Chapter 167

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but marvel at the grandeur of the massive screen filling my vision. It was almost as big as a soccer field. Well, maybe not that big, but still.

Being cradled by Haru while moving was incredibly comfortable. Now I understood why people were so obsessed with self-driving cars. If it’s this comfy, it’s totally worth risking your life for.

After thoroughly enjoying the self-driving Haru, I felt her gently let go as we arrived at our desired seats. I comfortably settled into the chair, which had super plush cushions. And since the ticketing went smoothly, I was in a great mood, facing the screen that filled my entire view.

If I had ended up in the seats at the very bottom or the sides, watching the screen would’ve been a nightmare. But sitting right in the center made the movie experience so relaxing. I kept shoving popcorn into my mouth like a maniac before the movie even started. The sweet and salty caramel popcorn flavor spread all over my mouth.

And whenever my throat got dry, sipping on cola felt like heaven. I watched the ads roll by with my own eyes and glanced at Haru. She was texting someone on her phone, probably because it was still ad time.

Seeing Haru like that made me think how tough it must be to be a working adult. Or maybe, from Haru’s perspective, it was actually a good thing? She got to skip company dinners and watch a movie with just me. And it wasn’t some kids’ animation either—it was a thrilling action movie with scenes of total destruction.

“Haru! It’s starting, it’s starting!”

I told Haru as the ads were ending. Haru, noticing the ads were over, quickly stuffed her phone into her pocket.

And just like that, I got sucked into the movements of the actors on the screen.

—

“It’s so fun, so fun!”

I was talking while looking at the now-empty popcorn bucket. The lights in the empty theater were on, and the ending credits were rolling on the screen. Except for one trip to the bathroom because I drank too much cola, I never left my seat. Haru beside me also seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Movies these days are all so entertaining!”

Somewhere out there, a movie about a protagonist in iron armor had fallen into decline after his death, but the movie I watched was so full of excitement and fun that comparing it to that would be an insult. This kind of movie was totally worth the inflated ticket prices.

After the movie ended, I stood up and reached out my hand to Haru. I planned to hold her hand as we left. And maybe because I only ate caramel popcorn, I was feeling a bit hungry. The squid skewers didn’t even make a dent. I grabbed Haru’s hand and said,

“Haru, I’m hungry.”

I rubbed my belly with my other hand while talking to Haru. Haru, seeing me like this, nodded and held my hand as we headed to a restaurant. There were plenty of food places outside the theater, so we had lots of options.

“Should we eat this, Hana?”

It was bibimbap with all sorts of vegetables. Seeing the fresh vegetables brutally mixed together in one place made me turn pale. I shook my head side to side and said,

“Haru, I don’t want bibimbap. I want meat, meat!”

Meat is always delicious and something you can eat with peace of mind—it’s like soul food. So I expressed my desire for meat to Haru. Haru, hearing this, nodded and said,

“Then how about this?”

It was a pork cutlet, crispy with delicious breading. A pork cutlet of this size could definitely fill my stomach. And it didn’t seem to have many vegetables. It was the perfect food. I nodded vigorously and said,

“I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it!”

“Let’s go~”

Haru and I entered the pork cutlet shop. Today, I planned to massacre some pork cutlets. I was curious if the pork cutlets here would be better than the ones at our company cafeteria or just average.

—

Starlight Rice’s entry into Japan was a green light. Although there hadn’t been any ads or promotions yet, word was spreading quietly, but that was a problem time would solve.

In fact, this silent infiltration was the best method. By the time the Japanese people fell for Starlight Rice, the Japanese government would scramble to impose regulations, but by then, the Japanese citizens…

Even the wild animals will side with Starlight Rice.

Ordinary folks, not having farmed themselves, will only obsess over delicious rice and not care about their food self-sufficiency rate. Humans tend to become irrationally rational when it’s not their own problem.

However, something even Tanaka didn’t anticipate was happening.

—

Starlight Food’s website was flooded with inquiries. It was natural since they sold various food items.

[Question: I ate 3-4 cherry tomatoes at once without knowing. Is that okay?]

[Answer: You can safely eat dozens of Starlight Cherry Tomatoes a day. However, you might feel bloated for a long time and gain weight as a side effect.]

[Question: What’s the recommended daily amount for Starlight Green Tea?]

[Answer: You can drink up to 100 cups a day without any issues.]

The employees hired by Starlight Food kindly answered. After Kim Sehee made a fortune with a single strand of hair and crops, they went all out with hiring. There was even a joke that Starlight Food scooped up half of the agriculture graduates every year.

[Question: When will Starlight Rice be available again? Or do you even plan to sell it?]

[Answer: Sorry, we currently have no plans for domestic sales.]

It was obvious. From Starlight Food’s perspective, there was no reason to take risks and sell rice when they were already making good money. Of course, if they hadn’t cracked the Japanese market, they might’ve had to send apology boxes to politicians or spend massive ad fees, but it wasn’t worth it.

Consumers were frustrated, demanding Starlight Rice be released to the market. Of course, only those who had tasted it were so passionate, so the government brushed it off as a minority voice. It was undoubtedly high-quality, delicious rice, but entrusting one company with all rice self-sufficiency was too risky.

It’s like the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” If Starlight Rice hit the market, other rice brands would inevitably be pushed out. And once the market was monopolized, prices would skyrocket, holding consumers hostage.

Some consumers were ready to give up on Starlight Rice. Not many citizens had actually tasted it. Even though it was released as public rice, it was often mixed with regular rice, and not everyone had the chance to try it.

And by the time everyone could have tasted it, imported rice had already arrived.

But Starlight Rice found another way to reach consumers.

—

“Sigh…”

Kim Minseong, who had tasted Starlight Rice, let out a deep sigh. After trying it once, regular rice just didn’t cut it anymore. It took him a while to get used to regular rice again. Before that, he avoided rice altogether and ate other things.

While browsing the internet as usual, he stumbled upon something strange. Starlight Rice was listed on a shopping site. But the packaging looked just like Japanese rice, covered in Japanese text with no Korean in sight.

The price shocked him—it was twice as expensive as regular rice. But Kim Minseong couldn’t stop his hand from hovering over the purchase button.

The description claimed it was domestically produced Starlight Rice. He couldn’t forget the taste. If he could have it again, even triple the price wouldn’t matter. Plus, living alone, one bag would last him half a year.

With trembling hands, he steadied himself and clicked the purchase button without hesitation.