They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 13

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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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13. Stir-Fried Potatoes (1)

The sharp, rigid sensation transmitted through my fingertips sent a shock that reverberated through my arm, numbing it completely.

‘A direct hit!’

In that same instant of certainty, cold sweat trickled down my spine.

“Crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch?”

The head I’d struck with the lid of the kimchi jar caved inward grotesquely, its shape visibly twisted—yet the Evil Spirit showed not the slightest sign of pain.

Instead, the Evil Spirit gurgled and muttered while chewing the kimchi.

“Crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch?”

‘Did I actually hit it?’

I stared at the grotesque form in bewilderment. Its mouth continued moving perfectly intact.

It felt like I’d just hit an idiot….

“Did I hit it for nothing…?”
“What, are you giving it medicine and poison at the same time?”
“No, it’s just that hitting it made me feel guilty….”

No, wait. Guilty? That creature hadn’t eaten just one jar.

The Evil Spirit was overturning the kimchi jars indiscriminately, shoving kimchi into its mouth by the handful.

Each emptied jar left wilted cabbage leaves drooping across its bottom, and the radish from the dongchimi lay in halves on the floor like a cold corpse.

“Crunch crunch?”

It had consumed everything except the gochugaru and doenjang my grandmother had left behind—apparently it wouldn’t eat what wasn’t food.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!”

The sound of kimchi being chewed echoed relentlessly through the air once more.

“How much are you going to eat!”
“Crunch, crunch, crunch?”

Instead, it blinked its eyes as if asking what the problem was. In the meantime, the kimchi inside the earthenware jar was revealing its bottom.

“Wow….”

I was at a loss for words.

I stared blankly at the earthenware jar with its exposed bottom, like someone who had just been struck on the back of the head.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch?”
“Thank you for cleaning out the jar so thoroughly? Hmm? Thanks.”
“Crunch, crunch, crunch!”

It was still staring at me while chewing the remaining kimchi in its mouth thoroughly.

How infuriating.

“Hae-tae. What kind of Evil Spirit is this? An Evil Spirit that eats a lot of rice?”
“It’s an Evil Spirit that loves food, that’s right.”

Hae-tae muttered seriously beside me.

“An Evil Spirit that loves food?”
“Have you ever heard the expression ‘possessed by obsession’?”
“Uh…. Yes?”
“That’s exactly what it is. An Evil Spirit that eats like someone possessed by obsession—a Geol-gwi.”

I looked at Geol-gwi again. This Evil Spirit was licking up every last drop of kimchi brine that remained in the jar and gulping it down. The crimson liquid dripped from its mouth down to its neck, but it didn’t care one bit.

“Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry.”

Now that it had finished all the food, Geol-gwi began whimpering toward me like a petulant child.

“Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry!”

Hae-tae, nestled in my arms, explained.

“It says the food was delicious, meow.”
“You can understand what it’s saying?”

Hae-tae nodded.

I sighed, recalling the side dish order I’d received earlier.

‘I suppose I need to make stir-fried potatoes…?’

Since I had to harvest ‘S’-grade potatoes from the Dimensional Space, the work of digging and sorting them was exhausting.

“Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry!”

But would this Geol-gwi truly be satisfied with just one bowl?

“How much does Geol-gwi eat?”
“Geol-gwi will leave on its own once its belly is full, meow.”
“Is that so? But you don’t know how full that actually is, do you?”
“I’ve never actually met a Geol-gwi before either, so I’m not entirely sure, meow.”
“This is my first time dealing with an Evil Spirit at all.”

The real question was how much food it would take to satisfy its hunger.

“From what I understand, Geol-gwi devours food indiscriminately because it died of starvation and resents it, meow.”
“…Oh?”

Perhaps its constant hunger stemmed from not being able to eat before it became an Evil Spirit.

“Manager of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop!”

I was certain I’d locked the door, but hearing someone call my name, I quickly left Geol-gwi behind and rushed toward the shop. The visitor was none other than Grandmother Kim Myeong-ja.

“Grandmother, welcome!”

As I greeted her warmly, she broke into a smile, her lips curving upward.

“I came to buy some side dishes, but since Ji-gu wasn’t here, I almost left.”
“What did you want to buy?”
“So many people passing by kept raving about the seasoned bellflower root, so I decided to stop by.”
“People passing by?”
“That’s right! They say the seasoned bellflower root at Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop melts on your tongue like ice cream. Everyone’s been talking about it.”

So that’s the rumor that’s been spreading.

“By any chance, were there customers whose tastes didn’t match our food?”
“Hmm….”

Grandmother whispered softly.

“There were people who had their doubts.”
“Ah~.”

So there were people skeptical of my cooking skills. Grandmother Kim Myeong-ja handed me the three packs of seasoned bellflower root she’d been holding, then tilted her head curiously.

“Who’s that little one standing at the back door of the shop?”
“A little one?”

A little one at our shop? Standing at the wide-open back door, Geol-gwi was muttering about being hungry and drooling profusely.

‘Why is he standing there?’

“The little one seems hungry. He’s drooling all over the place. Who is he?”
“Oh. He’s my cousin.”
“Your cousin? You must have your hands full managing the shop and looking after your cousin. I’ll just take these three packs of seasoned bellflower root.”

Grandmother Kim Myeong-ja paid for the three packs and left with a cheerful smile, saying she’d enjoy them.

“I’ll be going now. Once the construction wraps up, come by for some bread.”
“Yes! Have a good day.”

I watched until Grandmother’s figure disappeared, then slowly turned my head.

“Geol-gwi.”

So when taking human form, he appears as a small child.

“A small child?”

To my eyes, it was simply the form of Geol-gwi.

“It seems it was a small child before becoming an Evil Spirit, meow.”
“So that’s why it looks like a little one to human eyes.”
“That’s right, meow.”

So that explained why it threw tantrums like a child.

“Hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry!”

As the tantrum grew more intense, I crossed my arms.

“Hae-tae. Can that Evil Spirit enter the Dimensional Space too?”
“It can enter, meow.”
“Of course it can’t…. Huh?”

I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.

“A Divine Being’s domain is naturally like that, meow. But I told you not to eat the ingredients in the Vegetable Garden, meow.”
“Oh, really?”
“Since it’s a Vegetable Garden made by the Mountain Spirit, it will hurt an Evil Spirit if it eats from there, meow.”

At Hae-tae’s words, I looked at Geol-gwi. So even though Evil Spirits could enter a Divine Being’s domain, they couldn’t eat or touch the things within it.

‘I see, that’s how it is.’

Looking at Geol-gwi sprawled almost flat on the ground, I spoke firmly.

“No fried potatoes if you keep screaming.”
“Hungry hungry…?”
“That’s right. Even if you throw a tantrum, you should pick a place where you can actually lie down.”

I looked Geol-gwi directly in the eyes as I spoke.

“Sit in the chair.”
“Hungry hungry.”

Geol-gwi settled obediently into the chair. I explained step by step why I couldn’t make stir-fried potatoes for her right now.

“I really do want to make the stir-fried potatoes you love, but I can’t leave the shop right now. There’s no one else to watch the place if I’m gone.”
“People people?”
“Right. So just wait a little longer, okay? I promise I’ll make you some really delicious stir-fried potatoes.”
“Potatoes potatoes….”

Geol-gwi gazed up at me with her peculiarly round eyes, her expression tinged with suspicion.

“I’m not lying.”

I extended my pinky finger toward Geol-gwi in a swift gesture.

“If you don’t believe me, should we make a pinky promise?”
“…Potatoes.”

Geol-gwi hesitated, raising her round fist before carefully wrapping it around my pinky finger.

I smiled at the sight of her damp little hand.

“Promise.”

***

‘Bean sprout seasoning, bracken seasoning—the seasoned vegetable side dishes are selling the fastest….’

I organized my smartphone notes with the side dishes that sold the most and least from the display, along with what customers were requesting.

‘Sausage stir-fry, braised meat, fish cake stir-fry—those are popular too.’

I’d ask for sausage and fish cake from the lower refrigerator shelf…. The rest I’d need to harvest from the Dimensional Space.

“Potatoes potatoes?”

Geol-gwi, who had been waiting eagerly, tugged at my apron and shook it.

“Should we go to the Dimensional Space?”
“Potatoes potatoes potatoes potatoes potatoes potatoes potatoes!”

Eager to get going, I made quick puffing sounds as I hurried toward the Shop’s Back Door. Hae-tae, who had already been waiting outside the Dimensional Space, opened one eye.

“Evil Spirits entering the Dimensional Space too—truly, the times have changed, meow.”

His tone was laced with sarcasm.

“Potato, potato?”
“What? You’re saying I’m old, meow?”
“Potato, potato!”
“Think you can laugh your way out of this, meow? Hmph.”

Hae-tae moved his short legs busily and strode into the Dimensional Space first. Geol-gwi lifted his head as if gauging my reaction.

“You can go in.”
“Potato, potato, potato!”

The moment I gave permission, Geol-gwi cried out with pure joy and darted into the Dimensional Space.

The moment I stepped inside, what I saw was….

“Potato…potato…potato….”

Had Geol-gwi already touched something in the Vegetable Garden? His voice was pained, something pressed against his tongue. Sprawled flat on the ground, Geol-gwi whimpered and cried out “It hurts, it hurts.”

‘He really is like a child.’

“Should we just leave him like that?”
“Time will heal it, meow.”

Time heals all wounds. As Geol-gwi rolled around whimpering on the ground, I pulled work gloves from my apron pocket and slipped them on.

Normally, potatoes are best harvested 90 to 100 days after sprouting. But now, looking at the potato patch….

“What kind of potatoes….”

The potato field was unusually vast.

“Wait… what? Daebaek potatoes, Baron potatoes, Russet potatoes, Haryeong potatoes, Goun potatoes, Saebong potatoes, Sumi potatoes, Daeseo potatoes, Chubaek potatoes, Seohong potatoes, Daeji potatoes, Jayoung potatoes—they’re all here?”

I lost myself for a moment, gazing at the sight of representative potato varieties clustered cozily throughout the Vegetable Garden.

‘This isn’t some potato exhibition….’

At least the Dou-baek potatoes would be fluffy and perfect for stir-fried potatoes.

Before harvesting the Dou-baek potatoes, I needed to satisfy my curiosity.

“Why are there so many varieties of potatoes in the Vegetable Garden?”
“Well, as time passes and civilization develops, the Vegetable Garden evolves too, you see.”

So as the era advanced, the Vegetable Garden reflected the latest varieties. It was a determination not to miss out on vegetable trends.

“…Shall we start harvesting?”
“Potatoes, potatoes?”

Geol-gwi, who had been rolling around complaining of pain earlier, was now beside me as if nothing had ever hurt.

“Geol-gwi, listen—potato harvesting is like this.”
“Potatoes, potatoes?”
“You harvest them this way.”

The moment I peeled back the black plastic, dense rows of potato stems were revealed. I grasped the stems by their roots and pulled them up in one swift motion.

Thud-thud-thud—

The potato came up attached to the stem. I brushed the dirt off each potato one by one and placed them in a blue colander.

Then I plunged my hands into the soil. Pushing the earth aside, rolling it over, potatoes popped out one by one.

[Exquisite-tasting Potato (A)]
[Standard Potato (B)]
[Exquisite-tasting Potato (A)]
[Exquisite-tasting Potato (A)]

But there was a separate problem. No matter how many potatoes I harvested, they kept coming. I’d already filled one blue colander and had to bring another.

“There are no S-grade potatoes?”

I pointed at the basket where I’d separated only the S-grade potatoes, my finger trembling as I called out.

But there were no S-grade potatoes at all. When I expressed my doubt, Hae-tae glanced at the basket and let out a snickering laugh.

“Try a little harder,” Hae-tae purred.
“If this takes much longer, the potato stir-fry will be delayed….”

I hadn’t even finished my sentence when a sinister energy crawled up my spine. I lifted my head.

Geol-gwi tore its mouth open vertically, creating a massive void of darkness—a chasm that seemed ready to devour every light in existence.

“Hungrystarvinghungrystarvinghungrystarvinghungrystarvinghungrystarvinghungrystarving!”

The words poured out like an energy blast, so overwhelming that my mind went numb.

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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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