“Yawn!”
Hana woke up late. Since it was now school vacation, there was no need to get up early. The beauty was a sleepyhead. Of course, Hana didn’t particularly like the fact that she was considered a beauty, but hey, isn’t it okay to sleep a lot anyway?
Anyway, when she got out of bed, the sun was already high in the sky. Bora, Haru, or even Maru usually came in to wake her up, but since no one did, Hana figured she must’ve been sleeping like a log.
Still in her dinosaur pajamas, Hana stepped outside. Sadly, for working adults, there’s no such thing as a vacation. Even if Hana had a vacation ceremony, the people working at the Starlight Research Institute still had to come to work.
*Grin.*
Hana smirked mischievously, curious about what kind of fun would happen today. After all, during vacations, something interesting was bound to happen. She just hoped that the fun wouldn’t cause trouble for others.
However, today, Hana didn’t pull any pranks. Why? Because her tooth was loose. If this one fell out, it would make four teeth already. Sure, they’d grow back, but Hana hated how her smile looked with gaps, making her seem like a goofball.
Still, she had to inform the staff, so Hana headed to the office. The employees were busy working. Hana, as if it were routine, approached Bora and tugged on her sleeve. Bora, puzzled by Hana’s gesture, asked, “What’s up?”
“Bora, my tooth is loose.”
“Huh?!”
With that, Hana threw herself into Bora’s arms, spinning around dramatically. They went to the best facility with a dentist on-site to have the tooth pulled. Every time Hana lost a tooth, she made such a fuss that it felt like a president might show up to pull it next time. That’s how much attention Hana’s teeth were getting.
Hana thought to herself, “Well, it makes sense. There are so many people who depend on the plants that grow from my teeth.” And now, even overseas, Starlight Rice was quietly gaining popularity among the general public in Japan.
It was said to surpass even Koshihikari rice, with great taste and affordable prices. People were switching to Starlight Rice, even in conservative restaurants. Sure, some hesitated because it was Korean, but most restaurants didn’t care. Patriotism doesn’t put food on the table, after all.
What scared them more was losing customers due to bad taste. Once customers left, they rarely returned. For restaurant owners, customers who left without even leaving a review were worse than meeting the devil in hell.
And so, Hana’s teeth were grown under ironclad security, rivaling that of a president. The plants that grew from her teeth were incredibly resilient. Even if you just tossed them into soil, they’d thrive. Their survival skills were on par with weeds. Why? No one knew.
A few days later, the plants from Hana’s teeth were ready to be inspected.
—
“Hana lost another tooth?”
Kim Sehee, upon hearing the news, hurriedly packed her things and rushed to the Starlight Research Institute. Every plant that came from Hana was something to look forward to, so the excitement was justified.
After passing through multiple security checks, she finally arrived at the site. A vast open space stretched out, and inside a massive glass-walled building, Hana’s plant was growing.
“What… is this?”
Kim Sehee saw clusters of grapes hanging from the plant. First, it was cherry tomatoes, then coffee, rice, and now grapes. And every single one of them was a highly sought-after fruit or plant. Grapes, in particular, could sell like crazy.
There were so many products you could make from grapes—it was almost too many to list. Kim Sehee’s first thought was wine. Sure, there were globally famous wine brands, but Hana’s grapes would probably outshine them all. Even the coffee was selling like hotcakes, so imagining how well Hana’s grape wine would sell was beyond comprehension.
They wanted to expand into makgeolli, tteok, and other businesses, but unfortunately, domestic sales were still restricted due to regulations. However, wine was different. It was easier to distribute domestically, and since it was globally renowned, overseas…
I thought it would be really great to expand the sales channels.
At least for things like makgeolli and tteok, there’s not much demand overseas, but wine is enjoyed worldwide, right?
Starlight Food had a lot of domestic sales, but the number of products sold overseas was gradually increasing. For example, rice was already being sold in Japan. And they were considering selling coffee and cherry tomatoes abroad as well.
“Can I try one grape?”
Looking at the bunch of grapes hanging from the tree, Kim Sehee’s mouth started to water. They looked like top-quality grapes. The berries were plump and large, and just by their appearance, they seemed amazing. As she said that, an employee plucked one grape from the tree and placed it in front of Kim Sehee.
Kim Sehee peeled the grape and ate it.
“Mmm…”
As expected, the taste didn’t disappoint. The burst of juice as soon as it entered her mouth surprised her. Such a sweet grape—it felt like a gift from the heavens. If she hadn’t met Hana, she would have remained just a mediocre company president.
Of course, with the inherited stocks, real estate, and cash combined, she could live comfortably without envy, but Kim Sehee didn’t want to live like that. She wanted to leave a significant mark on society. That’s why she took over the struggling Starlight Food.
“Nice.”
Kim Sehee couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know how many fruits they would sell in the future, but at least with grapes, there was no reason for the government to interfere, and expanding sales channels globally made it a very satisfying crop.
“First, let’s meet Hana!”
Kim Sehee bought some candy for Hana, who was feeling sad because she lost a tooth. She also planned to play with her, so she went up to the building to meet Hana. Just meeting Hana, who was like a niece to her, felt healing. This must be why uncles adore their nieces so much.
All you need to do is give endless love to a child like her—no need for strict parenting or anything else. Just shower them with love. Kim Sehee carried a bundle of gifts and went to Hana’s room to play.
She was excited to play with Hana today.
—
Hana’s grapevine was carefully moved using heavy machinery. The real estate issue was also resolved. Since there was plenty of land around, they were able to buy farmland at a reasonable price. The only downside was that they couldn’t grow everything in one place. To maximize the area, they had to grow the vines separately.
Of course, there’s a saying not to put all your eggs in one basket. In case of typhoons or other disasters, this minimized the risk. After moving and planting the grapevines, they built a structure with concrete and glass to protect the vines as much as possible. As long as this one grapevine was protected, the others would grow well on their own, so there was no need to worry.
They diligently collected seeds from the grapes growing on the vine and planted them in the farmland. The plants grew well with just the right amount of fertilizer, regardless of temperature, climate, or other conditions. Coffee, which originally wasn’t suitable for growing in Korea, didn’t seem to care about those conditions when it came from Hana’s body.
Just water and fertilizer were enough for it to grow well. Despite originally needing strict conditions, it grew vigorously as if it didn’t need them. It also rarely suffered from pests or diseases, making it really easy to grow.
It felt like it had a much stronger and tougher life force than most weeds.
