I slipped into the bus around the time all the kids were getting on. The bus was bustling with kids. The only difference from our time was that there were many empty seats scattered around. The bus, which used to fit exactly 40 people, now had fewer than 20, so there were plenty of empty seats.
I tried to find a decent spot to sit, but the bus seats were a problem. There were only two seats left to sit on.
“I want to sit with Hana!”
“No, I’m sitting there!”
Jiyu and Yumi were bickering over the seat next to me. I was at a crossroads, but soon I found the best solution.
“Jiyu and Yumi, you sit here!”
If I moved to another seat, the problem would be easily solved. I didn’t feel sad like a child sitting alone. In fact, there were some good points. I could quietly look out at the scenery by myself.
But my thoughts were cut short by Jiyu’s words.
“Let’s just sit in the very back!”
At the very back of the bus, there were five seats in a row. In my time, it was where the bullies sat, but now it was empty. Maybe because there weren’t many people. I got up from my seat and ended up sitting in the very back.
“This is great!”
“Me too!”
I was sitting in the middle with Jiyu and Yumi on either side. The surround sound of their voices made me feel like my mind was about to slip away. Maybe sitting alone would’ve been better.
—
Luckily, my head didn’t explode from the surround sound as I had feared. It was said to take an hour to get to the amusement park, so Jiyu and Yumi fell asleep within 10 minutes of chattering.
I couldn’t understand why they fought over the seats if they were just going to sleep.
I felt the quiet flow inside the bus. The kids sitting in front were also asleep. In the rattling bus, I awkwardly laughed to myself. I didn’t think I’d ever ride a big bus like this as an elementary school student again. Life sure is full of surprises.
And although it took a while to get to the amusement park, I thought it was still better than the kids living in the countryside. Imagining how long it would take for kids from Jeolla or Gyeongsang Province to get to the amusement park in Seoul made me not want to think about it.
There was a reason everyone was desperate to live in Seoul. Most of the famous and good cultural facilities were in Seoul. The countryside had cultural facilities, but they were nowhere near Seoul’s level. It was inevitable. I heard the population living in the metropolitan area was larger than the combined population of all other regions.
Finally, the bus arrived at the amusement park. As the bus parked, the teacher woke up the sleeping kids. The kids struggled to open their eyes.
But when they saw the amusement park outside the window, their excited chatter grew louder. I shook Jiyu and Yumi awake next to me. Jiyu was sleeping so deeply her head was tilted back. Yumi had been leaning on my shoulder, so waking her up wasn’t difficult.
“Are… are we there, Hana?”
“Yeah. The teacher said to get off quickly.”
When I woke Jiyu, I used the edge of my hand to hit her throat. I just felt like doing it. No particular reason.
“Ugh!”
Jiyu woke up immediately after my hand hit her. I pulled Jiyu and Yumi off the bus. Outside, the teachers were gathering the kids. Since they were young kids, they didn’t listen well. With not many kids, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if there were more.
At least our class teacher seemed to have leadership, or maybe our class kids just listened well, as they lined up neatly.
“Kids! We’re heading straight to the amusement park entrance! No need to buy tickets!”
It seemed like everything was settled. The kids followed the teacher in a line. Our class was probably going in first. The other classes were still struggling to get in line.
—
“What are you eating there?”
A fluent English voice came from behind. Since it was a short break during training, no one really interfered with what was lying around in the trench. You need to rest properly to get the most out of training, right? Luckily, Kim Taek-joo also knew English, so he could respond. Of course, his pronunciation wasn’t great. It couldn’t be helped. He learned it in Korea, not locally, so his pronunciation was…
I could only stammer.
“Ah, I was just having a quick meal.”
Kim Taek-joo was grateful that he had buried the combat rations in a corner. If he had left them in plain sight, he couldn’t even imagine what kind of scolding he would’ve received. At the very least, he would’ve been chewed out. The man looked like a high-ranking officer, probably at the battalion commander level. After checking the rank insignia, it seemed accurate.
“This cherry tomato?”
A foreigner who looked like an adjutant spoke up. He was probably seeing a Starlight Cherry Tomato for the first time. It made sense since they were only sold domestically.
“Would you like to try one? You won’t regret it.”
“Interesting.”
The foreign battalion commander popped a cherry tomato into his mouth. The adjutant next to him did the same. Not long after, their eyes widened in surprise. Despite having been hungry just moments ago, they now felt as if they had just finished a full meal.
“This… is amazing?”
Being soldiers, they immediately recognized the value of these cherry tomatoes.
—
The same reaction was happening elsewhere during the training. Other Korean soldiers had brought cherry tomatoes instead of combat rations. Of course, unlike Kim Taek-joo, they had brought them intentionally. Eating these cherry tomatoes was far better than consuming combat rations that were nearing their expiration date. There were even rumors that cherry tomatoes were being used to fill the gaps in the current combat ration supplies.
Many soldiers preferred to spend their own money on cherry tomatoes rather than eat the tasteless combat rations. While eating cherry tomatoes meant giving up gourmet pleasures, there was no room for gourmet dining during training. Filling their stomachs was all that mattered.
Training with the U.S. military gave the Americans a chance to try the cherry tomatoes the Korean soldiers were eating.
“This tiny thing has that much energy?”
Even the skeptical U.S. soldiers changed their minds after trying one.
“It’s soft, has a decent taste, and goes down easily.”
While modern combat rations these days focus on flavor, the older ones could barely fill your stomach, let alone taste good.
From frontline soldiers to high-ranking officers, U.S. military personnel who tried the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes had a change of heart. While U.S. combat rations weren’t bad, they couldn’t compare to the convenience and satiety of the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes.
“Adjutant, I need to draft a report for the higher-ups.”
“Yes, sir. What should the report be about?”
“These Starlight Cherry Tomatoes. I think they’d be great for our troops. They’d be very helpful for soldiers on the front lines.”
He also received feedback from his own troops about the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes. Everyone who tried them had nothing but praise.
—
Meanwhile, Kim Se-hee was busy chatting with Hana. On her office desk was a framed photo of Hana. Out of nowhere, her secretary brought her unexpected news.
“The U.S. Department of Defense wants to make a contract with our Starlight Food?”
No matter how successful Starlight Food was domestically, comparing it to the U.S. was almost laughable. Even the most prominent chaebols in South Korea were like ants that the U.S. could crush at any moment.
Physically and economically, South Korea couldn’t even come close to the U.S. So, when the U.S. Department of Defense reached out, Kim Se-hee couldn’t help but feel nervous. She didn’t know why they were contacting her, but she wasn’t too worried.
Thanks to their connection with Walmart, Starlight Food had already established a foothold in the U.S. It was a strong, unbreakable bond. Plus, Starlight Food had gained support from bald Americans thanks to Tangle.
