Eight hundred thousand dollars.
That was the cost to acquire the farm, which spanned fifteen acres (roughly 18,000 pyeong).
Of that amount, the actual money that left Dad's bank account was forty thousand dollars—just over fifty million won in Korean currency.
We had acquired a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard about the size of six soccer fields with a little over fifty million won.
"Let's really do well."
"Dear, I can really work hard."
Dad and Mom held each other's hands tightly and shed tears, and—
"Just trust me. Trust only me… I'll save all those vines, I promise."
I spoke boldly to reassure my parents and ease their anxiety.
Even if we had acquired the farm with just forty thousand dollars, the loan's interest and principal didn't simply disappear.
If the farm failed, that debt would inevitably become a heavy burden on our family.
The reason I'd used every legal trick I could in negotiating with John Anderson was to reduce that loan burden as much as possible, no matter what.
Assuming a ten-year term with a five percent interest rate, even reducing the loan by just one hundred thousand dollars would cut the monthly principal and interest by a thousand dollars—so I couldn't afford not to rack my brain desperately.
Whenever you start something with what's truly yours for the first time, that's when motivation burns brightest.
Just like opening a business—you're always most passionate at the very beginning.
That was why my parents were fully fired up, looking only to me.
"So this is all ours now?"
Early the next morning, after the farm had been acquired and all the paperwork was finally in our hands, my parents and I stood at the entrance of Redwood Vineyard.
Warm sunlight fell just as it always did, but today, the silence blanketing the entire vineyard and the cool air felt especially chilling.
A vast vineyard stretching endlessly into the distance.
Of course, compared to the immeasurable vastness of America itself—and even compared to the neighboring farms—it was tiny.
Still, my parents and I were filled with an indescribable sense of awe and emotion.
"Yes. It's all ours."
Mom said softly, one hand pressed to her chest.
"Hey… my heart's pounding. It's all ours now, which is great, but… what if it fails?"
"Still, Woo-seok really drove the price way down, so even if things go badly here, we won't end up out on the streets."
"You—? Is that really something to say right now?"
"Cough… I mean it that way. We're going to make it succeed."
Dad, who'd tried to reassure us and ended up getting scolded by Mom instead, cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his head away.
Before the conversation dragged on any further, I took the first step forward.
"Let's go."
I'd already been here once, but coming again felt different.
Problems I hadn't noticed before were starting to stand out one by one.
Back then, they were someone else's vines—now they were mine.
"The condition is worse than I thought. After John Anderson decided to sell the farm, he basically stopped taking care of it."
Dad said this as he walked slowly along the farm road. His gaze lingered on grape leaves yellowed with disease and vines dusted white with powder.
"Yes, it looks that way."
"Woo-seok, we have to assume this year's harvest is over. The grapes hanging now have no commercial value."
I'd already expected that, so I simply nodded calmly.
"If there had been anything marketable, Mr. John Anderson wouldn't have sold it so cheaply. It's okay—let's spend a year just restoring the vines' strength."
Thinking about a year's worth of interest was daunting, but my parents were already prepared for that much.
They'd known from the start that the farm was in poor condition.
"So for now, we just do things the way you explained, right?"
"Yes. The diluted milk solution—you remember what I said last time, right?"
Dad nodded, his face filled with hope.
"One cup of milk to ten cups of water. You're saying that really works?"
"Yes. And if we mix in natural sulfur powder and start with the severely affected vines, we can at least get pests and disease under control quickly. That's the only way we can look toward next year."
Even now, there were farms that used this method.
In fact, it was fairly well known—but conventional pesticides were easier, more intuitive, and faster-acting, so the previous owner likely hadn't bothered exploring alternatives.
Dad looked over the vines once more. His expression was still heavy with worry, but there was a faint glimmer of hope mixed in.
"Then… shall we try it right now?"
I stepped forward toward the vines, carrying the bucket and sprayer I'd prepared.
Dad watched me for a long moment, then silently picked up another bucket and followed behind me.
I mixed the milk and water according to the ratio I'd prepared in advance to make a diluted solution, then carefully measured and added the sulfur powder.
"If you spray this evenly over the grape leaves and vines, you should start seeing improvement in a few days."
"I'll try it too."
"You take this side here… I'll do over there."
As I carefully sprayed each grape leaf one by one, my parents watched closely, then soon began repeating the same motions themselves.
At first, Dad's face was full of anxiety and doubt, but as time passed, it gradually shifted to one of confidence and anticipation.
By around lunchtime, former farmhands who had once worked here together began showing up one by one.
It seemed Dad had contacted them in advance.
"Oh, Jae-ho. You really took over this farm?"
At the familiar, friendly voices of his old coworkers, Dad smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah. This time, I'm the owner of this farm—so you can trust me and follow me again, right?"
Everyone laughed and nodded in response.
I, however, was startled—I hadn't expected other workers to show up.
"Dad, wait a second…"
"Hm?"
I pulled him aside to a quiet spot and asked:
"Are you planning to hire them? For us to hire people right now…"
"I know. That's why I'm not planning to hire them long-term. I only called friends who would have trouble making ends meet if they couldn't work right now. Besides, it'd be hard for just the three of us to handle pest control on such a large farm. If we hire them for just one week, it shouldn't be too much of a burden."
"That's true, but…"
After thinking for a moment, I called Mom over as well.
Once I made sure the workers couldn't hear, I said:
"Then let's do this. While we're at it, you and Mom should harvest all the grapes currently on the vines."
"Huh? Don't tell me you're planning to sell those? They don't have much commercial value…"
"I know. We're not going to sell them as-is, so don't worry. Just store them in a warehouse where the workers can't access them. Dad, keep the key yourself, and make sure the CCTV and security systems are working. Even low-quality grapes could tempt someone to mess around and try to scam people with them."
"Alright… don't worry about it."
So while the hired workers focused on pest-control treatment, my parents and I harvested the grapes that had no commercial value.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"You too—you did a great job."
"You worked hard, my son. I feel truly reassured."
The three of us—who had started before dawn, taken only a brief rest around lunchtime, and then kept working—returned home utterly exhausted, yet happier than ever.
Especially since I didn't usually exercise much, once I got home, washed up, and ate dinner, I couldn't do anything else and collapsed straight onto my bed.
The next day, I wanted nothing more than to keep focusing on the farm, but since I'd been tasked with the mission of getting into college, I grabbed a simple breakfast and headed to school.
But when I arrived, the way people looked at me had subtly changed.
It was as if they were staring at some strange creature.
I soon learned the reason through Rachel.
"Brian! I heard your family took over a farm?"
"Ah."
So that was it.
"Is it true?"
"Yeah. It is. We took over Redwood Vineyard."
"So that's why you gave up becoming an accountant. There really was a reason. You should've said something earlier—everyone misunderstood."
I shrugged.
"Is there really anything to misunderstand?"
"Still. You're kind of… different from us now."
There was a hint of admiration in Rachel's eyes.
Only then did I understand why the gazes directed at me had changed.
They no longer saw me as the son of migrant laborers, but as the son of a farm owner.
Rachel, an Asian and fellow immigrant, felt something slightly different from what native-born Americans felt.
"I'm the same as always. The direction just changed a bit—from accountant to farmer."
"Yeah. You look good. Work hard."
With that, Rachel crossed her arms and walked away as if she had nothing more to say.
I had a feeling that from now on, I wouldn't have much to do with her anymore.
Having chosen blue-collar work instead of a white-collar path, she likely saw no reason for our paths to cross.
I understood Rachel. She had her own way of living.
After classes ended, instead of going straight home, I hurried around and stopped in front of an office.
Knock, knock!
When I knocked and went in, a man in his mid-forties with a smoothly balding head looked up.
"Hello, Mr. Miller."
"Oh, Brian? What brings you here?"
"Yes. Actually, I'd like to join the Agriscience Club."
The Agriscience Club is a club where students learn and practice various topics related to agriculture and science (agriculture + science).
Through real-world, hands-on projects, experiential learning, and community service, students gain practical experience, and participation also earns highly valuable points for admission to agricultural colleges.
"The Agriscience Club? You?"
He looked surprised at the idea of an Asian student applying to an agriculture club.
"Yes. Actually, my family has taken over a vineyard."
"Really? Goodness… which vineyard?"
"Redwood Vineyard. So I'd like to start learning agriculture properly. Would that be possible?"
"Of course. When would you like to start?"
"As soon as possible."
"Then I assume you're thinking about college as well…?"
"Yes. I'm considering UC Davis."
"Oh. Then being active in our club will be essential for you."
"That's right."
"Alright. I'll support you as much as I can. Start coming from tomorrow."
"Thank you very much."
Having joined the Agriscience Club like that, I left school and headed straight for the farm.
I tossed my bag into the workers' break room and ran to the storage shed, where I saw my parents in the distance harvesting grapes with low commercial value.
"Dad! Mom! I'm back! Come to the shed!"
When I waved, my parents slowly walked over.
"We've been picking grapes nonstop, and I think we've harvested about a third of them. But what are you planning to do with these? We're not throwing them away, are we?"
Mom took off the hat covering her head. She looked exhausted, but her expression was bright.
I took the key from Dad, flung open the storage door, and smiled faintly at the sight of boxes filled with neatly stacked grapes.
"Throw them away? No way. We're going to make vinegar."
"Vinegar?"