I slung my bag over my shoulder and wandered around. Walking along the crowded street, I could feel people glancing at me. Probably because my hair color was so unique.
Green hair? I bet I’m the only one with this color. People usually prefer blondes, but green hair? Not so much. As I climbed the hill to the elementary school, I could feel my stamina running out.
This hill was meant to be driven up, but trying to walk it on two legs left me breathless. My stamina was so bad that even this hill was a struggle…! Maybe I should start some secret workout routine. With this level of fitness, I couldn’t do anything.
After waving to the sturdy security guards, I finally made it into the classroom. As soon as I entered, the noisy chatter of the kids filled the air.
Among them were Jiyu and Yumi’s voices.
“Hana, you’re here?”
“Yeah, hi!”
After greeting Jiyu and Yumi, I sat down at my desk and pulled out the snacks I brought. My backpack wasn’t for books—it was a snack bag. If Hansel and Gretel saw it, they’d drool with envy.
I’d long since stopped carrying textbooks in my bag, opting to keep them in the locker instead. No need to strain my shoulders with heavy books. Plus, these days, textbooks are often replaced by tablets, making paper books even less valuable.
“Whoa!”
“Snacks! Snacks!”
Jiyu and Yumi’s eyes lit up as they pulled their chairs closer. I unwrapped the snacks for them, almost scattering them into the air when I lost control of my strength.
“So good!”
“Hana’s snacks are always the best!”
I ignored Jiyu’s comment. Honestly, I felt like a golden goblin carrying snacks around. Anyway, as we chatted, the topic turned to the cafeteria. The kids’ conversations were always varied, but lately, the cafeteria had been a hot topic.
“The cafeteria’s opening today, right?”
“Really? Thank goodness. I’m so sick of lunch boxes.”
“Same… At first, the grilled short rib patties and meat were delicious, but now it feels like chewing on tires.”
I thought it was still pretty tasty, but the kids’ patience seemed short. I could easily eat it for another week.
“They said we’re going to the cafeteria instead of class today. I wish it was time already!”
“All at once?”
“No, by grade.”
“That’s a relief. If the whole school went at once, it’d be chaos.”
My eyes sparkled at Jiyu and Yumi’s words. The boss had mentioned it too, and I couldn’t wait to see the revamped cafeteria. His confident demeanor had me excited.
“Third grade is going at 1, right?”
“Yeah?”
“From 12, each grade goes every 30 minutes.”
“So the sixth graders won’t eat until after 2? They’ll be starving.”
“Yep.”
Our grade had a decent time slot. Whether the boss arranged it or not, I didn’t know. Back in the day, schools had over 400 students per grade, but now it was completely different.
Back then, there were over 40 students per class and more than 10 classes. Now, there weren’t even 20 students per class, and fewer than 5 classes per grade. A whole grade had less than 100 students. Compared to before, the reduced numbers made cafeteria trips much faster.
In 10 years, I wondered if there’d even be 10 students per class. With the birth rate dropping, it seemed inevitable.
Anyway, as I pondered this, 1 o’clock approached. I couldn’t focus on class because of the cafeteria. And right on cue, I was starving.
“Alright! Time to go to the cafeteria! Line up outside!”
The teacher came in and announced. We all rushed out and lined up like soldiers. Normally, we’d be chaotic and disorganized, but hunger had us perfectly aligned. Hungry kids are unstoppable.
—
All the businesses were sailing smoothly. Kim Sehee felt a sense of fulfillment every week as she reviewed the growing ventures. This must be why entrepreneurs love running businesses.
Watching Starlight Food grow felt like raising a child. A proud smile spread across her face every time she saw it thriving. There were no obstacles blocking Starlight Food’s path.
But there was something she didn’t want to grow too big.
“Hana…”
Kim Sehee was gently stroking a photo of Hana smiling brightly. It was natural for Hana to grow, but she hoped it wouldn’t happen too soon. Is this how parents feel when raising their children?
Growing wasn’t the problem. But she could only see Hana as she was now, in her childhood. The more Hana grew, the more she would change. Hana was human, after all—she’d hit puberty, become an adult, and probably be more reserved than she was now. The thought of that made Kim Sehee’s heart ache.
“Hmph!”
Anyway, after placing the photo frame of Hana on her desk, Kim Sehee got moving for her next business venture.
Many people viewed Starlight Food’s expansion positively. Starlight Food wasn’t just focused on domestic sales—it had made significant contributions to overseas exports. The company didn’t have the image of just sucking up the domestic market.
Kim Sehee was also actively encouraging Starlight Food’s overseas expansion. After all, South Korea’s domestic market was small. Though 50 million people wasn’t a small number, countries with that population weren’t exactly common. Asia itself was densely populated, but in Europe and other regions, there were plenty of countries with just 10 million citizens.
And the domestic market in South Korea only had bad news. The declining birth rate meant the population was shrinking. Right now, it was 50 million, but in 20 years, who knew how much it would decrease? The current generation had 800,000 people per cohort, but the kids born in the 2020s were barely hitting 200,000 per cohort.
In just 20 years, the population had been slashed to a quarter. That’s why Kim Sehee decided to focus more on overseas markets than domestic ones. The supply issues were gradually being resolved too. They were actively expanding farmland and hiring more employees, which was improving productivity.
Hana’s plants bore fruit at an astonishing rate, so if they harvested on time, the yield was at least several dozen times higher than other plants.
“Hmm…”
Kim Sehee was reviewing a report on the next product. It outlined the future food options Starlight Food could pursue. Kim Sehee planned to choose the most reasonable and promising ones. She wanted to do it all, but Starlight Food’s capabilities weren’t quite there yet.
————————————————-
Kim Sehee was touring lands on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province with her team. One of the employees asked her,
“Boss, did a new plant come out or something?”
Ever since Hana created new plants, Starlight Food had been buying land on the outskirts of Gyeonggi and other regions. It was easier to secure land in advance, considering the variety of plants Hana might create in the future. Waiting until a new plant was developed to find land would be a waste of time.
It was more efficient and convenient to prepare everything in advance and start farming as soon as Hana’s plants were ready.
But Kim Sehee shook her head at the employee’s question. Hana hadn’t created any new plants yet. Some joked about forcibly pulling out Hana’s tooth to make her create a new plant. Kim Sehee scolded them, saying that was nonsense.
Even if teeth grew back, there was no reason to forcibly pull one out. Hana wouldn’t want that either. Forcing it would clearly upset her. After all the effort to build a relationship with Hana, ruining it over a plant didn’t make sense.
“No, no new plants have come out.”
“Then why are you looking at land, Boss?”
“I’m looking at something else.”
“What might that be…?”
“I’m planning to build a large ranch. Cows fed with rice straw from Hana’s rice.”
The cows fed with rice straw from Hana’s rice all had excellent texture and flavor. Kim Sehee was thinking of expanding beyond farming into livestock.
