“Whoa!”
I was so overwhelmed by the huge number of plushies that I couldn’t gather my thoughts. But soon, thanks to Bora’s words, I managed to pull myself together.
“Hana, how many plushies are you gonna buy?”
That meant I didn’t have to stress over just one. I wrapped my head around the idea and thought about it. How many plushies could fit on my big bed? My brain spun like crazy as I calculated the exact number. Soon, I lifted my head and said to Bora:
“I’ll buy two!”
Two seemed like the perfect number—enough space for me and Nabi to lie on the bed. One would’ve been too empty, and three would’ve made the bed too cramped, making it uncomfortable to sleep. Or worse, I might not even be able to sleep properly.
First, I decided on one.
“Whoa!”
It was a giant dinosaur plushie. It matched the color of my dinosaur pajamas perfectly. If I stood next to this dinosaur, no one would be able to tell who was who. Bora also put the dinosaur plushie in the cart. Even though we only put one in, the cart already felt full. Then, I wandered around the display again.
I had to pick one more plushie… but I was so torn. Honestly, it was like choosing between Jajangmyeon and Jjamppong. If someone told you to pick just one, no one could decide easily.
“Hana, take your time picking!”
After that, Bora approached an employee nearby.
“Excuse me, can I hug this plushie?”
“As long as you don’t drop it on the floor.”
Bora got permission. I started hugging each plushie one by one. Since I’d be using it like a pillow when sleeping, the texture and grip were super important. After testing them all, I finally found one I liked.
Unlike the dinosaur plushie, it was a simple teddy bear. Yep, bear plushies are the best. I grinned and put it in the cart. Since I’d picked two plushies, there was no reason to stay here anymore. I might come back later, but for now, I waved goodbye to the plushies and left.
For some reason, it felt like the plushies were watching me, but it was probably just my imagination. There’s no way these plushies have souls, right?
On the way out, I also bought some snacks for Nabi.
—
I placed the plushies on my bed. Just two giant plushies brought me peace of mind. They were so big that they even cast a shadow.
“Meow!”
Nabi, thinking they were enemies, started throwing some serious cat punches. I stopped her because if she used her claws, the plushies might get torn. Nabi was a fierce little predator.
“Nabi, stop!”
Nabi listened to me and stopped her punches. Then, she ran off to her cat tower. I thought about catching her but decided against it. Rolling around with the plushies was more important.
“Hmm…”
I grabbed the dinosaur plushie first and rolled around on the bed while hugging it. I grinned.
The texture and the snug feeling when I hugged it were both satisfying. The dinosaur plushie was definitely a successful purchase. Next was the teddy bear. It didn’t disappoint either. The texture was amazing. Plushies are truly the best.
Of course, it would’ve been nice if there was a Little Magician Lumi plushie… but Lumi only had figurines, not plushies. They should really make a plushie version.
I lay on the bed with the two plushies on either side. It felt so good. I should’ve bought plushies sooner. It was like having a partner lying next to me—the plushies gave me enough emotional satisfaction. It was a strange but wonderful feeling.
“Hana!”
Bora came in with Febreze. She probably wanted to spray it on the plushies. They didn’t smell bad, but it wouldn’t hurt to freshen them up.
—
Jeong Jinsu, the Director of Starlight Food, contacted flour import companies. He was the person in charge of all things flour-related, taking over for Kim Sehee. The flour market was so huge that they even created a separate department for it. In modern society, wheat holds an enormous significance.
To take it further, some even say that while young people can live without rice, they can’t live without wheat. Most of the foods young people love today contain wheat.
“Director Jeong, at this rate…”
“Flour import companies are on the verge of bankruptcy one after another.”
“Are they really releasing a much larger amount of flour into the market than what’s being imported domestically?”
“Please, save us.”
Despite being in the early stages, wheat was being cultivated on an enormous scale. Just a little more time, and dominating the domestic flour market would be a matter of time. Starlight Flour was cheap, tasty, and there was no reason not to use it. It was foolish not to use flour of much higher quality than that of import companies.
Jeong Jinsu looked at the import company executives with an awkward expression. Sure, they could be seen as competitors, but in a way, they could also be seen as collaborators. Frankly, they could even sell the wheat they were producing to these import companies. Starlight Food hadn’t yet established a proper sales route for wheat. And the decades of experience these import companies had built up couldn’t be ignored either. Starlight Food was still a newborn company, after all.
But Jeong Jinsu had received instructions from President Kim Sehee, so he spoke with a serious expression.
“I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news. You know what they say, the first to strike wins, right? Starlight Food is planning to fully enter the flour distribution business.”
“You’re seriously starting distribution?”
The faces of the flour company executives turned pale.
‘If Starlight Food starts producing and distributing flour, there’s no way we can win.’
‘And with overseas flour prices rising already…’
Overseas, wheat production had decreased due to abnormal weather, driving prices up. Recently, abnormal weather had been wreaking havoc globally. Agricultural sectors, heavily affected by climate, were in a real headache.
“So, Director, are you saying that Starlight Food will be selling all the flour from now on?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, but… that’s how it is.”
Jeong Jinsu added one more thing.
“But you’ll have about a year. Use that time to wrap up your business or come up with another plan.”
Of course, it would be impossible for flour import companies to build the infrastructure they’ve accumulated over decades in just one year. But with Starlight Food, it somehow seemed possible. After all, it’s the top conglomerate in the country. Whether legally or not, they could wield their power to make things happen.
Director Jeong Jinsu left the meeting room after saying that.
In the fiercely competitive modern society, giving a year’s notice was quite generous. It was the leisure of the strong.
If Starlight Food hadn’t been confident, they would have moved covertly. They wouldn’t have boldly declared their intentions to the flour import companies like that.
But that very action only heightened the sense of dread. Did Starlight Food really have the confidence to dominate the flour market?
Soon, not just flour import companies, but all South Korean citizens would be eating wheat cultivated by Starlight Food. Without exception. A single company would dominate the nation’s dining tables.
———————————————————————
With Starlight Food acting like this, rumors were bound to spread. Companies that had suffered under the tyranny of flour import companies saw this as good news.
“Starlight Food is seriously entering the flour distribution business?”
“They’re even offering prices lower than imported flour.”
“But won’t they just change prices arbitrarily once they monopolize?”
“We’ll have to think about that when the time comes. It’ll take at least 10 years to achieve a monopoly.”
And so, companies that relied on imported flour began to move busily.
