Chapter 222
Chapter 222
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Episode 74. Business Plan (1)
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Clank. Clank.
Morning at 7 a.m. In the quiet room 301, metallic sounds echoed. It was the noise from the Guardian moving around.
Bom, the Guardian, and Winter sat on the floor, flipping over the sweet potatoes laid out on the trays.
They were pumpkin sweet potato jerky.
The process was simple.
Thickly steam the pumpkin sweet potatoes, slice them thin, spread them on trays, and dry them for about two days on the balcony where the wind blows well but the sun doesn't reach.
Stop when they're just right—chewy but not too dry.
"Miss. But does this really sell?"
"...Yes."
"Who buys it? The students?"
"......"
Winter looked up at the Guardian.
"...Why?"
"Just curious."
"...Yeah. My classmates."
What Winter explained was this.
The Lair was an elite school for superhumans. The kids who attended were from high society, so many were strictly forbidden from eating junk food. They obsessed over dignity and such. That's why sweet potato jerky—sweet, chewy, but not junk food—was so popular.
"How did you find that out?"
She got the idea after seeing the kids go wild for sweet potato bites in the school cafeteria.
"Hoh. As expected, you're clever, Miss."
"...Yeah. Hehe."
"How much per bag?"
"...Five hundred won."
"This much for a bag? That's quite reasonable. Perfectly priced."
"...Should I charge more?"
"That might be too expensive."
"...What if I add more?"
"Hm. Good thinking. Exactly 1.5 times the amount—no more, no less—and you can gouge your friends just right."
"...Ooh."
Bom, flipping sweet potatoes nearby, chuckled to herself. Why were they taking this so seriously?
Winter even had a firm grasp on freshness. Anything unsold after three days, she'd eat herself the next day.
Conveniently, the batch from two days ago was fully dried. Bom, the Guardian, and Winter portioned them into ziplock bags.
Winter slung on her bag and greeted Yoo Ji-tae.
"...Off to school."
"Yeah. Have a good day."
As she stepped out hand-in-hand with Bom, Winter glanced back inside. Her eyes met the Guardian's.
Quantity 1.5 times, price double...!
The Guardian nodded. Winter nodded back with a sly little smile.
That afternoon.
Winter returned from school beaming.
"Ooh. Welcome back, Miss."
"......!"
"Hehe. Something good happened, I see. Care to share the joy?"
"...Come here."
The Guardian hurried over and knelt on one knee.
Winter hid both hands behind her back and asked,
"...Right? Left?"
"Hm?"
"...Quick."
"Right."
Winter held out what was in her right hand.
A bag of sweet potato jerky.
"What's this?"
"...The unsold one."
"Oh no. Then what's in the left?"
Winter grinned wide and showed her left hand.
It was crammed full of thousand-won bills.
"Ooh! How much is all this?"
She'd bought enough for eight bags and sold seven. Seven thousand won profit. Winter shook her handful of bills, jingling them happily.
"Impressive, little Miss."
"...Yeah."
Ehehe. She giggled.
Then she headed to her room and started scribbling in her notebook. In her messy handwriting.
The Guardian sneaked after her and peered over her shoulder.
Aaah. Keeping the books.
But at the very bottom of the ledger was something different.
Ooh. Saving up thirty thousand for something?
The Guardian's red eyes curved into (^^).
Winter calmly crumpled the thousand-won bills and stuffed them into her piggy bank.
She held back three thousand—not for the bank, but to buy more sweet potatoes.
"Miss. Say..."
"...Yes?"
"Since we're at it, why not make a big batch and sell a ton?"
"......?"
"It's popular, right? I'll help, so mass production."
Winter hesitated.
She'd always made a fixed amount and sold that, so mass selling hadn't crossed her mind.
"...Is that okay?"
"Of course. What's the problem?"
"...Really?"
"I'll help."
Thud thud—the Guardian thumped his chest.
Winter pulled out her emergency three thousand (crumpled up) and added the other three thousand for a total of six thousand to buy pumpkin sweet potatoes.
So much she had to lug it home struggling with both hands.
"Now it's time to show my skills."
The Guardian hauled out a massive cauldron with practiced ease. The one he'd bought to deep-fry ppi-yung snacks, shoved in the corner lately because the mood was off.
Steam it long with hot vapor, and steaming hot, bright yellow pumpkin sweet potatoes were done.
That day, six full trays overflowed with them.
Maybe because there were more trays than usual, even the indifferent ones poked around.
"Ooh, Winter. Can I snag one?"
"...No."
"Ugh, meanie! Smells so good."
"Ppi-yung?"
"...You get one."
"Ppi-yung ppi-yung!"
"What's this messy thing?"
"...Don't touch."
"Saying that just makes me wanna touch it more."
"...Please."
In order: Gaeul, Ppi-yung, Yeoreum peeked and vanished.
Finally, Yoo Ji-tae showed up.
"What's this."
"...Pumpkin sweet potato jerky."
"Huh."
"...Selling to make money."
Yoo Ji-tae had been willing to buy two bags if asked, but he didn't ask.
"Need allowance?"
Winter shook her head.
Since realizing handouts weren't a given, she'd refused pocket money from Yoo Ji-tae.
"...I'll earn it."
And when she hit thirty thousand, she'd buy him a gift.
"Good luck."
"...Yeah."
Dreaming of striking it rich, Winter beamed.
But of all times, it was summer.
Already humid from the rain, the moisture from the steamed sweet potatoes was several times worse than usual.
The next morning, mold bloomed on the dried batch.
"......"
Winter froze solid.
Staring at the sweet potatoes clustered with gross green fuzz, a sigh escaped her.
And she'd bought way too much. She whipped around—the Guardian's eyes winked out with a pfft.
Winter scowled fiercely.
So when Yoo Ji-tae returned from his errand, the Guardian was banging his head on the living room floor.
"What's this?"
"Taking my punishment."
Winter, beside him, grumbled as she cleaned up.
Sure enough, the sweet potatoes were rotten.
Yoo Ji-tae crouched next to Winter to help toss the spoiled ones.
"You okay?"
"...All rotten."
"Looks like it."
"...My whole fortune, and I made this."
"Oof."
Winter, on the verge of tears, looked up at him and shook her head. Followed by a ground-shaking sigh.
"...Will it keep raining?"
"Probably. It's monsoon season now. Two weeks straight, at least."
Rumble...!
Thunder voiced her mood.
"...How could this happen."
Yoo Ji-tae helped finish clearing the rotten batch quickly. Winter magic-cleaned the moldy trays. But spoiled goods didn't unspoil, so she stayed glum. Even the rain-loving Blue Dragon.
What could you do? Life didn't always go your way. But Winter had plenty of chances ahead—especially with Yoo Ji-tae around.
"Want help?"
She shook her head no.
Still, after cleanup, she sat on the living room floor, glaring resentfully at the pouring rain for a good while.
"......"
Then something clicked. Yoo Ji-tae watched her dash to Bom's room and knock before heading out himself.
That night.
Knock knock. Someone at Yoo Ji-tae's door.
He opened it—no one there.
Wait, low. Winter looked up at him, tense.
"What's up."
"...Hi?"
"Hi."
Winter, gauging his mood carefully, handed him a paper. Twice-folded A4 sheet, scribbled with messy writing.
"...Lend me some money."
Business plan? No way Winter knew that term—Bom must've helped. Yoo Ji-tae unfolded the twice-creased paper. It had a table of contents, then sections 1, 2, 3 with plans.
Roughly as follows:
1. Sell umbrellas during monsoon. About 2 weeks left.
2. Small cheap umbrellas online ~1,500 won each. Bulk order saves shipping per Bom. With points/discounts, 39,800 won for 30 umbrellas.
3. Sell at 2,000 won each for ~20,200 won profit. Lair public elementary has 1,200+ students. 30 will sell easy.
Conclusion: Lend 40,000 won. Repay in 2 weeks.
Yoo Ji-tae set the paper down and looked at Winter.
She stood tense, like a salesperson awaiting approval. Maybe her feelings weren't far off from a CEO begging for startup cash.
Ridiculous. Send her to elementary school, and she turns into a street vendor?
Of course, vendor or not, as long as Winter was happy, that was fine by him.
He was just amused she'd pivoted from sweet potato jerky to umbrellas because of the rain.
"......"
He thought for a moment.
If Winter had just asked for forty thousand outright, he'd have handed over fifty without a second thought.
But now? She wasn't just his precious kid. She was a budding entrepreneur eyeing his wallet.
Time for a more realistic chat.
"This is what you need, right?"
He pulled forty thousand from his wallet and set it on the table.
Winter nodded.
"But... will the kids really buy umbrellas?"
"...Huh?"
"It's not like the rain stops and starts. Monsoon means nonstop downpours. Who's showing up without an umbrella?"
Truth be told, Yoo Ji-tae had no clue.
He didn't care if kids walked to school umbrella-less.
Still, he raised the objection to see how she'd handle a realistic hurdle.
"......"
Caught off guard, Winter glared at him with her big round eyes.
Then scratched her head and sneaked a glance back.
Bom was outside the study. Their eyes met; Bom smiled and turned away. Handle it yourself.
Betrayed, Winter shot her a round-eyed glare before turning back to Yoo Ji-tae.
"...I'll make the rain stop for a bit."
"Ah, right. You can do that. Stop it when needed, start it back up?"
"...Yeah yeah."
Did she even realize what she was saying?
Tweaking the weather to sell a few umbrellas...
Well, debtor's skills were debtor's skills.
"Okay then. How do you get thirty umbrellas to school?"
"...Uh, five at a time. Sell 'em."
"Monsoon's two weeks long, though?"
"...Yeah."
Her confident reply made him chuckle inwardly.
Still, for the worst-case scenario, one last question.
"What if they don't sell and you're stuck with inventory?"
Her final answer was gold.
"...Uh, refunds?"
Born merchant.
Yoo Ji-tae's wallet opened.