Strawberry Craze
“Haa… So that’s what happened.”
The man in a suit nodded and shook his head.
Park Jeongtae, the person in charge at Hankyung Department Store, had immediately come to the site after hearing that there was a problem with the strawberries scheduled for delivery.
He had personally witnessed the Corrosion phenomenon that had occurred at the Yoo siblings’ facility.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. Accidents like this can’t be helped. When it comes to Corrosion, there’s really nothing anyone can do about it.”
“Then… what about the penalty?”
“Rules are rules. It’s not something I can change myself. I’m afraid all I can say is that it’s unfortunate.”
Park Jeongtae spoke with genuine sympathy.
Private farms equipped with facilities of this scale were rare even nationwide.
The Yoo siblings had always made their deliveries reliably without a single missed shipment, yet an accident had happened at the worst possible time.
But when it came to their new contract, the regulations were clear, and there was nothing he could do.
“I see… I suppose that’s how it is.”
For a brief moment, hope had appeared on Yoo Seungsu’s face, only to disappear again, leaving him looking utterly dejected.
They continued discussing various matters regarding the future, but Yoo Seungsu’s expression never once brightened.
“…This is the place.”
Park Jeongtae stood in front of the gate.
It had started with a phone call from an unknown number.
The caller turned out to be the owner of the farm right next to the troubled supplier, and he had claimed that he could make up for the strawberry shortage caused by the canceled delivery.
Honestly, coming all the way here feels like a waste of time.
At first, Park Jeongtae hadn’t even intended to meet him.
The man had sounded so confident that Park Jeongtae had assumed he must be some sort of business partner of the Yoo siblings. But when he asked around, he learned that the man had absolutely nothing to do with their business.
The very idea of telling a department store to use his own crops simply because the neighboring farm had gone under was irritating enough.
And making such a proposal directly to the department store was even more ridiculous.
Yet he had still come here.
There had been something strangely trustworthy about the man’s voice and way of speaking.
The man never revealed the key details, yet somehow managed to pepper the conversation with just enough intriguing remarks to pique Park Jeongtae’s curiosity.
What exactly gave him that incredible confidence?
Well, it’s practically right next door. If it turns out to be a pointless waste of time, I can just leave.
Knock! Knock!
Park Jeongtae knocked on the door.
It wasn’t long before Oh Hyeonseong appeared.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
“I’m Park Jeongtae from Hankyung Department Store. You’re the owner of Ohhyeon Farm, the person who called me, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Oh Hyeonseong nodded with a smile.
“You said you wanted to supply our department store?”
“To be precise, I only intend to do so until the strawberry deliveries from the farm next door can resume.”
At his words, Park Jeongtae snorted inwardly.
That’s what he says.
The food section of a department store paid far more than almost any other sales outlet, making it a position everyone coveted.
In a rural area like this, people would probably do anything to secure a place there, even if it meant setting fire to the neighboring farm.
“Instead, I’d like you to make sure there are no penalties for the canceled shipment, provided I can make up the missing quantity.”
“Uh… that’s impossible under our regulations. More importantly, our department store’s food section isn’t a place where you can simply step in and fill a gap because you feel like it.”
Park Jeongtae slightly frowned as he spoke.
Hankyung Department Store was a symbol of luxury and ranked first in South Korea in terms of sales.
In particular, the Gangnam branch where he worked was engaged in a fierce battle with its rival, Daeseong Department Store’s Jamsil branch, over the title of the nation’s best department store.
Under such circumstances, the food section was one of the areas management paid especially close attention to.
It generated enormous sales of its own, attracted major high-spending customers, and was also important for the department store’s public image.
The natural produce section that Park Jeongtae himself had begun planning was gradually gaining popularity and growing.
He couldn’t ruin it by bringing in some ridiculous-quality crops just to temporarily fill a gap.
“Then that’s something for you, the person in charge, to decide.”
“All right. Let’s see the product.”
Thump!
Oh Hyeonseong brought out a box filled with strawberries.
Park Jeongtae had arrived fully prepared to find fault with them, but the moment he looked at the strawberries inside, he was surprised.
Their size, color, and overall condition were far better than he had expected.
This wasn’t some inexperienced amateur who was all talk.
However, no matter how well they were cultivated, unless he was using specialized facilities and special varieties like the Yoo siblings, there was inevitably a limit to their taste.
“Don’t just stare at them. Why don’t you try one?”
Perhaps his thoughts had been obvious from his expression, because Oh Hyeonseong spoke up.
Embarrassed, Park Jeongtae cleared his throat and picked up a strawberry.
All right. Let’s see just how good it is.
He popped the strawberry into his mouth.
But the moment he bit into it, his expression changed completely.
Wh-What is this?
A burst of sweetness and refreshing tartness simultaneously struck his palate.
Neither flavor overwhelmed the other. The perfectly balanced acidity added another layer of pleasure.
Above all, the luxurious softness of its texture was outstanding.
It was safe to call it a top-class strawberry that was inferior to none he had ever tasted.
Could a naturally grown strawberry really taste like this?
He couldn’t think of anything other than how extraordinary it was.
“W-What is this? I haven’t seen anything like this around here. Did you grow these in some new-generation smart farm? Did you bring in some new equipment or something…?”
“That’s a trade secret. I can’t exactly tell you my secret method, can I?”
“Ah… r-right.”
The excited Park Jeongtae stopped himself.
In an era where information about crop varieties had become increasingly important, he couldn’t just bluntly demand that a potential supplier reveal his cultivation secrets.
Still, even from the lingering flavor in his mouth, he could tell that these strawberries were truly remarkable.
“So, are we doing business?”
“Yes, yes! Absolutely! Right away!”
He completely fell for it.
Oh Hyeonseong couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at how Park Jeongtae’s attitude had changed by 180 degrees.
However, the strawberry Park Jeongtae had eaten wasn’t one of the first strawberries Hyeonseong had planted.
After hearing the news from Seungsu, I expanded the strawberry field and planted a new batch. The reason I didn’t bring out the strawberries I originally planted was because I needed a ‘downgraded version.’
For the newly planted strawberries, Oh Hyeonseong had deliberately reduced the amount of care they received from the spirits.
Unlike the lettuce and potatoes from before, which had been completely isolated from the effects of miasma, he had intentionally allowed these crops to be exposed to a certain amount of miasma by having the spirits provide less assistance.
As a result, strawberries like these appeared, with roughly half their original flavor gone.
They were significantly less sweet than properly cultivated strawberries, and their texture was considerably inferior as well.
But despite those disadvantages, they were still incomparable to the strawberries currently available on the market.
That was why Park Jeongtae had reacted the way he did.
Since they were the downgraded version, they wouldn’t cause the enormous shock Hyeonseong had feared might turn the entire country upside down.
Even so, they were still good enough to create a major ripple throughout society.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t discussed the most important thing. What will the supply price be?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll tell you right away.”
At Oh Hyeonseong’s question, Park Jeongtae began carefully explaining even details he hadn’t been asked about.
The current average wholesale price in the general market was around 20,000 won per kilogram.
But Hankyung Department Store paid a staggering 180,000 won per kilogram for premium naturally grown strawberries.
That was the amount paid directly to the farmer. The department store would then add its own margin and sell them at an even higher price.
The resulting price was truly frightening for ordinary consumers.
But the wealthy were still more than willing to pay.
Unlike in the past, when almost everything tasted good, demand for high-end ingredients had become enormous in the modern world.
In the past, stories of luxury fruits such as Senbikiya melons costing 300,000 won each or premium mangoes costing 1 million won had been something you heard about from neighboring Japan.
Now, such stories had become commonplace not only in Korea but throughout the world.
What was frightening was that these products had become so widespread that they could be found in department stores almost anywhere.
“We can’t make a major change to the supply price, but we’ll do our best to accommodate you.”
“Good. Then I won’t be greedy from the start. Considering this level of taste and quality, I think I can receive around 600,000 won.”
“What? S-Six hundred thousand won?”
Park Jeongtae’s eyes widened.
The figure was far beyond anything he had expected.
“W-We can’t meet a unit price that high. Of course, they’re incredibly delicious, but… there are still prejudices among the public regarding naturally grown produce. If we raise the price that much, nobody will even touch them.”
“Is that so? But I’m telling you my minimum price. I don’t want to continue doing business if the price falls below that.”
“Th-That’s…”
Sweat began trickling down Park Jeongtae’s forehead.
It was an absurd demand.
But the taste was every bit as absurd.
As someone who was aggressively promoting the natural produce section, there was absolutely no way he wanted to let go of a product like this.
He had no idea what he should do.
“All right. Then take the first shipment at roughly that price. Sell it once and let’s talk again afterward.”
“R-Really?”
Park Jeongtae’s face brightened at the sudden willingness to compromise.
The price was somewhat higher than what they paid other farms, but it wasn’t excessively higher.
However, they only signed a contract for the small initial shipment.
“Just remember, you might regret it later.”
Regret?
Park Jeongtae didn’t understand what Oh Hyeonseong meant.
If the department store could receive the product at a reasonable price for now, observe the customer response, and renegotiate afterward, there was no way the department store could lose.
And yet, for some reason, even after finishing the contract and leaving, he couldn’t shake an ominous feeling.
“Then I’ll see you in a few days.”
Only Oh Hyeonseong, who was grinning and waving goodbye, knew what was going to happen next.
“Huh? They have naturally grown produce at the department store now?”
Two women carrying luxury shopping bags in both hands stopped in front of the natural produce section.
They were browsing the food section of Hankyung Department Store.
“This has been here for quite a while. They gather only the premium varieties of naturally grown produce here. Is this your first time seeing it?”
“I-I usually only shop at Daeseong Department Store.”
“Oh? It’s been out of stock for a while, but the strawberries are back.”
The woman approached with an excited expression.
She had occasionally eaten the naturally grown strawberries sold at Hankyung Department Store.
But her friend looked at her as though she couldn’t understand her.
“Why do you eat things like this? There are synthetic strawberries produced through clean, controlled processes.”
“I don’t like that subtle artificial taste. And even if naturally grown ones aren’t quite as flavorful, they seem to sit better with my body. They feel a little healthier, you know? Besides, these strawberries here taste just as good as most high-end products.”
She picked up a pack of strawberries.
Although they were wrapped in luxurious packaging, there were only a few strawberries inside.
The price, on the other hand, was substantial.
“Ugh, you’re actually buying naturally grown strawberries at this price?”
“There are surprisingly quite a lot of people looking for naturally grown food these days because of the whole wellness trend. Seriously, you’re always so slow to catch on to trends.”
“What trend?! You’re the only person I know who eats naturally grown food. If I’m going to spend that much, I’d rather pay a little more and buy Black Label strawberries.”
Her friend stuck out her tongue and snorted.
The ‘Black Label’ she referred to was the most famous luxury strawberry line produced by the global food corporation DiSanto.
DiSanto’s synthetic strawberries were already famous, but Black Label was their very best product, boasting an unparalleled flavor.
The price was equally terrifying, but there was no way some insignificant naturally grown strawberries could compete.
Even Purple Label was already so far ahead that products from other companies couldn’t even be considered rivals.
But regardless of what her friend said, the woman took the strawberries to the register and paid for them.
“Wow, they’re beautiful! They look really good in photos.”
When she returned home and took out the strawberries, she exclaimed in delight.
The strawberries’ vivid red color looked especially striking against the luxurious packaging.
They also seemed larger and more beautiful than the strawberries she normally ate.
Thinking that perhaps she had gotten lucky with her selection, she decided to upload a photo to social media.
Chomp!
She bit into a strawberry.
Then, with a blank expression, she stared down at it.
“…Huh?”
She ate the strawberries one by one.
Before she knew it, the entire package was empty.
As though possessed, she suddenly jumped to her feet and returned to Hankyung Department Store to buy more strawberries.
But when she entered the food section, the display where the strawberries had been was already completely empty.
And all around her were people furiously complaining in frustration
