We didn’t go straight into the ski resort. We didn’t have skis, goggles, or any other equipment. All we had were thick padded jackets.
Maru, who got out of the car, made a call somewhere. We were messing around, not staying still for a second. The stamina of a third-grade elementary school girl was incredible. It was a given that she wouldn’t stop talking for a second, like an Energizer. Of course, she was also running around like the boys.
Even I, also a third-grade elementary school student, was on the verge of exhaustion from Jiyu and Yumi’s chatter. The only saving grace was that Maru was also a chatterbox. While we were chatting in the car, Maru was chatting along too.
It was astonishing that she could talk so much while driving. I knew that when three or more women gather, they chatter a lot, but today I was able to witness it in awe once again.
Of course, I was also lively. As we were playing around, a young woman approached from afar, walking with Maru. Maru waved her hand, signaling to the woman that we were here. The woman saw Maru waving and came over.
“Hello~”
The woman approached us with a bright smile. Jiyu, Yumi, and I were staring blankly. Maru, seeing our expressions, kindly explained.
“This is the person who will rent ski equipment to Jiyu, Yumi, and Hana today!”
Ah, I see. I thought we were going to buy ski equipment, but it seems we decided to rent. After all, skiing is something we do only once or twice a year. If we bought the equipment, it would just end up in the warehouse after one use. In that case, renting might be the better choice. But if we’re renting, is there a reason for her to come out and meet us like this? Shouldn’t we just go to the ski rental shop?
We followed the woman like ducklings. Arriving at a shop, we couldn’t help but gasp in admiration. Everywhere we looked, perfectly maintained ski equipment greeted us. And the ski equipment looked expensive. I couldn’t tell the brands, but I could roughly guess the prices. Maru told us,
“They say this is a ski rental shop only for VIPs. Don’t touch anything carelessly, and behave well as the unnie explains, okay?”
Come to think of it, there were no customers around. They said it’s a reservation-only shop. That’s probably why there weren’t that many pieces of equipment. Normally, ski rental shops have a lot of equipment piled up, but this shop didn’t have that much.
“Maru? Do we just need to get the kids’ equipment and Maru’s equipment?”
“Yes. Please take good care of us today.”
“Don’t worry! Hey kids! Follow unnie, okay?”
“Okay!”
We followed the young female employee, whom we called unnie. We arrived at a corner labeled ‘Kids’ Equipment.’ There were ski equipment about half the size of what we had seen earlier. Since kids are smaller, they can’t use adult ski equipment. Even if they forced themselves to use it, they wouldn’t be able to ski properly.
They probably wouldn’t even be able to put on the skis. If they put their feet into the binding part that fixes the feet on the skis, their small feet would just slip out.
“Now, among these…”
The employee looked at our sizes and picked out suitable ski equipment. Then, I noticed a pair of skis. They had an illustration of the Little Magician Lumi printed on them. My sharp eyes couldn’t miss this.
“Um… I want the Lumi skis, please!”
“Lumi? These?”
The employee seemed to know about them too. She took the skis hanging high up and placed them in front of me. I grinned from ear to ear. Who knew there would be skis I liked this much…
No matter what other skis they brought, they wouldn’t be as good as these. It was obvious. There was no ski better than the Little Magician Lumi.
“Hana, really!”
Jiyu and Yumi looked at me with expressions that said they couldn’t help it. Even with those looks, I couldn’t give up on the Little Magician Lumi skis. Once I saw Lumi, I had to choose. There was no option to choose another pair of skis.
———————————————————-
Kim Sehee looked at dozens of bags of ramen. They were the ramen currently sold in the market. There were other types of ramen, but they weren’t as popular. She didn’t include non-ramen types like fire chicken stir-fried noodles.
“Is this all?”
“Yes, boss.”
These are the ramen currently circulating in the market.
The employees scattered efficiently and began boiling the ramen. It was a test before mass-producing the ramen.
The testers started eating the boiled ramen, one chopstick at a time. The reactions were average. It was ramen you could eat anywhere. While there were differences in taste among the ramen, there was a somewhat uniform flavor.
“Manager Yoon? Please bring us our ramen.”
The manager brought a ramen packet with nothing printed on it. The outside of the ramen packet was supposed to have promotional images, but the one Manager Yoon brought had no images at all.
It was ramen made with Starlight wheat. The ramen soup used a long-released ramen recipe patent and included Hanwoo beef from Starlight Farm.
“Alright, let’s boil it.”
Everyone watched with tense expressions as the ramen was boiled. It was the final test before entering the ramen industry. If Kim Sehee liked it, they could prepare for mass production; if not, they had to start over. The employees, not wanting to go in circles, hoped this ramen would please the boss.
Once the water boiled, they added the soup and noodles. They closed the lid and added nothing else to savor the original taste of the ramen. Many people usually add green onions, eggs, or various other foods to their ramen.
Despite the closed lid, a savory and delicious aroma filled the room. Even before tasting the ramen, the outcome seemed predictable. The researchers smiled. While others might not know, the food researchers who made this ramen were confident in their success. They had already tasted the ramen themselves. This test site was just the final confirmation.
“I’m really looking forward to this.”
Kim Sehee also seemed to react favorably, having smelled the delicious and deep aroma. It was hard to imagine ramen emitting such a delicious smell could fail. If this ramen tasted bad, other ramen would be doomed.
Still, they had to confirm. The testers picked up their chopsticks and started eating the ramen. Kim Sehee also picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the noodles.
“Wow, this is really delicious.”
“It’s definitely different from the ramen we had earlier.”
“If ramen tastes this good, I could eat it three times a day.”
Everyone reacted positively. Kim Sehee was also amazed. She hadn’t expected such a deep flavor from an expired ramen recipe patent. It wasn’t the usual ramen taste. It had a flavor that was a step above other ramen.
As expected, it was Hana. She couldn’t help but smile at the unexpectedly delicious taste of the ramen. Only ramen made with care at a hotel could match this level of flavor.
And from now on, this Starlight Ramen would only get tastier. They were currently using an expired ramen recipe patent. Once the ramen department was more organized and research on the noodles and soup progressed, even more delicious ramen would be made.
“Let’s go with this ramen.”
With Kim Sehee’s instruction, they could mass-produce this Starlight Ramen. Once the packaging design was finalized, the ramen factory would churn out tens of thousands of packets daily.
After the testers left and only the executives remained, an employee casually brought up a question to Kim Sehee.
“Boss, how will you price the ramen?”
Setting the exact price was crucial. Starlight Food was in a good position. They used their own wheat, and some ingredients in the soup were also self-produced.
Of course, Kim Sehee didn’t need to set an exact price but rather a general price vision. The rest would be up to the staff to determine the most efficient price within the given range.
When Starlight Ramen is released, it will send a huge shock through the ramen market.
