“It’s amazing how it grows right after you sow the seeds.”
“Does such a plant really exist?”
“It’s right in front of your eyes, so of course it exists.”
Starlight Food’s plants had such an astonishing growth rate that the government conducted several surprise inspections. However, there was nothing wrong with the crops. In fact, they were found to be packed with nutrients.
So, the government stopped pushing so hard. And if they pushed any further, their relationship with the Starlight Group could become awkward.
Of course, there were still suspicious glances. But since it was a good direction for South Korea, they seemed to have decided not to interfere anymore. With the self-sufficiency rate of most crops being abysmal except for rice, Starlight Food was filling that gap.
The government officials must have cheered when they saw the new wheat. While flour importers might have screamed in despair, for the government, it was an opportunity to boost the less than 1% wheat self-sufficiency rate. In modern society, the importance of rice and wheat couldn’t be overstated.
If the supply of either rice or wheat were cut off, chaos would ensue. These two were the most commonly consumed crops by South Koreans. There was no comparison.
“Now, our Starlight Farm will also grow wheat.”
The company’s growth was synonymous with the employees’ growth. The stronger Starlight Food became, the better it was for the employees. In fact, it was all good.
Some government officials had witnessed the vibrant growth of the crops several times. They were shocked to find that Starlight Farm didn’t use any pesticides or chemicals. In agriculture, pesticides were considered a given.
Although organic farming existed, it was still much more common to use pesticides. Organic farming was costly and labor-intensive.
However, Starlight Food didn’t use a single gram of pesticides. As a result, harmful substances were rarely found in their products. They were on par with organic crops, even surpassing them in terms of lower harmful substance detection.
—
The endless line of trucks continued. These trucks would soon distribute flour all over the country. Sales contracts were already in place. After distributing to wholesalers, it was just a matter of reaching retailers through distribution.
Kim Sehee watched the procession with her arms crossed. It was the official launch of Starlight Flour. Having already tasted the prototypes made by Starlight Food, she wasn’t worried. Once word got out, it was just a matter of sitting on a money cushion.
Ordinary imported flour couldn’t compete with Starlight Flour. The reason for using imported flour was price, but Starlight Flour was sold at a lower price than imported flour. And when it came to taste, Starlight Flour was the clear winner.
Eventually, imported flour would disappear from South Korea. It seemed that all flour-using businesses in South Korea would switch to Starlight Flour.
Importers of foreign flour were like wearing a ticking time bomb around their necks. It was a future where their time was running out. The only thing they could do was minimize losses and exit the market.
The government had already sided with Starlight Food. No amount of lobbying or behind-the-scenes maneuvering would help.
This was just the beginning. Starlight Flour hadn’t yet used all its farmland, but in a month, it would. And smart farm buildings were being erected on the land. Production would skyrocket, and there would be enough wheat to feed the South Korean population.
Selling overseas would be nice, but there were no plans yet. First, they had to conquer the domestic market.
—
“Whooosh…”
I melted onto my desk like pudding. The class was so easy that it made me yawn. Other kids might not yawn because the class was appropriate for their age, but I was different. The difficulty level was just right for a yawn.
“Hana…!”
Yumi, sitting next to me, poked my side with her sharp pencil. I straightened up and sat stiffly again.
I kept my posture. Probably, the teacher wouldn’t like seeing me melting like pudding. Yumi’s assist was great. If it weren’t for Yumi, I would’ve been scolded by the teacher for my slouching.
I didn’t know, but the teacher had no intention of pointing out my posture.
Then, the bell signaling the end of class rang. That’s the good thing about elementary school. Classes only last 40 minutes. For me, it was great news. 40 minutes might seem long, but for me, it felt short.
High school classes are 50 minutes long. A 10-minute difference might not seem like much, but it’s a huge gap. The difference between 40 and 50 minutes in class time is like night and day.
“Let’s go home!”
“Wow!”
The kids were excitedly packing their bags after class, probably because it was dismissal time. I also hurriedly packed my bag to keep up with them. Of course, my textbooks were left at school, so my bag was empty. There was no need to carry heavy textbooks around. I just left them in my locker and took them out when needed. No one ever complained about that.
So, Yumi, Jiyu, and I were walking home together.
“Hana, are you going straight home?”
“Hmm…”
I pondered deeply over Yumi’s question. Even if I went home, there was nothing to do except play with Nabi.
Then, something caught my eye. An unmanned claw machine. I licked my lips at the sight of it. The machine was filled with plushies I wanted.
“Let’s grab some plushies, Jiyu, Yumi!”
“Huh?”
“I want a plushie!”
After my lengthy explanation, Jiyu and Yumi nodded in understanding. I excitedly entered the claw machine store. Cheerful music was playing, and the machines were lined up in a row. I found a machine with the plushies I liked.
Inside were a bunch of dinosaur plushies. Each claw machine had a different theme, and this one seemed to be all about dinosaurs. I took out my wallet. It was a gift from the boss. I heard it was some Gucci? wallet, but to me, it just looked like any other wallet.
After all, a wallet is just for holding money and cards. Jiyu and Yumi were quietly watching from behind. To show the kids how it’s done, I took out some money and inserted it into the claw machine.
[Game Start!]
With the machine’s announcement, the claw started moving. I focused intensely. I had never concentrated this much, even during exams. I positioned the claw right over the dinosaur plushie I wanted. Then, with all my might, I pressed the button.
“Oooh…!”
“Wow!”
Jiyu and Yumi were amazed by the precise and delicate positioning of the claw. The claw grabbed the plushie tightly and lifted it up. But the claw’s strength was weaker than I expected. It managed to lift the plushie, but moving it to the drop area was too much. Midway, it dropped the plushie with a *plop*.
“No!!!”
I screamed and pressed my face against the glass. The claw, as if mocking me, dropped the dinosaur plushie to the bottom. I felt a destructive urge to do something about this annoying claw. But the claw was behind the glass, so there was nothing I could do.
I could break the glass, but my rational mind was still intact. In the end, I had no choice but to insert more money. When it comes to claw machines, more money is always the answer. Someone once said, the more money you have, the exponentially higher your chances of winning a plushie.
