They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 26

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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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26. Cucumber Kimchi (2)

***

I set the Water Ghost down on one side of the sink, then began scrubbing the cucumber’s skin vigorously with sea salt.

Each time the salt granules scraped away the skin, a soft, crisp scratching sound echoed gently through the kitchen.

The moment I sliced off both ends of the nearly-cleaned cucumber with a sharp tap, tap of my knife—

“Meoooow!”

Hae-tae shot up like lightning and snatched the two cucumber ends right out of my hands. He held them in his mouth, lifted his front paws with dignified pride, and chewed away contentedly.

“What are you looking at me for?”
“Nothing. Enjoy yourself.”

Hae-tae nodded his head as if he were a true connoisseur.

“The crispness is absolutely exquisite, meow.”

I let out a hollow laugh and turned my attention to a fresh cucumber.

Now came the most crucial technique for cucumber kimchi.

‘The cross-hatch cut!’

I carefully carved a cross-hatch pattern into the cucumber I’d cut into thirds.

Water was already bubbling away in the pot I’d prepared. When I dissolved half a paper cup of sea salt into it, steam rose up in a thick plume.

As I poured the hot brine over the cucumbers in the bowl, the heat enveloped the surface of each piece.

I pressed down gently with my hand to keep the cucumbers submerged, and the prep work was complete!

“One more cucumber! I want to eat!”
“Here you go.”

I fished out a cucumber, rinsed it in cold water, and handed it over. Hae-tae gripped it firmly with both front paws and crunched away with a satisfying crackle.

‘…Why is that?’

Watching Hae-tae devour the cucumber, Grandmother Hyang-suk’s words suddenly surfaced in my memory.

‘Ji-gu, cucumber kimchi is a simple, comforting dish. You can make it with just the seasonings you have at home. The more you eat, the crispier and more refreshing it becomes, doesn’t it?’
‘Do you like cucumber kimchi, Grandmother?’
‘Of course I do. But not as much as you do.’
‘Well, that’s only natural!’

The memory brushed past me, and a smile bloomed unbidden. My hands moved of their own accord. I gathered the sliced scallions and onions together and prepared the seasoning sauce.

The proportions fell from my fingertips.

Three spoonfuls of red chili powder, one spoonful of plum syrup, one spoonful of sugar, two spoonfuls of minced garlic, one spoonful of anchovy sauce.

Once the seasoning sauce was ready, I added the vegetables and mixed them gently. Finally, I sprinkled sesame seeds over the top, and the white grains looked as cute as little pebbles.

‘Now I just need to stuff the seasoning into the cucumbers.’

I rinsed the pickled cucumbers under running water and shook off the excess moisture.

“Now I just stuff the seasoning into the cucumbers and we’re done.”
– Is it done?

I nodded firmly. I gently pried open each cucumber and generously stuffed the seasoning inside, pressing it down firmly with my fingers so the flavor would penetrate all the way through.

The finished cucumber kimchi looked so appetizing just to behold.

The pickled cucumber’s verdant hue gleamed with translucent clarity, and the densely packed seasoning looked absolutely delicious.

“Would you like to try the cucumber kimchi first?”

I was about to offer it to the Water Ghost first, but Hae-tae pressed down firmly on the Water Ghost’s head with a front paw.

“I’ll go first.”
-That’s right. Give it to me.

I picked up one piece of cucumber kimchi and brought it toward Hae-tae.

“Ahhh~ the cucumber kimchi goes into the mouth~.”
“Mrrrrrow~.”

I popped the first piece of cucumber kimchi right into Hae-tae’s mouth.

And immediately after.

Crunch—

A crisp, cheerful sound rang in my ears.

Hae-tae’s eyes widened, and they blinked continuously as if savoring the taste.

“Is it good?”
“Try it yourself. Then you’ll know.”

Hae-tae pointed repeatedly at the cucumber kimchi with his front paws.

“Alright. I’ll have a taste.”

But before that, I turned toward the Water Ghost.

“Water Ghost, would you like to try some too?”

I was merely making a suggestion.

Shake, shake.

The Water Ghost shook its head firmly from side to side.

“Even just a taste might be nice for you?”

This time, the response was identical.

– I’d like it if you ate it.
“Me? You want me to eat it?”
“Why me?”
– I put it on the side dish order form.
“Don’t tell me the person you wanted to feed with gratitude is….”
– You.

So the Water Ghost had placed this side dish order specifically to give me this cucumber kimchi?

“To me… why?”
– I’d like it if you ate it.

The furry mass answered firmly.

“No, I don’t see why I specifically need to eat this….”

The Water Ghost flicked water with its hair like a whip, spraying my face in disapproval.

– Bad. Bad.

Hae-tae interjected from the side.

“Why are you so insistent on making them eat it?”
“Right? That’s what I’m saying.”

I agreed with Hae-tae while wiping my wet face dry.

“So I should eat it?”
– You must not eat it.
“Got it. I’ll eat it.”

Well, eating isn’t a big deal anyway.

I lightly tossed the cucumber kimchi in its seasoning and put it in my mouth.

The cool moisture seeping from within the cucumber mingled with the seasoning, creating a refreshing appeal without being overpowering.

The pungent notes of scallions and onions mixed into the seasoning stimulated my tongue, while the aroma of red chili flakes and garlic occasionally brushed past my nose.

I’d only taken a single bite, yet my mouth felt suddenly opened and refreshed, as if airing out a stuffy room.

“It tastes like something hard-won and precious.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Like the spiciness struggles to reach its peak?”
– Now. Hold. My. Hand.

The Water Ghost floating in the mixing bowl spoke.

“Your hand?”

‘Where does it have a hand?’

The Water Ghost gathered its fur into a rounded bundle and extended it toward me.

– Take it.
“Um, uh… okay.”

I brought my fingertips to touch that fur.

In that instant, my vision flooded with gray light and time twisted.

Before me stood Grandmother Hyang-suk.
Grandmother Hyang-suk in her youth.

An old fan mounted on the wall creaked as it spun, and Grandmother Hyang-suk moved busily across the cutting board, preparing side dishes. The scene resembled a frame from an old film reel.

When cicadas shrieked relentlessly, announcing their survival.

Splash.

Grandmother Hyang-suk paused and spoke to the Water Ghost in the mixing bowl.

‘Fur. Since I saved you from the Back Mountain, could I ask you for one favor?’
– What. Favor.
‘When I die in the future, would you go to my granddaughter? I’ll leave this side dish order here.’
– Why. Leave. Me.
‘You’re already dead—why can’t I die?’
– Bad. Words. Disrespectful.

Grandmother Hyang-suk let out a short laugh.

‘My granddaughter, you see, won’t eat a single side dish she’s made herself, no matter what. She’s the type who only feels satisfied giving her food to others. I wanted her to eat something made by her own hands, just once.’
– Why?
‘Because soon she’ll have to fend for herself.’
– Fend… for herself?
‘Later, much later. There won’t be anyone left to give side dishes to my little one.’

“….”

Grandmother Hyang-suk’s gaze turned toward me. It felt as though she was seeing me as I truly was in this moment.

‘That’s why I wanted to ask you. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, my little one gets lonely quite easily.’
– So… do I get compensated?
‘Compensation…? Wouldn’t it be a good thing if my granddaughter does this in the future? Besides, if you say you won’t accept anything, they’ll all back off anyway, won’t they?’
– I see.

Grandmother Hyang-suk’s eyes, which had been fixed on me, shifted toward the distance beyond the shop’s entrance.

‘Oh my, my granddaughter seems to be coming home from school.’
– When should I place the order?
‘Hmm… Could you say you placed an order at just the right moment?’
– When would that be?
‘Hmm….’

Grandmother Hyang-suk rolled her eyes thoughtfully.

I couldn’t quite hear what she said.

– But why me?
‘Well… you seemed like the kindest one.’
– Kind….
‘Yes. My little one!’

I wanted to hear more.

Ding.

As the shop door opened, Grandmother Hyang-suk rushed over, passing by my side like a mirage.

“Ji-gu!”

Hae-tae’s voice snapped me back to reality. When I came to my senses, I realized the Water Ghost’s hair was crawling up my fingers toward my neck.

“You can’t become one with an Evil Spirit!”
“Ugh, ah….”

I ruthlessly plucked away the strands creeping toward my throat. The Water Ghost, its hair torn away, sank back into the water and didn’t surface again.

– I’m… sorry.
“Apologize properly!”

Hae-tae struck the Water Ghost’s head hard with his front paw. I’d nearly merged with an Evil Spirit, but….

“It was wonderful to meet Grandmother Hyang-suk after so long. Thank you.”
– It’s… nothing!

In the meantime, Hae-tae ripped out a handful of the Water Ghost’s hair, leaving its head half-bald.

‘That’s harsh. Now it has a little hair loss.’

“Let’s call it even. Now open your eyes.”
– My eyes?
“Yes. But why are you opening them like that?”

I recalled the Water Ghost cautiously opening its eyes. But somehow, the angle of its gaze seemed to be glaring directly at me.

“Why are you opening them so wide? It’s scary.”
– My eyes… are always… like this.

The strange tension dissolved, and my mind felt refreshed.

“Now we should eat our cucumber kimchi.”
– Do I… get some too?
“Of course. You showed me Grandmother Hyang-suk, after all.”

I laughed softly.

“Isn’t that what they call mutual aid in classical Chinese?”
“It’s called mutual assistance, meow.”
“Ah. If the meanings are similar, it’s all the same.”
“The meanings are different, meow!”

Similar meanings were good enough for me.

I lifted the bowl brimming with cucumber kimchi and cried out.

“Should we eat the leftover cucumber kimchi?”

Just thinking of cucumber kimchi with white rice made my throat move involuntarily.

“We should have white rice too.”

Hae-tae and the Water Ghost cried out simultaneously.

“Meowwwwww!”
– Let’s eat. Yes.

***

I arrived at the Back Mountain Spring and released the Water Ghost. But the fur matted with cucumber kimchi seasoning was so tangled that I was terrified the entire time I was untangling it.

‘You really do see everything when you live a long life.’

A day came when I untangled the Water Ghost’s fur….

“There we go.”

The Water Ghost wriggled and slipped into the Back Mountain Spring, following the moisture.

Floating on the water, the Water Ghost stared at me for a long while before speaking.

– Thank you.

I was waving my hand as I watched the Water Ghost disappear, following the moisture, when—

The side dish order slip I’d tucked into my apron pocket earlier glowed faintly.

As if it had never existed from the beginning,
as if it had never been ordered from me.

The side dish order form slowly scattered and vanished. Without even a chance to touch it. And without the Karma Points that were always given.

[Past Karma cannot be obtained by the future.]

“…Past Karma?”

I lowered my head and asked Hae-tae.

“Hae-tae’s status window says past Karma cannot be obtained in the future?”
“Meow?”

Hae-tae seemed equally confused. Cradling the bewildered Hae-tae, I quickly went inside and contacted Lee Yeo-ui.

“Hello? Is this Lee Yeo-ui?”
– Yes. This is Lee Yeo-ui.
“Well, I received a side dish order the other day. But a status window appeared saying I cannot obtain past Karma. Why is that?”
– A status window like that appeared? Please wait a moment.

I heard the sound of keyboard typing, as if searching through records. The typing stopped, followed by a moment of silence. Then came the response.

– There is only one case where such a status window appears.
“Only one case?”
– …When the person who ordered the side dishes has passed away.

I gripped the phone tightly, frozen in place.

“Passed away, you say?”

My question was more of a confirmation.

– If the client who ordered the side dishes passes away, the system is designed to naturally erase the Karma Points. It’s to prevent abuse of the system.

Since my grandmother placed the side dish order through the Water Ghost… the person who actually ordered the side dishes was my grandmother.

‘This feeling is strange.’

“Thank you for letting me know.”
– Have a good night, then.

I hung up the phone quietly and turned my gaze toward Hae-tae.

“…So that’s how it is?”

Hae-tae tilted his head to the side with a swift motion. He looked remarkably serene as he slowly chewed the remaining cucumber kimchi in his mouth. I stroked him gently, trying to soothe my own anxious heart.

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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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