They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 12

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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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12. Kimchi Pancake (2)

“Do you have the seasoned spinach from yesterday?”
“I had it yesterday and it was so delicious I came back for more.”
“That’s right! I’m getting the braised vegetables! My friend recommended it!”

The customers’ voices overlapped, and the shop quickly became as bustling as a marketplace. Some pulled out their smartphones to photograph the storefront sign, comparing pictures and exchanging opinions.

“It hasn’t really changed much from the old days, has it?”
“I thought it had changed? Or maybe not.”

I hastily placed side dishes into the display refrigerator, but my ears remained attuned to every word the customers spoke.

“I heard this place is a real hidden gem?”
“More than hidden, really.”
“My mom bought side dishes here, and she ate all the seasoned spinach by herself—I didn’t even get to try it!”
“No way! Is that why you wanted to come this morning?”
“Exactly! I’m buying two today. One for me and one for my mom.”

I smiled inwardly as I placed the seasoned spinach into a paper bag.

“Thank you so much! Please come again!”
“Hope business is booming!”

The card terminal’s payment chime rang out without pause.

As one section of the display noticeably emptied, I quickly retrieved the braised vegetables I had prepared in the refrigerator. The waiting customers spotted them and rushed over.

“Is that the braised vegetables, boss?”
“Me too! Just two!”
“I’ll take the shredded radish as well!”

My mind was spinning as I kept swiping the card terminal.

“Boss, we’re out of seasoned spinach…?”

It seemed the seasoned spinach had sold out completely.

“Just a moment! Please wait!”

I hurried into the Kitchen and was about to package the seasoned spinach I’d prepared in advance.

Then, I heard footsteps descending from the Second Floor.

“B-boss, would you like me to help?”

Lee Hae-ra rushed down, quickly donning her hat and hygiene mask before standing before me, breathing heavily. Her eyes gleamed with firm resolve.

“Are you sure you’re up for it? It might be tough.”
“Yes, I’m fine!”

Lee Hae-ra answered hastily.

“Then I’ll make sure to pay you for the part-time work… um…”

In that moment, my mind grew scattered and my thoughts briefly went blank.

“Should I package the seasoned spinach, boss?”

Without hesitation, Lee Hae-ra washed her hands at the sink and immediately began preparing to package.

“Yes, that’s right. Please package ten containers of seasoned spinach!”
“Yes, yes, ten, ten…”

Lee Hae-ra repeated the order once, then began packaging with practiced efficiency. The way she picked up the seasoned spinach with her gloved fingertips was deft and assured. I watched her skilled movements in a daze for a moment.

“Boss? What about the payment?”
“Oh. Yes, yes! My apologies.”

I handed over a paper bag in the meantime.

“Thank you. Please visit again!”
“B-boss!”
“I’m heading out!”

The moment Lee Hae-ra finished wrapping the side dishes, I was busy restocking the display refrigerator. Our movements synchronized as naturally as those of people who had worked together for years.

“Boss, we’re out of radish strips—completely out?”
“Tell them we need to make more!”

The customers’ chatter, the register’s beeping, and the rustling of wrapping paper intertwined into a single, brisk rhythm.

“One last pan-fried potato dish!”

The moment I called it out, the final customer reached for it.

“I’ll take it. My son loves this….”

In an instant, every side dish in the display refrigerator had vanished. As we caught our breath and looked at each other, Lee Hae-ra smiled behind her mask.

“…Boss, business is booming today!”
“It’s strange… yesterday wasn’t like this at all?”
“Could someone have promoted us, do you think…?”

Promoted us….

‘The Sarangbang?’

A certain figure flashed through my mind. Without thinking, I glanced across at the Shopping Complex where workers bustled about busily.

“Someone did say they’d help….”
“That’s how neighborhood businesses work—once word spreads, customers flood in…!”
“Right. If you don’t capitalize on moments like this, the rush dies down just as quickly. But you’ll definitely gain more regulars!”

That’s how neighborhood businesses operated. Customers flowed in like water, but serve them mediocre food once, and they never return.

‘Well. That’s me.’

I had no worries—I always had perfect side dishes ready.

I crossed my arms and surveyed the now-empty display counter.

“Seasoned spinach… seasoned bean sprouts… braised soy sauce… the most basic side dishes are the most popular?”

I muttered to myself as I jotted down notes in my phone’s memo app.

“…W-well, there are quite a few young people living alone in this Neighborhood, so that could be why.”
“There are many people living alone? Wasn’t it mostly elderly residents before?”
“Once the redevelopment started nearby… younger people began moving in.”
“I see.”

So the atmosphere of the Neighborhood had shifted.

“Then I’ll need to adjust the menu composition going forward. And keep the portions reasonable….”

I tapped my fingertips against the empty space above the display counter.

“Single-serving side dishes that can be heated right in a microwave would be perfect. That’s the most convenient option for young people….”

And salads that subtly support dieting could work nicely too.

“Y-yes, that’s great! I eat salads all the time! I bet lots of people would buy them as lunch substitutes….”

Lee Hae-ra nodded, then her words trailed off as she gripped the table’s edge and collapsed into a chair.

“Lee Hae-ra!”
“Ah… ah…. I think it’s because I’ve been meeting so many people after such a long time… I’m feeling drained….”

I quickly poured cold water into a cup and handed it to her.

“Drink this right away.”

Lee Hae-ra wrapped both hands around the cup and gulped it down eagerly.

“Phew… I feel alive again.”
“I’m sorry for suddenly asking for your help.”
“Oh, no! I, I…!”

Hmm? Lee Hae-ra clenched her fists and spoke with determination.

“It’s clearly exhausting, but I feel oddly happy…!”
“Why do you feel oddly happy?”
“Well, it’s just… when customers leave smiling, it feels so fulfilling.”
“That’s the true art of running a business.”

Lee Hae-ra took a breath and tried to stand again. I firmly stopped her.

“Just sit for a moment. Oh, is there anything you’d like to eat before you go?”
“Something I’d like to eat… could I have those kimchi pancakes again? The ones from last night?”
“Kimchi pancakes?”
“Yes, I forgot what they tasted like….”

Well, considering how much she drank last night, it made sense she wouldn’t remember.

“Understood. That’ll do perfectly.”

I gently pushed Lee Hae-ra’s shoulder as she tried to approach me.

“And take a rest. All the customers have left now, so I can handle things alone.”
“But, still…!”
“Rest when you can rest. These brief moments of respite during business are so precious.”

A brief silence settled over the shop, but I smiled at the bustling sounds outside.

“It doesn’t look like there’ll be a moment to rest today.”

***

For a while, Lee Hae-ra was overwhelmed by the endless stream of customers flowing in.

“Boss… I think I should head inside now…. I felt good helping out today.”

Watching Lee Hae-ra tremble like a leaf, I barely suppressed a laugh by pressing my lips together. I went into the Kitchen, wrapped the freshly cooked kimchi pancakes in paper, and came back out.

“Here, Lee Hae-ra. Your promised wages and the kimchi pancakes. Take them while they’re still hot.”

Steam rose through the gaps in the paper wrapping, and happiness bloomed across Lee Hae-ra’s face. Though, it seemed she loved the kimchi pancakes more than the wages, didn’t she?

“W-wow….”
“This time, eat it with a clear head. And leave a review for me?”

Lee Hae-ra nodded with a remarkably determined expression.

“I-if you need part-time help next time, p-please contact me!”

She thrust a memo with her number into my hands and scrambled out of the shop.

“Huh…?”

Left alone, I glanced at the memo with her number and burst into laughter.

That was when it happened.

Tap, tap, tap—

Light, brisk footsteps approached from the back of the shop. The rhythmic sound of claws scraping against the floor tickled my ears.

“Give me the kimchi pancake I couldn’t eat yesterday! I was so exhausted helping that woman human yesterday.”

Hae-tae bounded in with a disgruntled expression, tail held high. When I casually turned away, Hae-tae’s eyes narrowed to slits.

“You won’t give it to me?”
“Just wait a moment~.”

I retrieved the leftover kimchi pancake from the kitchen, placed it on a plate, and set it on the table. Hae-tae brought his nose close to the pancake and inhaled deeply, once, twice.

“Mmm… it smells like Grandmother Hyang-suk’s kimchi.”

Then he took a large bite.

The crispy exterior crumbled first with a delightful sound. As I watched Hae-tae eat, an odd noise suddenly caught my attention.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!—

I casually turned my head to look toward the refrigerator when a coated piece of paper suddenly fell to the kitchen floor. I checked the coated paper that had fallen to the floor.

“A side dish order has arrived.”

Hae-tae approached and looked at the side dish order form, then spoke. Large characters were written on the paper.

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[Side Dish Order]
Requester: ■■
Ordered Side Dish: Stir-fried Potatoes
Reason: The last side dish eaten before death
Required Conditions: 1) Must use [Golden Potatoes Infused with the Breath of Earth (S)].
Reward: Karma Points ‘2’
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The race is ‘■■’? And they want me to use S-grade ingredients at that…. What kind of race could it be.

“Hae-tae, can you see this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“These black boxes.”

I wondered if only I couldn’t see the black boxes, so I asked Hae-tae.

“I can’t see them either.”

It seemed the race had been written in a way that made it invisible.

“No, they should at least tell me what race it is….”

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

I kept hearing the sound of someone chewing something in their mouth. I looked at Hae-tae in my arms, wondering if only I could hear it.

“Do you hear that sound?”
“I hear it.”

Hae-tae spoke while narrowing their brow.

“An Evil Spirit seems to have arrived.”
“An Evil Spirit!? Why would an Evil Spirit come here!”

I stepped back, putting Hae-tae in front of me. It wasn’t out of fear. Hae-tae’s gaze turned toward the side dish order form as they spoke.

“…So the Evil Spirit is…?”
“A customer, meow.”
“So the side dish order form…?”
“It seems they sent it in a black square, meow.”

If I refused the side dish order form…

‘Misfortune would follow for a while.’

I forced myself to muster courage and headed toward the Shop Backyard.

“Crunch crunch crunch crunch.”

An unnaturally distinct crunching sound bored into my ears. It was simply the sound of something being eaten deliciously, yet it was disturbingly vivid and clear.

‘The kimchi jar?!’

One of the large kimchi jars was trembling, not fully sealed.

“Grandmother’s kimchi!”

It was the jar I had opened yesterday to make kimchi pancakes. It was devouring the kimchi that Grandmother had so carefully prepared before she passed?!

“Crunch crunch!”

I held my breath and slowly approached the jar. And I saw it.

A massive, round black mass. That bloated, spherical thing had its head buried in the jar, greedily crunching and swallowing Grandmother’s kimchi.

There wasn’t much kimchi left. In that instant, anger surged up far stronger than fear.

‘How dare you devour Grandmother’s kimchi…!’

Something snapped in my mind. Evil Spirit or whatever—it didn’t matter anymore.

I seized the jar lid that had fallen to the floor and brought it down with all my strength onto the Evil Spirit’s head as it crunched away at the kimchi.

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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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