“Humph humph hum~”
Finally, the day had come for me to visit Lumi’s theme park, the one I had been longing for. I was grinning from ear to ear, making all the preparations for tomorrow’s trip to the theme park.
First, I carefully placed Lumi’s magic wand inside my bag. After all, a true little magician should be able to pull out their wand anytime, anywhere.
Of course, in animations, the main character can just reach into thin air, and the magic wand appears with a *poof* sound. Sadly, I haven’t reached that level yet.
“And this… and this…”
I stuffed everything I could grab into my bag. You never know what might happen, so it’s best to be thoroughly prepared.
However, my thorough preparation crumbled in the face of Bora’s military-style bag inspection.
“Hana, why did you pack this and that?”
Bora pulled out snacks and various secret tools from my bag as she spoke. I gave her valid reasons, but Bora said that since we were only going for the day, there was no need to pack so much. She ended up removing most of the items from my bag.
She even took out the pillow I planned to use in the car. I gave her a dejected look, but Bora seemed completely unfazed.
“So mean!”
But since Bora wasn’t wrong, I decided to forgive her with a generous heart.
—
*Vroom vroom*
We were heading to the theme park in a fancy car. It had been months since I last went outside, so I was glued to the window, staring at the scenery.
People walking on the streets, shops lined up—it all felt strangely unfamiliar. And no cars dared to get too close to ours. They all kept their distance.
As I enjoyed the view, we arrived at our destination. Bora and Haru, who had gotten out of the car first, pulled me out from the back seat.
*Thud*
The feeling of stepping on the hard asphalt was quite nice. There were also a lot of cars around. I felt oddly proud knowing that so many people had come to see the little magician Lumi.
The scent of the theme park was already strong from the parking lot. Most people seemed to be families. There were plenty of kids like me, but also adults like Bora and Haru. Clearly, adults love Lumi too.
After leaving the parking lot, we arrived at the entrance of the theme park, which was so massive it felt overwhelming.
From afar, Lumi’s huge illustration stood like a lighthouse. Watching the kids flocking toward it, I had a fleeting thought.
Bora disappeared for a moment, probably to get the tickets. I held Haru’s hand and looked up at her.
“Haru, aren’t you excited?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess!”
Haru looked a bit tired. She had been working late last night and woke up early this morning, so it made sense. I clung to her tightly, hoping to cheer her up. Maybe if I stuck to her like this, she’d feel better? She usually liked it when I did that.
Just as I expected, Haru smiled and patted my head.
“Hehe.”
I laughed happily.
Not long after, Bora returned with golden tickets in hand.
“Here, be careful not to lose these, and let’s go!”
I carefully took the tickets from Bora and confidently moved toward the entrance of the theme park.
At the entrance, an employee dressed as an extra from Lumi’s world was checking the tickets. I stood in line, clutching my ticket tightly.
Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many visitors. After waiting just a few minutes, it was my turn.
“Welcome to Lumi’s theme park! Could you show me your ticket, please?”
I confidently pulled out my ticket. But the employee held out their hand, asking for it.
I hesitated, feeling like they were going to take it away. But then the employee said,
“I’m not taking it. I just need to check it and give it back~”
Their gentle tone made it seem like they really weren’t going to take it. I handed over the golden, glowing ticket.
The employee checked it briefly and then returned it to me. I smiled brightly and carefully tucked the ticket into my pocket. I couldn’t lose it, so I planned to keep it safe.
—
“That concludes the presentation.”
With those words, the screen in Starlight Cosmetics’ meeting room automatically rolled up. An employee near the wall rushed to the door and flipped all the switches nearby.
The dimly lit meeting room was soon illuminated, returning to its usual state.
The light came on. But the lingering tension from the meeting hadn’t faded. Kim Seyoung, the boss of Starlight Cosmetics, had never dreamed a day like this would come.
Normally, she would’ve sighed after a frosty meeting and the monthly sales report, or scrambled to find solutions. But today’s meeting was different.
From the start, the atmosphere was warm and cheerful. Even Kim Seyoung herself could easily sense the cozy vibe as she entered the meeting room last.
In the past, she would’ve barked something like, “If you’re getting paid, shouldn’t you at least work up to that level instead of laughing like this?” Then she’d put on a cold face and attend the meeting. But this time, the sales performance was so good that even without attending, she could tell from the market response. No need to ruin the mood.
After all, managing people well is about carrots and sticks. Using only the stick could backfire.
Anyway, as Kim Seyoung listened to the report, she clapped. “Truly outstanding!”
Starlight Lotion had achieved record-breaking sales. Despite its steep price of 200,000 won, it sold 500,000 units in a month. Just one product, Starlight Lotion, had brought in 100 billion won in a single month.
Next month, the price would rise to 300,000 won, but given the current market response, it was likely to sell out. If that happened, this single lotion could generate 1.8 trillion won in annual sales.
Considering that the third-ranked cosmetics company didn’t even hit 2 trillion won in annual revenue, this was an absurd figure.
Starlight Cosmetics, which hadn’t even been in the top 10, had now climbed to third place with just one lotion.
“It’s all thanks to you, Boss, for sourcing the ingredients yourself.”
“We just put the spoon on the already-cooked rice.”
The executives’ flattery made Kim Seyoung feel good. However, whether this happiness would last depended on Starlight Research Institute, which was a slight concern.
“You haven’t forgotten to always keep a certain amount of ingredients in stock, right?”
There was no telling when the ingredients might run out. But since it was said they’d never completely run out, it was crucial to maintain reserves to keep the market supplied.
If they used the reserves now, sales could skyrocket further. But if the ingredients ran out, there’d be no solution. It was a step back to move two steps forward.
And there was even better news for Kim Seyoung.
“Here’s the sales chart of our competitor cosmetics companies.”
Kim Seyoung almost laughed but held it in to maintain her boss-like dignity.
After Starlight Lotion’s release, the usage of other cosmetics had drastically decreased. People would rather buy Starlight Lotion than other brands.
This was also a zero-sum game. If customers used other companies’ lotions, ours wouldn’t sell. Common sense.
Looking at the graph, sales of most competing skincare products, including lotions, had dropped by more than half.
Since using Starlight Lotion improved skin without needing other lotions, creams, or toners, it was a natural outcome. Except for makeup products, sales of other cosmetics were plummeting.
But that wasn’t Kim Seyoung’s problem. Competitors falling was actually good news for her. The company’s stock was soaring, and Kim Seyoung, having predicted this, had already bought up a ton of shares using insider information.
She’d even emptied her personal savings to buy more. Her management rights weren’t going to be shaken by external forces.
Barely holding back a grin, Kim Seyoung successfully wrapped up the meeting.
She stepped outside, got into her car, and headed to Starlight Research Institute with a smile. She wanted to give Hana, who provided these precious ingredients, a gift. Seeing Hana felt like seeing a cute niece.
But when she arrived at Hana’s building floor, there was no sign of anyone.
Kim Seyoung stood in the hallway, arms full of gifts, staring blankly into the empty space.
