Strawberry Waffle Fairy (1)
The meeting at the Reform Division had begun.
The topic was the conditions necessary to make the trainee promotion a success.
There were four attendees: myself, Choi Hyena, Kim Junho, and Team Leader Shin Miyoung.
Team Leader Shin Miyoung adjusted her glasses and spoke.
"Of course, the design of the photo zone is important, but the bigger issue is still the food options."
I nodded in agreement.
This was one of Next Planet's biggest problems—the food offerings had no appeal whatsoever.
There was a reason for that.
Restaurants, dessert shops, and food trucks in Next Planet were all run directly by local residents of Nonsan.
If sales did not reach a certain level, Next Planet would compensate for the losses.
It was a form of regional co-existence policy.
Moreover, when selecting applicants to operate these businesses, additional points were given for age.
Naturally, then, most people running any food-related shops were older.
Usually, 55 and up.
Just because they were old and local Nonsan residents didn't automatically make it an issue, but...
The problem was that there were so few visitors to Next Planet that, no matter how hard they tried, it was difficult to turn a profit.
Either way, any lack of profit would be covered by Next Planet.
And most of those operating the stores belonged to a class for whom not making a big profit didn't make a difference to their lifestyle.
So there was no real interest in improving menus, active sales, or friendly service.
Naturally, the reputation of the food sector was at its absolute worst.
[Is Next Planet supposed to be a theme park or a traditional market? Why are there no recognizable brands at any of the restaurants?]
[Wow... Turning black bean noodles into something this tasteless is a real talent, truly.]
[All you get from the coffee is a burnt taste. How are they even handling their beans? The Americano costs more than 6,000 won, but tastes way worse than cheap coffee.]
[The churros are just soggy and dripping in oil. Throwing money in the trash would be more productive than buying these.]
There were even more direct criticisms. People questioned why the store owners were all old, among other issues...
The losses in the food sector exceeded two billion won per year. It was one of the main culprits making the theme park waver.
Honestly, I wanted to just sweep them all away, but for now, I planned to leave them as is.
The main obstacle was Division Director Oh Kang-il.
Of course, it wasn't only because of Director Oh that I didn't want to touch this issue.
The bigger problem was a lack of personnel to carry out a massive overhaul.
Also, given that we were already at the point of canceling the seniors' discount promotion, if we started removing these as well, the whole of Nonsan City would likely rise up, and even within the company my reputation would hit rock bottom.
Choi Hyena projected a report onto the screen.
"I tried to replace at least two or three stores with famous franchises; I contacted around thirty franchisors. But not even a single franchise accepted our proposed terms."
I could understand why.
No matter how famous a franchise was, if they opened a location in Next Planet, it would just be a loss for them.
So Next Planet would need to provide strong financial support to attract them, but given their scale, that amount would be no small feat.
With our limited financial resources, we simply couldn't afford such a hefty bet.
"How about spending our funds properly and bringing in at least one famous shop? Preferably a high-end brand. That would provide an attraction for visitors to the theme park."
She had a point.
"When the trainee promotion goes ahead, the expected visitor age group will be in their early to mid-20s. For this group, just coming out to Nonsan is already a financial burden, so they won't likely be able to afford expensive meals."
"That's true. But a lot of people push themselves just to upload a photo on SNS, don't they?"
"I'm not saying that's impossible, but would people go out of their way to do something here that they could do elsewhere? That's my question. It just doesn't seem like something you could only experience here."
She nodded.
The main concept of the trainee promotion was "A Beautiful Moment That Never Returns".
To really bring that out, we needed an experience that was unique to Next Planet.
Team Leader Shin Miyoung spoke up.
"Division Director, even if it's just snacks, I hope we can do something. No matter how cash-strapped they are, people always look for tasty snacks at a theme park."
She had a point.
For snacks, the costs of running a shop were much lower than for full meals.
We could just use a little stand or a food truck.
"As a man in my 30s, there's something I don't really know. What kind of snacks do women in their early to mid-20s prefer?"
Team Leader Shin Miyoung looked at Choi Hyena.
Choi Hyena responded.
"For common options, there are churros, fish-shaped buns, waffles... Yogurt ice cream or shaved ice are also good."
"Alright, then we just need to choose one item here. But it can't just be tasty. I'll say it again: it has to be special."
"How do we make it special?"
"The first criterion is to capitalize on Nonsan's local characteristics. That's what will make it a unique experience exclusive to Next Planet. Second, we need emotive storytelling."
"To fit the theme of a beautiful, fleeting time, right?"
"Exactly. And lastly, I'd like us to find a store in Nonsan."
That was non-negotiable.
When we eventually got rid of the old stores, it would be best to replace them with stores owned by people from Nonsan, to minimize backlash.
Choi Hyena made a troubled expression.
"The conditions are pretty tough, but I'll try to find something..."
Of course, I also wanted to bring in a nationally renowned brand. Or even a famous person.
But with our current terms, there was no way they'd come...
"Since Nonsan is known for strawberries, how about narrowing our focus to strawberry churros or strawberry waffles?"
***
Choi Hyena and I visited cafes and dessert shops all over Nonsan.
To find the best-tasting strawberry churros and waffles.
Choi Hyena groaned.
"Ah... my diet is ruined. What is this?"
She rubbed her now full stomach.
I felt a bit guilty.
It was because we'd done nothing but eat strawberry churros and strawberry waffles for three days.
But there was no helping it. We had to taste them ourselves to find the right one.
I really wanted to delegate this task, but Team Leader Shin Miyoung and Kim Junho were too busy rebuilding the marketing and PR teams.
We simply didn't have the manpower to send anyone else.
So we just had to work hard and try everything ourselves.
I sighed without realizing.
"This is definitely not easy."
"Yeah... I've had so many at this point, I can't even tell what good churros and waffles are like anymore."
"Same here."
It wasn't that there weren't any decent shops. There were a few with quality good enough that I mentally noted them.
But there was a problem here.
Choi Hyena put down her strawberry waffle and said,
"This place isn't bad either. Shouldn't we just settle for something decent?"
"I'd like to, but let's push just a bit further. We have to find something that really makes us say, 'Wow! This is amazing!'"
"Yes, Division Director. In that case, we might have to look at places outside Nonsan too."
We had already visited almost every shop in Nonsan. Our backup plan was to search the surrounding areas.
"Let's keep our spirits up. If we find the best churro or waffle, all this struggle will be worth it."
Although I said that...
I started to wonder if churros or waffles just all tasted about the same anyway. Was it really possible to find one that stood out?
We decided to take a break at this café.
"You know, it's like trying to catch a legendary Po*mon or something."
I nodded at her words.
Then, changing up my approach, I searched for strawberry churros and waffles with the keyword "legendary".
"Huh?"
"Division Director, what is it?"
"Hyena, look at this."
I showed her something I found on SNS.
[This is the legendary strawberry waffle. I can say with confidence it's the best strawberry waffle I've ever had.]
There were about twenty comments below, and every single one sang its praises.
Choi Hyena frowned.
"This wasn't sold at an actual shop."
"It was sold at a college festival at Jinyang University. That must be why they called it 'legendary'."
Jinyang University was a university in Nonsan.
"I'll do some more digging."
She began searching in earnest.
We tracked it down—it was a waffle sold by a student at the Jinyang University festival last autumn. But we couldn't figure out who.
"Division Director, what now? Should we call Jinyang University?"
"I doubt the university would know. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't share that information for privacy reasons."
We decided to call anyway, but as expected, the answer was that they had no idea.
There was only one thing left to do: go to Jinyang University and try to find out ourselves.
We visited various department offices, even asked students directly. After about three hours, when it was almost dinner time...
"Huh? That's Yunjung. She's my friend."
"Can we meet this student?"
"Hold on a sec."
The female student we met on campus made a call.
She glanced at me and said,
"Yeah, they don't seem sketchy. They're from Next Planet. Do you want to come out? The guy is good-looking."
Choi Hyena snickered.
"Oooh... Division Director, you're quite popular."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that.
After a while, a medium-length haired student appeared, wearing a pink hairband and pink skirt.
"Hello, I'm Lee Yunjung."
"Oh, wow!"
Choi Hyena let out an exclamation.
"She's so fresh! How old are you?"
"Ah! I'm 21."
"Division Director, isn't she amazing? How can someone be this adorable? I used to think I was still young and cute... but now I feel suddenly sad."
I wished she wouldn't say things that made it hard for me to respond... I had no idea what to say to that.
"So, why did you want to meet me?"
"Oh! Hello, I'm Lee Hyunmin from Next Planet. Here's my business card..."
I handed Lee Yunjung my card.
She gaped.
"You're a division director? Isn't that super high up? You look really young. Are you, like, a third-generation chaebol, like in all those K-dramas?"
"No, nothing like that. I just happened to get promoted early."
"Wow! You must be really talented."
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
It was awkward—how could I explain to a student that my career was more luck than skill?
"I heard that the strawberry waffle you made at last fall's festival was amazing, so we came to find you."
"Oh..."
"Would it be possible to try your strawberry waffle?"
She thought about it for a moment, then replied,
"You must be busy, but since you came all this way because of me, I'll make it for you. I'll make it really special, so let's go to my place."
I was glad Choi Hyena was with me.
If I'd come alone, this would have been much harder.
We went to Yunjung's studio apartment.
She made us strawberry waffles.
"My waffle iron isn't as good as the one I used at the festival, and the ingredients aren't as nice either. But I'm really good at making strawberry waffles! If you enjoy it, that'll make me so happy."
She smiled brightly as she spoke.
Choi Hyena looked ecstatic.
"Unni just knows this waffle will taste great. And the reason is because Yunjung is so fresh and cute."
I stared at her blankly.
What did that even mean?
What was the relationship between her cuteness and the taste of the waffle?
I took a bite of the strawberry waffle.
"Huh?"
What was this?
First there was a light crunch, which quickly turned to a soft and moist texture.
The rich scent of butter tickled my nose.
Juicy, sweet strawberries and gently melted whipped cream spread through my mouth.
There was a deep, caramel-like sweetness that completed the flavor.
Choi Hyena's eyes went wide as she looked at me.
"Division Director! This strawberry waffle... this strawberry waffle... wow! I can't even talk right now."
"It seems like a normal strawberry waffle, but what's different about it?"
"This is the taste we've been searching for, right?"
I nodded vigorously.
Yunjung smiled proudly.
"Hehe! I told you, I'm really good at waffles. I learned from my mom."
"Did your mom make strawberry waffles professionally?"
"Yes. My family's run a bakery since my great-grandfather's time. My mom is the third generation. I think it's been about a hundred years."
"That's amazing."
"My mom especially loves strawberries. My prenatal nickname was Ichigo—that means strawberry. Maybe that's why I love strawberries so much too."
This was the person. The one Next Planet needed.
Just as I was about to suggest she sell strawberry waffles at Next Planet—
"As you probably noticed... I'm a zainichi. My dad is Korean, my mom is Japanese. My dad's hometown is Nonsan, so I came to Jinyang University as an exchange student."
That sounded ominous.
"I'm going back to Japan after this semester."
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Damn, a roadblock...
【(⩌_⩌ )】