When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 14



Only Krnovel

14. Why do you want to get healthy?

Negotiations with the department store manager, Park Jeong-tae, went very smoothly.

Whenever Oh Hyun-seong said something, he just nodded helplessly.

The resulting unit price per kilogram is a whopping 1.4 million won.

It was truly a huge amount of money.

Excluding the top premium line, such as DeSanto’s Black Label, there was no other strawberry that was sold at this price even by current distribution standards.

‘If I put my mind to it, I could get a much higher amount… but in the long run, this amount is just right.’

If the price is raised significantly here, the range of uses will be limited.

It is not a fruit that many people look for and are crazy about, but rather it is a high-quality ornamental fruit that only they have.

But at the current price, it would be possible to make enough money and maintain the current popularity.

The fact that wild-caught fish can be sold at this price alone is enough to shatter people’s perceptions.

The coming change in consciousness will benefit wild farms that grow high-quality varieties, and it will also help the Yu siblings.

‘More than anything, in exchange for lowering the price, they crammed in a ton of favorable terms.’

The high unit price wasn’t the only thing that mattered in this deal.

Unlike the typical business relationship with a department store, the opposing parties A and B are clearly revealed.

The delivery deadline or quantity can be adjusted at any time at Oh Hyun-seong’s discretion, and the department store must accept such notice.

He also included all the clauses that were advantageous to him, such as the right to promotion, a confidentiality clause, and a huge penalty for that.

All rights belong to Oh Hyun-seong, and all obligations are granted only to the department store.

“Well, I guess this agreement is enough.”

“Is that so…”

Thanks to that, Park Jeong-tae’s face turned pale.

It looks like I’ve aged by almost 10 years while working on this contract.

“But before we sign the contract, I have something to ask you. You must keep the source of these strawberries a secret. Nothing will be passed over lightly. The moment anything is leaked to the outside, the contract is over.”

“Don’t worry about that part. Our department store strictly adheres to the original contract terms…”

“Aside from those basic rules, don’t even open your mouth when a VVIP from the department store or a big politician comes to visit.”

Department stores are places that will do anything for their wealthy customers.

If I were dealing with regular customers, I would pretend to be principled, but if someone in power was hanging on, it wouldn’t be a big deal to just sneakily hand over one of their contact details.

So he made a threat in advance.

The moment something annoying happens, the deal is over.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Park Jeong-tae swallowed hard and nodded.

***

“Oh, that’s it? What’s going on these days?”

A crowd of people gathered around and gossiped.

In the center of the food section of the famous Hankyung Department Store, strawberries from Ohyeon Farm were hanging alone.

Even with the additional deliveries, the quantity is still far short of demand.

Due to the increase in the unit price of delivery, the price of the product was also raised significantly, but word of mouth spread even more and more people came looking for it.

Even though the boxes, which only contained a few eggs, cost hundreds of thousands of won, people lined up in advance and bought them all in an instant.

This is even after adding individually packaged products and limiting purchases to one per person per day.

As the situation went on, people’s interest only grew.

It is only natural that this interest will benefit the entire department store.

By attracting a large number of people, sales continued to soar, and even the natural product corner, which had been pushed to the corner, changed its location and came to the forefront as a result of the indirect benefit.

As demand for natural products increased, the once small business more than doubled in size.

“Haha… This isn’t a dream, is it?”

A bright smile spread across Park Jeong-tae’s lips.

He had already been pushing the natural product corner, but now that he has brought in such a blockbuster product, his position and status within the company has drastically changed.

Special promotion is already a given.

When I visited the farmer’s house, I was completely robbed, but now that I look back, I see that it was not a merciless robbery, but the return of the savior.

‘Okay, let’s cheer up. We have to row when the water comes in!’

Park Jeong-tae walked out with brisk strides, holding the documents in his hands.

Currently, various hotels, fine dining establishments, and high-end food and beverage industries are searching for these premium wild strawberries.

However, there is no way to obtain it without going through Hankyung Department Store.

From the department store’s perspective, it was obvious that they could not hand over the quantity to an outside party.

However, strawberries from Ohyeon Farm were delivered to only one place, the lounge cafe of a luxury hotel, an affiliate of Hankyung Group.

That’s right, for the limited edition wild strawberry shaved ice.

***

“Huh… What’s causing such a fuss on SNS?”

A woman frowned and muttered, looking down at the table.

Although she was wearing large sunglasses to hide her face, it couldn’t be hidden because of her extremely white skin and sharp nose.

People around me who already know me are gossiping.

“Isn’t that Joo Ji-hye?”

“I guess that’s right? I usually stay at this hotel a lot.”

Aegis Entertainment’s star, Joo Ji-hye.

He is a top-class hunter who is very active in Korea and a super celebrity with 26 million followers on social media.

He was also a popular actor and model who was deeply involved in the entertainment industry.

Although he is relatively less well-known overseas because he is only active in Korea, he is a ‘top star’ that at least every Korean cannot help but know.

Because of his multifaceted activities, there were quite a few anti-hunters who thought he was a servant rather than a hunter.

But every time, she had the skill to silence everyone with her solid gate performance.

There was a reason why people were making a fuss as they passed through the hotel lobby.

But she didn’t care about people who recognized her.

I was already used to such concerns, and I didn’t care what the flies were talking about.

Just look at the shaved ice in front of you.

“The mango bingsu in the neighborhood costs 810,000 won, but this strawberry bingsu costs 900,000 won? And they use wild strawberry?”

Sliced ​​strawberries on top of a small condensed milk shaved ice.

In reality, it is not even a small amount.

The mango shaved ice at other hotels was famous for being small enough to fit in one hand, but this one was even smaller.

“They bring in something that doesn’t taste good, say it’s a new variety, raise the price, and then prey on people. This time will be the same.”

She criticizes strawberry shaved ice with aggressive language.

Of course, it’s not because I’m worried about the money overflowing in my account, I just need someone to vent my frustration on.

In fact, it was a very presumptuous price.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t try it.

Click!

She started taking pictures to post on SNS.

It was impossible for her, a natural celebrity, to avoid an explosive issue like this.

I must have pressed the button almost a hundred times.

She put down her phone and tried the shaved ice.

I didn’t have high expectations.

But the moment she put it in her mouth, her eyes widened.

“What, Ma… It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

A bewildered Joo Ji-hye looked at the strawberry shaved ice.

The taste was so unexpected and beyond my expectations that I was taken aback.

She had always eaten fruits that were extremely expensive, but this one didn’t feel lacking at all compared to them.

‘It’s just a wild strawberry…’

The price, which was initially disappointing, actually felt like an incredible value for money.

To achieve this level of flavor with premium synthetic fruits, you would have to pay at least twice as much.

Of all the hotel event shaved ice I’ve ever had, this is by far the best.

‘Wasn’t everyone making a fuss?’

Joo Ji-hye, who had finished the shaved ice in an instant, stared at the empty bowl.

I am satisfied.

To the point where my pride was hurt.

I briefly thought about eating more, but that was impossible.

It was a strawberry bingsu with a limited quantity per day that the hotel heavily promoted, and you had to make a reservation in advance to enjoy it.

This reservation was also very competitive with many people flocking to it, but she set aside a separate share as a privilege of top membership.

But there is only one share.

Now it was impossible to ask for more because it was so delicious.

“Ha, that’s okay. It’s just a strawberry anyway.”

Joo Ji-hye frowned, feeling annoyed for no reason.

‘People with no money who have to find value for money might go crazy… but it’s not like it has an irreplaceable taste, so why not just eat other top-of-the-line fruits?’

I was just amazed that something natural could produce such a great taste.

I had no intention of hanging on to strawberries that were limited edition and in low quantities, and were being sold at ridiculous prices.

Joo Ji-hye, who had lost interest, left the hotel.

For dinner, I ate a multi-million won course meal, and when I got home, I ate the finest fruits piled up in the refrigerator for dessert.

Until I lay down in bed and tried to fall asleep, I didn’t think about strawberry shaved ice at all.

But for some reason, I slept strangely well that day.

***

‘What, why do I keep thinking about it?’

A break during the filming of a drama.

Joo Ji-hye, with her head held high, had a serious expression on her face.

Clearly, I had completely lost interest in the strawberry shaved ice that day and went about my daily life without any problems.

But now, a few days later, the strawberries I ate at the hotel keep coming back to me.

‘I’m not feeling well… I’m so annoyed.’

Her face with dark circles clearly visible.

It was so obvious that it couldn’t be properly hidden even with makeup on.

Severe insomnia is back again.

‘I thought things had gotten better the past few days, but now I feel like I want to kill them all.’

The can in Joo Ji-hye’s hand crumbled into pieces.

Filming will resume in a few minutes.

But her condition was so bad that she couldn’t even immerse herself in acting.

No matter how strong a hunter is, he is still human and if his basic needs are not met, his whole body will start to creak.

In the end, the filming that day was a total waste.

Not only were there not many scenes that could be saved, but even the scenes that were supposed to be saved were all scrapped according to Joo Ji-hye’s wishes.

Because of this, the filming schedule itself was pushed back.

This is practically pouring water on the production environment that has just begun filming a new drama.

But no one complained about her.

He is a popular actor with great box office power, affiliated with Aegis Entertainment, a super power in this industry, and is also a fearsome hunter.

Even the main writer and director don’t think about touching it.

Only the staff members who die in the middle grumble behind the scenes.

“I’m here!”

“Hey, what are you doing up so late? Didn’t you say you’d give it to me right away if I told you my name?”

“I’m sorry. It may not be easy to remove the quantity there either, so it will take some time…”

“Okay, then give it to me.”

Joo Ji-hye snatched the strawberries that her manager had brought from Hankyung Department Store.

Then I went home and grumbled while eating.

This time too, I was somewhat satisfied.

Could it be just a coincidence?

Strangely enough, I fell asleep quickly that day too and slept soundly.

***

“…Is it really because of the strawberries?”

Joo Ji-hye chewed her fingernails.

Her suspicions, which had been doubts, were gradually becoming closer to certainty.

Every time I ate strawberries, my severe insomnia got better, and I was able to sleep well that day.

Even now, my physical condition has improved due to a good night’s sleep, perhaps because of the strawberries I ate the night before.

A problem that couldn’t be solved even after visiting all the hospitals was cured by eating strawberries.

It is a phenomenon that cannot be understood with the head.

But if strawberries were really of any help, even if she swept up dozens of tons right away, it wouldn’t be too much for her.

At that moment, she faced the hunters in the hallway.

They were rookie hunters belonging to the same Aegis Entertainment.

They were guys that I wouldn’t normally talk to, but Joo Ji-hye stopped them first and spoke to them.

“Hey you guys…”

“Yes, senior! It’s an honor to support you! Please take good care of me on this set as well!”

“Shut up. Has anyone ever tried the strawberries at the Hankyung Department Store?”

“Oh, that? I’ve only heard about it, I’ve never tried it.”

“I ate it!”

“I was curious too, so I gave it to Resel and tried it.”

Two out of six people raised their hands and said:

“How was it?”

“How was it? I was surprised at how delicious it was for a wild product… I’ll try it again later when the bubbles subside a bit.”

“I’m very satisfied. I paid three times as much and it was worth it. It’s much tastier than the Black Label Strawberry, really.”

“No, other than that, has there been any change in your physical condition? Has your condition suddenly gotten better or something…”

“How’s your condition?”

“There was nothing like that at all.”

Hunters’ reactions of not knowing English.

Even though Joo Ji-hye kept asking about other secondary things, they still said they didn’t feel any effect.

Common sense tells you that your physical condition wouldn’t suddenly improve noticeably just by eating some strawberries.

‘Well… maybe I was mistaken? It must have just been a coincidence.’

Joo Ji-hye also changed her mind and finished her schedule for that day.

But when she returned home, she was greeted with bad news.

“What? You didn’t bring strawberries?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve told you several times, but this time the department store says they simply cannot reduce the quantity.”

“Ha… This is ridiculous. You gave me just that little by little, and now you dare reject me?”

Joo Ji-hye, who was suddenly annoyed, thought about calling the department store and complaining.

But soon he shook his head and gave up.

“Yeah, I won’t eat strawberries like that. I’ll never put one in my mouth again.”

To be honest, I wanted to eat strawberries.

Maybe because I ate it several times, I would occasionally think of strawberries while doing other things.

But now that she had come this far, her pride wouldn’t allow it.

It’s impossible for Aegis’s star hunter and arrogant actor to be obsessed with something as simple as food.

dump!

Joo Ji-hye lay down on the bed and tried to sleep.

It was a scary place for her, who suffers from severe insomnia, but she had already managed to sleep soundly for several days.

There were times when I thought it might have been because I ate strawberries, but that was just a superstition caused by a coincidence.

Since she was the type of person who didn’t usually believe in such things, she was able to lie down with an easy mind.

“…”

Time passed like that, and the next morning.

Joo Ji-hye jumped up from her seat without even being able to catch her breath.

Dark circles that had barely disappeared have reappeared and are now deeper.

“Ahhh! What the heck is this?”

She shouted, her arms shaking.

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