Today, I woke up early because I had somewhere to go with the boss. I wanted to see how the crops I planted were growing, and they said it would also help me financially.
“Alright!”
Today, I prepared to wash while swinging the tail of my Dinosaur Pajamas here and there. My hair was already a mess. With my short arms and legs, I managed to wash myself somehow. It was a bit sad being such a short-limbed creature.
*Whirrrr-*
I dried my hair with a hairdryer. Usually, Haru or Maru helps me, but today I was doing it alone. I was a proper adult now, so I didn’t need anyone’s help to wash or dry my hair. I could even take a bath by myself, so why would I need help?
“Yaaawn-!”
Maybe I was still a bit sleepy because I yawned.
*Creak-*
“Hana, are you ready?”
Maru opened my door and came in. I nodded and said I was all ready. I had washed my hair and dried it, so I was perfectly prepared to go out. But Maru sighed as she looked at me.
“Hana! You need to take off your Dinosaur Pajamas!”
I was still wearing my Dinosaur Pajamas. I puffed out my cheeks in frustration. How could I not go out in such a great outfit? It didn’t make sense to me.
But soon, I was caught by Maru and had to change into proper clothes. Maru’s fashion sense was like that of a mom dressing up her kids—bright, colorful, and flashy. I had no choice but to become a doll in Maru’s hands.
After bouncing around and finally changing, I sipped on a beverage through a straw while waiting for the boss. My room had plenty of snacks, but I hadn’t bought much myself.
After spending a fortune on games last time, my card ended up in Bora’s hands. Of course, she gave it to me when I needed to buy something from the convenience store, so it wasn’t too inconvenient. But I was still a bit ashamed of how much I had spent on games.
It was like those kids who impulsively spend their parents’ money on mobile games. Though, since I had plenty of money, I didn’t need a refund. Legally, if minors make purchases without parental consent, they can get a refund, but that didn’t apply to me.
“Hana!”
Boss Sehee came into my room. I struck a “Hug me!” pose and looked at her. The boss laughed brightly and hugged me. Having a bio-autonomous robot around really made life easier. I could see why people hired chauffeurs—getting to your destination without having to walk was just so convenient.
There was nothing more comfortable than this.
—
And so, in the boss’s arms, I got into the car. Just looking at it, you could tell how much the boss cherished her car. It sparkled so much—it must have been a lot of work to polish it to that level. Of course, I didn’t know that the boss had a separate team to manage the car.
And there was originally a driver, but the boss wanted to go with just me, so I didn’t know about that either. The idea of a driver felt like something from another world. Paying millions a month just to have someone drive for you? Ordinary folks like me would just drive ourselves, hands trembling.
“Hana, you need to fasten your seatbelt!”
“Yes!”
The boss personally leaned over and gently fastened the seatbelt for me in the passenger seat. I just sat there, feeling the boss’s touch. Every action of the boss made me feel so cared for.
I guess it was inevitable since I was just so amazing. Feeling my pride swell, we set off for today’s destination. Today, we were planning to visit Starlight Food to see the rice crops growing. I was so excited to see how my “children,” the crops, were doing. That’s why I begged to go.
I had grown tomatoes myself, so I didn’t need to see those, but I had never seen coffee or rice growing before, so I was really excited. It was like the feeling of a mother waiting for her son to return from military service.
After driving for a few hours, we arrived at a quiet, countryside-like area. Of course, farming in Seoul was out of the question. From land prices to all sorts of regulations, farming in the city was just too difficult.
After driving for a few hours, we arrived at a peaceful, rural area. Of course, farming in Seoul was impossible. With land prices and all the regulations, farming in the city was just too tough.
And so, after driving for a few hours, we arrived at a serene, countryside-like place. Of course, farming in Seoul was out of the question. With land prices and all the regulations, farming in the city was just too difficult.
One place was a shiny building that looked out of place in the countryside. Such buildings were crammed together in a narrow area.
It was as if they were advertising, “We were just built recently!”
“Hana, let’s get out~”
The boss, who had skillfully finished parking, called me. Hearing the boss’s words, I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the passenger seat with light footsteps. Maybe it was because I was wearing cushy shoes, but I didn’t feel tired even walking on the rocky ground.
However, I wasn’t a big fan of walking. I reached out my arms toward the boss. The boss knew exactly how I felt. They picked me up and carried me into the building.
It didn’t make sense to ask me to walk when there was such a convenient bio-autonomous robot like this. In the countryside, there were people in sturdy security uniforms guarding the building, which seemed out of place. I thought those scary guards would arrest and interrogate me, but they didn’t stop me at all, and I was able to enter the building without any issues.
Well, arresting me, the source of all this, wouldn’t make sense anyway. If I decided to wish for all the crops to stop growing, Starlight Food would go bankrupt immediately. They’d have to pay astronomical penalties and cling to my coattails. Of course, I’d take a hit too, but not as much as Starlight Food.
If I really didn’t like it, I could just switch to another company. Of course, that didn’t seem likely to happen, but Starlight Food had no reason to betray me, and I liked Starlight Food too. Every time the boss came, they brought a bunch of delicious things, so there was no reason to think badly of them.
When we reached the top of the building, the scenery around us was spectacular. Despite the saying that 70% of our country is mountainous, there was an endless plain in sight. Of course, it wasn’t completely flat. There were some ridges here and there, but it was still a rare sight in Korea.
And on that plain, golden rice was being cultivated. It was perfectly standardized, like a chessboard, and as orderly as an army. Young people were farming using agricultural machinery.
“Boss! Aren’t farmers usually older people?”
I asked out of curiosity. Of course, it might have been my narrow-minded thinking, but I had never seen a young farmer before. The boss laughed and answered my question.
“That’s because we go around agricultural graduate schools and recruit talented… I mean, graduate students.”
“Really?”
Going to graduate school meant they were somewhat dedicated to agricultural studies, right? So, wouldn’t they be more inclined toward academic pursuits rather than farming?
My doubts were soon cleared up by the boss’s next words.
“We guarantee tenure and pay a lot, so nine out of ten come.”
Money really could solve anything. In modern times, being a doctor is a promising career not just because of the money, but also because of the job security until old age. There’s a lot of talk about engineering students being let go before they even turn 50, so if there’s a job that offers tenure and good pay, it would be strange not to go for it.
It’s a dream job. It’s a condition most people couldn’t even dream of. And while farming is physically demanding, it’s less strenuous than in the past due to mechanization.
The reality is that most farming work is done by machines, just like household chores. There’s little need for human hands.
“There are so many people.”
I said while holding onto the window. As I said, there were swarms of people. It seemed like thousands of people had gathered in this quiet, rural area.
“Everyone here is making a living thanks to you, Hana.”
The boss said while looking at the busy people. Without me, these people would probably be doing other jobs or unemployed.
