“This… this is…”
First, I went to the cherry tomato farm, and outside, the sturdy stems of the cherry tomatoes stood tall. Although the fruits had fallen to the ground due to the wind, the plants themselves were intact.
Of course, not all of them were unscathed, likely because of the typhoon’s fierce winds. But still, I thought everything would be dead, so seeing more than half of the plants alive was a huge relief.
Kim Sehee also checked the coffee and rice fields, and similarly, the plants were still alive. Her jaw dropped at the absurdity of it all. This was way beyond the realm of normal plant behavior.
“Boss, it looks like we can start operating the farm again in about two weeks.”
“That’s a relief. Truly a relief.”
Kim Sehee felt a sense of awe toward her plants. When she heard that other farms had lost their greenhouses and all their plants had died, she thought her farm would suffer the same fate. But somehow, her farm escaped that devastation.
However, the situation at other farms was dire. Not only were the fields swept away by the floodwaters, but essential farming equipment and warehouses were also destroyed by the typhoon. In the worst cases, all that remained was a single plot of land.
Before worrying about next year’s harvest, this year’s crops were completely ruined. And it wasn’t just one region—it was the entire area. The output of existing crops couldn’t even meet 10% of the usual demand.
The power of this typhoon was beyond imagination. Even farmers who had prepared for it couldn’t have predicted this level of damage. This wasn’t a typhoon that passed in half a day—it lasted for two days, unleashing relentless wind and rain.
There was no way any farm could have remained untouched. Except for Kim Sehee’s farm, of course. Despite the endless rain, her fields didn’t flood. It was as if the land had absorbed all that water.
She had properly drained the fields, but with the amount of rain that fell, it was a miracle. As she and her employees inspected the fields and discussed future plans, a secretary rushed over.
“Boss, there’s a call from the government.”
“The government? What for?”
“It’s from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They said they urgently need to meet with you.”
“Ah, I see.”
Kim Sehee smiled, already guessing why the ministry had called.
—
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, or MAFRA, was the department overseeing agricultural affairs in South Korea. The fact that they contacted Kim Sehee meant there was a significant issue with the country’s farming.
She had been in and out of the ministry frequently due to her farming business, so they were well aware of her work. The next day, she arranged to meet at her office. As the meeting time approached, a group of people arrived.
They must have come all the way from Sejong City, as most government offices had relocated there. Only a few remained in Seoul, including some rather useless departments.
A man in his late 40s, dressed in a formal suit, entered the office, flanked by two subordinates in their early 30s. His thinning hair suggested he was under a lot of stress—one of the leading causes of baldness.
“Hello, Boss. I’m Lee Hangyu, the director of the Food Policy Division at MAFRA.”
Kim Sehee smiled and greeted him in return.
“Hello, Director Lee. I’m Kim Sehee, the CEO of Starlight Food.”
After introductions, they got down to business.
“So, Director Lee, what brings you here?”
There wasn’t much history between Starlight Food and MAFRA. It was only recently, after Starlight started farming directly, that any connection had formed.
—
“Ughhh~”
I let out a meaningless groan as I slung my bag over my shoulder. Today was a school day. Last time, classes were canceled due to the typhoon, and the damage was worse than expected, so we got two extra days off. But the break was over.
As I lay face down on the bed, Maru came in and…
I held her hand.
“Hana, you have to go to school!”
“Got it…”
I grabbed Maru’s hand, took the elevator, and went down. It felt like my heart was racing because it had been a while since I last went out. I guess it was because we couldn’t go outside due to the typhoon.
When we got to the parking lot, traces of the typhoon were still there. Luckily, the company car was fine, so we could just take that to school. Maru’s driving skills had improved, so it felt more reliable now. Of course, my heart still skipped a beat whenever she made a mistake.
We got in the car, and with the familiar sound of the engine starting, the car smoothly moved forward. Compared to before, her driving was much smoother, and a smile naturally formed on my face. It was a huge improvement from the shaky, bumpy rides we used to have.
“Hana, how do you feel about going to school after such a long time?”
“Good!”
The thought of meeting Jiyu and Yumi made my heart race. Looking at the scenery outside, it was clear how strong the typhoon had been. Even though three days had passed since it ended, there were still many areas that hadn’t been cleaned up.
It seemed like the cleanup efforts were focused on more populated areas, so places a bit farther from the city still had fallen trees. Thankfully, the street trees were still standing tall. If they had fallen onto the road, it probably would’ve been impossible to pass.
No matter how big the scars Nabi left behind, as long as there were people, recovery was possible. As we got closer to the city, things were returning to normal. Thanks to the combined efforts of the police, firefighters, civil servants, and volunteers, the scenery near the school looked just like before.
When we arrived at school, I got out of the car.
“Yah!”
The ground near the school felt fresh under my feet after such a long time. I waved goodbye to Maru and started heading toward the school gate.
They say the ground hardens after rain, but there was no trace of worry on the faces of the kids heading to school. In fact, they seemed even brighter than before the typhoon.
It felt like all the kids who had been cooped up at home during the typhoon were itching to move. I went into my classroom and sat down. Yumi and Jiyu hadn’t arrived yet.
“Hmm…”
I started playing a game of balancing pens while waiting for my friends. It was a game that required quite a bit of precision. If you made even a small mistake, the pen would topple over. Just as I succeeded in balancing one and was about to do the second, I heard familiar voices. Jiyu and Yumi had arrived.
“Hana!!!”
“Hana, I missed you so much!”
Yumi and Jiyu came over and started rubbing their cheeks against mine. I was flustered by the sudden physical contact.
“Why are you guys doing this all of a sudden?!”
When I said that, Yumi and Jiyu looked shocked and made faces.
“Hana, didn’t you miss us?”
With Yumi and Jiyu looking at me with those sparkling eyes, I had no choice but to say something nice.
“Of course, I missed you.”
“See? I knew it!”
While we were messing around, the teacher came in. The teacher looked exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes. I’m sure they weren’t that bad last week.
The teacher stood at the desk and spoke in a tired voice.
“I’ve been worried about what kind of accidents might happen to you all, but you’ve been safe, right?”
The teacher seemed to have gone through a lot during the typhoon. They must have been worried every second that something dangerous might happen to the students. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
“Yes!”
The kids answered cheerfully. Maybe it was because the kids weren’t as affected by the typhoon as the adults. After all, it’s usually the adults who handle the recovery efforts.
Of course, I could proudly say I stood up to the typhoon because I personally grabbed a broom and cleaned around the research institute.
