They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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104. Interview (3)

“Booth number seven.”

The moment Yun Ga-rin finished speaking, Seo Jin-hyeok’s tense expression melted away into a radiant smile. Between booths six and seven, seven was certainly the better location. At least it would be visible from the entrance.

“By default, the proprietor of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop receives booth number six.”

The layout unfurled in my mind. Not the farthest from the entrance, yet not visible either—a peculiarly awkward spot. I’d drawn the most ambiguous position of all.

“Understood.”

The way Seo Jin-hyeok and Lim Yun-jeong were gazing at me with that smug expression was quite the sight.

‘Enjoy your candy.’

I rubbed my cheek as a pretense while extending my middle finger, then descended from the platform. Afterward, I strolled back to where Hae-tae was waiting with complete composure.

“The food speaks for itself anyway. Don’t worry, meow.”

Hae-tae offered consolation. I smiled softly in gratitude.

“Booth six for a side dish vendor is a tough spot. Will you be alright?”

The Kimbap Shop Owner asked with concern in her voice.

“Since it’s come to this, the tougher the spot, the more sincerely I should approach it.”
“You’re a young person with real depth, real depth.”
“Thank you so much for seeing it that way~!”

The Kimbap Shop Owner patted my shoulder once and smiled warmly.

“After the random booth assignments conclude, I’ll provide you with an orientation for the Spring Festival. The booth locations, setup times, electrical usage guidelines, and the day-of traffic flow are all detailed in the information booklet, so please be sure to read through it carefully.”

I picked up the information booklet I’d received earlier and checked it.

“Booth setup is available until the day before the festival.”

Until the booth is set up….

‘I need to find part-time workers.’

Hae-tae tapped the edge of the pamphlet with her nose.

“This smells nice, meow.”

I chuckled softly and folded the pamphlet, holding it closer to Hae-tae.

“Excuse me! Ga-rin!”
“Yes?”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner raised his hand.

“What about the 200 judges?”
“We’ve already received advance applications from 200 judges through an online form. However.”

However? Yun Ga-rin deliberately paused, lifting the corners of her mouth slightly.

“You won’t be able to identify those 200 judges.”

A murmur erupted instantly.

“What do you mean?”
“How is judging fair if we can’t even see them?”

What does she mean? I tilted my head in confusion too. Yun Ga-rin nodded as if she’d anticipated this.

“That’s precisely why it will be fairer. The 200-judge panel will operate entirely blind. Store names, locations, and owner information—all confidential.”

A different tension swept through the room.

“And here’s the thing. Even if those 200 judges can identify you, you won’t know who they are. The Spring Festival will draw approximately 30,000 visitors. It would be impossible for you to distinguish which 200 among them are judges.”

Everyone wore expressions lost in their own thoughts. I was quite surprised myself.

‘This will be completely fair.’

Still, what remained in the end was purely a competition of food.

“There’s one final preparation left.”

The Advertising Company employees who had only introduced themselves earlier stepped forward again. This time, they weren’t empty-handed. They had cameras.

“The company staff will be filming each owner’s every move throughout the day. It’s promotional footage for advance publicity. We’ll need you to sign a filming consent form. It’s nothing problematic, so please read it carefully.”

I took the paper and read through it.

‘Simple enough.’

The clause about advance promotional filming, the filming scope and usage period, editing rights—all of it seemed straightforward. There didn’t appear to be any issues. As my eyes moved lower, one line caught my attention.

‘A liability consent clause…’

A waiver.

A waiver stating that any issues would become my responsibility. I picked up a pen and wrote my name in the signature box.

“Here you go.”

I handed it to the employee waiting beside me for the consent form. Yun Ga-rin confirmed the document and spoke.

“Consent form confirmed.”

The sound of tripods being secured to the ground echoed as the Advertising Company employees moved about busily.

“We’ll begin filming now. If there’s anything uncomfortable, please let us know. We’ll assign one company staff member to each owner.”

Some of the owners unconsciously straightened their clothing. It was their way of preparing for the camera.

“Thank you all for coming today. We’ll see you when we set up the booths!”

Applause broke out. The owners rose from their seats one by one and greeted the Advertising Company employees assigned to them.

“The lights are on, meow.”

Hae-tae leaned forward and winked at the camera’s light. The camera panned slowly across the shop owners one by one.

“Oh, if I’d known there was going to be filming, I would’ve dressed up nicely today!”

At the Kimbap Shop Owner’s remark, the Grilled Pork Belly Owner burst out.

“Ga-rin told us to dress up nicely today!”
“My goodness! I was so rushed this morning, I completely forgot.”

The Kimbap Shop Owner pulled a mirror from her bag and tidied her hair.

“Ah! There it was!”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner and his wife approached me and thrust their business cards forward.

“You should take our card!”
“Oh!”

I rose from my chair and bowed respectfully as I accepted their cards.

“If you ever need anything, give us a call! A young proprietor should stay close with the neighborhood shop owners. Your side dishes have quite the reputation, after all!!”
“I’ve heard your grilled pork belly is delicious too, but I haven’t had the chance to visit yet. I’ll definitely come by sometime.”
“That’s great! You’ve got good taste. When you come by, I’ll serve you some really delicious grilled pork belly. I hope that’s acceptable~?”
“Of course. Getting to eat grilled pork belly at all is a blessing.”

I smiled and exchanged greetings with the Grilled Pork Belly Owner couple, then looked up.

“Um….”

The Chinese Restaurant Owner appeared shyly. What caught my attention was the decorative hair ribbon she hadn’t worn before.

“Hello, Chinese Restaurant Owner.”
“I wanted to give you my business card too.”

She unclasped her hands that had been held neatly in front of her and pulled out a card from her pants pocket, offering it to me.

“I should give you one too.”

The Chinese Restaurant Owner quickly waved her hand in refusal.

“You don’t need to give me anything. I already know….”
“You already know?”
“Of course I do…! Your side dishes are delicious.”

I wasn’t one to wander around much. Living like a bird in a cage, shuttling only between the Side Dish Shop and home, I’d grown rather oblivious to the ways of the world.

‘Is this a Haha Bus?’

“But if it’s not a problem, that is!”
“Pardon?”
“Would it be alright if I came to eat at the Spring Festival…?! I mean, I have this feeling that the Side Dish Shop owner would create and showcase delicious vegetable side dishes. That’s why I want to try them even more….”

The Korean restaurant owner’s polite tone belied the fervent gleam in his eyes.

“As long as there’s no problem, you’re welcome to enjoy them, aren’t you?”
“You’re young, but you’re so flexible, Side Dish Shop owner… Next time I’ll come find you myself to buy some side dishes.”
“And if I have time, I’ll stop by your Korean restaurant for a meal.”

It was good to stay on friendly terms with the neighborhood shop owners anyway. Plus, I’d get a free meal out of it.

“Of course! Come to our Korean restaurant anytime and enjoy something delicious. I’ll treat you. When you come, just tell them you know me! Understand?”
“Yes. I will.”

Everyone was exchanging greetings and brief conversation.

“Hey there!”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner’s voice cut through the room. All eyes turned in one direction.

“What?”
“What? What? When an elder greets you first, you should respond. Not even taking a business card. Just staring at the camera and grinning like an idiot?!”

It seemed Seo Jin-hyeok had been holding a camera for YouTube while talking.

“He was like that earlier too.”

The Kimbap Shop Owner added in a voice only I could hear.

“I offered him my business card. But he didn’t even glance at it~?”
“So we weren’t the only ones.”

The Chinese Restaurant Owner chimed in with his arms crossed. The atmosphere inside grew increasingly tense. The heater was running, yet why did it feel so cold?

“This isn’t a place to compete!”
“…If it’s not a place to compete, then what is it?”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner struck back with a sharp retort.

“The Spring Festival is a local community event. It’s the finest festival meant to revitalize our neighborhood! It’s a festival where people from other regions come to enjoy themselves—and you want to turn it into a competition? Coming to someone else’s community and bragging about your million-subscriber channel!”

Seo Jin-hyeok raised his camera and called out cautiously.

“Isn’t everyone being a bit too sensitive here?”
“Sensitive!?”
“Everyone does this nowadays. When a YouTuber comes, it’s free promotion—how great is that? And I’m a million-subscriber channel. A million.”
“As if a million subscribers makes you a celebrity.”
“It does, though?”

I watched silently. Lim Yun-jeong grabbed Seo Jin-hyeok’s arm, trying to pull him back. But he had no intention of stopping.

‘That’s exactly why he looks even worse.’

“Scenes like this are content too. Conflict, tension—that’s what viewers love the most, right!?”
“What…? You’re saying you’ll use us as content in your video?”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner roared loudly.

“If it sounded that way, it’s a misunderstanding~I’m just telling you the reality. The reality.”

The room froze completely.

Seo Jin-hyeok was openly stating his intention to stir up conflict and create entertaining content from it.

“If disrespecting people is the modern way, then I won’t live in modern times.”

The Chinese Restaurant Owner chuckled softly and spoke those words. Lim Yun-jeong hurriedly interjected, trying to stop Seo Jin-hyeok.

“Stop it, Jin-hyeok. Really, just stop.”
“Why? I didn’t say anything wrong.”

Seo Jin-hyeok shook off Lim Yun-jeong’s arm and lifted his head with an air of superiority. A subtle excitement mixed into his expression.

“Isn’t that what everyone’s thinking anyway? In the end, it’s all about who sells better and who gets more attention, right? What’s wrong with me standing out? It’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!!”

Seo Jin-hyeok’s gaze swept across the room before landing on me, as if urging me to speak up. The audacity of looking at me in this moment was contemptible.

I lowered my head and picked up the Grilled Pork Belly Owner’s business card that had fallen to the floor.

“This isn’t a cooking competition or some survival audition show. Do we really need to stoke that kind of competitive spirit at a food festival?”
“….”

I waved the Grilled Pork Belly Owner’s business card and pressed it into Seo Jin-hyeok’s hand. At my action, his eyebrows twitched upward.

“Well said!”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner called out in agreement.

“I apologize for ruining the atmosphere. Yes.”

Seo Jin-hyeok closed his mouth and lowered the filming camera.

‘…Does he think this is some variety show?’

To think he’d pull such a stunt at a Spring Festival community event.

“Why did you do that?”
“You were looking down on me.”

Lim Yun-jeong let out a sigh for reasons unclear. I watched her with my arms crossed before turning my gaze away.

‘They’ll sort it out themselves.’

Hae-tae shifted in my arms and spoke.

“A peculiar one, meow.”

Even a special variety seems wasted on him.

“Why do I have to work with someone like that?”
“Just bear with it.”

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner continued to grumble, while the Chinese Restaurant Owner soothed him with gentle words. The Kimbap Shop Owner clicked her tongue and leaned toward her daughter, speaking in a low voice.

“Living like that won’t do. Really.”

The Young Man merely nodded as if he hadn’t heard.

That was the moment.

“Everyone! The judges have arrived!”

Judges?

“It’s Jung Song-i and Chef Cha Beom-seok!”

The frigid atmosphere shattered instantly. The space that had echoed with harsh voices fell silent with Yun Ga-rin’s arrival—as if someone had poured cold water into a boiling pot.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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