They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 29

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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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29. School Lunch Box (3)

No matter what!

“Is the lunch box ready?”
“Yes! I just need to add the rice.”

I handed the lunch box filled with the side dishes I’d prepared earlier to Grandmother Hyang-suk. She opened the lid and peered inside, then fell silent for a moment.

“I arranged it to suit the twins’ tastes, but it might not match their preferences.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. If you made it, they’ll eat it without complaint. As long as we have chopsticks, what couldn’t we eat?”

Grandmother Hyang-suk took my hand as if to express her gratitude. Beneath the sleeve of her garment, I caught a glimpse of a vivid red burn mark.

“Grandmother, are you hurt…?”

I was startled and quickly set down the lunch box, grabbing her arm.

“Oh, it’s nothing. My strength gave out while I was moving the oven. That’s just what happens when you get old.”

Her words were casual, but the vivid burn mark was far from trivial.

‘There’s no way a burn mark like that would come from dropping an oven…’

I furrowed my brow and asked her firmly.

“That wound didn’t come from moving something, did it?”

At that, Grandmother Hyang-suk laughed heartily.

“Hehe, you’re something else. The twins said the exact same thing. ‘Grandmother, that doesn’t make sense!’ they said.”
“Of course it doesn’t. Moving something might cause bruising, but it wouldn’t leave a burn mark. How did you actually get hurt?”

Hesitating at my words, Grandmother Hyang-suk averted her gaze and confessed sheepishly.

“Last time I was packing lunch boxes for the kids, I ended up burning myself. I was flipping a rolled omelet and it stuck to my hand. That’s when the twins started saying, ‘Grandmother, please stop now~’ and told me not to make lunch boxes anymore.”

I let out a hollow laugh at the twins’ earnest concern for Grandmother Hyang-suk’s safety.

“Grandmother, that burn mark looks quite serious. Please go to the hospital first. I’ll finish filling the rice in the lunch boxes and deliver them directly to the school myself, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you….”
“It’s nothing. Compared to all the kindness Grandmother has shown me, this is barely anything.”

My voice carried more conviction than usual.

“All right, I’ll be going then. Take care….”
“Yes, yes. Please go quickly.”

After sending Grandmother Hyang-suk out of the shop, I returned to the kitchen.

I appeased the sulking Hae-tae and leaned my hands against the sink, racking my brain.

“I just need to add the rest of the rice….”

But plain rice alone didn’t seem right.

The lunch boxes lacked greenery, so it would be nice to add some vegetables.

“What would my grandmother have put in these lunch boxes….”

I murmured, resting my chin in one hand. Something easy to eat in one bite….

“Wraps, maybe?”
“Wraps? Did you say wraps?”

The moment those words registered, a light bulb flickered on in my mind.

“That’s it!”

If I made them bite-sized, they’d look beautiful and be easy to eat. And squash leaves aid digestion wonderfully.

“Squash leaf wraps. Let’s go with squash leaf wraps!”

I opened my eyes wide and surveyed the kitchen. Lettuce wraps are too common. I wanted something more special, something that carried the warmth and familiarity of Grandmother’s table.

The freshly steamed pumpkin leaves released a subtle fragrance as they nestled warmly around the rice—a sight that burned itself into my mind.

“How delicious would it be to pop one whole bite into my mouth like this?”

Moreover, the pumpkin leaf wraps, neatly stacked in single-bite portions and arranged snugly in the lunch box compartments, would look absolutely beautiful.

“Why are you grinning so wickedly?”
“Wickedly? What do you mean?”

Hae-tae glanced up at me with curious eyes.

“Look, imagine taking a pumpkin leaf wrap, topping it with some spicy stir-fried pork, and then stuffing your entire mouth full of it.”

Hae-tae’s tongue flicked out slightly.

“Just imagining it makes my mouth water.”
“Do you think the twins could resist this?”
“They won’t be able to!”

I met Hae-tae’s gaze and broke into a grin. We exchanged the same mischievous smile, both erupting into wicked laughter.

“I’m going to show them such an amazing lunch box…!”
“Meowwww!”

***

I headed toward the school, carrying the lunch box with its harmonious blend of yellow, red, deep brown, and green.

‘If they don’t eat after seeing this… I’ll just have to eat it in front of them.’

A faint smile played at my lips as my pace quickened. Soon I arrived at the Main Gate, where an imposing iron barrier stood firmly in my way.

The Security Guard, noticing me standing there vacantly, approached with long strides.

“Student, what brings you here?”

I held up the lunch box before the firmly closed iron gate and answered.

“Oh, I came to bring lunch boxes to some younger siblings I know. The gate was locked!”
“Is that so? Which class are they in, and what are their names?”
“Song Ae-rim and Song Ae-hyuk from Class 1, Grade 2.”
“Those twins who transferred in recently?”

…They’re already famous?

“Yes! These lunch boxes are for those twins.”

However, school regulations didn’t allow outsiders to enter easily. The Security Guard glanced at me briefly, then made a phone call.

‘Will they come?’

“The twins will come down during lunch period, which is coming up soon.”
“Is that so?”
“Just wait here.”
“Thank you.”

Ding-dong—

The moment the familiar bell chimed across the schoolyard, it transformed into absolute chaos. The entire student body burst from their classrooms and streamed toward the convenience store in a mad rush.

I watched the spectacle unfold and found myself swallowing hard. Seeing all that…

‘I want to eat school lunch too.’

The carefully crafted menu that the nutritionist had prepared.

‘They say school lunch gets better the older you get.’

Two tall figures were running toward me from the distance. They both wore expressions of unmistakable irritation. At first glance, they were unmistakably twins who bore a striking resemblance to Grandmother Hyang-suk.

The boy had pale skin and a gaunt appearance, as though he might collapse at the slightest breeze. He kept tapping his chest lightly while breathing heavily.

The girl’s long, natural hair fluttered in the wind, and dark circles beneath her eyes were particularly pronounced. She was smiling, but a subtle tension was evident in her expression.

‘They really are identical twins….’

“Huff… huff….”

Song Ae-hyuk breathed heavily, glaring at me. Then Song Ae-rim, arms crossed, exhaled sharply and spoke in a cutting voice.

“Who are you?”
“Come closer and you’ll find out.”
“Come closer?”

I gestured lightly toward the twins, beckoning them forward. Song Ae-hyuk hesitated, blocking Song Ae-rim protectively, then approached me himself.

“…I don’t understand what you’re after. Are you perhaps after our grandmother’s wealth…?”

These kids watch too many dramas.

“I’m a lunch box delivery person.”
“Huh?! A delivery person?”
“…Yes?”

Both twins’ eyes widened simultaneously. I shook the lunch box and raised one corner of my mouth in a smirk.

“I heard you rejected my lunch box?”

Song Ae-rim hesitated, then asked me a question.

“…Are you the owner of Hyang-suk Side Dish Shop?”
“That’s right. I’m the owner of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop. I came all the way here to deliver it personally—are you really not going to eat it?”

Song Ae-hyuk frowned slightly and spoke.

“…It would be awkward to refuse after you’ve come all this way. But why did you keep saying you’d make us lunch boxes?”
“Because of Grandmother Myung-ja.”
“Not because of us?”

I looked at the twins with a questioning gaze and shrugged my shoulders.

“How could I do that when we don’t even know each other?”
“…Well, that’s…”
“Right? So you’re not going to take the lunch box?”
“…We eat kimbap from the convenience store during our break time.”
“Ah, is that so?”

I pulled the lunch box out of the paper bag without hesitation.

“W-what are you doing here?!”

Song Ae-rim’s eyes widened in surprise. I unzipped the insulated bag and retrieved the lunch box.

“If I just hand it over, you’ll refuse anyway. So I’m taking a gamble here too.”

The savory aroma of braised pork tickled my nostrils, drifting on the breeze.

“Smells good, doesn’t it? You’re still going to refuse?”

Several students running from the convenience store suddenly stopped and sniffed the air in unison.

“Is that someone opening a lunch box over there?”
“Looks like their parents packed them lunch. So jealous.”

Flustered by the sudden attention, Song Ae-rim urgently tugged at Song Ae-hyuk’s sleeve and whispered.

“Hey… Song Ae-hyuk, everyone’s looking….”
“…Yeah.”

Song Ae-hyuk also bit his lower lip awkwardly, his face flushing red. I seized the moment.

“So you won’t take it? I’ll just eat it myself then. Maybe I’ll even film a mukbang here.”

I was just about to crack open the lunch box lid.

“No, wait! You can’t eat here! Just give it to me! Hurry!”

Song Ae-rim finally surrendered, thrusting her hand forward.

“You should’ve just taken it from the start.”

Song Ae-hyuk looked displeased before snatching the lunch box away half-forcefully.

“Thank you for the meal.”

I chuckled softly and released my grip on the lunch box.

“I’m heading out now. Once you finish eating, bring the lunch box back to the shop. Got it?”
“…I will.”

She was adorable.

“Enjoy the meal, and let me know what you think of it.”
“Please… go now.”

Song Ae-rim’s face flushed crimson as she whipped her head away.

“Thank you… for the lunch box.”

Caught off guard by her gratitude, I turned and waved.

***

As Song Ae-rim entered the classroom, she felt the warmth of the lunch box cradled in her arms and hesitantly asked.

“Hey, Song Ae-hyuk—should we eat this?”
“…Of course we should. She came all the way here to give it to us.”
“I mean… I’m not particularly eager to eat it or anything.”

As the twins entered, the classroom scene came into view.

Students with lunch boxes their parents had packed sat at their desks, chopsticks moving busily as they shared side dishes with one another.

The aroma of kimchi mingled with the scent of rolled egg. Nothing particularly extraordinary about it.

“Let’s eat together here!”
“Yeah….”

Song Ae-rim set the lunch box on a desk tucked away in one corner.

“Hey, don’t you smell something delicious?”

A student nearby, crunching away on a hot bar freshly heated from the convenience store, spoke up.

“Right? That sesame oil smell is amazing….”
“It really does smell good, doesn’t it?”

Around us, students picked up their chopsticks and turned their attention toward the lunch box.

“Eat quickly and clean up! Hurry!”

Song Ae-rim’s face flushed crimson, and her eyes darted about as though she wanted to flee at any moment.

The moment the lunch box lid opened, it revealed each compartment brimming with golden egg rolls, vibrant red stir-fried sausage, seasoned beef bulgogi studded with sesame seeds, and fresh green zucchini leaf wraps.

“Woooooow…!”
“Insane!”
“Hey, what kind of lunch box is that?”

Gasps of admiration erupted throughout the classroom. Even the student eating a hot bar couldn’t close their mouth.

“You two twins.”
“…Why?”
“Yeah, you’re such a good guy, Ae-hyuk—can I eat some first?”

Jung Cheon-ru, who was close with the twins, approached.

“Why would you eat it?”
“Come on, don’t be so formal between friends.”
“Hey. Hey.”

Song Ae-rim gestured for him not to eat, but Jung Cheon-ru had already grabbed chopsticks and snatched a zucchini leaf wrap.

“Uh, hey. Wait!”

As the subtle fragrance of the zucchini leaf and its tender flesh entered his mouth, Jung Cheon-ru’s already large eyes widened further.

“Damn… this… insanely delicious food…. Seriously tastes amazing….”

Every eye in the classroom fixed once more upon the lunch box.

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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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