“Hmm…”
I was lying on my bed, meditating. It wasn’t because I was sleep-deprived from secretly watching the Little Magician Lumi’s animation in the early mornings lately. As I closed my eyes and explored the unknown world, I heard the sound of the door opening.
“Hana!”
Bora came into my room, her hands full of food items. I got up from the bed and rushed to her. Bora was truly the best.
Bora gently placed a bag on the luxurious wooden desk in the middle of the room. My eyes were immediately drawn to it. What kind of food items were inside?
Maybe it was because I was in my growth period, but no matter how much I ate, I was always hungry. I was eating like a maniac, and compared to when I was an adult, my food expenses must have skyrocketed.
While Bora was busy with a phone call, I took out the contents of the bag. Inside were delicious snacks and a donut packaged in a fancy paper box.
I couldn’t help but drool over the donut. It was a luxurious donut that wasn’t sold in this building. Plus, it was coated with chocolate. The donut’s dazzling appearance was tempting me. I felt my saliva glands explode as I reached for the donut. This was an irresistible temptation.
Glancing at Bora, I picked up one chocolate donut and put it in my mouth.
Yum yum.
The sweet chocolate flavor spread throughout my mouth. It was so delicious. I didn’t even care that I was getting chocolate all over my mouth as I devoured the donut.
“Bora, where did you get this donut from?”
“I bought it from a donut shop downtown.”
Of course, Bora and Haru didn’t just work in the office. They disappeared here and there, traveling by car. I once tried to secretly follow them, but I got caught and had to return to my room.
Holding the half-eaten donut, I examined Bora’s face. She used to look a bit tired, but lately, she seemed full of energy. In fact, she seemed more energetic than me.
“So, Hana, what have you been up to lately? Still doing your broadcasts regularly?”
“Yeah. I’m going to become a NewTuber when I grow up.”
“Sure, sure.”
These days, when you ask kids what job they admire, NewTuber is number one. Back in the day, it used to be celebrities or scientists… I also found internet broadcasting fun and couldn’t easily quit. It had a drug-like charm.
“By the way, are you brushing your teeth regularly?”
Bora looked straight at me as she spoke. I could only slightly turn my head away from her intense gaze. It definitely wasn’t because I skipped brushing my teeth at night and snacked instead.
“Uh… yeah! I brush my teeth regularly!”
I managed to hide the trembling in my voice as I spoke. Bora placed her hands on her hips and looked at me subtly. I avoided her gaze and kept eating the donut.
“And you’re going to bed on time, right? You’re not a little kid anymore, you’re an adult, so you promised not to stay up late, right?”
This time, I couldn’t answer Bora’s question properly. If she knew I stayed up late every night watching animations, she wouldn’t look at me kindly.
“Yeah. I go to bed at 10.”
“You’ve been waking up a bit late lately, haven’t you?”
“I… I’m sleeping well!”
“Really? Can I trust you?”
Bora emphasized her words as if demanding a definite answer. I nodded vigorously in response.
Bora seemed impressed by my response and smiled, patting my head. The big box of donuts was already empty. Bora had eaten some too, but I had devoured most of it.
Since there was still plenty of time before dinner, I didn’t hesitate to eat the donuts. I knew this fullness would quickly turn into hunger as time passed.
Holding my bloated stomach, I lay face down on the desk. Whenever I ate something delicious and my stomach got full, my body always felt sluggish.
“Ouch…”
Bora looked at my face and wiped the corners of my mouth with a handkerchief she had brought from somewhere. I thought I had eaten the donut quite neatly, but apparently not. The handkerchief was smeared with chocolate.
Then, as if full of energy, Bora brought a comb from somewhere and lifted me up. She started combing my hair. Feeling refreshed, I let Bora continue combing.
Being a freeloader was truly the best. There was nothing better than being full and having a warm back.
—————————————————-
“Is this the Starlight Cherry Tomato?”
Kim Taesung, the head of the military logistics staff, looked at the small cherry tomato placed in front of him and said,
“This is the ambitious new food item prepared by Starlight Food.”
“This tiny cherry tomato can produce a whopping 1,000 calories?”
“Yes. It’s already been certified by the Food and Drug Administration, and it’s selling like crazy in the market.”
However, Kim Taesung stared at the cherry tomato with a skeptical look. Could this 500-won-sized tomato really produce that much energy?
“That doesn’t make sense…”
“Starlight Guild must have discovered a new plant inside the Gate. Lately, Starlight Food has been rolling out new products like crazy.”
“Hmm…”
He rolled the cherry tomato on his desk with a spoon. It was much harder than your average cherry tomato. Even with the force he applied, which would’ve crushed a normal tomato, this one held up.
Back in the day, combat rations were all about calories and shelf life, but in modern times, taste has become just as important.
There are even YouTubers who review combat rations from different countries. Bland rations just become a laughingstock and can seriously affect troop morale.
The only downside is that, in pursuit of taste, the rations have gotten bulkier compared to before.
After examining the cherry tomato, Kim Taesung scooped one up with a spoon and popped it into his mouth. Seeing it a thousand times wasn’t as good as trying it once.
The cherry tomato entered his mouth, and after a few chews, it smoothly slid down his throat. The texture was incredibly satisfying. It was as convenient as it looked—no prep needed, just pop it in your mouth.
“Hmm… It’s actually tasty?”
It was much sweeter than a regular cherry tomato. Just moments ago, he had no appetite, but now he felt a burst of energy, like he’d just had an appetizer.
“Try it, everyone. It’s surprisingly good.”
The aides, who had been eyeing the cherry tomato curiously, followed Kim Taesung’s lead and popped one into their mouths. They savored the smooth texture and nodded in satisfaction.
“This is… something you could eat even if you had no appetite, huh?”
“There’s no other food item this convenient to eat.”
Even in extreme combat situations or harsh environments, this cherry tomato could keep you going for a long time.
“Looking at the hunters’ weapons and now this… Starlight Guild’s technology is truly impressive. It makes you proud to be part of a Korean guild.”
The aides continued to marvel at the cherry tomato.
“By the way, I’m starting to feel full…”
“Maybe it’s because we had lunch earlier, but this is no joke in terms of satiety.”
“Ugh. Just one cherry tomato, and I’m already this full?”
The aides, who had only eaten one cherry tomato, were all complaining about feeling full. But these were fitness enthusiasts with higher basal metabolic rates than the average person. For regular soldiers, the satiety would be even more pronounced.
Kim Taesung, who had also eaten just one cherry tomato, felt an overwhelming sense of fullness, like he’d just devoured a bowl of rice and a pot of soybean paste stew.
After exchanging glances, one of the aides cautiously spoke up.
“This… would make an excellent combat ration.”
For the companies currently supplying combat rations, this would be a thunderbolt, but in terms of efficiency, there was no comparison.
If you packed cherry tomatoes into a combat ration pack, you could fit a hundred of them without much trouble.
