They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 111

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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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111. Preparation Upon Preparation Upon Preparation (4)

“What did you write down in the memo?”
“Like this.”

The memo the shop owners had written was simpler than I expected. It contained only the ingredients for blanched vegetables without any unnecessary additions!

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Grilled Pork Belly Owner – Romaine lettuce, baby cabbage
Chinese restaurant – bean sprouts, baby cabbage, spinach, bok choy
Kimbap Shop Owner – Chinese chives, spinach, perilla leaves
That couple – water parsley
Korean restaurant – mugwort
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“Thank goodness there isn’t much. Right?”
“Yeah. I’m so relieved.”

I tore my gaze from the list and looked toward the Vegetable Garden.

“It’s better to harvest the mugwort later. That’ll be the most tedious part.”

A fair point. The bean sprouts should be the easiest since I could get help from the Frog for those.

“What should we do next?”
“Start by harvesting the Chinese chives and spinach.”
“Okay.”

I tucked the memo into my apron pocket and slipped on my work gloves.

“But here’s the thing.”
“Hmm?”

I stopped in my tracks and lowered my head to look at Hae-tae.

“Why won’t you ask for help?”

Hae-tae stepped forward slowly, as if urging me to ask for assistance.

“You’re already helping me all the time, aren’t you?”
“Still, you should ask.”

The Divine Being had given me this Dimensional Space, but wasn’t Hae-tae the one managing it? Simply by existing, I was already receiving tremendous help.

“That makes me feel too guilty, though…”
“If it’s you, you can ask for help anytime.”

If it’s me? I blinked at the unexpected response.

“Ji-gu! Who am I?”
“Hae-tae?”
“Who is the master of this space!”
“Hae-tae!”
“So what do you have to say to me!”

I spoke with conviction.

“Hae-tae, help me!”

As I shouted, Hae-tae’s mouth stretched into a smooth, satisfied smile.

“Now I’ll show you what I can really do!”

I gazed at Hae-tae with eager, sparkling eyes. It was the moment Hae-tae’s feet touched the ground.

Boom!
Crash!
Boom!

Sounds like drumbeats thundered outward in all directions. The grass leaves around me trembled in response.

“Wh…!?”

I instinctively covered my ears, then carefully lowered my hands. The sound that had seemed to engulf the Forest was finally subsiding.

Small, nimble shadows poured forth between the skeletal branches like a cascade. The Squirrel was the first to appear.

“Squirrel?”
– Chirp chirp chirp!

The Squirrel bounded forward in a line, as if it had been ages since we’d last met. Upon reaching me, it thumped its tail against the ground—thump, thump—as if displaying its magnificence.

Following behind, the low grass parted and the Frogs emerged. Even though I hadn’t yet brought them their seasoned greens and bean sprouts….

– Croak!
– Ribbit!
– Croooooak!

The Frogs formed ranks with perfect unity. Then, in unison, they straightened their bodies by pressing down with their hind legs. Next, they beat their chests with their front legs.

Thump thump thump—
Thump thump—

The overlapping sounds created an odd rhythm. It was almost ceremonial in nature.

“Both the Squirrel and the Frogs came to help you,” Hae-tae said.
“Both the Squirrel and the Frogs?”

Hae-tae nodded.

“You all came to help me?”
– Chirp chirp chirp!
– Croak~!

The Squirrel and the Frogs nodded solemnly.

‘These small, adorable creatures are going to help me….’

My heart swelled unexpectedly.

“But.”
“Meow?”

I glanced around the area.

“Where are the Earthworms? Aren’t they showing up?”

The Earthworm was practically the mascot of the Dimensional Space. After all, it was the first creature I’d encountered when I first entered this place. So it was inevitable that I kept finding myself looking for them.

“They’re late, meow.”
“Huh?”
“The main character is always late, meow.”

Before Hae-tae could even finish speaking, the soil beneath my feet trembled ever so slightly. At first, I thought it was my imagination. But then the earth’s surface bulged in a perfect circle, and with a soft pop, a tiny head poked out from the ground.

“Ear—!”

That was the beginning.

Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop—

Earthworms emerged from every direction, poking their heads above the surface.

“See? They really do show up late, don’t they?”

Hae-tae snorted.

“Look, meow.”

One Earthworm, as if gathering courage, wriggled toward me. Before I could wonder what it was doing, it traced the letters “OK” into the soil with its body. I couldn’t help but laugh and knelt down.

“You’re saying you’ll help?”

The Earthworms, their bodies stretched upright, craned their heads and looked up at me. And in response to my question, they answered affirmatively.

– Hoom!
– Hoom-hoom-hoooong!

The vigorous greeting sent vibrations through the soles of my feet that tickled.

Only then did Hae-tae step forward at last. As if to assert dominion over this space, the Earthworms, the Squirrel, and the Frogs all remained still.

“They all say they’ve come to help, meow.”

Why am I getting so emotional about this?

“Then I should tell you now, right? Which crops need to be harvested?”
“That’s right, meow!”

I pulled out the memo I’d tucked into my apron pocket. Then, like a child standing before the entire student body, I puffed out my chest and announced loudly.

“Ahem, ahem…! Everyone in my Dimensional Space, can you hear me?”

My voice rang out far louder than I’d expected.

– Huff huff!
– Meow meow meow meow!
– Croak!

They all responded enthusiastically.

“Squirrels first!”
– Meow meow!

The Squirrels perked up their heads.

“Since you Squirrels have such dexterous paws, I’m counting on you for the chives, spinach, and perilla leaves!”
– Meow meow meow meow!

The Squirrels’ skill at harvesting fruit was undiminished. The leader Squirrel waved his tiny paws back and forth, and without hesitation, they scattered toward the chive patch, the spinach patch, and the perilla leaf patch.

– Meow meow!
– Meow meow meow meow?
– Meow meow meow!
– Meow!

They chattered among themselves in a language humans couldn’t understand and dispersed.

– Meow meow!

The leader Squirrel I knew divided up the tasks, and they glided across the chive field, harvesting with their small paws.

“Our Frogs!”
– Croak! Croak!

The Frogs drew their front legs together against their chests and waited.

“Just pull up the Romeo lettuce and the napa cabbage!”

The leader Frog burst forward without hesitation. His body launched straight toward the Vegetable Garden. The Frogs following behind leaped up one after another. Unlike the Squirrel, they didn’t seem to divide their roles.

“…Wow.”

It was like watching synchronized diving. The Frogs flew about in the Vegetable Garden. As the lettuce and napa cabbage rose with dull thuds, another Frog caught them and harvested them.

– Huff huff!

The Earthworms lifted their heads stiffly, as if demanding their turn. They wanted to have a part in this too.

“You all!”
– Huff huff?

An eager response came back.

“Dig up the water parsley and mugwort! Lots of it!”
– Huff huff huff huff!

At once, the Earthworms’ bodies burrowed into the ground. On the lower slope, soil rose and fell in tiny increments. Then mugwort sprouted up by the roots in abundance. An Earthworm waiting nearby moved the mugwort.

I marveled at the managers moving cargo in formation.

‘If I’d done this alone, it would’ve been a disaster….’

So I couldn’t just stand here idle either.

‘I’ll harvest the Chinese restaurant owner’s crops while gathering my own.’

I adjusted my gloves and headed toward the Vegetable Garden. Even humans had to do their part.

***

Hours had passed. Or rather, it felt like I’d spent an entire day in the Dimensional Space.

I collapsed onto the grass. The Squirrel, Earthworm, and Frogs arrived in turn and lay down beside me in a row, each in their own manner.

The Earthworm stretched out long with half its body exposed above the soil, the Squirrel used its tail as a pillow, and the Frogs lay with their legs fully extended.

They had every right to be exhausted.

‘We’d packed all the crops into boxes, after all.’

And done it entirely by hand.

– Myaaah….
– Huuuuung….
– Croooooak….

“Tsk tsk, meow.”

Hae-tae clicked his tongue and familiarly climbed onto my belly. I lay with both hands tucked beneath my head, turning only my gaze toward him.

The harvested crop boxes were stacked like a mountain. More than the kimchi cabbage I’d prepared before.

“We did quite a lot, meow.”

The mountain of stacked boxes looked generous enough to last four days. I’d actually pulled it off. Looking at the results, I had to believe it was possible.

“I don’t think I could have managed it alone.”
“Now you understand, meow?”
“Now I do. If I’d just kept going without giving up, I would have succeeded. But my body wouldn’t have held out, would it?”
“You would have collapsed, meow.”

Hae-tae raised his front paw as if words weren’t enough and pressed firmly against my cheek, applying more pressure as he continued.

“Do you understand now, meow?”
“Ow, I get it… ugh….”

I nodded in submission.

“Now I need to move the ingredients, so come down.”
“Meow.”

Hae-tae jumped down from my belly and scratched at his chin with his front paws, tap-tap-tap.

“Earthworms, I need to ask you one more time.”
– Hmmph-hmmph?
“Could you move things out of the Dimensional Space?”

The Earthworms wriggled simultaneously as if to say they’d handle it. They lifted their bodies slightly from the soil and nodded their heads.

– Hmmph-hmmph-hmmph-hmmph-hmmph!

Following an invisible path beneath the crops, the Earthworms transported the ingredients out of the Dimensional Space. I did too.

I stopped the Earthworms as if to say I would carry the last remaining water dropwort and mugwort myself.

“You can rest now. Thank you.”

As I spoke, a low rumble echoed back from beneath the ground.

– Huuuuung…!

I tied up my apron strings that had slipped down and didn’t forget to thank the Squirrel and Frogs as well.

“I’ll bring you something delicious later.”

– Myah-myah-myaang! Myah-myaang!
– Kwaak! Kwak-kwak-kwaak!

Hae-tae struck the Squirrel and Frogs on the head in exasperation.

“What are you trying to eat? That food is mine, meow.”
– Myah-myah-myah-myaang!

The Squirrel protested.

“You want acorn jelly?”
– Meow!
“…I understand that much.”

Hae-tae nodded his head. The leader Frog’s eyes sparkled as he hopped forward eagerly.

– Croak! Croooak!
“…Bean sprout seasoning?”
– Croak!

Hae-tae slowly turned his gaze toward me. It was a look that needed no words.

“I’ll make it for you after the Spring Festival. I promise.”

I extended my pinky finger. The Squirrel carefully placed his tiny hand on it, and the Frog laid his front legs over ours. Our different hands came together as one.

“Keep that promise.”
“Of course. But don’t you want Earthworm?”
“I’m not sure about the Earthworms.”
“Is that so?”

It was time to leave the Dimensional Space.

“Let’s go!”

Hae-tae led the way first. I followed behind him, stepping out of the Dimensional Space.

All the sounds returned, and as I gazed upon the crops filling the Backyard, a satisfied smile crossed my face.

“Ji-gu, are you there?”

I stopped in my tracks.

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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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