“Alright, everyone, please listen to Teacher Haru today!”
“Okay!”
I was sure they wouldn’t listen even if I said that. Why? Because even I was itching to step outside of Teacher’s words.
Third graders in elementary school are at that rebellious age. As if to prove that point, the kids who were dutifully following Teacher were slowly breaking formation. Maybe it was because we were inside a greenhouse full of strawberries and watermelons, but the kids’ eyes kept drifting that way.
The good thing was that there was a nurse-teacher waiting inside the greenhouse in case any of the kids got hurt. She was a teacher who worked at a company. Our school nurse couldn’t come because she had to stay at school. If she had come, she could’ve enjoyed some delicious strawberries and watermelons.
“Alright, pick as many strawberries as you want here! Don’t touch the watermelons! They’re big and heavy, so Teacher and the staff will handle those!”
We each had a basket hanging on our hips. It was a basket for collecting strawberries. As soon as Teacher finished speaking, the kids scattered. The sight of those delicious-looking strawberries was too much for them to resist.
“I’m first!”
“I’m picking too!”
“Let’s gather a ton!”
The kids chatted as they started harvesting strawberries. Even though the greenhouse wasn’t huge, there were enough strawberries for the 30 or so kids to eat. The plants I grew had an insane yield. Compared to regular plants, mine produced about 2-3 times more.
I was picking strawberries with Jiyu and Yumi. Since I was the owner of the greenhouse, I knew where the best spots were. Knowing the optimal locations was the best feeling ever.
“Jiyu, Yumi, come over here!”
It was a spot where the plants had absorbed a lot of my hair. Other spots had water that had absorbed my hair too, but this area was where I focused the watering.
“Why, Hana?”
“Is there some treasure hidden here?”
Jiyu and Yumi were clueless about my grand plan. I was showing them the best spot in the greenhouse, and this was their attitude! But I decided to let it slide. Jiyu and Yumi hadn’t been to the greenhouse much, after all.
As the owner of the greenhouse, I decided to generously forgive them. Then, I told them:
“The strawberries here are the tastiest!”
True to my words, the strawberries here were perfectly ripe and bright red. The color difference compared to strawberries from other areas was noticeable. Jiyu and Yumi finally understood my hidden meaning and started filling their baskets.
“Wow, I’ve never seen strawberries this red before!”
“Me neither. The ones my mom buys can’t even compare!”
Those store-bought strawberries couldn’t hold a candle to mine. They might as well be fake. The strawberries I grew were so delicious they could give you a soul shock. We were all busy harvesting strawberries. Looking around, the other kids were also hard at work.
Some kids were eating the strawberries right away. Since I grew them without pesticides, it was safe to eat them on the spot.
Other farms use so much pesticide that even washing them doesn’t help. But with my strawberries, there was no need to worry. In fact, the weeds just died off on their own. This greenhouse was a place where only strawberries and watermelons could thrive.
It was like a territory—no weeds or pests existed here. Maybe it was because of my abilities. I had so many unknown abilities. I still didn’t know my limits, even though it was my own body.
It might sound strange, but it was true. If things had gone wrong, I might’ve ended up living in a research institute my whole life. Just thinking about that gave me chills. Anyway, as I was pondering this, my basket was already half full.
I thought it was time to stop picking. No matter how many I picked, I couldn’t eat them all, so it felt like a waste.
Looking around, Jiyu and Yumi had also picked just enough to eat. I always had access to the greenhouse, so it didn’t matter if I picked less, but Jiyu and Yumi could’ve taken more home…
“Jiyu, Yumi, you can pick more to take home if you want…”
“This is enough!”
Jiyu and Yumi didn’t seem too greedy. Well, they could always ask me for strawberries later, so their choice made sense. Having a friend like me was a perk! It was like having a doctor or a professional as a friend!
Just like knowing the ways of the world makes life easier, I thought Jiyu and Yumi must have been happy to meet me too.
Saying something like this might make people call me self-absorbed, but hey, it’s a fact, what can I do?
Come to think of it, I heard they were using the strawberries I grew somewhere… Apparently, they were using them to make tanghulu. It was to test how popular my strawberries could be.
The strawberries from my farm were more than enough to handle it. They said they were only testing it at one store in Seoul.
They said they’d use the data from my farm’s crops. After all, since I moved, the research institute employees had been managing it mostly. So, I could easily make this concession. I actually felt bad for not being able to do more. It felt like my farm was giving the employees extra work they wouldn’t normally have.
————————————————————————–
“You want me to try using different strawberries?”
Lee Shin-chul, the owner of a tanghulu store in a bustling area of Seoul, received an unexpected proposal. Someone from a research institute suggested using strawberries grown at their farm. At first, Shin-chul was about to refuse.
Shin-chul already had a farm he sourced strawberries from. He didn’t see any merit in switching because of this employee. His tanghulu store was doing well, and he didn’t feel the need to change the strawberries that were already selling well.
“You’re not charging for the strawberries, and you’re even paying me? Just for a month?”
They said they’d cover the strawberry supply from the originally contracted farm. All he had to do was use their strawberries for a month and provide the data. Hearing that, Shin-chul couldn’t find a reason to refuse.
He didn’t even have to worry about the farm he originally contracted with. The research institute employees said they’d handle the supply of strawberries to the tanghulu store. So, for a month, he could use the strawberries for free. Well, not free—he was actually getting paid to use them.
After a month, he could just go back to using the strawberries from his original farm. It was the best deal he could ask for.
But there was one last thing to check. Shin-chul asked the employee:
“Can I try the strawberries?”
If the strawberries from the farm the research institute knew weren’t tasty, it would be a loss for the store. Customers wouldn’t eat bad strawberries, and as the store owner, Shin-chul couldn’t accept that.
“Of course. You won’t be disappointed.”
The employee brought the strawberries. Shin-chul examined them. The color alone was amazing. It felt a bit bad to say, but they looked way better than the strawberries from his original farm.
There they were, strawberries that looked delicious just by sight. Shin-chul steeled himself and picked one up. He hoped with all his heart that it would taste good.
He popped the strawberry into his mouth and slowly chewed.
“!!!”
Shin-chul’s eyes widened as he ate the strawberry. It was like his brain was exploding with fireworks from the strawberry juice. The strawberries he used to eat could only be referred to as “that thing” compared to this.
He had never tasted strawberries of this quality before. Shin-chul couldn’t help but ask:
“Can I know which farm grows these strawberries?”
“Ah, that’s confidential. But we can definitely guarantee the supply.”
“This might sound a bit much, but these are the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted. Honestly, the ones I had before feel like garbage compared to these.”
After saying that, Shin-chul immediately told the research institute employee:
“I’ll take the deal. Just make sure the supply is solid.”
And just like that, Shin-chul got to use strawberries from a new farm.
