“What flavor of pasta do you want to eat, Hana?”
“I want tomato!”
Knowing that tomato pasta is incredibly delicious, I told Maru. Hearing that, Maru went to the kitchen and found the tomato sauce. The kitchen was stocked with all sorts of items—it felt like the magical pouch of a robot from some anime.
“Want to make it together, Hana?”
“Sure!”
Since it didn’t feel right to just lounge around in the room while Maru did all the cooking, I stayed by her side to help. Of course, Maru banned me from going near the fire, so my tasks were limited to fetching ingredients or handing over various cooking tools.
“Hana, can you bring me the pasta noodles?”
Maru, wearing an apron, asked me. Maru looked good in anything she wore. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen any unattractive female employees in this office. Do they hire based on looks during interviews?
*Dda-da-da-dat*
I brought the pasta noodles and handed them to Maru. She took them out, added water, and tossed them into a pot of boiling water. Steam rose gently from the pot.
I grabbed a chair, climbed up, and watched how the pasta was made. The process was simple: boil the noodles in water, drain them, and then mix in the sauce. In a way, it felt like an instant food, just like ramen.
At pasta restaurants, the dishes are ridiculously expensive, but making it at home probably costs around 3,000 won per meal. Ordering pasta at a restaurant easily costs 20,000 to 30,000 won. Sure, there’s a difference in quality, but eating homemade pasta like this didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Hana, step back for a moment.”
Seeing Maru about to drain the hot water, I got down from the chair and waited. If I messed up and spilled hot water on myself, I’d end up as well-cooked as the pasta.
Once the water was drained and the tomato sauce was mixed in, the pasta was complete, and I couldn’t help but gasp.
“Wow!”
The pasta mixed with tomato sauce looked so delicious that it made my mouth water just by looking at it. Maru, clearly pleased with her cooking, smiled brightly and served the pasta onto plates. We could’ve eaten straight from the pot, but that would’ve ruined the vibe.
“Hana, eat a lot, okay?”
Maru served me more pasta than she did herself. I was touched by her thoughtfulness. Well, it’s only natural for me, in my growth period, to eat more! I twirled the pasta with my fork and took a big bite.
“It’s so good!!!”
I widened my eyes and told Maru. It tasted just like restaurant-quality pasta. The noodles were perfectly chewy, and the tomato sauce blended wonderfully with the pasta, creating a fantastic flavor.
Eating homemade pasta like this instead of going to a restaurant seemed like a great choice. Of course, it’s not something we can do often since Maru does all the hard work.
I want to try cooking too! But since they freak out even when I hold a plastic knife, it seems like I’ll have to wait until I’m older to start cooking.
—
“Starlight Food already has the rice ready?”
Hearing that Starlight Food had already prepared the rice, Manager Lee Hangyu gathered the employees and headed to the farm. Rumor had it that the crops grown by Starlight Food grew at an unusually fast rate, but he hadn’t expected it to be this quick.
Rushing to the farm, they were greeted by an incredible sight. Rice plants, heavy with grains, stretched endlessly. Nearby, farmers worked with bright expressions. Of course, they weren’t doing it all by hand—modern farming relied heavily on machinery, with little human intervention.
“Have they already harvested this much?”
“Exactly. I heard there’s a rice shortage nationwide due to flooding, but being able to grow this much rice is amazing…”
Inside the spacious warehouse, 1,000 kg grain bags were stacked high. Just thinking about how much unprocessed rice was stored there brought a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn’t be cursed by the public for failing to manage the rice supply.
With this much rice, they could easily hold out until imported rice arrived. Farming…
Sufficient subsidies went to the relatives, so they could fully resume farming next year. That means they’ll be able to harvest rice normally again, and soon the warehouse will be filled with domestic rice once more.
In fact, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. They were able to get rid of all the old rice at once and store fresh rice in the warehouse. Of course, a typhoon that strong better not come again. If another one like that hits, even Starlight Food won’t be able to handle the rice crisis that would follow.
“Is the boss not here?”
“No, he couldn’t attend today due to a special appointment. So, unfortunately, I’ll be explaining things instead.”
Boss Kim Sehee couldn’t make it today because she had something to do. That “something” was meeting Hana and having a good time. The employee didn’t bother telling the Ministry of Agriculture folks about that. It wasn’t necessary.
While the Starlight Food employees and Manager Lee Hangyu from the Ministry of Agriculture were chatting, forklifts started moving into the warehouse, loading grain-filled ton bags onto trucks.
“I hadn’t heard that Starlight Food was such a large agricultural company. Looking at this scale, it’s safe to say it’s one of the biggest in South Korea, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s the result of our boss, Kim Sehee, expanding investments in the company. Recently, the number of employees has increased dozens of times, and sales have grown hundreds of times.”
“That’s really impressive.”
Even for a company affiliated with the Starlight Guild, increasing sales by hundreds of times isn’t easy. Sure, companies with annual sales under 100 million might see such growth if timing and luck align, but Starlight Food was already a company with billions in revenue.
For such a company to multiply its sales by hundreds in less than a year was almost suspiciously impressive. Of course, they weren’t doing anything illegal, but their growth was so extraordinary it was hard to explain otherwise.
“Manager, we’ve sampled a few ton bags for inspection, and they’re excellent. The rice seeds are sturdy and plump. They’re fresh rice that can be eaten right after milling.”
“Really? It’s a relief to hear the quality isn’t bad. I was worried that such rapid growth might compromise quality.”
Now, as the Starlight Food employees left, Manager Lee Hangyu and his team took a look around the warehouse. It was impressive how confident they were to leave them unsupervised. Of course, they had no ill feelings toward Starlight Food, so they weren’t looking for faults—just observing. Picking a fight with Starlight Food wouldn’t end well.
After looking around, they found the production process and storage conditions to be excellent. There wasn’t a single flaw. The warehouse itself was also sparkling clean, as if it had just been built. No signs of decay or pests.
Even as they were looking around, forklifts were busily moving ton bags. Trucks loaded with ton bags were heading out to their destinations one after another. This process was continuous and unending, almost reminiscent of corporate farming in the U.S., so systematic and mechanical.
“This… I might end up owing them a favor later, Manager.”
Lee Hangyu felt a sense of tension after seeing Starlight Food’s farming operations. If they could grow rice of this quality at such high speed, farmers across the country might start panicking. If Starlight Food kept expanding its farmland, South Korea’s rice market might become dependent on them.
Of course, this was Lee Hangyu speaking without knowing the 20km rule. If he had known, he might have breathed a sigh of relief. At least the entire country’s rice supply wouldn’t be overtaken by Starlight Food.
Still, some market encroachment by Starlight Food’s rice was inevitable.
