Zzuck zzuck.
I was lying on a massage chair, sipping banana milk. The banana milk I drank after finishing my bath had a heavenly taste.
What happened inside the bathhouse was too horrifying and brutal to describe. If I had written a novel describing the events in the bathhouse, I might have been arrested by the police. It was that cruel.
“Ahh~”
The breeze from the fan felt like heaven. I was only wearing a T-shirt and underwear, but since this was inside the bathhouse, it wasn’t a problem. Just then, Maru approached me. She was only wearing underwear. I quickly turned my head away.
Seeing Maru in that state was too provocative for my sober mind. But Maru looked at me and said:
“Hana, you need to dry your hair!”
“Huh?!”
“Come on, hurry up!”
“Ugh!”
I had no choice but to be dragged by Maru to the hair dryer area. I couldn’t leave without drying my hair. Jiyu and Yumi were also drying their hair. Since everyone had hair longer than most men, drying it took forever.
I couldn’t understand how women lived with such long hair. Just washing and drying it took over 30 minutes. When I was a man, it took less than 5 minutes to wash and dry my hair. Women’s hair was just too inconvenient.
But I couldn’t just shave it all off either.
*Whirrrr—*
With a resigned expression, I let Maru take over. As a man, I hadn’t realized how different the women’s bathhouse was from the men’s.
First, there were no towels. Towels are essential after a bath, but in the women’s bathhouse, there wasn’t a single towel in sight. I was initially shocked. In the men’s bathhouse, there were stacks of towels almost a meter high, but here, none.
But it didn’t seem to matter much. Everyone brought their own towels from home. Maru had prepared hers too. Second, the hair dryers had anti-theft cables attached. Apparently, there were people who tried to steal them.
And to use the hair dryer, you had to insert coins. This was shockingly different. In the men’s bathhouse, it was unlimited and you could carry it around freely.
But I had no choice. I had to adapt. As I closed my eyes and felt Maru’s hands, my hair finally dried. Luckily, it didn’t take too long because I had already dried it as much as possible with a towel. Jiyu and Yumi also finished and headed toward the drawers where their clothes were.
I quickly ran over and changed my clothes. The traces of flour were long gone. Everyone looked fresh and clean after leaving the bathhouse. The bathhouse really was a great place.
“Alright, let’s all head out~”
Maru, now fully dressed in casual clothes, led us out. Jiyu, Yumi, and I followed behind her like a family of ducklings.
“Who lives closest from here?”
As we got into Maru’s car, she asked Jiyu and Yumi. It seemed she planned to drop them off on the way since we had some time to spare. Jiyu and Yumi replied:
“We live in the same apartment!”
“Really? Then I’ll take you there!”
“Thank you!”
Jiyu and Yumi could safely ride in Maru’s car home instead of walking. Meanwhile, I rummaged through my bag because I had something to give Maru. It was the pizza bread I had made earlier. It had cooled down a bit, but since I made it with my own hands, I was sure it would still taste good.
“Maru, I made pizza bread for you!”
“Really? I’ll eat it later when I go to the research institute. Thanks!”
I was worried Maru might refuse, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Just like the last time I made cookies, Maru would enjoy the pizza bread I made.
“Bye, Jiyu! Bye, Yumi!”
“Hana, get home safe!”
After dropping off our friends at the apartment, we headed back to our cozy home. The earlier flour fight felt like a dream.
—
Tanaka cautiously entered the Starlight Research Institute building. Security guards were stationed inside, and the building was surrounded by a massive wall, as if it were a large corporate factory. I had no idea what they were making, but it was baffling that such a huge wall was allowed around the research institute.
Anyway, since I came for work today, Tanaka was able to enter the room where Kim Sehee was waiting without any major obstacles. When he opened the door and went in, Kim Sehee was stroking a peculiar child with green hair sitting on her lap. It looked special, like the bond between a mother and child.
If they took a photoshoot with those two, wouldn’t the birth rate explode? If men were given the fantasy of having a wife and child like that, wouldn’t they naturally want to get married? Anyway, shaking off those random thoughts, Tanaka started talking through the interpreter.
The green-haired child scurried outside after Kim Sehee said something. It seemed she sent the child out because they needed to discuss business. Tanaka cautiously asked, “Is that child perhaps the boss’s niece…?”
Knowing that Kim Sehee wasn’t married, he tried to stay within the realm of rationality. Hearing that, Kim Sehee smiled and said, “She’s my most cherished child. I wouldn’t trade her even for the entire Starlight Group. I even gathered all the shares of the Starlight Research Institute just for Hana.”
“I see!”
A child she wouldn’t trade even for the Starlight Group? There must be some secrets there, but Tanaka decided not to dig deeper. It felt like if he pried too much, he’d be walking into a trap. After all, meddling in someone’s personal affairs never ends well.
“Ahem… You said you had good news today, boss. What is it?”
Tanaka asked with a slightly excited heart. Did the supply of Starlight Rice increase? It would be great if they could use Starlight Rice in Karasushi chain stores in smaller cities, not just the big ones… Tanaka’s mind was racing.
“Our Starlight Food has developed an excellent wine.”
With that, Kim Sehee pulled out a bottle of Starlight Wine. Hearing that, Tanaka clenched his eyes shut. Karasushi’s signature drink was beer, which had already gained a solid reputation. It was a craft beer made by a master brewer, quite expensive but with a remarkable taste. Many people enjoyed drinking it with sushi.
But seeing this Starlight Wine, Tanaka had an uneasy thought. You know how sometimes a big company forces its subcontractors to buy their newly developed products? Like when a franchise headquarters makes its branches purchase certain items. That’s what came to mind.
Still, he couldn’t give up on Starlight Rice, and Tanaka had already made some big promises, so he smiled and said to Kim Sehee, hoping she’d just ask for distribution channels and not force Karasushi branches to sell the wine.
“Wine? The color alone looks fantastic. Just seeing it makes it seem excellent.”
Tanaka praised the wine so much his mouth went dry. Kim Sehee, pleased with the compliments, got to the main point.
“I want to supply this Starlight Wine to Karasushi branches. And I’d like to use your distribution network in Japan. We’ve already prepared a separate batch for the Japanese market.”
As she said that, Kim Sehee pulled out a bottle of Starlight Wine localized for Japan. The wine with Japanese text on it had a sleek design. Even Tanaka was momentarily impressed. He wiped the sweat dripping down his face with a handkerchief. Despite the air conditioner blasting, sweat was pouring out like water.
It was clear that a single word from him could make or break a massive contract, so he couldn’t stop the tension. Tanaka carefully picked up the wine Kim Sehee had poured for him.
He thought, *At least let it be drinkable.* Wine isn’t exactly the best liquor for a new company to make. He even wondered if it would’ve been better to make makgeolli or sake using Starlight Rice. Japanese people might not know much about Korean drinks like makgeolli, but if it was made with Starlight Rice, it might sell well.
As he took a sip of the wine, Tanaka’s eyes widened. Then, his brain started spinning with happiness circuits. If the wine tasted this good, he should be bowing and accepting it on the spot.
