They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 109

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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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109. Preparation Upon Preparation Upon Preparation (2)

Grandmother Myeong-ja suppressed a reluctant smile as she walked toward the display case and picked up a loaf of bread.

“Where does it end here…!”

At my grumbling, Grandmother shook the bread bag and spoke.

“Stop complaining.”
“But what were the results…! You won, of course, right?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja leaned against the counter and answered calmly.

“No. I lost.”
“Huh…?”

My voice cracked in surprise. I scratched my head awkwardly as I looked down at her.

“Really?”
“Yes. Did you think I’d win dramatically? The world isn’t dramatic.”

I rolled my eyes slightly and asked in a cautious voice, as if posing an impertinent question.

“Why did you lose?”
“Goodness.”
“No, I’m just curious.”
“Of course I had to lose.”
“Why…?”

I would have thought that if it were Grandmother, she would have won without any doubt whatsoever.

“How many talented people are out there? Did you really think someone like me could win against them? I just found meaning in participating.”
“Meaning in participating….”

Grandmother tapped the counter once. That tap rang out louder than one might expect.

“That’s quite the admirable mindset, meow.”

An admirable mindset, she said. Even Hae-tae’s words couldn’t convince me of that.

“Even someone like Grandmother can overcome this—that’s how the world works.”

Grandmother Myeong-ja’s expression went blank.

“The world has reached a point where no one would be surprised if Grandmother became the Bread King Kim Myeong-ja and appeared on television. Why would you even say something like ‘I can’t win’?”
“…!”
“The world isn’t swayed by such notions of winning and losing anymore.”

Grandmother Myeong-ja’s lips curved upward in amusement, her prominent cheekbones puffing out like little pouches of laughter.

“…Why are you laughing like that again?”
“Suddenly.”

Suddenly? I raised my eyebrows.

“You’re different from Grandmother Hyang-suk.”
“Different from my grandmother?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you suddenly…. Ugh.”

Grandmother Myeong-ja, as if to end the conversation, thrust a bread bag into my arms.

“I told you—check it.”
“Wait, you were just saying—”
“Go, go. I’m busy.”

Before I could even protest that she was never busy, I was already being pushed out of Myeong-ja’s Bakery.

“I got kicked out, meow.”
“Yeah… Did I say something wrong?”
“Not particularly, meow.”

Clutching the bread bag, I crossed the street and made my way back to our shop, frowning as I caught the warm aroma of fresh bread wafting from inside the bag.

“She sure knows how to leave a person curious.”

Hae-tae answered my murmur.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk is different, meow.”

I unlocked the Side Dish Shop door and stepped inside, unwinding my scarf as I fixed my gaze on Hae-tae.

“Different how?”
“Grandmother Hyang-suk is extremely safety-conscious, meow.”
“Is that so…?”

I’d never witnessed such a side of her. Or perhaps I simply couldn’t remember?

“She despised even the slightest blemish on this shop, meow.”

The image of Grandmother rushing in desperately whenever strange rumors circulated about the shop crystallized vividly in my mind.

“So that’s why you said she was different.”
“That’s all there is to it, meow.”

I scratched the back of my neck and set the bread bag down on the counter. The soft crinkle of the paper bag was oddly satisfying.

“Still, Kim Myeong-ja seemed to be in good spirits, meow.”
“How so?”
“After you left, she was smiling faintly, meow.”

Hae-tae nodded.

“Well, what of it.”

I pulled out the chive bread from the bag and split it with Hae-tae. After taking a bite, I furrowed my brow ever so slightly. The bread with chive cream was soft inside and crispy on the outside.

“Mmm!”
“Meow!”

Hae-tae and I exclaimed in unison. I retrieved my smartphone from my pocket and scrolled through my contacts.

“What are you doing, meow?”

Hae-tae lifted their head, chive cream smudged around their mouth. Their eyes seemed more focused on the screen in my hand than on the bread itself.

“I was thinking of sending Song-i a message. Just checking if the vegetables I ordered are arriving on schedule.”
“Are you really going to do that?”
“Of course I am.”

I busied myself with my smartphone keyboard, typing with one hand.

◀[Hello. Jung Song-i. This is Ji-gu.]
◀[Are the vegetables arriving well?]
◀[I also want to check if it is a good herb. ㅜ.ㅜ]

It might have been an unreasonable request, but in that moment, the typing indicator that had been blinking on the screen vanished.

▶[Photo of vegetables]
▶[Yes.]

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Why is the reply so short…?”
“Short?”

Hae-tae glanced at the screen and snorted.

“Just look at the vegetable photo.”
“…She must be busy.”

Of course. She was a celebrity, after all. I downloaded the photo of the vegetables. When I pinched the screen to zoom in, the vegetables came into sharp focus, their leaf veins distinctly visible.

“…Oh my.”

Not a single wilted leaf—the stems were firm and vibrant all the way to the tips.

“Are they decent?”
“More than decent—they’re excellent.”

I felt almost foolish for worrying in the first place.

“Then we’ve got one less thing to worry about.”
“Exactly. Once we inspect the booth tomorrow, we should be all set.”

All I need to do is check the oil and other supplies for the Festival Booth. The design will be handled by Jung Song-i’s team, so at least I can lighten my workload in that regard.

‘Thank goodness.’

“Why are you brooding like that~?”
“Ah!”

I yelped in surprise and pulled Hae-tae into my arms. The creature in my embrace squirmed, refusing to let go of the leek bread.

“…If you’re here for delivery, at least make some noise!”
“But I did make noise.”

Shin Yeop-baek, leaning against the counter, twisted his lips into a smirk.

“You didn’t say anything, so I just came in.”
“Really?”

Hae-tae nodded in confirmation.

“Really, meow.”
“…Then I’m sorry.”

Shin Yeop-baek broke into a wide grin.

“I like how quick you are to apologize~.”
“…Did you bring it?”
“Yeah, I brought it.”

Shin Yeop-baek grabbed the bag he’d set beside the counter and shook it.

“Want to see?”
“Will you open it?”
“No, I will.”

I untied the bag’s opening and peered inside. A chill and a familiar aroma wafted up from the empty-looking interior. The first ingredient I spotted was meat.

“Why did you buy so much meat~?”

Shin Yeop-baek leaned across from me and asked.

“For making broth.”
“Broth?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to serve broth at the Spring Festival this time.”
“Meat stock tastes delicious~.”

I reached toward the other side and pulled out seafood. Despite being stored in a sack without ice, the ingredients maintained their pristine freshness. Shells gleamed with a subtle luminescence, and fish bore wave-like patterns etched across their scales.

[Clam Washed by Waves (S)]
[Clam of Whispered Secrets (S)]
[Yellow Croaker Returned from the Deep (S)]
[Flounder with Gleaming Eyes (S)]

I planned to fillet the yellow croaker and prepare it as a fried dish, while the flounder would become a braised delicacy.

‘Tip!’

The moment I called out the tip toward the flounder, it appeared.

[Ingredient Tip!]
Target Species: Human OR Divine Being
Preparation Method: Soy sauce-based dish
Effect: Strength increases by 3%

Strength?

‘Strrrength!?’

I glanced between the tip, the flounder, and back to the tip window again.

“What’s wrong?”
“Strength increases….”

I’d have to convince all those fitness enthusiasts to focus on braised flounder….

“That looks delicious!”

Hae-tae sniffed eagerly at the air and spoke. Shin Yeop-baek pointed at the fish and shellfish with his hand.

“These are fish that the Divine Beings actually favor~.”
“Actually?”
“Well, yes. Since I actually use them in cooking.”

‘That makes sense.’

Even Divine Beings wouldn’t neglect their physical strength. I transferred the clams and fish to the Refrigerator while checking the seasoning ingredients.

[Sesame Oil Infused with Purifying Energy (S)]

The sesame oil was the same as always.

“But, but.”

Shin Yeop-baek leaned forward, closing the distance between us. He seemed to have something on his mind.

“What’s bothering you?”
“You’re not going to use the Pocket Dimension Garden at the Spring Festival~?”

I blinked.

“I’m not using it.”
“You’re not? Why? Then first place is guaranteed, isn’t it?”
“Exactly because it’s guaranteed, I won’t use it.”

Shin Yeop-baek’s eyes flickered like cracked gold.

“But why~? Of course it’s better to win first place and earn selection points too.”
“…Are you right now?”

I closed the distance between us further as I asked.

“Are you testing me? Conducting human experiments on me? If I say I won’t, then I won’t.”

I picked up the seasoning ingredients scattered on the floor and placed them one by one into the drawer. My hands moved busily, but my words came slowly.

“And it’s a matter of conscience, you could say?”
“Conscience?”

Shin Yeop-baek asked again, his amusement completely vanishing.

“Everyone comes to the festival believing they’re all on equal footing. If I’m the only one using the Pocket Dimension Garden and presenting something with a foregone conclusion… it just feels wrong.”
“….”
“A chef should compete fairly with cooking, not like this….”
“….”
“It’s cowardly.”

I lowered my head and shrugged my shoulders.

“What if they don’t?”
“Huh?”

Shin Yeop-baek fixed me with an intent gaze, as if he’d found an intriguing question.

“I mean, what would you do if they didn’t?”
“Well….”

I chose silence over an answer. There needed to be room for deliberation. I put the last seasoning ingredients away in the drawer and turned back.

“Just do it.”
“…Do it?”
“They’re not the type to hold back anyway.”
“You’re the only one losing out.”
“Expecting fairness from them would be an even greater loss.”

I pressed my finger firmly against Shin Yeop-baek’s forehead to make him stop.

“There’s just something about it.”
“Something about what?”
“My conscience nags at me.”

It was an emotion too ambiguous to explain in words. Others could discard garbage without hesitation, but I couldn’t. Even when I saw someone carelessly toss a plastic bag on the street and could simply walk past, I always found myself stopping. No matter how much I wanted to pretend I hadn’t seen it and move on out of sheer laziness.

‘I’d end up picking it up anyway.’

“If I don’t, the whole day feels tainted.”

Shin Yeop-baek rubbed his forehead with his hand, then gradually covered his entire face.

“She’s really something else.”
“I agree.”

I pulled out a cat-themed wet wipe and gently cleaned the cream from around Hae-tae’s mouth.

“Meow.”
“You got some on your fur too.”

Shin Yeop-baek, who had been watching intently, brushed himself off and stood up.

“If you ever need anything, just call.”

Shin Yeop-baek handed me a small piece of paper.

“What is this?”
“A one-time use voucher?”

What could that be?

“You can summon me once with it, meow.”

I nodded gratefully.

“I can handle deliveries in any form.”

He waved his hand lightly and turned to leave. The door closed behind him with a surprisingly slow, deliberate sound.

“Should we do a final taste test?”
“Meow!”

All that remained was a final taste of the dishes we’d showcase at the festival and a booth inspection tomorrow. Then we’d be done.

Done!

***

My plan was simple: inspect the booth and return to the shop. Check the tent’s stability, the electrical lines, the signage—once I went through everything in order, it would be finished.

Or so I thought.

Unexpectedly….

“This is….”
“….”
“What should we do?”

The vegetable box that Jung Song-i had personally ordered and brought appeared pristine on the surface. There were no signs of compression during transport. It looked perfect. Yet there was an odd smell emanating from it.

‘A musty, damp odor.’

I opened the vegetable box wide to inspect the contents.

[Unknown Spring Greens (?)]
[Unknown Ramp (?)]

I furrowed my brow at the vegetables’ condition—their grade indeterminate.

“…They’re wet, aren’t they?”

The vegetables were soaked.

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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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