Sold Out at Dawn

"Sold out already?"

"I didn't get any again!"

Han-gaero Mart, the only large supermarket in Songgye-eup. From the crowd that had been lined up outside since the small hours of the morning, anguished wails began to erupt.

Social media had been buzzing for the past several days — all because of the Muscle Strengthening Sweet Potato. It had first gone viral in the fitness communities, and then, somewhere along the way, it spread to climbing crews, cycling and running groups, even hiking clubs. The sweet potato's fame rode the wave of every exercise community on the internet.

"They say eating one makes you years younger?"

"Oh come on, no such thing exists. It's a scam, total scam!"

Most people dismissed it as nothing more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than an urban legend, but more and more of them kept making the trip to Songgye-eup on the off chance it might be true.

"It's not a rumor! My little sister lives out that way and she got lucky enough to try one. She swears it's real!"

Whether it was the tasting promotion or the small-batch sales event, one day people who'd actually experienced the effects began showing up with fire in their eyes.

"Is this where they're selling that sweet potato?"

"The sweet potato goes on sale every morning at eleven. The line is over there."

In the direction the employee pointed, an endless queue stretched out of sight.

"How many sweet potatoes do you sell per day?"

"One hundred. Limited quantity."

The man who'd asked slowly began counting heads along the line before giving up. Only a hundred per day, and the line already exceeded a hundred and fifty by a wide margin.

Among them, some stood out. The equipment hauled in by a few professionals who specialized in waiting in lines was the star of the show.

...Is that a tent? For real?

A pale-yellow mini tent. Which meant they were prepared to camp out overnight.

Well, if they wanted it badly enough to go that far, what could anyone do? The only option was to go with the flow.

Resigned, the man pulled a khaki camping chair out of his car, where he kept one for emergencies, and joined the line.

Sweet potato, I WILL get my hands on you one way or another!

Meanwhile, up on the floor above the Han-gaero Mart where the crowds stood in line, in the Nonghyup office, a different battle was underway.

"U-um, Branch Head?"

"Hmm?"

Park Byung-gyu, the branch head, had been about to head out on a field errand when a subordinate's voice stopped him in his tracks. It was Assistant Manager Lee Seong-ho, wearing a troubled expression and carrying a thick bundle of official documents.

"Mr. Lee. What's the matter?"

"Well, it's..."

Lee Seong-ho slid the document bundle toward Park Byung-gyu as he spoke.

"Word's gotten around, apparently. We keep getting inquiries about partnering on the sweet potato sales."

"...!"

Partnering? Other branches wanted to carry their sweet potatoes? Absolutely not. Trying to gobble up the windfall of his own Songgye branch? And not just one or two of them, either — every last document in the bundle Lee Seong-ho was holding was an enemy.

For a moment, Park Byung-gyu's brow knotted tight as he skimmed the papers. But only for a moment — then his eyes lit up.

"No, wait. Hold on. If we just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠collect an introduction fee or a distribution fee... Actually, this could work out pretty well if we play it right."

"Excuse me? Branch Head? Where are you going!"

Park Byung-gyu hurriedly called out over his shoulder as he rushed from his seat.

"Mr. Lee! Put all of these on hold for now. Send replies saying we're too swamped at the moment, but we'll get back to them once we've confirmed whether distribution is feasible."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Then he dialed a number somewhere far away.

TRRR—

A ringtone hummed for a moment, then click. Someone had picked up.

"Hello? This is Park Byung-gyu, branch head of the Songgye Nonghyup. Do you have a moment?"

Barren. Now that I thought about it, the land surrounding the plot I'd been given was remarkably, conspicuously empty. Practically a bare plain with almost nothing on it.

—Every bit of that empty ground you can see is our idle land. The farm that had been using it pulled out early this summer, so we can lease it to you immediately.

By the looks of it, there was a lot of it. No — there was a lot a lot of it.

"What would it come to in total, all of it?"

—Including the land we've already leased you, five hundred pyeong in total. If you need labor, we'll provide extra hands as well. Just find a way to increase that sweet potato production, please!

Branch Head Park's earnest pleas kept coming. Did I really need extra hands, though? Besides, showing off my magic to strangers would only invite complications.

I gave a clear, decisive answer.

"I don't think additional labor will be necessary."

Increasing production starting as early as next week? That was no difficult feat for me. And in a pinch, I had two potential helpers waiting at home. Grandfather and Mother. Grandfather had already declared he'd spare no support for me, and Mother hadn't objected to my farming either. Even if I worked alone for now, I had no doubt they'd gladly pitch in if I ever asked.

My circles had me covered, fresh land had appeared, and I even had a contingency for any manpower shortage. It felt like the right time to start working in earnest.

Growing sweet potatoes across five hundred pyeong of land in all. First order of business: get the sweet potatoes into as many Han-gaero Mart locations nationwide as possible, not just Songgye. And once Grandfather's zucchini harvest wrapped up, that land would be available to use as well.

—Since you say ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so, Ji-on, we won't arrange extra staff. We'll handle the paperwork on our end and just come by for your final signature.

"Yes, thank you for this."

I ended the call with Branch Head Park and headed home. Mother and Grandfather would be pleased, right?

"So you're telling me you're going to manage all five hundred pyeong of that land by yourself?"

At my words, Mother set down her spoon and asked, flustered. Grandfather, too, was staring at me in disbelief.

Not exactly the reaction I'd hoped for. Flustered myself, I answered slowly.

"I mean, I suppose so? There's no one I could really ask for help, and you're busy too, Mom."

One day a week, the restaurant where Mother worked was closed. That was the day the whole family ate dinner together. I'd only brought it up because of the good news, wanting to mark the occasion — but now everyone was looking at me with worry in their eyes. With her schedule, Mother couldn't possibly have time to help with farm work.

"And Grandfather won't be free until the zucchini harvest is done."

I added with a light laugh.

"Actually, Branch Head Park did offer to send people over, but..."

"And?"

"There'd probably be some who'd ignore a kid my age telling them what to do. So I'd rather not work with anyone who isn't family."

At my words, Mother and Grandfather both wore expressions tinged with guilt. Oh no. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That's not what I meant to do. I quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, I was on the phone with Branch Head Park today and heard this week's income — it was a lot more than I expected."

Seventy-five million won deposited into my account this week alone.

I still didn't fully understand how the ways of this world worked, but one thing was certain: that was a substantial sum of money for a single week's earnings.

"Th-that much...? Really?"

See? Even Mother's reaction was on another level. She looked like she couldn't tell whether to believe me or not. Thanks to the figure I'd dropped, the mood at the dinner table brightened a little.

Good. The atmosphere seemed to have warmed up, so this felt like the right moment to bring it up. If I told them I might be able to solve the big problem hanging over the family, they'd be even happier, wouldn't they?

Steel myself, I turned to Mother and asked.

"So, speaking of which — exactly how much debt are we in? If I can, I'd like to pay it off as soon as possible!"

Cling—

"G-Grandfather?"

Even Grandfather had dropped his spoon. His face had stiffened into a dark, shuttered expression.

"What's wrong...?"

I had only been trying to lift the mood with good news. What on earth— what was the problem?

While I stood there bewildered, Grandfather let out a long sigh and spoke.

"Ji-on, money worries are for grown folks to carry. No matter how much you earn, if you're farming sweet potatoes simply because you love it, then that's a fine thing."

Seeing my flustered face, Mother took over.

"Still — thank you. Your mother is happy that you thought of us like that, Ji-on."

She said it with a gentle smile. Faced with that smile, I couldn't bring myself to say anything more. Instead, after a beat's hesitation, I ventured carefully.

"Then... would it be all right to call Dad?"

"Huh?"

Mother's shoulders flinched.

"With what I'm earning, I think Dad could come back to Korea. And..."

Mother closed her eyes and pressed her lips shut. I watched her for a moment, then said it all the way to the end.

"I want to see Dad."

At my words, Mother and Grandfather exchanged a brief look. Then, before long, they nodded.

"Let's do as you say, Ji-on. I'll call your father."

A short while after dinner ended, Mother finished her call with Dad and told us the news.

"He says he can come back next week. Oh — that reminds me, next week is when school starts for you, isn't it, Ji-on?"

Flinch.

I'd completely forgotten.

This was no time to be bragging that I could manage five hundred pyeong on my own. Thank goodness Dad could return before then.

School. The season when I had to attend classes was coming back around. One week from now. I had to do everything I possibly could within that window, and after that, leave the field in Dad's hands.

First things first — I need to finish engraving mana into all five hundred pyeong of land.

And I'd have to harvest and deliver the sweet potatoes at least once, too. Branch Head Park had practically sung praises begging for increased production — I had no choice. It might be a little tough going, but with magic, there was nothing I couldn't do.

No — I would do it!