“Hana, wake up. Let’s go eat!”
Despite it being the weekend, Maru came to the company. Our office wasn’t a black company that made people work on weekends. At least, not our department. Maybe because I disappeared last time, they’ve been sticking close to me like guardians.
“I wanna sleep more…”
I buried my face in the pillow and rejected Maru’s suggestion. A quick glance at the clock showed it was only 9. Of course, for a regular office worker, waking up at 6 or 7 would be normal, but I was an elementary school student. And on weekends, I didn’t go to school. Back in my day, we even went to school on Saturdays, but this generation takes holidays like clockwork.
“Eek!”
“Hahaha!”
But Maru’s tickling made me burst out laughing. Tickling my armpits was so effective that it completely woke me up. With a blank expression, I got out of bed. Maru’s tickling had completely shattered my sleep.
“Hana, let’s go!”
When Maru reached out her hand, I ignored it and walked past her. Maru followed behind me, whining.
“Sorry, Hana! Don’t be mad~”
My heart wasn’t as soft as a reed. Today, Maru would have to endure my sulking anger. No one knew when it would subside. My anger had a notoriously long aftertaste!
———————–
“Delicious!”
As I put the meat in my mouth, the burst of juices made me feel amazing. I had no idea where they got such delicious meat. It must have been some heavenly-raised beef because every bite sent a whirlwind of flavor crashing into my taste buds.
What was even more fascinating was how quickly my body healed. When I lost a tooth, it fully grew back in less than a month. Normally, it takes a long time for permanent teeth to grow after losing baby teeth.
But for me, the first lost tooth had already fully grown into a permanent one. So, eating wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Normally, you’d feel the gap where the tooth was missing, but not for me.
Still, the feeling of teeth growing back was strange. I thought I’d never experience it again in my life. After all, once permanent teeth come in, they don’t grow back.
But I was an exception. Maybe because I got a new body, I had baby teeth again. It felt nice to have new teeth. My old teeth had cavities because I didn’t brush often, but these teeth were spotless. So, I took good care of them. Brushing after meals became a routine.
Honestly, I didn’t want to do it, but Bora’s sharp glare made me tearfully brush my teeth. She looked like she’d drag me to hell if I didn’t.
While eating, I noticed something strange with my teeth. Chewing food caused pain. It wasn’t a cavity since I brushed diligently and still had baby teeth. I swallowed the food and wiggled the painful tooth with my hand.
It was really loose. Maru seemed too busy eating to notice.
“Hmm…”
Should I just not say anything? It didn’t seem bad to hide it if the tooth fell out. Or maybe I could grow it back myself! It’s not like I was still mad about being woken up earlier. I’m not that petty.
“Huh?”
But Maru must have seen me wiggling my tooth because she put down her spoon and looked at me.
“Hana, is your tooth loose?”
I was about to say no, but then I decided to be honest. Hiding it would be pointless, and pulling it out myself would probably hurt a lot. So, I decided to ask for help.
“Yeah. It’s really loose, Maru.”
“Ahh!”
Maru immediately picked me up. I looked at her, still holding my spoon.
“Maru, we should finish eating first!”
“We can eat later, Hana!”
Carried by Maru, we headed somewhere. Probably to my private hospital inside the building. They had a doctor who checked on the employees’ health and regularly monitored mine.
Maybe because we were a bit on the outskirts of the city, they set up their own medical system. Of course, with the Starlight Research Institute overflowing with money, hiring a doctor was probably a piece of cake.
———————————–
“Ugh…!”
Hana came to the examination room inside the building, cuddled up to Maru. The room was equipped with all sorts of machines. Of course, you could even pull out teeth here.
Hana lay on the surgical table with her mouth wide open. She tried to act tough, but her trembling eyes were filled with sheer terror. Pulling out teeth hurt, after all. Luckily, she held onto Maru’s hand and successfully got it out. Hana grabbed an ice pack and placed it on the spot where the tooth had been.
It wasn’t swollen, but nothing beats an ice pack for pain relief. Anyway, after finishing this whole process, the executives of Starlight Food gathered at the research institute. It was an annual event every time Hana lost a tooth. Her teeth were pure gold, generating immense added value.
Kim Sehee, who was playfully pinching Hana’s cheeks while holding her, wondered what kind of plant would grow this time. Hana’s body was full of secrets—not in a negative way, but in a positive one.
Anyway, since Hana’s plants grew at a blinding speed, it wouldn’t take long to find out what plant would grow from this tooth. Kim Sehee decided to indulge her curiosity while she was at the research institute. She played with Hana until late at night.
—
Less than a week later, the plant growing from Hana’s tooth had fully matured. They brought in a plant expert to identify it. Many employees were curious about what it would be this time, but the area where Hana’s plants grew had high security clearance, so ordinary employees couldn’t enter.
“This is…”
The expert examined the plant and spoke up. Since the shapes of the plants were predetermined, they could easily identify them without any machine assistance. What would it be this time? Many were curious, as it had been a while since they’d seen a new plant.
“It’s a tobacco leaf.”
“A tobacco leaf?”
The plant growing from Hana’s tooth was confirmed to be tobacco. They cross-checked it with various photos to confirm.
—
Tobacco—a love-hate relationship for humanity. It was a product that harmed the health of many, like a drug, yet it was deeply ingrained in daily life. Humans and tobacco were now inseparable. A world without tobacco was unimaginable.
Countless people died from smoking-related illnesses, but few actually quit. No, “quit” wasn’t the right word. Most ex-smokers would say they weren’t quitting but enduring, as the addiction was so strong.
Globally, over a billion people were regular smokers, and in South Korea alone, more than ten million people smoked. While smoking rates among the young were declining, the numbers remained steady.
If this tobacco leaf could be commercialized, it would undoubtedly become a cash cow. Tobacco had a customer base of ten million in South Korea alone, and since it was consumed daily, there was no worry about overstock. If needed, it could even be exported—tobacco was a welcomed commodity in any country.
The researchers wondered if the plant from Hana’s tooth might be healthier, given that all the plants from her teeth so far had special abilities or exceptional taste.
They harvested the tobacco leaf and conducted various experiments. Of course, gathering test subjects was a bonus. There weren’t many smokers among the research institute staff, so the more samples, the better.
And now, they didn’t even think about whether the experiments were dangerous.
Through these experiments, they obtained shocking results.
