely appeared in person. However, he must have come in himself because this was a high-end wine bar. I hadn't expected that the colleague mentioned by the private investigator outside would be this man. And I definitely didn't expect him to have a sommelier certification. At that moment, Ha Sun-Joo looked at Choi Go-Yoon's muscular build with a suspicious glare. "You're saying you're a sommelier?" "Why? Do you think a big guy can't have a sensitive tongue?" Choi Go-Yoon pulled out his wallet with a look of irritation. Inside was a white sommelier certification. "Is this good enough?" Choi Go-Yoon asked. Ha Sun-Joo gritted her teeth and glared at Choi Go-Yoon, then threatened him just as she had threatened me. "Sir. Don't get involved in something unnecessary unless you want to be sued too." She was trying to silence him with psychological pressure, but Choi Go-Yoon simply chuckled and responded. "May I have a taste?" Oh Han-Guk nodded. "Please do." Choi Go-Yoon checked the aroma first, then took a sip of the wine. He closed his eyes for a moment and rolled the wine on his tongue. Then he let out a deep sigh. "Yes, this is it. Château Mouton Rothschild, vintage 2000. I've only tasted it once before, but I never thought I'd get to taste something this rare again, especially in a place ." Ha Sun-Joo's face turned red. "Y-You're lying! What would you know?" At that moment, Choi Go-Yoon looked around and spoke. "You don't trust a sommelier's tongue, huh? Then why don't we ask the guests gathered here to try it instead? There seem to be quite a few here who look like sommeliers. This is a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild, vintage 2000. Would anyone like to try a sip and verify it?" At that moment, a few people raised their hands. "Do you mind if I take a sip? I do have a sommelier certification." "Oh, I don't have a certificate but I've had this wine before. I'll try and confirm it." Everyone, eager to taste such a high-end wine, raised their hands as if in competition. Encouraged by the crowd, Oh Han-Guk turned to Ha Jo-Eun and said, "CP Ha. Let's stop here. Can't you see it's over? And everyone knows you're cousins with the owner here, so there's no need for more theatrics!" Ha Sun-Joo, CHa Jo-Eun, and Ma Dong-Pal's faces all turned pale. Only now did they realize they were like Sun Wukong playing tricks in the palm of Buddha's hand. That's when Choi Go-Yoon offered a suggestion. "Let's contact the Cheongdam Police Station. The chief there enjoys wine. He's a friend of mine and only 100 meters from here, so he'll arrive quickly." I nodded. "Understood. It's better to leave it to an expert." "Alright. I'll call him now." At that moment, Ha Sun-Joo made a phone call. I saw who she was calling, and it was none other than her lawyer. "Mr. Choi, could you come to the store right now? Yes, quickly!" Ha Sun-Joo was essentially crying out surrender. It was my flawless victory. Since it was so close, the police from Cheongdam Police Station arrived within two minutes. The wine that Ha Jo-Eun and Ma Dong-Pal were drinking was seized as evidence. The bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 plugged into the wine dispenser inside the store was also seized as evidence. Since it was a clear violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the police were arresting Ha Jo-Eun and Ma Dong-Pal. At that moment, Ha Jo-Eun urgently pointed at Ma Dong-Pal and shouted, "No, I really didn't know anything! He's the one who provided the hospitality, so just take him! I don't know anything!" Feeling betrayed, Ma Dong-Pal yelled back, "Who was it that specifically asked for the expensive wine that I didn't even know the name of!? Officer! It was her who first proposed it, saying she'd push for Eun-Bin today! This is, how should I put it, coercion by abuse of power? Threats? Anyway, I'm innocent! Look! There's evidence in the messages, check the chat!" Ha Jo-Eun's eyes widened. "You... You left that kind of thing there? I told you to delete it!" "Why would I? Damn it. I didn't know I grabbed a broken thread. Just my luck..." "You bastard! Are you done talking?" Ha Jo-Eun grabbed Ma Dong-Pal's short crew cut hair with both hands. Ma Dong-Pal, whose short hair was tightly gripped, screamed. "Argh! Let go! Are you not letting go?" Unable to hit a woman, Ma Dong-Pal hesitated but eventually grabbed her hair too. "Let go! I said let go! Ow! My hair!" "Let go, my ass! Agh!" As shouting and screaming erupted from both sides, the scene turned into utter chaos. Moments later, the two were finally separated by the police. Then they were dragged away as they kicked into the air. The two who had tried to dethrone Sae-Ri from first place using TK Entertainment's power were now being taken away under arrest. Watching them, Oh Han-Guk clicked his tongue and turned his head. "Let's stop by the police station and grab a meal after. I owe you a big one today." "Yes, that sounds good, Mr. Oh." Oh Han-Guk said he would step out first and left with Han Yoo-Sik. I then turned to Choi Go-Yoon, who had been a huge help at the scene, and thanked him. "Mr. Choi. Thank you for stepping in, even though President Ha was threatening with a lawsuit." "I heard that you've always given our staff extra allowance and taken care of their security expenses. I couldn't just stand by and watch." Everything I requested was handled through Lee Soo-Chan. This was because if I assigned it directly, there was potential for problems. Instead, I repaid him by introducing good actors and projects. Still, I always added a bonus for those who did the hard work on-site since these jobs came with risks. Choi Go-Yoon continued, "And honestly, you're the only person who treats those of us doing this kind of work with humanity. I always wanted to say thank you on behalf of the team, so I'm glad I could help in this way." His unexpected response left me speechless. I had only thought of it as a small gesture, but he was sincerely grateful. I never imagined that a bit of extra care would return . "Hahaha, you don't need to look at me like that. Just keep working with us going forward, that's all I ask." "Understood," I said with a smile. "Alright, then let's head to the police station too. I'll be your witness. I know the station chief as well." At that moment, the woman who had been sitting across approached. I asked, "Excuse me, but who's the woman with you? Is she a colleague?" It turned out I had interrupted a couple's Valentine's Day date. Choi Go-Yoon's wife approached with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Jung." I bowed and said, "So you're Mr. Choi's wife. I'm terribly sorry about this." "Oh, it's alright. It was nice to have a date and a glass of wine after so long. And well, I earned some pocket money today too. Hahaha. Call us again if something happens." I guess she overheard the bit about splitting the extra cash outside. "Looks like I should!" "You're promising, right?" Laughing together, we all headed to the Cheongdam Police Station. After a brief investigation at the station, we continued dinner at a Korean restaurant with KBC's President Oh Han-Guk and Mirinae's President Han Yoo-Sik. We also talked about teaming up to take on Director Na Tae-Hwan going forward. But the business talk went on longer than expected, and it wasn't until 11 p.m. that we finally parted ways. When I got home, it was already 11:30 p.m. As I opened the gate, the first floor where Jung In-Ji lived and the second floor where Yoo-Jin and Miso stayed were both dark. Sae-Ri, Yoo-Jin, and Miso had asked me to come early to get my Valentine's Day gifts, but I must have been too late. It seemed like they had gone and fallen asleep. I felt sorry, but my exhausted body came first, so I slowly climbed the stairs. The motion sensor lights came on, brightening the dim staircase. Just as I reached the third floor and was about to open the door, a sticky note caught my eye. It was Miso's handwriting. [You came too late, so I'm going to sleep with Mom. The other unnies went home too. But we left a really big chocolate and a gift. Oh, and make sure to brush your teeth after eating the chocolate! Bye~] At my age, I never thought I would hear someone remind me to brush my teeth. But the moment I saw Miso's cute handwriting, I found myself nodding automatically. I thought to myself that I should really thank Miso, the vitamin of my life, and slowly opened the door. At that moment, an unimaginable scene was unfolding right in front of my eyes.