“Wow!”
“Whoa!”
We all cheered when we saw the delicious ice cream. It was divided into three flavors, so there was no need to fight. Everyone just had to eat the flavor they requested! But that didn’t mean we were stuck with just one flavor. There was so much ice cream that even after sharing with friends, there was plenty left.
“Hana, I’ll enjoy it!”
“Me too!”
Jiyu and Yumi thanked me and started scooping the ice cream with plastic spoons. I watched them with a satisfied smile, feeling like the cool uncle who bought them something tasty. Well, I *was* in my 20s, so to them, I probably *was* the uncle. Anyway, I grabbed a spoon and started eating too. The refreshing chill of the ice cream was pure bliss.
Whoever invented ice cream was a genius. Seriously, creating something this cool and delicious? They’re right up there with the person who invented air conditioning.
“If I do well on this test, I’ll get more allowance… but it’s not looking good…”
Jiyu paused mid-scoop and made a gloomy face. She’d been determined to ace the test, but, well, her results were always the same. Cramming the night before reminded me of my college days. Of course, cramming never really helped, and it looked like Jiyu had bombed the test again. Yumi was scratching her head too—apparently, the test was super hard. Even with my college-level knowledge, some questions were iffy. For third-graders like Jiyu and Yumi, it was downright brutal.
This test felt like the teachers were out to crush the kids. No way a test should be *that* hard.
“Hana, where do you study to do so well? You’re not studying all day at home, are you?”
Yumi, always curious about studying, asked me directly. If I told her the truth—that I just watch TV or play on the computer at home and never study—she’d probably think I was lying. Sure, I do study for memorization-heavy subjects, but not as much as Yumi. Honestly, I can handle Korean, English, and math with my basic knowledge. The stuff I actually study is science and social studies—things you can’t wing without memorizing.
“I work hard… If I get good grades, I get lots of gifts…!”
“Really? Well, Hana *is* the top of the class, so of course you study a lot!”
Yumi let it go, which was a relief. If she’d seen my daily routine, she’d probably call me out for being ridiculous. Having adult knowledge is like having a cheat code.
“Ow! My head hurts!”
Jiyu suddenly grabbed her forehead after eating too much ice cream. You know, that brain freeze you get from eating something cold too fast. I couldn’t help but smile at her—she was such a kid. But then I realized I’d been eating a lot of ice cream too.
And then it hit me.
“Ow! Me too!”
I grabbed my forehead, the sharp pain making me wince. Why does eating something cold make your head hurt like that? Yumi sighed, looking at us.
“You guys are such kids…!”
Jiyu and I exchanged glances and kept eating the ice cream. Jiyu was a kid, so it was fine, but I’d messed up before I could even show any adult dignity. I stayed quiet and kept eating. The ice cream was sweet and delicious in the sweltering heat.
—
KT&G has released a new cigarette. With a massive advertising campaign, you can see KT&G’s ads at convenience stores and other places.
[KT&G guarantees a healthy cigarette.]
Check out cigarettes with zero toxic and chemical substances!
Smokers were pretty sensitive to ads. What they saw when buying cigarettes were the ads placed right in front of convenience store counters. They were everywhere and easy to spot. KT&G aimed for that. Their cigarettes, with great taste and only nicotine, promised a level of healthiness that was on another level compared to others. It was clear they’d be a hit.
But the key was getting the word out to all smokers. So, KT&G went all out on this cigarette ad campaign. Of course, they weren’t the only ones investing. Starlight Food also joined in on KT&G’s massive ad push. Sure, cigarettes are bad for you, but this new one from KT&G had zero toxic and chemical substances.
It was definitely, absolutely better than other cigarettes. Healthier and tastier than anything else KT&G or other companies had made. Sure, it still had nicotine, so they couldn’t claim it was 100% healthy. But hey, it was revolutionary.
Smokers started buying the cigarettes after seeing the ads. They named it Starlight Cigarettes. Starlight Food didn’t even have to ask—it was KT&G’s idea. Since people loved Starlight Food, they decided to ride that wave.
“So, this is the Starlight Cigarette, huh?”
“Yeah, looks like KT&G came up with something new.”
Smokers naturally gathered and started lighting up. The reaction was intense.
“Wow, this is actually delicious! Way better than what I’ve been smoking!”
“Same. I’m switching to this. After trying this, my old cigarettes feel like nothing.”
After one puff, smokers were raving. Once they tried Starlight Cigarettes, they wouldn’t even look at other KT&G products—or imported brands, for that matter. KT&G had nothing to lose. Even if other cigarettes didn’t sell, Starlight Cigarettes would make up for it.
KT&G was in a win-win situation. But for other tobacco companies, it was a tragedy. The moment smokers switched to KT&G’s Starlight Cigarettes, their sales were doomed.
While KT&G was laughing, Philip Morris, one of the two giants in Korea’s tobacco market, wasn’t having a good time. Starlight Cigarettes were showing signs of taking off.
But there was no way out. Starlight Food had already signed an exclusive deal with KT&G. Competing with Starlight’s tobacco leaves was a distant dream. KT&G bought Starlight’s leaves at a premium, so price competition was out of the question.
The only option was to pull Starlight Food aside, break their deal with KT&G, and sign with Philip Morris instead. But KT&G would never allow that. And the Korean government would likely want KT&G to dominate the domestic market. No government would sit back and watch a foreign company take over.
KT&G was sailing smoothly, while Philip Morris had to brace for the storm. In the worst-case scenario, they might even have to pull out of Korea. Once smokers started choosing KT&G’s Starlight Cigarettes over Philip Morris’s, the game was over.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Philip Morris had no choice but to fight for survival.
