Licking my lips, I entered the practice room. Inside, the teacher had already set everything up. All we had to do was make the cake at the table. Nothing could be easier than this.
“Wahhh!”
The other kids seemed excited too, running around everywhere. Maybe because I hadn’t eaten lunch, I was hungry. There was still some time left before lunch started.
Once all the kids gathered, the teacher clapped to get our attention. Then, turning on a large beam projector, she said:
“Alright, everyone, focus!!! I’ll show you how to make it first! Then, we’ll make the cake!”
I could barely contain my fidgety hands. The teacher set up the beam projector to point at her desk. We just stood there and watched. Jiyu and Yumi were stuck to my side like glue.
Come to think of it, Jiyu and Yumi seemed to stick to me more whenever we were in the practice room. Other kids also came around or touched me, but not as much as Jiyu and Yumi.
Anyway, the teacher showed us how to make the cake first. It was so simple. The bread and whipped cream were already prepared. We didn’t have to make the dough from scratch.
We prepared three pieces of bread that looked like puffed rice cakes. Then, we carefully spread whipped cream on each piece and stacked them into a three-layer tower. That was it.
The teacher explained it so easily that even third graders could understand. There was nothing difficult about it. Just spread whipped cream on the bread and stack it. Making a more complicated cake would be much harder, but we didn’t need to do that. Just shaping it into a cake was a successful result.
It wasn’t like we were making it to sell to others. We could take it home, but since it wasn’t for sale, it didn’t matter how we made it.
“Ooh!”
We formed groups of three, making six groups in total. My group, of course, had Jiyu and Yumi. They seemed just as enthusiastic, their cheeks flushed. I probably looked the same.
I unwrapped the packaging and took out the bread cake inside. Then, I started spreading the whipped cream. I put my heart and soul into it, spreading the whipped cream evenly and thinly, pouring in all my effort.
“Phew…”
Thanks to my hard work, the first layer of the cake was perfectly covered in whipped cream. I couldn’t hide my pride. So, I picked up the cake stand and went over to the teacher. She was helping some kids who were struggling. When I approached, she looked at me and said:
“Huh? Hana, do you have a question?”
“No…! Teacher, how’s the bread cake I made? It’s just the first layer, but I made it really well!”
I proudly showed the teacher the neatly made cake. Now, all I had to do was make two more layers and stack them to create a delicious whipped cream cake.
“You did a great job, Hana~”
I even got praised by the teacher. I couldn’t hide my puffed-up shoulders. This masterpiece, created with all my aesthetic sense, deserved the praise.
Since I got praised by the teacher, all I had to do was finish the rest of the cake. Nothing could stop me now. Smiling, I went back to my spot. But there was something I didn’t expect. Maybe because the kids were clumsy with the whipped cream, there were splotches of it on the floor.
And this whipped cream had the same slippery effect as banana peels.
“Ahhh!”
I stepped on the whipped cream and slipped on the floor. The cake stand I was holding flew into the air. In slow motion, the cake stand slowly fell and then crashed onto the floor.
“No!!!”
I couldn’t help but scream. The first layer of the cake, which I had poured my heart into, had tragically fallen. There was no bringing it back. It was completely smashed on the floor. It was so devastating that not even Jesus could save it.
“Uwaaah…”
I desperately tried to hold back my tears. After all the effort I put into making that cake…
—
Kim Sehee headed to the aquaculture farm in Jeolla-do. She had already decided to choose this place for her aquaculture business. Setting up a farm in Seoul would take too much time and money. It was better to just use an existing farm.
I decided to take over Seol.
Starlight Food only had money to spare. Time was short. And as long as the cat food was special, it didn’t matter if the aquaculture or other parts were ordinary.
And only Starlight Food could make this cat food. Sure, other places could make cat food too, but it would cost way more than what Starlight Food produced. It was better to just stick with the existing cat food for better yield.
Trying to replicate Starlight Food’s cat food would tear your legs apart. The crops Starlight Food produced couldn’t be made anywhere else. So making cat food from Starlight Food crops sold on the market would cost way too much.
Kim Sehee found an aquaculture association.
They had planned to set up an aquaculture farm for flatfish and mackerel, but it didn’t seem to be going well. Honestly, how many places even farm flatfish? In Korea, flatfish makes up about 50% of the species in aquaculture farms. Anyway, they tried farming flatfish but couldn’t even break even. As for mackerel, they didn’t even get started.
So, they were looking for a buyer to quickly cover their losses.
And Kim Sehee found that aquaculture farm.
Since they had an appointment, the association head greeted Kim Sehee. There was a 20-year age gap, but when it comes to money, there’s no such thing as manners. If someone might buy a loss-making aquaculture farm, you’d better treat them with respect.
“Is this the aquaculture farm?”
“Yes, it is.”
Kim Sehee slowly observed the aquaculture farm set up in the sea. There were large net enclosures, but no fish in sight.
“Looks like you haven’t started farming yet?”
“Well, we succeeded in setting up the farm, but…”
It seemed like the investors’ conflicts prevented them from properly starting. Everything was ready for farming, but they couldn’t start due to unresolved issues. Of course, even if they started, there was no guarantee it would succeed.
Kim Sehee liked the location and the fact that they hadn’t started yet. If they just changed the feed and raised the fish, it would be perfect. They could save time on setting up the farm. That alone would save months.
After the Gate appeared, many innovative things emerged, speeding up construction. But it still took time. Still, being able to buy time with money was always a positive.
Kim Sehee had a long conversation with the association head. The head already knew Kim Sehee was backed by Starlight Food, so he was as honest as possible about the farm’s situation.
“I did invest, but my stake is small. I’m mainly in charge of managing the farm overall.”
Kim Taepyeong had invested money, but his stake was small. However, he had a lot of experience with aquaculture farms, having worked in them since he was young. That’s why, despite his small stake, he was in charge of managing the farm.
Kim Sehee nodded and said, “Let’s acquire the farm.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t lie about things like this.”
“Then, how much are you thinking…?”
He didn’t even think about recovering the full investment. He’d be lucky to get half of the principal back. Considering the money spent on setting up the farm and other expenses, that’s what he thought.
But Kim Sehee wasn’t that harsh.
“I’ll buy it for the amount you invested.”
“!!!”
Kim Taepyeong couldn’t help but be surprised. Other buyers had come to check it out, but they often tried to lowball the price.
Being in the position of power, they could. But Kim Sehee didn’t abuse that power.
