“Alright, everyone, did you pick as many strawberries as you wanted?”
The teacher looked at us holding our baskets and smiled with satisfaction. It seemed like we had picked a lot of strawberries.
“Yes!”
The children’s baskets were filled to the brim with strawberries. I could understand their excitement because I had picked some too. They must be thrilled to eat them. Under the teacher’s guidance, we headed outside the greenhouse.
Outside, there were employees ready to help us. They took the strawberries we picked and washed them. Even though they were grown without pesticides, eating them straight from the field felt a bit off. There could be dirt or other stuff on them. Washing them with tap water wasn’t a bad idea.
“Ooh!”
The washed strawberries were handed back to the kids. I got some too. We sat on a bench and started eating. The strawberries were delicious. As expected, the ones I grew were the best.
“Yummy, so good!”
“Hana’s strawberries are the best!”
Jiyu and Yumi also loved the strawberries. I smiled contentedly as I watched the other kids. They were all enjoying the strawberries too. It was a heartwarming sight.
“My strawberries are definitely the best!”
I said as I popped a strawberry into my mouth. Seeing the class enjoy them made me feel like I made the right choice bringing them. Sharing makes everything better. It would’ve been a waste to keep such delicious strawberries all to myself.
Then, an employee came out holding a huge watermelon and started cutting it up. The watermelon was sliced into big, easy-to-eat pieces. The kids, who were busy eating strawberries, stopped to watch. The bright red flesh of the watermelon looked so tempting, almost like it was begging to be eaten.
“Ooh!”
The kids were amazed. Since there weren’t too many kids, it didn’t take long to prepare the watermelon. The employees placed the slices on plates and handed them out. The watermelon was so big it could’ve blocked the kids’ faces. It was so huge it could’ve been in the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Alright, everyone, have a slice of watermelon!”
“Thank you!”
The kids thanked the employees and started eating. I don’t know when they chilled the watermelon, but it was as cold as ice. Perfect for eating.
“This is so good!”
“This might be the best watermelon I’ve ever had!”
“It’s so refreshing!”
The kids couldn’t stop praising it. Jiyu, Yumi, and I got some too. I’ve had a lot of watermelon before, but Jiyu and Yumi hadn’t. They stopped eating strawberries and started on the watermelon.
Seeing them enjoy it made me happy. We all got to enjoy strawberries and watermelon. The leftovers were packed up. The kids worked hard today, so they deserved to take some home.
Maybe they’ll have a second round with their families at home.
Since summer was winding down, the kids enjoyed the cool breeze while eating watermelon. It felt like a countryside kind of day. We worked hard, but the teacher and employees worked even harder.
Still, I was glad we could create some memories for the kids.
—
Chuseok was approaching. You could feel the holiday vibe even in the building. Everyone was preparing for a bountiful harvest festival. I heard that Starlight Food, being a big company, was giving out generous bonuses for Chuseok.
Recently, Starlight Food had become one of the top-earning companies in the Starlight Group. Sure, it might not compare to cars or semiconductors, but the growth we achieved in a year was almost miraculous.
I might sound a bit boastful, but I think 99% of the credit goes to me. The crops I developed were doing incredibly well, to the point where my own presence was overshadowed.
First, there was Starlight Green Tea and Starlight Lotion, my initial creations. They’re doing great now. The green tea is especially popular among students preparing for exams and office workers tackling projects.
There’s even a rumor that studying after drinking Starlight Green Tea is the best. It must really help with focus.
And as for Starlight Lotion, just applying it brightened your skin tone and magically covered up scars, acne, and all sorts of skin issues. It was the perfect product for celebrities appearing on TV or people attending weddings and various events.
For those with skin troubles, it was practically a savior.
Starlight Coffee, on the other hand, had expanded into various franchises. Starlight Coffee Beans offered a much-improved taste compared to traditional overseas coffee beans. And the price was competitive enough to rival international options—heck, it was even cheaper than foreign coffee beans.
There were even rumors that people from coffee’s birthplace couldn’t help but marvel at the taste of coffee made with Starlight Coffee Beans. And then there was Starlight Rice, which made a huge impact in Japan, along with grapes and more…
And let’s not forget Tangle, the savior for those suffering from baldness. Sure, it only saved half of the bald men, but even that was a mind-blowing effect. Seriously, if it weren’t a fruit but something invented by a scientist, they’d probably win a Nobel Prize for it. Baldness, which seemed unconquerable, had been conquered.
Before anyone knew it, Starlight Food was becoming a promising agricultural company in South Korea. The money they made from crops was beyond imagination.
In South Korea, there probably wasn’t another company making as much money from farming as Starlight Food. Sure, there were companies harvesting and selling crops, but none could match Starlight Food’s scale.
At best, other companies relied on domestic demand to get by. Starlight Food, however, was exporting to various countries. There was no comparison. And Starlight Food still had enormous growth potential.
Why? Because I was here!
“Wow!”
In the mirror, there I was, looking super cute. Every time I looked, I couldn’t help but think how adorable I was. No exaggeration. Anyway, our company’s Chuseok celebration was happening right before my eyes.
For someone like me with no family, Chuseok was just a day off. Well, three days off, to be exact.
But now it was different. I had a family now—Bora, Haru, Maru, and the rest of the company crew. I wasn’t alone anymore.
—————————————————————
“Are we holding a memorial service?”
“Yeah, Hana.”
I asked while watching the memorial table being set up in the company. On the table were delicious-looking foods. It seemed like they were preparing for a memorial service, probably because of Chuseok.
In a way, it made sense for Korea. Even when building a cutting-edge semiconductor factory, they’d call in a shaman to perform a ritual. It’s just how things were here. Other countries weren’t much different—like calling in a priest for a blessing in the U.S. or abroad.
Sure, it’s superstition, but if it gives people peace of mind, there’s no reason to stop it. I sat there blankly, watching everyone prepare diligently.
I thought about helping, but there wasn’t much I could do. I was stuck in a child’s body, and I had no idea how to set up a memorial table. There were all these rules about where to place the food based on Chinese characters, which I didn’t understand.
But the company folks seemed to know what they were doing. They busily placed the food on the table, and once it was ready, they prepared to hold the memorial service.
They’d worked hard this year, so it was all about wishing for the company’s continued success. I wanted to join in, but I ended up just watching from the back. Being a third-grader, I couldn’t do much else.
Would I be able to join the memorial service when I grew up? Or would I still be like this then?
As the service went on, I sat in a chair, thinking about the future that awaited me.
