Pinch-Hook Profits and Corporate Farming
"The flavor's really consistent."
"Yeah... you think so?"
I still had no idea how to cook the pinch-hook grass properly, so we just sprinkled it on the meat. I dusted a pinch onto the perfectly crisped samgyeopsal, golden-brown like scorched rice, and took a bite.
My verdict? It was decent enough. It had a peppery pungency, but with a tangy edge that kept drawing me back in.
'So this is what Reinhardt meant by the "pinch-hook grass aroma."'
"Sujin. What do you think?"
"Eh, it's edible."
With that, Sujin loaded up her piece with a mountain of the stuff. She piled it on so heavily that the pork belly practically doubled in size.
"That's a lot for something you call 'edible.'"
"Mmm. Otherworld crops are so rare. When else am I gonna get to eat this?"
"Heh."
At least seeing my little sister enjoy it put my mind at ease.
"Sujin. Soo-hyeok. Is it good?"
"Mm. Kinda tastes better the more I eat."
"……."
"Yelena, want some?"
"C-can I?"
"Oh, right—nope. Non-awakeners can't just eat otherworld crops willy-nilly."
"……."
She deflated like a punctured balloon and just picked at the plain pork.
Well, she did say it herself.
"Heh heh."
"Why're you laughing, Soo-hyeok?"
"It's just that delicious. Haha."
"……."
"Whoa, bro! Don't I look like my wrinkles are gone here?"
"Mm. Yeah, maybe."
"……."
"Yelena, want me to teach you how to make a mana core? Company's rules say I can't spill the beans casually, but what they don't know won't hurt 'em."
"...No thanks, Sujin. I appreciate the thought."
"Mmm. If you say so."
"……."
*Nom nom.*
Yelena could only swallow her saliva and watch as we polished off the pork belly and pinch-hook grass.
Mid-April meant the veggie patch was just sprouting: lettuce, peppers, that sort of thing.
But one stood out head and shoulders above the rest—the pinch-hook grass I'd planted last week.
Boosted by spirit power, the colony had doubled in size in a single week.
Pinch-hook grass was moss-like at its core. No flowers needed; it spread via spores on its own.
"At this rate, it'll invade the lettuce bed."
The neatly aligned lettuce looked downright pitiful.
"Time to thin it out."
I plucked the stragglers and tossed them in a basket.
"Whoa, already this much?"
"Yeah. Grows like crazy."
Harvest done. Now, the selling part.
"Got a plan for where to offload it?"
"Duh. You know who I am? Just my hunter buddies alone are a goldmine."
"Oh ho."
"Quantity's low for now, which is a bummer. But this much? Hunters'll line up to buy it in seconds."
I hadn't thought that far ahead. Didn't really matter either way.
No one in this world could grow otherworld crops better than me. They probably didn't even know what spirit arts were, and while unique abilities might handle spirits, that tech wasn't public yet.
"Heh heh. Plus, selling to contacts means no taxes."
"Mm. Gotcha."
I was used to Sujin's money talk by now. Sister's a sister, no matter what.
"Alright... here we go...!"
Sujin flashed a sly grin and pulled out her phone—not her usual one, but a massive beast twice the size with some weird case attached.
Click.
"...Oh!"
She snapped a pic of the pinch-hook grass and posted it. Her face lit up instantly. Looked like she had a group chat with her hunter pals.
"Reactions already?"
"How much?"
"Two million won per basket. Bit under market, but way better than after taxes and fees!"
"T-two mil for this much?"
Ginseng levels.
"Two mil... that's how many chickens...?"
"Maybe ninety-something."
...Huh?
I'd figured two hundred. Halved? Felt like I'd been fleeced awake.
"Heh heh. Once we bring in pricier stuff..."
"Haha. That hyped?"
"Obviously! Hee hee. Take care of me from now on, bro!"
Otherworld crop cultivation and sales took off like wildfire.
Pinch-hook grass was a prolific breeder even back home. No competition here meant explosive growth.
'Problem is, it crowds out everything else.'
I'd run tests over the past few days.
Otherworld soil, cleared of its crops, planted with lettuce? The stuff's tough—needs just water and sun. But days later? Wilted and dead.
'If only I could ask the spirits.'
Focused my mind, tried chatting. Nada.
[Eeeeek...]
Just frothing rage noises. No real talk.
'Yeah, takes years of training even for elves, who're born buddies with 'em.'
Oh well. These things printed money.
Orchard scraps and cash crops for pocket change? Fine. But farming's all about the profits. Gotta spoil the sis.
"Uuuuugh."
Sank into my new massage chair, sorting thoughts. Pricey at millions of won—bought with pinch-hook sales.
Vibes hummed through, kneading every knot. Tech was a miracle. Pay and play.
'See why money's king.'
Sujin made sense now.
"Uuuuuugh."
Sujin rode her own chair, shaking off morning drowsiness.
But... Friday morning. No prep, just lounging?
"...Sujin? Not heading to work?"
"Uuuuuh?"
Her voice wobbled from the chair.
Psssh.
She hit the remote. Chair spun wildly—ended upside down.
"Wh-what the hell?"
"Ah, latest models do that. Want a go, bro?"
"Nah, I'm good."
"Heh. Chicken. Anyway."
Psssh.
Chair righted. Blood rush pinked her cheeks.
"Day off. 4.5-day week."
"Four-point-fiiive...? Off Fridays too, not just Saturdays...?"
"...Bro."
Sujin eyed me pityingly.
"You can live easy now..."
"Ahem."
"Every other Friday. Last one was handover duty."
"Holy..."
Saturdays off was wild; biweekly Fridays? Monsters aside, world was livable.
"Perfect timing. Been mulling the future."
"Future?"
Lots to ponder. I grew 'em solo, but sales were all Sujin. Contacts wouldn't last. Other crops too.
"Got a message last night."
"...From?"
"Secure channel, but info leaked, I guess."
"Hm."
Quick on the draw in the info age.
"Any issues?"
"Nah. Otherworld crops aren't that regulated."
"Mm..."
Nodded along.
"Anyway, email pitched 'commercializing' it."
Sujin showed an email on her phone.
TL;DR: Commercialize the otherworld crops you're growing.
"Commercialize... meaning what, exactly?"
"Told you before—farming's smart biz now. Corporate agriculture."
"Corpo farming? Big corps farming?"
2002 knowledge gap. Dreamy. Heard of it in America.
"They buying all our land?"
"Pfft, no. Mutual aid partnership. Old days, co-ops handled distribution for farmers."
"Yeah."
Going rural meant dealing with that. Solo farming? No buyers, no sellers. Needed infrastructure.
'Dad struggled with it.'
Internet sales saved him later, but early days were rough.
"Now? Monsters eat you solo. Can't hire hunters for every load."
"True..."
Myoryong Guild daily rate: 150 mil. Peasants couldn't swing that.
"Corps manage it. Farmers grow, corps take a cut for sales, distribution, hunter backup."
"Mm."
Got it. Like sharecropping.
Sell via them, not contacts. Fee skim, help when needed. Solid.
Pinch-hook self-grows; corps ease sourcing others. Better than piecemeal sales long-term.
Issue: Sujin.
"You cool?"
"Mm... that's the dilemma."
She wasn't into farming per se. Means to money.
"Planned to rezone and flip the land. Projected profit..."
Calculator app. Flashed zeros galore before she yanked it.
"Bank it at 2.5% current rates... this much. Buy buildings: 4-5%. Taxes eat more, hassle too."
"Uh-huh..."
"Corporate ag? Distribution plus big-data future yields! Buyouts at fair price if crops fail. Min 7%!"
2.5% gap, but base huge. Talk too fast—lost some.
"Plus rural tax breaks? 2-3x profit boost!"
"Y-yeah."
"Downside: more work. Gotta actually farm."
"……."
"Get it?"
"Yeah. Serious farming or hobby?"
"Spot on, bro. Quick learner."
'Phew.'
Half-guess, but hit.
"Your take?"
"Join up? I'll farm with Yelena. Help you more? Win-win."
"Hee hee. For real?"
Sujin beamed. Wanted answer.
Higher earnings, duh.
'Sorry, Sujin. How'd you turn so money-hungry?'
Heart twinged.