They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 28

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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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28. School Lunch Box (2)

“Confirm? What do you mean?”

Hae-tae calmly grasped the notebook with his front paw and spoke.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk’s been writing in that notebook, hasn’t she?”

I brushed away the dust clinging to my fingers for no particular reason. I felt guilty, as if I’d been caught reading someone’s diary.

“Well… I did look at the notebook.”
“That’s why I said it like that.”
“What? Do you think I’m stupid?”

In a fit of irritation, I lightly wrapped my hand around Hae-tae’s head and leaned my face close.

“Why, why are you doing this!”
“Why are you being so vague about it? Huh?”

Hae-tae flailed his front paws in the air before pinning his pointed ears back and grumbling.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk always writes something in this notebook when she comes home from work! So… I was just asking if you’d finally seen it!”
“That’s all? Just that?”
“That’s all there is to it!”

I see. I released him while stroking his soft fur.

“Ahem!”

I asked while watching Hae-tae clear his throat.

“Do you know what Grandmother mostly wrote in that notebook?”

Hae-tae narrowed his eyes and tilted his head curiously.

“You don’t know either?”
“I… ”

I swept my hand across my forehead, brushing my bangs back.

“I’ve never asked Grandmother about trivial things. She was always so busy because of me… and I didn’t want to burden her further.”

My gaze naturally drifted down to the notebook in my hand.

“For me, it was enough just to have her by my side. Even without confirming it in words, her presence was all the comfort I needed.”

Hae-tae bent forward, studying my expression.

“You’re a strange family, aren’t you?”
“We are. Definitely strange.”

I nodded in agreement and smiled faintly. But regardless, those sentences still lingered in my mind.

“But why did you ask why I’m only seeing it now? It seemed like you said that knowing I would look at the notebook.”

Hae-tae swished his tail slowly as he replied.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk always acts as if she knows the future. She said this notebook would speak to you.”
“Our grandmother…?”
“Yes. Try turning to the next page.”

Following Hae-tae’s words, I turned to the next page.

[Ji-gu,
The notebook with years written down is a record,
and I wrote recipes and customer information in the notebook without years. Check it.]

Just as Grandmother said, there was a separate notebook without years written on it.

“…Oh. What is this?”

It contained Grandmother’s side dish recipes and customer information. I flinched slightly at the name “Ji-gu” written on the first page.

“I was her first customer?”

My grandmother was also the first customer to taste my cooking.

I pressed my fingertips firmly against the page and hurried to turn it.

“Found it!”

As the name finally came into view, my heart swelled with emotion.

[Ae-rim and Ae-hyuk]

Information about new guests is always fresh. I had only ever managed cooking based on each guest’s preferences.

[Ae-rim and Ae-hyuk don’t like vegetable side dishes
They seem to eat them reluctantly, following along as the adults do
So I once asked Ae-hyuk discreetly
what his favorite side dish was
Ae-hyuk mumbled and said
with a child’s palate, he likes sausage and rolled egg. And at the end, he said it shyly]

“Shyly….”

I blinked my eyes wide open.

“What? Why is only this part blurry?!”

Only the name of the last side dish was smudged. The ink had bled as if water had spilled on it, making it impossible to read.

[↑It got wet because Hae-tae knocked over a water glass]

It was an honest note, as if Grandmother Hyang-suk had written down a memory.

“I can’t quite see what he likes….”
“Why, meow?”
“Here.”

I pointed to the smudged section.

“You knocked over the water glass and caused this.”
“Hmm, meow….”

Hae-tae glanced at me nervously, flattening his ears against his head.

“It’s fine. There’s a way to see it.”

I squinted at the notebook, holding it closer. How infuriating that the smudged ink obscured only the final word.

“What if we try the classic method?”

Hae-tae rested his chin on his front paw, his expression turning meaningful—like some assistant detective from a crime drama.

“The classic method?”
“Gently scrape it with paper and pencil. Like they do in dramas.”
“Oh. That!”

I opened the desk drawer and pulled out paper and a pencil. The very technique I’d seen in old dramas.

“Watch me do this, okay?”
“Meow.”

I placed the paper over the smudged writing and tilted the pencil, gently shading across the surface. Gradually, faint lines began to emerge.

“Oh… it’s working!”

Hae-tae watched intently from beside me, holding his breath in concentration, then muttered softly.

“You’re acting just like some amateur detective.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”

I had no comeback. All my focus narrowed to the tip of the pencil in my hand. At last, the faint characters began revealing themselves one by one.

There it is.

[likes braised pork ribs]

“The twins have good taste.”

My mind, which had felt so stuck, suddenly began racing. I envisioned a lunchbox with stir-fried sausage, rolled egg, and braised pork ribs—all favorites of the twins. And if I added some of the side dishes Grandmother Hyang-suk had prepared, it would be even more special.

Since this was my first time preparing a lunch box, I felt a bit nervous for some reason.

“Are you done playing detective?”

Hae-tae let out a leisurely yawn from beside me.

“More or less….”

I answered while gripping my notebook tightly.

“Now it’s time to get down to the real work!”

The moment I finished speaking, my stomach let out an audible growl. Only then did Hae-tae look up at me with eyes gleaming with interest.

“Finally, we eat!”
“That’s not the real work….”
“We eat!”

Well… let’s start with eating first.

***

Early in the morning, I felt excited at the thought of making twin lunch boxes.

“Shall I get started?”

This was my first time packing a lunch box.

First, I cracked three eggs into a bowl. I added a pinch of salt and a splash of milk, then stirred continuously with chopsticks. The golden waves rippled gently before blending into a uniform, silky hue.

“This should do….”

I thinly coated a heated pan with oil, then poured the egg mixture in slowly.

Sizzle—

The aroma of cooking rose up immediately. I carefully rolled the thinly cooked egg with chopsticks, layering the moist golden strips neatly on top of each other.

Once it reached a size small enough to eat in nearly one bite, I thought about adding a secret ingredient in the middle.

“That’s the one.”

I pulled the pollock roe from the Refrigerator.

As I placed the crimson roe atop the golden egg, the colors came alive with vibrant contrast.

While the egg cooled, I retrieved the sausage and sliced it diagonally into long, elegant pieces.

Then.

Looking at the sausage, I called out silently in my mind.

‘Tip!’

Instantly, a TIP window flashed open.

[Ingredient TIP!]
Target Species: Human
Consumption Method: Stir-fried with S-rank vegetables
Effect: 100% anemia prevention upon consumption

“Perfect. Information noted.”

I moved my hands again, slicing the S-rank onion and carrot to stir-fry alongside the sausage.

As I poured oil into the pan, it crackled softly, and I tossed in the vegetables and sausage together. The sausage browned beautifully, like delicate petals unfurling in the heat.

Finally, I drizzled in the ketchup sauce and let it sizzle, filling the kitchen with a sweet and tangy aroma that made my mouth water. Once the sausage stir-fry was perfectly cooked, I transferred it to a bowl.

“Is the lunch box all done?”

Hae-tae called out from behind me.

“Yeah, almost.”
“Save some for me too. Yesterday’s food didn’t satisfy me.”
“That’s because I just threw together some ramen yesterday?”
“That’s true….”

Hae-tae leaped onto the counter, closed his eyes, and spoke with leisurely ease.

“Tell me when you’re done,” Hae-tae said.
“Yeah, got it.”

I drew a deep breath and retrieved the prepared beef brisket I’d set aside.

“Now for the main event…”

Using the knife’s edge, I trimmed away the white fat, and the meat’s grain became silky smooth. I transferred the beef to a bowl and began adding the marinade ingredients one by one.

Red chili powder—sprinkle,
soy sauce—pour,
minced garlic—tap,
gochujang—plop,
sugar—scatter,
and a few drops of sesame oil—drizzle—before I mixed it all together with my hands.

The moment I placed the marinated meat into a fresh wok, a bright, crackling sound erupted.

Sizzzzle!—

The intense sound released a wave of nutty sesame oil aroma mingled with spicy fragrance that filled the kitchen all at once.

“That smells delicious,” Hae-tae murmured.

At the aroma, Hae-tae’s ears perked up attentively.

“Almost done. Just wait a bit.”
“Meow.”

As I added onions and scallions to the pan, vibrant colors bloomed across the wok.

The meat glistened with a glossy sheen, turning a rosy brown as it cooked, while the bubbling marinade clung to each piece, transforming it into an appetizing stir-fried beef dish.

“There. All done!”
“Give it to me now!” Hae-tae demanded.
“Wait. Let me get a spoon.”

I picked up a piece with my spoon and held it out to Hae-tae. Hae-tae popped it into her mouth and chewed contentedly, then her eyes widened in a perfect circle.

“It’s sweet but spicy too! Even the twins with their picky kid palates will absolutely love it.”

I let out a soft laugh.

‘How could anyone refuse this flavor?’

I neatly pulled out the lunch boxes and carefully layered them with rolled egg, fried sausage, and braised beef.

Ding-a-ling—

The bell above the Side Dish Shop door chimed loudly. When I looked up, Grandmother Hyang-suk stood in the doorway.

“Ji-gu!”
“Grandmother?”

I pulled off my gloves and opened the door.

“Are you packing lunch boxes right now?”

I nodded.

“Yes, I’m almost finished.”

Grandmother paused to catch her breath before speaking.

“The thing is…”

Beads of sweat dotted Grandmother’s forehead. Her voice trembled as she gasped for air, struggling to steady her breathing.

“Don’t be alarmed, but listen to me.”
“Yes? Okay.”
“Ae-rim and Ae-hyuk…”

Grandmother Hyang-suk continued with difficulty, still catching her breath.

“They ran away saying they wouldn’t eat the lunch boxes.”
“They won’t eat them?”

My voice rose slightly.

“Ah… so that’s what happened.”

Grandmother Hyang-suk averted her gaze apologetically. There was something oddly apologetic and uncomfortable in her expression.

“Why did they run away?”
“They said not to make it.”
“Just like that?”

Those words struck me like a blow to the bone. Just like that? That was it?

“The kids… they felt sorry, you see. So even when I said I’d make it myself, they just bolted out the door.”
“Grandmother! Would it be alright if I went to their school during lunch and delivered the lunchbox myself? I have the day off anyway, so I can stop by the school…!”

Crack. The egg I’d been holding in my hand burst open. The yolk dripped through my fingers.

“…I’d be grateful if you did that. Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure!”
“I can’t leave the shop anyway because of the business.”
“I’m doing this because I want to now.”

If they’d simply said the taste wasn’t to their liking, I could have laughed it off. But refusing without even tasting it was like scratching directly at my pride.

‘They feel sorry so they won’t eat? Those kids would starve for life if I didn’t feed them. I’ll force them to eat and make sure they’re satisfied.’

I bit my lower lip hard, repeating the words to myself.
In that moment, the egg in my hand cracked loudly and burst open.

The yolk dripped down and left stains on the floor, but what remained even more vivid was my resolve.

I would settle this with a delicious homemade lunchbox. I spoke with determination, putting strength into my words.

“And Grandmother Hyang-suk, you brought those guests to the Sarangbang. Think of this as my way of repaying you.”
“I feel bad….”

I waved my hand dismissively and cut her off.

“There’s no need to apologize! This is my pride on the line. I’ll get them to eat that lunchbox no matter what.”

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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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