Starlight Grapes went through several tests and even government inspections before finally hitting the market. Grape farms across the country groaned in despair, but they had no choice but to retreat in the face of Starlight Grapes’ dominance. Sure, some cheaper, decent-quality grapes might survive, but those are pretty rare.
“Is this Starlight Grape? Why are the grapes so huge and plump?”
“Just by looking at it, you can tell it’s top-tier! Sure, it’s pricier than other grapes, but it’s totally worth it!”
Thanks to plenty of ads and TV spots, the public was already familiar with them. The moment the grapes hit the stores, they flew off the shelves like they had wings.
From a consumer’s perspective, there was no reason not to buy these delicious, generously-sized grapes. And if they were produced by Starlight Food, even better. Fruits from Starlight Food were known for their excellent quality and taste.
Sure, they weren’t cheaper than other grapes, but once you tasted Starlight Grapes, you were hooked. No other grape could satisfy you after that.
The first batch of grapes was a nationwide marketing success. All that was left was to ramp up production. Nothing could stop Starlight Grapes now. If anything, only good things were on the horizon.
And there was still a hidden card up their sleeve: the Starlight Wine made from these grapes, still aging in the winery. Once it hit the market, it had the power to shake up the global wine scene. Blind taste tests had already proven its superiority over world-famous wines.
Most tasters agreed that Starlight Grapes were delicious. Even though the wine was still aging, it was already leagues ahead of others. It might take time to match the history and tradition of other wines, but the grapes Hana produced had a flavor that could defy time and tradition.
It was exciting to think about the impact it would have on sommeliers once it hit the market. How would lifelong wine connoisseurs react when they tasted Starlight Wine? Only time would tell.
“Boss, what’s the sales target for the grapes?”
Kim Sehee stood on a hill overlooking the grape farm. A cool breeze blew, tousling her hair, making her look like she belonged in a photoshoot.
“First, we conquer the domestic market.”
“First?”
“Exactly. What’s the point of being number one in this small country? It’s a global era now! Expanding worldwide is what matters.”
South Korea may have 50 million people, but the domestic market had its limitations. The neighboring country had over a billion people. Playing in the Korean market was fine, but looking overseas opened up a market hundreds of times larger. Whether grape production could keep up was another question, but Kim Sehee was all for giving it a shot.
“Expanding overseas should be done step by step. Just like how baseball players start in the KBO league before moving to the majors, Starlight Grapes should make a name for itself in Korea before going global.”
Kim Sehee imagined Starlight Food dominating the world. It was just the beginning, but with time, it was entirely possible. The goal was to create a variety of products so essential that people around the world couldn’t eat without Starlight Food on their tables.
Though, whether that was achievable was questionable. Resources were limited, after all. Unless they could produce endlessly like sharks, it seemed impossible.
—
“Ugh… ugh!”
I woke up to the sound of people walking outside. Living in a building automatically turns you into a morning person. I had stayed up late watching movies and finally fell asleep, only to have my sweet dreams ruined! I was ready to unleash terrible revenge on my employees.
I walked to the office in my dinosaur pajamas. But once I got there, I had nothing to do. My tiny body wasn’t exactly built for revenge. The most I could do was steal snacks from the break room.
Standing in the middle of the office, the employees gave me looks like, “What do you need?” Since I had nothing better to do, I went over to Bora’s desk. When in doubt, bothering Bora or Haru was always the best move.
“Hana, why are you here?”
“Just… bored!”
I didn’t really have anything to do.
Since there was no chair, I sat on Bora’s lap. Bora held me and was working hard. It was fascinating that even though there are hundreds of people working in this company, each one has their own tasks. It must mean that the division of labor is well-organized. Still, it felt pitiful seeing employees working so hard inside the building during the peak of summer.
Since it was summer vacation, I was just lazing around, feeling somewhat more prepared. But hey, adults are supposed to work hard without vacations, right? The lingering guilt in my heart disappeared. After sitting on Bora’s lap for a while, I dozed off. Staring at the computer screen felt like I was hypnotized.
“Hana…! Hana…!”
With Bora’s voice calling me like a lullaby, I fell into a deep sleep.
—
Bora, as if she had no choice, placed Hana on her lap and started working. Maybe because Hana was wearing dinosaur pajamas, her body felt soft and fluffy. It felt like holding a doll, so Bora decided to lend her lap to Hana for the day.
About an hour passed, and Hana was sleeping soundly in the office. It was quite a skill to sleep in such a busy place. Most kids wouldn’t be able to sleep in crowded areas.
Bora felt a cramp coming in her leg and decided to wake Hana up. She figured an hour of lending her lap was more than enough.
Tickle-tickle—
Gently tickling Hana’s side, Hana squirmed and reacted. Tickling turned out to be an effective way to wake her up.
“Eeek!”
With a strange sound, Hana woke up on Bora’s lap. Realizing she had fallen asleep, Hana said, “Ah! Bora, was I sleeping?”
“Yeah. You were sleeping on my lap.”
“Ooh… Sorry…”
Hana, realizing she had been on Bora’s lap for too long, got off. Bora sighed in relief, feeling the blood flow back to her leg. Even if Hana was light, having her on her lap for over an hour would make anyone’s legs go numb.
“Hana, should we go back to the room?”
“Okay!”
Bora grabbed her laptop and went back to Hana’s room. Hana immediately lay down on the bed. She wasn’t planning to sleep though. She sat on the bed, staring at Bora’s laptop wallpaper.
Her hypnotic gaze made Bora feel uneasy, so she asked, “Hana, is something wrong?”
The wallpaper was a picture of a cool beach scene. Maybe Hana wanted to go to the beach? After all, Hana had never been to the sea before. As if reading Bora’s thoughts, Hana brought up the topic of the beach.
“Bora… I want to go to the beach!”
“The beach?”
“Yeah! In summer, lots of people play at the beach, and I want to go too!”
“Really?”
Hearing Hana say that, Bora decided to plan a trip to the beach. She wondered what Hana, seeing the vast ocean for the first time, would think. That was something to experience later.
“Beach, beach, beach~”
Hana, completely obsessed, kept talking about the beach while circling around Bora. If Hana wanted to go this badly, it was best to take her. Bora quickly turned off her laptop and went back to the office. She needed to plan a trip to the beach for Hana.
Imagining Hana enjoying a vacation under the hot sun at the beach made Bora laugh. It felt fitting, yet somehow out of place.
