Chapter 29

Vroom vroom.

Kim Sehee drove her car towards the Starlight Research Institute. Since it was past morning, the roads were quiet.

Without any interruptions, Kim Sehee arrived at the Starlight Research Institute. Having a chauffeur was a luxury. These days, things were finally looking up, but until now, they had been running at a loss, so they had been tightening their belts.

Similarly, there was no secretary either. The boss herself handled all the schedules. Of course, now that the factory situation had improved, she had decided to hire a secretary, but since she had gotten used to managing schedules herself, she still didn’t feel the need for one.

Perhaps because of that, not much had changed at Starlight Food compared to before. Compared to other major food companies, it seemed a bit shabby and amateurish. She even thought that some well-known small and medium-sized enterprises might be better off than them.

“Our facilities are better than theirs…”

That was Kim Sehee’s first impression upon arriving at the Starlight Research Institute. Compared to Starlight Food, which only had a factory, the Starlight Research Institute, with its building, research lab, and exhibition hall, had a more polished appearance, even if it wasn’t exactly glamorous.

In contrast, Starlight Food didn’t even have an office yet, which was a world of difference. But it was an inevitable outcome.

It was the difference between a research institute that didn’t need to produce results in the market and a food business.

Dressed in a neat suit instead of her usual work clothes, Kim Sehee headed inside the Starlight Research Institute. Since she had already notified them in advance, the security guards didn’t stop her.

Today, she had decided to meet the lifeform that supplied hair to her factory. They hadn’t told her what it looked like, so she wanted to see it in person.

However, surprisingly, the Starlight Research Institute had told her to come to the building. Wasn’t the lifeform originally managed by the research lab?

She decided to think of it as them wanting her to come and greet them first. After all, they would probably discuss what to do next after meeting.

As she entered the building, Kim Sehee operated the elevator and went up to the desired floor. The elevator was transparent, so she could see the outside scenery clearly.

‘Someday…’

Someday, Kim Sehee also wanted to own a building like this and work there. Having an office just sitting next to the factory didn’t look very good, after all.

Seeing that no one came out to greet her at the research institute, it seemed that the research institute didn’t have a well-functioning system either.

Of course, if the boss of the Starlight Guild headquarters were to come, they would probably run out barefoot, but Kim Sehee herself was not at that level, and comparing herself to them was almost disrespectful. She was someone who had been pushed to the outskirts.

As the elevator slowly rose and reached the desired floor, it dinged, and the doors slid open.

What greeted Kim Sehee wasn’t the bustling scenery of an office. Instead, it was a plush hallway that looked like it had a red carpet rolled out.

And in front of her stood a child. The child was sucking on a candy and staring straight at her.

‘Is she the researcher’s daughter?’

The child’s hair and eye color were very unique, but Kim Sehee thought it was unlikely that they would bring the lifeform to the headquarters building, so she kept her thoughts within the realm of common sense.

Kim Sehee was about to ask the child where Researcher Kim Bora was, but the child, who was eating candy, spoke first.

“Who are you, ma’am?”

But the child’s words were too powerful. For Kim Sehee, who was still in her early 30s and unmarried, it was a huge blow.

She already had a complex about getting older… And even though she knew she might look older, she didn’t think she looked old enough to be mistaken for a “ma’am.”

But as they say, a child’s innocent eyes are the most accurate. Feeling a bit cheeky, Kim Sehee crouched down and pinched the child’s cheek, pulling it.

“You should call me ‘unnie,’ not ‘ma’am.'”

“Eeeek.”

The child’s cheek was so soft that it was addictive. Stretching the child’s cheek like tteok, Kim Sehee began to brainwash the child into calling her “unnie” instead of “ma’am.”

But then, someone came running from afar in a hurry.

“Hana, are you okay?”

So the child’s name was Hana. But something flashed through Kim Sehee’s mind. Wasn’t the name of the lifeform that produced the ingredients for the green tea also Hana…?

Before she knew it, Kim Sehee stopped pinching the cheek and just stared at Hana blankly.

First impressions were important, and she felt like she had messed up.

Gently removing her hand from Hana’s cheek, Kim Sehee prepared to kneel down.

———————————

-Isn’t Starlight Green Tea often out of stock these days?

Lately, the internet has been buzzing about Starlight Green Tea.

The effects aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but they’re subtly maintained, and even without that, the taste of the green tea itself was just too good.

Most people drank it not for some energy-boosting buff but to enjoy the aroma and flavor of the green tea itself. After all, the effects are minimal.

However, after Starlight Green Tea made a splash with its price set at 5,000 won, people started drinking less green tea than before.

Except for those who didn’t drink green tea originally, almost everyone enjoyed Starlight Green Tea. But after the price hike, the number of people drinking just one cup a day skyrocketed.

At the original price, people would’ve chugged green tea like water, but the increased price made that difficult.

On the flip side, hoarding and reselling drastically decreased as the price went up. Fewer people were seeking out green tea compared to before. Still, most of the green tea shipped out was sold within a week.

But lately, whether it’s due to a shortage of green tea or more hoarding, green tea is starting to sell out again.

– I ran out of green tea at home and went to the convenience store to buy some, but it was already sold out. This never happened after the price hike. It was ridiculous.

– Same here. I went to the mart, and it was all sold out. It felt like the nightmare from before was coming back. I don’t want to go back to the days of waiting in line for an hour just to get one box.

– Did the factory catch fire or something? Why is the supply shrinking? They’re making good money, so why not expand the factory? I’d do it in a heartbeat.

The market is starting to feel like the old Starlight Green Tea craze again, with the supply rapidly dwindling. Part of it was due to Starlight Food reducing the amount of green tea they shipped out, but…

– Chinese and Japanese tourists are sweeping it all up. I saw it with my own eyes, and it was so annoying. They took everything right in front of me.

– Doesn’t China already love tea? Oh, I guess word got out overseas that Starlight Green Tea is good. We’re doomed.

Consumers blamed the green tea shortage on hoarding by tourists from abroad, especially from nearby countries like China and Japan. Tourists from other regions don’t usually drink tea as much.

Some hot-headed consumers even called Starlight Food to complain. Of course, most responses were automated. “Due to company circumstances… things will improve soon…” But consumers weren’t buying it.

Amid this chaotic market situation, the worries of Starlight Food’s executives only deepened.

In a meeting without Kim Sehee, one of the executives spoke up.

“Since the supply has been cut in half, the market is being swept clean. We intentionally controlled the supply to curb hoarding, but it had no effect.”

Starlight Green Tea became too popular too quickly, leaving the company with limited options to handle the supply shortage.

Selling too much of a good thing came back like a boomerang. It was like drinking seawater when you’re thirsty.

The factory manager chimed in.

“If this isn’t resolved within a week, we might have to shut down the factory. We only have enough raw materials for Starlight Green Tea left for that long.”

Vice President Park Jeontae could only sigh at the wave of bad news.

Just a week ago, everything seemed perfect. Now, it felt like a dream. With President Kim Sehee visiting the research institute, they could only hope for good news.

Unfortunately, there was nothing Starlight Food Headquarters could do. They could only cheer from the sidelines like cheerleaders.

“For now, we have to squeeze out as much as we can. Please keep working hard, and we’ll continue to send out the minimum supply. Avoiding penalties is more important than market reactions.”

Park Jeontae knew that customer loyalty to the green tea was high, so he decided to ship out just enough to avoid significant losses for the company.