They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 108

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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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108. Preparation for Preparation for Preparation (1)

◀[I’ll check tomorrow]
◀[I’m so nervous]

Since tomorrow at noon would be peak customer hours even if I opened the shop early, I’d have to open a bit late.

‘That’s a shame.’

I was just about to slip my smartphone into my pocket and pull down the shutter completely when it happened.

“Ji-gu…!”

Grandmother Myeong-ja’s booming voice from far down the street jolted me awake.

“Yes!?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja rushed outside and shouted.

“The video’s out!”
“Where!?”
“It’s already spread everywhere!”

News travels fast in this neighborhood. Is there some group chat I don’t know about?

“We’re all rooting for you!”
“What? Who is?”

A flood of customers poured out from Myeong-ja’s Bakery, their applause erupting in unison. The sudden burst of clapping made even passersby stop in their tracks and turn to look at me.

“We all need to cheer for the owner of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop if this neighborhood is going to thrive!”

…When exactly did Grandmother become so close with all these people in the neighborhood?

“Fighting!”
“You’ve got this!”
“The side dish shop owner will do great!”
“If you win, the whole neighborhood will be buzzing!”

I bowed my head in gratitude, overwhelmed by the chorus of encouragement washing over me.

“Thank you so much for your support…!”

Beneath the laughter and playful shouts, every word carried genuine sincerity.

“It’s at noon tomorrow, right?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s all watch it together after lunch!”
“Y-yes!?”

My voice pitched upward in surprise. Did they really mean all of them together?

‘It won’t just be Grandmother and me watching…’

“We should meet up at Myeong-ja’s Bakery!”
“No way! The shop front is better!”
“It’s winter—we’ll freeze to death out there!”

So tomorrow at noon, everyone would gather at Myeong-ja’s Bakery. An unavoidable promise had been made.

‘There’s no escaping this.’

The Twins appeared from behind, waving with both hands.

“We’ll watch it at school tomorrow!”
“But it’s winter break!?”
“…We’re going to school for independent study!”

Ah, so the Twins are third-year high school students.

“If you need anything, come find me.”
“Yes, yes, yes!”

You’re quite good at answering questions.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, see you tomorrow!”

I bowed in farewell and reached for the shutter. The excited crowd dispersed one by one, and the alley returned to its natural rhythm.

‘The weather’s getting quite chilly.’

Late January—that liminal hour when winter refuses to surrender the season to spring.

I pulled my coat collar tighter and stepped inside the shop, gathering Hae-tae into my arms.

“Let’s go.”
“Meow.”

***

The next day at noon.

The Twins, Jung Cheon-ru, and Lim San-bi, who had all arrived at school that morning, huddled together at the far end of the classroom. Their eyes were fixed not on their textbooks but on their smartphones.

“Hey, is the video really coming out?”
“I’m telling you it is.”

Song Ae-rim glared at him.

“Do you think our boss would lie?”
“No, no, of course not!”

Lim San-bi quickly interjected, seized by the sudden dread that they might miss the video entirely.

“What time did she say again?”
“Exactly noon.”
“If it’s noon, we’ve got one minute left.”

Song Ae-hyuk kept his smartphone lowered, checking it repeatedly.

“Come on, Ae-hyuk. Stop refreshing.”
“…But if I don’t, I get anxious.”

San-bi reached out and grabbed Ae-hyuk’s hand as he continued refreshing. Without anyone saying a word, the three of them held their breath.

“It’s coming.”

San-bi whispered the words.

In that moment, all four heads bowed in unison. A video with no view count appeared on the screen.

[The People Who Make Today’s Rice / Rice Only]

“Wow, it’s here!”

Song Ae-rim’s eyes widened as she gently bit her lower lip.

“Our boss is in it….”

Ae-hyuk lifted his gaze upward and asked.

“Should I click it?”
“Click it!”

Over soft music, the owners participating in the Local Spring Festival appeared one after another, each captured in the midst of cooking.

The sound of a knife meeting the cutting board, oil sizzling in a pan—different shops, different faces, yet all radiated joy.

[(Narration)
“This shop opens at the same time every day.”]

First, the camera captured the landscape of the shop where they stood.

[(Question)
“May I ask what inspired you to start this shop?”]

Each of them smiled.

The camera panned into the interior of an old Chinese restaurant. Faded menu boards and framed photographs worn by countless hands hung side by side on the wall. Flames leaped above the wok, then vanished.

[Chinese Restaurant]

The grandfather who ran the Chinese restaurant set down his ladle with deliberate slowness.

[“I used to work at a different establishment, you see.”]

From within the kitchen, where the aroma of hot oil lingered, he poured black bean sauce into a bowl.

[“When my health began to fail, I thought I’d close the shop. But somehow… I find myself craving my own cooking.”]

The next scene showed the Grilled Pork Belly Owner beaming broadly, the exhaust hood spinning loudly as meat sizzled and browned on the griddle.

[Grilled Pork Belly]

The Grilled Pork Belly Owner flipped the meat as he spoke.

[“My customers—they tell me something. ‘That was delicious.’ That’s what I do it for! Hahahaha!”]

The scene shifted to a quiet kimbap shop. White tiled walls, ingredients organized in neat containers, kimbap arranged in perfect rows. Morning sunlight streamed through the glass windows.

[Kimbap]

The Kimbap Shop Owner spread rice evenly across the seaweed as she spoke.

[“I started this to feed my daughters… but now I’m raising countless children.”]

A Korean restaurant with relatively bright lighting appeared on screen.

[Korean Restaurant]

Wooden tables still bore scratches from years of use, and handwritten menus hung on the walls.

[“It’s a family restaurant. I watched my parents cook their whole lives, so… it happened naturally.”]

Steam rose gently from the miso soup, its savory aroma seeming to drift beyond the screen.

[That Couple’s Side Dishes]

Strikingly modern interior design caught the eye—transparent containers filled with seasoned vegetables, glossy braised dishes arranged in a circle.

[“While working at the Company, I realized something—I wanted to eat one proper meal a day. That’s how I started this shop!”]

The scene shifted to Ji-gu adjusting the apron strings. The four of them held their breath, eyes fixed on the screen.

[(Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop)]

On the wall hung a faded calendar and an old clock, while beside the counter lay notepads and pens scattered without care.

[“It all started because of my grandmother.”]

Ji-gu laughed briefly.

[“Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop was originally run by my grandmother.”]

From that vantage point, the camera captured the shop door. Just before it closed, sunlight streamed brilliantly from outside.

[(Narration)
“Why did you decide to enter the Spring Festival?”]

Messages filled with the shop owners’ aspirations appeared like cuts in a film.

[(Simple Cooking Chef)]
“I wanted to show that even a cooking YouTuber can cook.”]

Hands cooking in a kitchen studio.

[(Chinese Restaurant)]
“There are still people who want to eat our food.”]

Hands stirring a wok.

[(Grilled Pork Belly)]
“I wanted to serve people delicious grilled pork belly.”]

Hands flipping meat.

[(Kimbap)]
“I wanted to showcase the most delicious kimbap in this neighborhood.”]

Hands skillfully rolling kimbap.

[(Korean Restaurant)]
“I wanted to show the time we’ve built together.”

A perfectly arranged table of dishes.

[(That Couple’s Side Dishes)]
“This time, I came to win first place.”

Hands transferring side dishes into plastic containers.

[(Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop)]
“I came out to promote myself.”

A caption appeared over the scene of the fluorescent light being switched off.

[(Narration)
“If you’re curious about this story, come to the Spring Festival.”]

‘Wait, they cut out everything where I seriously answered that I’m a chef at the end and used that instead!?’

The Spring Festival banner swayed in the wind, revealing the neighborhood landscape. Then a drone shot zoomed in on the still-empty booth spaces as the screen slowly faded to black.

“Huh?”
“What?”
“Is this right?”

Song Ae-rim, Song Ae-hyuk, and Lim San-bi spoke in turn.

“Pfft…!”

Only Jung Cheon-ru, unable to contain his laughter, burst out laughing so hard he nearly left the classroom.

“…The boss’s confidence.”

Song Ae-hyuk rewound the video and played only Ji-gu’s part again.

[Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop]
“I came out to promote us.”

Song Ae-rim rested her chin in her hand and marveled.

“Wow…! That’s our boss for you!”

Lim San-bi nodded in agreement.

“She’s impressive.”

Song Ae-hyuk spoke without lifting his eyes from his smartphone screen.

“…She is impressive, but won’t she get criticized? I’m worried.”

Jung Cheon-ru finally couldn’t hold back and slapped the table, laughing.

“Hey, that’s a different kind of mental fortitude. Mental fortitude!”
“Shh.”

Song Ae-rim covered Jung Cheon-ru’s mouth with her palm.

“The teacher’s coming.”

Jung Cheon-ru kept his mouth firmly shut, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter. The video continued, transitioning to a scene where Ji-gu smiled and wrapped up the interview.

***

For several minutes now, Grandmother Myeong-ja and Hae-tae had been replaying the video and laughing heartily. Hae-tae was sprawled across the counter, laughing loudly. Of course, the grandmother couldn’t see him.

“Grandmother, please stop laughing.”

And you too, Hae-tae.

“No, she said she’d promote me…!”
“It’s still hilarious, meow!”
“…Why is that funny.”

At the same moment, the customers who had watched it together gave me a thumbs up. As if acknowledging such remarkable courage and audacity.

“The youngest one here, trying to promote himself—how ridiculous is that?”
“…That’s exactly why it has more impact.”

The shop owners were older than me. They had earned their place by consistently serving delicious food to their customers. That’s why I had no real merit to speak of.

“But Grandmother, please stop laughing.”
“Oh my, how could I not laugh at this?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand as she spoke.

“Everyone else talks about their shops, their lives, but you just say ‘me.’ Like that.”
“…Grandmother!”

When I finally glared at her, Grandmother Myeong-ja stopped laughing as if apologizing.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Is your preparation going well?”
“Yes….”
“Are you upset?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja gently brushed away a strand of hair stuck to my cheek, as if asking if I was pouting.

“…I’m not upset.”
“Then you should tell me. Don’t we need to go prepare the booth this week?”
“The food is gradually being prepared.”
“What about the booth? Did you see who’s supposed to prepare the vegetables?”
“Jung Song-i’s side is handling the food ingredients.”

We had planned to film Jung Song-i preparing the food ingredients for YouTube.

“You need to keep a close eye on that. It can become a major problem on the day itself.”
“On the day itself?”
“I went to some bread festival before, and the ingredients suddenly changed on the day, which was really difficult. It’s not the ingredient coordinator’s fault—sometimes it just can’t be helped.”

I nodded. Her words came from experience, after all.

“I’ll check what we’re preparing and how far along we are.”

Grandmother leaned her upper body against the counter and spoke with determination.

“That’s right, that’s how it should be. Events are always like that. Even with careful planning, unexpected variables always pop up.”

I could see it all at once in my mind—the booth layout, the menu composition, the flow of movement.

“Grandmother, at the bakery festival back then.”
“Hmm?”
“Did it still turn out well?”

Grandmother Hyang-suk broke into a grin.

“How do you think it went?”

Ah.

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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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