The Haeguri Frenzy and the Snow White Queen
My dad hadn't come home for days because of the kindergarten arts festival. There was only one reason.
It was because the Haeguri ads had exploded in popularity. There were no purchase limits per person. In other words, the more ramen you bought, the higher your chances of winning the giveaway! As soon as the product hit supermarket shelves or markets, it sold out in under half a day.
Whoa! Even I hadn't anticipated this. People going this crazy over it?
The prize was a new apartment in Gangnam. Right now, it might cost a few million won even if you could get one, but decades from now, that same few million would balloon into billions. An apartment that appreciated like a dream just by holding onto it.
"Seoyeon..."
"Yes?"
"You're too much!"
Mom said it in a deflated voice. My parents were still like newlyweds. Sometimes, heading to the kitchen late at night for water, I'd catch them embracing. If Grandpa ever saw that, the whole mansion would erupt. Luckily, the mansion where Grandpa lived was three stories tall. The first floor housed our family and the staff, the second had the study and Grandpa's room, and the third... well, even I wasn't allowed up there. I'd asked Woo Shijang what it was for, but his only response was this:
"That is Chairman-nim's secret space, which even the young masters are not allowed to enter."
Heh heh. When I get bigger, I'll sneak in at dawn. Perfect timing with Haeguri selling so well, too.
Thanks to this, Hansung Food's domestic ramen market share finally surpassed 65%. Sam-mi had shrunk to the low 20s, and Nong-won...
Eek! Don't be shocked. It was barely scraping 5%.
In my previous life, Nong-won had dominated Sam-mi thanks to their black bean ramen, Haeguri, and Chilgyejang Bowl Ramen. But not this time. From the moment they released that cursed Ta-do-myeon—which never existed in the original timeline—Nong-won had already lost complete control to Hansung Food. Woo Shijang mentioned occasionally that they were still scrambling to fix Ta-do-myeon's fallout and evolve their lineup.
March 1982. Starting with the opening games, six teams battled it out in Korea's first professional baseball league—what would later be called the KBO. It was broadcast live on TV.
Pro baseball, huh...
I didn't follow baseball much, but I knew it was destined to succeed as a ball sport. So, maybe I could leverage it to embed Hansung Food's name even deeper nationwide. Sponsor a team officially and put Hansung on their uniforms. Or host special event games under the Hansung name. Or sell products right inside the stadiums. Countless ideas flashed through my mind.
It's a brand-new league, but...
Still, wouldn't it be smart to build those connections now?
"Huh? Wait a second?"
I shot up from my seat. What an unbelievable coincidence.
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Our national baseball team was participating as a demonstration sport. Back then, it wasn't an official event, so no medals were officially recognized, but it paved the way for huge success at the '88 Seoul Olympics. Powerhouses like the US, Japan, Taiwan, and Canada joined, and Korea snagged an impressive fourth place. Plus, Korea did pretty well in baseball at the '88 Seoul Games too.
Baseball... baseball!
A freshly launched pro league. And two years from now, a demonstration game at the Olympics drawing the world's eyes. Something sparked in my head.
＊
"Okay, everyone~ The arts festival is coming up soon. Our Saetbyeol Kindergarten is planning to put on a play for your parents. Sound good?"
"Yes~!"
The kids in their cute chick costumes raised their hands and chorused back. Sun Class and Moon Class were all together. An arts festival themed around a play? Eek! That play?
Teacher Choi Seoyun—the homeroom teacher for my Sun Class—was directing this one. She pondered for a moment, then asked the kids,
"What play should we do?"
A boy shot his hand up confidently.
"Teacher, Snow White!"
"Sn-Snow White?"
Choi Seoyun's face flashed with dismay. Simple reason: Who'd play the jealous queen? No kid wanted that role.
No way...
Her eyes just happened to meet mine. Not a coincidence, right?
"Seoyeon, want to try the queen?"
"Me? The queen?"
"Y-yeah. You're the only one I can ask."
Sigh... The boys were all clamoring for hunter or dwarf roles. The girls giggled at them.
"Boys are all like that."
"Pfft, seven dwarfs. Hehe!"
"Who's princess?"
Sun and Moon Class kids huddled in heated debates. Problem was, the princess role was already taken.
"Teacher!"
"Huh?"
Jeong Haewon—the most famous kid at Saetbyeol from the Hyundai family—puffed out her nonexistent chest.
"I'll be the princess!"
"H-Haecwon as princess?"
"Yes! Princess is a role only I can pull off. So I'm perfect for it."
The other girls whispered, and Haewon glared.
"Hmph! Who else could be princess but me?"
Acting like such a kid while being one. Shake my head. Chin up high, hands on hips—she looked so imperiously cute it made me want to laugh.
The kids murmured, then nodded in agreement.
"Y-yeah, who else but Haewon for princess?"
"She'd be best."
"Then what about us?"
"W-we can be trees or something. Trees are important too!"
Already adapting to reality, one by one. Hyundai power worked even in kindergarten.
Honestly, Saetbyeol was an elite kindergarten. Kids here were all from big-shot families, yet even they yielded to Haewon's aura. Hyundai's name carried real weight.
"Roles are set, so let's prepare hard for the festival!"
"Yes~!"
The arts festival. Aka talent show. A massive event that doesn't come often in life was right around the corner.
＊
I had one cute stalker who looked like a kitten.
"Hmph! I was heading this way anyway~?"
"Sigh..."
A shadow slinking along, matching my footsteps. Jeong Haewon, Hyundai granddaughter.
In the distant future, she'd be a top hotel magnate, one of the world's top 100 female executives. But right now? Just a drooling kid.
I stopped walking.
"Why do you keep following me?"
"Hmph! Not following. We're just going the same way."
"This is a crossroads."
"...C-coincidence."
"We've passed three already."
"......"
Embarrassed, Haewon fiddled with her hem.
"W-well..."
Whatever. The problem was the dark-suited men behind her, radiating menace and scanning the surroundings. A passing couple even bolted in fright.
"Babe... who are those guys?"
"Dunno. Yakuza? Let's go another way. Eek!"
Haewon thought it was all due to her own grandeur, oblivious.
"Th-this is Hyundai power. If you play nice with me..."
"No thanks."
"...!"
I ignored her and headed to the neighborhood stationery store. Needed something there.
Haewon eyed the place like it was her first time. Makes sense—for a girl of her status, secretaries at the mansion handled that.
"...What's this place?"
"Stationery store. First time?"
"Wh-what? Of course not. Ahem!"
Yeah, right. Her eyes darted everywhere—colorful pencils, notebooks, shiny stickers, erasers in every hue. Like discovering treasures on every shelf.
"We need props for the play. Costumes to match our roles too."
Haewon looked puzzled.
"Play? Don't the adults handle that?"
Good lord. A real fairy-tale princess, clueless about the world.
"We should do it ourselves. Isn't that the point of the festival?"
I picked simple supplies while talking. For my queen/witch outfit from Snow White, plus a tempting apple and fancy mirror. Kindergarten would provide some, but I wanted mine perfect.
Maybe swing by a clothing shop later? Heard Dongdaemun Market had cheap fabrics for custom outfits.
I went to the counter.
"How much, mister?"
"2,000 won."
Prices were dirt cheap back then. In my old life, it'd be at least 10,000 won.
"Here."
As I reached for money, an unexpected hand brushed past.
"I'll pay."
"Huh?"
"Hmph! This sister's loaded. 2,000 won's nothing!"
Hey, I'm loaded too. Probably the richest kid in Korea. Even without Grandpa's 4.5 billion won, royalties from ramen sales trickled nicely into my pocket.
"It's fine."
"Ahem! Don't refuse when an adult offers. Lesson learned!"
She hadn't even been asked, but paid anyway, slamming hands on hips. Shoulders up to the sky. Her face screamed for praise, and before I knew it...
I patted big-sis Haewon's head.
Now I got why Grandpa did it. That soft, squishy feel under my palm was oddly addictive.
"Good job, Haewon sis~"
"Eeeek!"
Haewon stomped in frustration.