“Hana really likes Lumi, huh!”
I couldn’t help but giggle when I saw Lumi on the skis. Seeing Lumi printed big and bold on the ski surface made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
“Alright, let’s try them on first to see if they fit. They might not, you know.”
Following the employee’s advice, Jiyu, Yumi, and I placed the skis on the ground and slid our feet into the ski bindings. I was worried they might not fit, but they were just right.
“Perfect fit!”
“Told ya!”
The employee wasn’t just eyeballing it; she was checking the size by actually touching and feeling every part. She was thorough, not missing a single detail.
“Okay!”
Once the employee gave us the okay sign, we took the skis off. She also handed us the ski poles.
“Now, adjust the ski poles to your height. Wanna give it a try?”
The employee was meticulous, guiding us through every step. All we had to do was follow her instructions. Once everything was adjusted, she handed us the skis and poles.
“Take good care of them, okay?”
“Yep!”
Of course, we would. We weren’t buying these skis; we were renting them. The owner wasn’t us but the store. And of course, we wouldn’t treat them roughly. Plus, what could possibly go wrong while skiing?
“All set?”
Maru came over to us. We nodded, and seeing that, Maru said,
“Let’s go!”
“Yay!”
We cheered and were about to charge into the ski resort.
“Wait a minute! Don’t forget the winter gear!”
Right. We still needed to grab the rest of the winter gear. Only then could we head to the ski resort fully prepared.
—
“Ahh!”
I fell over as soon as I tried walking with the skis on. For a first-timer, even walking with skis was no easy task. The only saving grace was that the snow cushioned my fall, so it didn’t hurt at all. If it had been concrete, I would’ve been seriously hurt.
“Hana! I’ll teach you!”
And just like that, I got a crash course in skiing from Maru. I even reached the point where I could walk without falling. I could ski now!
The snowy landscape of the ski resort was like a painting. Everyone was smiling and skiing hard. Do we have to walk all the way up to the top?
“Let’s take the lift!”
Luckily, it didn’t seem like we had to walk. I carried my skis and followed Maru closely. Jiyu and Yumi were chattering away beside me.
“Hana! Be careful since it’s your first time!”
“I’ll follow behind you! If anything happens, just lie back like I taught you!”
“Okay…”
I was bombarded by Jiyu and Yumi’s endless chatter. At this rate, I might collapse from exhaustion before even skiing. They were like motor-mouths.
Clank, clank!
The lift was spinning away. Maru, Jiyu, and Yumi had done this before, so they were natural, but I wasn’t. This was my first time on a ski lift. The height made me nervous. I felt like I might slip and fall at any moment.
Of course, even if I did fall, the deep snow would cushion the impact, so I probably wouldn’t get hurt.
But still, scary is scary. When I hesitated, Maru called out to me.
“Hana, come on…! It’s almost our turn.”
“Uh…”
I stiffly made my way to Maru. She seemed to notice my tension and held my shoulder, saying,
“Just move as I say, and you’ll be fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Jiyu and Yumi chimed in too.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen Hana this nervous!”
“Me too, me too!”
And so, the lift kept spinning like a sushi conveyor belt, transporting people. Soon, it was our turn. I let Maru guide me like a puppet.
“Ah!”
Before I knew it, I was on the lift. The safety bar clicked firmly into place, so there was no way I could fall. Only then could I fully take in the scenery outside. White snow was falling heavily, and people in colorful outfits were skiing down the slopes. I stared in awe.
I really wanted to take a photo. Of course, I didn’t pull out my phone. If I dropped it while on the lift, I’d never find it again.
Finding a mobile phone dropped in a white snowy field was as difficult as finding a needle in a desert.
Starlight Flour and Starlight Beef were weapons only Starlight Food could wield.
So far, other ramen companies weren’t using Starlight Flour or beef. The flour was now being prepared for distribution through Mir Company. The beef was the same story. Ramen companies had no intention of changing their decades-old secret soup recipes overnight.
And to begin with, Starlight Hanwoo (Korean beef) wasn’t widely distributed domestically. Most of it was sold through Walmart in the U.S. While American beef tastes differed from Korean beef, they all bowed down to the overwhelming flavor of Starlight Hanwoo. It had recently ranked as one of the most purchased beef products by Americans.
“Starlight Flour and beef are not sold to competitors.”
A simple rule was set. Starlight Flour and beef would not be sold to competing ramen companies.
It was obvious. If competing ramen companies started using Starlight Flour and beef, consumers would have no reason to buy Starlight Ramen. Starlight Ramen, which used an expired patent recipe, couldn’t possibly surpass the taste of seasoned ramen brands that had survived fierce competition.
The current advantage came from using Starlight Flour and beef to bulk up the flavor. If competing manufacturers used the same ingredients as Starlight Food, it would be an unwinnable battle.
Of course, Starlight Food had no intention of slowing down ramen research. They recruited people with expertise in ramen production. While they couldn’t hire those currently working for competitors, they reached out to those on sabbaticals or taking breaks from work for various reasons.
And they also got a little help from her brother. Starlight Group hadn’t yet made a name for itself in the food industry. While leading in other fields, they were oddly stingy when it came to food. That’s partly why Kim Sehee took over Starlight Food. Anyway, Kim Sehee used her brother’s connections to recruit renowned scholars in ramen research.
“Hello, I’m Kim Ramin.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Sehee. I heard you worked in the R&D department of Nongsam Ramen Research.”
“Haha, just a modest part of my career.”
“Nongsam is considered a top-tier company in the ramen industry. You’re being too humble.”
Anyway, not just Kim Ramin, but many others came to Kim Sehee. Her efforts to scout talent behind the scenes paid off.
They were all people with at least a master’s degree. Experts who were more than qualified to join this ramen flavor research department.
No shortage of qualifications or experience. The only slight issue was the lack of fresh recruits, but it couldn’t be helped. To catch up with the Big 3 ramen companies leading the market, they needed experienced personnel right away.
There wasn’t enough time to train newbies from scratch. This was both a strength and a weakness of Starlight Food. While there were new employees in farming, most people working in crucial development or research departments were older.
There were hardly any new recruits. Of course, once the business stabilized, they would hire newbies. But compared to other long-established companies, the average age was higher.
For now, there were no side effects, but in 10 to 20 years, most people would retire, leaving a gap in the middle layer.
Before that happened, Kim Sehee would have to make some adjustments.
Anyway, they managed to assemble a research team that rivaled other ramen giants. While they were currently using expired ramen recipes, with a little more time, they could develop their own unique ramen recipes. After all, the people they had recruited were experts in research and development.
And so, they were taking one step at a time into the ramen market.
