They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 32

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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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32. Daylily Seasoned Vegetables (2)

“That’s right. How cool!”

As I gave a thumbs up, Maltese scratched the back of his neck with his front paw, looking embarrassed.

“Hearing that makes me want to make it even better.”

The moment Maltese finished speaking, the timer chimed cheerfully.

Beep beep beep beep—

Two hours had already passed.

I retrieved the daylilies I’d set aside and squeezed out the moisture. As I pressed them firmly with my hands, droplets of greenish water fell down one by one.

Hae-tae watched the scene intently, then murmured softly.

“Become delicious! Become delicious!”

Watching him, I echoed his words.

“It becomes delicious. It becomes delicious.”

Then I picked up chopsticks and spread the daylilies evenly. I added a few drops of sesame oil, a spoonful of soy sauce, half a spoonful of minced garlic, and slowly mixed everything together with the chopsticks.

The softened daylilies absorbed the seasoning and released a delicious, nutty aroma.

Perfect. I transferred the seasoned daylily vegetables onto two plates.

“Here, you two try it.”

At my words, Hae-tae moved first. With feline grace, he lowered his sleek body and took a strand of daylily into his mouth. I heard the soft sound of chewing, and soon the nutty fragrance of sesame oil spread through the air.

“The more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes. Not bad at all.”
“Really?”
“It’s my first time trying this vegetable, so the flavor is quite interesting.”

Hae-tae placed a satisfied mouthful of daylily into his mouth. Watching him, Maltese hesitated slightly.

“C-can I eat some too?”
“Of course!”

I pushed the plate toward him.

“Why wouldn’t you be able to?”

Maltese answered hesitantly.

“No, it’s not that! It’s just… I’ve never eaten human food before!”
“Huh?”

Is he different from Hae-tae?

I blinked blankly.

“Can’t you eat it now?”

I asked, glancing at Hae-tae beside me.

“Now that I’m a spiritual being, human food won’t cause any harm. That’s how it works.”
“Oh! So spiritual beings can eat human food without problems!”
“What have you been eating all this time?”
“I’ve been eating scraps and food waste I found lying around!”

Food waste!?

“Eat as much as you’d like now.”
“Thank you!”

Finally finding the courage to eat, Maltese approached the plate. As his small pink nose caught the scent of daylily, his ears perked up. Then, closing his eyes tightly, he took his first bite.

“Delicious!”
“It’s delicious?!”
“The flavor is so warm!”
“It’s probably because it’s a spring vegetable you can eat this time of year.”
“Humans eat so many delicious things!”

Maltese had discovered the taste of human food.

“I’ve always eaten this, meow.”
“Ooh! You eat it all the time!”
“Me, meow.”

Hae-tae lifted his chin proudly, his lips smeared with seasoning.

“So humans eat delicious food like this all the time!”
“How sneaky of humans to eat such delicious food, meow.”

Why were their accusations directed at me?

I cleared my throat and stood up. Somehow, I felt like the most luxuriously living human in the world.

“I’m going to make side dishes for tomorrow….”

I deliberately drew out my words. Then I chuckled and asked.

“Dog, would you taste-test for me?”

Maltese stuck out his pink tongue and wagged his tail eagerly.

“I can taste-test! I finally understand the human palate!”
“Of course! You can eat.”

Besides, my judgment on the seasoning is what matters anyway. Who could refuse when he was sparkling his eyes like that, clearly eager to eat? Hae-tae seemed to notice and smirked beside me.

“When someone eats deliciously, humans gain strength and work hard, meow.”
“I saw that sometimes with my younger sibling!”

I took out the prepared vegetables I’d stored in the Refrigerator. Maltese cried out as if he might float up to the sky any moment.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be much help! But I’ll do my very best!”

I placed my palm on Maltese’s head and rubbed it gently. It probably wouldn’t help much, but this kind of cuteness was perfect for soothing away fatigue.

“Thank you, Maltese.”

***

The next day.

As soon as I opened the shop early in the morning, I noticed some distinctive figures.

“The twins came?”

Song Ae-rim and Song Ae-hyuk, who had come to pick up their school lunch boxes, were standing in front of the shop.

“Good morning, boss! Hey!”
“…Good morning. Boss. Sorry to bother you again, but we came to pick up our lunch boxes.”

I greeted them casually in return.

“Yeah, hello.”

I handed the three-tiered lunch box bag I had prepared the day before to the twins.

“But here’s the thing.”
“Huh?”

Song Ae-rim forced a smile.

“I didn’t come alone.”

Song Ae-rim and Song Ae-hyuk shifted to the sides, and an unfamiliar person appeared.

“Hello. I’m Na Seon-han, the homeroom teacher for Ae-rim and Ae-hyuk.”

The sudden encounter left me momentarily confused, but I quickly composed myself and returned the greeting.

“Ah, hello. I’m Ji-gu, from Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop. Don’t tell me the twins got into some kind of trouble?”

I quickly closed my mouth, and Na Seon-han shook her head with a suppressed smile.

“I came to buy side dishes too.”

Wait.

“Side dishes?”
“Yes, side dishes.”

I immediately straightened my posture.

“Please come inside. I was just moving some fresh side dishes I made yesterday!”

The twins whispered loudly at my businesslike demeanor.

“The boss is acting weird.”
“…Is this what adults look like when they’re doing business?”

Since they said it loud enough for me to hear, I cleared my throat with a series of coughs.

“What kind of side dishes do you prefer?”
“I like seasoned vegetables.”

Seasoned vegetables! Our shop’s specialty.

“What a fortunate coincidence. Our shop specializes in seasoned vegetables.”
“Don’t most side dish shops sell seasoned vegetables anyway?”

I ignored Song Ae-rim’s comment and continued speaking.

“Especially our seasoned vegetables—I forage for them myself.”
“Really? Truly?”

Na Seon-han’s eyes widened. Her face, illuminated by the bright morning sunlight, was warm and gentle. Her short brown-tinted hair swayed as if about to brush her shoulders, and curiosity sparkled in her eyes behind her thin glasses.

“You forage for them yourself? Do you have a vegetable garden?”
“Yes. There’s a small vegetable garden behind the shop. I grow the ingredients there myself. And I don’t use any pesticides at all.”

Na Seon-han blinked and clapped her hands together.

“That’s impressive. So it’s completely homemade side dishes.”
“Completely homemade.”

I gave a light shrug.

“Teacher, the owner really makes them well. You tasted them back then, so you know.”
“…Right. I came to buy them after tasting them that time.”

Teacher Na Seon-han gently patted Song Ae-rim’s shoulder. Her touch was very warm and affectionate.

“Owner, what kind of seasoned vegetables do you have?”
“I made a new seasoned vegetable dish yesterday….”

I spoke in an intentionally mysterious voice. At that, Teacher Na Seon-han looked at me intently, curiosity evident in her eyes.

“What is it?”
“Daylily… Do you know it?”
“Oh! That’s my favorite seasoned vegetable. I ate it often when I was young.”

Teacher Na Seon-han broke into a bright smile.

“Then you’ve arrived at just the right moment. Please wait here for a moment. I’ll let you taste today’s daylily dish.”

The twins nodded beside me, their enthusiasm filling the air with anticipation, and Teacher Na Seon-han’s face glowed with eager expectation.

I quickly recalled the leftover daylily dish I had in the side dish container. I was turning my body toward the Kitchen when—

‘Ah…!’

A silent cry escaped me internally. Maltese, who should have been sleeping on the Second Floor, was waiting in the Kitchen.

“….”

But something was strange.

He wasn’t running toward me or playing as usual. He simply stood still, gazing beyond the Kitchen. Following his gaze, I found Teacher Na Seon-han at its end.

His eyes held a depth and ache as if he were looking at someone he had longed for since long ago.

“…my younger sibling.”
“….”
“My younger sibling came to find me. I can tell even after all this time.”

Maltese’s tail slowly drooped.

“I never thought I’d see them like this again, alive and so close.”

Sensing Maltese’s desire to draw nearer, I made a suggestion.

“Your form isn’t visible anyway. Would you like to get closer?”

Maltese nodded vigorously. I picked up the plate of daylily and approached.

“Would you like to try some daylily?”
“Wow! It looks delicious….”
“Here are your chopsticks.”

Na Seon-han picked up the chopsticks and ate the daylily. Then she covered her mouth with her palm.

“It really is delicious!”
“It is, isn’t it?”
“How did you come to make daylily?”

I spoke on Maltese’s behalf.

“Actually, someone mentioned they missed daylily. So I decided to make it.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes. They said whenever they see daylily, they think of someone they miss.”

Na Seon-han smiled with a wistful expression.

“I have someone like that too.”

Huh? I glanced down at Maltese beside me.

“Right! Oh! I’ll be late for school if I don’t go now. Could you calculate the total for the side dishes I packed?”

I went to the counter and completed the transaction. I neatly packed the side dishes into a paper bag and handed them to Na Seon-han.

“Enjoy your meal! Please come again next time.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll make sure we chat next time.”

Na Seon-han gestured for the twins behind her to hurry along. I also quietly reminded them to enjoy their lunch boxes.

“I’ll be back this evening!”
“…I’ll be going now, boss.”

After the twins left, I turned around to look for Maltese.

“Maltese!”

But Maltese wasn’t in his usual spot. Hae-tae was sitting there instead.

“He followed that younger one, meow.”
“He… followed them?”

I stepped back outside the shop. I watched Na Seon-han heading toward the school, her white fur gleaming faintly beneath the sunlight.

Maltese stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. Then he lifted his small, sturdy front paws and waved them in greeting.

“Ah…”

He’d arrived so fiercely, yet now he was leaving without a sound. How lonely. A sigh escaped from my lips unbidden.

‘Farewells like this are always sad.’

I silently raised my hand to return his greeting. Strangely, the faint scent of daylily greens—which I’d left in the kitchen—drifted past me. Like a farewell blessing, fleeting and brief.

***

“Na Seon-han, that was so delicious—ah, I want to eat it again next time!”

The Teacher’s Office buzzed with quiet energy during lunch hour.

“These side dishes are from where, exactly?”
“Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop.”
“Oh, that place!”

Na Seon-han couldn’t help but let her gaze drift toward the container of daylily side dish even as she answered.

“The side dishes here are really good, aren’t they? The kids in our class keep talking about Hyang-suk’s, Hyang-suk’s…”
“You should visit next time.”
“Maybe. I’m so tired of the same side dishes and the same rice every single day.”

Na Seon-han spent her ordinary lunch break listening to her colleagues’ conversation like background radio.

“I’ll excuse myself first.”

Na Seon-han rose quietly from her seat.

“Already leaving?”
“I’m drowsy.”

The soft sound of her footsteps brushing across the hallway tiles drifted lazily through the air.

“Teacher! Hello!”
“Hey there—hello. Did you enjoy your lunch?”
“Yes!”

After greeting the students who had stopped by the Teacher’s Office and picking up her toothbrush cup, she returned and collapsed into her chair.

Was it because the lunch had been so delicious, or was it the warmth of the afternoon sun?

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and a faint smile bloomed at the corners of her mouth. Then she drifted quietly into sleep.

– Sister, wake up!
“Hmm?”
– My sister!

Na Seon-han opened her eyes slowly. She confirmed the presence of the one calling her sister. A small Maltese was wagging his tail. White, fluffy fur, and dark eyes.

“…Mun-ji?”
– Sister has woken up!

Na Seon-han held her breath. It was surely my beloved Mun-ji, who had returned to the stars. That presence stood before her eyes, calling to her with an expression full of joy.

“Mun-ji!”

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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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